When the boys finally came downstairs, the house was already lively.
Voices, laughter, and the smell of grilled food filled the Burrow.
Alexander immediately noticed familiar faces.
His parents had arrived.
So had Hermione's parents.
The dads were outside by the grill.
Mr. Weasley was enthusiastically pointing at the tools while talking nonstop, while Mr. Granger listened with curiosity, occasionally asking questions.
Mr. Weasley's fascination with anything Muggle was in full force.
Meanwhile, the moms were in the kitchen finishing dishes and organizing food.
After a bit, the kids stepped in to help set the table.
Plates, utensils, drinks—everything was arranged neatly.
But as Alexander sat down, he noticed something.
Three empty chairs.
He tilted his head.
Who else is coming?
Knock. Knock.
The twins immediately looked at him.
"Let Alex get the door."
"Yeah—let him."
Alexander narrowed his eyes suspiciously but went anyway.
As he opened the door—
He froze.
Then broke into a wide smile.
Without thinking, he pulled her into a hug and spun her around.
Cho laughed.
"I'm happy to see you too—but can you put me down? This is embarrassing… everyone is looking at us."
Alexander blinked—suddenly aware of the audience behind him.
He quickly set her down.
"Ahem… Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Chang."
They smiled politely and greeted him back.
Trying to recover his composure, Alexander led them inside.
Everyone gathered around the table soon after.
The atmosphere was warm and cheerful.
Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger quickly fell into deep conversation.
Mr. Weasley was fascinated by dentistry, electricity, and currency systems.
Mr. Granger, still relatively new to the magical world, had endless questions in return.
It was like watching two scholars discovering each other's worlds.
Across the table, Hermione listened while occasionally correcting details.
In the middle of the meal, Alexander spoke to Cho.
"After dinner, there's something I want to show you."
Cho looked curious but smiled.
"Okay, but let's focus on eating first."
Alexander laughed. "Fair enough."
Conversation flowed naturally again.
He shared more stories about America and once again passed around photo albums.
Laughter erupted at several pictures—especially the action shots from duels and magical mishaps.
At one point, Alexander turned toward Hermione's father.
"Mr. Granger, do you need help exchanging currency?"
Mr. Granger nodded.
"Yes, but there's a limit on how much we can exchange at the bank."
Alexander chuckled.
"Just tell my dad the amount. We'll give you premium exchange rates."
Mr. Chen nodded casually.
"Alex is right, if you want to exchange currency, just let me know the amount."
Mr. Granger waved his hands quickly.
"No, no—that would be too much trouble."
Before Alexander could respond.
The twins jumped in.
"Mr. Granger, you don't have to worry!"
"They're rich! Exchange everything!"
"Yeah, Hermione needs new robes and extra textbooks anyway!"
They burst out laughing.
Hermione groaned in embarrassment.
Mr. Granger looked confused.
Alexander smiled and said.
"Don't worry... we have plenty of money. Right, Dad?"
Mr. Chen smiled.
"I wouldn't say we're rich… but we are well off. A little currency exchange is no problem."
He added warmly.
"As Alex said, we'll give you premium exchange rates."
Mr. Granger, seeing how everyone was behaving, finally laughed.
"Well… in that case, thank you."
The rest of dinner passed in joy:
Stories shared
Jokes exchanged
Parents bonding
Kids teasing each other
It felt less like separate families—
And more like one large gathering bound by friendship.
And as the night continued, Alexander glanced towards Cho—
Remembering he still had something important to show her after the meal.