Strangeways, Here We Come
Strategy…
"Remus?" he heard her voice ask, and then felt the all too familiar jolt in his stomach.
Glancing up from where he sat reading in front of the fireplace, he saw Tonks standing by the chess sets Ron and Sirius had been battling with earlier. "Yes?"
"I was wondering…" she began shyly (Nymphadora, shy?), "Would you teach me how to play Wizard's Chess?"
"You'd like me to teach you?" he repeated dumbly, a bit surprised. There were better players in the house, but a small voice in the back of his head quickly urged him to agree instead of recommending she ask somebody else.
Sitting across from her, he explained the purpose of the game. Then he lifted and repositioned each piece to demonstrate the moves they could make, ignoring their indignant protests at being manhandled ("Oi! Gerroff me!"). He tried to suppress his pleasure at having the young witch hang on to his every word, watching him intently.
They played their first game, and even though she was unsure at first ("Oh bugger, the rooks can't move diagonally, can they?"), she picked it up quite quickly. He still won, despite Ron's temperamental set, but he felt a teacher's delight in knowing that his pupil had learned something. Or perhaps it was a different sort of delight, because that of a teacher would have been rather improper – especially when she had asked, "Shall we give it another go tomorrow night, then?"
He should have politely declined, or made up some excuse – after all, more time around her certainly wouldn't help expel her from his mind! And yet he found himself spending almost every evening that week with her, playing games that lasted longer and longer as she grew better and better. As they went on later into the night he realized they were depriving him of his sleep, but he couldn't find it in himself to mind – especially since they provided a prime opportunity to watch her as she mulled over her moves, never noticing his eyes on her. He never noticed hers on him either…
Then one morning, after a particularly long match, he uncharacteristically brewed some coffee with his breakfast.
"What's that, Moony?" Sirius asked incredulously, oddly perceptive for such an early hour. "Not indulging in your compulsive tea drinking?"
"Don't worry, I haven't given it up," Remus replied, stifling a yawn. "I just need an extra jolt of caffeine, I think. I've been teaching Tonks to play chess, and she's gotten rather good – our game lasted for hours last night."
A confused look came over the other man's face before it swiftly slid into a sly grin.
"What?" he wondered curiously.
"Oh, nothing," Sirius chuckled. "Just that Tonks is practically a master at chess – she was able to beat me back when I babysat her, and could probably wallop you in about five minutes flat! If she really tried, that is."
Please review, I'd love to know what you think about it!
Toodles,
- ish -