Chapter 84: Power Beyond the Chessboard
"Thanks, that's a big help."
Ron said with a sigh of relief, and Harry and Hermione also relaxed slightly.
In this potentially life-threatening game of chess, what they needed most was a sense of security, and this magic spell happened to provide them with some assurance.
"Alright, I'm going to start."
"Wait!" Aaron hesitated for a moment, then took out the Felix Felicis. "This time, consider it my bad luck. A sip each should finish it."
"What is this?" Harry asked.
"I think I've seen it somewhere." Hermione pondered, "Isn't this what you drank when you dueled the Black-robed Manin the Forbidden Forest?"
"Felix Felicis. Just one sip can boost a person's luck.
That Shield Charm can protect you from being instantly killed, and this Potion might allow you to at most suffer minor injuries.
Originally, I wasn't going to take it out, but since we came together, I can't just watch you lose a member." Aaron said righteously, then tossed the bottle to Hermione, "I only have one request: never, ever, ever…"
"Don't worry." Ron patted his chest, confidently interrupting him, "With the Shield Charm and Felix Felicis, we'll definitely be fine."
"Nonsense, but that's not what I was going to say.
You absolutely must not touch your lips. I took a sip before the operation tonight, and I'm a germaphobe."
Ron: … The trio exchanged glances, then nodded.
Hermione tilted her head first, pouring a small portion of Felix Felicis into her mouth, then handed the bottle to Harry.
After Harry did the same, it was Ron's turn.
He drank the last of the Potion in one gulp, then grandly tossed the bottle onto the floor in the corner, and the sound of shattering glass immediately rang out.
"Begin!"
The rules of Wizard's Chess dictate that White moves first. After the 'begin' signal appeared, a white pawn automatically moved two squares forward.
Ron pointed to a black pawn at the edge, tentatively saying, "Black pawn to D5."
As soon as it stopped, the white pawn in front of it drew its sword and chopped down without hesitation.
The black pawn was instantly shattered, and stone fragments splattered across the chessboard, startling the trio.
"Tsk! I told you this was real Wizard's Chess, why are you still trying to test it out?!" Aaron shook his head speechlessly. "Now look, the opponent took a pawn.
The already disadvantageous game is now even worse."
"Ron." Harry couldn't help but remind him, "If we keep playing like this, even with the best luck, we'll die."
"Don't worry, I've got this.
Even with one less pawn, I can still win this game."
However, as the game progressed, his confidence also waned.
Although Ron, with human intelligence, managed to shift the advantage to the black side, the white pieces' performance when capturing black pieces was too brutal. He also had to find a way to ensure Harry and Hermione, the two live pieces, weren't harmed at all. Every move was immense pressure.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of shattering stone statues was incessant. The number of black and white pieces on the board steadily decreased, leaving less than half, and the shattered stone fragments almost covered half the room.
At this moment, the pieces on the board that could affect the outcome were only the White King, the White Queen, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron, the three live black pieces.
Three against two, the situation was quite clear.
As long as the White Queen, whose main objective was to capture pieces, was held back, any black piece could checkmate the White King.
However, this was Wizard's Chess, and they needed to decide who would face the White Queen's statue.
"Wait a minute." Harry suddenly said.
"It seems you understand, Harry." Ron pursed his lips. "I have to be captured."
"No!" × 2.
"This is chess, there always has to be a sacrifice.
Do you still want to stop You-Know-Who from getting the Philosopher's Stone?"
"No, there must be another way." Hermione said.
"But if we wait any longer, the Philosopher's Stone will be taken." Ron's face was pale, and he forced a smile, "I'll be fine, don't forget, I still have a protective spell on me, and I drank Felix Felicis."
"But look at these broken pieces, is there a single one that's intact?
You can't joke with your life!" Hermione said anxiously, "Oh, right, Aaron, Aaron must have a way."
She turned her head anxiously, and after looking carefully for a moment, she found Aaron dozing in the corner, and her mouth twitched involuntarily.
"Aaron, wake up, don't sleep."
"Hmm? Is it over?" Aaron opened his eyes and stood up from the hard floor.
"Whoa! This scene is really brutal.
Although I'm not interested in this stuff, it's clear Black won."
"But one of us has to go out and distract the White Queen." Harry's face was grim. "This means, this means…"
"It means one of you is going to experience the same treatment as these captured pieces." Aaron said, looking at the scattered rubble, "Luckily I'm not on the board. Being a chess piece is truly sad."
"Is this the time to discuss this?" Ron said, on the verge of tears.
"Why are your legs shaking so much?
No, not just your legs, am I mistaken? Your whole body is shaking."
"He plans to sacrifice himself so we can checkmate the White King." Harry said in a low voice.
Aaron paused, then looked at the constantly trembling Weasley, and gave him a thumbs up.
"Remarkable, a wise decision, the correct choice.
Truly worthy of Gryffindor, your courage truly impresses me!
I believe the Weasley family will be proud of you, go on!"
The trio: … Is that something a person would say?
Is that gloating tone real?
"Wait, wait, you mean you're really letting Ron sacrifice himself?" Hermione asked, somewhat incredulously, "Are we just supposed to stand by and watch, unable to do anything?"
"Otherwise? Should it be you and Harry?" Aaron retorted, "Ron is at least on a stone statue, and with the Shield Charmand Felix Felicis, he might not be seriously injured.
But what about you two? You have nothing.
If you were to distract the White Queen, you'd only be able to block its longsword with your flesh and blood, and you'd lose your lives.
In short, Ron is the best candidate."
"Don't you have another way?" Hermione asked.
Aaron raised an eyebrow, looking at her playfully.
"There is a way, but even with my method, Ron would still have to act as a chess piece.
However, compared to being attacked by the White Queen, the danger is slightly, just slightly, less."
"That's it then." Ron immediately said, then looked at Harry, "After we win, go to the next stage immediately, don't delay here."
Ron controlled the knight's statue, slowly moving it in front of the White King.
"Check!"
As the words fell, the White Queen slowly turned, her featureless face looking at Ron, then moved towards him.
Harry and Hermione watched this scene anxiously, their hearts involuntarily beating faster, and their breathing becoming more rapid.
Ron, on the horse's back, was trembling all over, but his hands still clung tightly to the reins on the statue.
After the White Queen approached, she gripped the longsword in her hand and thrust it directly into the horse's belly.
"Ah!" Ron screamed in panic.
"Ron!" Harry also cried out in grief and indignation.
Just then, a white light flew from the side, knocking Ron into the wall.
Harry's shout suddenly stopped, and he stared for a long while before looking in the direction the white light came from.
Aaron casually put away his magic wand, looking at the stunned duo, "Am I handsome?"
Harry and Hermione couldn't react for a moment, only nodding in unison.
"Is that your method?" Hermione asked.
"Exactly.
It's not necessarily only the players who can control the pieces; forces outside the board can influence the situation at any time.
This is a famous saying from one of my ancestors; it makes a lot of sense." Aaron explained, "The White pieces' goal is only to destroy the pieces. In other words, the White Queen's target is only the horse statue Ron is riding.
As long as he leaves in time and gets off the board, there won't be any danger."
"Ron will be alright, won't he?" Harry looked at the figure lying against the wall, his heart full of worry.
"He should be!"
"Should?"
The two said in unison, clearly not satisfied with those two words.
"Of course, 'should'. I had to make sure he was off the board, so I cast the spell a little too strongly.
But I gave him armor and luck, so he should be fine."
Harry smiled bitterly, "You're just too…"
"What? Not convinced?" Aaron said playfully, "At least compared to that chess piece, his outcome is much better, isn't it?"
Harry looked at the chess piece impaled by the White Queen on the board, and was also speechless.
"Perhaps you're right, but you should have said something beforehand."
"You didn't ask, did you?
Besides, I had to time the spell perfectly; telling you in advance might not have had such a good effect."
"Hmm…"
Ron's groan suddenly sounded from the corner of the wall, "Harry."
"Ron, are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, just feel a bit of pain in my back.
And I think I twisted my ankle, but it's not a big problem."
"That's good. You wait here for a bit, I'll be right over." Harrybreathed a sigh of relief, then walked over to the White King.