Chapter 10: Skewer
31 October 1992
It was Halloween.
News about what had happened to Graham Montague spread around the Hogwarts grapevine. No doubt many students were concerned, even Gryffindors. Harry suspected it wasn't because they actually cared for Montague, it was just that they wanted to avoid getting attacked themselves.
The Halloween feast would have extra security. Teachers would be on the alert, watching everyone for suspicious activity. Snape definitely would be watching everyone carefully. Harry couldn't really see anything wrong with that. He was definitely aghast by what happened to Montague, and he sure as hell hoped that none of the other Slytherins would get attacked.
Harry, Draco, Pansy, and Theodore were heading towards the library to study. Harry didn't really want to celebrate Halloween as his parents died on that day. Brought too much trauma. Gaius Avery would be accompanying them for their safety.
Colin Creevey seemed to have memorized Harry's schedule. The Gryffindor first-year was really hard for Harry to avoid. As the four Slytherin second-years headed to the library, Creevey stepped in their way.
"Hi, Harry!" Colin exclaimed. "Please let me take a picture of you and sign it for me, please."
"No", Harry growled. "I don't want you to take pictures of me, and I won't sign autographs."
"But I-…", Colin protested, "I just wanted to prove I met you! You're brilliant, and I just wanted to…"
"But nothing, Gryffindor!", Draco snapped. It was clear Creevey wasn't getting the message. "Harry doesn't want you around, Mudblood! If you take any more pictures of him, I'll report you to Professor Snape, and I'll make sure that you spend this Christmas cleaning his cauldrons without magic! Now, beat it! Get lost!"
"You heard him, Creevey", Avery said. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Now get to where you belong."
The four second-year Slytherins laughed as Creevey fled, obviously wanting to avoid trouble, and realizing bothering Harry wasn't worth it.
Harry, Draco, Pansy, and Theodore were in the library, studying. The four of them wanted to do extra work on their Transfiguration and wanted to make sure McGonagall wouldn't have a reason to remove points from Slytherin. Gaius Avery was standing nearby, supervising them.
Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, Anthony Goldstein, and Lisa Turpin walked over. The Slytherin second-years were on good terms with the Ravenclaw second-years and currently did not have a conflict with them. At least not everyone at Hogwarts was prejudiced.
"Wotcher, Slytherins!", Boot said to them. "How is everything?"
"So far, everything is good", Harry said. "Well, almost everything."
"Yes", Anthony said. "We heard about Montague. It really is a terrible situation."
"Yes, it's quite unfortunate", Draco said. "Snape was really upset by what happened. Well, at least Montague will recover."
"So who do you think did it?", Lisa asked.
"We don't know", Harry said. "Whoever did it was able to cover his or her tracks. None of us have any leads on who could have done this diabolical act."
Terry shook his head sadly. "I wish I could help."
"It's okay, don't worry about it", Harry said. "The Slytherin prefects are watching over us to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
Thirty minutes later, Harry, Draco, Pansy, and Theodore decided to head back to the common room. The four of them had no interest of heading to the Halloween feast. Gaius Avery watched them from behind as the four second-year Slytherins headed to the dungeons.
Just then, the Bloody Baron appeared.
"Greetings, Slytherin second-years", the Baron said.
"Greeting, Baron", Harry said.
"The four of you didn't want to go to the feast?", the Bloody Baron asked.
"It's not really something I'm interested in, sir", Harry said. "It seems weird to celebrate on the day my parents were killed."
The Bloody Baron nodded. "That makes sense."
"Also, I'm not sure if I said this before, but thanks for protecting me against Quirrell."
"Not a problem, Harry", the Bloody Baron said. "I'm always willing to help out my fellow Slytherins."
Just then a voice said, "Come….come to me…Let me rip you…Let me tear you…Let me kill you…"
It was a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of breathtaking, ice-cold venom.
"Rip…tear….kill…."
A cold, murderous voice that made every hair on Harry's neck stand on end.
"Did the four of you hear that voice?", Harry asked his fellow Slytherins."
"I heard that voice", Draco said.
"So did I", Theodore said.
"I heard it as well", Pansy said.
"I heard it", Avery said. "This is bad. I think someone is in danger."
"….kill…time to kill…"
"This way", Harry shouted. The four Slytherins and the Baron headed down the marble staircase towards the first floor.
"Blood…I smell blood… I smell blood…"
Harry's stomach lurched.
"It's going to kill someone!", he shouted.
Harry, Draco, Pansy, Theodore, and Gaius ran up the stairs three at a time, trying to listen over his own pounding footsteps. The Bloody Baron followed them as they tried to navigate towards the voice and whatever the person behind it was doing.
The five Slytherins hurtled around the whole of the second floor, the Bloody Baron behind them, not stopping until they turned the corner into the last, deserted passage.
Harry gave a sudden gasp as he pointed down the corridor. "Look!"
Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been smeared and splattered on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches:
The chamber of secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.
What is that thing hanging underneath? Harry thought, a slight quiver in his mental voice.
As they edged nearer, Harry almost slipped. This was because there was a large puddle of water on the floor. Harry grabbed a nearby column, and inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it. When he saw the tail and eyes, he realized what it was at once, and leapt backward with a splash.
Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.
"Oh, no", Theodore said. "This is bad, we have to get out of here."
"Shouldn't we try and help…", Harry said awkwardly.
"We definitely have to head back to the Slytherin Common Room", Draco said. "We don't want to be found here when…"
But it was too late. A rumble of distant thunder, told them the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed students; next moment, students were merging into the passage from both ends.
The chatter and the conversations all died out when students noticed the hanging cat. Students started pointing at Mrs. Norris. Harry, Draco, Theodore, Pansy, and Avery all stood by each other in the corridor as silence fell among the mass of students trying to see the grisly sight.
"This is all Potter's work!", Weasley shouted. "He did this!"
"What's going on here? What's going on?", Argus Filch asked, no doubt attracted by Weasley's shout. Filch shouldered his way through the crowd, then noticed Mrs. Norris hanging. He screamed and clutched his face in horror.
"My cat! My cat! Who could have done such a thing?"
Filch then glared at Harry and his friends, who were still staring at the message. Filch pointed at Harry, the hatred evident in the former's eyes.
"You!", he screeched. "You've killed my cat! You've killed my cat! I'll kill you!"
"Argus!", Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of teachers. In seconds, he swept past Harry, Draco, Pansy, Theodore, and Gaius and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.
"Come with me, Argus", Dumbledore said. "You too, Mister Potter, Mister Malfoy, Miss Parkinson, Mister Nott, Mister Avery."
Lockhart stepped forward. "You can use my office, it's nearest."
"Thank you, Gilderoy", Dumbledore said.
The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore, as well as Professors McGonagall and Snape. As they entered Lockhart's darkened office, there was a flurry of movement across the walls. Harry saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of the sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore laid Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Draco, Pansy, Theodore, and Gaius exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.
Dumbledore was observing Mrs. Norris, clearly trying to figure out what kind of debacle had occurred. Professor McGonagall was watching as well, her eyes shifting between the cat and Harry. It was like she was just waiting to find some reason to blame Harry and hold him accountable.
"I know the counter curse that would have saved her", Lockhart said.
Finally, Dumbledore said. "She's not dead, Argus."
"She's…she's not?"
"No."
"But then why is she all stiff?"
"She's been petrified", Dumbledore said.
"I knew it!", Lockhart exclaimed. Harry gripped the edge of the seat, clearly doing all he could to avoid jumping out of his seat and switching Mrs. Norris's and Lockhart's fates. What an arrogant and egotistical prick.
"But how, I cannot say for sure…"
"Ask him!", Filch exclaimed, pointing to Harry.
"No second-year could have done this", Dumbledore said firmly. "It would take dark magic of the most advanced…"
"He did it, he did it", Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall!"
"Are you really that stupid?", Draco asked. "Harry was nowhere near Mrs. Norris and he would have no reason to attack her. I was with him the whole time."
"If I may interject, headmaster", Snape said from the shadows. Harry hoped his head of house would say something that would save his neck in this situation.
"Potter may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time", Snape said.
McGonagall spoke up and Harry winced. "But we do have a series of unusual circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he on his way to the feast?"
Harry knew it would sound very far-fetched and unbelievable if he said he was led there by an unknown voice. So he said, "Because we were tired and wanted to head back to the Slytherin Common Room to sleep."
"Without any supper?", McGonagall asked, looking slightly too ecstatic. "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful. It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the entire story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Slytherin Quidditch Team until he is ready to be honest."
"Really, Minerva", said Professor Snape icily. "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. The cat wasn't mercilessly hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."
"Innocent until proven guilty, Minerva", Dumbledore said firmly.
McGonagall looked furious. So did Filch. "My cat's been petrified!", he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"
"We are going to cure her, Argus", Dumbledore said.
"Wouldn't that be with a Mandrake Restoration Draught, professor?", Harry asked. "The mandrake can be used to restore those who have been petrified to their original state, am I right?"
"5 points to Slytherin, Mister Potter", Snape said, grinning. "And yes, as it appears, Professor Sprout has an abundance of mandrakes that we can use to our disposal. As soon as those Mandrakes reach their full size, I will have a potion concocted that will revive Mrs. Norris."
"I'll make it", Lockhart butted in. "I can make a Mandrake restoration draught in my sleep. I must have done it a hundred times."
"Excuse me", said Snape icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."
There was a very awkward pause. Then Dumbledore said, "Mister Potter, Mister Malfoy, Miss Parkinson, Mister Nott, Mister Avery, you can all head back to your common room now."
The five of them left the office and headed back to the Slytherin Common Room, not daring to say a word. When they finally got back, Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew! I thought we were finished! Thank Merlin that Snape was there."
"It was just ridiculous that they accused you", Theodore said. "We were with you the whole time. We know you didn't do it and would have no reason to do it."
"Filch is a moron", Draco said.
"I agree", Pansy said.
"Anyway, Harry, there is another chess tactic you should be aware of. It is known as a skewer. A skewer takes place when two pieces are attacked in a line. It is similar to a pin, except that in a skewer, the more valuable piece is the one under direct attack and the less valuable piece is behind it. Let's look at an example. I'll place the white king on e6, the white queen on e2, the black king on c8, and a black rook on d8. With black to move, how would you carry out a skewer?"
Harry studied the position for a few minutes. Then he said, "Rook to e8."
The black rook on c8 moved to e8, skewering the white king on e6 and the white queen on e2.
"Good work, Harry! Now I'll show another example. I'll place the white king on g1, a white rook on f1, the black king on d4, and the black queen on a4. With White to move, how would you pull off a skewer?"
Harry then said, "Rook to f4".
The white rook on f1 moved to f4, skewering the black king on d4 and the black queen on a4.
"Excellent, Harry! I'll show another example. I'll place the white king on e6, the white queen on f5, the black king on c3, and a black rook on a1. With White to move, how would you pull off a skewer?"
Harry looked at the position. Then, he said, "Queen to e5".
The white queen on f5 moved to e5, skewering the black king on c3 and the black rook on a1.
"Well done, Harry! I'll show one more example. I'll place the white king on e5, a white rook on h8, the black king on e2, a black bishop on b4, and a black pawn on a7. So, Harry, with Black to move, how would you create a skewer?"
Harry then said, "Bishop to c3."
The black bishop on b4 moved to c3, skewering the white king on e5 and the white rook on h8.
"So, Harry, what can you conclude after seeing these four positions?"
"Skewers are useful tactics that can make vital differences in games. When a skewer takes place, the opponent is compelled to move the more valuable piece to avoid its capture, thereby exposing the less valuable piece which can then be captured. Bishops, rooks, and queens can skewer. Kings, knights, and pawns cannot skewer. When the king is the more valuable piece being attacked, it must move and allow the opponent to capture the less valuable piece."
"Well said, Harry."
Just then Marcus Flint walked over to where they were sitting in the Slytherin Common Room.
"How's Montague?", Harry asked.
"He's resting in the hospital wing", Flint said. "He's in a coma. It might be a few hours before he regains consciousness and might even be longer until he talks about what happened."
