During breakfast inside the Great Hall, Alexander was quietly eating when Cho suddenly leaned closer to him.
"Hey," Cho said. "Are you coming to trials today?"
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
"Trials?"
Cho nodded excitedly.
"Yes! Quidditch trials. Everyone is expecting you to come.
Captain Adrian Smith is expecting you too. I told the whole team how talented you are."
She paused before adding,
"We really need a new Keeper."
Alexander calmly continued eating.
"I'll show up to support you," he said. "But I'm not playing."
Cho looked slightly disappointed, but she quickly smiled again.
"Okay. Thank you for coming."
She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before running off to change.
Alexander finished eating slowly.
He returned to Ravenclaw dormitory to freshen up.
After changing clothes and grabbing his cloak, he made his way to the Quidditch Pitch.
When Alexander arrived, many students were already gathered.
There were dozens of people trying out for the team.
The only people he recognized were Cho and the captain, Adrian. The other students were unfamiliar, and Alexander honestly didn't bother remembering their names.
Students were flying around, taking turns attempting different positions.
Some attempted to score.
Some tried beating Bludgers.
Others attempted Keeper drills.
After watching for a while, Adrian's expression gradually turned disappointed.
He eventually flew down toward Alexander.
"Your turn," Adrian said.
Alexander blinked.
"My turn?"
Adrian nodded.
"You know how to play Keeper, right?"
Before Alexander could respond, Cho suddenly flew down beside them.
"Yes!" she said quickly. "Alexander knows how to play Keeper!"
Then she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward the rack of brooms.
Alexander sighed.
Since Cho had already said yes… he didn't really have a choice anymore.
He grabbed a broom and kicked it off the ground.
Moments later, he hovered in front of the three-goal hoops.
The tryouts began as one player threw a Quaffle toward the goal.
Alexander calmly swung his broom and smacked the Quaffle back toward the thrower.
The ball shot straight back.
The player barely caught it.
Several students blinked in surprise.
Another player attacked.
Alexander blocked again.
Another shot came.
Blocked.
Another.
Blocked.
Each time, Alexander either caught the Quaffle or knocked it away with precise broom movements. If he had time, he even smacked the ball back toward whoever threw it.
Students began whispering.
"That was fast."
"Did you see that?"
Adrian's eyes widened.
"Chen is amazing."
After a few minutes, Adrian shouted,
"Alright! Let's try Bludgers!"
Two Beaters stepped forward.
"Chen," Adrian called. "Make sure to dodge them."
Alexander shrugged.
"Mix in some Quaffles too."
"Otherwise it'll be too boring."
Several students grinned.
So, the drills began again.
A Bludger shot toward Alexander.
He tilted his broom and dodged easily.
At the same time, another player launched a Quaffle.
Alexander smacked it away.
Another Bludger flew toward him.
He twisted sideways and avoided it.
Another Quaffle came.
Blocked.
More balls started flying toward him.
Bludgers.
Quaffles.
Attacks from multiple directions.
Alexander calmly dodged the Bludgers while deflecting the Quaffles. Occasionally, one slipped through when too many were thrown at once, but he still blocked most of them effortlessly.
After several minutes, Adrian finally raised his hand.
"Stop!"
Everyone slowed down.
Adrian flew toward Alexander with an excited expression.
"Chen," he said firmly. "You're our new Keeper."
Alexander immediately shook his head.
"No."
"No?" Adrian blinked.
"I'm only here to support Cho," Alexander said.
He calmly flew down to the ground.
Cho landed beside him, smiling brightly.
"Come on," she said. "It'll be fun."
Alexander shook his head again.
"Usually, when you ask me for something, I would say yes."
"But I'm too busy to play Quidditch."
Cho frowned slightly.
"But you're so good at it."
They continued going back and forth.
What started as a simple discussion slowly began turning into an argument.
Adrian began feeling awkward.
He rubbed the back of his head before stepping in.
"What about being a substitute?" Adrian suggested. "If our Keeper gets hurt… would you fill in?"
Alexander thought about it.
Before he could answer—
"Yes, he will," Cho said quickly.
Alexander sighed deeply.
"Fine. Only because Cho said so."
The Ravenclaw team immediately cheered.
Adrian looked relieved.
Alexander walked over to the side of the field and sat down while the rest of the team continued tryouts.
Eventually, they selected a new Keeper.
His skills were decent, but nowhere near Alexander's level.
Later, Alexander and Cho walked back toward Hogwarts Castle.
Cho looked slightly embarrassed.
"Sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to get upset at you."
Alexander smiled.
"It's fine."
He looked at her.
"Actually… that was our first real argument."
Before she could respond, he leaned forward and kissed her.
"I'll never get upset at you."
Cho smiled and kissed him back.
Then she asked,
"Will you really be our substitute Keeper?"
Alexander nodded.
"Yes, but only if you really need me."
He pointed a finger at her playfully.
"And don't make up a lie saying the Keeper is sick."
Cho laughed.
"We'll try not to."