Chess

Prologue

"Pawn to E4"

Ron shouted after Padma and the departing group and was rewarded with a broad grin. That was what he'd been hoping for, she'd been looking far too worried recently.

He knew that there was a lot to be worried about, every day patrols were sent out around the grounds of Hogwarts and every day they brought back the same news of voices in the forest and smoke where no fires were visible.

In the last few weeks, since Hogwarts had found itself besieged, life had been almost impossible. At first they had tried to escape through the Forbidden Forest but it was too dangerous and there were Death Eater patrols regularly. There seemed to be no way out though news got in, most of it bad.

Padma had been a tower of strength amongst the students throughout the dark days. With Hermione off working on jinxes, curses and defences of every type for Harry, Padma and the other Ravenclaws had been called upon to provide tactical knowledge and plans. The teachers had turned to the older students and they had not been disappointed. Instead of a school they now had something approaching an army.

Ron watched as the patrol moved around the corner of the castle. Padma, Pavarti, Tracy Davies, Susan Bones, Neville and Colin Creevy, five members of the DA and Tracy, one of the few remaining Slytherins and a brilliant duellist, this was one patrol he felt fairly confident of though he would not breathe easily until they returned.

As the days of the siege grew longer, he found himself torn between his worries for Harry and his growing friendships with the other students he spent most of his days with. At least, he told himself, I'm doing some good for once.

Back in the Great Hall Ron found a hive of activity. In one corner students were practising curses and counter curses against each other, a large table in the middle of the hall was covered in maps, parchments and books and at the far end there were sofas and chairs for those who were on break. Curled up in a large armchair Ron found Hermione, a huge tome on her lap, fast asleep. Harry was deep in conversation with Tonks but he smiled at Ron as he saw him and Ron relaxed slightly. He never knew what mood Harry might be in.

"Game of chess mate?"

Seamus' grin however remained as open as ever, he managed to keep up the morale of those around him when everything looked black. Bending down and placing a kiss on the sleeping Hermione's cheek Ron moved over to the board Seamus had set up.

"I'll just beat you. I don't know why you bother."

"You never know, after all you're not invincible!"

Seamus laughed and made the first move. Chess was a favourite pastime of many of them these days. Games like Exploding Snap were too violent for nerves shredded by waiting for the next attack.

That's how his games with Padma had started. They had played each other a few times over the last couple of years as the Houses started to talk to each other and then, as the War began in earnest, the two of them had taken to playing games without a board. In the middle of training sessions, whilst planning operations and at almost and time they were close to each other, they would begin games. Amazingly they were evenly matched and the games provided an outlet for both of them, something to think about that didn't have anything to do with the news of death and destruction that came in from the outside world. Last night she'd finally beaten him in an epic battle that had lasted almost a month and now Ron had started the next match off, she'd probably respond when she came in from patrol.

"DEATH EATERS"

The voice broke across the noise of the Hall and for a moment there was total silence before everyone sprang into action. Ron ran across to the table with Seamus and Hermione in swift pursuit. Bending over the Marauders Map was a small crowd but Ron pushed to the front and stared hard at the confusion at the edge of the Forest.

There were the patrol, clustered together as if perhaps back to back, and surrounding them were names that sent chills down Ron's spine. Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Goyle junior and senior, and Cho Chang. As he watched in horror, Ron saw the names of his friends pushed further into the Forest.

"That bitch"

Harry's voice brought Ron back to his senses, he had taken Cho's betrayal hard and was now shaking with anger. Nobody quite knew why she'd switched sides though there was a rumour that she had been convinced that Harry had in fact murdered Cedric and another that she had simply gone mad with grief.

"Harry?" Ron gripped his friend's arm for a moment.

"We've got to go and get them." Harry shook off Ron's grip and rushed off towards the door.

"Rescue team to the door."

Ron heard his own voice issuing orders without ever really knowing he was giving them. The remaining members of the DA, much smaller than it had once been, rushed towards the spot the patrol had been captured at but in his heart Ron knew they were too late.

They didn't even pause at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the terrors of the Forest were overtaken by the fear of losing more friends. They ran into the darkness until at last Harry called a halt, there was nobody there, no one to be seen and not even a sound.

"They're gone." The deadness in Harry's voice hammered on Ron's fragile nerves and he kicked the nearest tree in frustration. The group looked around in despair, five people could not just disappear.

"We can't give up, they're out there somewhere. We can't let them go." Hannah's voice quavered slightly as she imagined Susan trapped with the Death Eaters.

"There's nothing else to do, we can't follow them, we have no idea where they've gone and we're doing no good here." As always Hermione provided the voice of reason that nobody wanted to hear.

"NO!"

Seamus' voice was raised in a way nobody had heard in a long time. "I will not lose another friend. I will not. We've got to keep going." He started to stride off into the darker parts of the Forest, pushing roughly past Hermione. "We've got to find them. We can't stop now. We can't..."

"Seamus, we have to," Hermione tried to break in. "There's nothing we can do..."

He stopped and turned to face the group, a determined look on his face. "I am not leaving Neville. I won't I won't I won't"

Slowly Seamus's shouts turned to begging and his face trembled, his rage soon spent in the bleakness of their situation. Ron reached the shaking boy first and held him as Seamus broke down in tears. Dean had been killed in an explosion on the Hogwarts Express at the start of the year and ever since Seamus and Neville had become closer and closer, watching Seamus' tears flow and thinking of the missing patrol Ron felt despair wash over him.

Back at the castle efforts were being made to trace the path the Death Eaters had taken before disappearing from the map. Snape was discussing possible destinations with Lupin and Trelawney and every student not involved with the research was up and practising their attack spells. The Rescue team mostly joined these students, desperate to be ready to provide whatever help they could.

Seamus tried to join in but there was a blank look in his eyes that showed everyone he was not concentrating on them but on his missing friend. Ron too was finding it hard to concentrate on Snape's voice. Flashing before his eyes he saw Padma's grin as she left, Parvati's arm linked with Susan, Tracy in the muggle jeans it was still odd to see on her and Colin looking determined and so unlike he had done at eleven with his camera fixed to his face.

"We'll get them back you know," Hermione touched his arm and broke his reverie. "Whatever it takes we'll find what happened to them and make their captors pay."

Ron slipped his arm around Hermione and gave her a brief hug. They had been together for six months now, there was little point in playing games when any day they could be the ones to die.

"Of course we'll find them. Padma and I were in the middle of a game."

Hermione scanned his face worriedly but seemed reassured by the attempt Ron made at a smile and returned to her work.

***