The match was set. The final moves in place and their fates were sealed. There would only be one winner tonight. Only one player would make it out of this alive. On one hand, we had a tall ginger boy. Child six out of seven. A nervous, prone to jealousy, dashing, smart, protective, sarcastic, and adorable Gryffindor boy. He was a master. On the other... we had a girl. Who was SO. TIRED. Of losing to him. It seemed fate was not on her side as Ron moved his final piece. He looked up at her with a sheepish smile.
"Checkmate?" He said in a questioning tone. The girl across from him stared blankly at the bored. Disbelief. Pure disbelief flooded through her and rendered her frozen, doomed to stare at her loss for all eternity.
Until Ron snapped his fingers in front of her face and snapped her out of her mindset. She blinked rapidly, looking up at him, her brows still furrowed deeply.
"How? How! I was winning," she exclaimed. Ron winced. She actually hadn't been. Sure, she had more of his pieces, but he knew the sacrifice that he had to make in order to win the chess match.
"Afraid you weren't, love," he replied. Her furrowed brows were put to good use as she glared at him. She glared between him and the bored. She tried to remember their moves up until he won.
The memory of her moving her Rook away from her King flashed painfully in her mind. She knew where she had gone wrong. That seemed to happen a lot. No matter how many times she lost to Ron and no matter how many times she realized what went wrong and learned to fix it, whenever they played again, she ended up making an entirely new mistake.
She huffed, pushing the board of muggle chess and all of the pieces she had collected away from her and falling back into her chair in the Gryffindor common room. Students who walked by, looked at the game and then down at her, sending pitiful looks her way. The students of Hogwarts knew her and Ron's everlasting game of chess. She had never won a match. In all of the four years they had been playing, she never got to win. But she wasn't ever planning on giving up. Her eyes fell onto all the pieces she collected and she straightened in her seat.
"Well, if we base who won on who collected more pieces, I clearly won," she stated, motioning towards the many pieces she collected and then looking in mock smugness over at Ron's smaller pile of pieces. Ron smiles at her with an intense fondness, his smile completely lighting up his eyes. Not that she ever noticed.
Whenever they had the chance, the pair would play over the year. She would continue to lose and Ron would feel bad each time. Though she didn't let him dwell on it as she would tease him and make him blush and try and get their minds off of it. Sure, she was bad at the game. She knew that. He knew that. All of Hogwarts knew that! But if she ever won, she wanted to win fairly. She didn't want him throwing the game; something she knew he would do.
Through all the chaos their fourth year of Hogwarts brought, their chess games were their relaxation and their serenity. Even if they were short and their games were cut off early, their games became the light when they were surrounded by so much darkness.
Once summer rolled around, they had a lot more time to play chess. And they used that to their advantage, happy to have the time off from the impending war and happy to have the distraction from Dumbledore's order not to talk to Harry.
They sat outside of the burrow in the grassy plains behind Ron's home. She had been there since fourth year ended, not bothering to go home as she knew she would end up there in a week anyways. Her parents, who weren't entirely interested in magic, allowed it and there had been a few owls sent since.
Ron had moved his knight and had taken one of her pawns that currently protected her king. She looks up at him from the board with a brow raised.
"Seriously?" She remarks, a plain tone to her voice. He smiles, looking dopey.
"Sorry," he mumbles with a small laugh. She points her finger at him with narrowed eyes.
"I'm going to win this," she assures.
"I'm sure you are."
"I will. Watch me, Weasley," she bites back, looking as determined as ever when she finally moved her rook to take his knight.
"As you wish," Ron says quietly, staring at her as her brows furrowed together in concentration in the most adorable way.
It had been a few more moves played between them before it was her turn again. She looked at the board and didn't utter a word, keeping her focus on the game. It was calm and quiet and peaceful. But all of that was broken when a panting Fred and George came rushing over to them; both of them still out of breath from their quick backyard quidditch game that had just ended.
Angelina Johnson had ordered practice over the summer to get ready for her first year as quidditch captain, and the twins suggested their home since they had the biggest backyard. Ron's chess partner was also on the quidditch team. But when everyone had arrived, they had just started their game. So her practice was on hold until she quote on quote, beat Ronald in the chess match.
"Come on, come play a game of quidditch with us," Fred rushed out, the adrenaline obviously still rushing through him. She looked between the twins and the board. Ron squared his shoulders, looking between her and his brothers.
"You've been playing forever," George states. She merely laughs in response before returning her gaze to the board.
"Sorry, boys! I'm about to beat your little brother here in a chess match," she boasted, a proud smile already on her face. She meets Ron's gaze as he raises a brow in disbelief. George snorted.
"The queen of chess you are, I have no doubt," George complimented, a teasing spark to his voice.
"Not a chance," Fred replies. "The girl can't play to save her life!" Fred shouted in amusement.
"Now quidditch on the other hand," both boys said in sync.
"There you have a chance, now what do you say?" Fred finished, a large smirk on his face. Her brows were furrowed deeply as her gaze bolted from piece to piece. Ron moved to watch her in concern.
"I can't! Now stop pestering me, the both of you! Chess is about focus and your voices are very highly pitched," she snapped, making all of the boys eyes go wide. She wasn't one to usually lose her temper. She had gotten used to them. But it seems she had enough. Fred and George sniffed a few times, pretending as if they were stopping themselves from crying. But no matter what, she didn't look up from the board.
"Fine, we won't bother you again," George broke first and said to her. He turned around and began walking back to their practice. Fred looked over towards Ron.
"Tell Miss. Snappy over there that when she removes her head from her arse and decides to come to practice, we'll be kind enough to welcome her with open arms," Fred snarks. Ron nods before looking back down at the girl. Fred makes a face to her back before turning around and hurrying over to his awaiting brother and team.
Ron watches her carefully, noticing how stressful this game was becoming to her. She smiled slightly when she finally moved her piece. She smiled up at him, motioning that it was his turn. He chuckled and looked down at the board before quickly moving his piece. Her face dropped.
"Ugh, really?" She cries out, letting her back fall onto the grass. Ron frowns and places his chin on his knee with the position he was sitting in.
"Would you rather I let you win?" He asks with sass. She snaps back up into a sitting position, looking at him with a newfound fierce determination.
"Don't you dare," she says lowly. He nods and motions to the board, just as she had done moments ago, forcing a light laugh out of her.
They had continued the game. She was getting stuck on every turn and continued to grow more and more frustrated with the game. Her knees were currently against her chest, her brows were furrowed, and her hands were gripping the top of her hair. Ron could see her teeth gritting. Her jaw locked. Ron sighed, knowing she had to stop. Chess was a fun game. It was easy for him. But he could see how hard it was for her. How confused it made her as she debated how every move was going to play out. And losing all the time was definitely taking its toll on her.
"You should go play," Ron says softly. She looks up at him through her lashes.
"No. We started this game. I'm going to finish it," she mutters. He smiled and placed a hand on her arm.
"I'm saying it's alright. You should play. Go win," he says with a grin. Her body instantly relaxes. She removes her hands from her hair and lowers her knees. She even smiles at him.
"Well it doesn't seem like I'll be winning this game," she says sheepishly. Ron nods.
"It's alright. We can call it a draw I guess," he says with a tense shrug.
"Yes! One more step closer to actually winning," She says as she laughs, getting up off the ground, dusting off her pants and turning around to head towards her team.
An emotion suddenly took over Ron. He didn't want to be left out. And he really didn't want his brothers to spend time with her alone when this was meant to be their summer. Ron knew he wasn't the best at quidditch, he knew his brothers were always much better. But maybe he could join in on the fun in some way.
"Oy! Maybe I could, uh- maybe I could join?" Ron suggested, getting up off the grass himself. She freezes in place. Waiting a moment before slowly turning to face him.
"Oh, I don't know, Ron. You don't really play," she says carefully.
"I could be Keeper," Ron says, thinking that spot was easy enough with a small team. She exhales sharply and looks between him and her team that were currently separated into two groups and talking in huddled bunches. She quickly turns to Ron with an apologetic look on her face.
"How about the next game if the team allows it," she suggests. Ron clenches his jaw. She looks back over at her team. "This seems to be a team only practice, for now," she explains. Ron hides the clenching of his fists into his pants pockets.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure. Maybe," Ron says, his voice strained. She smiled brightly in return.
"Brilliant! Let's play again later; you better promise," she urges as she begins to step away while pointing at the board and then to him. She chuckles and then turns around, rushing over towards her team. Ron hated the feeling that flooded through him as she left him there. Alone. To go be with his brothers.
"I promise," he whispers, a saddened tone added to his voice now.
The rest of summer had gone off pretty well. Her and Ron had spent many hours playing chess. She was getting better, but she still hadn't managed to win. She also played quidditch a lot. Which resulted in jealousy from Ron. He couldn't exactly help it. She was playing a game he wasn't that great in, with his brothers that were actually really good at it.
But Ron bit his tongue. He kept his intruding thoughts to himself and enjoyed what time he did have with her. He enjoyed it thoroughly as he didn't know exactly what would happen this year. Around the end of summer, they had all gone to Grimmauld place and Hermione soon joined them.
Their fifth year was met with Umbridge, interference from the ministry, the threat of Voldemort, and their secret DDA meetings.
Her and Ron found themselves needing each other more than ever. But they were scared. Scared of the war, scared of one of them dying, scared that If they admitted their feelings, the fear of war and of losing one another would just increase. Their chess matches were accompanied by the heavy tension between them.
She was currently in the Gryffindor common room, writing crude messages into Umbitches new DADA book. Ron had just slipped into the common room and was simply watching her. She looked beautiful. The fire lighting up her face in a way that made her look almost ethereal. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her everything he felt. But he feared for her, for the war... that she would reject his feelings.
He didn't understand that while he thought he wasn't that smart, she thought him to be so clever. While he thought he wasn't as good at quidditch as his brothers, she thought he showed promise and that he was a master at chess. While he thought he wasn't as funny as Fred and George, she thought he was funny in a blunt and honest way and she treasured that just as much. While he focused on how Harry and his siblings always caused him to be casted into the shadows, her eyes always immediately moved onto him whenever either of them walked into a room.
So much for Gryffindor courage, he thought to himself, thinking it was just another thing everyone else was better at than him.
He decided to shift his overwhelming feelings into something else. Chess. He pushed off the wall and walked over behind the couch. Behind her. He leaned down close to her ear and smiled as a mini umbridge was riding a unicycle with a small bubble that said "I demand order."
"Alright, we have about two and a half hours until the DDA meeting," Ron states, hoping she would manage to offer a game of chess so he wouldn't have to ask. She jumps a little, quickly turning to look at him and an immediate smile brightens her face. She closes the book with the quill inside and tosses it away from her. She raises a brow.
"Fancy a game of chess?" She asks with a grin. Ron matches her smile.
"Of course."
They both set up the chess board in the Great Hall and sat across from one another. They set up their pieces and Ron made the first move.
"I have a good feeling about this game," she uttered mindlessly. Ron looked up at her.
"Yeah? Me too," Ron admitted. She gasps lightly, smiling widely.
"Oh-ho-ho, you are going down, Weasley! There is no chance you'll be winning this time," she said through light laughter. Ron shrugged at her with a smugness.
"We'll see, I guess," Ron muses.
The game starts and Ron has to admit, she's gotten quicker with her moves and decision making. She was making good choices. Ron was actually thinking deeply about the moves he was making. He had taught her well. But he had managed to beat one of the smartest witches he had ever met at a chess match at only twelve. She wasn't going to beat him this easily.
She collected up his pieces once again, but her own weren't easily collected and they were all starting to surround his. Ron had a few good moves up his sleeve but as he looked up at her, a large grin on her face, her eyes bright and happy for the first time he had seen this year, he knew what he was going to do was right. Even if she didn't want it. It would make her happy. And that's all Ron needed. So he moved his knight and took one of her pawns. Her eyes instantly snapped up to meet his.
"No, no way. This has to be a joke," she states.
"What?" Ron asks dumbly. Her face hardens.
"Is this a prank, Ronald? Have your brothers finally corrupted your mind?" She asked seriously. She looked over his face, calculating his every move. Ron's brows furrowed.
"I truly have no idea what in Godric's name is going on," Ron pressed. She gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. She looked, wide-eyed, between him and the board. She pulled herself closer to the table and moved her rook. And took his king. She squealed loudly. So loudly, multiple eyes moved over to them.
"Checkmate. I actually won! Checkmate!" She shouted loudly. She clutched the king piece in her hand tightly. She got off the bench and started running down the rows of tables. "I won! I won! I won!" She screamed, attracting attention to everyone in the room.
Some awkwardly clapped for her, ones that knew at least a bit of what was going on, and the others ignored her. Harry passed her running as he walked up to Ron. Harry stopped and stood behind Ron as they watched her get up on one of the tables down below the hall and watched as she continued and began dancing in victory.
"What is she doing?" Harry asks, confusion heavy in his voice.
"Dancing," Ron states obviously. Harry let out a laugh.
"Why exactly?" Harry asked again. Ron doesn't look away from her but motions a hand towards the board.
"She won our chess match," Ron announced, smiling as she started shaking her hips in a weird fashion.
"What? How?" Harry's words slipping out of him quickly. Ron smiles a secret smile to himself, still watching as she danced and held up the chess piece.
"I don't know," Ron says lightly. Harry's gaze moved from the board and watched her and Ron carefully. How he watched her.
"You let her win, didn't you?" Harry asked quietly. Ron sighs and finally looks away from her to catch Harry's curious gaze.
"... yeah, but look at her," he says, making their attention to her again. Still dancing. "Doesn't she look happy?" He asks quietly. Harry smiles as he looks between his friends.
"You both do."