"Don't worry about that." Draco took a half step forward, his eyes gleaming with a cunning yet confident light.
"Just answer me—to gamble, or not to gamble?"
Hermione looked up at him, her puzzled gaze sweeping over him several times.
The chessboard in front of me is densely packed with pieces, and it looks like a dead end that will require a long and arduous battle.
She simply couldn't understand where this guy got such outrageous confidence from.
Hermione stared at his confident expression, bit her lower lip, and finally relented. "... That's not impossible."
"What's the stake this time?" Hermione asked.
A smile returned to Draco's eyes, "Still—"
"Let's change the stakes," Hermione interrupted, trying to maintain a calm expression and feign indifference.
Without batting an eye, she said, "It's no fun always betting the same things."
Draco brushed her reddened earlobe and teased, "You're clearly afraid I'll kiss you, but you're still being stubborn."
"So what if I am!" Hermione decided to throw caution to the wind, raising her chin with an air of self-righteousness.
Draco guessed, "I think you're afraid I'll kiss your lips so swollen that you won't be able to face anyone later, right?"
" Draco Malfoy! Shut up!" Hermione exclaimed, reaching out to cover his mouth, her cheeks flushed crimson.
"Looks like I was right." Draco pulled her hand away and laughed smugly. "It's okay, you still owe me one anyway, you can't escape it."
Hermione was speechless after what he said, and could only turn her face away angrily, but couldn't help but secretly glare at him. Her cute and embarrassed appearance made Draco's heart itch.
Seeing her like this, Draco stopped teasing her. "How about this, let's change the stakes then."
"If I win in three moves, you have to let me hug you for a minute, don't push me away, and stay nestled in my arms."
Hermione quickly calculated in her mind: It's not like we've never hugged before, what's there to be afraid of?
"Okay!" she readily agreed.
Draco paused, somewhat surprised. "Really?"
Hermione immediately glanced at him warily. "What kind of trap are you setting for me now?"
Draco couldn't help but laugh out loud, adding, "In front of the whole class, you know."
Hermione's expression changed instantly, and her voice rose a half-octave. "Absolutely not!"
"Why?" Draco feigned ignorance.
Hermione blushed, stammering, unable to finish her sentence: "It's... it just won't work..."
Draco suppressed a laugh and backed down, "That works too. You can bet the same amount."
"That won't do!" Hermione's ears turned bright red. "That would be so embarrassing!"
"How about this," Draco conceded, "You can set two bets, is that alright now?"
Hermione's eyes lit up. "That's something worth considering."
Two seconds later, she nodded, looking like a shrewd little businesswoman. "Okay, I agree. Why not take advantage of a good deal?"
A smile appeared in Draco's eyes, "Alright, tell me your terms."
Hermione, seeing his smug look, suddenly had a bad feeling and muttered, "The way you're acting... I have a feeling I'm going to get tricked by you again."
"Hee hee hee hee--" Draco just laughed, his shoulders trembling slightly, without offering a single explanation.
Hermione snorted and stopped worrying about it.
"First, your previous kiss bet is completely canceled and void."
Draco feigned hurt, his face falling. "You're really ruthless..."
Hermione tilted her head back smugly and continued:
"Secondly, I haven't thought about the second condition yet. I'll leave it at that for now and collect it from you later."
Draco paused for a moment, then burst out laughing:
"Wow, you've kept a trump card up your sleeve?"
"Of course," Hermione said righteously. "A bet's a bet, do you agree or not?"
Draco looked at her smug expression and sighed indulgently, "Yes, yes to everything."
After saying that, he held up his little finger. "Pinky promise."
Hermione gave it a disdainful look. "How childish!"
Despite saying that, she still smiled and extended her finger to make a pinky promise with him.
Draco, satisfied, squeezed her hand and turned to look at the giant Wizard's Chess.
"Then—let's begin."
Draco flexed his wrists, looked at the giant Wizard's Chess in front of him, glanced at Hermione, and smiled confidently:
"Come here, Granger."
Hermione looked wary. "What?"
"To clear the game, you have to be a piece yourself; that's the rule of Real-Life Wizard's Chess." Draco held out his hand to her. "You take my white bishop's position, and I'll take the castle position."
Hermione's expression changed slightly. "But that would be very dangerous! If we get eaten, we'll be hurt by the stone chess pieces!"
"With me here, you won't get hurt." Draco said without further ado, gently pulling her wrist and leading her onto the chessboard. "Trust me."
Hermione's heart skipped a beat as he led her by the hand, stepping onto the black and white stone bricks, and leading her into the white side of the game.
Draco had her stand on the White Bishop's throne, while he himself stood in the position of the White Castle.
The two stood on either side of the cold stone chess piece, instantly enveloped by the giant piece, a sense of oppression washing over them.
Hermione were sweating with nervousness as she gripped Draco's clothes tightly. "Are you sure it really only takes three steps?"
"Watch closely."
Draco looked up, his voice calm and clear, echoing throughout the chess room:
"Step 1: White's castle, move it to d1!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Hermione felt the stone bricks beneath her feet tremble slightly.
The castle piece on which Draco stood moved forward with a thud, but he remained firmly on it, upright and without the slightest panic.
Black counterattacks automatically; the Black Knight moves one step to the side, its spear pointing straight forward.
Hermione held her breath, her eyes wide with fear.
Draco spoke again, his tone unwavering:
"Second step, White Bishop, move to f3!"
Hermione's foot trembled, and the bishop piece she was on slowly moved. She gasped in surprise, instinctively closing her eyes. When she opened them again, the piece had landed steadily in its new position.
The chessboard was instantly torn open with a fatal gap.
She looked at Draco in shock—he had actually calculated it perfectly.
"The final step."
Draco's voice fell, carrying the sharp edge of certain victory:
"The White Queen, go straight to E7, she's doomed!"
The massive white Queen's Stone chess piece was activated with a thunderous force, pressing directly towards the black king!
There was no fighting, no lingering combat; death was imminent in a single step.
The next second.
The black king stone made a dull thud, slowly tilted backward, and knelt down with a thud.
All the pieces came to a standstill, then neatly moved to either side of the board, revealing the gate leading to the finish line behind them.
Draco and Hermione, who were standing on the chess pieces, also moved smoothly off the board and landed steadily.
The entire process, consisting of three steps, was completely safe and resulted in no injuries or fatalities.
Hermione stood there, completely stunned.