It Simply Isn't Just ((Sapphire))

[Lenora Byers]

Lenora sat at the Gryffindor table eating her breakfast with the words of Cordelia running through her mind. “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your majesty according to my bond; no more nor less.” They had no real meaning in her life at the moment, but they were wonderful words. It was unfair that King Lear had forced the girl’s to compete for his love and land. It was also unfair that Goneril and Regan to do it. So she supposed it did have meaning; life isn’t fair but you can't just give in and do the wrong thing just to get what you want. Those sentiments are part of what made her so proud to be a Gryffindor. As she finished the last of her strawberries she spun around on the bench and stood up. Gliding out of the great hall with her book bag at her side Lenora headed to the Student Lounge.

Lenora leaned against the door to the Lounge and spun into the room. Humming she plopped down onto the couch before the fire. She glanced around the empty room and smiled realising how early it was. Lenora had always been a morning person and enjoyed the quiet. Opening her book bag Lenora withdrew a book she had gotten in the library and began to read.

[Sapphire Phoenix R7]

It was an early Saturday morning, and most people were enjoying a lie-in. Sapphire, however, was up and about early - she had a busy day ahead of her and wanted to be able to have some time to enjoy herself before she started work. She breakfasted leisurely, having dressed in jeans and a blue top with three-quarter-length sleeves, with her school cloak on top. She made her way to the Student Lounge, as the Ravenclaw Common Room was usually horrendously busy around this time of day, as people met up before going down to breakfast. Sapphire picked up a game of wizard chess from the cupboard. It was something she hadn't tried her hand at much. Whist was her game.

Now all she needed was someone to try it out with. She could see only one other person in the room, so she boldly made her way over to her, as she recognised her as a fellow fourth year, Lenora Byers. Sapphire knew the names of most of the Gryffindors in her year. Zara had pointed them out to her. She opened the box, causing a white pawn to stare up at her cheekily. Sapphire spoke to the Gryffindor, hoping that she was aware of her presence.
"Want a game?" she asked. "I've never played before, so I could do with a bit of guidance or at least another person to play." She smiled, and then remembered that she had forgotten something. "Oh! I'm sorry!" she said. "I'm Sapphire. I don't know if you knew that anyway." Sapphire toyed with the pawn, which glared at her, and she waited for an answer.

((Sorry for the long long wait. Very sorry. But Sapphire is starting to creep back into existence now, anyway.))

[Lenora Byers]

Lenora had only been reading a short while before the doors swung upon and another fourth year walked in. So absorbed was Lenora in her book though that she didn’t notice until the girl spoke. She asked Lenora if she wanted a game and Lenora turned around startled. She noticed the girl had a game of wizards chess in her hands as she mentioned she had never played before then apologized and introduced herself as Sapphire. “Hey, sure. I'm Lenora by the way. And beware I'm not the greatest player in the world either, only played once or twice, but I can try right.” Lenora said with a grin while putting the bookmarker in between the pages and replacing her book in her bag.

Lenora moved over on the couch to give Sapphire some room and began taking the pieces out of the box for her. “Would you rather be white or black?” she asked as she watched a knight prance around the coffee table she was placing them down on. She laughed at the little guy then looked up at Sapphire. “Gosh the muggle don't know what they’re missing eh. My friends from my old school would flip if they saw that.”<br>

[Sapphire Phoenix R7]

Sapphire grinned at Lenora as she accepted and set the board down in the space the other fourth year had provided. She set the box down on the table on front of them and started to take the chess pieces out, setting them in their positions on the board, where most of them stood about restlessly, the black king scratched his beard and some of the chess pieces jeered threateningly at the two girls. Sapphire smiled at the Gryffindor as she said she hadn't played much. "Well, I believe you have the advantage on me in that case," she said, "since I've only played a full game once. And I'll be black, if you don't mind. White moves first if I recall correctly and I wouldn't know where to move."

Sapphire raised her eyebrows just a little as Lenora commented on what the Muggle attitude would be to wizard chess. Sapphire nodded non-committally at her fellow fourth year. She had got by without it living with her mother. Some of her school-friends from Russia had been rather good chess-players, but Sapphire had never ventured to learn before, and it seemed a good way to fill the Saturday morning doing something constructive. "I'm not sure I've actually played wizard chess before," she said. "I've only played with a Muggle chessboard. But it's not different is it, except for that the pieces can move themselves?"