Ever since March began…
Alexander Chen had been busy.
Very busy.
Not with chaos.
Not with pranks.
But with teaching.
Most evenings followed a routine now.
After dinner—
Students gathered in the Ravenclaw Common Room.
Wands ready.
Notebooks out.
Waiting.
Alexander would arrive with Cho beside him…
And occasionally the Weasley twins would sneak in and lurk nearby, asking if they were joining them tonight.
Because they used to go out everynight but now he was busy with teaching.
The four of them still went on their hide-and-seek adventures—
Dodging Filch.
Evading Mrs. Norris.
Casting Silencio at strategic moments.
Cho had gotten frighteningly good at it.
But those nights were rarer now.
Because Alexander's "spell sessions" consumed most evenings.
After one full month of training—
The results showed.
Every Ravenclaw first-year he taught could cast Lumos and Nox efficiently.
Clean activation.
Instant shutdown.
No flickering.
No wand shaking.
As for Protego—
They weren't masters…
But they could form shields.
Thin.
Shaky.
Sometimes collapsing after one hit—
But functional.
It was real progress.
Alexander approved.
With the basics stabilized—
He introduced a new spell.
"Reparo."
Students leaned forward eagerly.
"The Mending Charm," Alexander explained.
"Repairs broken objects. Books, quills, glass, furniture."
He paused.
"…Which means I no longer have to fix everything you break."
Several students coughed awkwardly.
Because yes—
Common Room accidents had increased during training.
Broken ink bottles.
Cracked tables.
Shattered practice targets.
Alexander had been repairing everything himself.
Not anymore.
He demonstrated.
A snapped quill floated up.
"Reparo."
It fused seamlessly back together.
Students gasped.
Practical magic always impressed them more than combat spells.
They practiced eagerly—
Fixing torn parchment.
Mending cracked mugs.
Repairing chipped wand stands.
The Common Room slowly became…
Less damaged.
Alexander considered that a personal victory.
Ravenclaw improvement did not go unnoticed.
Especially not by their Head of House.
Professor Flitwick had been observing quietly for weeks.
He noticed:
Cleaner spellwork.
Better posture.
Faster casting response.
Unusual for first-years.
One afternoon during Charms—
He finally asked.
"My, my… Ravenclaw first-years seem exceptionally polished lately. Anyone care to explain?"
The students all pointed at the same time.
Toward Alexander.
Who was casually writing a letter mid-class.
Flitwick blinked.
Then floated over.
"Mr. Chen… have you been helping the first-years with spellwork?"
Alexander calmly folded his letter and put it away.
"Yes, Professor."
"And why might you be doing that?"
"They asked for help. I had free time. As a star student, assisting classmates is what I should do."
Cho, sitting beside him—
Giggled.
His roommates snorted.
Flitwick didn't understand the humor—
But he was delighted.
"Marvelous initiative!"
He clapped his hands.
"Twenty points to Ravenclaw!"
The class perked up instantly.
"Keep this up, Mr. Chen. When you're older, you should absolutely join the Dueling Club."
He leaned closer, voice excited—
"If you wish… I would be happy to train you personally to become a dueling champion!"
Alexander nodded politely.
"Yes, Professor."
Flitwick beamed before floating off to assist other students.
Alexander, however…
Had a bad feeling.
A very bad feeling.
Because praise spread.
And praise created rumors.
Within days—
Whispers circulated across Hogwarts.
"Chen teaches combat shields."
"He runs private spell classes."
"Ravenclaw first-years are training like second-years."
"He's basically a substitute Defense professor."
Alexander knew where this was going.
And he did not like it.
After dinner one evening—
Students from other houses approached him.
Gryffindors first.
"Hey Chen, could you teach us Protego too?"
Then Hufflepuffs.
"We heard you run training sessions."
Even Slytherins lingered nearby, pretending not to care.
Alexander closed his book slowly.
"I'm only a first-year."
They waited.
"I'm helping Ravenclaw because they asked first."
More waiting.
"If I have extra time on weekends… I might assist others."
He stood up and left before they could press further.
Once out of sight—
He muttered under his breath.
"…Stupid Ravenclaws."
Cho laughed beside him.
"You're the one who taught them well."
"That wasn't the problem."
"The rumor?"
"Yes."
He sighed.
Now his peaceful month of April had turned into…
Teaching demand is overflowing.
Back in the Common Room—
His roommates greeted him.
"So… Professor Chen, how many new students today?"
He glared.
"Say that again, and I'm canceling Reparo lessons."
They shut up instantly.
Cho just smiled quietly.
Despite his complaints—
Alexander continued teaching.
Because he had already committed.
And because—
Truthfully—
He wanted Ravenclaw to be strong.
He didn't want helpless bystanders.
He wanted capable allies.
Later that night—
As students practiced shields across the Common Room—
Alexander watched silently from his chair.
Cho successfully deflected a jinx beside him.
He nodded in approval.
Reputation inflation aside—
The results spoke for themselves.
Ravenclaw first-years were no longer weak beginners.
They were trained.
Disciplined.
Improving daily.
Alexander exhaled slowly.
As long as they worked hard.
He supposed he could tolerate them.
For now.