“Pawn to D4.”
”Knight to F6.”
“Pawn to C4."
”Pawn to G6.”

“I challenged Tim to chess at Christmas. Think by next year, he’ll be able to beat me at last. Learning far too quickly.” Francis mused, sipping white wine as he casually glanced over the chess board between him and his opponent. “Knight to C3."
”I beat my father before I went to Durmstrang.”
“Yes, well. Perhaps he wasn’t as good at chess as-."
”No, he was better. Pawn to D5.”

Francis paused, lips apart in surprise at the arrogant retort, but the bright blue eyes hadn’t left the board throughout the exchange. Giving himself a little shake, shrugging off the suggestion, the unspeakable set aside the glass of wine and concentrated a little harder. Perhaps he should have suggested Snakes and Ladders instead while they waited for Gabrielle to return from her overrunning meeting, rather than chess. It seemed far less competitive for skill and down to chance than this game was becoming within a few moves.

“Bishop to F4. Did he teach you then?” Francis tried to show willing and interest in his guest.
“Yes, isn’t that what fathers are meant to do if you’re too young to own your own wand? Bishop to G7.”
“Along with the rest.” Francis suggested as kindly as he could. “Pawn to E3. Do you play with Balfour?”

Johann glanced up. Francis had successfully distracted his opponent from the board at last! He was inwardly pleased. He hadn’t anticipated he would be making small-talk for very long on his own without his fiancee. Since all the horrible bother last autumn, Francis had made more effort to involve himself in keeping up to date with Gabrielle’s strange, foreign relatives and their unusual tendencies. He was now acting as a school governor and interacting with the Professors on a far more regular basis, and he was taking more of an interest in their friends. Not only were they considering their wedding guest list, but Francis was ultimately aware that Ambrose was considering leaving Hogwarts after his OWLs and applying for an apprenticeship on Level Four.

Francis had a number of concerns about this move, firstly that his son was finishing his education when it only seemed like he was learning how to ride a bike five minutes ago, secondly that his son wanted to work with beasts who could tear him to pieces in a glance, and thirdly that he wanted to work in the Ministry. There was absolutely nothing against being less academic than the rest of the family, nor was there any issue in following one’s interests, or even working for the government, but the choice made Francis uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but wonder what Ambrose could achieve if he carried on at school with Mihai’s daughter, Juni and his supportive friends. He couldn’t help but worry that Ambrose would come to harm, and he found himself increasingly anxious at the thought of his impressionable son and the influence of Level 4. They would become his role models, mentors and colleagues.

“Sometimes. Pawn to C5.”
“Pawn to C5.” Francis sat back a moment, watching his white pawn swing at Johann’s black pawn and take it out. "I was wondering, well, we were wondering if you, I mean, if the two of you might, well-”
”Queen to A5. Be ushers at your wedding? Of course, but it might have been more polite to invite both of us to dinner to ask.”

Francis sat up straighter suddenly and both wizards looked at each other directly. He felt colour rise to his cheeks beneath his curls.
“Rook to C1. Not like that at all. Gabrielle… oh.” No, it had been Francis who had made this decision, suggest that Gabrielle might want to catch up with her own family alone.
”Pawn to C4.” Johann’s pawn took a sword to the other. ”It’s alright Francis, you didn’t want to be put off your dinner. We’d be honoured to be your ushers. Your brother’s your best man again?”
“Yes… Bishop to C4.”

Sliding diagonally across the board, his bishop took out Johann’s pawn which a moment before had attacked. He wet his lips with his wine and sighed. Johann wasn’t the only one to slyly point out this was a second marriage for Francis. Had it all gone to plan originally, he would only have ever married Gabrielle, but she had turned him down.

“It’s not like that. I’m sorry I give that impression, Johann. I just don’t quite understand how you… how two …”
”King side castle. Love each other? Share a bed, kiss…? Francis, do you need a diagram?”

It sounded ever so abrupt with Johann’s English tinged with a German accent, but Francis saw the other wizard smirk and look up from the board. It didn’t come with as much malice as he thought he might receive. The shortcomings from the host were down to upbringing and long term misunderstanding, he recognised it, but wasn’t making headway in changing his ways, though he could at least hold conversation on the topic without cringing quite so much.

”It’s just the same as how you and Gabrielle feel for each other,” the younger wizard shrugged, ”only I feel it to Balfour and he happens to have the same gender. The only drawback is that we’re unable to have children without someone else involved, but plenty of men and women can’t bear children either.” Johann scooped up his own glass of wine and sipped, "It’s your move by the way.”[/i]
“Er… yes.” Francis set aside his glass, having drunk half of what was in there through his opponent's description. “Knight to F3."
“Queen to C5.”
“Queen to B3.”

Johann considered the board, turning his wine glass stem between his fingers.
“Gabrielle suggested we might babysit for you both, once… it .. arrives.”
“Yes, perhaps."
“Hm.”
“I mean, yes, of course.”
"Knight to C6.”

Francis closed his eyes a moment and willed his wife-to-be to come home soon before the conversation over the chess board could become even more awkward.
“Knight to B5. Ambrose is applying for an apprenticeship with Level Four. Has Balfour mentioned a letter?”
“Good for Ambrose! No, applications are confidential. We may share a bed but we do respect professional confidentiality. Level Four does love fresh meat. Bishop to E6.” Francis found himself half-heartedly mirroring the grin he received from the other side of the board.

“Queen to A3.”
“Knight to B4. He’s made the right choice. At least in Beast Division he’ll learn things properly. Safest team, I mean they got up to six days since their last accident last week, a real achievement.”
“Kn- Knight to D2. Six days?"
“Yes. They’ve barely made it past three since Christmas.”

Johann shrugged. Francis had no idea his future cousin by marriage was entirely winding him up. Between the way Johann was efficiently drawing out his chessmen while boxing in his own king protectively and the disarming commentary about his homosexual relationship, Francis wasn’t feeling entirely settled.

“Bishop to C4.” Johann instructed, smiling pleasantly as it took out the one belonging to Francis in the same square, well on the way to winning.[1]

1.	Their game