The Hogwarts' Annual Championship Tournament of Chess: 5

Hermione could not remember enjoying school as much as she was in her eighth year. Being Head Girl was great, as she was given the final say on a lot of decisions and was the best voice of reason and responsibility when the Prefects were out of control during meetings. When Parvati wanted to plan an Easter Bash, Hermione gently reminded the group they already had their limits of school-mandated parties.

Of course, sometimes the overall vote went over her head and she was subjected to quite a few lousy decisions.

The worst was the naming of the tournament.

"We can't just call it the chess tournament. It'll be an annual thing, according to McGonagall, and the name has to be special," Edward Harper exclaimed.

"I understand the point, Edward, but nothing too extravagant," Hermione relented, knowing she would be fighting a room full of Prefects with only Draco by her side, according to the looks on everyone's faces as they turned to her.

Ernie snapped his fingers, a gleeful smirk crossing his face. "The Hogwarts' Annual Championship Tournament of Chess."

The room was silent until Draco cut in. "That is the worst fucking name I have ever heard."

Victoria smiled at her housemate and turned to face the Heads. "I think it sounds wonderful."

"It is very unique," Astoria mused, crossing her arms. Parvati's initial expression of shock and disgust was slowly morphing into amusement, and she, too, turned against the Heads.

"There is no way we can be considering that name," Hermione argued, drawing herself upright. What she lacked in height she made up for in determination and intimidation. It also helped that most of the school was afraid of what her magic could do, and Malfoy's presence at her back gave her the illusion of a few more meters of height.

But as they continued brainstorming names, each Prefect presented the group with a name more outrageous than the last, and Hermione and Draco had to acquiesce to the Hogwarts' Annual Championship Tournament of Chess.

Otherwise, they could have been stuck trying their hardest to keep a straight face when they introduced F.U.C.K.I.N.G. S.H.I.T.E. - the Fantastic Undergraduates' Chess Kickoff of Important and Necessary Games, So Hogwarts can Ignite the Tension to Extremes - as that was the second-best choice. Honestly, she should have scrubbed their mouths with soap after that half-hour meeting. For seventh- and eighth-year Prefects, they certainly acted like immature teenagers. And the point of an acronym is to save space and time, not make the name ridiculously long and complicated and hardly make sense. It took twenty of their thirty minutes for the Prefects to assemble the name to fit the acronym while consulting two separate dictionaries.

For other, less contested decisions, it helped that she had the Head Boy almost always side with her. He was talking more and either he wanted to stay on her good side or they both had similar ideas, but they were almost in sync with what they allowed. Hermione noticed a few Prefects were occasionally side-eyeing the Heads, and she wondered if they were starting to piece together her relationship with Draco, which they had yet to come clean about.

As fun as it would be to see how the school reacted, they both agreed (reluctantly) that they couldn't let students (Ron) have a free pass to complain when they beat him. Throwing him off his game, or providing him with the excuse, wouldn't give either one of them the satisfaction they were playing for.

While they had agreed to wait to announce it, they were not hiding the fact that they were friends, and Hermione was proud to let the school know Draco Malfoy was her best friend. At least, tied with Harry and Ginny. And occasionally with Ron, when the Gryffindor wasn't pissing her off.

As taxing as they were, Hermione loved her classes, even though she had to increase her study time to fully prepare for her NEWTS. Studying was fun, too, since it let her mind work differently than when she played chess.

However, the best thing about her last year was Draco Malfoy. He was sweet and witty and content with studying with her instead of getting bored by how often she worked. She appreciated how patient he was with her, sometimes pushing her further as their competitive natures sparked with how close their grades were. It was also a bonus that he would 'tire quickly' of work and declare a break where he could snog her until she couldn't remember what they were studying.

The end of the year was quickly approaching and making Hermione even more nervous than she expected. Not only did she have her NEWTS to worry about, but also the chess tournament that was starting to take over the castle. There were floating candles Transfigured to look like glowing chess pieces, posters and a large bracket that appeared in the Great Hall one morning, and yet she still wasn't done decorating.

It had taken several charms, and the watchful eye of McGonagall, but Hermione managed to create a bracket that would magically - and randomly - assign the matches, keeping track of who continues through the tournament and automatically creating a new match. She tested it by having the Prefects play a few fake games to see if the large board would change.

Her spellcasting turned out to be perfect and Draco congratulated her thoroughly in the Room of Requirement later that evening.


"Why do I have to speak?" Hermione whispered to Draco, who was standing tall beside her. They were waiting near the podium in the Great Hall as Headmistress McGonagall lectured about the tournament and its creation.

Draco tilted in her direction so their heads were closer together, making his whole torso curve obviously. "Because I don't like to speak publicly, and you'd do it better anyways."

"Prat," she hissed, just as McGonagall introduced her and Draco. Hermione had to quickly tamp down the glare she had shot at Draco and contort it into a pleasant smile, though it must have looked more like a grimace based on Draco's snort and stifled snicker.

"Your Heads will speak more on the tournament and answer any questions you may have. Thank you, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy," with a brisk nod, the Headmistress stepped away from the eagle podium, allowing Hermione to take her place, Draco trailing her closely.

"Thank you, Headmistress McGonagall," Hermione smiled at her Professor, who smiled slightly at her favourite student.

"Tomorrow is the Hogwarts' Annual Championship Tournament of Chess." Hermione glared first at the singular notecard she held that contained only the name of the tournament and then at Edward Harper, who grinned cheekily at her. She should have fought more on that decision. "First, I would like to thank all the Prefects and my fellow Head, Draco Malfoy, for creating the tournament and ensuring things will run smoothly." She waited for the polite clapping to end.

"The tournament will last the entire week, in between classes, after dinner, and then all day on Saturday and Sunday, with Sunday afternoon the final game. We had a large number of students enter the tournament so we will have seven scheduled times with ten matches at a time. You are more than welcome to watch any match you would like, so long as you are not helping or creating a distraction to players." Hermione glanced at Draco for a beat, trying to think of whatever else she needed to bring up. "We had unveiled the bracket board earlier this week, but we have now updated the beginning matches and when they will be held. The first match is tomorrow at 1, and we have accounted for who will be in class and when, which is why some of you have to play after lunch."

She turned back to Draco. "Do you have anything you would like to add?" He shook his head and Hermione let out a small sigh as she returned her gaze to the students all staring at the two of them, though she had to hide a smile when she felt his hand briefly brush the small of her back in comfort.

"Are there any questions?" She asked, and immediately, people began to shout their questions.

Draco pulled out his wand, shooting sparks into the air. "Please be respectful of your Head Girl and your Professors' eardrums and raise your hand. Granger will call on you to ask your questions in a reasonable manner that doesn't disturb the peace." It was even harder to hide her smile after that.

"How does the prize work?" A small third year from Hufflepuff asked.

"I didn't expect someone from Hufflepuff to care about the prize as much," Draco whispered in her ear.

"You were required to turn in an item you would like to win when you entered the tournament. I had to charm the basket to hold everything, but it is currently in the Head students' office. And be careful," Hermione eyed each table suspiciously, "I have cast many spells to prevent tampering or thievery."

Draco laughed behind her. "Abandon all hope, ye who hope to avoid Granger's spells," he said in a chuckle, "anyone who attempts to even look at the prizes should do well to remember how perfect and vindictive her spellcasting can be." Hermione watched with a little delight as a few of the younger students began frantically whispering to each other, fear marring their faces.

"Thank you, Draco,'' she said quietly. A few students raised their hands and she did her best to answer their questions, Draco stepping in when she needed a break to think or didn't have the answer.


"Can you believe some of them thought they could get away with cheating?" Hermione said as she and Draco walked around Hogwarts grounds, soaking in the sun after a week of clouds and rain.

"Like you wouldn't think of that and have spells against it," Draco laughed at her side. "We need to keep an eye on those second years from now on if they're already striking deals with other house members, we know they'll only get worse as they get older. I'm glad Boot was there and heard their conversation with Fleet before they could cause any trouble."

"It's like having two or three Fred and Georges in each house, all in the same year," Hermione muttered, crossing her arms. Draco laughed again, placing a gentle hand on her waist to pull her closer to him and avoid some bowtruckles that were on the ground. His hand lingered longer than was necessary, and Hermione smiled, absorbing all the contact she could get from him. Draco was a tactile person, like her, and would always have some sort of physical touch every chance he could. But as they spent most of their day in public, it was hard to keep their hands off each other.

"And you're in charge of keeping them in line," he teased, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"With your help, of course," she said firmly, shooting him a glare when he didn't immediately agree.

"Do I have to? You're the best person for the job, always ruining people's fun…" Hermione gasped and jokingly hit him in the arm with the back of her hand.

"I ruin your fun?" She said her voice filled with fake hurt that caused Draco's expression to fill with panic. Hermione turned away from him, letting her hair cover her face and curling in on herself, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing.

Draco rushed to comfort her, worry etched into his face as he brought them to a halt, pulling her into his arms. "I didn't mean it, I swear, Granger, I was just kidding, you're the only fun thing around here," Hermione let herself relax in his embrace just for a beat, allowing the heat from the sun and her boyfriend to warm her before she put him out of his misery.

"I was just teasing you, Draco," she pulled back so he could see her face, and the shock in his mercurial eyes was enough for her giggles to spill out. The blonde gaped, frozen in place as Hermione shook with laughter.

"That was mean," he whined, pulling away from her and stuffing his hands into his pockets, looking away with a hurt expression. Hermione's heart jolted, and she felt like she had just kicked a puppy. As she pulled closer to comfort him, she noted a quick gleam in his eyes and paused.

"Oh, we could do this all day," she huffed, and he immediately lost the pained expression, reaching for her to give her a quick hug.

"You're right," he laughed, glancing over her head to be sure no one was around before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "Shall we go to the kitchens? I'm starved." Hermione chuckled as she heard his stomach growl.

"Then you shouldn't have suggested we skip dinner after we spoke about the tournament," she said but followed his lead as they made another lap around Hogwarts before turning to head inside.

"Excuse me for wanting a little sunshine quality time with my girlfriend," he said with a light hint of snark, and Hermione took his hand, squeezing slightly before tangling their fingers together.

"We should find a time to have a picnic outside when no one is around," she proposed. "Then you can get your yearly quota of Vitamin D and have some 'quality time' with me." He jostled her with his elbow at her teasing and reluctantly released her hand when they made it to the front doors.

"That's a good idea," he said, "leave the planning to me, then." Hermione eyed him suspiciously as he held the door open for her.

"What are you planning?"

"The best date you've ever been on." His grin was infectious, and they couldn't get rid of their smiles until they made it to the entrance to the kitchen and found Ron waiting.

"Ronald," Hermione said, pulling her friend in for a quick hug, widening her eyes at Draco over her shoulder.

"Hey, 'Mione, Malfoy, I was just waiting for you," the redhead said. Hermione frowned slightly.

"How did you know we were going to the kitchens?" Draco asked.

Ron shrugged. "You two left without eating, I figured you'd need to stop by at some point."

"You were waiting this entire time?"

"It's no big deal, I grabbed a few treats while I waited anyway."

"What did you need, Weasley?" Draco's tone lacked the derision he used to have around her friends, and Hermione wondered if Ron had noticed.

"Can I speak with you?" Ron asked, setting a hand on her elbow to pull her away. She felt Draco tense behind her, and she gently stepped on his foot to show him she was alright.

"Will you make me something to eat please? I'll join you as soon as I can," Hermione turned to the blonde, who was eyeing Ron with clear suspicion. He huffed but nodded sharply, tickling the painted pear and vanishing into the kitchen without taking his eyes off her.

"What did you need?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms and slowly taking a step back. Ron shifted nervously, glancing away. With a sinking heart, Hermione readied herself for the worst-case scenario. What that was, she had yet to guess, but whatever Ron wanted wasn't going to be good.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, staring at her nose instead of meeting her gaze. "You can… I've talked to the Gryffindors, and - you don't have to compete for real anymore." Hermione froze. Whatever she was expecting, that was not it.

"I know how stressed you must be and you've been avoiding everyone so I'm taking the pressure off you. The Gryffindors agreed they wouldn't say anything about it if you back out."

Ron was doing alright until he mentioned she would be 'backing out'. Hermione was baffled. On the one hand, he was trying to help her, but on the other hand, he just painted a picture of her running away with her tail between her legs. Ron had the best intentions, but she couldn't imagine the inhabitants of Gryffindor tower stepping away from gossip just because he asked them to.

Hermione sighed, pressing the heel of her palms to her eyes. "Thank you for that, Ronald, but there's no need."

"Of course there is, 'Mione," he cut in, "you've been avoiding the Common Room like the plague. All of us, for that matter. You might sit with us during meals or classes but after that, you vanish. Harry thinks it's because you saw the betting board but Gin thinks it's something else-"

"What betting board?" Hermione snapped.

Ron frowned. "You haven't seen it? It's that random poster beside the bracket thing you set up. It's charmed to look like a poster for the tournament but it's really a list of which Gryffindor bet on you or me. I can't believe it hasn't been taken down yet, we were sure the teachers saw through it immediately."

"How did you know about it?"

"Dean told me to cast a nonverbal Revelio next to the brackets and there it was. But I'm sure the rest of Hogwarts hasn't seen it, so it's no big deal-"

"I'm certain it's spread through the rest of the Houses already," she shot back, crossing her arms and tapping her foot as she thought. "Look, Ronald, thank you for trying, but I won't back down."

"Even if it means losing?" He asked skeptically, and her temper flared at what could have been overconfidence on his end or a lack of faith in her.

"No," she hissed, brushing past him to head into the kitchens, "because it means winning."

After that conversation, she needed a two-and-a-half-minute hug from Draco where she attached herself to his chest like a koala while he dragged her around the kitchen to make a sandwich.

"You might have to let go so you can eat, Granger," Draco said, his voice soft as he kissed her curls and walked them over to a small table with their plates.

"What if I don't want to?" Her voice was muffled from where it was pressed into his robes. He laughed and she felt the vibrations run through his chest. "Fine." Grumbling, Hermione took his arms and wrapped them around her so she could be held as she ate with one hand, smirking victoriously at him.

"Now I have no arms, how am I supposed to eat?"

"You don't," Hermione said with a wry grin, and his eyes were soft as he smiled at her, causing her to melt slightly. Draco gently traced the edge of her face with a finger as he brushed away curls, and Hermione felt herself stop breathing as he leaned closer, his expression so beautiful it hurt.

"It'll be alright, Hermione," he whispered, his breath almost a caress as it blew across her face, and she wrinkled her nose at him.

She sighed, kissing him softly in silent thanks. Draco hummed against her, the sound and the feeling thrumming through her, and she felt her pulse pick up.

"If we start snogging here, we'll never stop even if Hogwarts burns down around us," Draco groaned, pulling away from her, causing a mewl in protest to fall from her lips, prompting an immediate flush. Draco smirked but didn't comment on the sound, knowing she was already embarrassed enough. "Eat your sandwich."

With a pout, Hermione devoured everything on her plate, feeding him a couple of the apple slices that were left. He kissed her in between every bite she fed him as thanks.

"I'm simultaneously motivated and unwilling to practice tonight," Hermione admitted from her safe space, curled up in Draco's arms. A large hand rubbed large circles against her back. She felt almost like Crookshanks when he curled up on her lap in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, begging her for treats and pets.

"We'll compromise, then," he suggested, "spend an hour practicing and then whatever you want the rest of the evening. We don't have classes in the morning so we don't have to worry about waking up early."

"Fine," Hermione grumbled even though it was a good idea, one she would have come up with when she had to come up with the answers to all her friends' problems. Come to think of it, that was another thing about being with Draco - she didn't have to be the 'smart one' all the time. She could make mistakes and he would support her with an extensive amount of knowledge that almost matched hers. If one of them missed something, the other most likely caught it.

Draco slid out of his seat, tugging her off his lap and keeping a firm grip on her hand to pull her with him as they left the kitchens.

When they passed the Great Hall on the staircases, Hermione turned and beelined for the Great Hall.

"Granger, what are you doing?" Instead of letting go of her hand, Draco trailed after her, his grip even tighter.

"No one will be in the Great Hall and I want to see the poster," she admitted quietly, and though he didn't respond, the blonde pulled open the door for her.

They were silent when they reached her brackets, and she narrowed her eyes at a bright red poster written in Parvati's bubbly handwriting. With a nonverbal Revelio, just like Ron said, the poster shimmered until there was a chart filled with names.

She could feel Draco eyeing her carefully as she inspected the poster, and she snorted at the ridiculousness of the chart to calm her boyfriend. He was still tense, but his grip on her hand eased. He seemed more upset by the poster than she, and she had to bite down on her lip to stop her smile from forming.

"This is ridiculous," he finally broke the silence, reaching out a hand and touching the chart. The poster had a line separating the two columns, one reading Ronald Weasley and the other Hermione Granger.

There were a total of two names on her side of the column, some first-year who spent all of August and September following her around, and Nearly Headless Nick, which didn't boost her confidence considering he still thought he could fit into the Headless Hunt.

At least Harry and Ginny hadn't picked a side, but Ron's name was third on his side of the column, and she wondered how long it had been charmed, especially since she remembered Parvati making and placing the poster when they decorated Hogwarts a few weeks ago.

"Why do you think the Professors haven't taken it down yet? It's not that hard to feel a magical signature emanating from it, especially for more experienced witches and wizards like the professors."

Draco shrugged. "Your magical signature seems to be covering up most of it, all I can feel is you." There was a pause. "Yours. Your signature. Magical signature." He cleared his throat and fell silent, and Hermione smiled as she squeezed his hand.

"Still, I wonder why it's still up," she reiterated and then jumped when another voice cut through the quiet.

"Because I was waiting for you, Miss Granger." Headmistress McGonagall seemed to appear from the darkness, ignoring Draco as a few choice words fell out of his mouth as he jumped away, his hand quickly releasing Hermione's while their Headmistress raised a pointed eyebrow.

"You were waiting for me?" Hermione frowned at her old Professor.

"The other Professors disagreed with my decision, but I'm Headmistress, so I pulled rank." Her smile gleamed in the near darkness. "They wanted to take it down. I have faith in my top students and wanted to see how you would handle it. This affects you, whether you like it or not, unfortunately."

"That's true. If you take it down, people will assume I did it and was scared. Even if you announce you were the one to remove it, they may think I tattled."

"Indeed." Frustratingly, the Headmistress had a strict poker-face covering any sort of clue Hermione could use to decide what to do.

"Leave it up." Hermione grumbled, "I'll deal with everyone on Ronald's side of the list after I win."

With a sharp nod, Headmistress McGonagall tugged her shawl closer around her shoulders. "Very good, Miss Granger. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will be returning to my bed. Don't stay up too late." She had just turned to leave before whirling back, striding up to stand beside Hermione. "I almost forgot to show you, as I did not want it to influence your decision, but I thought you may enjoy-" with a wave of her wand, the Headmistress removed what must have been a spell on three nearby posters, one blue, one yellow, and one green.

Hermione gaped as the transformation revealed a chart mimicking that of the Gryffindor list, except Ronald was not the champion for the other Houses.

In an almost unanimous decision of the Hogwarts students - outside of those residing in Gryffindor tower - she was the expected victor. Staring at the new posters in awe, Hermione reached out and took Draco's hand, tangling their fingers together despite McGonagall's presence.

"Would you look at that," Draco breathed, squeezing her hand.

"Indeed." Headmistress McGonagall sniffed, standing with the couple for another beat before spinning around and leaving the Great Hall.

"I'll make you proud, Headmistress," Hermione called after her.

"You already do, Miss Granger. And you as well, Mr. Malfoy," the Headmistress didn't turn around but turned her head slightly so Hermione could see her soft smile. "However, I have no doubt you will succeed in your endeavors."

As the door closed, Draco leaned in to whisper in Hermione's ear. "Do you think that last bit was also directed to me?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Because Weasley's in her house, and I'm not even close. My bed is the furthest you can be from Gryffindor Tower."

Hermione laughed, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "She may be assuming we'd stay together for a while yet, which would make you an honorary Gryffindor." Draco recoiled, his nose wrinkled as he stared at her.

"While I also know our relationship will go the distance, I can do without being forced to wear anything red or gold."

"Who would force you to wear anything red or gold?"

Draco glared at her. "You did. Last month. You knit me a pair of red socks and make me wear them every Saturday. I've resorted to charming them to seem a different colour whenever I leave the Room of Requirement."

Hermione gaped at him. "The point is to show off the colour, not hide it." They stared at each other with narrowed eyes before she let out a sigh, conceding. "You have to admit," she grumbled, "they're the softest pair of socks you've ever worn." Draco laughed, raising their clasped hands and kissing the back of hers.

"They are indeed, as well as the best pair of socks I've ever worn. Now, shall we practice for another half hour?"

"I thought we were going to practice for an hour?" Hermione glanced at him suspiciously, matching his pace as they set off for the Room of Requirement. With a flick of her wand, she reverted the posters to hide their contents. She wanted to see the faces of her friends when they found out who the rest of the school had chosen.

"That was the initial agreement. However, I had to adjust for the time we've spent standing here and the time it'll take to make it back to the Room while stopping every few steps to snog. And now we've learned we can have a bed all to ourselves whenever we want." Draco raised his eyebrows suggestively, and though Hermione flushed bright red and spluttered nonsense, she was running on his heels the entire journey back.


a/n: There were so many things I could have named this chapter instead but the tournament name is one of my favorite things I've come up with. When I came up with the name, I tried my best to create the longest, most annoying name to repeat. Say it once or twice and it's fine, but if you have to refer to the tournament with its proper name every time it would be so annoying. And thus, the "Hogwarts' Annual Championship Tournament of Chess" was born.

Please read and review!

Next update: 8/01

- Meg