Without the responsibility of running the Dueling Club, Alexander's schedule became far more relaxed.
No more organizing matches, no more paying members, and no more dealing with constant student complaints.
Alexander felt relieved.
He had time to refocus on his own studies and plans.
For about a week, everything was peaceful, besides the complaints about the new Duel Club under Lockhart.
While Alexander and Cho were talking and eating at the Ravenclaw table.
Several students approached Alexander with frustration on their faces.
"Chen, you have to come back!"
"Dueling Club is a disaster!"
Alexander calmly shook his head.
"Sorry, there is nothing I can do. The Dueling Club belongs to Professor Lockhart now."
The students groaned.
One of them explained what had been happening.
Apparently, they only had three lessons since Lockhart took over.
Each one had ended badly.
Lockhart's demonstrations were chaotic, instructions confusing, and most duels could not even start before Lockhart would start talking.
He never let any student duel without him interfering.
Even Professor Fliwich and Professor McGongall, along with the rest of the professors, all stop coming.
Only Snape stayed to help, as he was the assistant to help Lockhart.
"Chen, I don't know what happened, but after the first day. Lockhart was not happy with the food, and the house elves stopped bringing food and drinks."
"Yeah, and no one is cleaning or repairing the arenas!"
"Life is horrible, please come back."
Alexander could only shake his head and listen to more complaints.
One of the biggest problems was the judges.
Since Lockhart refused to pay them, Hermione and the other judges had all quit.
Lockhart announced that students should volunteer their time to help each other.
No one agreed, and those who did rigged the matches for their friends.
Without official judges, the official matches became one big joke.
The ranking system Alexander and the professors had built was ruined.
The ranking board stopped functioning as Lockhart didn't know how it worked, and Snape refused to help Lockhart.
The massive dueling hall now sat mostly empty and collecting dust.
After listening to everyone's complaint, Alexander sighed.
"I understand."
He folded his hands calmly.
"But it's really out of my hands now."
The students looked disappointed and tried to convince him, but Alexander said.
"You need to speak with Headmaster Dumbledore. He makes the decisions."
Hearing Dumbledore's name, the students all became quiet.
After a moment, one student asked hopefully,
"Then… can you at least teach us again in the Ravenclaw common room?"
Alexander shook his head immediately.
"No, because the common room is too small. If it were simple spells, then yes, but the common room is too small for duels."
He explained calmly,
"It's fine for first-year practice, but if you try serious dueling there, it'll be dangerous."
He took a sip of his tea and added.
"If you want to practice dueling, go to the Dueling Hall, but ask some upperclassmen to help supervise."
"Practicing without supervision can easily lead to accidents."
The students sighed.
They talked with Alexander for a little while longer before eventually leaving the table, looking depressed.
When they were gone, Cho leaned in and asked.
"Is there really nothing you can do?"
Alexander shook his head.
"Not this year, as Professor Lockhart already took over. Even if I revive Dueling Club, he will just take it away from me again. Not worth my time. I do feel bad for all our members, but it really is out of my hands."
Then he smiled slightly.
"But next year I'll be back in charge, and no one will be able to take it from me again."
He shrugged.
"So for now, let's just enjoy our time."
Cho nodded.
"You're right."
Soon they left for their evening classes.
Over the next several days, Alexander spent most of his time with Cho.
They studied together, finished homework, and practiced spells regularly.
Cho had recently become interested in brewing more potions, so Alexander began teaching her inside his enchanted briefcase.
The hidden space inside the briefcase made an excellent private workspace.
Together they experimented with ingredients, practiced brewing techniques, and improved their potion skills.
At night, Alexander went to the Room of Requirement.
He continued speaking with the diary containing Tom Riddle.
Tom continued teaching him advanced spells and about ancient runes.
The practice went well, but Alexander began noticing something.
Tom was becoming more impatient and more demanding.
He started to take an interest in Alexander himself.
Tom often hinted at ideas and plans that required Alexander's cooperation.
But Alexander never agreed.
He simply continued learning while ignoring those suggestions.
Even so, Alexander still gave Tom unicorn blood once a week, just enough to keep the diary stable.
For now, their partnership continued.