Chapter 17: En Passant
31 December 1992
Harry got ready for the New Year's Eve party that would occur at Pansy's house. He got dressed and smiled at his reflection in the mirror. He was looking forward to interacting with his fellow Slytherins, the only real family he had. He was sure he would be enjoying himself that night.
Harry smirked at himself in the mirror. He thought he looked stunning in the mirror. But at the same time, he had to admit he looked anxious. This would be his first social function in wizarding society. He knew he would have to appear respectable.
Draco then knocked on his door.
"Hi, Harry!"
"Hi, Draco!"
"Ready for Pansy's party?", Draco asked.
"Yes. I still feel nervous, though."
"Don't worry. Just think about how simultaneously excited and nervous the adults must be at meeting the famous Harry Potter."
Draco and Harry headed to the living room of Malfoy Manor. There, Lucius and Narcissa were waiting for them.
"Ready, boys?", Lucius asked.
"Yes", Draco and Harry both said.
"All right, then", Lucius said. "We'll travel by Floo Powder to Parkinson Place. Harry, you may go first."
Harry nodded and stepped near the fireplace.
"Parkinson Place!"
Harry thought he was getting used to traveling by floo powder by now. It still made him dizzy, but he was starting to understand it more and hopefully it wouldn't cause him any more problems.
When Harry was able to focus his eyes on his surroundings again, Pansy was standing before him. She was wearing pink robes and was looking elegant and beautiful.
"Happy New Year's Eve, Harry!", Pansy exclaimed. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
Harry blushed, clearly caught off guard. Pansy then pointed to a mistletoe hanging above them.
Well, that makes sense, Harry thought. I didn't notice it when I arrived here.
"Where's my kiss, Harry?", Pansy asked.
Harry hesitated, then submitted to tradition and lightly kissed her cheek.
Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa then arrived.
"You've got to meet the others", Pansy said, tugging on Harry's arm with her hand. Draco followed them.
Pansy led Harry to where her parents were sitting.
"Dad, you met Harry Potter at King's Cross Station last summer. Harry, you remember my father, don't you?"
Harry nodded. "Yes. Blayne Parkinson. It's good to see you, sir."
He shook hands with Mr. Parkinson, then shook hands with Mrs. Parkinson. Mrs. Parkinson was staring back and forth at Harry and Pansy with awe.
"Hello, Harry", Mrs. Parkinson said. She then turned to Mr. Parkinson. "Blayne, you have to admit that Pansy and Harry look like an elegant pair."
"I don't think this is the appropriate time to bring that up, Lila. They're literally only children, after all."
Mr. Parkinson then turned to Harry.
"I must apologize for my wife, she is quite the matchmaker. Certainly loves to contribute her two cents into polite conversations."
"How has your holiday been?", Mrs. Parkinson asked.
"Awesome", Harry said. "I've been staying with the Malfoys."
"Lucius Malfoy is one of my closest friends", Mr. Parkinson said. "Very important in the ministry. An enigma, if you will."
"Well, we'd better introduce ourselves to the others here", Pansy said, tugging Harry by the arm. Draco followed them.
The three Slytherins then ended up interacting with a bunch of individuals they were not familiar with. To remain polite, Harry just said, "Nice to meet you", when those people ended up interacting with him.
Finally, they stumbled upon Cassius Warrington and his sister, Samantha.
Finally, we meet someone we know.
"Hi, Cassius!", Harry exclaimed. "Hi, Samantha."
"Hi, Harry!", Cassius exclaimed. "How are the holidays for you?"
"Pretty well, actually. I've spent most of it with the Malfoys. I briefly spent time at the Notts's place with Draco."
Cassius nodded.
"So, what about you two?", Harry asked.
"Everything has been good, so far. We've had an excellent celebration. I hope you liked my gift."
"I did, Cassius. Thanks."
Just then Theodore, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle walked over. Harry, Draco, and Pansy greeted them. They spent the next thirty minutes discussing random topics.
Draco then pulled out his Wizard's Chess set.
"Okay, Harry. There is another tactic in Wizard's Chess you should be aware of. That tactic is known as en passant. It's French for 'in passing'. En passant is a special move that occurs when an enemy pawn is captured on an adjacent file that had just made an initial two-square advance. The capturing pawn moves to the square that the enemy pawn passed over, as if the enemy pawn had only advanced one square. This rule ensures that a pawn cannot use its two-square move to safely skip past an enemy pawn. Capturing en passant is only permitted on the turn immediately after the two-square advance; it cannot be done on a later turn."
Harry was intrigued. Draco showed an example by placing a white pawn on e5 and a black pawn on d7.
The black pawn on d7 moved to d5.
Draco then said, "Pawn to d6".
The white pawn on e5 pulled out its sword and stabbed the black pawn on d5 numerous times before moving to d6.
"Awesome", Harry said.
"This type of capture can prove to be useful during a game. Here, let us look at an example."
Draco then placed the white king on c1, the white queen on d1, a white knight on c4, a white pawn on e5, and a white pawn on h2. Draco placed the black king on c7, the black queen on e7, a black rook on a8, and a black pawn on d7.
The black pawn on d7 moved to d5.
"So, Harry, with White to move, how would you pull off an en passant capture?"
Harry then said, "Pawn to d6."
The white pawn on e5 stabbed the black pawn on d5 into numerous pieces before moving to d6. This move forked the black king on c7 and the black queen on e7.
"Awesome!", Harry exclaimed.
"I know. As we said, this capture can only take place on the very next move."
"Thanks, Draco. I'll be sure to remember that."
