/sighs/ I guess I was the only one to think the ending was odd...I still don't know why though...oh well. I'm glad you all reveiwed again and that you all liked the last chapter and the trainging through games. I actually got the idea because, kings used to be taught military thinking by playing Chess...Go (Japanese game, simialr to chess, but not quite) depends on the culture, I suppose. I'm too tired and excited to thank you all personally, but I thank all my reviewers for taking the time to do so.
Chapter Seven
"What?" Harry asked with a teasing grin as Sin walked into the parlor, "No games?"
"I'm afraid I've had my fill of childish games that I am unable to win," Sin replied sitting down in a chair nearby Harry.
Harry's brow scrunched up and he asked, "But, I thought you were letting me win..."
Sin blinked and replied, "I let you win until you got an understanding of the games. I never let you win at Gin Rummy, though."
"Wait..." Harry asked putting the book he'd been reading down, "I actually beat you?"
"Yes," Sin replied sarcastically, "you actually beat me, an eight hundred year old vampire, at board games."
"That's crazy," Harry declared picking his book back up and reading again.
"Do you really trust Dumbledore?" Sin asked suddenly.
"Yes," Harry replied looking confused at the change in subject, "completely."
Sin raised an eyebrow, but nodded slowly. Harry resumed his reading, but looked somewhat troubled, and confused.
The silence went on, punctuated by the ticking of the clock...
"Okay!" Harry exclaimed, "What do you mean?"
"How old to you think Dumbledore is?" Sin asked, sounding as though he hadn't heard Harry's outburst.
"One hundred and fifty," Harry replied slowly.
"And Nicolas Flamel is in his six hundreds, correct?" Sin asked, Harry nodded, "What's the average life expectancy for a magical person?"
"Two, three hundred," Harry replied wondering where this conversation was going.
"Now," Sin said, "If the average life expectancy is, roughly, two hundred, Nicolas Flamel should have died about three or four hundred years ago, correct," Harry nodded, "except he created the sorcerers stone—with Dumbledore's help." Harry nodded again. "Now if Dumbledore helped, it had to have been three or four hundred years ago, so he couldn't possibly be one hundred and fifty, or even two hundred. He'd have to be, at least, three or four hundred years old."
"But what does this have to do with anything?" Harry asked looking somewhat confused.
"How is he still alive?" Sin asked Harry, "If he's not using the sorcerer's stone?"
"I...don't know..." Harry replied slowly, waiting to see if his answer was correct.
Sin laughed and replied, "The stone wasn't destroyed," Harry's eyebrows rose so quickly it was comical, "he was and still is using it as a bargaining chip in what is commonly called The Game."
"The Game?" Harry repeated.
"Yes, it's actually a war that's been going on since time was created," Sin replied, "the winner gets control over everything, and we're in final round of the game...well, until another game gets started again."
Harry leaned back in his chair and wondered why he knew this to be true, why he didn't question it.
"The players," Sin began, "are the vampires, the light, the dark, possibly the werewolves, and the...lost...I believe that is how you would best translate it, they are very unusual people—it's best not to deal with them they'll make you lose at the last second. They are a mix of psychics, powerful magicians, and other magical creatures.
"You are also familiar with either the leaders of the powers or very important members of the powers. Everyone you know is as follows Werewolves—Remus Lupin, Vampires—me, the light—Albus Dumbledore, the dark—Voldemort, and Second to the third in command of the lost—Severus Snape."
"This is for real, isn't it?" Harry asked after a few moments.
"Very real," Sin replied, "and winner takes all."
"'All' what?" Harry asked.
"Anything and everything that can be applied as something," Sin replied. Harry blinked in confusion. "The world," Sin sighed in exasperation. Harry's mouth formed an 'o'.
"Who do we want to win?" Harry asked.
"We want the vampires to win," Sin replied, "but if you mean, who don't we want to win then I can answer that better. We don't want the light, the lost, or the dark to win."
"Just the vampires or werewolves?" Harry asked looking slightly disappointed.
"That's all I trust," Sin replied, "and the werewolves might not even pull support of the light, but we'll find out...Remus' guardian is the king of the werewolves, and Remus is his representative, as the king himself is much too involved with the complicated politics of the game as leader of a power."
"Who is Remus' guardian?" Harry asked looking both confused and interested.
"The one who bit him," Sin replied, "his pack leader, I believe they are called."
"Remus is the prince of the werewolves?" Harry exclaimed in shock.
"Essentially," Sin murmured nonchalantly.
Harry's eyes were comically wide as he breathlessly repeated 'Essentially' in the same tone.
"Yes, now do need to further explain, why we don't want anyone else to win?" Sin asked looking over at Harry.
"No," Harry replied standing up and waving a hand, "I'll just stew in my curiosity."
"All right," Sin said standing up and following Harry out of the parlor, "we'll continue your training about...eleven-ish?"
Harry spun around and stared at Sin in confusion. "Training?"
"Yes," Sin replied walking past Harry, "Chess, Clue, Poker, Rummy, Monopoly...the like."
Harry gaped after Sin and then muttered, shaking his head, in shock, "Oh my god..."
Sin stopped at the doorway and said, "Oh, and by the way Harry, welcome to the game."
Severus stood outside of the room the Weasley children were talking in, listening to other conversation, but mostly listening to Ginny. She was something that Severus had, at one time been, himself. He had been a child able to understand the game without being aware that it was there, to know what was going on without having any idea.
As Severus listened he was brought to the decision that Ginny had to be made aware of what was going on while she could still feel it. If a gift, such as the one she had, went unnoticed long enough, it would disappear.
Severus let his head rest against the wall beside the room and listened to the pieces of conversation he could hear, all having to do with Lupin, Dumbledore, and Potter. He can almost sense Ginny reaching out with her subconscious trying to find the answers to the questions she and her brothers are asking, trying to find out why she noticed all the flaws in the explanations.
Severus wonders why she wasn't put into Slytherin or, at least, Ravenclaw. The girl was brighter than she let on.
Severus would have to introduce her to the chain of command, and then train her to use those powers of hers.
A new seer was never a bad thing.
"So, is everyone involved in the game?" Harry asked as he threw the dice and moved his piece.
"Yes," Sin replied, "Whether they know it or not, at the moment though, most people are classified into light or dark, just because they decide to support it. However most don't really do anything to affect the outcome of the game."
Sin picked up the dice and took his turn.
"Will I have any affect on the game?" Harry asked watching Sin move his piece. "That's my property." Harry declared after Sin stopped moving.
"Yes," Sin replied smiling at Harry, sliding money over to Harry.
"How did I get to be so special," Harry asked himself rhetorically as he sorted the money into their respective piles.
"You're very powerful," Sin explained, tossing the dice over to Harry. "And power is something always important to the outcome of the Game."
"Why does that matter?" Harry asked rolling the dice.
Sin caught them both before they hit the board and looked Harry in the eye. "Power is very important, because everything you do will it's outcome will be decided on how much power you have compared to the task, everyone you think about forming a relationship with will have a complimentary power to yours, everyone you ally yourself with will agree to ally because of your power, and how it would up theirs.
"When you fight someone you will use your power, when you want to hurt someone you will take away their power...people will want you on their side for the power you have, it is your decision who needs and deserves your power most, you will advance in the game by giving and taking away your power. Power, Harry, is the holiest thing on this godforsaken planet, and it would do you well to remember that."
Sin held the dice up to Harry, who took them and rolled again.