Life Is Like a Game of Chess

December brought strong winds and sleet to Hogwarts.

Although the castle was always drafty in winter, the young wizards were always grateful for the castle's warm fireplace and thick walls when they saw Durmstrang's Ghost Ship moored on the lake. The large ship rocked and swayed in the gale, its black sails fluttering in the dark night sky.

Beauxbatons' carriage was in a similar state, constantly rattling in the strong winds. The majestic Abraxan were draped in thick blankets, Hagrid continuously fed them single malt whiskey. A whiff of alcohol wafted from the feed troughs in the corner of the stables, making the students in the Care of Magical Creatures a little dizzy. This wasn't good for the students, as caring for the terrifying Blast-Ended Skrewt required constant vigilance.

Now only ten Blast-Ended Skrewt remained. Clearly, their cannibalistic instincts hadn't been completely eradicated. Each one was now nearly six feet long. Their thick gray protective layer, their powerfully flailing legs, their constantly exploding, fire-breathing tails, and their spikes and suckers—all these combined made the Blast-Ended Skrewt the most disgusting things anyone had ever seen. The students listlessly watched Hagrid bring out the large crates, lined with pillows and fluffy blankets.

Hagrid placed the Blast-Ended Skrewt in the box, closed the lid, and saw if they would hibernate. He was wrong, terribly wrong.

Clearly, the Blast-Ended Skrewt don't hibernate, nor do they like being crammed into narrow boxes. Several explosions rang out, and the ground was littered with smoking fragments of the boxes. The Blast-Ended Skrewt escaped, rampaging through the pumpkin patch.

Draco and Blaise scoffed, turned, and left, unwilling to deal with this pointless farce. Goyle and Crabbe, as dutiful followers, also departed.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione led a group of young Gryffindor wizards, using their wands to spray sparks in an attempt to drive the Blast-Ended Skrewt back.

Having learned from their previous experience, the remaining Slytherin wizards were wiser this time. They spontaneously gathered behind Skylar, intending to rely on Skylar leadership to deal with the current situation.

What? What if Skylar can't handle it? Are you kidding me? A wizard who treats Fire Dragon like puppies can't handle a lobster with its butt on fire?

Skylar's gaze swept over Pansy, Millicent, Tracey, and Audrey, then lingered on Theodore Nott for a moment. His deep gaze became meaningful, and he said pointedly, "Has everyone made their decision?"

"Hmm," Pansy and the three girls exchanged glances and took the lead in responding.

Skylar's lips curled into a slight smile. "Now, listen to my commands. I'll first use Impediment Jinx to restrain them. When I count to three, you all simultaneously use Stunning Spell to stun them. Remember—don't attack their hard shells. The males should attack their spikes and beaks, and the females should attack their suckers."

Skylar didn't cast Impediment Jinx, fearing it wouldn't be enough to penetrate the Blast-Ended Skrewt's shell. He quickly waved his wand, conjuring Thick Vine that bound the five Blast-Ended Skrewt tightly. Just as the Blast-Ended Skrewt began to struggle and shoot sparks from under their tails, Skylar coldly shouted, "One, two, three, attack!"

The young wizards did not disappoint Skylar; they swiftly and decisively struck the weakness Skylar had pointed out, stunning all five Blast-Ended Skrewt.

At this point, the young Gryffindor wizards, with Hagrid's help, had only just finished cleaning up the first line.

Rita Skeeter leaned against the fence of Hagrid's vegetable garden, watching the farce unfold. Today she was wearing a thick magenta robe with a purple fur collar, and her crocodile handbag hung from her arm.

"Who are you?" Hagrid asked Rita Skeeter as he fastened a rope knot around the Blast-Ended Skrewt.

"My name is Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet," Rita replied, looking at Hagrid with a broad smile, her gold teeth Winky. "What are these fascinating animals called?" she asked, her smile widening.

"Blast-Ended Skrewt," Hagrid replied gruffly.

"Really?" Rita said, looking intrigued. "I've never heard of them before... where did they come from?"

Hagrid's face flushed red behind his disheveled black beard. Just then, the quick-witted Hermione stepped forward and said, "They're funny, aren't they? Tell me, Harry, aren't they?"

"What? Oh, yeah... Ouch... That's funny." Harry stammered as she stepped on his foot.

She shifted her gaze to Dean (who had an unsightly scar on half his cheek), Lavender (whose robe was badly burned), Seamus (who was tending to several burned fingers), and, seemingly noticing something, smiled and said, "Great... I wonder if you'd be willing to do an interview, hmm? Share your experience teaching about Care of Magical Creatures with the readers? The Daily Prophet has a zoology column every Wednesday, I'm sure you know it. We could introduce these—hmm— Rattlewolf."

"Blast-Ended Skrewt," Hagrid said eagerly, "Uh-yes, sure, that's possible."

The two eventually arranged to meet at the Three Broomsticks on Friday, where Hagrid would be interviewed by Rita.

"What's wrong?" Daphne looked at Skylar, because Slytherin had already finished dealing with the Blast-Ended Skrewt, and the other young wizards had left, but Skylar was still there, watching Rita and Hagrid's interaction from a distance.

Skylar smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing. I just think the old man with the white beard will soon have something to worry about again." Skylar thought about Hagrid's future development and found it amusing, but also somewhat pitying Dumbledore. How come all his confidants are so good at causing trouble?

Daphne approached Skylar, and although no one was around, she cautiously cast Muffliato around them before whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, "What's wrong with Pansy's group?"

Skylar shrugged. "What else could it be? They're just trying to curry favor with me."

"But," Daphne looked puzzled, "Wasn't she very close to your brother?"

Skylar sneered, "Those girls—whether it's Pansy, Millicent, Audrey, or Tracey —after I demonstrated my ability to tame the Fire Dragon, their personal honor and preferences no longer matter. The interests of their families are their primary concern. I dare say that their statements today are actually the intentions of those old fogies behind the scenes."

Since the start of this semester, Skylar has been busy with the Sleeping Dragon Society, the Goblet of Fire, and researching various magical things. He has indeed become somewhat distant from the Slytherin junior wizards of the same year. He really has no choice; his time is limited, and it is impossible for him to be good at everything.

And the older brother, who seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him, did not disappoint him. Taking advantage of this break, he established his prestige among his classmates through his excellent performance in class and frequent and friendly interactions with other students.

Pansy and Draco were already close, so that goes without saying; Goyle and Crabbe were always his loyal followers, and they were no exception. Among the other young wizards, Blaise seemed to have suddenly become very close to Draco. Millicent, Audrey, Tracey's enthusiasm and admiration for Draco were also becoming more and more obvious. The latter two were originally fans of Skylar, but they had both suddenly become fans of Draco.

Skylar knew perfectly well, but he chose to turn a blind eye.

Because he knew that life is like a game of chess, the greatest truths are the simplest, and a single wrong move can lead to total defeat.

No matter how much Draco had planned and schemed beforehand, no matter how relentlessly Draco had pressed forward, the moment Skylar defeated Draco and was chosen as a Hogwarts Champion, the battle for prestige between the two brothers was already decided.

After Skylar decisively won the First Task, even Pansy realized that Skylar's momentum was unstoppable, let alone the other three girls who weren't so closely associated with Draco. Even if they were biased towards Draco due to personal feelings, these girls from wealthy and noble families had to consider their families' influence. They knew that their words and actions represented their families, and their families wouldn't allow them to act recklessly.

Draco, or the person behind Draco, as long as he's not too stupid, as long as he's still thinking of the House of Malfoy as Skylar believes, he wouldn't be unaware of this—he has no chance of turning the tables.

Brother, oh brother, the real game of chess was already decided by me back in first grade. No matter how much your skills have improved in just one summer vacation, unless you kill me, you'll always just be a pawn.

A true chess player, I think you'll be appearing soon, won't you?

To be honest, I'm also a little bit looking forward to it...

"By the way," Daphne asked gravely, "Do you know what happened to Draco?"

"Hmm," Skylar's expression turned serious at the mention of Draco, "I have a tentative guess in mind..." He then gave a confident smile, "I think I'll soon find out if my guess is right..."

Even with her almost blind faith in Skylar, Daphne couldn't help but show a hint of worry. "Are you really sure you're okay with this?"

"Don't worry!" Skylar tilted his head slightly, gazing into the distance. "I don't fight battles I'm not confident of winning, and besides—"

"*******!"