Ron sat across from Percy, trying to focus on the chess board in front of him, and not on the scene he had seen in the hall just mere minutes before. The magical pieces were not ones he played with normally. He knew how it worked. Hell, he had played McGonagal's chess set and won. But the smaller pieces were all to similar to the ones he played with his dad. The pieces that weren't alive.

The pieces that were alive did not him grabbing them and moving them. They made it very clear with a few jabs from their weapons.

Most recently, Percy had been stopping him from grabbing a rook and getting jabbed again.

"You can't just keep grabbing the pieces Ron," Percy reminded him.

"Can you blame me? I'm used to moving my rooks without fear of being hit."

Percy's brow tightened in confusion.

"It's a castle Ron."

"Just because it looks like a castle, doesn't mean it's a castle. Castles don't move," Ron commented.

"Kings hide within castles. Castles in chess protect the king," Percy responded.

"So shouldn't the king be the castle? Because once you capture the castle you capture the king?"

"A king can escape a castle and still fight. Would you please make your move?"

"Rook to E4."

Ron smirked at the movement of the piece much to Percy's mild amusement at the piece listening to Ron.

"Just because the piece knows, doesn't mean that's what it's called."

"It's what it's called in America," Ron responded.

"Ron... Do you what it means to rook someone?"

Ron gave Percy a perplexed look. "I didn't know you could rook someone."

"Right. Well, rook means essentially to defraud by cheating or swindling. Hardly a name for a piece that can only move in a straight line. Knight to F6."

"Really? Cause, I think when people move straight forward, they're aiming for a bluff. Or I guess," Ron had his eyes meet Percy's, "A rook."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Very nice."

"Three moves."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll have checkmate in three moves."

"i doubt it."

"Can't see it?" Ron asked with a slight cheeky grin. Percy opened his mouth to say something when the dorm room opened, revealing disgruntled students who no doubt were forced to take the long way to the dorm from the Great Hall.

There was harmless gossip and gibber gabber as students walked in, clearly stuffed from the Halloween feast. Ron watched for Harry, Hermione and Neville. It didn't take terribly long for his friends to walk through, nor for them to notice him sitting across from Percy.

"Ron! There you are!" Neville called out as the three approached Ron and Percy. Percy adopted a more stoic expression.

"Good game Ron. Perhaps next time I will be victorious," he stated. He moved towards the center of the room to be in his element of authority. His expression was serious, waiting for anyone to question what was going on with the detour through the halls, why he was dragged away from the feast and never came back, or perhaps he was waiting for everyone to come in so he could advise them to retreat for bed early as they had classes still the next day.

"Are you alright Ron?" Harry asked.

"You didn't come back to the feast," Neville added.

"What happened? We were led around the long way back to our dorm. You went and got Percy because something happened didn't it?" Hermione astutely pointed out. Ron narrowed his eyes and lifted his hand to his mouth, having his fingers land on his upper lip and this thumb on his lower lip making some sort of flattened O shape. Hermione's eyes widened slightly as she recognized that particular bit of sign language from watching Clint Barton interact with pretty much anyone he thought talked to much. It pretty much boiled down to Shut Up.

Ron's eyes darted about the room, making the others do the same. The room was crowded but it appeared everyone was too busy talking amongst themselves to have noticed the questions Hermione was asking that the nosiest of students would have loved to listen in on for the next tale of gossip to flood the halls.

Once the students had all entered the main room Percy spoke up.

"Everyone, I will inform you that there was no indecent, graphic, dangerous or otherwise scandalous behavior occurring in the halls that are the most direct way back to our dorms. Regardless of whatever rumor may be floating about," he spoke in a serious and slightly tried tone as he glanced over at Fred and George. "There simply happened to be a rather wild out of hand prank by Peeves that led to flooding in our usual path. Needless to say, Mr. Filch is not someone any of us want to run into at the moment. He will most likely be extra cross for a while so please, I implore you, do not antagonize the man."

The simple delivery was astonishing. It betrayed little of what actually occurred with Mrs. Norris in the hall. And given how he had seen Percy deliver news like that before, it made him wonder what other insanities Percy had been hiding from his fellow classmates. It almost reminded him of his dad. When seriously trying to hide something, he could be remarkably good, despite certain conceptions of the contrary. Well, he wouldn't be a spy otherwise.

So some changes. For one, I now actually have a laptop. Meaning less typing on a touch screen and instead having a keyboard. So there is that. Also, still have not caught the Coronavirus. More little old ladies have been showing up at my work though with pamphlets telling me that I need Jesus. They always target me. I still do not know why. Something about my person unsettles them probably. I act carefree, I need Jesus. I act professional, I need Jesus. I'm in a bit of a mood, I need Jesus. I give a hundred and ten percent, I still need Jesus.

Jesus.