The next morning Alexander woke early.
Sitting at his desk, he sorted through the stack of enchanted photographs from the previous night.
He made copies to keep.
Made copies to gave to his roommates.
He made copies and tucked them away in a separate envelope.
The rest he put in his pouch for the entrepreneurial redheads.
Once satisfied, he headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
He barely sat down before it happened.
The twins.
Like hunting dogs catching a scent, they locked onto him instantly. A few students scattered as Fred and George sprinted across the hall with alarming speed.
They slid into the seats in front of him without invitation.
"Morning, partner in crime," Fred grinned.
"Got the goods?" George added, eyes gleaming.
Alexander didn't even look up from his plate as he calmly poured syrup over his pancakes.
He reached into his pouch, pulled out the stack of enchanted photographs, and handed them over.
"Here," he said. "Keep them. Sell them. Burn them. They're yours."
Both twins froze for half a second—processing the generosity.
Then Alexander added, completely deadpan:
"Now go away. I want to enjoy breakfast with my girlfriend."
Cho, sitting beside him, nearly choked on her juice.
They waited one second.
Two second.
And shockingly the twins didn't tease them.
They grabbed the photos and bolted.
Alexander had exactly seven peaceful seconds of breakfast before chaos erupted across the hall.
The twins had climbed onto a bench at the Gryffindor table like street vendors in Diagon Alley.
Fred cupped his hands and shouted:
"Step right up!"
George followed louder:
"Exclusive enchanted photographs!"
Fred: "The Troll Slayer in action!"
George: "Our prodigy, star student—Alexander Chen—taking down the terrifying mountain troll!"
Students' heads snapped up across all four tables.
Another nickname had been born.
The Troll Slayer.
Coins were already exchanging hands as the twins began mass-producing copies on the spot, their sales pitch growing more dramatic by the second.
"Limited edition!"
"Moving pictures!"
"Watch the exact moment of impact!"
"Five Sickles! Ten if you want the slow-motion version!"
It was not peaceful commerce.
It was a feeding frenzy.
Alexander didn't even turn around.
He simply cut into his pancakes.
Cho leaned closer, whispering, half-amused:
"You're just going to ignore that?"
"Yes."
"They're calling you Troll Slayer."
"Yes."
"They're making a lot of money."
"Yes."
She studied him for a second, then smiled softly.
"You really don't care about the rumors, do you?"
Alexander took a sip of pumpkin juice.
"Nope."
After breakfast, the two of them walked together to send letters home.
They selected a few of the safer photographs—along with one carefully chosen enchanted photograph that showed the aftermath rather than the full fight.
Cho laughed while sealing hers.
"Our parents are going to think Hogwarts is completely insane again."
"They wouldn't be wrong again," Alexander replied.
They walked to the Owlery together, sending the letters and photos off into the bright morning sky.
By midday, the rumors had already spread.
Students whispered in corridors.
First-years stared at him like he was some legendary duelist.
A few even asked for autographs.
The title stuck fast:
Alexander Chen — The Troll Slayer.
He ignored all of it.
He and Cho practiced spells in an unused classroom, refining wand control, timing, and casting efficiency. No audience. No titles. No noise.
Just the two of them improving together.
By evening, the castle had moved on to new gossip—as it always did.
But the photographs?
Those would circulate for years.