Sorry about the long wait. Hope you all still enjoy the story. For those of you who are Glee fans there was a little hat tip to the show in the last chapter.

Chapter 10

No Chess Game

After lunch the kids went up to the rec room to play some games. Heather was shocked to see how happy she was to see a regular air hockey table. Something from her world. The group however went to another place in the room. It was a regular chess board that was still in the middle of the game.

James and Hugo sat down in the big chairs on either side of the board. James was black and Hugo was the white set. Giving Lily a questioning look she filled in what was missing.

"They've been at it since the day before yesterday. My bet is on Hugo."

"Your betting?"

"Only for bragging rights. You want to place a bet?"

"Can I watch a few moves first."

"You haven't seen them play before, so I don't see the harm."

With that the game restarted. It was James's move first and Heather watched with interest. Chess was one of her hobbies. She was also rather good at it. Heather knew what she would have done were she in Hugo's seat but he didn't seem to see the move. After a few more plays Heather made her call. Leaning over to Lily who was beside her she said. "I call James."

"Ok." Lily looked like she thought it was a bad idea.

"To everyone's surprise except Heather the game was over within half an hour. Heather had seen it coming. What the group found more shocking was the fact that James beat Hugo. There was a stunned silence and then a spurt of loud cheering.

"Hugo has never lost though!" This was Rose.

"He made a mistake." Heather spoke up.

"And what was that?" Hugo didn't seem that upset by his defeat.

"On the first move you should have moved you rook not your bishop."

A pensive look glazed his eyes over as he thought back.

"She's right. I didn't see it at all. Oh well it was bound to happen and I'll beat you next time. Like usual." Turning back to Heather you should play my dad. He was the youngest wizard chess champion in two centuries. And he's won the last ten years in a row."

"Well I don't k now how to play wizard's chess."

"Oh it's not any different than muggle chess. Not how you play anyway." answered James. The group disregarded what she was trying to say about really not being good enough to play a champion. But they had her down stairs in no time and soon they were sitting in the sitting room with a different board set and in front of her. Lily and the other girls were keeping Heather from slipping up to her room and trying to disappear. The boys were pulling and pushing their father and uncle towards the table.

The chess set in front of Heather was really not that different than ones she had played on before. The style was a little differed but that was all.

"What do you mean he left?"

"They got an urgent message from the ministry, they had no choice to go." Ginny told Hugo.

James waltzed up to the pair of them. He was the picture of innocence when he asked "Could you tell us what the message was?"

"James you know very well that the mission is never in the message." Ginny turned and left them

"Well it was worth the try." He looked a little put out

"You know when we met in flourish and blots?" Hugo spoke up Heather nodded "Well my dad said that he knew you, that you played chess at a little cafe in London."

"Is there anything that you people don't know about me?"

"Your favourite colour." Alice said mater-of-factly

"green"

"Your birthday?" asked Rose

"March 23"

"If you have had any pets" asked Lily

"Where's Sirius?"

"He's in the owlry with the other owls." Said James

"Oh ok. Well now you know that I have an owl."

"Can we go and see him?" little Rose asked

"The owlry isn't off limits, and then we can show you around outside too" With that there was trampling of feet to the nearest exit. "Be back for supper." Ginny called after them

The rest of the summer passed and Heather found that she liked it very much at Potter manor and all her new friends. She owled her parents often and told them what she was up to. And sometimes they sent Sirius back with small packages of thing that she had forgotten. Almost too soon though the first of September was approaching. And this meant that she wouldn't see Hermione, Ron, Harry or Albus or Rose for a long time. It also meant that she would be going to Hogwarts.