Since his one week of Protego training was over—
Peace ended.
Immediately.
The very next morning…
Alexander Chen was once again dragged out of bed by two unstoppable forces of nature.
Fred and George Weasley.
"Training complete?"
"Great. Chaos resumes."
Before Alexander could even protest—
He was already being pulled down the road once again towards the Burrow.
And just like that—
His quiet study week was replaced by a summer of noise, laughter, and explosions.
The days settled into a strange but enjoyable rhythm.
Mornings—
Sometimes spell practice.
Alexander continued refining his Protego variants.
Casting layered shields.
Testing durability.
Learning how long he could maintain large barriers without exhaustion.
Fred and George occasionally helped…
Usually, by throwing spells at his shields to "stress test" them.
Their definition of help was questionable.
But effective.
Afternoons—
Always at the Burrow.
Garden games.
Gnome tossing competitions.
Prank planning for next school year.
Motion picture rewatch sessions of Hogwarts Chaos.
Ron joined them often.
Ginny, too—though she mostly watched, laughed, and occasionally snitched on the twins to Mrs. Weasley.
Alexander found himself laughing more than he had in years.
The Burrow was loud.
Messy.
Unpredictable.
But warm.
Then came something new.
Something that changed the entire summer dynamic.
One evening—
The Chen family invited the Weasley family over for dinner.
As soon as they arrived. Alexander told Mr. Weasley to meet his father in the backyard.
The moment he stepped into the Chen backyard and saw—
The grill.
The charcoal.
The smoke was rising into the evening air.
His eyes lit up like a child in a candy store.
"A device… specifically for cooking outdoors?" he asked in awe.
Jonathan Chen laughed.
"Not just cooking. Grilling."
He showed Arthur how it worked.
How to use charcoal for grilling.
How meat seared.
How the seasoning was applied.
How timing mattered.
Arthur was fascinated by every step.
He had only read about it from Muggles, but he never experienced it himself.
By the time the first batch of grilled meat was ready—
He was completely sold.
Then came the final cultural addition.
Beer.
Arthur took one sip.
Paused.
Then nodded deeply in approval.
"A remarkable Muggle tradition."
Jonathan laughed loudly.
"Right? Now imagine this every Sunday."
Arthur didn't need convincing.
And so—
A new summer tradition was born.
Every Sunday.
Cookout Day.
The Chen and Weasley families gathered together weekly.
The dads handled the grill.
Discussing work.
Muggle gadgets.
Ministry stories.
Cooking techniques.
Arthur became obsessed with grill mechanics.
He even asked if there was a way to enchant one.
Jonathan firmly said Yes but that takes away the fun.
The moms prepared side dishes.
Salads.
Noodles.
Rice dishes.
Vegetables.
Desserts.
Eleanor introduced Mrs. Weasley to Asian-American recipes.
Mrs. Weasley eagerly took notes.
By the third cookout—
She was already experimenting.
The kids helped set up.
Then immediately ran off to play.
Spell practice.
Gnome tossing rematches.
Occasional prank testing (far from the grill after one warning incident).
After sunset—
Everyone gathered to eat together.
Laughing.
Talking.
Sharing stories.
Alexander often sat quietly during those moments—
Just observing.
Feeling something warm settle in his chest.
This summer…
Was far more enjoyable than he expected.
Every few days—
He wrote letters to Cho.
Updating her on the chaos.
The twins.
The cookouts.
The gnomes.
She wrote back just as often.
Her letters were elegant.
She said she missed him, too.
That her summer was quieter—
But she enjoyed hearing about his.
One letter made him pause.
"Next summer, my family should come visit. I want to try one of these cookouts, too."
Alexander smiled while reading it.
He could already imagine how fun it would be.
Time passed quickly.
One morning—
Owls arrived.
Multiple.
Swooping down in synchronized formation.
Hogwarts letters.
School supply lists.
Term notices.
The signal that summer was ending.
The second year for Alexander was approaching.
Mrs. Weasley approached him later that day.
"We're going to Diagon Alley soon for school shopping. Would you like to join us, dear?"
Alexander smiled politely.
"Thank you for the invite, Mrs. Weasley… but Mom and I will go together another time."
She tilted her head gently.
"Oh?"
He nodded.
"It's our little bonding time. Mother and son tradition."
Mrs. Weasley's expression softened instantly.
Touched.
"That's very sweet of you."
She patted his shoulder warmly.
"Family time is important."
A few days later—
Alexander and Eleanor set out together.
Just the two of them.
Diagon Alley awaited.