Fan Fiction ❯ Harry Potter and the Hero of Time ❯ A Stimulating Lull ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10-A stimulating lull

"We'll see you after this is done," said Harry. "Ron, Professor McGonagall, I hope you have a strategy planned."

"We should be able to win easily, Potter."

"Well done all of you," said Professor Dumbledore. The delegation from Earth soon ascended to the fourth floor. The arena was square, with sixteen white figures already in position. When the people from Earth arrived, they touched the black pieces they would replace. In the back row, Hermione and Hagrid were rooks. Ron and Professor Lupin became knights. Harry and Sirius were bishops protecting Dumbledore as king and Professor McGonagall as queen. In the front row, Fred, George, and Viktor were pawns, along with five of the Hylian guards.

The chess match started slowly, neither side making many bold moves. Ron and Professor McGonagall, the acknowledged chess experts, cooperated and came up with a satisfactory strategy. One of the white pawns, a Moblin, strayed too close to Sirius and the hulking brute lost. Sirius, though, fell prey to his opposition number, a dementor from Azkaban, moments later. Fred and George were very cunning, advancing as best they could toward the opposite side so they could be promoted to better pieces. Ron finally saw an opening, and he took the black queen, an effigy of Takhisis from Krynn, complete with the unique crown shaped like a five-headed dragon.

"The real Takhisis would not have permitted that mistake," said Raistlin from the observation box. "Drakan must not have the ability to play chess well." The warning proved true, as the black king fell when he ran into Hermione, ever analyzing the situation logically. The doors opened, and a key in the shape of a chess knight appeared in the middle of the arena.

"Will Link, the Hero of Time, please enter the arena at this time? All participants in the chess match are to report to the observation deck." As the delegates from Earth walked into the arena, Link entered the arena from another door and picked up the Knight Key. That triggered a teleportation spell that carried them up to the next floor. This floor had a series of identical paintings arranged in a dodecagon about a fenced-in arena. Link watched carefully, but Phantom Ganon remained true to form and materialized directly behind him, disguised as Ganondorf on his nightmare steed.

"Well this should be interesting," said the voice of the commentator. "Link is going to fight his old friend Phantom Ganon in this reproduction of the Forest Temple basement. The victor in this match earns an additional five thousand Rupees in their bank account."

"Link does have a bank account in Clock Town bank, by the way," said Mikau. "The last time Link made a deposit, he got it up to 5,499 Rupees. The bank manager was a little surprised that someone like Link could gather that much money."

"What's the exchange rate between a Rupee and a Galleon?"

"Hermione, in the interests of not making the Weasleys immensely jealous, I will not answer. Let's just say, even Harry would be poor in Hyrule."

Just then, before Harry could comment, Phantom Ganon dissolved his mask and rode off into a painting. Link looked around carefully and moved to one of the corners of the platform. When Phantom Ganon rode out of the painting, Link pegged the steed with an Arrow and rolled away from the lighting on the floor. After a few minutes, the steed flew back into the painting and Phantom Ganon dismounted to fight. Link had a few tricks up his sleeves, pulling out an empty in his right hand to reflect the firebolts back at the specter.

When Link downed Phantom Ganon, he rushed forward and whacked the ghost with the Master Sword a couple times. The ghost then rose again and moved to a position five feet above Link. The Hylian had to run quickly to dodge the firebolt, but he just barely reached a safe spot. With another twirl of the pitchfork, Phantom Ganon scored a lucky blow on Link, but it only dealt half a Heart Container of damage. Link then made a flurry of blows, finishing the ghost off. Phantom Ganon dropped his pitchfork and fell into a purple portal to the Evil Realm, breaking into blue fire as he went.

"Link now has an account with five thousand Rupees in the Bank of Hyrule. All persons are to climb to the courtyard above where they will receive instructions." A staircase and several ramps appeared, all leading up to a cloudy field whose very existence was impossible.

"Drakan is using Chaos for power, so this is to be expected," said Alzeroth. "Ah, there's the commentator now!" A short little man with a pinched brown face and white hair wearing brown robes appeared. Raistlin, Professor Lupin, and William immediately recognized it as one of the gnomes from Mount Nevermind.

"Wellthisisveryinterestingindeed," said the gnome, "andIamLexicondictionariumencylopediusarchmagus…" Even as the gnome said things, he bustled over to them, pulling a few sizable tomes from his backpack.

"Lexicon, speak so we can understand you please," said Raistlin. "We have not gnome tendencies. Everyone here has the right to know that no gnome in history, except for a very lucky few, has ever finished a sentence. Lexicon just happens to finish sentences when we ask him to out of courtesy."

"Very well," said the gnome, "that I can do, so if you will please follow me, I will show you to the bleachers where we shall be seated. Luckily, the seats are cushioned for those accustomed to comfort. There will be no rain or wind for the match, and it will be a relatively pleasant day in those respects. This Quidditch match is a variant on the normal Quidditch that you should adapt to easily.

"There are two Golden Snitches in play at once in this match. That means we need two Seekers-Harry and Viktor. Fred and George Weasley shall play Beaters as normal. Ron Weasley, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin shall be the Catchers on the team. William shall be substituted for Oliver Wood and play Keeper at our goal posts. I shall be commentating in the commentator box, and the rest of you shall observe from the stands. Good afternoon and please show team spirit. Would the team please head into the locker rooms and change at this time?"

The designated persons went to the locker room some fifty feet away, and the others went to the top of the stands. Each spectator had a pair of Omnioculars underneath their seat, similar to those found at the Quidditch World Cup. After about five minutes, the stands began to fill up with draconians, humans, and a few Moblins and Stalfos near the arena. Ten minutes later, Lexicon used the Sonorus spell and began commentating.

"Welcome to this game of two-Seeker Quidditch. For the Elsewhere Liberation Army, we have Potter, Krum, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Lupin, Black, and Dent. For the Forces of Drakan, we have Malfoy, Malfoy, Macnair, Avery, Macnair, Flint, Nott, and Pettigrew. Koume and Kotake of the Southern Swamp are the referees and shall be objective whenever possible."

Kotake brought out the box and opened it. The two Snitches, two Bludgers, and Quaffle flew into the air and the match began. The red-clad heroes flew with precision and ease, scoring on the green-clad Forces of Drakan whenever possible. Viktor Krum tricked Lucius Malfoy with a Wronski Feint and used the spare time to look for the Golden Snitch. Harry, meanwhile, had to fend off the tricks of Draco Malfoy.

"Serpensortia," shouted the Slytherin from atop his broomstick. A huge black boa constrictor flew out of the wand at Harry, who managed to dodge just in time. Just then, the Golden Snitch flew into Harry's right-hand sleeve, allowing him to execute an inadvertent Plumpton Pass. Draco flew off the field in a rage and began sulking near the locker room. Harry flew off to the locker room, changed, and joined the rest of them.

"Potter executed a perfect Plumpton Pass," said Lexicon. "Unless Lucius Malfoy can outwit Bulgarian ace Viktor Krum, the Elsewhere Liberation forces will gain access to the castle keep. I say, look at them now!" The two Seekers suddenly dove down-no Wronski Feint this time. Viktor scooped the Golden Snitch mere nanoseconds before Lucius Malfoy got it, and then it was all over. The dementors and monsters on one side of the arena went to the edge of the platform and dumped themselves off.

"Why did they all commit suicide," Hermione asked. "It seems like Drakan is wasting a lot of his best forces."

"Drakan is not wasting them," said William. "If I know Drakan, and I do, then he has something planned for the negative energy in his minions that remains hidden as of yet. Oh, and by the way, all that bit about me losing my emotions was a lie."

"You lied to us," said Darunia, picking up the demigod angrily. "Why didn't you tell us the whole truth from the beginning?"

"Trust me, sir, if I had done that, you would not have followed me. I have one big secret that I will reveal when the time is right and not before. This secret is rather embarrassing and I do not want to seem like a bureaucrat, but this secret is immensely personal." Darunia set the demigod down and brushed some volcanic ash off his broad shoulders. An unearthly screech split the air as the Quidditch pitch dissolved to reveal a platform pocked with lava pits. Everyone leaped back and covered their ears as a huge dragon with scales of magma flew out of the lava pits.

"Volvagia," said Darunia, pulling out his Megaton Hammer.