Title: Check and Mate
Author: Ex-Professor Remus Lupin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Tragedy
Era: Riddle
Pairing(s): Minerva/Tom
Summary: Two very different people have a conversation one Christmas Eve.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: A prompt for RegulusofSlytherin's January fanfiction contest. The prompt is as follows: It's Christmas at Hogwarts during one of Tom Riddle's school years. Your job is to write a scene of Tom's Christmas and how he celebrates it. You can do it from Tom's Point of View or any other character that was there.
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Chapter One
First Move
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Chilling winds swept across the stone floor, fluttering the hem of her robe as she walked slowly down the hall. Dark hair falling past her waist swung gracefully, the color turning from black to blue in the beams of moonlight coming through the windows. Tucking herself further into her robes, she looked carefully down the hallway, adjusting her glasses with the tip of one long finger.

It would do her no good to be caught walking the hallways this night, even if she was Head Girl. With the strange attacks that had been happening this year, most late night troublemaking had stumbled to a halt. The winter holidays had come upon the castle, and most of the students had fled home. In its wake, only ten students and the professors remained and even then, Headmaster Dippet hadn't made an appearance at dinner, and it had left the teachers edgy.

There was a soft sound, like a door opening. Flattening herself against the wall, she crouching down, cat-like in her movements, and looked carefully around the corner down the hallway that the sound had come from. She was near the Astronomy Tower, which meant that two of the five that had stayed for the holidays had decided on a midnight get together. It was well rumored that Alphard Black, a sixth year she believed, had been making visits with a fellow student at the tower since October, so they were the likely candidates.

She was surprised then, when she saw only one person in the hallway. Dressed in a green robe, dark hair falling messily into his eyes, Tom Riddle was the one stalking the halls this Christmas Eve, starting up the steps to the top of the tower, a long, thin box beneath his arm.

"Mr. Riddle," she said, straightening and stepping out into the hall, "You shouldn't be wandering the halls this late at night."

Despite being two years younger, Tom had a good two inches on her and he used them well, gazing down at her as she stalked over to him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Minerva," he asked coolly, "would you care to join me?"

"I most certainly would not. It is far too dangerous to be wandering the corridors alone, even on Christmas," she replied.

"But you are wandering the corridors alone," he pointed out, smirking.

"I am Head Girl."

"And I am a Prefect," Tom threw back, "and I am sure that whatever it is that is going around killing chickens isn't going to be intimidated by our badges."

Beaten at her own game, Minerva shook her head, a strand of dark hair falling from her shoulder to fall down the front of her robe. Tom watched it with interest, head tilting slightly.

"You've let your hair down," he said quietly. Minerva flushed, pulling the free strands back behind her shoulder. "It suits you."

She stopped, blinking in surprise, but Tom had already turned his back on her.

"Come on," he said, motioning to the stairs up to the Astronomy Tower.

"I am not going to the Astronomy Tower with you!" she said, brown eyes flashing angrily now.

"From what I've heard, you don't go to the Astronomy Tower with anyone," Tom said with a smirk. "Planning on becoming a nun?"

"No...I just...oh shut up," Minerva snapped, striding past him and up the steps, her robe fluttering behind her. Tom followed, smiling in triumph.

At the top of the tower, Minerva gazed around, shivering in the cold air. Stars twinkled at them from high above and she named a few of them in her mind, and found the constellation Orion. Tom, after closing the door, walked past her, starting up a fire far from the door so that it wouldn't be seen from below. He then proceeded to open up the box he had been holding and set up a chess set. Minerva turned her brown eyes from the sky and to the chessboard with interest.

"Care to play?" Tom asked as she sat down on the other side of the chessboard, the fire's blue flames warming her.

Minerva nodded.

It had been a long while since she had played, her own chessboard having been reduced to rubble after her last brutal match with Professor Dumbledore. It was a long-standing tradition since her second year that she played at least once a week with Professor Dumbledore. She had been eager to prove her skill and beat her Head of House. The last game had been close, down to a few pawns on both sides. Minerva had somehow gotten herself into a trap and her king, already trounced from so many games had been defeated for the last time.

However, she noticed that this wasn't a game of Wizarding chess.

"You have a muggle chess set," she observed.

"Yes, that happens when one is raised in an orphanage," Tom answered bitterly, glaring at the wooden pieces as if they had offended him greatly.

Gazing at the younger boy with a mixture of awe and pity, Minerva found it difficult to identify with him. She could understand now why he had not left the castle for the break.

"Perhaps I'll buy you one for a late Christmas present," she said absently, examining the plain looking black pawn.

"If you got me a present than I would have to get you one and I–" Tom stopped speaking suddenly.

"You haven't the money?" Minerva finished quietly.

He nodded.

"Would some company make a more suitable present then?" she asked, smiling at him, it was easy to be nice to Tom when he wasn't being a prat.

"No," Tom said, smiling wickedly at her, "but a kiss might make my day."

"In your dreams, Riddle," Minerva deadpanned.

Tom laughed. His voice was rich and pleasant and Minerva glowered at him. The nerve he had, suggesting such a thing, especially of a girl two years his senior and in Gryffindor house. Had he gone mad?

"All right than, a game of chess, if I win, I get a kiss, if not, than I will settle for the company," he said

Minerva shook her head, "You don't stand a chance; I've nearly beaten Dumbledore."

"I don't need to prove my skill by beating old men at chess," Tom said.

"Don't insult Dumbledore in front of me," Minerva said harshly, moving one of her pawns forward two squares.

Tom started his own pieces onto the board, silent as the night around them. It was a battle of minds, the Gryffindor against the Slytherin; Lion vs. the Snake; white vs. black, and neither had any intent of loosing. Minerva took one of his knights, smiling grimly as she removed it from the board. Tom in kind took her bishop, smirking at her. Soon, a huddle of black pieces – Tom's pieces – lay upon the stone floor, leaving a few spare pawns, the king, a knight, a bishop, and a castle on his side.

A few turns later, Tom's knight had skipped around the board, taking nearly as many pieces as Minerva had and finally, he saw it, his opening for victory, but his knight would have to be sacrificed. With a smile of triumph, he moved his knight into the range of her queen.

Minerva struck, not seeing the trap laid for her king as she took the black knight from the board.

"You're losing," she said looking up at him, and Tom shook his head.

"Check," he said quietly, moving his bishop three space to the left, "and mate."

There was silence as Minerva took in her loss. It had been a long time since a fellow student had been able to defeat her and she was shocked. With a sigh, she looked at him, nodding.

"Excellent game, now," she faked a yawn, "I must get to bed, it's nearly midnight and I don't want to be too tired during the feast tomorrow. After all, Christmas only comes once a year."

She stood, smoothing down the front of her robes and then her hair, wishing that she had brought a tie to get it out of her face.

"I won," Tom said, standing as well and looking expectantly at Minerva.

"Yes, congratulations, now, if you'll excuse me," she took a step toward the door but Tom had grabbed her wrist, almost painfully.

"Running away?" he asked mockingly.

"I'm tired," Minerva answered, tugging on her arm in a vain attempt to free herself, but the younger boy had already advanced on her until he was looking almost directly down at her.

"I won, which means I get to kiss you."

"I'm too old for you," Minerva protested weakly. Tom was certainly handsome and the other girls in her year had said that they would love for him to court them and even Minerva was tempted, but she shook her head.

"Your Gryffindor courage seems to be failing," Tom said with a smirk.

"It certainly has not," Minerva snapped.

"Then why are you fighting me? Have you ever been kissed before?"

"No," Minerva admitted, irritated now. She was a seventeen-year-old who had never kissed a boy, or done any of the other things that the other Gryffindor girls talked about late at night. It was behavior unbecoming of a lady. She would much rather read a book.

"Then let me kiss you."

"Fine!" she didn't realize what she had said until she felt fingers, cold from the winter air, tracing her jaw and before she could utter another word of protest, cool lips met her own.

As far as first kisses went, it wasn't as awkward as Minerva had thought it would be nor as disgusting. In fact, she admitted to herself, it was rather pleasantly, and the cold lips had grown warm, as had the fingers. She let her eyes slide shut and Tom, taking this for a sign of victory over the Gryffindor, took his opening, and deepened the kiss. Dropping Minerva's wrist, he placed his hand onto the small of her back, pressing her forward.

It was clear, he had won this battle, when a hand grasped his arm, and he melted the school's ice queen. A small victory in a war to win her over, Tom leaned back, panting slightly and smirking triumphantly down at Minerva as she blinked open her eyes, slightly dazed and out of breathe.

"You...bastard," Minerva said, pushing herself from his arms and attempting to rid her cheeks of their red flush.

"And a Happy Christmas to you too, Minerva," Tom said cheerfully, stepping toward her again and taking her mouth once more. This time she did react, slapping him and he laughed, stepping out of her reach as she glowered at him.

"I said you could do it once," she said, taking a deep breath and letting the color drain from her face.

"I really would like to do it again," Tom answered. "You make the most interesting sounds."

Minerva flushed.

"I'll be leaving now," she huffed, turning her back on him and opening the door to the stairwell.

"Minerva," with a sigh, she turned, looking impatiently at him from beneath a fringe of black hair.

"What?"

"Would you like to go down to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" she stared at him for a moment, she'd just slapped him, and he was asking her down to Hogsmeade. Had he gone insane? "I promise I won't take you to Madam Puddifoot's."

She laughed, brown eyes narrowed in amusement.

"You are incorrigible," she pointed out.

"If that a yes?"

"It is a maybe."

"Well," Tom smiled, "if it is a maybe, do you think you could maybe leave your hair down?"

"Maybe. Happy Christmas Tom," and she fled down the stairs.

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Author's Note: Not as good as the last entry for Reg's contest...but it's something.