A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Hermione inserted the key into the lock, turned it firmly, and with a click, the door unlocked.

They pushed the door open, revealing a pitch-black room where nothing could be seen.

As soon as they stepped inside, the room was suddenly illuminated, revealing a rather spectacular sight.

They stood at the edge of a gigantic wizard's chessboard. In front of them were towering black chess pieces, carved from what seemed to be black stone, each one larger than them.

At the opposite end of the room stood white chess pieces, arranged in formation.

"Are we supposed to play chess?" George asked, frowning.

"Probably," Fred replied with a nod. "If we win, the door to the next room should open."

Cedric and William exchanged a glance. Cedric raised an eyebrow and smiled. "This is undoubtedly Professor McGonagall's handiwork."

William shrugged. "Professor McGonagall always finds a way to add her unique flair."

"So, who's going to play?" Cho asked.

"I'll do it," William volunteered.

All of them knew how to play wizard's chess, but Cedric had always been the best among them—until now.

After spending two years in the time loop, William had dedicated some of his idle time to perfecting his wizard's chess skills by challenging anyone willing to play.

Since then, Cedric had never beaten him.

What's more, William had spent two weeks training with a three-time wizard's chess champion at St. Mungo's Magical Hospital, making him practically unbeatable among his peers.

William had mastered several cunning strategies, excelling particularly in the Scottish Opening and the French Defense.

However, he chose the Scottish Opening for this match—the French Defense always gave off an ominous vibe, like a shoddy construction project.

Each of them replaced six black chess pieces, taking their positions on the board. The replaced chess pieces turned their backs on the white pieces, stepped off the board, and stood aside to watch the game unfold.

The rules required white to move first, and soon, one of the white pieces advanced two squares forward.

William began commanding the black pieces, while the others followed his instructions silently.

William repeatedly used the black queen to capture white pieces.

Each time the black queen struck, she brutally knocked the white piece to the ground, then dragged it by the leg off the board to a corner before returning.

For some reason, William found this scene unsettling—like the king was wearing an invisible green crown.

After a few moves, William gauged the opponent's skill level and found it unimpressive. A moderately skilled player could easily defeat it.

Of course, if the opponent had been on the level of AI like AlphaGo, William would've been reduced to trembling and muttering, "I can't do it… I can't win… I really can't win."

When William directed the knight to position itself before the white king, the white king removed his crown and tossed it at William's feet.

They had won. The white pieces bowed and stepped back, clearing the way forward.

But William didn't move immediately. Instead, he continued examining the chess pieces.

"What's wrong?" Cedric asked, coming to his side.

"I'm wondering about these pieces… They're more than just products of Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration," William said, pointing to the board.

"Transfiguration can transform objects, but for them to move requires direct control by a wizard.

"It's late and Professor McGonagall is surely asleep. Yet these massive pieces not only move on their own but actively play against us. That's beyond Transfiguration."

"You mean…"

"These pieces are likely a combination of Transfiguration and Alchemy.

"The Transfiguration is obvious, but the alchemical mechanisms driving them intrigue me," William said, touching the white king.

Curiosity about the unknown, this was essence of a Ravenclaw.

In this regard, William was undoubtedly a model member.

If he could learn this alchemical technique, he could create similar constructs to aid him in battle.

The magical world was undeniably dangerous, and it never hurt to have extra firepower.

Take the Gringotts incident, for instance. William couldn't always rely on the timely support of Nicolas Flamel or Dumbledore.

True strength came from self-reliance, and alchemy was one path to achieving that.

"I remember now," Hermione said suddenly. "In Hogwarts: A History, it's mentioned that this castle is filled with statues and suits of armor.

"These artifacts remain dormant in the shadows until Hogwarts is under attack. Then, they awaken to follow the Headmaster's orders, protecting the castle and its students."

William nodded with a smile. "Exactly. That's the Piertotum Locomotor spell—a guardian magic. I believe Professor McGonagall based these chess pieces on that concept."

"So… what are you thinking?"

William smiled, and so did Fred, George, and Cedric.

They had come on an adventure, after all, and it wouldn't do to leave empty-handed.

"We'll study them and create a batch of powerful constructs to sell," George said with a mischievous grin.

"What if Professor McGonagall finds out?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Hermione, Professor Dumbledore has a purpose behind everything he does.

"If he set these obstacles, it wasn't just for fun.

"I believe he wants to train young wizards, to make us learn more. And we are learning—these chess pieces are our teachers."

"Exactly. Let's take them all!" Cho declared resolutely, clenching her fist in the air.

Hermione was speechless. She was starting to think they all belonged in Gryffindor.

They hurriedly packed up the defeated chess pieces, stuffing them into bags enchanted with Extension Charms.

Before leaving, William even took the white king, the one who had surrendered his crown.

Without the white king, no one would be able to complete this chessboard puzzle and access the next room.

The remaining pieces stood there blankly. Their instructions were to allow the winner to pass; there was no rule against taking the chess pieces.

The black queen stood alone, her expressionless face watching William and the others leave.

What a tragic queen.

They soon entered the next room, only to find it empty.

As William had predicted, this challenge wasn't fully set up yet, just like the earlier key room that lacked the proper tools.

It seemed Dumbledore was still fine-tuning the obstacles.

They opened the next door to find a simple room with a table holding seven differently shaped bottles.

As soon as they stepped inside, a purple flame roared up behind them, sealing the entrance.

At the same time, black flames erupted at the door ahead, trapping them in between.

"Uh-oh. I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" William said, eyeing the black fire.

"I like bad news first—it makes the good news sweeter," Fred said.

"The bad news is… this is Fiendfyre, a form of dark magic. Extremely dangerous, guaranteed instant death upon contact."

"And the good news?"

"The fire is well-controlled and hasn't shown signs of losing control. For now, we're safe."

George shrugged. "That's hardly good news. I thought you'd say you could control it."

William rolled his eyes.

"You think I'm the type to study dark magic?"

"Yes!"

William smirked. sharp!

Though he hadn't studied dark magic yet, he definitely intended to in the future.

Every great wizard was also a master of the dark arts—Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick included.

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