Wizard Chess

[Deleted]

Wizard chess. Ron's favourite game.

Why couldn't she get this?!

Hermione's naturally bushy brown hair was becoming more electric and fluffy by the second as she rubbed her chin frustratingly, staring at the board with her brow furrowed and a blanket covering her legs. She was curled up on a Friday evening with Crookshanks curled up on her lap and Ron's chess board in front of her. He had left it out the night before, no doubt knowing that she would be unable to resist when she got home. Perhaps he was trying to tease her? That definitely sounded like Ron all right. 

Wizard chess was a lot like muggle chess - logic and patience was the key. Those were two things Hermione Jean Weasley nee Granger absolutely prided herself on. So why couldn't she ever win a game?! Perhaps it was the fact that the pieces moved. Maybe that was it. 

'This is ridiculous!' Hermione exclaimed after one of the knights knocked off another one of her pawns. Crookshanks gave a start and quickly jumped off her, annoyed that he had been disturbed. She ruffled her hair and leaned closer to the board as if this would help. She had to beat this game before Ron came back!

[RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY]

Work had been relatively dull and uneventful, something that Ron was incredibly glad for as it allowed him the luxury of reading a book on strategies for Wizard's chess. It was probably his favourite game out there, and he was hoping to be able to practice whatever strategies he learned on his set at home, which he remembered having left out. He had left it out due to the shear curiosity of how Hermione would handle it just sitting there. Chances were she'd start trying to play, which meant that she would probably be getting flustered to say the least, and that he'd get a laugh or two in. If she knew he'd do that, yet played anyway, well that was just funnier in his mind. Well, she was fairly attractive when frustrated, but then again she was his wife.

Arriving home after work ended for the day, Ron walked in just as Crookshanks walked past, hissing in a frustrated tone. That wasn't too surprising considering the sounds of frustration coming from a different room in the house. Heading into the room that Hermione was in, he quickly saw the source of her frustration. She was indeed playing Wizard's chess, and she was getting beat. "Having fun?" he asked, unable to hide the amusement in his voice caused by her frustration towards the game. She was getting beat, but would she want his help in winning the game?

@hermioneg

[Deleted]

'Shh!' Hermione interjected before Ron could even finish speaking, scowling into the chess board furiously. She had been so preoccupied with the game, she had failed to hear him walk through the door. After a few more moments Hermione glared at him from over her shoulder. The blanket that had been covering her legs now lay on the floor abandoned and her hair was wilder than ever. 'How can you like this game?! It's ridiculous!'

She could see the amusement on his face and realised she had been right about his plan. And she had fallen right into it. Brilliant. Still, after everything they'd been through recently and what with a new dark wizard (or witch as the case may be) now on the horizon, they could all do with a bit of escapism.

Though she hated not being the best at something, Hermione also knew the importance of learning. Would Ron be willing to be her teacher though? Perhaps she could sway him...

Brushing away her annoyance at the game and plastering the sweetest, most innocent face she could muster, Hermione drew toward Ron and rested her chin on the back of the sofa. 'You know what I want from you,' she said with a smile.

RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY

[RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY]

"I just practice a lot. I wasn't an expert when I first started playing," he replied, his expression as amused as his tone of voice. The thing about wizard's chess was that playing the pieces rather than another player was the most unforgiving way to learn. The pieces had no way to assess the skill level of the player. Maybe that should be forwarded to the Department of Sports and Games as a way to make the game more player-friendly when playing against the board itself and not another player. That was nearly impossible though due all of the craziness that was going on in the world now. Another war loomed on the horizon. Well if nothing else there was a way to escape all of it, right?

"What would that be?" he replied, obviously just trying to be funny. He had a feeling that she wanted him to teach her, which he was just fine doing, since Hermione could probably pick the game up fairly quickly from him teaching her. She just soaked up information and knowledge like a sponge, and it was something he tended to marvel at. If nothing else though it was a great way to pass the time and get away from the things that might otherwise drag them both down, and spending time with Hermione was one of his favorite things to do anyways.

@hermioneg

[Deleted]

Hermione tried not to smile but couldn't stop it from creeping on to her lips. Ron had always had the talent of bringing it out of her when she was trying to be stern. 'Well it was always me who told you and Harry to practice in school,' she said with narrowed eyes. 'Remember all those evenings in the Common Room and those empty Classrooms we'd go to just so you two could catch up on your homework?' 

Though she sounded disapproving, those years had been some of the best times of her life - she, Harry and Ron sat together in the Common Room, strolling the grounds, sat in the Great Hall, the Library... How she missed it all. The bushy brunette couldn't help but look back on Hogwarts fondly, despite what had happened in their later years. Hermione could see Ron's eyes trail briefly to the chess pieces and then back to her as she spoke in her sweetest voice.

Of course he knew her game. How could he not? She rarely acted like this, unless she wanted him to do something. Still she wasn't one to give up without a fight. 'I think you know,' Hermione said softly, reaching out over the sofa so her hand caught his. Her brown eyes looked up into his blue ones. 'Please?' She added with a smile.

RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY

[RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY]

"Oh yeah, quite a bit. Definitely a mad dash there. Did I ever tell you how beautiful you look when you try being stern, only for that to fall apart and you end up smiling?" he replied with a grin. That was one thing he really couldn't resist, no matter how hard he tried to. Sure, some might say he could resist teasing her like that, but he just couldn't. It was a natural thing for him to do for whatever reason, and it led him to just tease her whenever he felt like doing so. If she didn't like it, all she had to do was say so.

"Oh do I?" he replied, chuckling as well. He knew there was a good chance Hermione would end up being better at this game than him if he taught her, yet he didn't see that happening in the near future. Part of that was the looming war that could start whoever knew when. That one was going to cause some serious trouble, and Ron was ready for it no matter what ended up being at stake or what happened. Any other distractions were secondary to that war, but that was just to be expected with what all could happen.

"Oh alright. Got nothing else to do, and I can't very well resist when you're giving me those eyes, can I?" he replied with a smile, walking around to the other side of the sofa. He really didn't have much else to do, and again, it was a chance to spend time with Hermione, which was really fun to him. If nothing else, a game of Wizard's chess, even a teaching game, was going to break away any thoughts of the dangers that could be lurking around the corner.

@hermioneg

[Deleted]

Hermione inclined her head at him and felt her cheeks grow slightly pink. Even after all this time, Ron's compliments still made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

It was a funny thing, you see she had never seen herself as a girlie girl like Lavender Brown or Parvati Patil who would spent their nights in the girl's dormitory gossiping about the boys they fancied. She had always been more interested in studying and reading. But with Ron... It was different. She became one of those girls. Those times where she would hear Lavender talk about him during their 6th year had been the moment she'd realised just how deep her feelings went. The idea of not having him had almost been unbearable. 

'Nice try, Weasley but don't think that's going to get you out of anything,' she said, feeling thoroughly amused. Her eyes twinkled up at him innocently as he questioned her motives. Ron was chuckling now, his eyes studying her face. After a moment or two he gave in and Hermione beamed as Ron walked around the other side of the sat and sat down. She watched him for a second before leaning over and planting a soft, lingering kiss on his cheek. 'Thank you,' she whispered. Then she sat up straight and clasped her hands together eagerly.

'Right then! First things first. Where would you go from here?' She asked, pointing to the number of pawns that had been knocked off the board. 'Can I even win this game or should we start from scratch?' 

RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY

[RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY]

"Was never trying to," he replied somewhat innocently. He really had no reason to avoid teaching her, though her reactions to his teasing were definitely humorous. He was a bit surprised looking back that he had missed any signs of Hermione's interest in him before he had started to date Lavender back in sixth year. Even then the only thing he had noticed was the flock of birds Hermione had aimed at his head the day Lavender had kissed him. That had been a shocking moment, yet he stuck with his relationship with Lavender until it just got to the point where he knew he shouldn't let things keep going.

Feeling the kiss on the cheek, Ron smiled in response before actually responding with a "any time," rather than saying you're welcome, having felt that it would have been a bit too snarky. For all the teasing and joking he did, he usually preferred to avoid being a sore winner or loser in anything, which being snarky would've definitely come across as being a sore loser. He especially didn't want to be a sore winner or loser in things that were either of too much importance, or weren't all that important in the grand view of things, as teaching Hermione how to play Wizard's chess was.

"Oh there's a way. There's always a way to win. Knight to Queen five," he said, as Hermione's knight shifted into position, taking out the other side's bishop. Taking another look a the board, he noted that using the few pieces left, it wouldn't actually be too hard to win. He just had to get the pieces positioned right and avoid getting caught out of place.

@hermioneg

[Deleted]

Hermione glanced sideways at Ron as he said there was always a way to win and smiled at him in a fond sort of way. There wasn't too much that Ron was particularly passionate about – he was pretty much laid back about everything, but Wizard Chess and Quidditch were two things he loved and Hermione adored seeing that side to him.

He had such as strategic mind too, which was so often overlooked. Sure, she could memorize spells out of books and was intelligent in many ways, but Ron was far brighter than people gave him credit for. Being able to play and win almost every game of Wizard Chess was of course, a prime example.

Hermione listened intently as he explained and watched as the pieces moved at his command. She inclined her head and could feel her hair becoming bushier by the second, as it often did when she was stressed or frustrated.

“I don’t understand, I should be able to get this!” She exclaimed as she tried to figure out her next move. ”How did you do that?” She added, with a touch of jealousy to her voice. ”How did you manage see that move straight away? I’ve been staring at this board for hours.”

[RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY]

Strategy had been something Ron had gained merely from being level-headed during tough situations. Wizard's chess had helped with that, and he wasn't going to disagree on that. Thing was, if you didn't think clearly when the going got tough, how were you going to get out of whatever situation you were in? That was something Ron knew he would need, especially back during the Second Wizarding War. That had been rough, but thankfully quite a few made it through. The ones who had lost their lives though had hurt a great deal, one of which having been his older brother Fred.

"Well I do have a large collection of books on strategy for Wizard's Chess in my study. If you want to read those, feel free. That and I've been playing this game for years. That probably factors in as well," he replied, looking a bit sheepish rather than amused. Granted, he was only being rueful due to Hermione's exasperated tone and the jealousy that later seeped in. That had made him a bit uneasy, and almost afraid of being attacked by birds again. That was still something he was fearful of whenever Hermione got upset from something he did, either intentionally or unintentionally.

@hermioneg

[Deleted]

Hermione nodded and frowned at the board. She should have known better than to play this game, she always ended up annoyed at herself. She prided herself on logic and though she’d never admit to anyone, always wanted to be the best - at everything.

It was a trait she had managed to control as she matured, but that little girl who was always eager to prove herself had always been there and always would. So, to not understand or ever win at wizard chess was quite a sore point for her.

”I may have to,” the brunette sighed after several more minutes, feeling defeated. She glanced at Ron again and did a double take. Her frustration seemed to melt as she watched his sheepish face. ”What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice gentler now.

Hermione knew Ron well enough to know how he became quiet and drew into himself whenever she got into one of her moods – unless he was angry too, of course. Then he would give as good as he got, if not more. There had been a few times through out their Hogwarts years that Hermione and Ron had struggled to maintain their friendship, though in hindsight it was mainly due
to their true feelings bubbling just underneath the surface.

RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY

[RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY]

"Those books really do help," he replied with a smile and a nod. It was more than enough books to improve anyone's level of play. If Hermione really wanted to get good at Wizard's Chess, well sometimes you did have to go to a book to learn how to play better, which didn't surprise him. The only thing that did surprise him was that Hermione hadn't gone to read one of those books already. She almost always seemed to be reading some sort of book, which inevitably caused him to smile each time he saw her reading. Her usually studious expression when she read was just something that drew him to her.

"Just remembering the time you sent birds my way. You getting angry will on occasion remind me of that incident, and that wasn't really all that fun," he admitted. Granted that had been back in sixth year, but it still hadn't been all that fun for him as he had to dodge birds sent his way. He had earned it then, but it did give him an uneasy feeling at times that Hermione got angry. It wasn't all the time, but just enough to where he was definitely hesitant.

@hermioneg

[Deleted]

Hermione smirked a little, unsure whether he was joking or not. Books and reading were of course, her forte. Her studious nature was was well-known in the walls of Hogwarts, never without her nose in some sort of text, never far away from the library. Reading enthralled her and her thirst for knowledge was never satisfied.

Strangely however, Wizard Chess had never been something she'd felt the need to read up on. It was perhaps the obvious thing to do, but whenever she had tried Hermione had ended up falling asleep. She would never admit this to Ron of course, knowing what he would say. Perhaps it was the way the books were written that made her drift off? Whatever it was, she had a mental block against Wizard Chess that she was determined to break.

Hermione's cheeks burned scarlet and she looked into her hands as Ron mentioned the bird incident back in their sixth year. It was true, she had never felt more upset than on the evening she had seen him with Lavender.

It had been both a wake up call and a heartbreaking situation. In hindsight Hermione had admitted to going overboard with the birds, but the pain had be unbearable. To this day it still stung, though she rarely thought about it.

"That was different," she replied in a small voice. "I was hurt."

RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY

[RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY]

Ron couldn't help but put his arms around Hermione in a hug at the sound of her voice as she replied to his bringing up of her bird attack. "I know, it's just that whenever you get angry or upset, if I'm not angry as well, that incident comes to mind. Can't help it really. Sorry," he replied, feeling a bit disappointed with himself for even bringing the incident up. It was probably going to better if he hadn't thought about it, though that wasn't something he was successfully able to avoid. Heck, it wasn't all that hard for bad memories to come back to mind if the right cue occurred around him. That was definitely true about any memory of the last Wizarding War, as any conversation of the impending one at work caused him to remember all that he, Hermione, and Harry went through, as well as those around them. That had been a trying time, but right now about the only way he could get away from those thoughts was teaching Hermione Wizard's Chess. Of course, that was if she was still wanting to learn, or if she was now a bit too upset to learn after what he felt was a pretty sizable mental error on his part.

@hermioneg

[Deleted]

Hermione closed her eyes as she felt Ron's arms pull her in for a hug, resting her head against his shoulder as the two of them stared into the burning fireplace opposite. 'No I'm sorry. I'm just a bit - high strung at the moment.' She lifted her head slightly and smiled into his face. 'I mean, more than usual of course.' Then she rested her head against his chest again and sighed. 'What with each of our family members being attacked, I never know who to protect or how. I can't bare to lose them, or you, I don't know what I'd do. Whoever this woman is, there's no way she's getting anywhere near our family.'

The bushy brunette began to feel herself getting upset and quickly wiped the tears away. This had meant to be a fun, care-free evening of learning wizard chess. Hermione shook her head and kissed his cheek. 'Let's do something fun tonight. Take our mind off things. Or try and teach me a good strategy. I am to determined to beat you one day!' she teased with a playful grin.

RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY