Chapter 221: A New Product
Rubeus rejected Russell's proposal without hesitation and insisted that Ron write to Charlie instead.
Russell didn't argue further. He had more important things to deal with tonight.
Just after ten o'clock, he quietly slipped out of the dormitory and headed for the usual meeting spot of the Dark Moon Circus.
"The new product is basically finished," Fred said, resting his hand on a small box containing the fruits of their recent efforts.
"Now we just need to make it famous."
"Since it's a completely new form of entertainment, selling it the same way as before isn't realistic," Fred continued. "Sure, we'd probably still make a decent profit—but that's not enough for us."
"Exactly," George declared ambitiously. "We're going to make it popular across Britain—then the entire world. Eventually, it'll replace Wizard Chess itself."
"Easy there," Russell said thoughtfully. "You eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time. Stretch too far, and you'll trip."
Then an idea struck him.
"You mentioned Wizard Chess just now, right?" He leaned forward slightly. "Then why don't we organize a Wizard Chess tournament?"
"A tournament?" Fred's eyes lit up immediately.
Russell nodded.
"Separate divisions for first through seventh years, plus a professors' bracket. Each group gets its own champion."
"The winners receive prize money," he continued, "and more importantly, they'll earn access to our new product—and the right to compete in matches using it afterward."
He smiled faintly.
"That's the perfect kind of publicity."
George stared at him for a moment before grinning.
"Using one thing's popularity to launch another…" he said admiringly. "Russell, you're absolutely devious."
"But honestly? That sounds brilliant."
Cedric Diggory nodded in agreement. He clearly approved of the idea.
"But dealing with the professors is on you, Russell," George Weasley said.
"No problem."
"No problem at all," Albus Dumbledore agreed without hesitation.
Truthfully, he had already been worried about the growing tension between the Hogwarts houses. Strictly speaking, the hostility was worst between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
A tournament like this, he believed, could encourage interaction and strengthen ties between students from different houses.
And since the prize money wasn't coming out of the school's budget, he practically got all the benefits with none of the effort. There was no reason to refuse.
Still, Dumbledore reminded Russell to stop any conflicts immediately if they broke out. Russell agreed.
The next morning, students quickly noticed the posters hanging throughout the castle.
"'Hogwarts Wizard Chess Tournament'? What's this?"
"Hosted by the Dark Moon Circus—and look, it's even got Dumbledore's signature!"
"Let me see… anyone can register? And the champion wins fifty Galleons?!"
Gasps spread through the corridors.
For ordinary students, fifty Galleons was an enormous amount of money.
"That's not even the best part," another student said excitedly. "The champions also get the Dark Moon Circus's new product. I'm way more interested in that."
After months of successful events and inventions, the Dark Moon Circus had already built a reputation among Hogwarts students:
If it came from the Dark Moon Circus, it was guaranteed quality.
"Registration's through your house prefects or professors," someone read aloud. "I'd better hurry before the lines get too long!"
A crowd of quick-thinking students immediately scattered toward the prefects.
Although professors could also register participants, most students instinctively avoided approaching them. Aside from a handful who were close to certain teachers, nearly everyone flocked toward the prefects instead.
The tournament began soon afterward.
There were so many participants that nearly half the school had signed up.
To save time, the matches weren't held one at a time. Instead, all seven year groups competed simultaneously.
By sheer coincidence, Harry Potter's very first match paired him against Draco Malfoy.
The gilded chessboard gleamed beneath the torchlight, its sixty-four squares forming a silent battlefield.
Malfoy lifted his black king, carved with twisting serpent motifs, and tapped it lightly against the ebony board.
"I'll even let you move first," he sneered.
Wizard chess sets were deeply tied to their owners. Since the pieces possessed their own personalities, unfamiliar sets often refused to obey properly.
Malfoy's pieces were carved from black onyx. His pawns carried snake-shaped shields, while the queen wore a crystal crown set with emeralds that glimmered eerily in the shadows.
Compared to that, Harry's set looked downright shabby.
His Gryffindor knights were carved from oak, and one horse was missing an ear—damage from a previous match against Ron Weasley.
"E4."
Harry advanced his center pawn. The white piece straightened proudly, its ashwood shield striking the board with a sharp, ringing sound.
Malfoy smirked and responded with C5, his black pawn sliding into a cunning defensive formation. The serpent patterns in the onyx reflected twisting shadows across the board.
By the seventh move, Harry spotted a weakness on Malfoy's kingside.
"Knight jump!"
His finger struck the square decisively.
The chestnut knight leapt forward on horseback, iron hooves smashing a black pawn off D5. The defeated piece tumbled from the board, dropping its shield in defeat.
"Brutish pieces," Malfoy sneered. "Just like Gryffindors."
His black queen suddenly swept diagonally across the field, the firelight reflecting from her crystal crown as Harry's white knight's horse let out a nervous whinny.
By move fifteen, Harry traded his bishop for Malfoy's rook—but failed to notice the growing weakness along his right flank.
Malfoy's queen slithered through the board like a venomous snake, devouring two central pawns in succession.
When Harry's knight rushed back to defend, it was intercepted by a black elephant piece. The ebony elephant wrapped its trunk around the knight's waist armor, ruby eyes glittering mischievously.
"Check."
On move twenty-three, Malfoy's bishop and queen formed a lethal pincer attack.
Harry was forced to move his last rook into defense, exposing his entire left flank.
Meanwhile, one of Malfoy's pawns quietly reached promotion and transformed into a second queen, cold light radiating from the onyx serpent engravings.
"Time to clear out the trash."
Malfoy waved his hand lazily. The newly promoted queen raised her scepter and shattered White's final defensive line.
The end came swiftly.
Malfoy's twin queens sealed every possible escape route. When the black queen's onyx scepter pressed against the throat of Harry's king, the carved Gryffindor lion let out a cracking wooden groan.
The Slytherin pieces slammed their shields together in triumph, their serpent insignias forming a mocking pattern across the board.
"So this is your level, Potter?" Malfoy said smugly, looking thoroughly refreshed after his victory. His arrogance practically lifted his nose into the air.
Harry couldn't argue.
He had lost fair and square.
Depressed, he packed away his pieces and prepared to watch the other matches.
"What's there to be proud of, Malfoy?" Ron called out.
Ron had just crushed his own opponent with ease. Unfortunately for Goyle, he only understood the most basic rules of chess, making him no match for Ron at all.
After losing, Goyle flew into a rage and nearly reenacted the legendary "Chess Saint" incident by grabbing the board and trying to smash it over Ron's head.
Fortunately, the professors acting as referees reacted quickly enough to stop the disaster before it happened.
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