You didn’t know how to play chess. Big deal, right? You weren’t raised by pseudointellectuals whose only joy in life was classical music and the works of Plato. Your parents taught you real, useful skills — how to properly wash your clothes, how to fix a bike, and how to not starve when you’re on your own.

Regulus was a bit different. His parents valued useless stuff far more than anything else. So Regulus knew how to play piano, speak French (arguably useful because it sounds hot), and play chess.

Chess was Regulus’ favourite game (after Quidditch). It was elegant and seemed simple, but in actuality, it was complex, and it was a fun way to piss people off when they inevitably lost to him.

So when he asked you to play and you said you didn’t know how, he was shocked. Surprised. Appalled? Just really thrown off.

“I’ll teach you,” he said after a long pause. The chess set was already on the table in the Slytherin common room, anyway. Plus, it’s not like you were busy. Wood crackled in the fireplace as a warm smell of pine tree filled the room.