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The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all.
But as they stepped into it, a light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. It was a very large room with a floor of white and black square tiles. They were standing behind rows of black-armored statues.
Across them, with four rows of white-black tiles between them, were the same statues, but armored in white.
All of them lacked faces, their heads covered with visorless helmets.
Behind the white soldiers, in the darkness, they could see a door.
"What now?!" Hermione squeaked.
"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, tooth fairy!" Draco spat.
Daphne frowned. This was one of the names Pansy had given Hermione, making fun of her. "Don't you dare call her that," she said, planting her dead gaze on him.
Draco threw his neck, scoffing.
"I guess we will have to play as chessmen," Ron told Hermione, stating the obvious. "Look…"
The black and white statues were coming to life, stirring at their places. Clouds of dust came puffing out from their non-existent mouths, a loud rumbling taking over the silence.
Suddenly, two black pawns, lightly armored, left the floor and stood against the side wall. A knight, donning its knightly armor, also left the board. It was followed by a bishop, dressed in a gown under armor.
At last, the black rook left its place, taking its heavy armor with it.
"See!" Ron exclaimed, realizing what they must do now. "We must take the positions of these chessmen and help the black win. Only then can we go past the white chessmen, to the next room."
"Brilliant!" Harry let out a cheerful smile. "Aren't you a rated player Ron?!"
Ron's lips twitched. "She's as good as me."
Harry looked where Ron was pointing at. "You also play…"
Daphne almost smiled. Both she and Ron remained neck to neck in the last few Chess Tournaments. Their rivalry was as famous as Darcie's unchallenged first spot in Chess.
Harry knew about the Chess Tournament, as many students still practiced it exhaustively to claim the rewards, but he never developed any interest in it.
Before they could exchange more words, Draco sneered. "I didn't know we had time to clap for each other."
Harry gulped. "He's right," he said, looking at the rest. "Let's hurry."
Ron took the knight's spot. Daphne took the rook's spot with Draco refusing to budge from the bishop's. Harry and Hermione took the positions of pawns.
"I and Daphne will control the moves," Ron told them, looking at Draco, who, for once, didn't reject the claim. "You guys will…"
Ron never got the chance to complete his words, his ears going numb.
Like thunder, a roar reverberated, shaking their souls.
…
"ATTACK!" the white king roared.
"ADVANCE!!" the black king raised his longsword.
And all hell went loose.
…
The white pawns raised their swords and charged forward.
The black pawns shouted in defiance, taking a courageous step of their own.
Clink-Clank-Boom!
The soldiers met between the two forces, their swords clashing with a thunderous sound.
Something was wrong, though.
Two white pawns met no retaliation and came marching into the area previously controlled by blacks.
Harry and Hermione, separated by four squares, stared dead at the incoming soldiers, their swords raised high.
What was going on?!
The two simultaneously turned around, wanting to run away.
But, in the next moment, the squares they were standing on glowed, rooting them to their spots.
"There's no running now!" Draco shouted. "Fight!"
Something clicked within Harry, making him numb to the surprise. He spun back and faced the incoming soldier, his gloves and shoes letting out a magical glow.
Then, before the sword could fall, Harry pounced.
On the other side, Hermione was still standing like a statue at her place, her face going white.
Seeing her like that, Draco, standing diagonally behind her, gritted his teeth. "Hope this works," he mumbled before blurring out of sight.
A blue blur traced a diagonal path and came to rest on the square before Hermione.
Both white pawns hacked at the black side's Harry and Draco.
The boys' fists struck the soldiers' waists.
And stones shattered.
Booom!!
…
Harry and Draco listlessly stared at their fists. The Spells stored within them felt much greater than the original ones.
Harry looked back at Ron and Draco looked back at the girls.
Then they all looked at each other.
They could do it!
Shatter!!
The sudden rattling made them snap their heads forward. The first volley had ended, it seemed.
White had lost four of its pawns, while black had lost three. Crumbling, the remaining soldiers returned to their places, both Harry and Draco involuntarily returning to their squares.
Suddenly, the squares under their feet glowed.
"We can move!" Ron shouted, picking on it.
The children left the squares and regrouped behind the black's lines.
Despite the sudden finding that they could fight against the white's onslaught, the fear was lingering strongly on their faces. But the fear was seeping out of them slowly as if sucked away by some unseen beast.
This wasn't about playing only the game of minds anymore, they knew.
Things had become too real, too sudden.
"You two know the rules, right?" Ron asked, looking at Harry and Hermione. "We can only move as per our positions as chessmen. So, Daphne can move left and right and Draco diagonally, giving them a strong advantage with the shoes."
They nodded.
"Let's…"
Suddenly, the black king shifted in its place and stared at them with a blank gaze.
"Forget it," Ron said, taking a deep breath.
Then, with the tips of their fingers throbbing, the children returned to their positions.
And the kings roared, louder than before.
…
By the 3rd round, white had lost all its pawns.
Over on the black side, they had lost all their pawns as well, except Harry and Hermione.
Harry was bleeding from the head, but it didn't hurt much in the heat of battle. Hermione fared the worst, though. She was barely holding onto her senses.
Throughout the volleys, Daphne, Draco, and Ron kept helping the two out, showing the greater privilege of their positions.
However, the unease only grew in their hearts because of one simple fact.
None of the white's Pieces had even budged off their positions.
All the fights that had happened in the last few minutes, had been carried out by white's pawns only.
That only meant one thing.
…
"To Arms!" the white king roared.
The white rooks charged. The floor quaked. In their hands, they carried great halberds.
The white bishops charged as well, each taking out a spear. They rushed off diagonally, then suddenly turned, and then once more.
The white knights blurred as they hopped two and a half steps, carrying their greatswords.
The white queen wielded twin rapiers, taking a regal step forward.
And, as if that wasn't enough, the white King held his longsword and cracked his neck, clouds of dust blowing around him like a cloak.
…
"With me!" the black king thundered.
Daphne took out her wand, the tile below her urging her to move. Along with her companion rook, she charged, blurring out of sight. Her golden hair left afterimages as she met the enemy.
Draco felt light. He could feel the freedom he had on the diagonal squares. With the other black bishop, he rushed, meeting the enemies on the board before they could reach Hermione.
Ron hopped with the other black knight, the gloves glowing on his fists.
Harry and Hermione rushed forward, eying the enemies' bloodthirsty stares.
…
Black snapped his fingers at the entrance of the Chess room, conjuring a chair.
Sitting down, he took out a box of fresh, hot popcorn, popping a few in his mouth.
"Huh?!" Black frowned, licking his lips. "Not salty enough."
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