I dedicate this chapter to my friend. Today is their birthday and I know how much they adore Harry Potter – I even got a request from them requesting that I stop teasing them and upload the next chapter. So, this one time only I've decided to give this chapter before my next update! Enjoy! And happy birthday chérie.

Chapter 27: Exam Peculiarities

Ron's face was completely blank, his eyes darting from piece to piece as he considered his options. To Harry and Hermione it seemed like he was stumped - or carefully planning his next moves. It wasn't exactly clear what was going through the red head's mind as he sat there with the unreadable look on his face.

Opposite of him was Meissa, her face open and - Daphne had to ponder this one for a second - pleased. The raven haired Slytherin was pleased with herself - apparently the current set up on the board meant something.

Daphne looked at the pieces with a puzzled look on her face - she could recognize the queen and that it was well into the territory of Ron's portion of the board with a knight and castle nearby. Most of Ron's pawns had been taken, as well as his queen, a knight, and a rook.

What that meant for Ron or Meissa, she didn't know and she wasn't going to presume that she did. If she had to make a statement of it, it would seem like Meissa had backed Ron into a corner. Other than that she knew nothing about what was going on.

"What on Earth is going on?" Daphne suddenly heard Draco's voice before he appeared by her elbow. "Oh, Weasel against Meissa," he observed, his eyes glancing over the board. "He's going to lose," he comments.

"Shut up Malfoy!" Ron snapped, his first words since the beginning of his rather long turn.

"I was simply making an observation," he remarked before Meissa turned her head to look at him.

"Dearest cousin of mine, you know the rules."

He rolls his eyes at her but did not make any comments after that - choosing instead to watch on as he waited for Meissa to trounce the red head.

The moment he was waiting for didn't take too long as Ron made a move with one of the pieces he had left. He moved the piece to take out one of Meissa's castle but in response she moved her Queen to put his King in check. The look on the Weasel's face was so amusing for Draco that he had to bite his lips to keep from laughing out loud.

He knew that Meissa would hex him into the next week if he tried to celebrate too early.

Two short moves later ended the game with Meissa's Queen smashing Ron's King to bits. The large pile of chocolate frogs - a result of at least five rounds of going head to head at the price of three frogs per round.

"How are you so good?" Ron bemoaned - somewhat civil with the Slytherins, with Draco being the obvious exception.

"Byproduct of being raised by my godfather and my aunt," Meissa remarked as she tucks away the frogs into her bag, grinning in victory.

"They're that good?" the red head questions in disbelief.

"They've raised me to use my head - to think of loopholes and how to get what I want from people."

"They've raised you to manipulate people," Ron states flatly, getting looks from everyone around him - though he took no notice of this.

"Everyone knows how to manipulate," she remarked drily, her eyes darkening as she gazed at him. "Just how well they can manipulate depends on if they ever get caught." She made a show of looking him over slowly. "I can reckon that you would probably fail epically in any attempt to manipulate someone."

Ron's face actually turned a brilliant red that rivaled his hair in shade. Meissa made no move to leave or defuse the situation, leaving it to Harry to talk his friend down.

"Hermione," the raven haired girl turned to her Gryffindor friend, "would you like to play a round?"

"I don't play Wizard's chess," the brunette immediately turns down.

Meissa tilted her head at the other girl, arching an eyebrow. "Don't play or don't know how?" Hermione just huffed at her, prompting a smile from the Slytherin girl. "It wouldn't hurt to learn how to play."

"The game is barbaric!" Hermione huffed at her.

"Why do you believe so?"

"What is the point of the violence?"

Meissa had to pause at that - unsure of what she had meant by violence until she noticed the broken pieces along the side of the chess board. It was then she realized that the violence acts of the pieces beating the other was what had her so conflicted about the game altogether.

"Do you know why chess was invented?" she inquired instead of answering.

"… No."

Wordlessly Meissa turned towards Daphne and without having to speak a word the blonde knew what was being asked of her.

"Chess has many purposes and many people are unsure of its origin. But Chess, for the magical families, is a way to teach the magical children how to think ahead."

"What she means," Meissa speaks up, "Pureblood families have been using chess to teach their children to think for themselves. At least, that was the case in the old days. Nowadays, it isn't common practice for the Heads of the Houses to bother teaching their children - typically only the Heir is taught."

"By that logic, Ron shouldn't even know how to play."

"He has older brothers. Chances are the Heir taught him and his brothers how to play the game. Now, that leaves the question of whether that means he's the best at the game compared to his brothers or if his brothers did not care for it as much as he seemed to."

"What are you implying?!"

"She's implying that they didn't care to try and beat you, Weasley," Draco harped before Meissa shot him a glare.

"If there is one thing I've noticed about you, Weasley," Meissa starts to say once she is sure Draco isn't going to say anything else, "is that you don't apply yourself to anything. It appears to me that you have a brilliant mind when you make an effort - you held your own against me, it's not a feat many in our year can claim."

That was a partial lie - Draco was infinitely better than the red head - that much she can determine after five rounds against Weasley. But she was hoping that her words would encourage the youngest son of the Weasley clan - not discourage him. And it wasn't a lie that she thought he had a brilliant mind - she had no doubt that if he applied to himself he would actually do more than scrape by. He had honestly came up with tactics on the board that would have stumped most people - Draco included. She, herself, would say that if she wasn't so used to expecting the unexpected she would have been stumped as well.

"I have no idea how your brothers play the game - logically most would assume that they went easy on you because you are their younger brother."

Ron was scowling at her yet she took it a good sign that he was stomping off in a fit of rage. It could mean that some of her words are sinking into his brain.

It was all she really could hope for at any rate. There was plenty she could see wrong about the red head - but as things stand now she had no desire to be harping Weasley.

In any case, she realizes, she has gotten off track with her original request and turned her gaze back to the Gryffindor girl. "Would you like to play the game Hermione?"

"If the game is used to teach the Heirs then why should I learn it?"

"You're an highly intelligent witch, Hermione, I have no doubt that you'll be able to master the game," Meissa remarks drily, "That being said, regardless of what career you chose in the future, knowing how to play chess - mundane or magical - can be applied to life."

"I'm curious," Daphne turned to look at Hermione, "Why do you have such an issue with Wizard's Chess?"

Meissa looked at her friend, puzzled by the question. Doesn't Hermione have an issue with chess in general?

"The game - it's barbaric! I don't see a point for the pieces to smash each other like that!"

"Do you believe that the opponents in a real life war would be benevolent?"

Meissa looked sharply at the other Slytherin - Hermione didn't need to be thinking like that.

Strangely though - it was around this point Meissa realized that her cousin had wondered off. Why he hadn't stuck around for any teasing opportunities she wasn't sure. Maybe he was finally realizing that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were under her protection. Ron Weasley was under it as well but mostly through association with Harry and Hermione. Mostly Hermione. She can only tolerate Harry for so long - although the fact that he hasn't accused Professor Snape of anything to her face in the last few days was a definite improvement in her opinion.

Hermione didn't say anything for a long moment before she shook her head. Harry was looking worriedly at his friend, alternating between glaring at Meissa and Daphne. Ron was staring at the chess board - Meissa could only assume that he was trying to learn from his mistakes in his latest match against her.

"Somehow, I think today has gotten truly complicated when we should've been enjoying it," Meissa sighed in mock annoyance.

"I think we've spent too much time goofing around," Hermione huffed. "We should've been reviewing!"

"'Mione, we've been reviewing since the start of the new term - I think we're allowed to have a free day before our finals," Meissa remarks with a slight grin. "In any case, Daphne and I should get going. I was in the middle of writing a letter to my godmother when I gotten my challenge."

That was a lie - something only Daphne would have noticed since she was the one who gotten Meissa interested in a match with Weasley. Hermione just nodded her head distractedly, probably thinking about reviewing again. Meissa was half amused by the other girl's frantic urge to study and prep and the other half was worried. She thought that the Gryffindor girl would burn herself out real quick if someone didn't try to reign her in.

Still, with an excuse made Daphne and Meissa made their retreat from the Great Hall. Intending to return to the Slytherin commons to find something else to do. Meissa was tempted to ask Daphne if she was willing to have a short duel with her but suspected that they wouldn't be able to stay in the practice courtyard for long. Not when it typically takes them two hours to go through the first year's spells and only an hour remained before Professor Snape's mandated curfew for his House.

"Do you want to play Exploding Snaps?" Meissa finally asks as they rounded the bend just before the entrance.

"In the commons?"

Meissa smirks as she considered the fact that most students will be doing last minute cramming in the Commons. "Sure, why not."

Needless to say, no one was happy with the pair after thirty minutes.

~MJB~

Meissa grimaced unhappily as her thick hair clung to the back of her neck, causing her tie it up in a messy bun rather than waste minutes braiding. Once her hair was no longer a distraction she turned her attention back to the exam in front of her. She was confident about her answers, grateful that the theory behind charms wasn't so complicated but a part of her was positive that she'd enjoy the practical aspect of the exam more than the written.

She wasn't quite sure what that meant for her to be honest. After the written exams were summoned by Professor Flitwick they were sent out of the room so that they would - one by one - be called in to do a demonstration. Meissa wasn't sure what the spell was going to be so she mentally reviewed the spells until it was her turn.

It was one of the rare times she was grateful for the fact that her surname started with B. She still couldn't figure out why she was called after Potter during the Sorting but could only guess that order didn't matter much to the Gryffindor Head of House.

When she saw the pineapple a part of her sighed in relief and she brought out her wand, doing the necessary gestures needed to make the fruit tap dance. She gave it a bit of a twist - choosing to occasionally make it twirl as it danced across a desk. It made Professor Flitwick laugh before she was dismissed so she considered herself getting an E at least. She waited around for Daphne to finish her practical and they left together to do a quick study for Transfiguration.

"Why are all the rooms so bloody hot?" she grouches, letting down her hair. Flicking back a stray strand with a glare of irritation.

"You should let me put your hair up in a proper bun," Daphne comments as they headed for the Commons. "It's improper for a Lady to let her hair become messy in public."

"Daphne - my hair has always been messy, remember?"

The blonde sighed - she did remember. The only time it wasn't a mess was when the raven-haired girl puts it in a braid. And that's not counting that time when she tamed it for a funeral. "I know but it doesn't change what I've said."

"Later," Meissa promised before she utters the password for the Common room.

After a quick visit to the dormitories to retrieve their Transfiguration textbooks they set up in the commons to review some of the spells.

In the twenty minutes they had left before their Transfiguration exams, Meissa was scowling at the mouse she was supposed to be transfiguring into a snuffbox. "Are you sure this is going to be on the exam," she huffed at the blonde, half tempted to just vanish the thing.

"According to the older students, yes," the blonde remarked as she went over the theoretical aspect of some spell or another.

The other girl scowled even more at the mouse before she growls out the spell, flicking her wand just right.

She lowers her wand as she tried to figure out what the heck she managed to do.

She got a box alright. That much she can tell.

But it was nothing like what she had imagined - a simple silver box with a latch to keep it shut. It was about as big as her palm when she imagined it to be as large as her godfather's hand, so it was smaller than she had imagined it. Not to mention it wasn't even silver - it looked like it was made out of Labradorite, which was probably the furthest thing from what she originally imagined. Yet strangely enough, set in the lid was a round object. A mirror, she realizes.

"Why is that mirror broken?" she suddenly hears Daphne questioned just as she focused completely on mirror and the five stones positioned around it. The stones were a deep brilliant shade of purple and she had a vague sensation that she has seen this stone before.

"I don't know," she answered honestly - this thing was far from what she originally imagined for the snuff box. And she couldn't figure out why.

The mirror, she noticed was broken into four pieces. Two of them appeared to almost be equal in size with a third being just a smidge smaller. The remaining piece was, of course, the smallest of them all. Yet the strangest thing about it was the fact that the mirror itself did not contain a web of cracks. The pieces were perfectly broken from each other with no smaller pieces breaking off.

"You Transfigured a mouse into this?" Daphne asked in curiosity, looking at the colors of the Labradorite box. She could identify a blue/greenish color being the core of it with streaks of gray. The entire design of the colors wasn't that unappealing to look at - though with the purple Fluorites she wasn't quite sure what to think about the two stones.

"It wasn't even what I was going for," she comments drily - thinking that she was going to fail the Transfiguration practical exam for sure.

"Mm, undo the spell and try again?" Daphne suggested.

Meissa silently agreed with this and pointed her wand at the snuff box - thinking quickly to herself as she tried to recall the undo method. Once she had it in mind she cast the spell.

Except… nothing happened.

"Uh," Daphne looked between the snuff box and Meissa, puzzled as to why the spell didn't take. Meissa was just as baffled as the blonde, her eyes narrowing at the snuff box as she started to get uncomfortable in its presence.

It didn't look anything like she originally intended for it to look like. It didn't want to return to its mouse form. What else - is it going to resist the Coloromuto spell as well?

"I think you should take this to Professor McGonagall."

"Hold on - let me try again," Meissa mutters, reaching for their notes on Transfiguration so she can double check her wand movements. Reassured that she had it right in her mind she grips her wand once more and aimed for the snuff box. She made sure to pronounce each part of the spell correctly as she performed the wand movements.

Yet…

"Maybe you should try?" Meissa suggested, glaring at the snuff box's resistance to returning to its mouse form.

"I don't know," Daphne reached for her wand regardless of what she was saying. "Normally a spell can only be undone by its caster."

"There are ways around that," the raven haired girl comments idly before quieting to let Daphne cast in peace.

It even resisted the blonde's attempt to undo the spell.

"Together?"

"Alright…"

They raised their wands together - shared a look between them and said the spell in union.

Meissa watched as the box started to give way before it snapped. Their attempt to undo the Transfiguration causing the magic to backfire at them and the snuff box to persist in defiance to them.

"Ugh," Daphne winced as she shook her hand - trying to rid herself of the tingles that came with the mild backlash from their failed attempt. "I really think you should take this to Professor McGonagall."

Meissa grimaces in distaste at this - instantly realizing that if she did such a thing she could expect a lecture form the Gryffindor Head of House for performing magic while unsupervised. "Maybe we can just leave it as it is?" she suggested hopefully.

"And what happens if the spell goes awry during the practical?"

The raven haired girl made another face, recognizing Daphne's words as a likely occurrence. They didn't know why the spell went so screwy in the first place and if it was on the practical then it's likely Meissa will face some difficulties with it. Especially since they had to demonstrate that they're capable of reversing the spell, to return it to it's natural state.

"I might as well do it now," Meissa sighs as she reluctantly got to her feet. She picks up the snuff box, ignoring the tingle of magic around her hand as she held the transfigured box. "Would you like to join me or stay here until our Transfiguration exam?"

"I will join you. I've done as much reviewing as I can possibly handle." The blonde gathers up her things - absentmindedly doing the same for Meissa - and was ready to go with their bags in hand. Meissa, of course, attempted to attain her bag from her friend but found herself denied and gestured to head out of the common room.

~MJB~

Thoroughly scolded, Meissa looked repentant if mostly because of the fact Professor McGonagall gave her quite the lecture about performing magic unsupervised. If it wasn't for the fact that the Scottish woman was a Master (Mistress?) in Transfiguration she would've just taken the box to her godfather and be done with it. Of course there was that minor detail of her godfather's skill being acceptable but not quite the level as Professor McGonagall.

In either case, the Professor has been examining the snuff box for nearly ten minutes, quietly muttering spells as she waved her wand over it. "May I ask what you were aiming for in the first place?"

"I was thinking of a plain silver snuff box with a latch to keep the lid shut. The size was to be twice what it is currently."

Professor McGonagall frowns thoughtfully at the young girl in front of her, her mind wondering briefly to the girl's mother. Physically the resemblance was there - even the unruly mess seemed to be shared between mother and daughter. Intellectually, it would appear that the young Heiress took after her mother. Excelling in many fields of magic and demonstrating a great deal of knowledge when it comes to the theory behind the spells. Worryingly, however, the Heiress seems to be displaying the same ruthlessness as her mother when it comes to those who endanger her family or friends. Thankfully she does not seem to carry the same Pureblood supremacy as her mother and relatives, she wasn't quite sure who fostered that attitude in the young Heiress.

It was still troubling, seeing the young Heiress whenever she is furious with someone. She has never actually witnessed these moments but she has heard reports of these rages. Yet, what was strange was the fact that these incidents were never recalled by the Black Heiress. The First year has been questioned at least three times - for separate incidents - about her actions. Minerva McGonagall prides herself in the ability to detect when someone is lying to her yet she firmly believes that Meissa Black was not lying when she denies knowledge of the events they've questioned her in.

Yet the evidence clearly points to Meissa and the few witnesses that were there all indicated her. There are no mistaking Meissa's distinctive features. Thin lips, thick shining black hair, dark heavy-lidded eyes, and strong jawline - all of this were characteristics defined to belong to the House of Black. There was not a single person in Hogswart that can be mistaken for Meissa. It was curious that the girl could not recall her actions during the incidents in question.

"Please demonstrate the spell to me," McGonagall finally declares after realizing that she has been quiet for far too long. She summons a white mouse from the cage and sets the rodent in the girl's outstretched hand.

She watched as the raven-haired girl set the rodent on the desk, her hand pinning it down as her wand slid into her left hand. A wand holster, she notes idly. There's a part of her that wondered if the battle orientated mindset Meissa possesses should be worrying. But before she ponder too long on that thought she sees the Black Heiress waving her wand in the correct gestures before she clearly states the spell's incantation.

As she watched on she sees the mouse transform quickly into a small snuffbox, apparently made from silver. It was nearly plain in looks except for the setting of five stones. She notices that the stones are the same as the other transfiguration except this time she can see that the stones are set in a specific distance from one another.

It took the Scottish Professor a moment to place where she had seen the image before she could identify it. Once the image was fully set in her mind she could see the pathways between the stones. She retrieved the snuff box and compared the two settings, finding them identical in every way. The only exception is the broken mirror sitting in the center of the circle.

It also did not escape her attention that the First-year was glowering at the snuffbox. She could conclude that while it seems to match the description of the girl's original goal it still took a life of its own.

"Ms. Black," she finally address the girl, "have you received any formal training from the Old Religion?"

The Black Heiress arched a fine eyebrow at her. "Isn't the Old Religion banned by the current laws of the Ministry?"

"Answer my question."

"None of my family, to my knowledge, practice the Old Religions," she answered blandly. It by no means answered the question of whether or not Meissa practiced.

Minerva McGonagall narrowed her eyes briefly at the young girl standing in front of her – her mind unwittingly comparing the stubborn set in the girl's jaw to her mother's. She didn't like the fact that she kept comparing the girl to her mother. She did not want to be bias to the girl before her now, judging her for the sins of her mother was not the answer.

It was no better than how her colleague treats Harry Potter.

"I will exempt you from performing this spell for your practical," McGonagall finally decides. "I will keep these two with me for now and perhaps I will discover why this spell is working so strangely for you."

Meissa bows her head slightly in acceptance. She takes the words as a form of dismissal, pausing at the doorway to peer back at the Gryffindor's Head of House. "Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes?"

"… What did you see in the snuffboxes to make you ask about the Old Religion?"

At first McGonagall did not look like she was going to answer the question. But after a long tense moment she sees something give in the woman's eyes. "I saw the Pentagram hidden on the lids."

Meissa nods her head slightly and left without another word.