With detention officially canceled, Alexander thought his evenings would finally return to peaceful freedom.
He was wrong.
Because Cho had plans.
One Afternoon, she dragged him by the sleeve into the Hogwarts Library and dropped a stack of books in front of him.
"We are studying."
Alexander blinked slowly.
He had already reread every second-year textbook twice.
He had memorized spell variations, theory expansions, wand movement refinements — even optional footnotes most students ignored.
Getting first place was already guaranteed.
But… he still stayed.
Because Cho asked.
So he sat beside her, posture straight, notes organized, answering questions, reviewing theory, and acting like the perfect model Ravenclaw student.
Which technically he was.
Soon enough, exam week arrived.
The atmosphere across Hogwarts shifted from lively to tense overnight.
Students whispered formulas while walking.
Others looked like they were marching toward execution rather than written tests.
Alexander, meanwhile, finished most exams early and spent the extra time double-checking answers he already knew were correct.
When results came in…
Alexander Chen once again received Outstanding (O) in every single subject.
Across the staff table, Snape reviewed the results twice — visibly surprised himself.
Alexander had brewed a perfect potion and got all the questions right on the written exam.
Cho's results were nearly perfect.
Outstanding in everything.
Except for Potions class.
She received an Exceeds Expectations (E).
She stared at the parchment in frustration.
"It's not fair…"
Alexander tilted his head.
"You still did well."
"We only had one Potions class this year," she said. "The only time I could practice was with you. It's not fair that you can brew whenever you want."
He shrugged lightly.
"Resource advantage."
She sighed.
Across Ravenclaw House, second-years performed strongly overall.
Most earned O's and E's in Charms and Transfiguration.
But Potions told a different story.
Many struggled.
A few got Exceeds Expectations (E).
But most of the second-year students got Acceptable (A).
Only Alexander achieved an Outstanding (O).
Some might say it was his fault for them having only one potions class this year.
But no one actually blamed him; they knew how busy and smart he was.
They could only blame themselves.
Alexander was the undisputed number one student again.
Later, while Alexander and Cho sat discussing grades and exam highlights.
A familiar poltergeist dropped from the ceiling.
"Report, Young Master Chen!"
Peeves saluted mid-air dramatically.
Alexander didn't even look surprised.
"Well?"
"The trio went to Hagrid's cabin," Peeves whispered gleefully. "And Headmaster Dumbledore is no longer in the castle!"
Alexander's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Good work."
He reached into his robe and handed Peeves a small parchment slip.
"I'll be receiving a package later. Intercept the owl — it's yours."
Peeves' grin stretched ear to ear.
"Thank you, Young Master Chen! Peeves will leave now!"
He vanished instantly.
Cho blinked slowly.
"…What's going on?"
Alexander stood, already gathering his things.
"I'll tell you later."
She crossed her arms.
"You're busy today, aren't you?"
He leaned down, kissed her cheek lightly, and smiled.
"Very."
Then he ran off toward the castle corridors.
Cho watched him go, shaking her head with a small smile.
Then she turned back toward the Ravenclaw tables to join the others — ready to celebrate exam results while her boyfriend quietly prepared for whatever came next.