Chapter 5: How to Win
"Castle"
"Pawn to D6"
"Bishop takes Pawn, D6"
"Queen takes Bishop!"
"How long do you think he will keep at this?" Whispered Hermione to Harry and Neville as Ron move a pawn up.
"You're asking when will Ron give up a chess game?" Asked Neville with a grin.
"Yes! There is still so much to see and I only have twenty minutes before my Dad picks me up. Besi-"
"Breathe, Hermione." Drawled Harry with a grin before he continued, "Ron, will be done soon. I've never seen him lose even to the seventh years."
"When does he play Seventh years?" Asked Hermione curiously.
Neville shook his head, "He doesn't. At least not anymore. He beat most of the seventh years a couple of months into first year. Some Slytherins refused to play him I guess. Probably one of the reasons he's always so annoyed by them."
"Checkmate"
"What?" Asked Ron with a confused look on his face as he looked up at his opponent and back down at the board.
"My queen has your king pinned down, My Knight has him in check and if you move your pawn to kill the knight you lose to the queen." Explained the short man in the green jacket.
Ron searched around the table looking for someway to prolong the game. Harry watched as his shoulders slumped before he held his hand out to the short man before immediately asking, "Do you want to play again."
"He doesn't want to play again." Chorused Hermione and Neville before Harry could agree.
Ron grimaced before getting up and helping put away the pieces to the board. Harry looked over at everyone as they talked and chatted about which part of the museum to visit next.
"We should go over to the biology wind once more." Stated Neville firmly while Hermione insisted they go back to the history department. She wanted to continue to compare her beloved History of Magic against muggle History.
They eventually agreed to run through their favorite sections of the museum timed against the windup clock Mr. Weasley insisted Ron bring with Him.
Harry watched as Ron talked to the man in the green jacket. His friend look a little excited before the man walked away. Ron hurried back over to them as Hermione and Neville each decided to split the time up by about five minutes per person in their chosen exhibit.
The time went by quickly as they went through the various exhibits before Harry and Ron spent the last ten minutes inside the science section.
"So what did you all think of the Museum?" Asked Hermione with smile as she hugged the book that she had managed to haggle from the woman at the counter of some of the basic muggle history of the British Isles.
"It was bloody fun. I'm planning on trying Crop rotation on my plants tonights!" Declared Neville who look a little maniac at the idea of the trying something no one in the magical world had ever tried before.
Ron nodded in agreement. The chess championship held at the small Science and History museum of Eastern London had taken his attention. But he still had enjoyed the place saying that he was planning on bringing Mr. Weasley some time. Harry grimaced at the thought Mr. Weasley was easily over excited about anything non magical that had been created. It was like an overly curious Fred or George. Actually that was what it was like.
"Ron! Neville! Time to go!" Yelled Mr. Weasley from across the road as he drew eyes with his odd dress which Ironically was still better than most wizards when it came to blending into the normal world.
Neville dashed across the street without looking both ways. He was nearly being hit by a bus and a small truck leaving a trail of shrieking breaks and booming horns as Mr. Weasley pulled him to safety with an outstretched arm.
"Wait there, Ron!" Yelled Mr. Weasley.
Hermione gave both of them a surprise bear hug as Mr. Granger called to her from his car. She took off waving good bye and promising to send them owls before the end of the week.
Ron and Harry watched as Hermione disappeared into the crowd of vehicles. Mr. Granger car disappearing into the crowd of similar metal machines. Ron sighed as Hermione disappeared from sight while Harry got a grin on his face.
"So Ron, Should I let Fred know that you like Hermione? All in the name of equalizing the prank you played on him?" Asked Harry with a straight face.
"What? No? I don't like Herm- Its not equal in terms of pranks anyway and"
Harry started snickering before Ron punched him in the arm. Mr. Weasley signaled again for Ron to wait as he tried to figure out the traffic system.
"Lets go next time." Said Harry as Mr. Weasley messed up the process again for crossing the street with an exasperated Neville.
Ron nodded before he said, "I don't know if I like Hermione, Harry."
"Wait what? Where did that come from?" Asked Harry as Ron shut his mouth with a very audible CLOP.
Ron took a breath before explaining as Harry showed him how to cross the street, "He said I knew how to win at chess, but it didn't seem like I knew how to win at life. At least based on the way I talked to you three."
"Ron are you-"
"Ron we need to go. I need to drop off Neville at Longbottom Lodge. Harry do you need help getting home?" Asked Arther Weasley in a rush.
"I can make it home fine, Mr. Weasley. I got here didn't I?" Stated Harry quietly.
Arther Weasley frowned at the boy who lived but nodded. The three boys exchanged mumble byes before Mr. Weasley hustled Ron and Neville into an Alleyway to disaparatte them all home.
Harry nodded as he walked away disappearing into the streets of London.
A tall man passed through Diagon alley later that day. Nobody paid any attention to him except for one keen eyed auror.
Nymphadora or just Tonks to all friends and enemies was well on her way to being a top grade auror. If she could continue her rise through the ranks at the current rate, Then she would be eligible for being a Ministry sponsored Hit wizard in three to four years. On the other hand her trainer Alistair "Mad Eye" Moody didn't believe that she would ever be able to do it in that time or ever.
When she would ask Mr. Moody as liked to call him when he was being a suspicious and paranoid ass. He would say her temper was two much like his without his ruthlessness. She got into a dual with him after that to try to beat some sense into the peg-legged old fart.
Unfortunately such duels normally ended one way. With Moody handing her Ass to her and putting on sentry duty somewhere annoying while he went home for the day much to the relief of the entire Auror Department. On a semi bad day she was normally posted outside a Pureblood's home like the Selwyns or the Malfoys. That normally didn't lead to anything except warnings from Madam Bone's about Pureblood rights and similar laws to watch out for as it was dangerous territory.
But that was also the training for the Hit wizards to be bounty hunters or mercenaries. Unless you worked for a Ministry of Magic. Then you were affectingly, an undercover wand pursuing lawbreakers in ways that normal aurors couldn't do or couldn't beat.
Unfortunately, today was a bad day.
The auror hid in the shadows as people walked up and down Diagon Alley. A Notice-me-not-Charm keeping her anonymous. Most of these people were for the most part fairly harmless. Unless the right opportunity presented itself. That was when she earned her pay as well as former hit-wizards like Rufus Scrimgeour and Madam Bones. Not knowing when you were going to be caught a was fairly effective at keeping people from committing crime.
"Except when other Aurors were corrupt." She snorted as she watched one of the new trainees; Jamey Brodie, being slipped a small sack of galleons from a tall man. She saw the briber walking down Knockturn Alley before knocking on a door to a burned outbuilding twice before it opened. He entered swiftly before shutting the door behind him.
"Probably a Pal in charge of handing over whatever goods they have in there." She thought as she watched the bribed guard walk away from the area. He was a newbie and already he had been caught as a vassal to a noble house.
Tonks copied the memory before pulling it from her mind and bottling it as she called one of the auror house elves.
"Ms. Tonksie, be calling Mikey?" Asked the older house elf. Tonks wasn't really sure how the ministry had gotten the house elf for the aurors. Only that it seemed to come out of the budget set aside for training new recruits instead of buying the house elves. On the other hand, it was helpful in few ways and just as problematic in other ways.
She gave him the memory along with instructions to give the memory to Scrimgeour or Madam Bones.
She waited for a few minutes before Mikey popped back in and gave her a piece of paper with instructions for her.
"Intrude and arrest. We're already calling Brodie into headquarters to be detained. Moody is on his way he will signal you with red sparks."
Madam B.
Tonks looked up and down the street before seeing a flash of red sparks flying up from a doorway further into Knockdown Alley. She shook her head. Only Mad Eye Moody would be in position this fast, ready to catch someone.
She nodded knowing Moody would see her chin. She walked quickly across the street her wand casting for defenses wards before giving a hand signal to Moody to get up some disapparation Wards.
Tonks let her own magical gift taking hold as her body changed as far as it could go to help in the situation. She couldn't change her sex or give herself wings or something equally ridiculousness. But she could change how her muscles worked. Giving her a speed and a strength that belied her frame as blasted through the door.
"Drop your wands!"
"Drop your wands"
"Oh no. Not know!" Sighed Harry as he looked through the cracks in the floor two the red cloak Auror who had shown up out of know where. This was the last thing he needed. As he looked at his Cauldron courtesy of the three gentlemen below him. He listened as he heard three wands hit the floor.
His potion wasn't finished yet. It was his sixth potion of that week. Harry looked around at the burned out upper floor that no adult would trust to hold their weight but Harry had used as his first private lab.
It hadn't taken Harry long to realize a simple fact about the Ministry. They were lazy and wouldn't be willing to check every area of magic. Not that they could check the trace on him; Harry thought with a smirk.
The shear volume of witches and wizards using magic in Diagon Alley alone had given him prime opportunity to practice magic outside of school. With so many using magic it completely obscured the trace the ministry placed on the young to keep them from using magic. He looked at his cauldron. He had made multiple mistakes in the past few days using his shield charm to protect himself from his periodic exploding cauldron. However, he had improved at shielding charms and at his brewing technique.
Sadly that was over know with an Auror below him. Even if the aurors didn't search the place, he had no way to stay up there without missing his "curfew" at the Dursleys.
"Now come on then, Lass. Were just making a few galleons on the side. Could you let us go just this once?" Asked the taller man who had just came in through the door before the Auror came in.
"Nope. Beside it isn't a harmless potions. Those are lust Potions. That would bring in more than a few galleons down in the alley, eh. And oh. What do we have here? It appears to be the makings for Polyjuice Potion." Stated the bright pink haired woman as she pointed her wand at the three men.
"Expelliarmus"
Harry moved fast as one of the men started dueling with the auror using a backup wand. He grabbed his scavenged supplies and quickly put them in the featherlight bag he had bought the other day. He gave the bag to Hedwig who took off carrying the supplies away. He grabbed his cloak pulling the hood close to his face. Hopefully he wouldn't be seen but if he was he could have his wand snapped. He pulled a handkerchief around his nose hoping to disguise more of himself as he looked toward his escape route across the roof.
All three of the men had recovered the wands with of the men using dual wands. Although from the look of things the woman had them handled.
"Stupefy!"
A thick ball of light blew in from the window fired by a grizzled looking auror who some artificial wooden eye. The knockout curse impacted with one of the dual wielding wizard's wands, knocking it from his hands.
"Alarte Ascendare." Yelled Tonks.
Harry felt something hit the floor knocking him flat on his rear as he stumbled back up putting out the fire under his cauldron. A familiar looking green spell flashed by his face.
"Killing curses! That's it!" Thought Harry with anger as he threw a handful of ingredients into the cauldron prompting one the potion reactions he had learned not to make. He pointed his wand at the floor and fired a Reducto curse.
Moody batted a curse aside as that idiot tried to prep for another killing curse. That fool was going to get some poor bastard killed shooting those around he thought. It was two vs. two. The man Tonks had slammed into the ceiling with her well-timed spell which had evened the numerical odds. Moody thought with a grin, "Soon one of these dummies is going to leave an opening. Like right ther-"
Chruuunnnch!
The ceiling blew apart to reveal a falling cauldron that landed on the thugs with a loud thud.
"Shield Spells," Yelled Tonks.
Moody and Tonks watched as the cauldron exploded covering the entirety of the heavily abused building with a substance that was like mucus and stone. A brick fell down into the room from the floor above as Moody saw a foot scrabble out of the roof.
"I'll get him. You keep these blighters alive!" Yelled Moody as he levitated himself up to the roof with a casual wand movement. He also summoned the wands of the men as he went.
Moody hit the roof running he could see a cloaked figure moving away at a run. A fast run. Moody ran to the edge of the dissapparation wards before spinning on his feet and apparating away.
Harry hurtled a gap between an alleyway and a house only to see the one-eyed auror pointing a wand at him.
"Stupefy."
Harry jerked out of the way before sending his own stunning spell back at the auror. Before dodging as the spell got ricocheted back toward his feet that the auror had somehow flicked back toward him with his wand.
With no other choice but dueling someone stronger than himself. Harry jumped into the alleyway only to find the auror apparating himself in front of the him before he hit the ground.
Moody grinned as he prepared to fire a spell at the falling figure.
"Incarcerous," Yelled the person. It sounded like a boy that was curious.
Moody jumped out of the way as coils of ropes appeared from the persons wand to tie him down. This was better. Finally, someone with a little variety in their dueling style. He dispelled the ropes with a quick fire spell. The figure dodged into the old potion store behind him; slamming the door shut.
Moody dashed toward the door firing a couple of spells at door checking for traps before he kicked it in. He jumped to the side as a pot flew through the air crashing into the ground. He pivoted up on his peg leg. Aiming his wand at the cloaked figure that was clamping a pair of earmuffs around his head.
"SKREIIEIUMMMMMEE!"
Alistair Moody fell down. He rolled over as unconsciousness came to his battered body as he saw the broken pot that had contained a baby Mandrake. Said howling Mandrake only five feet away from him.
"Young Mandrake screams were known to knock grown wizards' unconscious." He thought as he watched the back door open as the figure got away.
Harry groaned as he sneaked into Privet Drive that night. He had gotten lucky.
Again.
Harry thought that back to Ron's words from earlier that day and wondered about them.
"I keep losing. I did better this time getting away from an auror team. But I didn't know what those men were brewing, and they could have done a lot of harm if the girl auror was telling the truth."
He asked himself a small question that Ron had mentioned earlier.
"Do I know how to win in the wizarding world?"
Harry pulled his extra wand from his belt. He had got it from the auror. Going back into the house before shoving the mandrake into the dirt and waking everyone up with his mask in place. Everyone that is except for the Auror.
He didn't know how to win yet in the wizarding but having an extra wand probably won't hurt.