Just like that, the first week of October passed.
When it reached Saturday, no one was talking about the Chamber of Secrets anymore.
The fear that had briefly spread across the school had completely disappeared. Between the constant pranks, enchanted pumpkins gossiping, and Peeves flying around throwing fireworks, the students had too many other things to focus on.
Alexander occasionally heard the basilisk moving through the pipes deep within the castle.
The long scraping sound echoed faintly through the stone walls, but Alexander didn't care.
Instead, he thought to himself.
Get healthy, my little pet. You will be mine eventually.
Thanks to Peeves, enchanted photographs of Alexander's duel with Lockhart were now circulating throughout the school.
With the help of Fred Weasley and George Weasley, the photos were quickly duplicated and sold.
The moment students saw the photos of Lockhart tripping over himself and getting knocked unconscious by his own spells, they couldn't stop laughing.
The twins made a ridiculous amount of money.
Lee Jordan had completely fallen in love with the Evil Ghost prank, and almost every evening he would go to prank other students.
Most older students had already gotten used to it.
They were more annoyed than anything else. Getting silence, tripping, and fog blocking their path.
Only the first years were still easily frightened.
Meanwhile, Filch and Mrs. Norris had started acting much nicer toward Alexander.
After all, he did save Mrs. Norris' life.
The Dueling Club had also gained many new members after the duel with Lockhart.
In fact, the Great Hall had become too crowded.
Because the Dueling Club had too many members.
The professors redesigned several abandoned classrooms to make one huge Dueling Club room.
The renovation would be finished by Monday.
Alexander had already gone to inspect the room.
It was enormous.
Training areas with practice targets, dueling platforms, and more than enough open space for everything.
Alexander couldn't help but feel impressed.
Once again, magic proved it could accomplish almost anything.
Alexander's duel with Lockhart sparked a surge of interest in charms and transfiguration classes.
Many students still talked about the stone soldiers and the giant barrier spell.
After breakfast that morning, the upperclassmen began preparing for their trip to Hogsmeade.
Alexander felt a little excited as it was his first time going.
He and Cho had planned to go together.
Alexander had secretly instructed Silver and Copper to remain hidden and take photographs of the trip.
When they arrived in the village of Hogsmeade, the streets were already filled with Hogwarts students.
Their first stop was Honeydukes.
The moment Alexander walked in, he noticed it was extremely crowded.
Shelves were filled with colorful sweets, chocolate, and magical candy.
Alexander bought a huge bag full of sweets for himself and Cho.
Acid Pops.
Cauldron Cakes.
Chocolate Frogs.
And many other sweets.
Cho tried to pay for some of them.
Alexander shook his head.
"I have money. If I ever become poor, then you can pay."
Cho laughed.
"Deal."
After that, they made a quick stop at Zonko's Joke Shop.
Alexander mostly wanted to see if there were any interesting magical prank items.
The shop was full of strange magical products, but nothing caught his interest.
After browsing, they headed to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.
This was the famous date spot.
The tea shop was small and overly decorated with pink ribbons, floating hearts, and frilly curtains.
They ordered tea and cake.
Cho clearly enjoyed the place.
Alexander mostly focused on enjoying the quiet moment with her.
Time quickly passed as they enjoyed cake and tea. Alexander checked the time.
"It's getting late," he said. "We're supposed to meet the twins and the others at The Three Broomsticks."
Cho nodded.
They left the tea shop and walked through the village holding hands.
Inside the Three Broomsticks, they found the twins along with several Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students.
Everyone was laughing and talking loudly.
Butterbeer mugs were everywhere.
Alexander and Cho joined the conversation easily.
They joked, shared stories, and relaxed for a while.
Eventually, the sky began growing darker.
It was time to return to the castle.
The students walked back toward Hogwarts Castle together.
Once they arrived back inside Hogwarts, Alexander and Cho headed toward the Ravenclaw common room.
Before anyone could notice, Alexander quietly cast a Disillusionment Charm and a silent spell.
He then handed Cho most of the sweets he had bought earlier from Honeydukes.
Alexander pulled her into a hug.
Then he gave her a long kiss.
After a moment, they stopped kissing. He pressed his forehead against hers.
"Thank you," he said.
"I really needed this. I've been too stressed lately."
He gave her another quick kiss and looked into her eyes warmly.
"Let's do this every week if you want."
Cho smiled happily.
"I would love to."
They hugged for a moment longer.
Eventually, they separated and went off to freshen up before dinner.