August 2.0: The Fancy Is Indeed
Title: The Fancy Is Indeed
Summary: Minerva is very good at Wizarding Chess
Characters/Pairings: Minerva McGonagall/Septima Vector, Katie Bell, Sirius Black
Genre: Gen
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Ficlet
Word Count: 518
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Yes
If yes, your Tumblr username: monkiainen
Not many people knew that Minerva McGonagall was an expert in Wizarding chess. Her determination and tactical skills made her a formidable opponent, and beating her in the game was a task in itself.
Minerva loved chess, and the beauty of its tactics. How she was able to pinpoint the moves her opponent was about to do, and how she would respond to them in turn. It was simple, elegant and beautiful - and Minerva loved every moment of it. Her chess set was gifted to Minerva by her father on her 11th birthday, just before Minerva received her Hogwarts letter. It was old and battered, but the pieces knew Minerva well and were eagerly responding to her every command.
Sometimes Minerva would teach the secrets of the game to those who she felt would benefit from it. For instance young Katie Bell, who in her second year spent a lot of time in the Hospital Wing because of Mumblemumps. Poor Katie was feeling bored and ignored, so one day Minerva took her chess set and visited the girl. In no time Katie learned the basics of the game, and Minerva was pleased to notice she was getting better and better in the game the more they played it. No longer did Katie complain about boredom, and once she got out from the Hospital Win she got a chess set of her own.
It reminded Minerva of the time she taught Sirius Black her more advanced chess techniques. Who would have guessed that the loyal and headstrong young Gryffindor would turn to the Dark Side and murder his friends? Minerva blamed herself for not noticing it sooner. She should have known better - a boy interested in the most deceptive chess moves there were was smart enough to use the variations of those moves in the real life as well. Nobody could believe their ears when they heard of Sirius's betrayal.
The most fond memories Minerva had from Wizarding Chess however were all the times she played with Septima. They had been friends for years, ever since Septima took the position of the Arithmancy Professor. Septima saw numbers and patterns everywhere, so it was no surprise she excelled in Wizarding chess. Their games would sometime take hours, neither one giving up and doing the best to beat their opponent. Those games were the best, even if afterwards Minerva felt exhausted. But it was good kind of exhaustion, the kind of that made you feel like you were in the top of the world.
After one particularly tense game, Minerva sensed there was something different in the air. It was almost like Septima was waiting for something to happen, something they had never really talked about but it was lingering in their thoughts. Maybe it was the full moon, maybe it was magic, but Minerva decided it was time to do something and kissed Septima. For a brief moment Minerva thought she had misread the situation, but then Septima returned her kiss eagerly. It was one of many kisses to come, and Minerva thanked the lucky stars for the game that brought them together.
17 points for Hufflepuff!
Summary: Minerva is very good at Wizarding Chess
Characters/Pairings: Minerva McGonagall/Septima Vector, Katie Bell, Sirius Black
Genre: Gen
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Ficlet
Word Count: 518
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Yes
If yes, your Tumblr username: monkiainen
Not many people knew that Minerva McGonagall was an expert in Wizarding chess. Her determination and tactical skills made her a formidable opponent, and beating her in the game was a task in itself.
Minerva loved chess, and the beauty of its tactics. How she was able to pinpoint the moves her opponent was about to do, and how she would respond to them in turn. It was simple, elegant and beautiful - and Minerva loved every moment of it. Her chess set was gifted to Minerva by her father on her 11th birthday, just before Minerva received her Hogwarts letter. It was old and battered, but the pieces knew Minerva well and were eagerly responding to her every command.
Sometimes Minerva would teach the secrets of the game to those who she felt would benefit from it. For instance young Katie Bell, who in her second year spent a lot of time in the Hospital Wing because of Mumblemumps. Poor Katie was feeling bored and ignored, so one day Minerva took her chess set and visited the girl. In no time Katie learned the basics of the game, and Minerva was pleased to notice she was getting better and better in the game the more they played it. No longer did Katie complain about boredom, and once she got out from the Hospital Win she got a chess set of her own.
It reminded Minerva of the time she taught Sirius Black her more advanced chess techniques. Who would have guessed that the loyal and headstrong young Gryffindor would turn to the Dark Side and murder his friends? Minerva blamed herself for not noticing it sooner. She should have known better - a boy interested in the most deceptive chess moves there were was smart enough to use the variations of those moves in the real life as well. Nobody could believe their ears when they heard of Sirius's betrayal.
The most fond memories Minerva had from Wizarding Chess however were all the times she played with Septima. They had been friends for years, ever since Septima took the position of the Arithmancy Professor. Septima saw numbers and patterns everywhere, so it was no surprise she excelled in Wizarding chess. Their games would sometime take hours, neither one giving up and doing the best to beat their opponent. Those games were the best, even if afterwards Minerva felt exhausted. But it was good kind of exhaustion, the kind of that made you feel like you were in the top of the world.
After one particularly tense game, Minerva sensed there was something different in the air. It was almost like Septima was waiting for something to happen, something they had never really talked about but it was lingering in their thoughts. Maybe it was the full moon, maybe it was magic, but Minerva decided it was time to do something and kissed Septima. For a brief moment Minerva thought she had misread the situation, but then Septima returned her kiss eagerly. It was one of many kisses to come, and Minerva thanked the lucky stars for the game that brought them together.
17 points for Hufflepuff!