The Gryffindor common room was buzzing with activity that night, making it exceedingly difficult to concentrate on the chess game Harry was trying to carry out with one of the new first years. He was a strange-looking kid with dark hair and small glasses, and he kept the collar of his robes tugged high on his face. No one seemed to know anything about him, save that he rarely spoke and spent most of his time alone. Harry was about to add, "good at chess," to that list, seeing as he was losing most spectacularly.

"You should play Ron," Harry said with a shake of his head, sacrificing a pawn. He smirked a little as the poor piece was smashed to bits. "He'd give you a better game than me, that's for sure."

"It's not over yet," the boy assured evenly, waiting for Harry to make his next move. "And I know someone much better than me at these things."

"That Ravenclaw?" Harry asked curiously. There were only a few people Shino had ever been seen with, and one was a particularly boring Ravenclaw who always seemed to be cutting class. "If he's not careful he's going to flunk his classes. Is...he a friend of yours?"

"Not really."

"Oh." Harry frowned slightly, and when he glanced down to make his move was startled by a small bug crawling across the board. He lifted one of his pieces, intending to squash it.

Shino straightened subtly. "Don't."

"Hm?" Harry brought the piece down, crushing the tiny insect easily and flicking the remains away. "Don't what?"

Shino's brow furrowed, but he didn't explain, waiting patiently for Harry to complete his move. He took the second rook. "This is a very odd school," he said instead.

Harry smiled. "Yes, it is. It takes some getting used to right? This is my third year and I'm still learning things." The game continued, slowly, as each took more time to plan their moves. "You should try talking to more people," he suggested.

"I'm all right."

Another bug scrambled across the table, and Harry blinked in surprise. "It's a bloody infestation," he laughed. He lifted another piece to finish it off.

Shino's hand came down on his wrist, halting him, and he jumped in surprise. Though Harry couldn't see the boy's eyes with his glasses on, he had the distinct impression he was being glared at. "Stop that," Shino said lowly.

"Huh? Why?" Harry frowned as he watched the bug scuttle over the table edge. "It's just a bug."

Shino didn't move. "Just stop."

Harry was about to ask why, but his breath caught when he saw another pair of the insects crawling up over Shino's face. He didn't flinch, didn't even seem to notice as they made their way from his temple to his jaw and disappeared under his collar. "Hey...." He gulped when he noticed another three tracing the veins along Shino's hand—the same hand that was still fastened around his wrist. Her jerked back. "What is that?"

"It's all right," Shino assured, drawing his hand back. He slipped his bishop into checkmate. "They're just bugs."