𝑶𝑵𝑬: Checkmate

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            The Great Hall buzzed with activity, packed with students chattering and enjoying their meals. Amidst the hustle and bustle, the Ravenclaw table stood out with its blue and bronze banners, where Evelina sat, her eyes focused intently on the wizard chessboard before her.

Opposite her sat Caradoc, his expression a mixture of concentration and resignation. He moved his knight hesitantly, trying to anticipate Evelina's next move, but she was one step ahead. With a swift maneuver, Evelina's eyes sparkled with satisfaction as she surveyed the chess board, basking in the glow of her victory.

"I hope you do realize I'm winning." She grinned at her friend; "Like always."

Caradoc sighed and gave her a beseeching look, saying, "Please don't do this." In the hopes that she would intentionally lose, he pleaded to giving her puppy eyes.

"Oh my god —!" Evelina cried dramatically, "Are you begging?"

With her next move, Evelina commanded her chess piece to move across the board and attack Caradoc's last piece standing.

Checkmate!

Caradoc laughed and regarded Evelina, who was squealing with delight. "Eve, you need a new hobby," he said. He told her in a lighthearted manner.

The blonde girl smiled and let off a scoff as she rummaged through her bag; "What's the point of a hobby if you don't win at the end?" She questioned him though it was a question she didn't need an answer for.

"Chocolate?" Splitting the bar in half, she offered him. With a sarcastic question, "Is that bag packed with chocolate?" Caradoc asked, smiling taking the other half.

Evelina shrugged and said, "Who knows," in a similarly caustic reaction. "I might even live in a chocolate house." As she chewed into her chocolate bar, she grinned.

Chocolates are the best mood enhancer, so Evelina has loved them since she was younger. Chocolate understands and does not ask foolish questions, thus it is the solution to every issue and the answer to every question.

"Ah, chess wizards!" Emmeline's voice spoke up, "I guess Eve won...again." She took a seat next to Evelina and sneered at Caradoc.

"Do you really think so little of me, Em?" Caradoc asked, shaking his head and easing to the side to make room for Benji to sit next to him.

"I believe we all know the answer to that." Evelina laughed and started gathering her belongings. "Well, I had better get going to muggle studies." Swinging her purse over her shoulder, she spoke.

With a frown, Benji turned to face the girl and said, "But you still have a few minutes until class starts?"

"I know," she replied simply, her tone determined. "But with the debate scheduled for today, I'm eager to demonstrate to Professor Sikander my ability to lead the debate club he's organizing and I'm not gonna let anyone get in my way."

"Lupin just got up from his table," Emmeline stated in an unfazed tone, her gaze never straying from the eggs she was cutting.

Evelina's smile dropped, and her eyes widened in shock; "What—!" She cried looking over at the Gryffindor table and noticing Remus Lupin had just left his table and he was heading out of the Great Hall.

Evelina Valentine despises Remus Lupin.

Evelina feels an intense, visceral wave of hate that is almost surreal at the sight of him. It is difficult to imagine that someone with such a terrible personality could have such beautiful appearances -- or that someone with beautiful appearances could have such a terrible personality. It is the equivalent of opening up a gift box with gorgeous silk ribbons and confetti and foil packaging and finding it a poisonous snake.

Nevertheless, Evelina saw this as an opportunity and devised a plan to outdo him—by attempting to reach Muggle Studies before him. With determination fuelling her steps, she briskly strode out of the Great Hall, unaware that Remus had caught onto her scheme. Chuckling to himself about it what Evelina didn't know is that Remus knew secret passages ways that could get him there in seconds.

Evelina's confidence soared as she navigated the corridors, her mind focused on reaching Muggle Studies. As she neared the entrance to the Muggle Studies classroom, a triumphant grin spread across her face. But her victory was short-lived as she saw Remus already waiting outside the classroom by the door, grinning.

Evelina was taken aback; "How? You..." she stammered as she spoke, which only made him laugh harder. "Move in silence, only speak when it's time to say...checkmate," Remus replied, his grin never leaving his face.

"Oh, you! Jerk, arse, arrogant inconsiderate, buttface miscreant!" She cried out.

Remus blinked; "Buttface miscreant!?"

Evelina sighed in frustration, pushing Remus aside as she entered the class, with him closely following behind.

The lesson went well, with students debating a variety of subjects with fervor, until Professor Sikander's eyes fell on Evelina and Remus. "And up next is...Evelina and Remus," he said.

Evelina's jaw hardened; she would have to face her competitor after all, and this was her chance to stand out.

Standing in front of the class, the pair descended, positioned behind a podium. Evelina stood straight prepared to defend her stance. Remus, on the other hand, wore a confident smirk, eager to engage in intellectual combat. Tension crackled between them like static electricity.

Professor Sikander cleared his throat; "The topic for today's debate is whether homework should be banned or not." He spoke; "Evelina you're against it, while Remus you're in favor of it. You guys may begin."

Evelina squared her shoulders, ready to unleash her arguments. "Homework," she began, her voice clear and unwavering, "is a crucial component of the learning process. It reinforces what we've been taught in class and fosters independent thinking."

Remus scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh please, Valentine. Homework is nothing but a burden on students. It creates unnecessary stress and infringes upon our free time. Banning it would alleviate a significant source of pressure on students."

Evelina sighed and glared at him; "While I understand your concern, Lupin, homework fosters discipline and time management skills, essential for success in academics and beyond. It teaches us to prioritize tasks and work efficiently, skills that are invaluable in the real world."

Remus's voice grew more forceful, tinged with a hint of righteous indignation. "Real world? Give me a break! The only thing homework prepares us for is sleepless nights and endless stress. It's high time we prioritize our mental health over meaningless assignments!"

Their debate raged on, fueled by a fierce determination to defend their beliefs at any cost. Though their words cut like daggers, there was a mutual respect underlying their heated exchange, a recognition of the passion that drove them both to fight for what they believed in...winning.

Evelina's tone sharpened in response, her frustration palpable. "Outdated? Hardly! Homework has been a cornerstone of education for centuries, and for good reason. It challenges us to think critically and apply what we've learned, preparing us for the rigors of the real world." She cried loudly.

The Gryffindor boy rolled his eyes, and looked at her with his eyes come close together; "Why can't you just admit you're wrong." Replied Remus annoyingly.

The girl huffed and placed both her hands on her podium and sarcastically smiled at Remus; "Because I'm never wrong. But feel free to keep trying to prove otherwise. It's quite amusing, really." She gave him a sarcastic smile.

BELL RING

Professor Sikander sighed and clapped his hands together, "That's enough for today," he announced, his voice carrying across the classroom.

"But wait, who won?" Eveline interjected, interrupting her professor.

Another sigh escaped Professor Sikander as he responded, "You did, Eveline."

With a victorious smile, she turned to face Remus and said, "I think the best term to use right now is...checkmate!" She said, making fun of him from before.

Remus scoffed in response. "You just got lucky, Valentine. Don't get too confident."

Evelina gave him a shrug as Professor Sikander kept on speaking; "Continue your discussions outside of class, but remember to maintain respect for each other's perspectives." With a reassuring nod, he ushered them out.

"Valentine! Lupin!" Their Professor called out to both of them, "Would you guys stay for a minute please." He asked them pointing to the two chairs in front of his desk.

"So, I believe you both know about the debate club I'm organizing."

Evelina eyes lit up, and with a broad and bright smile she proudly answered her Professor back; "Yes sir and I even used the muggles typewriter and typed out why you should consider me as the debate club president." The girl withdrew the papers and placed it on her Professor's desk. "It's eight pages, single-spaced and double-sided."

Professor Sikander said the word "Oh...Thank you, Evelina; that is great." He spoke gently, but it was obvious that he was shocked. Evelina, however, seemed unfazed and offered Remus a charming smile.

"Okay, you don't get to type your way to the top with your papers," Remus remarked.

"Oh please!" Evelina rolled her eyes, "You're just pissed off that you haven't thought of it."

Remus sneered; "I don't need to type out papers to state why I'm clearly the better fit." He stated and turned to his Professor; "Professor Sikander, this is mine—"

"—Co-presidents!"

The boy was caught off guard, "Co what?"

"Co—presidents!" Said Professor Sikander once more. "You two are my most top students in this class and therefore, unlike years past, the two of you will finally learn how to work together."

"No! Co—presidents go against the purpose of even having a president." Protested Evelina.

Professor Sikander raised his hand in defense, "Fine. No president." He replied firmly.

Remus blinked; "No president!?"

"No president, co-president, I don't give a damn." The Professor looked at his students dead serious; "One day, I'm gonna be in the south of France, sipping something strong, sweet, and expensive, capiche?" He said laying back on his chair.

Evelina shook her head, "No capiche!"

Professor Sikander sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose; "I don't have the time for this," he muttered, pointing at the door he declared; "Go. Out. Scram. Decide on this amongst yourself." 

With that, the two students sighed in frustration and left the classroom.

With all of the chaos that was Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, Evelina found refuge in the library. Savoring the yellowed pages of whichever Nobel she had chosen to read that day, she might forget herself in those ancient wooden seats.

Nevertheless, this was not one of those calm days; instead, she was playing wizard chess with Emmeline while complaining about Professor Sikander's choice.

"Professor Sikander knows how much we hate each other. What is he trying to accomplish?" Evelina quite frankly asked shrugging her shoulders.

"Maybe it'll teach you a lesson." Replied Emmeline moving her chess piece.

Evelina furrowed her brows, glancing first at Emmeline and then at the chessboard. "What lesson?" she asked.

The other girl shrugged, "Dunno. Just sounded like the kind of thing I should say." She replied honestly.

Evelina moved her chess piece knocking down Emmeline as she spoke; "Em, this is a vehement hatred. There's nothing that we agree on."

"You both don't like the arrangement."

"Besides that."

"And you both hate each other—"

"—You're not helping."

With a sigh, Emmeline turned to face her friend and said, "You are now one of the presidents. Don't you understand how brilliant that is Eve!"

"Keyword, one of the presidents." Evelina huffed as she played her turn. "There's just no bloody way I'm gonna debate alongside the guy who in 3rd year ripped pages out of my herbology textbook so I couldn't do my homework." She continued to complain.

"It's a matter of fact that he is a dick to everyone every day all the time."

Emmeline looked at her friend shocked "Woah, woah, woah, she pointed a finger at her; "That's a line we don't cross. The dick line, don't cross the dick like, Eve!" She replied dramatically.

"Listen, you're the two best students in the school. Handling debate club together might not be such a bad thing after all besides it's only debate that you two are paired up for, how much worse can it get?" She added trying to cheer her friend up.

Evelina gave a tiny shrug, realizing that Emmeline had a point, even though she did not want to acknowledge it.

"Oh —! You do realize—"

"—Yeah I do realize."

"Checkmate!"

In the dimming light of the late afternoon, Professor McGonagall has gathered all the prefects in her office. "Thank you all for coming," she began, her voice carrying the weight of authority. "I've gathered you here to discuss some changes to the prefect's duties."

Evelina shifted uncomfortably in her seat, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

"Now," Professor McGonagall continued, "after much consideration, I've decided to make changes to the paring system to promote cooperation and teamwork around this school." She said firmly giving all the students a stern look. "I have decided to pair each of you with a partner from another house."

Professor McGonagall grabbed out a list of papers and began reading outloud. "—Lily Evans and Edgar Bones... and lastly Remus Lupin you will be paired up with Evelina Valentine."

"What!"

Remus and Evelina exchanged surprised looks, both knowing the challenges they would face working together. "Professor, respectfully, I don't think this is a good idea," Remus said, speaking up first.

Evelina nodded in agreement. "Yes, Professor, I believe our ability to work as a team will cause tension."

Remus rolled his eyes, "Look..She and I—"

"—Her and I." Evelina corrected him, "I best believe I should work with my old and house partner...Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"Mr Shacklebolt is with Regulus Black."

"Switch it around," Shrugged Remus as it was that easy. "I'd be happy to work with Lily again."

Professor McGonagall was unmoved; "Miss Evens is with Edgar Bones and no Mr Lupin I won't change the partners." She declared. "This decision is final, maybe for once you two will have to learn to work together and set aside your differences for the greater good of the school."

Remus couldn't help but let out a small scoff. "Easy for you to say, Professor. You're not the one who has to work with someone who thinks they know everything."

Evelina bristled at Remus's comment. "And you're not exactly a model of cooperation yourself, Lupin. Always charging into things without thinking them through."

Remus crossed his arms, a stubborn set to his jaw. "Well, at least I don't spend all my time buried in books, pretending to be superior to everyone else."

Evelina's eyes flashed with irritation. "And at least I don't rely on brute force to solve every problem, Lupin. Sometimes a bit of intelligence goes a long way."

Their exchange continued, each trading barbs and insults, until Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly, effectively silencing them both.

"As prefects, it is your responsibility to set an example for your fellow students," she said firmly. "I expect you both to make the best of this situation and demonstrate the qualities of leadership, cooperation, and unity."

Evelina couldn't shake the feeling of being a chess piece, maneuvered by Professor McGonagall's strategy. Paired with the person she despises most, Remus Lupin, it felt like more than a coincidence. Winning with a checkmate intensified her sense of accomplishment but also left her feeling like a pawn in a larger game. Despite her victory, she couldn't shake the suspicion that she was being moved by forces beyond her control.

With that, the meeting was adjourned, leaving Remus and Evelina to contemplate their newfound partnership.

SPEAKING; elloo!! finally done with the first chapter!! hope u guys like this starter & yeah thats it more to come soon hopefully <33