Disclaimer: Nu wizarding dunya éndah jeung aksara (sajaba ti eta anu asli) milik J.K. Rowling.

"That's Wizard's Chess!" – Steve Kloves, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

It was nearly eight o' clock that Sunday evening when the fireplace in Professor McGonagall's office roared to life with emerald green flames. Draco stepped out of the ashes and dusted himself off lightly, his wand out and his trunk being levitated and following closely behind him. The headmistress turned around and smiled at him, regarding his tired eyes and weary face.

'Thank you,' he said, a forced smile on his face. He really was not in the mood to have a conversation with her, but seeing as this was the only fireplace connected to the Floo network at Hogwarts, it seemed appropriate that he be appreciative to her for letting him use it.

'That's quite all right,' the headmistress replied. 'How as your visit home?'

'It was fine, ma'am.'

'Have you eaten?'

'Yes, ma'am,' he replied. The two remaining House-Elves at the Manor had been extremely pleased to see him, and far less pleased to see that he had lost some weight since going back to school – they had not stopped trying to feed him from the moment he had arrived early on Saturday morning.

Satisfied with his response, the cat-like lady nodded and resumed her work, which Draco took as a signal of his dismissal. He turned and exited the office, still levitating his trunk, though it was in front of him now, heading for the Eastern Tower.

It had been a long and tiring weekend, one filled with duties he had never thought that he would have to carry out for a long time more – that was, before the war. His father's burial had not been too grim – with the body enclosed in a casket and the cemetery already prepared for the ceremony, Draco had merely watched as the funeral conductor levitated the coffin in and that was that. He had not cried – not in front of the small gathering of people who still dared to offer their condolences despite the circumstances of Lucius' death, at least. But he did later on, in the privacy of his room.

The rest of the weekend had been made up of him writing to his mother, then meeting with the family lawyers to go over his father's last will and testament, as well as the business of the Malfoy estate. This meeting merely confirmed what Draco had already suspected – the Malfoy fortune was in shambles, and it would only get worse as the reparations for the war were paid. This was something that he would inevitable have to deal with – but, for now, all Draco could think to do was rest.

He muttered the password, Salve, and the large brown door that led to the common room disappeared. The warmth was a welcome change from the cool marble corridors, which were getting increasingly cold at night as it well and truly became autumn.

He stepped into the room and levitated his trunk to the corner of the common room, not quite wanting to head up to the dormitories to go to bed just yet. He put away his wand and rubbed his face wearily, plopping himself down on what he had previously determined to be the most comfortable armchair there in a fashion that was definitely not Malfoy-esque.

'Hello,' a familiar voice said, startling him and causing him to jump, eyes flying open and heart racing. He whipped his head towards the source - Hermione was sitting curled up on the sofa across from him, a weathered book in her hands, almost camouflaged amongst the outrageous number of pillows that surrounded her. 'You're back!'

Draco sighed and leaned back again, settling into his own pillows. 'Yes, indeed I am.'

'How was it?' To that, Draco merely shrugged, not quite knowing what to say.

'What are you reading?' he asked, instead, gesturing to the worn hardcover book that she was holding. 'I thought you of all people would be a stickler for book care.'

Hermione blushed, then closed and held up her book so that he could see the title – it was her old favourite, Hogwarts: A History. 'It's hard to take care of a book when you're on the run from an evil maniac who is determined to rule the world,' she joked. Draco smirked at that.

'Well, only you would bring a book on a perilous journey,' he pointed out jokingly, causing her to smile and laugh. 'But why that book? I read it before I came here, and I honestly couldn't find any reason to read it again.'

'It's kind of like a security blanket for me. It probably wasn't too unusual for you, since you grew up with magic, but for me, it was one of the most amazing things I had ever read,' admitted Hermione. Then she brightened, and added, 'I'm so glad to have found someone else who has read it! The boys always call me crazy when I try and convince them to.'

'I don't blame them,' Draco joked, smiling. 'Where are your two little friends, anyway?'

'At the Quidditch pitch with Ginny,' she said. 'I thought they'd be back by now, though, since it's gotten rather dark outside.'

'Flying at night is actually rather enjoyable,' replied Draco, a knowing smile on his face. He did miss flying. 'But the wind is picking up, so they'll probably be back soon.' He got up to go to the dormitory, intending to leave her to read in peace, but she stopped him.

'Would you fancy a game of Wizard's Chess?' she asked, sitting up and pointing to the chessboard on the coffee table between them. 'I'm trying to train up so that I can beat Ron, but I got too bored playing myself.'

Draco hesitated, still rather tired, but then smiled and agreed. Wizard's Chess had been his favourite game as a child – something he could play quite well after challenging his father on many slow Saturday afternoons. He had not played for a while now, though, which was understandable, given the events of the previous few years.

With a sweep of her wand, Hermione set the chess set in order and they began to play. Draco took white, upon her insistence, and she discovered that he was actually very good – he beat her with his third move.

'I always fall for that trick,' she grumbled, setting the pieces up again with another wave of her wand. 'Ron does that too, but I almost always forget about it.'

Draco smiled, and they played through a few more short games. He did not go easy on her, but he did, however, stop and explain his strategies when she asked how he had planned his moves. He was surprised that she was practicing with the intention to beat Weasley – she claimed that he was the reigning champion of Wizard's Chess in their little trio, but how hard could it be to beat that fool, really?

As Draco announced 'Checkmate' yet again, the door to the Eastern Tower disappeared momentarily, and the tall young man with windswept ginger hair stepped in. He spotted Hermione immediately and sauntered over, chucking his broom on the couch that she had abandoned.

'Harry went off to snog my dear little sister, so I thought I'd come back first. You're still trying to beat me, eh?' Weasley laughed smugly, then turned to Hermione's opponent, and wrinkled his nose. 'Why on earth are you practicing with Malfoy?'

Draco raised an eyebrow in response, but Hermione replied before he could say anything.

'I asked him if he wanted to play,' she said, firmly and brightly. 'And, as I've discovered, Draco's very good – perhaps even a little better than you are!'

'What, this slimy git?' Hermione cleared her throat, and Ron looked thoroughly chided. He sat beside her, opposite the chess board from Draco, and then turned his lips up suddenly.

'Well then, how about a game?' he challenged, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. He took out his wand and reset the board, then turned it so that he was in possession of the white pieces. 'I'll go first.'

Draco shrugged and nodded, curiousity getting the best of him. A bumbling fool like Weasley, how good could he possibly be?

His question was soon answered as they played on – Ron was at least as good as he was. Draco squared his shoulders as he plotted his moves and concentrated, determined to beat the Gryffindor.

'Knight to H3.' Draco took Ron's Queen.

On the other side of the board, Ron was quickly realising the same – Draco was much better than he had anticipated. A welcome change, really, a nice challenge.

'Rook to A5.' Ron took one of Draco's Bishops.

Hermione shook her head but smiled as she watched the two boys staring at the board, the common room totally silent between their moves. The concentration was practically palpable, and the game was progressing rapidly and decisively. It was much more interesting than Ron played with either her or Harry – he usually beat them before they even realised their mistakes. But with Draco, it looked like Ron had met an equal match. They played on for a while longer, and as the pieces left the board and there were only a few more left, the game slowed.

'Bishop to B8,' said Draco. Ron paused, furrowing his eyes at the board.

'Is that –,' Hermione started.

'Yes,' said Draco, smiling slightly. 'It seems that we have reached an impasse.'

Ron blinked, then looked up, staring at Draco for a second. Then, his face broke into a wide smile, a real one, this time, and he cheered.

'I haven't had a stalemate in years!' He reached out his hand, offering it to Draco, who hesitated, then took and shook it.

'Fair game, Weasley,' he said. 'You play well.'

'Thanks,' he said, then added after a pause. 'You know, you're not half bad, yourself.'

And so, when Harry returned to the Eastern Tower, just past midnight – for he and Ginny had lost track of time – he found the three of them still there, laughing together as friends as the ginger and the blonde young men tried to teach Hermione complex strategies for Wizard's Chess.

A/N: Thank you all so much for all of your support – your reviews, favourites, and follows, especially! You guys have motivated me to come this far – this is the longest I've ever written for one story!

However, as much as it pains me, I must declare a hiatus from now until the middle of November (though I might slip up and post an update if I give up on my N.E.W.T.s temporarily in a fit of stress and madness, as I did today after the practice exams). Mid-November is when my exams finally finish and I am an official high school graduate – I beg you, please don't give up on me and this story! I promise that I'll keep writing. I can't stop the story here, anyway, I have great plans for this plot! Stay awesome.