(A/N): Hey Guys! So, the first two hundred words of this chapter took me two hours to write. I just couldn't get into it. Then, suddenly, I put on a new song, closed everything else, and it just fell out. In like, half an hour, I wrote almost eight hundred words.

I'm a little distracted today, and I would have had this chapter done earlier, seeing as I didn't go to school today, but my Grandfather went in for eye surgery (which I told you about, and is the reason I didn't go to school), and my grandmother stayed with us for the day. He's fine, mostly, but he had a lens transplant (I think?) and he had to have an eye patch and stitches. The stitches come out tomorrow morning, so I might not be going to school again. He then has to go back on Monday, for what I'm not sure (my family have this habit of talking over each other [and by talking, I mean yelling], and you can't hear a thing they say), and he's paying my dad like, $50 to drive him there and back, and is paying for a shed roof to be fixed (it almost flew off the other day, it's that crap), so we're pretty okay with it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Nicholai, Shari and Mia.

Leo

As it turns out, Minnie did miss us, she just has a funny way of showing it.

"Leonides, Remus, I expect you two to have your holiday work in by our next lesson." She walked away after announcing this, a ghost of a smile on her usually stern face.

"She definitely missed us." I told Remus, and the others laughed. But we both know she did, in her own way. We had spent two months with her brewing that potion, we had gotten to know each other. Us her, her us.

"Definitely." He murmured in agreement, and I could see Elaine shake her head from her seat in front of mine, next to Lily.

"Having some trouble?" I asked her as quietly as possible, though making sure she could still hear me. She glanced over her shoulder at me, shaking her head.

"No, not exactly." I leaned back in my chair, curious, but not wishing to pry into things she didn't want me to know. After all, if I was entitled to privacy, then so was she.

It was our first day back at classes, and we had been surprised with a pop quiz. How unfair is that?! We go away for Christmas, forget everything we learned in the year, and then come back to a quiz? That's just cruel!

Luckily, however, Transfiguration was the last lesson of the day.

"Check out number six, and number nine." Remus whispered, and I grinned as I read them.

Question six, what are the characteristics of an animagus?

Question nine, what are the key transfiguration groups?

"Oh, she's just making this too easy." I whispered back, and I felt Lily turn her head slightly. Enough not to arouse suspicion, but the best to better your chances of hearing a quiet conversation.

Half an hour later, and our transfiguration class ended, along with the school day.

Our group, Lily, Elaine, Remus, the other Marauders and I, headed back to the common room where we relaxed by the fire for an hour.

Apparently, there was going to be an announcement at dinner, so we were all pretty excited about the prospect of going to the Great hall, even more so than normal.

"What do you think it could be?" Peter asked, on our way down to the Great Hall, and Sirius scratched his head.

"Maybe it's a feast!" I shook my head.

"They would have told us sooner." Now it was James's turn to pipe up.

"Maybe a Quidditch match has been cancelled." He sounded almost devastated, and I felt Lily roll her eyes.

"Is that all you care about?" She snarled at him, and he smirked at her.

"I care about you." I smiled slightly, as I felt Lily holding back a blush, both from anger and embarrassment.

"Shut up." She muttered, speeding up slightly to walk along side me.

"Don't worry James, she's just shy." Lily slapped me, hard, on the arm, and I felt James grin.

"Thanks." He whispered, and I was pretty sure I wasn't even meant to hear it, but I did.

"We all know she's going to end up with him." Elaine whispered on the other side of me, only loud enough for me to hear, and I smirked slightly.

"Everyone." I emphasised, and she giggled quietly, not wanting to draw attention to our secret conversation.

"And everything." I grinned down at her, brushing my arm against hers as we entered the Great Hall to let her know I had heard. We took our seats at the Gryffindor table, Lily, Elaine and I on one side, me in the middle, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter on the other. James was across from Lily (ha!), Remus across from me, Sirius across from Elaine, and Peter on the other side of him.

The entire school fell silent, almost immediately, as Professor Dumbledore stood, striding slowly towards the owl-shaped podium stand at the front of the High Table, or the teachers table.

"Welcome back, welcome, all of you." He greeted in that deep, echoing yet oddly wispy voice of his, that commanded respect almost as much as the man it belonged to. "This year, we are happy to announce a...competition, of sorts." Everyone in the Great hall glanced at each other, looking for answers, but I kept my eyes glued to the Headmaster, as did Elaine and Remus.

Remus and I were both only here because of him, we owed him, and Elaine knew of this all too well. The least we could do was show the proper respect.

"This year, we will be hosting a Wizarding Chess tournament, between the four houses." Some faces brightened, obviously those who played a lot of wizarding chess, and the Gryffindor's and Slytherin's glared each other down fiercely, both wanting to show the other house up.

"There is no limit to the amount of contestants, but once you are beaten, you must move down the leader-board. Whichever house has the most wins, without resorting to...harmful, tactics, at the end of the year, will win one hundred house points." The entire room brightened, and started to chatter.

That would certainly give the competition for House Cup a healthy boost. Anyone could win, if they were given an extra hundred points.

Of course, it seemed almost certain that Ravenclaw would be the ones to beat in this tournament of Wizards chess, seeing as they were the most equipped for the game of wit chess was. However, each house would have it's different tactics.

And no house was a whole, each student was different, no matter what house they were in. Every person would have a different tactic, not just the different houses. Each round of this little tournament would be different, exciting.

This would certainly be an interesting rest of the year, what with the individuality of the houses, and the students within them.

(A/N): So, what did you think?

The Wizards chess tournament was my wonderful sister Candice's () idea.

I had no idea how to finish off the year, seeing as everything I planned happened in two months, and she suggested this while I was trying to go to sleep last night.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

P.S: Is it just me, or did this chapter feel more mature?

P.S.S: This story had reached 90,000 words!