Chương 29: Chapter 29: Wizard's Chess
Of course, no one refused, and they all made space, giving Tver a VIP seat to watch the game.
Before long, a circle of curious young wizards had surrounded them.
Ron and Seamus, who were playing chess, became nervous, their hands shaking as they placed the pieces.
This was their first time playing under the gaze of a professor, especially one who was eagerly watching them with his chin resting on his hand.
"Why haven't you started?" Tver glanced at the two. "Is it because I'm here that you feel uncomfortable?"
George slapped Ron's shoulder, almost knocking him off balance.
"Why would that be, Professor? We'd love for you to stay here," George glanced at Ron again, threateningly saying, "Right, Ron?"
Tver chuckled at the scene, realizing that his presence was putting pressure on them.
"How about this, I can prepare a little gift for you. Whoever wins can have it."
Tver placed the badge on the table and handed it to Ron and Seamus.
It was an upgraded version of the Shield Charm badge, capable of withstanding attacks from ordinary wizards for at least ten minutes and even deflecting the Killing Curse to some extent.
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the badge. Although its appearance was, well, very rudimentary, they wouldn't underestimate something brought out as a gift by Professor Fawley.
However, based on its appearance alone, they couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Glancing at the badge, Ron and Seamus suddenly felt relieved, even igniting a flame-like determination as they stared at each other.
Even giving commands to the chess pieces carried a scent of gunpowder.
Wizard's chess was essentially chess, but the pieces could move. When a player gives a command, the pieces would execute it.
Of course, if the player was easily bullied, the pieces wouldn't obediently comply.
"That's a trap, can't you see it's blurred your vision?!"
"Hail to the queen! Please continue your charge forward, your most loyal servant will always be your shield!"
"Enough talk, even my granny could still win this."
Mockery aside, in the end, the pieces still followed orders, but Seamus's skills were indeed inferior to Ron's, and twenty minutes later, he decisively lost.
Amidst the excited or disappointed gazes of the crowd, Tver presented the badge to Ron.
"This badge is inscribed with a powerful Shield Charm, capable of helping the wearer resist many spells, including some deadly ones."
There was an uproar, and everyone's gaze towards the badge became heated.
Whether it was because of receiving the badge or receiving so much attention for the first time, Ron's face turned red, with blushes creeping up his ears and neck.
"Show us how it works, Ron!"
The Weasley twins eagerly approached Ron, their eyes fixed on the badge in his hand.
"A reminder, the badge's magic is limited. It can only be used twice before its magic is depleted, turning it into an ordinary badge."
Tver's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing everyone's enthusiasm.
"So, take good care of it. Although I hope you won't need to use it, it can save your life in critical moments."
Winking at Ron, while everyone was still in shock and disappointment, Tver strode out of the Great Hall.
The Gryffindor table had already become crowded due to his presence and with news of the badge's effects spreading, even more young wizards gathered to watch.
Next time, it would be difficult for him to leave once the place was filled with idle young wizards.
An excellent wizard's chess match in exchange for a badge was simply a great deal in Tver's eyes.
Seamus's level wasn't high, just average, but Ron was different.
Being able to solve the chessboard laid out by Professor McGonagall already proved his superior skills.
Moreover, in order to secure the reward, he almost used all his tricks, with various tactics cleverly combined.
Anyway, Tver thoroughly enjoyed it.
In a cheerful mood, he quietly returned to the third-floor corridor, unchanged from a week ago.
Passing through the familiar obstacles, Tver easily reached the chessboard.
Due to the board's special nature, he had to replace one of the pieces to command the black side.
Naturally, he replaced the king with full confidence and gave orders to the pieces.
"Pawn, move forward to A6!"
"Knight, capture the opponent's pawn!"
"Queen, return to E7!"
...
With a crackling sound, five minutes later, unsurprisingly—
He failed.
A twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth as Tver, speechless, waved his wand to block the throne that the queen had swung down, then vented his frustration by smashing it to pieces.
Failure was within his expectations, but the problem was, it came unexpectedly quickly.
Seamus lasted twenty minutes under Ron's command, so why could he only hold out for five minutes?
It seemed he had underestimated this chessboard.
While waiting for the pieces to reset, Tver observed the chessboard.
Without a doubt, this chessboard employed a lot of Transfiguration techniques, bearing the delicate style of Professor McGonagall's spellcasting.
Especially during the process of the pieces' recovery, Tver could sense a controlling will.
The broken pieces were thrown outside the board, but the source of control and will were within the board.
In simple terms, the board seemed to be alive, controlling the movements of the pieces on it.
It was much like ordinary Wizard's Chess, but more refined. Based on his understanding of the soul, this was already a combination of will, memory, and magic.
If this was Professor McGonagall's work, Tver found it somewhat unbelievable, but if it was Dumbledore, then he understood.
Thinking back to the conversations with the old man about Transfiguration, involving expressions of will, achieving this level wasn't difficult.
Looking at it this way, Dumbledore's research on the soul might even be more profound than his own!
Tver's eyes couldn't help but become serious. The closer he got to the headmaster, the more he could sense the depth of his understanding of magic.
Teachers, due to years without the conditions for magical research, had subtly fallen behind in some aspects.
But Dumbledore was different. Living at Hogwarts, active in the wizarding world, his accumulation of magic was unparalleled in the contemporary era.
This gave Tver a headache.
How could he possibly steal the Philosopher's Stone under the nose of such an old man?
He didn't want to come out only to find himself surrounded by Dumbledore.
After pondering over it, Tver couldn't come up with a solution. He decided to let it go for now; after all, Quirrell was more anxious than he was.
Setting his mood right, Tver once again stood on the chessboard, continuing his game of Wizard's Chess.
He had to pass this level first; otherwise, the Philosopher's Stone would just be a pipe dream.
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