"This is chess!"
"Someone has to make sacrifices!"
Looking at the ruins of chess pieces scattered across the board, Ron gritted his teeth and declared fiercely: "Harry! This isn't where you should linger."
His resolute voice carried a faint tremor.
The giant chess pieces' attacking power was bone-chilling.
Though Ron had steeled himself for sacrifice, he still couldn't suppress the terror clawing at his heart.
"No, no, Ron..." Harry stepped back several paces, his face ashen.
Neville also looked troubled: "Maybe we should go back and find a professor."
"There's no time!"
Before either could continue, Ron turned and leaped onto a chess piece's base, sprawling across the knight's back.
"Wait! Ron!"
"Bloody hell!"
"I should have brought more gear!"
Hermione clutched her forehead in anguish, nearly biting through her lip.
The day before exams, Dumbledore had sent her a small wooden box—asking her to take it from Hogwarts after term ended and deliver it to Tiger's mother. He'd warned her the contents were dangerous, not to open it lightly.
However, finding it strangely familiar, Hermione had eventually opened the box in disbelief...
"What are you doing?"
Just as Harry and the others hesitated, a low voice dripping with oppressive authority suddenly rang out.
"Playing chess..."
Ron answered instinctively, his hurried tone carrying determination and impatience.
But the next second, he froze on the horse's back as Hermione and the others whirled around.
"Tiger!"
Hermione's mouth fell open in shock.
Her tormented, anguished eyes instantly blazed with ecstatic relief, as if the entire world had suddenly brightened.
"Thank Merlin!"
"Sorry Ron—I shouldn't have had to choose between you and the Philosopher's Stone. Its true owner is here."
Harry sagged with relief.
Due to the green light and screaming in his nightmares, he'd fixated on Snape and Voldemort, overlooking the Stone's rightful owner.
He should have told Tiger immediately, instead of running around like a headless chicken searching for Dumbledore.
"With Venom here, we don't need to fear anything!"
Neville excitedly raised his baseball bat, its studded tip still bearing traces of fur and bloodstains—souvenirs from beating Fluffy. The three-headed dog had pounced the moment they'd entered.
Hysterical screaming had erupted. Before Hermione could conjure Gunpowder through Transfiguration, Neville had instinctively swung the bat, striking Fluffy's nose with precision, then closing his eyes and flailing wildly.
Under Gunpowder's intimidation, the massive hellhound had cowered in the corner, trembling at the bloodied bat pointed its way...
"You're absolutely right, chubby!"
"The superhero's arrived—you can all go back to the kitchen... er... dormitory..."
"Right, exactly..."
"Back to your dormitory for a nice sleep." Accompanied by a hoarse, irritable voice, Tiger slowly emerged from the shadows.
Venom's fierce, nightmarish head also appeared from behind Tiger, his ghostly pale eyes holding traces of mockery and wildness as he winked at Neville.
"The Philosopher's Stone!"
"Please, Tiger—the Stone's in there. Snape's already gone ahead, you need to hurry..."
Hermione's steps involuntarily quickened, finally becoming a graceful arc as she flew toward Tiger, unable to control herself.
That broad, solid chest was undoubtedly the perfect sanctuary for a tormented little girl.
Tiger instinctively moved to grab Hermione's collar and toss her aside as usual.
But seeing those pitiful, tear-filled eyes, he ultimately let the girl collapse into his embrace.
Barely audible sobs arose.
After all, Hermione was still just a child.
She could answer textbook multiple-choice questions, but couldn't make the choice to sacrifice a friend.
Somehow, she'd placed herself in everyone's guardian role. Facing Ron mounting the horse to become a chess piece, her heart was more tormented than anyone's...
Tiger gently stroked Hermione's disheveled hair, his fierce brows slightly raised as if viewing a group of complete idiots.
"So then..."
"What exactly is your purpose here?"
"Playing chess for entertainment?" (?_?)
"No! Don't underestimate this!" Ron supported his trembling legs, explaining earnestly: "This isn't just some simple chess game."
"Only by winning can we pass this checkpoint and stop Snape!"
Hearing this, Tiger's expression of viewing morons intensified, and he couldn't suppress a derisive snort.
"Which bloody idiot invented this checkpoint?"
He turned his head to glance sideways at Venom.
"Whatever. I don't care."
"Hurry up and end this moronic game—I can't wait to crack open that bastard's skull."
"I can't wait either. That guy's absolutely delicious—we should have killed him ages ago..."
Bone-chilling laughter echoed through the air.
A dark shadow suddenly shot from behind Tiger, like a nightmare materializing from the void, making hearts skip beats.
Under Harry and Ron's terrified gazes, the shadow streaked straight toward the bewildered Neville.
Pitch-black, writhing, semi-solid liquid seemed to rise from the abyss itself, completely engulfing Neville's body.
Clang—the baseball bat clattered to the floor.
"Chubby, this bat's too thin. Let me show you a proper club."
The low, gravelly voice carried irresistible seduction. The terrifying mask slowly sealed, completely covering Neville's shock-paled face.
The massive, twisted shadow gradually spread toward the chessboard.
As suffocating howls arose, a crude, heavy iron rod materialized in Venom's grasp, spikes and studs rapidly sprouting and growing, cold light gleaming ominously along its length.
"Is that Neville?"
Ron murmured in stunned disbelief.
"No, that's Venom..."
Harry couldn't help swallowing hard.
Compared to Venom's towering form, the giant stone chess pieces looked like helpless children...
"Hurry up, Venom."
An impatient urging arose as Tiger expressionlessly handed a handkerchief into his embrace.
Hermione blushed, accepting the handkerchief to wipe the stringy mess from his suit vest...
"Just ten seconds!" Venom's body crouched slightly, his vicious fangs fully bared.
The next instant, surging shockwaves exploded outward, debris and dust flying everywhere. Harry and Ron hurriedly shielded their faces.
When they looked toward Venom again, only a shallow crater remained, with barely visible inhuman footprints...
"TEN!!!"
"There he is!"
Ron followed the sound, then suddenly cried out, pointing skyward. Harry traced his finger upward.
A colossal shadow loomed over the chessboard.
Deafening roars thundered through the chamber.
"SMASH IT ALL!!!"
The brutal, jagged club descended like a meteor, crashing into the knight statue with devastating force.
Instantly, thunderous impacts mixed with scattered stone fragments, dense and razor-sharp as hail.
The knight disintegrated rapidly under the massive blow, its horse legs collapsing like toy blocks, raising billowing dust clouds.
"NINE!!!"
Harry dragged Ron behind a stone pillar, but Ron clutched his head, screaming:
"Neville! You hit the wrong one!"
"That's our piece!"
Like a masterful chess game suddenly disrupted by chaos, Ron's voice cracked with devastation.
But for Venom, it made no difference whatsoever.
The remaining chess pieces launched their counterattack. The bishop statue raised its massive scepter, swinging toward Venom, while the rook statue lifted its gleaming blade...
"EIGHT!!!"
As Venom spun, his colossal club lashed out, shattering the scepter and pulverizing the bishop's head.
Tentacles shot forth with lightning speed, coiling around the bishop's crumbling torso, hurling it in a vicious arc.
Like a wrecking ball crashing down, the soldier statue's iron shield crumpled like parchment, warping and buckling. The statue embedded halfway through made harsh metallic shrieks.
Bone-chilling howls followed as the giant club hammered down like a pile driver.
Explosive thunder erupted.
The soldier statue instantly shattered completely, fragments scattering across the entire chessboard...
"SEVEN!!!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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