Chapter 13: Deflection

18 December 1992

Harry was having trouble sleeping that night. He was confused. He was angry. He couldn't stop thinking about the snake and Finch-Fletchley's accusing eyes. The whispers and murmurs of the other students in the Great Hall. Draco telling him that their house symbol was a snake. Harry knew that with this information, he would have to make a quick decision.

Harry knew that he was a true Slytherin, despite his lineage and ancestry. He was the first Potter to be sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. The sorting hat certainly didn't have a problem with sending him into Slytherin. And Harry was completely fine with being a Slytherin, because he found out that his friends in Slytherin were loyal and trustworthy. They had his back, after all, and were willing to provide him with information and tutelage when necessary.

But just because Harry was a Slytherin, that didn't mean he would become nefarious or evil. Harry knew that he still loved his parents, despite hardly remembering them. And Harry knew that everyone accusing him and thinking he was evil was ludicrous. He wasn't the one turning others to stone. He was with his friends when Mrs. Norris was attacked. He was nowhere near Graham Montague and Colin Creevey when they were both attacked. And it didn't make sense for him to attack Montague anyway. They were both from Slytherin and on the same Quidditch team.

The Slytherin second-years were sitting in the common room, all trying not to mention what had happened the previous day. The dueling club had been fun up until the snake showed up.

Miles Bletchley, Graham Montague, Cassius Warrington, and Adrian Pucey were playing cards near the fire. Harry was too deep in the thoughts to even pay attention to what they were doing.

Finally, Harry stood up.

"I need to go for a walk", he said. "I got to cool off. Need to clear my mind."

"Fine, then", Draco said. "But be careful. And especially try to avoid the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs."

Harry walked out of the Slytherin Common Room and decided to walk around. He knew he needed to be cautious with the Heir of Slytherin on the loose, but he was pretty sure he would be fine. He was a Slytherin and was a half-blood.

But then he remembered. Montague was a pure-blood, and that didn't stop him from getting hit by that dark curse.

Harry then decided to walk near the library. That's when he heard an intriguing conversation. It sounded like the Hufflepuffs!

"So I was telling Justin to hide in our common room", Ernie Macmillan was saying. "It would be best for him if he stayed there and hid there for a while. If Potter is out there right now and wants to finish the job, Justin needs to be in a place of refuge. Who knows what kind of tricks Potter has up his sleeve?"

"So you think it is Potter, then, Ernie?", Hannah Abbott asked.

"The evidence is right in front of you, Hannah. As clear and lucid as day. What house is he in? Slytherin. And he speaks parseltongue. Have you ever heard of any decent or innocent individuals that could talk to snakes? Those attributes do not match. Salazar Slytherin himself had a sharp tongue that could communicate and have concise language with serpents. Plus, I heard Potter hates those Muggles he lives with. I think that pretty much answers your question. Sounds like strong evidence if you ask me."

The other Hufflepuffs that were there murmured heavily.

Wayne Hopkins then decided to interject. "No one knows how Montague got attacked, but Potter was there when Mrs. Norris got petrified. Let's also remember that Creevey was bothering Potter after the Quidditch match by taking pictures of him. Then, later that night, Creevey gets petrified. That sure doesn't seem like a coincidence."

"He seems nice, though", Abbott said.

"Not to mention, he's good-looking", Susan Bones said.

Hopkins snorted. "Potter is only nice towards his fellow Slytherins. And his friends are obnoxious vipers as well, especially Malfoy and Parkinson."

"But he defeated You-Know-Who", Susan said. "That's a good thing, though."

Ernie then lowered his voice. "No one knows for sure how he defeated You-Know-Who. He was only a baby. For all we know, Potter could very well be a dark wizard himself. After all, why else would You-Know-Who want to eliminate him in the first place? Doesn't sound like You-Know-Who would waste his time going after babies. It's possible that You-Know-Who saw Potter as an equal, and probably wanted him out of the way, so that no one could match his power or usurp his authority. Makes me think about what other special powers Potter's been hiding."

Harry turned and walked away, clearly displeased by what the Hufflepuffs had been saying about him. He headed down the corridor and was walking through the Transfiguration Courtyard, when he discovered a horrific sight. He saw Justin Finch-Fletchley lying on the ground, petrified. Harry could see the look of shock on Finch-Fletchley's face. He was cold and rigid, and his facial expression was clearly frozen. Near him, Gryffindor's house ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, had been dealt with much worse. He was floating six inches off the ground. His form was now black and smoky instead of pearly white.

By Merlin, he couldn't be found here! If someone caught him here with the newest petrified victims, he would be done for! He would be finished! He had to notify a professor, someone who still didn't feel dubious about him, someone who he could rely on!

Snape!

Harry hurried to Snape's office, not daring to interact with any of the Hufflepuffs he scampered past. He knocked on Snape's door, clearly out of breath.

"Potter, what's the matter?", Snape asked.

Harry told him everything he had seen.

"Finch-Fletchley and Gryffindor's ghost. They've been attacked."

"A ghost has been attacked?", Snape asked. "How?"

"I don't know, sir", Harry said. "I was walking outside the Slytherin Common Room and headed for the library. I heard some Hufflepuffs gossiping about Dueling Club. I didn't want to hear any more of it, so I left. I was walking near the Transfiguration Courtyard and that's when I saw them in their petrified states."

"And you didn't witness what happened?"

"No, I didn't."

Snape focused on Harry, as if trying to read his thoughts. "Very well. Head back to the Slytherin Common Room. I shall speak with you later."

Further classes that Friday were cancelled. Teachers and Prefects searched the school, trying to find the culprit.

Harry told the other Slytherin second-years what happened. They seemed very startled by the news about Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick.

Draco whistled. "Wow, not even the ghosts are immune from this debacle, apparently."

"It is shocking, indeed", Theodore said. "What course of action do we take now?"

Draco cleared his throat. "Well, let's teach Harry more about Wizard's Chess. There is a chess tactic known as a deflection. A deflection occurs when an opposing piece is forced to leave the square, rank, or file it occupies, thus exposing a valuable piece. It is typically used in the context of a combination or attack, where the deflected piece is critical to the defense. Let's look at an example. I'll place the white king on g1, the white queen on d1, a white rook on e1, a white pawn on f2, a white pawn on g3, and a white pawn on h2. I'll also place the black king on g8, the black queen on d2, a black rook on d8, a black pawn on a7, a black pawn on f7, a black pawn on g7, and a black pawn on h7. So Harry, with White to move, how would you carry out a deflection?"

Harry then said, "Rook to e8".

The white rook on e1 moved to e8, giving check to the black king on g8.

"Well done, Harry! This is a deflection. This move will cause the black rook on d8 to capture the white rook on e8, leaving the black queen undefended. White's queen on d1 can capture the black queen on d2, and thus have a material advantage."

Harry nodded, glad to have figured out the solution.

"Let's look at another example. I'll place the white king on a1, a white rook on g1, a white bishop on e3, a white pawn on a3, and a white pawn on b2. I'll place the black king on a7, the black knight on g3, a black bishop on d6, and a black pawn on c5. So, Harry, with White to move, how would you pull off a deflection?"

Harry then said, "Bishop to c5".

The white bishop on e3 moved to c5, giving check to the black king on a7. This move also attacked the undefended black bishop on d6.

The black bishop on d6 moved to c5, striking the white bishop on c5 with its sword and stabbing it before replacing it.

Harry then said, "Rook to g3".

The white rook on g1 moved to g3, cutting open the black knight that was on g3.

"So, Harry, from these two examples, what can you tell us about deflection?"

"Deflection is a tactic a student of the game of chess should be aware of. Deflection may be used as a gambit to cause an opponent's piece to move to a less suitable square. Deflections are often used as part of a combination which may involve other types of chess tactics as well."

"Well said, Harry", Draco said. "It is clear you are learning from this."

Later, Professor Snape approached the second-year Slytherins.

"Mister Potter?", Snape asked. "I must speak with you now."

Harry followed Professor Snape to one of the bathrooms in the Slytherin Common Room. When they arrived, Professor Snape got right to the point.

"Potter, as you are aware, there have been strange occurrences taking place at this school this year", Snape said.

"I swear, sir, I wasn't involved. I didn't petrify any of the victims! Honest. I had nothing to do with it."

"I believe you, Potter", Snape said. "The problem is, others are not so open-minded. Despite what I personally think and concur, you have become a target of suspicion. You have to be cautious."

Harry nodded. "Those Hufflepuff students were talking about me, sir. They were speculating if I was some evil dark wizard. I wasn't interested in listening to the rest of their conversation. The Dueling Club was certainly something they were thinking about."

Snape nodded. "You have a rare gift, Potter. If you had been caught with Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick, there is no question you would be standing before the headmaster now. You and your friends unraveled and discovered a quite compelling mystery last year. I would suggest you stay out of this one. There's too much danger and risk involved. Someone could even lose their life."

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You must always exercise discretion and caution. Slytherins have a reputation, and I want to make sure that the other houses do not have more reasons to find fault with us."

"Yes, sir", Harry said. "We'll be more careful."

Christmas would be coming up next week, and Harry figured he would be staying with the Malfoys. There was no way he would staying at the castle for Christmas with all of these attacks occurring.