The next morning, Alexander woke up early.
He remembered to shower and change into new clothes, and he walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
The moment he sat down with Cho at the Ravenclaw table.
Alexander immediately noticed something.
Everyone was whispering.
Students kept glancing at him.
"Did you see the trials yesterday?"
"I heard Chen blocked almost everything."
"He's the substitute Keeper now!"
Some students even leaned over trying to ask questions.
Alexander quietly continued eating his breakfast while Cho tried not to laugh.
Just when Alexander thought the attention couldn't get worse—
Two familiar voices shouted across the hall.
"Oi! Chen!"
Fred Weasley and George Weasley walked into the hall dramatically.
They immediately sat across from Alexander.
Fred slammed his hand on the table.
"You can play Quidditch!"
George continued loudly.
"Over the summer, you barely played with us!"
Fred pointed accusingly at him.
"You mostly watched!"
George gasped dramatically.
"How dare you hide your skills!"
Fred raised his goblet.
"Now we can finally play Quidditch with you next summer."
George leaned closer with a mischievous grin.
"We hope you can dodge Bludgers."
Fred nodded seriously.
"Because we're aiming only for you."
George burst out laughing.
"Fred, wouldn't it be funny to see him get hit?"
Fred raised his goblet again.
"Exactly!"
"Cheers to our sweet revenge!"
Several students nearby burst out laughing.
Alexander sighed deeply.
"Guys… I'm only a substitute."
"I might not even play."
The twins ignored him completely.
They kept teasing him for another minute before running off laughing, before Alexander could get annoyed.
Cho giggled beside him.
"You deserve that."
Alexander shook his head.
"Those two are going to become a problem."
Just before breakfast ended, Flitwick approached the Ravenclaw table.
"Mr. Chen!"
Alexander looked up.
"Yes, Professor?"
Flitwick smiled brightly.
"I heard about the Quidditch trials. Congratulations on joining the team."
Alexander scratched the back of his head.
"Thank you, Professor."
"Though I'm only a substitute."
Flitwick chuckled.
"Even so, Ravenclaw is fortunate to have you."
After speaking briefly, Flitwick returned to the teachers' table.
Alexander finished eating, said goodbye to Cho, and immediately ran off to practice spells and continue reading.
By dinner time, the rumors had spread across the entire school.
The Great Hall buzzed with conversation.
"Chen is an amazing Keeper."
"Why is he only a substitute?"
"This year, Ravenclaw might actually win."
"Don't forget Slytherin."
"They just got brand new brooms."
Students kept whispering.
"They all got Nimbus 2001 brooms."
Alexander calmly ate while Cho looked nervous.
He noticed immediately.
"You're worried about the Slytherin brooms, aren't you?"
Cho sighed.
"Yes… their whole team upgraded."
Alexander shrugged casually.
"Don't worry."
"I already talked to my mom."
Cho blinked.
"What?"
Alexander kept eating.
"She's already planning to buy the Ravenclaw team new brooms."
Cho nearly choked on her drink.
"No!"
"That's too expensive!"
"Don't do that!"
Alexander calmly reached into his bag and pulled out a sealed letter.
"Too late."
"I already wrote the letter."
"I'll send it in a bit."
Cho's eyes widened.
She immediately tried to snatch the letter.
Alexander quickly stood up and hugged her to stop her.
Then he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
Cho froze in embarrassment.
Several nearby students gasped.
Whispers exploded across the hall.
Alexander used the moment to escape.
He laughed and ran out of the hall toward the Owlery.
Cho's face turned red as the gossip spread around the hall.
She quickly stood up and ran after him.
Alexander had just sent the owl flying into the evening sky when he heard footsteps.
Cho was running toward him.
He prepared himself.
He thought she might give him a light punch for sending the letter.
Instead—
She ran straight into his arms.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"For always thinking about me."
Alexander smiled.
"It's only money."
"I have plenty."
He shrugged casually.
"And if I ever run low…"
He grinned mischievously.
"I'll just rob one of the pureblood families and get rich again."
Cho stared at him for a second.
Then they both burst out laughing.
After calming down, Alexander walked her back toward Ravenclaw Tower.
When they reached the entrance, he kissed her goodbye.
"Goodnight."
Then he turned and ran off again.
Back to practicing spells.
And reading late into the night.