Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the fanfiction story. I'm not making
any money off of it. This is purely for fun.
Chapter 19
Chess Champion?
The girls left the dungeon and began their search for their friends. They found them in the Great Hall. Ron and Harry were trying to teach Hermione how to play chess, again. Still, after seven years, chess was the one of the few things that Ron and Harry could do better than her, flying and Quidditch were the others. Harry saw Cleo, Mêlée, Curania, and A'lira walking towards them and motioned for them to be quiet. Hermione was concentrating very hard on what her next move should be. Ron had wiped out all of her pieces except her king, the white space bishop, one knight, and four pawns. She had managed to capture two of Ron's pawns and a rook.
Cleo and Curania sat on the side of the table where Hermione and Harry sat while Mêlée and A'lira went around the table to sit on the other side with Ron. Hermione finally made her move. Ron surveyed the board for a few minutes. He then smiled mischievously and moved his queen.
"Checkmate." He said and Hermione looked as if she was about to scream.
"I give up! I'm never playing with you again! You always win!" she complained.
"Maybe you just need to play with someone else until you get better." A'lira suggested.
"Oh, not you A'lira!" Curania exclaimed.
"You'll wipe the floor with her more so than Ron does." Cleo laughed.
"Huh?" Ron asked. "You think she's better than I am?"
"We don't think, we know." Mêlée stated.
"I'd like to see this." Harry smiled. "I've even got a better idea though." Everyone looked at him confused. "Why don't we make it more interesting with a wager."
"Two Galleons says A'lira wins." Cleo exclaimed.
"Three says Ron does." Dean Thomas said as he walked up.
Soon nearly 100 people were in on the bet. Everyone agreed that the game should take place right after lunch. So the two players went they own ways until lunch. By lunchtime 50 more people had joined in and they were evenly split. Many just wanted to see the all-mighty chess champion of Hogwarts get beaten. Others were waiting to see the girl who dared challenge him get wiped. There were also a few who believed it would end in a stalemate.
The game started an hour after lunch. There had been a huge argument between Professor Snape and Dumbledore over whether or not the game should proceed. Finally Dumbledore won the quarrel and they were allowed to play.
The game went on for two and a half hours. There were a few times when everyone thought the game was over but the player that had been checked and there seemed to be no way out of a checkmate had managed to escape. At this point no one could be sure of who would win. Ron had his king, a knight, five pawns, the black square bishop, and two rooks. A'lira managed to still have her king, her queen, both bishops, a rook and three pawns. The next half hour dragged on, ridding A'lira of her rook, her black square bishop, and two pawns and Ron of his rooks, three pawns, and bishop.
The crowd was beginning to get restless when A'lira moved her queen to check Ron and Ron captured her queen with his knight and checked her king. She moved her bishop and seized his knight. Ron moved one of his pawns and captured one of her but in doing so A'lira captured the same pawns with her king. Finally the only pieces left on the board were the two kings.
"I guess it's a stalemate." Ron said.
"Yes, I suppose it is." A'lira laughed.
The Crowd cheered. Harry, Hermione and A'lira's sisters came and hugged the players before the rest of the crowd could get to them.
"Congrats!" Cleo said. "You're still good."
"Yep. I haven't lost my touch." A'lira stated, proudly.
"But you didn't win." Said Harry.
"Winning and losing isn't what the game is about. It's how well you play it." A'lira explained. "The better the game, the better I feel about how well it play. Facing someone with the same amount of talent that you have and ending in a stalemate is better, in my eyes, than beating him."
"I never thought of it that way." Ron said softly.
"Its like that in many other things to. It's not about who wins or loses. It's about how you play the game." She went on.
"Okay, 'Lira enough with the philosophy lesson." Cleo complained playfully. "Come on. We still have a few hours before dinner. Lets do something!"
The friends looked at each other and ran out of the Great Hall and out onto the grounds.
"Let's go see Hagrid." Hermione suggested. "We haven't seen him in a while." The others agreed."
"Race ya!" Cleo called as she took off in the direction of Hagrid's hut. The others laughed and took off after her. When they reached the small hut, they walked in to find a very upset Hagrid.
any money off of it. This is purely for fun.
Chapter 19
Chess Champion?
The girls left the dungeon and began their search for their friends. They found them in the Great Hall. Ron and Harry were trying to teach Hermione how to play chess, again. Still, after seven years, chess was the one of the few things that Ron and Harry could do better than her, flying and Quidditch were the others. Harry saw Cleo, Mêlée, Curania, and A'lira walking towards them and motioned for them to be quiet. Hermione was concentrating very hard on what her next move should be. Ron had wiped out all of her pieces except her king, the white space bishop, one knight, and four pawns. She had managed to capture two of Ron's pawns and a rook.
Cleo and Curania sat on the side of the table where Hermione and Harry sat while Mêlée and A'lira went around the table to sit on the other side with Ron. Hermione finally made her move. Ron surveyed the board for a few minutes. He then smiled mischievously and moved his queen.
"Checkmate." He said and Hermione looked as if she was about to scream.
"I give up! I'm never playing with you again! You always win!" she complained.
"Maybe you just need to play with someone else until you get better." A'lira suggested.
"Oh, not you A'lira!" Curania exclaimed.
"You'll wipe the floor with her more so than Ron does." Cleo laughed.
"Huh?" Ron asked. "You think she's better than I am?"
"We don't think, we know." Mêlée stated.
"I'd like to see this." Harry smiled. "I've even got a better idea though." Everyone looked at him confused. "Why don't we make it more interesting with a wager."
"Two Galleons says A'lira wins." Cleo exclaimed.
"Three says Ron does." Dean Thomas said as he walked up.
Soon nearly 100 people were in on the bet. Everyone agreed that the game should take place right after lunch. So the two players went they own ways until lunch. By lunchtime 50 more people had joined in and they were evenly split. Many just wanted to see the all-mighty chess champion of Hogwarts get beaten. Others were waiting to see the girl who dared challenge him get wiped. There were also a few who believed it would end in a stalemate.
The game started an hour after lunch. There had been a huge argument between Professor Snape and Dumbledore over whether or not the game should proceed. Finally Dumbledore won the quarrel and they were allowed to play.
The game went on for two and a half hours. There were a few times when everyone thought the game was over but the player that had been checked and there seemed to be no way out of a checkmate had managed to escape. At this point no one could be sure of who would win. Ron had his king, a knight, five pawns, the black square bishop, and two rooks. A'lira managed to still have her king, her queen, both bishops, a rook and three pawns. The next half hour dragged on, ridding A'lira of her rook, her black square bishop, and two pawns and Ron of his rooks, three pawns, and bishop.
The crowd was beginning to get restless when A'lira moved her queen to check Ron and Ron captured her queen with his knight and checked her king. She moved her bishop and seized his knight. Ron moved one of his pawns and captured one of her but in doing so A'lira captured the same pawns with her king. Finally the only pieces left on the board were the two kings.
"I guess it's a stalemate." Ron said.
"Yes, I suppose it is." A'lira laughed.
The Crowd cheered. Harry, Hermione and A'lira's sisters came and hugged the players before the rest of the crowd could get to them.
"Congrats!" Cleo said. "You're still good."
"Yep. I haven't lost my touch." A'lira stated, proudly.
"But you didn't win." Said Harry.
"Winning and losing isn't what the game is about. It's how well you play it." A'lira explained. "The better the game, the better I feel about how well it play. Facing someone with the same amount of talent that you have and ending in a stalemate is better, in my eyes, than beating him."
"I never thought of it that way." Ron said softly.
"Its like that in many other things to. It's not about who wins or loses. It's about how you play the game." She went on.
"Okay, 'Lira enough with the philosophy lesson." Cleo complained playfully. "Come on. We still have a few hours before dinner. Lets do something!"
The friends looked at each other and ran out of the Great Hall and out onto the grounds.
"Let's go see Hagrid." Hermione suggested. "We haven't seen him in a while." The others agreed."
"Race ya!" Cleo called as she took off in the direction of Hagrid's hut. The others laughed and took off after her. When they reached the small hut, they walked in to find a very upset Hagrid.