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Ginny jumped, and twisted in her chair. "H... Harry! You're early!"

Genkai tapped Ginny's elbow with her knuckle. "Play, girl." Ginny went faintly red, and hastily turned back to the game. It seemed to be in progress already, lumpy pieces scattered all about the board. They moved at a dizzying pace, white-black-white, three pieces scooting across the board before Ginny could catch one.

... wait. Ron was unconscious. Who was playing the game?

"What's going on?" Harry asked, as Ginny caught a small black blob... a pawn, probably... and moved it. The game came to a quivering halt, almost as if dazed.

Genkai snorted approvingly. "Miss Weasley owled me this morning," she said, gaze sharply focused on the pieces shifting to recognizeable forms. "She wanted to know if the game... which she noticed in this state yesterday... might have something to do with his current malady."

Harry's heart leapt into his throat. "... and?" he managed.

A curt nod. "I'll be surprised if it's not. Though what on earth Mr. Weasley could have found so important as to attempt to use a strategic game to aid in abstract thinking, I'd like to know," she added, bitingly.

"Is that bad?" Harry asked.

She jerked her chin at the hospital bed. "What do you think?" she asked wryly. Harry had no answer to that, but Genkai didn't seem to expect one. "I can't imagine why else his game would be working. Usually you have to be conscious to expend magic..." she trailed off, scowling. "Unless he's being purposely drained, but in that case he'd be dead by now." She shook her head. "No. This has to be his own doing."

"But... how?"

"I flat-out told you kids core magic was dangerous," Genkai said. "Malfoy even proved my point. Reckless kids."

A Good Offense, Chapter 6