A Seemingly Simple Game

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Note: Based on a Monopoly game I played with two friends last week. I'm not admitting which one of the three parts similar to how I played... Brief mention of a board game character's suicide (not any of the Harry Potter characters).

It was surprisingly dull in the Common Room that Thursday afternoon. For once, not even Hermione could find any homework to do and no self-respecting teenager would go to bed at that hour. As of fifteen minutes ago, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been reduced to just staring at each other waiting for something to happen when Ron had an idea.

"Hey, remember that one thing you were telling me about last summer?" he asked, a spark of life in his eyes as he turned to Hermione.

"I might," Hermione replied. "Could you be a bit more specific?"

"You were talking about all those bored games you always take to Hogwarts but never get to use because we're always so busy," Ron told her.

"Board games?" Harry repeated.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, bored games. Games you play when you're bored. It's a Muggle thing, I think. You've never heard of them?"

"No, I have," Harry replied. "I just haven't gotten a chance to in…well, it's been awhile. I used to play them sometimes when we had free time in class or during break."

"Well, I did bring some board games with me," Hermione told them. "I have some two-person games but those are obviously out. I have Cluedo, Monopoly, Scrabble, and Life."

"I have never heard of any of those," Ron announced.

"Well, Cluedo is a mystery game," Hermione explained. "We each pick one of six characters to be the guest of Dr. Black. He is murdered by one of us before the game starts and we have to investigate and figure out who killed him, with which of six weapons, and in which room."

"That doesn't make any sense," Ron protested. "Wouldn't we know where he was killed when we found the body? And what killed him? If this is a Muggle bored game then I'm guessing they aren't using wands."

"Well…I guess the body could have been moved," Hermione said lamely. "And for some of those weapons you're right but if you get hit over the head with the pipe or the candlestick I think the wound would look about the same."

"Then that already narrows it down and we're being held back for no apparent reason," Ron complained. "Are we not allowed to see the body or something? And why are we investigating anyway? Shouldn't the Muggle Aurors be looking into it?"

"It's just a game, Ron," Harry told him, shaking his head. "Still, I think it's best when you have all six players. Also, if you think that I'm playing Scrabble with you then you've got another thing coming."

"I don't know what you mean," Hermione said innocently.

"What's wrong with this 'Scrabble'?" Ron wanted to know.

"It's a word game," Harry explained. "Basically, Hermione would win every time because she's got the biggest vocabulary."

Ron made a face. "Yeah, pass. How about 'Life'?"

"You off at the beginning of your adult life and use a spinner to determine where you move to and what ends up happening to you. You could go to university, get married, have kids…the goal is to make the most money by the time you're done with it," Hermione explained.

Ron looked decidedly unimpressed. "So basically you're pretending to actually go through life? That's really, really weird. Why not just go through life?"

"There's always Monopoly," Harry pointed out. "Basically, you get a lot of money and move around the board buying properties and paying other people to use the properties that they own. The goal of that game is to buy up everything you can so you can take everyone else's money."

Ron thought about it for a minute. "That sounds okay, I guess. But why is it called 'monopoly'?"

"I am not the banker," Hermione announced. "I'm always the banker."

"Well I don't like being the banker either," Harry told her.

Ron held his hands up. "Well don't look at me! I don't even know how to play this game."

Harry sighed. "He's got a point." He and Hermione immediately engaged in a brief staring contest. "Oh, fine. I'll be the banker. But I'm not happy about this."

"Everyone starts off the game with two five hundred pound notes, two one hundred pound notes, six fifty pound notes, six twenty pound notes, five five pound notes, and five one pound notes," Hermione explained as Harry passed the money around.

"Um, Hermione?" Ron asked, looking panicked. "I don't actually know anything about Muggle money. That is Muggle money, right?"

Hermione nodded. "Don't worry. You don't need to understand Muggle money to play this game because it's all in pounds. You can just pretend it's all in Galleons if that will make it easier."

"We each need a token to represent ourselves," Harry took over the explanation. "I am taking the iron because I'm always the iron."

"I'm taking the dog for the same reason," Hermione said, picking up her piece and placing it on Go.

"I'll pick…uh, this one," Ron said, picking up the thimble.

"Oh, I should have picked the Dalek!" Harry said, wincing.

"It's not a Dalek, Harry, it's a thimble," Hermione corrected.

"But it looks like a Dalek," Harry protested.

"What's a Dalek?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"Only the most lethal creature in the universe," Harry said seriously. "You're probably safer not knowing. Not that that will save you."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it, Ron."

For his part, Ron did not look at all reassured. "But Harry just said that it could kill me!"

"Daleks aren't real," Hermione explained patiently.

Harry waited until Hermione wasn't looking before mouthing 'absolutely real' at Ron.

"We have to roll the dice to see who goes first," Hermione said, taking a pair of dice out of the game box and rolling them. She got a seven. Ron rolled next and got a four and Harry was the last with a two.

"Well that's a nice start," Harry deadpanned.

Hermione rolled a three and landed on Whitechapel Road. "I'll pass."

"But why?" Ron asked, confused. "It's only sixty Galleons. It's the cheapest thing on the board."

"I never buy anything below the pink squares," Hermione explained. "It's not very expensive but the rent isn't worth it at all."

Harry squinted at the board. "I'd say it's really more magenta than pink."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Are we really going to do this, Harry?"

Harry looked tempted to tell her that yes, yes they were (no doubt in retaliation for all the times she got pedantic on them) but shook his head instead. "I guess not." He examined the Whitechapel card. "It says here that the rent for Whitechapel is only two pounds. You have to own all properties of a color before you can start building houses – which increase the rent – and you have to have four houses on a property before you can build a hotel."

"I thought you had to have four houses on each property," Hermione told him.

Harry shrugged. "That's how I've always played it. And be honest, if we're going to demand four houses on each property are we ever going to get any hotels?"

"You might have a point," Hermione conceded.

They played mostly in silence (aside from the obligatory game-related dialogue about purchasing properties) for awhile as they began to build up their separate basis' of support.

"I just don't understand why it's twenty-five Galleons to ride Harry's train but fifty Galleons to ride one of Hermione's," Ron objected. "What, is she selling tickets to get on and off the train?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," Harry said seriously.

"Oh, I am not," Hermione disagreed.

"Then you're just cornering the market," Harry concluded. "Ron, we hold-outs have to stick together."

"Sure thing, Harry," Ron said, passing him the dice.

"I don't understand why I'm visiting jail," Harry complained. "I don't even know anybody there and I don't feel safe."

Hermione's next roll sent her to jail. "Well I'd say that you could be visiting me except you showed up before I did."

"So I got to watch you get booked?" Harry asked delightedly. "Wonderful. I hope I took pictures. What are you in for?"

"Jaywalking," Hermione replied primly.

"What's that?" Harry asked, nonplussed. "Some sort of violent murder?"

Hermione shook her head. "Of course not! It's a minor traffic violation where someone, namely me, crossed a motorway."

"That was stupid," Harry told her.

"At least it wasn't tax evasion," Hermione countered.

"What's a motorway?" Ron wondered.

"It's a street with a lot of traffic moving very, very quickly," Hermione explained. "Slow moving vehicles aren't allowed on it either."

"Maybe I did come because of you," Harry said suddenly.

Hermione frowned. "I don't see how you could. It's not like I planned to jaywalk or announced my intention to do so to the world."

Harry shot her a pointed look and smirked.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh no. No, no, no. Absolutely not."

"What?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Thanks to my studies in the ancient art of Divination, I was able to divine that Hermione was going to be arrested and so showed up in advance to point and laugh. I mean, for moral support," Harry revealed.

"NO," Hermione said firmly.

"Can you think of any other explanation?" Harry challenged.

"It was a complete and total coincidence," Hermione insisted.

"Yeah, because I'm sure that the papers will buy that," Harry scoffed.

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn't comment. "Well, I won't be in here for long. It's only three turns or until I roll doubles."

"But how long is a turn in here, anyway?" Ron wondered. "I mean, it could be a day or a week or even a year. I think three years in Muggle Azkaban is a little much."

"I think that any jail time for jaywalking is a little much," Hermione replied. "I must be a repeat offender or something."

"She lives life on the edge," Harry said sarcastically. "And always when a police car is right there."

"Why do you get out early if you roll a double?" Ron wanted to know.

"It could be parole," Hermione offered.

Harry shook his head. "Not for a jaywalking sentence, you wouldn't be in jail nearly that long. I'm thinking bribes."

"I landed on free parking!" Ron exclaimed. "Success!" Happily, he pulled out all of the money that they had had to pay that had been stuffed half-way under the board. He paused. "Why does getting free parking get me all this money? I mean, parking can't be that expensive, right? This is more than some of the properties."

"Obviously, you carjacked someone," Harry told him. Anticipating Ron's confusion, he quickly clarified, "You stole someone's car."

"Well that wasn't very nice of me," Ron said, frowning. He shrugged. "Oh, well. I'm rich! I'm rich!"

"Well, richer," Hermione corrected. "I think that I've actually got the most money."

"But you hardly have any properties," Harry pointed out. "I think Ron has the most properties though I have some ones that are worth more."

"Do you want to trade properties, Ron?" Hermione offered. "I have Electric Company I'll give you for Fenchurch Street station or I'll give you Liverpool Street station or King's Cross station for Water Works."

Ron hesitated. "Hm…while I would like to get King's Cross station because that's the only thing on this entire board that I've actually heard of, that would only give me two railroads out of four and I could get both of the utilities. I'll go with that."

Hermione accepted his railroad card with joy. "That's three down, one to go."

"Well you can forget about getting your hands on the Marylebone station," Harry said flatly. "And Ron, what did I just say about not giving Hermione your railroad?"

"I don't know," Ron admitted. "I wasn't really listening; I was trying to see what I needed to roll to land on free parking."

Hermione blinked. "Ron, are you telling me that you were cheating?"

"I would take your outrage a little more seriously if you weren't in Muggle Azkaban," Ron told her frankly.

"Well I just left it so tell me," Harry instructed.

"No, I'm not. If I were then I wouldn't keep rolling really small numbers while you two are getting halfway across the board with one roll," Ron replied.

"The board is ten squares across each way so it's more a quarter across the entire board," Hermione corrected.

Ron ignored her. "You're lucky that I'm not cheating, though, because you two aren't paying the slightest bit of attention to my rolls."

"We trust you," Harry said magnanimously.

Ron snorted. "Hermione doesn't. She hid what she was doing when I first came down here."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione lied.

"I think you might not be rolling the dice right," Harry offered.

"How can I be rolling the dice wrong?" Ron demanded. "I just have to drop it."

"But you keep making these really lousy rolls," Harry pointed out.

"Clearly the game just hates me," Ron said matter-of-factly.

"Ron, games can't-" Hermione started to say before cutting herself off. "Muggle games can't hate you."

"Well clearly this one does," Ron said stubbornly.

"I'm going to buy two houses for Fleet Street. Man, I really want to land on Regent Street," Harry murmured.

"How come?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Because I really don't want you to get a monopoly on them and you already have the other two," Harry admitted freely.

"Harry! What kind of friend are you?" Ron demanded.

"The kind who doesn't want you to get a monopoly on the second-biggest color in the game," Harry replied matter-of-factly. "God knows that Hermione won't give me Mayfair and I'm not about to hand over Park Lane no matter what the offer is."

"That does sound about right," Hermione agreed.

"I do want either Marlborough Street or Oxford Street, though, and I'd give you a lot to get them," Harry offered Ron.

Ron scowled. "What, so you want a monopoly on orange or to even further stop me from getting a green one?"

Harry shook his head. "No, actually. Hermione just keeps landing on those two and I want them."

"But the rent really isn't all that much," Ron reminded him.

"Oh, I know," Harry acknowledged. "It's more the principle of the thing. And that reminds me…the bank is running out of hundreds so can you two trade in some of yours for some five hundred pound notes?"

"What happens if we bankrupt the bank?" Ron wondered. "Would we win then?"

"No one wins when there's a bank run," Hermione said grimly. "And according to the rules, the bank is authorized to start printing up its own money."

"You're making this up," Harry accused.

"I'm not, really!" Hermione insisted. "My parents and I used to play all the time and those games could go on forever!"

"I think I'd like to buy some houses," Ron announced. "I'd like… one for Pall Mall, one for Whitehall, two for Northumberland Avenue, one for Marlborough Street, and one for Oxford Street."

Hermione and Harry exchanged startled looks as Ron counted out his money and began to hand it over.

"Are you…absolutely sure about this?" Hermione asked him hesitantly.

"Of course I am. Why not?" Ron asked, puzzled. "This way I'll make more money on the rent, right?"

"Well…" Hermione trailed off, trying to phrase it delicately. "It just seems that you're using up most of your money now and it's not even increasing the rent by all that much."

"I thought about that," Ron conceded. "But I could only get one hotel even if I spent all of my money and it just seems so unlikely that people would land on it."

"But what if you land on something expensive and don't have the money?" Hermione pressed.

"I'll pass go soon enough," Ron assured her. "Relax, I know what I'm doing."

"You heard the man," Harry said cheerfully.

"This is a bad idea," Hermione murmured, shaking her head.

Instead of passing Go, Ron landed on Park Lane. He made a face as he handed over the thirty-five pounds. "Your service was terrible."

"It was not!" Harry exclaimed, affronted.

Ron nodded seriously. "It really was. There wasn't even anywhere to stay. I had to sleep outside. I'm not even sure why I couldn't do that somewhere that wasn't going to charge me!"

"Look, you get the service that you pay for," Harry sniffed.

"I at least paid for a tent!" Ron argued.

"Not in today's economy," Harry disagreed. He landed on income tax. "So that's ten percent of my money or two hundred pounds. Until I have two thousand pounds, the ten percent is always going to be cheaper…"

Hermione ended up on Fleet Street. "I would also like to report that the service is terrible. I mean, I may have a roof over my head but it leaks and I'm pretty sure I saw a roach. And the heater's broken."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Harry apologized. "What room did you say you were staying in?"

"Um," Hermione floundered for a moment but quickly recovered. "Room 360."

"Ah, we do not actually have a room 360," Harry said triumphantly. He turned to Ron. "You're new to all of this so pay attention: sometimes the customer's complaint isn't actually genuine. I should really sue for slander."

"I didn't press charges," Hermione countered.

"Good. Make sure you don't," Harry ordered.

"Are you threatening me?" Hermione demanded.

"No, merely offering you some legal advice," Harry responded. "Which, come to think of it, I really should be charging for…"

Ron passed go only to land on the income tax again, followed by chance which demanded maintenance money, Marylebone station, Vine Street, Fleet Street, and then off to jail.

"Okay, I think maybe the game really does hate you," Hermione admitted.

"Hey, he's the one who chose to break the law," Harry said sanctimoniously.

"Harry, you've been to jail five times," Hermione pointed out.

"Yes, well, you don't see me complaining, do you?" Harry asked rhetorically. By this point, it was clear that he was steadily pulling ahead of Hermione and poor Ron wasn't even worth considering. "Oh look, jail again. Ah, well."

"What are you in jail for? Kicking puppies?" Ron asked, a little bitterly.

"Scalping widows, actually," Harry said flippantly.

"We really hope that you end up getting the free parking," Hermione said sincerely. "You really need it."

Harry grinned. "Maybe you hope that. I, however, see no need to encourage crime within the community. And…I'm out of jail."

"Well fine, I hope that," Hermione told him. When she placed her dog down on Community Chest, she found out she had hospital bills.

"It must be for the dog you just killed," Ron remarked.

"I didn't kill him!" Hermione said, quickly standing her piece back up. "He's just sleeping."

"Yeah, when your parents told you that about your pet rabbit when you were five it wasn't true then, either," Ron told her apologetically. "I just feel that it's time you knew the truth."

Harry landed on the free parking. "Success!"

"Oh, so it's perfectly alright for you to carjack someone," Hermione said sarcastically.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said virtuously. "I was just being industrious."

"By parking a car for free? That sounds more like freeloading," Hermione said flatly.

"Just because you're not half the businessman I am doesn't mean you need to judge," Harry sniffed.

"Next time you go to jail, make it for arson," Ron advised, nodding Harry's way. "I know that that's what I intend to do." He landed on Liverpool station.

Hermione winced. "I am so sorry about that, Ron."

"I can't pay this," Ron said, horrified. "What do I do? Does this mean I lose?"

"No, it means you have to mortgage one of your properties or sell it back to the bank," Hermione explained. "Mortgaging it means you get half the value you paid for it but no one else can buy it. You won't make any money off of it but when you can repay the mortgage you get it back. Selling it means any of us can buy it."

Ron frowned and considered what he had and what people weren't often landing on. "I'll mortgage Leicester Square," he said finally, turning it over and handing more than half of the money he received over to Hermione.

When he landed on Super Tax he cringed. "Oh, come on! I can barely afford to feed myself! What kind of luxury am I getting?"

"I think a Super Tax is a tax on all incomes above a certain level," Harry corrected him.

"Well considering I lack the money to feed myself, that can't be it," Ron told him. "Maybe I look at my misfortune and blow my money on lots of alcohol…"

Ron glanced up to see Harry taking money from the bank. "How corrupt are you?" he demanded, stunned. "Now you're just outright embezzling?"

"I am not!" Harry swore. "I'm just exchanging some of my smaller bills for larger bills."

"I'm watching you," Ron said warningly.

"I feel like I'm watching a train wreck," Hermione said, a little uncomfortably.

"Hey, he's the one who won't get rid of his houses," Harry pointed out.

Ron landed on Park Lane again. "How do you sleep at night?"

"Far more comfortably than you do, I imagine," Harry returned blithely. "Some of us can afford heating."

"I'll have to mortgage something else," Ron said morosely.

"Tell you what, you just give me Marlborough Street and we'll call it even," Harry offered.

Ron hesitated because he'd actually have to pay more for staying at Park Lane than Marlborough Street was worth. In the end, his pride won out. "Never!"

Harry shrugged. "Suit yourself. I was trying to help."

"Why do I keep staying in expensive hotels when I have no money?" Ron moaned.

"Perhaps you're just really bad with money," Hermione suggested. "Or trying to keep up appearances."

"There aren't many appearances to keep up now," Ron assured her.

"Bad with money it is, then," Hermione decided.

"What kind of luxuries do you get?" Ron asked after Harry landed on Super Tax.

"The tears of orphaned children," Harry replied promptly.

"You are a horrible person and you're going to die alone surrounded by money," Ron predicted.

Hermione groaned. "Oh, not you too!"

"I can live with that," Harry said dismissively.

Ron landed on the income tax. "Do we have to count the two hundred Galleons I'm collecting for passing go right now? I mean, can't I get that after taxes?"

"Sorry, Ron, that's not how the game works," Hermione replied, sounding very sorry indeed.

"So ten percent works out to…twenty one Galleons," Ron announced. "This is embarrassing."

"You know, no one's landed on free parking for awhile," Hermione noted. "There is a lot of money there."

"My Christmas…something or other…has matured and I have a hundred more Galleons!" Ron said delightedly. "Maybe all is not lost!"

"That's the spirit," Hermione encouraged.

"…I can't pay this," Ron said, shaking his head, as he landed on Harry's hotel. "I quit."

"You seriously quit?" Hermione asked. "Your properties would go back to the bank in that case."

"I'd have to mortgage everything and I still don't think that would be enough," Ron said miserably. "My character just killed himself in the room."

"Ron!" Hermione cried, horrified. "You can't just do that! That's horrible!"

"Well it's a little late, now," Ron told her, backing up a little.

Harry picked up Ron's money and cards while Hermione cleared away his houses.

"Terrible business, that," Harry declared. "I better not get sued."

"You're completely heartless," Ron complained. "I'm dead and you're worried about money!"

"I'm not entirely sure it's healthy to be hearing the dead speak," Hermione said worriedly.

"Now it's just the two of us," Harry told her.

"Avenge me!" Ron implored Hermione.

"But…you weren't actually murdered," Hermione pointed out.

"I blame Harry!" Ron told her.

"It was really a combination of bad luck and your own beginners mistakes," Hermione pointed out.

"Does that mean you won't help?" Ron demanded. "Harry would have helped."

"Since you want vengeance against him…I kind of doubt it," Hermione said flatly.

"I would certainly take it under consideration," Harry promised.

Ron frowned thoughtfully. "I just can't do it," he said finally. "I can't ask Harry for help seeking vengeance against himself. Even though I know that he'd do it because he's a much better friend than you are, Hermione, it just wouldn't feel right."

Harry beamed at that. "Hey, do you want Whitehall now that it's open again?"

Hermione shook her head. "No thanks. It's really not worth all that much."

Ron's jaw dropped. "This is insulting."

"What's insulting?" Harry asked absently.

"You don't even want the property that cost me my life!" Ron complained.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, looking vaguely guilty. "It's just…not worth very much and Harry and I are really getting serious here."

"Oh, and it wasn't serious when I was playing?" Ron demanded.

"Um…" Hermione trailed off.

"Not strictly true, by the way," Harry spoke up. "I did buy Bond Street now that it's open."

"That doesn't help!" Ron cried.

"This really doesn't seem very fair," Harry protested. "First you're upset we don't want your former property and then you're upset when we do. It's not our fault that it's open now."

"It is so your fault! I bet you controlled the dice or something!" Ron accused. "I bet you sold my story to some agency and made a fortune in novel sales."

"Brilliant idea!" Harry exclaimed.

Ron groaned. "Don't tell me that I inspired you!"

"You didn't," Harry assured him. "I had already done just that. I just still think it's a brilliant idea."

"Do you even know how I died?" Ron inquired.

"…I didn't want to tarnish my memory of you by seeing you that way," Harry said lamely.

"I'm sorry Harry," Hermione said finally. "But I think I'm going to need to pull a Ron. There's no way I'm going to be able to win."

"But no one's gotten free parking yet!" Harry protested. "I'll tell you what, how about we just keep trying to get to free parking and then we end the game. I'll overlook rent on everything but the hotels."

"You have a lot of hotels," Hermione said doubtfully.

"I only have four," Harry said as if it were nothing. "Statistically speaking, you have a much greater chance of not landing on them."

Hermione sighed. "Oh, fine."

"So…you were found just in time and either interrupted or resuscitated?" Ron guessed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Let it go."

"Do you even know how she was going to end it?" Ron directed his question at Harry.

"I didn't want to tarnish my memory of her, either," Harry claimed.

Ron watched quietly for awhile as Harry and Hermione consistently failed to land on free parking. "Hey, Hermione, you know how we've long been aware of how corrupt Harry's become?"

"Yes…" she said slowly, not sure where he was going with this.

"Well, I really have to wonder what kind of things you're getting away with while we're distracted by what Harry's up to?" he asked reasonably.

Harry froze and stared at Hermione. "That's…actually a very good question."

Hermione smiled a positively evil smile.

"All that 'inherited money' you kept getting…I bet you keep killing your relatives!" Ron accused.

"Yes, Ron, you've discovered my nefarious plot," Hermione said dryly. "I'm actually with the mafia."

"I feel so disillusioned," Ron moaned. "Isn't there anybody that I can trust?"

"Not in this town," Harry replied, clearly shaken by this revelation. "And I was having fun being the corrupt one…"

"You are the corrupt one," Hermione insisted.

"Got it!" Harry cheered once he landed on the free parking.

"I wonder how much was down there," Hermione mused.

Harry quickly began to count it. "One thousand four hundred and ninety-two pounds."

Hermione whistled.

"Of course, I've got to have at least three thousand pounds myself," Harry continued. "Compared to Ron's dead-ness and your considerably less than three thousand pounds, I guess that makes me the winner. Who wants to play again?"

Ron stood up and started backing away. "Oh no. I am never playing that game with you ever again! There is something seriously wrong with either you or that game and you're my best friend so I'm going to say it's the game."

"We could always play one of the other games," Hermione suggested.

"Like what? Cluedo? Easy answer: if Harry didn't kill whoever it was himself then he hired someone to do it. Life? Harry will have us assassinated. There's no reasoning with him!" Ron burst out.

"Hey," Harry said, mildly annoyed. "I thought you said you weren't blaming me."

Ron drew back, surprised. "I'm not."

"I really don't want to see what it looks like when you do then," Harry muttered.

"There's always Scr-" Hermione started to say.

"It's just never going to happen, Hermione," Harry cut her off.

"Hey, I know!" Ron exclaimed suddenly. "Let's play Quidditch!"

"Brilliant!" Harry declared, jumping up. "Race you!"

As they ran off, Hermione rolled her eyes and began cleaning up the board. She still didn't have any work to be doing so she'd probably just end up going to the library or something.

She wished, not for the first time, that Hogwarts was capable of electricity. But then, given how board games were apparently beyond the grasp of wizards that would probably be a disaster of epic proportions.

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