Lupin's Christmas This tale is the prequel to Lupin's Summer. Thanks to the reviewers of all my Lupin stories to date! More to come! Keep r/r please!

CHAPTER SIX: CHESS

Hermione flitted around the room, looking for something to do. She hadn't really wanted to read at all. She heard a rustle behind her and found that Remus was looking at a marble chess set on her bedside table.
"Harry's?" He asked.
"Mine," she replied with a smile.
Remus let out a surprised sigh. "Didn't know you played," he replied.
"Only when I get a challenge..." Hermione said expectantly. Please offer to play, she thought, please offer to play.
"I happen to be a champion." Remus replied proudly. "Challenge enough for you?" He asked.
"Just about..." She said as he set up the board.

They played for a while before Hermione realized how good at chess he was. They had taken the same number of pieces from each other, but Remus had been chasing her king across the board and had already captured the queen.
"Bloody hell," Hermione blurted out as her second knight was captured.
"Told you I was a champion..." He taunted.
"I thought you were joking," Hermione said honestly.
"Nope," he said, smiling, "unofficial Hogwarts champion of 1972."

Wow... Hermione thought with a sigh as he concentrated on the game again. She watched the tiny lines of his brow as he focused before his next move. She hadn't been concentrating all that much... Remus is far too distracting...

"Checkmate," Remus said after a good twenty minutes.
"Bugger," she replied.
"You're a very good player." He stated as the pieces began to pack themselves away again. "I normally would have polished a game off in minutes."
"Show off." She stated, getting up and heading for the door.
"Coming down for a snack?" He asked.
"Of course," she replied, already out of the door.

When they got downstairs they found Matthew playing Exploding Snap with the boys and Mrs Weasley fussing over how she hadn't seen him for nearly a year.
"Where've you been?" Harry asked as a card blew up in Ron's face.
"Playing chess." Remus answered just as Hermione was about to.
"CHESS!?" Ron said, standing up with an angry expression on his charred face, "You play chess and you've never tole me?" He questioned Hermione.

Oh Merlin here we go again... She thought.

Please review! And I AM VERY SORRY FOR THIS CHAPTER BEING SO LATE!