It's all in the game

By: Minamoto

a/n: Based on the McGonagall's Chess set theory. I did not come up with the theory, I always thought that there was something more to the chess game in the first book but I did not come up with the theory.

Disclaimer: McGonagall's Chess set theory is not mine. The world and characters of the Harry Potter world are not mine. There is text from the first book in here which is all in bold, underlined, and in italics to set it apart from what I have written.

"You know Harry; there is always something to learn in chess." Ron said as his bishop took out one of Harry's knights.

"Sure it does Ron," Harry said bitterly "You're only saying that because no one's ever beaten you."

"No, I'm serious! It teaches you tactics, and . . . .ummm . . . to predict an outcome!"

Harry thought for a second, "Yeah, it does. But that doesn't work in real life, only in games."

"I don't agree with you their." Ron said grinning "Checkmate."

"The towering white chessman had no faces."

"Draco, can you help me with this." Blaise Zaibini whined as he glared down at his potions homework.

Draco rolled his eye's into the back of his head, "You're so fucking helpless, Zabini. Read the text!"

"I did. . ."

"What was it on?"

". . . I did!"

Draco smirked as Blaise glared at him.

"Fine, be a bloody git!" Blaise said growling as he snapped his quill in half, ". . .fuck. . ."

Blaise threw his broken quill at Draco and pulled another out of his bag, "Say Drac, are you going to the meeting. . ."

"No." Draco said, hardening his gaze.

"Drac, what would you're father say if you didn't go?"

"It really has nothing to do with what he's going to say. He's going 'to' beat me into a bloody pulp."

Blaise's eyes widened as he turned a pleading gaze onto his friend, "He almost killed you last time! Draco, please go!"

Draco glared at the lines in his palm.

"Draco. . ."

"FINE you annoying fucker, I'll go. . ."

Blaise sighed in relief "Thank you. . ."

"White always plays first in chess"

Their was a quick flash of green light and a 'thump' as the motionless body of Cedric Diggory fell to the ground, lifeless. .

"You know I still have dreams of the night he died . . . it was so fast, there was nothing I could do. . ." Harry said burrowing his face into his hands.

"Harry. . ." Hermione said sympathetically as she wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and embraced him in a comforting manner. "Its not your fault that Cedric died. It was out of your control."

"I know its not my fault, but I can't help but blame myself. . . I'm so fucked up in the head. I find myself hallucinating all the time. I'm always looking behind my shoulder, expecting to see Voldemort . . ." Harry felt Hermione tense at the mention of the dark lords name.

"Life hasn't been good for you. You have a right to have your problems, and I think you deal with them in a perfectly sane manner.

"But I don't, I lost all semblance of sanity long ago. . ."

"Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown."

"SIRIUS!" Harry watched helplessly as his God father was hit by Bellatrix's spell and fell through the veil.

Instinct yelled at Harry to pull him out

Help him!

But there was a strong arm there, preventing Harry's instinct from taking over.

"Professor Lupin! We've got to help him!"

Golden eyes filled with sorrow as Remus Lupin shook his head, "It's too late. It was too late the moment he fell through the veil."

Harry wasn't listening, he was seething. An animalistic part of him took over and he snarled as he thrashed, trying to get out of the older man's grasp.

"You're a bastard! He was you're friend! Why aren't you going to help you're friend?" Harry screamed and cried insults at the poor werewolf but Remus took every last one, looking sympathetically at the emotional Harry.

Harry eventually ran out of insults and went slightly limp in werewolf's embrace and began to sob pitifully, burying his face in his hands, pulling at his own hair in frustration. He screamed before latching on to the older man, needing to feel another living, breathing humans touch at the moment.

"Had to let that happen, leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Hermione glared coldly at the emotionless Draco Malfoy before her.

"I knew you where always an evil fucker." Hermione spat, glaring coldly at the blonde.

Draco half laughed, half sobbed; making a choked sound, "You don't understand the gist of it."

"Oh I do, I do." Hermione said, jabbing her wand sharply into Draco's chest.

"Just kill me, do us both a favor." Draco said with hard resolve

A sympathetic look flashed through her eyes, "Why did you do it, Draco? Why did you side with him? You told us you didn't want anything to do with this war."

Draco clenched his fist, "What was I supposed to do? Huh? It's not that easy. Both my parents are firm supporters of Voldemort, my friends are, everyone around me. I step over their views and concepts and I'm as good as dead. Blaise was afraid of what my father would do to me if I refused Voldemort, so he had me promise that I would join with him."

"I'm still going to kill you. . ." Hermione said, clenching her wand tightly.

"THEN DO IT ALREADY!"

Hermione sobbed as she fell to her knees.

"Aren't you supposed to be a fearless Gryffindor? Show this Slytherin bastard what he deserves."

"But. . .you don't."

"I do!" Draco said going over to Hermione and grasping her shoulders, shaking her lightly, "I thought you were smart, or something. Where did your common sense go?"

Hermione smiled up at Draco, "You've changed so much since the time I first met you."

Draco stared at her.

"You used to be a manipulative prick with no balls," Hermione ignored Draco's offended protest," Who blindly followed 'daddy'. But. . . you've grown up. You've proven yourself loyal to those you care about, and . . . You're not afraid of death." Hermione said smiling

"Isn't it supposed to be a bad thing to not be afraid of death? Kind of morbid if you ask me."

Hermione giggled as she hugged him, " I don't want your opinion, you prat."

"Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy."

"EXPELLMIRUS!"

The shouted spell hit Draco full force and he collided painfully with the wall.

Draco coughed violently and stared with muted horror as his own blood coated his hand.

"It seems a rib cracked and pierced your lung." The death eater said smirking

Draco said nothing as he was seized with a fit of coughs.

"Draco, why did you betray me? I thought you were my friend!" The Death eater removed his cowl to reveal the pleasingly featured face of Blaise Zabini.

"Fuck. . . you. . ." Draco said between coughs.

Blaise glared and kicked Draco in the chest.

Draco screamed and nearly blacked out at the overwhelming pain

Figures . . . if she didn't kill me someone had to Draco thought wryly.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think- let me think"

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"Yes" said Ron softly, "it's the only way, I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted.

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me- that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But-"

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Ron-"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the stone!"

There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go- now, don't hang around once you've won."

He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor- Hermione screamed but stayed on her square- the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won.

Harry looked away as Ron ran in.

Ron was the distraction to get Bellatrix away from Voldemort.

Ron. . . his best friend, was going to die.

A firm look of resolve masked Harry's features as he ran down a long winding hall. He stopped at the door at the end of the door and sighed before pushing it open.

It took everything within Harry to not scream at the sight before him.

Harry screamed in pain and frustration and he ran to the body of the man that was his last connection to a dead mother and father.

Remus Lupin laid on the floor in a pool of blood, angry looking silver burns scattered all over his body. Harry knelt down and carefully brushed the blood matted sandy-blonde hair out of mans care worn, yet still attractive, face. The werewolf had had a hard life, yet he never had mourned his own misfortune. He was there when others needed him despite his own personal pain.

Harry cursed loudly and bounded forward. He would kill Voldemort, He would not lose, if not for himself but for his parents, and for Sirius and Remus. . . for Ron, and for everyone else.

He could not fail.

Owari