A Friendly Game
Lirum sat in bed wrapped in their soft blue blankets being reminded it’s time for their lease favorite part of of living in Ravenclaw tower, the cold. Between the Lullaby of whistling of the wind, amazing view, and communal books and chess set in the common room it’s easy to forget how cold it is up there with winter approaching. The sun barely rising above the horizon before breakfast the season of no sunrises and missed sunsets.
“The utter lack of heating in this tower should be a crime. Someone’s going to freeze to death” Lirum grumbled to themself holding the blankets tighter as they fought to keep as much heat in as possible.
They still counted themselves lucky as they got ready for the day. Although the weather was turning cold their personal life was finally starting to warm up. Lirum thought back to their Six blossoming friendships. The Hufflepuffs Tonks who could lighten any mood and Cedric who Lirum had always assumed was debonair lady’s man turned out to be genuine and modest. Neville the poor young Gryffindor who should have joined Tonks and Diggory instead of the horde of Weasleys. The twins still tease but it felt less one sided and Percy is a work in progress but he’s been far more tolerable. Lirum though to themself as they made their way to the great hall.
“Are you ready for a game of wizards chess” spoke a voice from behind startling lirum causing them to jump and almost collapse. Spinning around to see Fred and George standing side by side arms crossed smirking.
“You have to stop doing that! You’re going to kill me one of these days!” Lirum said as they recovered.
“Scared bunny?” Fred challenged gesturing lirum towards the large doors to the great hall.
“In your dreams I’m actually quite good at chess.” Lirum said head held high walking straight passed both boys to their now normal spot for their morning game of chess against the older twin.
“But this is wizards chess” the twins chime in tandem as they sat opposite the Ravenclaw.
“They’re exactly the same the difference is just the sentient pieces. Piertotum locomotor.” Lirum spoke confidently this was a game they knew very well and had complete confidence in their skill with.
“Maybe if you knew that you’d actually win” George said nudging his brother.
“Oh come on don’t be so harsh, he’s only lost every time he’s challenged me since detention. Luckily though I never said how many chances he gets just that if the two of you officially want to be my friend you have to win before the end of winter break. So the two of you have a little over a month left.” Lirum bragged
The twins had made the mistake of challenging lirum at something they where good at, and the wins agains someone other than their grandfather was giving them a new found confidence. Paired with the teasing banter they had picked up from spending so much time with the twins was growing to be a dangerous combination, at least for the Gryffindors pride. Lirum was never the overconfident or smug type, but it was especially fun when playing against Fred and George who where used to always winning.
“I’ll start easy for you. Pawn to E4” Lirum ordered as the pawn came to life
“Right back at you. Pawn E5.” Fred replied watching his pawn meet the theirs in the center of the board.
“Are you sure you know how to play Fred. All you did was put us in a pawn lock. Knight to F3.” Lirum said as they made themselves a glass of tea. Taking a second to enjoy the sent.
“Quite sure, pawn D6” Fred quipped moving another pawn forward.
“Not really though.” George joked earning a jab and warning glance from his brother, earning a quiet laugh from across the table.
“Pawn D4, and don’t be scared of you need to ask for help.” Lirum teased.
“I’m not that bad! Bishop G4!” Fred snapped back.”
“Really because you’re falling into this, Pawn D4 capture Pawn E5” lirum said focusing more on their cup of tea than the game
“If I’m so bad then explain this Bishop capture Knight F3! That’s worth more than a Pawn!” Fred chirped like a kid trying to prove their point.
“Queen capture F3,” was all Lirum needed to say to wipe the smug look of Fred’s face.
“Don’t worry worse comes to worse I have a plan for how we’ll win” George said casually grabbing breakfast while his brother and the metamorphmagus played.
“I don’t need your help, Pawn D6 take E5.” Fred said clearly trying to focus on this game not whatever plan George had cooked up.
“Bishop C4 and remember you have to win fair or it doesn’t count! I fear you can’t just go eating the pieces.” Lirum laughed as they added sugar to their tea. And moved another chess piece.
“I would never! I can’t believe I use to think you were good, what happened thumper? Grew an ego?” George feigned hurt before he snatched their cup of tea chugging the whole thing before standing.
“Knight…F6?” Fred said ignoring his brothers actions all together.
“Uh…did you just-why’d you-I can’t believe-Queen B3-you“ utterly shocked Lirum stared at the younger twin in complete disbelief.
“Don’t worry thumper I’ll bring you a fresh one, it was already getting cold and after all that milk it didn’t stand a chance, and move your queen.” He said throwing back a casual wave on his way.
“Why…uh…Queen E7?” The words sounded more like a question than a direction.”
“He could have been more specific, Knight C3” the Ravenclaw called.
“I said I don’t need his help. Pawn C6”
“Where is he going anyway? Bishop G5.” Lirum looked back at Fred more than a little confused.
“Away, like I said don’t need his help pawn B5.” Fred said a little more frustrated.
“Making a little pawn chain are we? Let’s handle that Knight capture B5” Lirum ordered the pieces snuggly.
“I can still win C6 take B5” Fred said with misplaced confidence.
“Really Bishop take B5 that puts you in check.” Lirum said leaning forward resting their head on one hand
“I haven’t lost yet, knight D7!” Fred cheered like he scored in quidditch blocking Lirum successfully taking himself out of check.
“Alright, alright, calm down now beater this is chess not quidditch. Queen side castle.” The Ravenclaw Teased.
“What did you just do!? Uh Rook D8!” Fred said rushing to protect his king as well.
“You’ve never seen anyone castle before? It’s quite common, if you’ve cleared the space between your king and rook but not moved either you can switch their places and make them meet in the middle. Rook take D7” Lirum explained with a tilt of their head.
“Well I have now Rook take D7” Fred said copping Lirum
“Ok well Rook D1.” Lirum laughed again.
“So are you looking forward to the brake, going home. Queen E6.”
“I don’t think I’m going anywhere, if I go home I’ll just end up working and winning chess against someone who could probably beat me if he actually tried. Bishop take D7, you’re in check by the way.” Lirum explained leaning back to stretch trying to wake themselves up given the younger twin stole their tea and ran away.
“Right Knight D7, and I’m glad you’ll be staying that gives me more time to practice-I mean beat you!” Fred corrected giving away far to much about his actual experience with chess giving lirum another good laugh.
“Hahaha Queen B8 you idiot you don’t have to pretend you can just say you’re still learning” the Ravenclaw said smirking.
“The look on your face says otherwise pawn G5“ Fred ordered but the piece didn’t move
“Eh your in check and…that piece doesn’t attack like that” Lirum corrected trying to stifle a laugh.
“Knight captured B8.” Fred ordered clearly embarrassed.
“Wrong move, sorry. Rook to D8, and that’s checkmate.” Lirum said as they won the game. “Now where is my tea?” The green haired third said year stood from the table.
“We’ll still beat you before Christmas’s thumper!” George said ruffing Lirum’s hair from behind causing them to fall back into the bench.
“Don’t do that you made me jump out of my skin, I’ll end up joining Peeves and Nearly Headless Nick at this rate.” Lirum said and rested their head on the table. They closed their eyes and took a breath before they heard the sound of class meeting wood, greeted by the warm and bold yet relaxing smell of earl gray. They opened their eyes again to see a warm steaming glass of tea.
“You actually brought me tea?” Lirum asked the the ginger boy standing behind them.
“Of course, I’m a man of my word thumper. Exactly how you like it to milky with enough sugar to kill a small child” George said somewhere between teasing and honesty.
“I appreciate that, but can you also stop with the bunny jokes? I really don’t look one and I’m not even mad right now so it doesn’t make since that way either.” Lirum insisted before drinking their tee hoping the boys who love to tease would listen to reason.
“Between the big eyes, round cheeks and the face you make when you’re scared, we reckon you do.” George teased watching Lirum pull out a piece of parchment and a quill.
“Taking a tally of your wins?” Fred mused
“You wish! I’m adding learning the unforgivable curses to my to-do list.” Lirum retorted showing off the list.
“Oi’ Fred 10 galleons! They actually did it!” The younger twin cheered reaching a hand across the table for his money.
“Blimey you-fine!” Fred sneered
“I hate you both. You really took bets on how far you could push me with this huh. I have to go to class.” Lirum teased collecting their things to leave.
“Wait! I can’t tell if you’re actually mad!” Fred yelled and jumped up from the table.
“I thought you knew me so well, a shame really. Figure it out.” Lirum teased as they turned heal and left.
Lirum left the great hall and made their way though their classes of the day. Nothing out of the ordinary until they reached divination. They sat in their seat listening to professor Trelawney talking notes occasionally on their parchment. Until they felt something brush their hand they looked to see a folded piece of parchment paper.
“You swore you’d start talking to me.” They looked up from the paper to see the Hufflepuff across the table from their innocently taking notes.
“Well we just so happen to only share one of my worst classes. Maybe sometime outside of class, maybe after schedules today?” Lirum wrote back before timidly inching the paper towards the boy opposite them.
The brunet read the paper and scribbled something down shaking his head, before pausing and writing again. Then slid it back to Lirum not at all being stealthy making Lirum feel a little silly for the secrecy in their attempt to give him their note. Unfolding the paper to read the words,
“We have a quidditch game, I’m a seeker remember? It’s Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor unless” Lirum looked at the note in hand confused flipping it over to check the back he hadn’t run out of paper or time he just hadn’t finished the note. They looked back up at him expecting some sort of answer for his unfinished note.
“Come cheer me on!” He whispered
“Why couldn’t you just write that! Your going to get us in trouble!” Lirum whisper yelled.
“Is their something you would like to share Mx. Ollivander,” Lirum frantically shook their head no. “And you Mr Diggory.”
“No professor Trewlany” he said confidently with a smile.
“Then please allow the rest to focus dear.” She said as she continued to walk around the class checking people’s progress.
“So will you come, cheer me on?” He asked looking at the Ravenclaw across from him expectantly.
Lirum was never a sporty person. They had been told the rules of quidditch, they had watched a few games for their own house , but still it was loud and they couldn’t quite grasp the excitement of watching a bunch of kids crash into each other, the stands, the balls and the ground. They considered telling him that but every second that passed Cedric looked more and more like a kicked puppy.
“Fine but I won’t be caught dead in the Ravenclaw stands.”
“That’s perfect! Surely Tonks wouldn’t mind showing you to the Hufflepuff stand! They seemed to like you a lot” Cedric tried to keep his voice down clearly struggling through the excitement.
“ the?-uh-Tonks never corrected me?-why would-“ Lirum said stunned and a little embarrassed they hadn’t thought to ask. Realizing they had fallen into the same boat as most people did when interacting with metamorphmagi the first time just assuming whatever they believed was being presented at the time.
“Hey calm down okay. It’s new their experimenting I don’t believe they even realized it was an option until recently.” He said calmly almost radiating a feeling of safety.
“I should have asked. I mean I know they where like me, but I didn’t even think about it.” Lirum said still feeling the weight of knowing they made a mistake. They had made so many unfounded judgments when they met Tonks just like Percy had them.
“How about you come watch and ask them yourself.” Cedric suggested happy to get the best of both sides.
“Fine I’ll come watch.” Lirum conceded.