After Halloween…
Hogwarts returned to normal.
At least on the surface.
The decorations came down.
Floating pumpkins disappeared.
Candles stopped turning green when Snape entered.
Skeletons went back into the recreation room.
And the legend of the Evil Ghost slowly faded into exaggerated storytelling.
Students still talked about it…
But fear no longer ruled the corridors.
To everyone else, October had ended.
To Alexander—
It had only sharpened his focus.
He began paying closer attention to Professor Blackwood.
Alexander watched the way Blackwood taught.
Precise wand movements.
Too precise.
He watched how he walked the corridors.
Measured steps.
Silent.
He noted the books Blackwood carried.
The times he left the staff table early.
The corridors felt colder after he passed.
But weeks went by…
And nothing happened.
Detention had finally stopped.
Filch still glared at Alexander like a personal nemesis…
But had no reason to drag him into punishment anymore.
Fred and George, however, refused to let quiet nights exist.
So the trio continued their nightly adventures.
Hide-and-seek escalated into:
Staircase evasion routes
Portrait bribery networks
Torchlight shadow camouflage
At one point, they hid inside a moving suit of armor for twenty minutes while Filch walked past.
George called it "tactical suffering."
Alexander called it "educational."
Snape still did nothing.
No point deductions.
No detentions.
No verbal attacks.
Which somehow felt more threatening than if he had.
The death glares remained, though.
Consistent.
Comforting, in a strange way.
Blackwood, meanwhile, behaved exactly like a textbook professor.
Professional.
Calm.
Controlled.
No mistakes.
No slipups.
But Alexander could feel it.
A quiet certainty sits in the back of his mind.
Blackwood was planning something.
Something big.
The cold trace of magic hadn't disappeared…
It had simply gone dormant.
Waiting.
And Alexander hated not knowing.
One December morning, snowy light filtered through the Great Hall windows.
Owls swooped in overhead, dropping letters and parcels across tables.
One barn owl landed directly in front of Alexander.
He removed the letter calmly and opened it while sipping tea.
Cho sat beside him, curious but polite enough not to lean over immediately.
Alexander read silently.
Dear Our Wonderful Son Alex,
We are sorry, but you will have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas.
Your dad and I will be travelling on Ministry business and cannot bring you along.
If there is anything you want for Christmas, let us know, and we will get it for you.
Love,
Mom and Dad
Alexander stared at the letter for a moment.
He didn't burn it.
Didn't crumple it either.
Instead, he set it down carefully.
Then reached into his bag.
Pulling out parchment.
Quill.
Ink.
Cho watched with growing curiosity as he began writing immediately.
He wrote smoothly.
Dear Lovable Parents,
I am sad to find out that we will not meet for Christmas.
It has been a long time since I've seen your faces.
It feels like I do not even remember them anymore.
For this lonely Christmas, I would like notes on how to use Protego and the advanced spell Protego Diabolica.
Also, Confringo, along with Obliviate.
Even better if you can teach me Apparition along with Fiendfyre.
In the end, Disillusionment Charm is what I really want. If I don't get it. I will swear I will absolutely not break into the restricted area in the library to find the spell.
As you know, I am a safe and reliable student.
I will use these spells to defend against the Death Eaters at Hogwarts.
Your loving child,
Alex
Alexander leaned back, appreciating his own letter like a finished art piece.
Cho had slowly leaned closer while he wrote.
By the end…
She was staring at him.
"…Do you really need all those spells?"
Alexander looked at her.
"No."
Cho blinked.
"No?"
He tapped the parchment lightly.
"I only asked for some extreme ones to make the other spells seem less dangerous."
Realization dawned on her face.
"You're negotiating… through spell escalation?"
Alexander smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
Cho laughed despite herself.
"That's terrifying."
Alexander rolled the parchment, sealed it, and stood up.
Cho smiled slightly and said.
"You're actually sending that?"
He paused beside the bench.
"Of course."
"And the Death Eater part?"
Alexander's expression didn't change.
"Half joke."
He turned and walked off.
"…Half not."
Cho watched him leave, unsure if he was serious.
Snow drifted outside the Owlery as Alexander tied the letter to the barn owl's leg.
The bird hooted softly before taking flight into the winter sky.
Alexander rested his arms on the stone railing afterward.
Watching the clouds.
Thinking.
The castle was quieter now.
Calmer.
But that cold trace of magic still lingered faintly in the air.
Dormant.
Waiting.
And somewhere below…
Professor Adrian Blackwood continued planning whatever it was he was planning.
Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Christmas at Hogwarts…"
He exhaled slowly.
Because if Blackwood was planning something big—
A half-empty castle would be the perfect time to do it.