Later that day Dumbledore finally found the opportunity to speak with Professor Caset in the staffroom, shortly before they went to the Great Hall for dinner.

"I need to ask you something," Dumbledore explained.

"What?"

"Have you seen anything relating to the future of Minerva McGonagall?"

"Minerva McGonagall? The girl who got sorted from Slytherin to Gryffindor?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"No," Caset paused, "Why do you ask?"

"The Sorting hat felt that our futures were in some way connected."

"Then they probably are. I would never doubt the Sorting hat."

"I was hoping," Dumbledore sighed, "That you might be able to provide something more understandable."

"Sorry," Caset shook his head, "But then I've never met the girl properly. I suppose I could ask her to have a cup of tea with me and read the leaves if you want?"

"No, its okay, but thank you for the offer."

Caset merely shrugged and suggested they head to the Great Hall.

After dinner Dumbledore sat in his office, still thinking about the young McGonagall in his house and wondering what the hat's words would come to mean. Finally, he decided to visit the Gryffindor common room and check on his students, not least Minerva McGonagall.

As he stepped through the portrait hole he saw the Gryffindor common room in its usual chaotic state. Some students were struggling to work whilst others played games or simply sat talking in front of the fire. He moved amongst them for a while, talking particularly to the first year students, and offering his precious sherbet lemons to all.

Eventually he came to the small table where Minerva sat, a stack of books and completed homework assignments beside her. She was playing chess alone, and as he watched he saw the black pieces, her opposition, move of their own accord, however she soon had them in checkmate.

She waved her wand and all of the pieces returned to their original places for the start of the game. She then looked up at Dumbledore with big, deep inquiring green eyes.

"Where did you get a chess set like that?" he asked.

"It's just an ordinary wizards chess set," she answered.

"Then how do the pieces -"

"I taught them," she answered, "Unfortunately."

"Why unfortunately?" he asked, while pondering the level of magic involved in making chess pieces respond of their own accord.

"Because I know what they know," she said, "And I can always tell what they are going to do. It makes them very poor opposition."

"You should try human opposition," he laughed, "Much less predictable."

She turned to the rest of the common room, looking around it with lonely eyes, before returning her gaze to him with a small, emotionless laugh.

"If you can find me some opposition, then I will gladly play them."

"Play me," he said suddenly.

Her expression was filled with curiosity.

"After dinner tomorrow," he told her, "Bring your chess set to my classroom."

She nodded her agreement and, to his delight, gave him a rare smile; maybe she would be okay at Hogwarts after all.