Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 115 Sacrifice and Ascension

Quirrell!

In fact, before meeting him at this moment, Harry had imagined the scene of meeting him more than once in his mind, wondering what it would be like.

Strangely, he couldn't even imagine it.

Quirrell was undoubtedly the ultimate goal of all his actions today; he had entered this painted world to stop the other party.

To get the Philosopher's Stone before Quirrell!
He is Quirrell's rival, and they are enemies. This seems to have been destined from the beginning, but upon closer inspection, it doesn't feel very real.

In his memory, Quirrell had always been a submissive figure. He had only known Quirrell's true colors for less than two days, and there was no time to change the perception that had been ingrained in his mind for the past few months.

He thought he would be angry, afraid, and yell at the guy with the turban.

But when they actually met, Harry found himself very calm, watching as the other man gave him a slick, chilling smile: "Ah—Harry Potter, dear Saviour, I was just talking about you with your sidekick Weasley not long ago!"

That gloomy expression was completely different from the Quirrell we usually saw; there was no stuttering, no timidity, only a coldness like that of a venomous snake.

"Hello, Professor Quirrell!"

Harry couldn't believe he could greet his enemy with such a calm tone.

But he said it with a straight face, and very politely: "You look terrible. Were you the one who got struck by lightning before? I heard that doing too many bad things will make you like this. You really should reflect on yourself."

Next to Quirrell, Ron, whose face had turned red upon hearing the word "follower," suddenly puffed out his cheeks as if he wanted to laugh.

This method of humiliation was something Harry learned from Vaughn: using sharp and sarcastic language to mock and expose shortcomings, which can easily cause someone to lose control of their emotions.

But Quirrell was clearly much stronger and more patient.

He still smiled. "Don't try to provoke me, Potter. If I were so easily angered, I wouldn't have put on a stuttering act for months in front of you. And, according to Weasley, you once sympathized with me? Sympathized with poor, stuttering Quirrell Professor Coco?"

"I heard you even felt guilty towards Snape? Hahaha—"

Quirrell's shrill laughter made Harry's head throb.

He suddenly realized that he hadn't grasped the essence of Vaughn's sharp tongue. If it were Vaughn, he would probably look at the other person with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot and casually say, "Your smile is really ugly," making the other person swallow their laughter.

But he couldn't do it; instead, he was easily provoked by Quirrell's feelings of shame and anger.

Because he had indeed sympathized with Quirrell and felt guilty towards Snape, all of that made him seem even more like a clown at this moment.

"Harry!"

Hermione called his name anxiously.

Ron shouted, "Listen to me, Harry, calm down. We're now just pawns in Chessboard Town. The only way to get through this is to continue the endgame. Remember what I taught you? Never get impatient when playing chess."

"Listen carefully to what I say in a moment, and follow the steps I teach you..."

“Weasley!” Quirrell’s gloomy gaze fixed on Ron. “If you’re not deaf, you should have heard that we’re still a team… Or are you trying to break the rules?”

"So what!" Ron retorted, his bravado masking his inner fear. "Go ahead and chant that curse if you dare!"

"...Hmph, the Savior's incompetent lackey." Quirrell sneered, looking at Harry again: "However, you are still somewhat useful, Weasley. I think you'd better reconsider. As a pawn of the Savior's adversaries, have you considered what will happen if you fail?"

As he spoke, he tilted his head slightly and looked at the "knight" holding a greatsword not far away: "Go, take out the enemy's pieces!"

It was a taciturn chess piece. Its horse neighed loudly, and its heavy stone body moved forward with thunderous steps, arriving in front of a white piece, raising its greatsword high.

"Damn it! You stupid chess player, what bad luck did I have to play against you..."

The white piece cursed at Harry, but could only watch helplessly as the black "knight" swung his greatsword.

Amidst a deafening roar.

The wargaming pieces were smashed to pieces by a single sword strike, causing Harry, Hermione, and Ron to turn pale with shock and horror!

Yes!

This isn't your average Wizard Chess game!
They are not just chess players, but also pieces on the chessboard!

……

The start of the game finally managed to distract Vaughn, who was engrossed in the structure of the world depicted in the painting, and draw his attention to the "plot" below.

He chuckled as he watched Ron, filled with fear and hesitation, Harry and Hermione, struggling with anxiety, and Quirrell, who was laughing shrilly and enjoying the fruits of his "instigation."

"You're such a bad guy, Albus!"

Ron is the strongest wizard chess player among them. Normally, if he were to get serious, Harry, who has only been learning wizard chess for a few months, Hermione, who is terrible at chess, and even Quirrell would definitely not be his match.

In a normal game of chess, Ron, as a player, would definitely go easy on his opponent, since he wouldn't lose anything anyway.

But at this moment, they are not only players, but also pieces. Their friendship will put the trio in a difficult dilemma: should they choose victory or the safety of their friends?
Harry and Hermione will be constrained as a result, trying their best to prevent the course of the game from affecting Ron.

Meanwhile, Ron was also facing a tough challenge. He not only had to protect himself, but also had to figure out how to deal with Quirrell's malice and find a way to protect Harry and Hermione!

Unless they abandon friendship and resort to any means to achieve victory.

Dumbledore, who was watching the "drama" below with great interest, replied with a smile: "It was all your inspiration, Vaughn. The Muggle trolley problem you mentioned last time fascinated me. I went to Muggle society to find some similar moral dilemmas for reference and set up this challenge."

"How was it? Not bad, right? What do you think they'll choose? Will they choose friendship? Or will they pursue victory, get ahead of Quirrell in the progress of the challenge, and continue to prevent him from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone?"

Vaughn couldn't answer.

There is no right or wrong answer to moral dilemmas. Everyone has their own reasoning when they are in a situation, and there is no right or wrong.

Dumbledore clearly hadn't expected Vaughn to answer from the trio's perspective. After a pause, he asked again, "Vaughn, if it were up to you, what would you do?"

Vaughn glanced at him. "I'll draw my wand and, even if it means punishment, kill Quirrell!"

Dumbledore paused for a moment, then clapped and laughed!

"Hahahaha—darling, I must say, this is an unexpected answer, yet it's the most fitting for a wizard!"

As Dumbledore once said, magic can change the variables of fate, and it can also overturn the chessboard!
This is a typical mindset of attributing great power to oneself.

"Unfortunately, Harry and his friends still don't understand what their most important asset as wizards is."

"Dumbledore said regretfully."

Vaughn found it understandable: "They are still first-year students, and they would subconsciously think that they cannot win in magic when facing a professor."

"But you're a first-year student too."

“Uh…” Vaughn was speechless.

Dumbledore sighed: "In the end, they are not confident enough, do not understand magic enough, and do not know how to create conditions that are favorable to themselves. The punishment for using magic in the rules is actually a loophole that I deliberately left for them. As long as the three of them take turns to break the rules and take advantage of the time difference, I can definitely guarantee that Quirinus will be hit by at least one evil curse."

“All it takes is one curse to take effect, and with the time difference, a vicious cycle can be created…Quirinus saw this, which is why he didn’t even take out his wand when he met Harry, because he knew that once he cast a curse and was punished with an electric shock, he would be unable to protect himself for a period of time.”

Hearing this, Vaughn asked curiously, "Is this also a test? Is it one of the reasons you arranged for the two groups to meet in this round?"

"Yes, the result was not ideal," Old Deng sighed.

The worst is yet to come!
Vaughn thought to himself that Old Dumbledore had probably been away from teaching for too long and hadn't noticed how quickly Hogwarts students' practical combat skills had declined in recent years.

He could never have imagined that, a few years later, graduating students would be seeking out Harry to learn the Disarming Charm!

Thinking of this, Vaughn couldn't help but ask, "Albus, what is your educational philosophy?"

"Hmm?" Dumbledore was a little puzzled by the question, but after thinking for a moment, he replied, "I want students to have a wonderful childhood and youth. You know, I grew up in a dangerous era. Now it's a peaceful time, and the Law of Secrecy is on track. There's no need to put so much pressure on students..."

Vaughn had to interrupt Dumbledore, pointing to Quirrell below and staring at him: "You think this is a time of peace?"

"..." Dumbledore paused, stroking his beard.

Vaughn shook his head: "I don't know if you've also been deceived by the illusion of peace in the wizarding world. What I need to tell you is that the students' combat skills are worse than you think. If you have the chance, I suggest you hold an exam similar to OWLs, with all seven grades participating, and have them use all the spells they've learned."

"I guarantee that many students can't even use the Levitation Charm properly, which they should be able to master in first grade!"

Dumbledore shook his head repeatedly at Vaughn's statement, chuckling, "How could that be? Levitation is such a simple spell..."

Vaughn interrupted him again: "Yes, it is indeed very simple, but the problem is that, apart from the first year, the advancement exam no longer tests the Levitation Charm. Since it's not on the exam, naturally no one practices it anymore!"

Old Deng was stunned.

But Vaughn continued to press him: "It's not just Hogwarts. I've heard Crouch complain before that many of the Ministry of Magic's staff, apart from the Aurors, don't even know the Iron Man Charm... As the largest official institution in England, do you think they're capable of handling Tom's return?"

Dumbledore's lips moved a few times, and Vaughn gave him a deep look: "Albus, you've focused too much attention on me and Harry, seemingly ignoring that the circumstances are no longer what they were 12 years ago!"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Lao Deng had to admit that he had indeed been negligent.

However, this is not the time to think deeply.

“Thank you for reminding me, dear.” Dumbledore took a deep breath and said, “When we get back, I will conduct a spell test for the entire school as you suggested. As for now, let’s keep an eye on Harry and the others!”

Vaughn remained noncommittal but said nothing more, and looked down with him.

"Oh—it seems they chose friendship!"

As the two were talking, the game below had already begun. According to the rules of Wizard Chess, the white side goes first and is generally more aggressive.

But at this moment, the two saw that Harry and Hermione—mainly Harry, Hermione's level was too bad—adopted a conservative strategy, not expanding their territory much, and basically guarding the white side's half of the board.

Because Wizard Chess has a rule that restricts the number of squares, if they attack too aggressively, they may lock up Ron on the other side.

Ron, meanwhile, was responding passively and constantly causing trouble for Quirrell.

"Black Bishop, move two squares to the right!"

"Black Bishop, move three squares to the left and forward!" (The bishop moves diagonally, with no limit on the number of squares.)
The drastically different orders left the black bishop bewildered. He looked around at Quirrell and Ron, the two players who controlled the wargaming pieces, scratched his head, and complained, "Can't you two agree on something? Who should I listen to?"

Quirrell and Ron glared at each other. "Of course, you listen to me!"

The Black Bishop was caught in a dilemma, but ultimately decided to listen to Ron and move three squares to the left and forward.

But it was a trap. The Black Bishop had barely left when Harry's excited shouts echoed through the air: "Left Chariot, devour the Black Bishop!"

On the white side, a massive chariot leaped a full 50 feet, landing in the black side's half of the territory. With a thunderous roar, its stone wheels crushed the black bishop who had come to its doorstep into dust.

Harry and Hermione cheered. This was their first attack, and they had successfully liberated the left chariot. The result was quite good.

Ron also raised his fist.

Only Quirrell had a sinister look in his eyes, seemingly becoming the sole victim.

But Dumbledore and Vaughn, who were looking down at the situation, knew that things were not so simple.

"Quirinas did it on purpose. He knew Ron would cause trouble for him, so he sacrificed the bishop to lure the chariots into attacking."

“Yes.” Vaughn nodded. “Most importantly, through this, Quirrell has shown the black pieces that Ron is not a competent player, and they will no longer obey his commands!”

The two continued to watch the chess game below, which was gradually escalating into a fierce battle.

As expected, the subsequent developments in the situation validated their judgment.

After the Black pieces were sacrificed by the Church of Self-Reliance, they no longer obeyed Ron's commands. On the other hand, the attacking chariots also made it impossible for Harry to simply defend.

That chariot piece acted like bait, drawing Harry's forces in continuously, maintaining the negligible advantage he had built up.

This is inherently determined by the nature of endgames. When Dumbledore redesigned the level, he invited Professor McGonagall to carefully select an attacking endgame. Once the attack begins, the situation will force both black and white to use the most aggressive and fierce methods to turn the knife towards the King.

With the sacrifice of pieces from one another, the Queen, the most aggressive and free-form piece in Wizard Chess, was finally liberated!
It transforms into a terrifying slaughter machine.

boom--

Amidst the rumble of the stones, the Black King expressionlessly sheathed his greatsword. A white chariot collapsed before him, leaving only its head, glaring resentfully at Harry: "Foolish chess player, I told you not to go this way! I should have just smashed a chariot over your head!"

Harry was covered in sweat.

He felt like his head was about to explode. Although he had some talent for Wizard Chess, he hadn't been playing it for very long. He only learned it last Christmas and hadn't even figured out many of the strategies yet.

The current situation has changed far beyond his experience.

So far, it's all thanks to a flash of inspiration and Ron's assist.

“Harry…”

Hermione watched him anxiously from a distance, then glanced at Ron, who was not far away. Ron was pale, but not from fear; he was racking his brains. His tiptoes trembled slightly, his blue eyes quickly scanning the situation on both sides, and he muttered something to himself.

At one point, Ron, who had been standing still, suddenly moved forward two squares (in a game, you can only move forward, but the first move can be two squares).

Across from him, Harry paused, stunned: "Ron..."

Quirrell's eyes widened even more: "Damn Weasley!"

Ron ignored him completely and shouted urgently to Harry, "Harry, this is the last resort! The other pieces are no longer obeying me, so I have to move them myself to regain control. Listen to me, take this opportunity and follow my steps as quickly as possible... Harry Potter! What are you waiting for?!"

"I……"

"Give me back what?! You must win the game, Harry! You must get the Philosopher's Stone! That thing absolutely cannot fall into the hands of that damned Dark Lord!"

Ron roared with all his might, his face flushed red.

Tears welled in his eyes, and he had to roar to mask his fear, because not far ahead lay the white-controlled territory. Just a few more steps and he would enter the king's circle, into the attack range of the white bishop guarding the king, and be "forced to his death"—this was the mechanic of Wizard Chess.

But as he said, this is a last resort.

He could only buy Harry time to fight back by sacrificing himself!
"Ha—" Dumbledore clapped his hands and let out a loud laugh: "Look, Vaughn, you have a brother of high moral character!"

Vaughn remained expressionless.

“What, aren’t you happy? What a good boy! He’s willing to sacrifice himself for his friends and for his responsibilities!” Dumbledore wiped his eyes with emotion. “It seems I misunderstood him before. Just before today, I thought he was the one who led Harry astray.”

"Excuse me, but I only see reckless courage. In my eyes, this behavior is foolish!"

"Don't be so harsh. Although he is indeed a bit slow, this test is not about intelligence, but about friendship, thinking, and a sense of responsibility. Ron has at least two of those qualities, right? Even if he is a fool, he is a fool with noble character."

"Heh, still a fool!"

"Uh……"

Below, Quirrell's eyes narrowed dangerously when he heard Ron mention "the Dark Lord".

His sinister gaze swept over Ron, Harry, and Hermione, his thoughts unreadable.

Harry, however, was already in tears.

But he still gave the order while crying, taking advantage of Ron's own movement to invade the black side with most of the white pieces, including himself and Hermione.

Launch a full-scale attack!

One by one, the white stones were destroyed during the attack, but the result was that even more black stones were destroyed.

The White Queen, like a war goddess, chopped the Black pieces to pieces. This piece, which can move horizontally, vertically, and diagonally without any grid restrictions, is truly a crusher.

With Ron deliberately causing trouble, Quirrell was exhausted and covered in sweat in his efforts to regain control.

But this sharp attack had to be stopped.

Harry, seeing the situation improving and feeling victory was within his grasp, directed the White Queen to smash another black pawn. He turned around and stopped Ron from advancing further: "Don't go any further, Ron. Watch me now!"

At this moment, Ron was only one square away from the White Bishop's attack range. This was only because Harry took a moment to make the bishop step back two steps to create enough space.

Looking at the bishop's enormous scepter, almost as thick as his own waist, Ron's courage quickly turned into cold sweat.

“Okay, Harry!” Ron heeded Harry’s advice; if the situation allowed, he certainly didn’t want to die.

However, such situations are usually followed by a "but"!
but……

"They've been fooled," Dumbledore exclaimed.

Vaughn nodded silently.

Harry was too young and inexperienced. He thought he had the upper hand and could manipulate Quirrell at will, but he forgot that Quirrell's greatest strength was his patience.

Endure until Ron stops causing trouble, endure until you regain control, endure until Harry shows a weakness!

When Ron stopped advancing and Quirrell regained control, he immediately moved a pre-arranged piece to the right front of the White Queen.

Harry, who was closing in on the second line and cornering the Black King at the bottom line, couldn't help but laugh when he saw Quirrell so overwhelmed. He ordered the White Queen to press forward and eliminate this soldier who had come to their doorstep.

Next, if the White Queen continues to advance, she will be able to defeat the Black King...?
"Black Queen, advance one step!"

Quirrell cried out in a shrill voice.

Harry's laughter suddenly subsided, and he stared blankly at the chessboard.

Beads of cold sweat slowly seeped from his forehead!
He suddenly realized that with Quirrell's move, the black queen, who had been huddled at the edge of the board and hadn't moved an inch, had instantly become the most powerful weapon to protect the king.

There was also an unremarkable black chariot huddled in the corner of A8, and a G7-ranked black bishop guarding the black king!
These three moves have almost completely blocked all his options. Once his piece moves forward, it will be immediately captured by the black rook or the black queen. The white queen is completely locked down. Moving forward will be captured by the black bishop, and moving to the side will expose the black queen's attack route.

What should I do?
The sudden turn of events not only terrified Harry, but also left Ron speechless with surprise—his attention had been so focused on the power struggle with Quirrell that he hadn't noticed this.

Even Hermione, who was terrible at chess, noticed Quirrell's three traps at this moment, and she couldn't help but look at Harry and Ron: "Isn't there any other way?"

Is there no other way?

Ha vigorously rubbed his glasses, his sweat soaking the lenses, his face flushed red, as he tried desperately to think of a solution.

On the other side, Ron was pale and kept swallowing. There was actually a solution—

By letting Quirrell lose the initiative and allowing him to regain control, he made a terrible move!
However, if he took another step forward, he would fall into the White Bishop's attack range, and the White Bishop was already at the bottom line and could not retreat any further, and might even have to eat Ron.

That was its duty; it had to protect the king!

"The king's circle in Wizard Chess automatically captures pieces, which costs one move, but this rule applies to both sides, and can be taken advantage of!"

"As long as I take one more step forward, I must not let Quirrell take the initiative!"

Large beads of sweat soaked through Ron's clothes. He looked at the white bishop's cold gaze from the angle, and at the enormous scepter.

Looking at the scattered pieces on the chessboard.

Fear gripped his heart. Who wouldn't be afraid in the face of such a cruel scene?

but……

Ron suddenly remembered Quirrell's earlier use of the word "lackey," and the contempt and sarcasm the other person had shown when he mentioned it.

From childhood to adulthood, he seemed to have always been surrounded by similar gazes.

When he was very young, he was Vaughn's sidekick. Although they were twins, he was known to everyone, including his parents, brothers, neighbors, and relatives of the Weasley family who rarely visited him.

Everyone only had eyes for Vaughn, and intentionally or unintentionally ignored him.

Now that he's grown up, he's Harry's sidekick. Although they entered school together, he's seen differently by other students and professors.

People still only see Harry, and their knowledge of him is limited to "Harry Potter's sidekick" and "the red-haired Weasley".

He didn't blame those people for ignoring him; he had always known that compared to Vaughn and Harry, he was just an ordinary kid.

He never achieved anything remarkable; he didn't have Vaughn's talent, nor did he have Harry's accomplishment of killing the Dark Lord.

He is just an ordinary person. Only by acknowledging his ordinariness can he find his place in this world, even if it's just as a follower!
But... ordinary people have dreams too!

Just like Harry once said, everyone has a dream of becoming a hero hidden in their heart.

"I want to be a hero!"

Thinking this, Ron Weasley, the freckled boy who usually seemed unremarkable, met the bishop's cold gaze and shouted, "Hermione, move forward one step!"

Harry, who was still deep in thought, suddenly turned around and reached out to stop her, but Hermione, who had more faith in Ron's chess skills and was more composed, had already moved forward one square as instructed.

As she finished walking, facing the white bishop who had already slightly raised his scepter, Ron's expression was resolute. Before Quirrell could issue the order, he jumped with all his might!
Boom!
The black pillar, under his control, slammed heavily onto the chessboard, the sound striking Ron's ears and Harry's heart.

"Do not--"

Harry's piercing screams came from afar, distorted as if they were drifting from a distant world. Ron gently closed his eyes.

He heard the wind whistling as the bishop swung his scepter, felt the heavy object tearing through the air, and sensed the impending gust of wind pressure.

With all his might, he screamed his last words in a hoarse, strained voice:
“Harry, this is all I can do for you. Hermione will protect your back. As long as you move the White Queen diagonally one space, the Black Queen will have to eat the White Queen in order to protect the King, and Hermione can then eat her. At that point, you can move up to the bottom line and level up!”

Boom——

With a deafening crash, the White Bishop's heavy scepter slammed down, sending up billowing dust.

Harry, bound to his spot by the rules of the chessboard, could only watch helplessly as Ron, like a doll, was flung out of the smoke amidst a terrifying shockwave and shattered rubble.

He rolled around a few times on the smooth chessboard surface and lay there motionless.

Ron…

Harry reached out his hand in confusion and in vain, only to see the chessboard square suddenly melt like asphalt, swallowing Ron up.

"Ron—!"

Pain and regret gripped his chest, then transformed into hatred!
He knew why Ron had sacrificed himself, he knew who had caused it all. He turned around abruptly, his eyes, filled with tears and bloodshot, fixed on Quirrell.

He had never hated anyone as much as he did at this moment!

I wish I could eat its flesh raw!
……

"Waaaaah, this is so touching!"

Dumbledore wiped his eyes and blew his nose loudly.

Vaughn, standing next to him, rolled his eyes in disgust. "He's not dead, why are you crying?"

"Don't you find this kind of sacrifice for friendship incredibly moving? Merlin's beard, is your heart made of iron?"

Dumbledore sobbed in protest, but Vaughn ignored him, unfolding the "key" to the world in the painting that he had been holding and turning a few symbols.

With a twist of space, the unconscious Ron was teleported over and slammed onto the soft magic carpet, kicking up a cloud of dust.

And... there's a strange smell...

Dumbledore's sobbing stopped abruptly.

He secretly tilted his head and, along with Vaughn whose lips were twitching, looked at Ron's pants, which seemed to be damp.

"...Did he pee his pants in fear...?"

"Maybe……"

"..." The two foxes, one big and one small, looked at each other in bewilderment.

After a moment of silence, Dumbledore stroked his beard, deep in thought: "Could it be that the attack power of the chess piece I designed was too realistic? But he's a wizard, wouldn't he feel whether it hits him or not? Why is he so frightened?"

Vaughn rubbed his temples, utterly speechless.

Given that the odor leaked by someone was far too strong, and that the magically sealed space lacked sufficient airflow to disperse it, the situation was dire.

Ultimately, Vaughn had no choice but to reopen the "key" and teleport Ron away again.

We can't let that guy ruin this perfect opportunity to watch the show!

After teleporting Ron away, Vaughn, though ashamed of his brother's behavior, still had to say a few words in his defense: "He probably drank a lot of water before coming in. You know, once a person is unconscious, they can be a little out of control..."

"Yes, yes, I understand... Oh, look, Harry is starting to transform!"

Dumbledore abruptly changed the subject, and Vaughn sighed, saying nothing more, and also looked down.

Promotion is an important rule in Wizard Chess; its full name is Pawn Promotion.

As the name suggests, in Wizard Chess, when a piece moves to the opponent's back rank, it can be transformed into any piece except the King and Pawns.

Knights, bishops, chariots, and even queens!

In many chess games, this is a crucial killing move that can turn defeat into victory. Generally, when the move reaches the point where promotion is required, it usually means that both sides are close to their doom.

Therefore, 99% of those who ascend will choose to become queens.

Because it is the most powerful piece in Wizarding Chess, Harry, who was overwhelmed by anger and hatred at the moment, was no exception.

(End of this chapter)