The Beginning of The Checkmate

The next few days came and went in a blur. To the surprise of many of my peers, and also professors, I was doing extraordinarily well in both my practical and theory portions. This was something that now one had ever expected. McGonagall was of course happy, and so was every other professor… well, except for Snape I guess.

Hermione was also happy, though a little irritated that I was doing better than her in theory. She had a competitive spirit that wished to only be second to herself. She was also very stubborn… She had been knitting socks, trying to free the house elves… I have decided to let her do her things for now. At least this was preventing her from focusing too much on me.

I had been doing a lot of stuff. I completed both the books—Ancient runes and Arithmancy—that I had borrowed from the library. I had also started some light reading on advanced topics that I hadn't been able to explore in my last life in secrecy.

Secrecy… that was the hard part. My sudden improvement in academics has been the talk of students in fourth year. And somehow the rumor that I was going to join Arithmancy and Ancient Runes had also spread like wildfire. Staying hidden from prying eyes had become a tedious task.

Right now, I was standing in front of classroom 7A… Arithmancy. Today, I had decided that it was finally time to meet Professor Vector. Tentatively, I knocked. A light shuffling sounded from the room, followed by a muffled voice.

"Come in," The voice was shrill and eerily resembles McGonagall's. Maybe a little lighter… but there was a noticeable resemblance. I opened the door and entered the room, looking at the classroom.

"Good Evening, Professor Vector," I greeted from the door. The professor was young, maybe in her mid twenties. She wore a pointy hat and yellow and brown robe. She had sharp features, helping her and enhancing her stern expression.

"Ah— Mr. Potter. I have been waiting for you," Professor Vector said, "I was very intrigued when Professor McGonagall told me that you wished to join my class."

My hands instinctively raised my wand and deflected an Expelliarmus that was suddenly sent my way. I was shocked, why had she sent the jinx my way? I saw a small amused smile tugged in her lips.

"Great reflexes, Mr. Potter." She said, lightly playing with her wand which danced between her fingers. "But let me tell you, it's completely useless for my course. But… perhaps…" She stopped and looked at me seriously, "Your control was good. That we can work with…"

Suddenly a parchment appeared on one of the tables in the class. I looked at the paper, me still on the room's door. I looked at her.

"What?" She asked. "You have three hours, get started."

I immediately scrambled to the seat and started reading the question, they ranged from easy to… what the hell, levels. 'What is the numeral significance of Expelliarmus.' 'How does the Glacius family spell incorporate cold and ice?' 'What is the significance of number 4, 7, 13 and 21?' and many more questions.

I took a good look at every question and my mouth opened a little. This was too hard. The first twenty questions or so were easy, but after that… it got harder and harder. And by the time three hours were over, I had only been able to attend 79 questions out of 100.

"Hand the answer sheet Mr. Potter," Professor Vector instructed sternly and snatched the answer sheet. "You will get my verdict by Saturday." She said while checking my answer sheet nonchalantly. She turned it around for a few seconds and then placed it on her desk and picked a parchment, wrote something and passed it to me. "It's past curfew. This will help you if you get caught by anyone," She said and my eyes widened as I registered that it was past curfew already. "You better head for your common room, and only your common room."

"Of course Professor," I said as she straightened me with a stare. I looked at the parchment she had given me and at her dismissal left her class.

I, in fact, didn't head directly for the common room. I decided to take a detour and head for the Room of Requirement. I hadn't been able to check the place since I had entered Hogwarts. And I wanted to remedy that. I paced in front of the empty wall three times and the grand room's entrance appeared. The room of hidden things.

I walked inside. The room was grand, filled with treasures lost to time in the whirlwind of Hogwarts halls. I silently walked, passing a mirrored cabinet. I took a right turn as I noticed a golden lamp. I noticed a tome, black spined and jutted with a single emerald jutted on its cover. I gingerly picked the book up with a smile… "Nice" I spoke in parseltongue.

"Now time for actual work…" I muttered putting the black book under my robe. I started walking again and finally. Finally I saw my target… The diadem, the one treasured by Ravenclaw and her daughter.

I raised my wand and a single two worded incantation slithered out of my lips. Emerald green was the color, "Avada Kedavra," The spell escaped, my wand faster than any spell had since I had entered this new world. The first spell I had fully powered so far.

A loud shriek reverberated around the room as the spell struck the diadem and a black wraith escaped from it. It screamed, screeched and increased in size, rising. And then it pinpointed me and started rushing towards me, black smoke rolling out of it in waves.

"Expecto Patronum!" I incanted. A large white stag made of magical mist rushed out of my wand. It clashed with the wraith and struggled for a bit. I twisted my wand, trying my best to power my spell as much as possible.

The wraith gave a mighty fight but slowly it shriveled, and finally died. I slumped down to the ground, tired and flabbergasted. I was truly weak. So much struggle against just a wraith? Pathetic.

After a few minutes, I stood up and did the last thing I had to do before leaving the room. I destroyed the vanishing cabinet in the room with a Bombardo. No vanishing cabinet and no sixth year Draco drama.

By the time I reached the common room, it was mostly empty. Hermione was still there, but Ron was nowhere in sight.

"So how did it go?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Not good," I said, wincing a little, both internally and externally, "I only got like 80 questions out of 100…"

"That's pretty good…" Hermione trailed, not making me feel confident at all. "No i mean it, that's actually good," She said as she noticed me looking like a kicked puppy. "Professor Vector is quite infamous for making hard and lengthy exams."

"Yeah, yeah… How the hell was I supposed to know what the property of Hungarian Horntail's blood is during a full moon when exposed to moonlight?" I asked incredulously and Hermione looked confused.

"Wh–What?!" She exclaimed, causing some heads around the common room to tilt at the sudden outburst. She blushed lightly and mumbled incoherently for a second before returning back to normal. "We are not supposed to learn Dragon blood until 7th year!"

"How do you know that?" I blinked.

"Uh— i may have done some—"

"Light reading?" I supplied.

"Yeah…"

The next day it was time for our first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Time to see if this Barty Crouch is as competent as the one in my last life.

"Imagine if Moody turned Snape into a horned toad," said Ron, his eyes misting over, "and bounced him all around his dungeon. . . ." The Gryffindor fourth years were looking forward to Moody's first lesson so much that they arrived early on Thursday lunchtime and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung. The only person missing was Hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson.

"Been in the—"

"Library, we know, I saw you there, engrossed in some tome," I said already knowing that she had been researching about the tournament, "I had pulled Ron there for a study session."

We hurried into three chairs right in front of the teacher's desk, took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection, and waited, unusually quiet.

"You can put those away," he growled, stumping over to his desk and sitting down, "those books. You won't need them."

They returned the books to their bags, Ron looking excited.

Moody took out a register, shook his long mane of grizzled gray hair out of his twisted and scarred face, and began to call out names, his normal eye moving steadily down the list while his magical eye swiveled around, fixing upon each student as he or she answered.

"Right then," he said, when the last person had declared themselves present, "I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures. But you're behind — very behind — on dealing with curses,"

There were some idle talks. Moody talked with Ron, telling the class how he would only be teaching for one year and then return to his retirement. Apparently, a favor he owed to Dumbledore.

Moody gave a brief introduction about curses and how they are classified. He explained that the ministry believes that they can't and shouldn't be exposed to curses. But he and Dumbledore believed that it was better that they learned what to do and not do when exposed in a controlled environment. Better to be prepared than face danger or the first time outside.

"So . . . do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?" Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including mine, Ron's and Hermione's.

The class went on and I realized that everything was exactly the same as it was last time. Not even an ounce of change. Even the way Moody called for Neville after the class was exactly the same.

This was looking way too easy and similar. I preferred this. Hopefully everything will go the way I want. For now though I had to go to the Ancient Runes classroom for my test.

I made my way to the sixth floor, navigating the moving staircase with practiced ease. I passed portraits, ghosts, statues and secret doors every few steps. Finally I reached my destination… Classroom 6A.

I knocked, "Come in," A pleasant voice came.

I entered and saw the figure of a beautiful Scottish woman with brown hair—Professor Babbling.

"Harry, I was just waiting for you." She said, her tone excited, "I was wondering when you will come."

I looked around and noticed the varieties of runes and inscriptions across the walls of the classroom. Ritual circles, runic arrays, ley line mapping system and so on.

"I see you recognize some of these things." She said merrily as she observed me admire her classroom, "Let's hope that you will be playing with these things too, yeah?"

"Yes Professor."

"Good boy, here." She passed me a question paper, "You have 2 hours to solve this paper, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." I said and sat down on a chair and started solving the paper.

If the Arithmancy was hard—like facing a Nundu in its native environment then the Ancient Runes exam was like playing with your golden retriever. In short, it was a breeze. I finished the two hour long paper in just forty-five minutes. And so, happily I submitted my answer sheet to Professor Babbling, much to her shock.

"Done already?" She asked, shocked. She turned the pages, read the answers, tried to find quick mistakes, but couldn't. "Perhaps Vector was right… Hmmm."

"Well, this is amazing work, good job dear," She praised and assured, "You can join my class from next week"

My eyes widened, shock flooded my mind. How had I never known how nice Babbling was? Seriously, this was amazing. "Thank you professor."

"Don't thank me. Just ask your friend, Hermione for her work and get your finished, Now shoo—Go and celebrate."

I ushered a last thank you and quickly darted towards the Gryffindor common room. As I entered, I was immediately amused by the sight of a tirade Hermione trying to explain the switching spell to Ron.

Ron looked at me pleadingly, as if saying—Save me from this craziness.

Hermione meanwhile, when noticed me, asked in a worried tone, "Harry! What happened? You said that you were going for the Ancient Runes test."

"Taken, passed and now your Runes classmate," I said trying to be witty, key word being trying, "Ready to ruin everyone's runes!"

"Wait…" Ron said, shocked… Did I break him? "You saying— You passed it in a single bloody hour?"

"Left no crumbs," I said with amusement. "Anyways what are you guys doing? Transfiguration?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ron said and an irritated Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Harry, I don't know what happened to you this year," Hermione pleaded in a wry tone, "But give some of it to Ron too."

"Hey—" Ron exclaimed indignantly but Hermione didn't care.

"Earlier you two shared the same brain cell… But now? I think you robbed Ron completely." Hermione said and Ron protested and fought with her.

"Well, guys… There is some free time… I will go take a walk… You two… fight I suppose." I said and left.

The next day, we had the practical lesson of the Unforgivables. Moody showed us the spells and then one by one placed us under the Imperius spell. Similar to last time, I was still the only one who could do this.

Me, Ron and Hermione were sitting near the black lake, peacefully spending time and doing stuff. I was reading a book, and so was Hermione. Ron meanwhile was playing with his chess set. It was a quiet day. A nice day. Sitting out, away from the prying eyes of the school was always peaceful.

"Come on mate," Ron complained and I finally relented as she muttered, "Stop copying Hermione's bad habits."

"Fine, fine— Ron," I said as I placed my book and sat down in front of him to play chess.