At that moment, students from other houses also gathered around, curious to see what was happening.
With so many people watching, and considering Ron's solid 2-16 record, Draco felt he couldn't back down.
To battle! I must not disgrace Slytherin!
"How about we change the bet," Draco, having mentally confirmed Ron's lack of skill resulting in a 2-16 record, said proudly, "How about this: whoever loses has to shout 'Old bat, I'm going to wash your hair,' how about that?"
The young wizards present were all shocked by Draco's words.
Oh my, is he really that bold?!
The Slytherin students, enjoying the spectacle, loudly cheered Draco's name.
"Good job, Draco!"
"So spirited!" "You haven't disgraced Slytherin!"
Draco, buoyed by the praise from his Slytherin peers, was completely absorbed, forgetting that if he lost the match, he'd be the one saying those words.
In the midst of these cheers, he lost himself.
Ron was also surprised, shocked by Draco's genuine courage.
Oh man, are you in such a rush to meet your doom?
"Alright then." Ron smiled, rolling up his sleeves, "The day after tomorrow is Magic Potion Class, but instead of picking a day, why not have a match today in front of all these classmates, how about it?"
"Do you think I'd be afraid of you, a 2-16 Gryffindor, Weasley?" Draco, riled up, retorted, "Remember! The match you won was against Barry Wendell! He's already 776 years old, and could barely endure a four-hour battle before losing to you!"
"Just admit I won!" Ron was starting to get frustrated.
"Ha." Draco responded with a simple 'ha'.
Seamus and Neville had already run back to the dormitory and had returned with the wizard chess set.
"Here's the wizard chess, Ron." Seamus handed over the board to Ron, "Go for it, Ron, it's time to prove your strength isn't lacking!"
Holding the board, Ron's entire demeanor changed.
After all, he had participated in wizard chess tournaments, and he did have some confidence among his peers.
However, Ron didn't underestimate his opponent; as they say, even when a lion fights a rabbit, it uses all its strength, so he needed to seriously challenge the evil Slytherin kid!
Draco noticed the change in Ron's aura, his snake-like body tensed.
Ron, worried Draco might chicken out at the last minute, decided to use some reverse psychology.
He knew Draco was quite proud and would feel too embarrassed to back down in front of so many people, so he was sure Draco would agree out of pride.
"Malfoy," Ron sneered, "if you're scared, now's your chance to leave."
"What nonsense!" Marcus Flint shouted from behind, "There's no coward in Slytherin! Malfoy, if you can beat Weasley, I'll approve you joining the Quidditch team as a proud Seeker!"
Draco was still a bit hesitant, but upon hearing Marcus's promise, he made up his mind.
"Alright!" Draco slammed the table, "It's just Weasley, who's lost sixteen matches in a row! I've been playing wizard chess since I was three, do you think I'm afraid of him? Let's settle this once and for all!"
With that, he sat down on the Slytherin bench, and the older students used a Transformation Spell to set up a table between the two of them.
"Aren't you going to intervene, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked, concerned, as she watched the thick crowd gathering from the staff seats.
Dumbledore shook his head, his face full of sentiment, and said, "Ah, the restless spirit of youth..."
The referee for this wizard chess match was Ernie Macmillan, who also shared a love for wizard chess. He stood in place, happily watching the scene unfold.
"Let's get started, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy," he announced.
Draco snorted gently towards Ernie, but although Ernie was from Hufflepuff, he belonged to the pure-blood Macmillan Clan, so Draco didn't dislike him.
And since Ernie was from Hufflepuff, who weren't enemies with Gryffindor, Ron could accept him being the referee.
"Come on." Ron said to Draco, "You play white, I'll let you go first."
Given Draco's normally proud personality, he wouldn't accept Ron offering him the first move — but the problem was, losing this match would have a cost, and a significant one at that, so Draco gave up on his pride and sensibly chose strategy over vanity.
The Malfoy family's bottom line has always been flexible.
"Alright, alright," Ernie announced loudly, "Playing white is Mr. Draco Malfoy from Slytherin, against playing black, Mr. Ron Weasley from Gryffindor. Now, it's a battle between the two houses — I'm pleased to commentate today's match, I'm Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff."
"And now we can see, Mr. Malfoy has chosen to move his pawn from e2 to e4, and similarly, Mr. Weasley also responds with his pawn, moving it from e7 to e5."
"A very classic opening, with both sides choosing stability — ah, Malfoy has chosen to move his knight from g1 to f3, and oh, Weasley's knight from b8 to c6 has also made a move!"
"Great, this is a tight match!" Ernie shouted enthusiastically.
The students present all had some understanding of wizard chess, so many could grasp the gist of Ron and Draco's chess match.