Through the Pages of Time: Joey’s Hogwarts Tale

Joey's summer vacation had been surprisingly pleasant. Though Linda had been furious with her at first, Joey's excellent exam results softened her anger. The only punishment was limiting Joey's broomstick time to an hour a day.

"If you put half the effort into your studies that you do into Quidditch and mischief, you'd be top of your class!" Linda scolded. "Look at Delton! He studies hard every day, even when he's alone. His potion skills might even surpass your brother's!"

Joey groaned. "Delton's a snake! Stop bringing him up!"

"No foul language!" Linda snapped, slamming a meatloaf onto Joey's plate. "You've picked up bad habits in Gryffindor. You should learn some manners from Delton!"

Joey turned to Luther, who was quietly enjoying the show. "Dad, aren't you worried? Mom's been writing letters to that 'handsome and polite' guy. Your marriage might be in trouble!"

Luther choked on his chicken wing, spraying crumbs across the table. Ryan, sitting opposite, calmly wiped his face and left to wash up.

Linda's voice rose an octave. "You've learned to talk nonsense too! This is your daughter, Luther! Your Forest bloodline!"

Joey, unfazed, took a bite of meatloaf. "Oh, I'm so embarrassed," she said sarcastically.

Luther, caught in the crossfire, decided to intervene. He pulled Linda into a hug, effectively ending the argument. Joey rolled her eyes, wondering when she'd get more siblings.

Just then, Fred appeared through the fireplace, startling everyone. He quietly made his way to Joey, his ears red. "Why are they... like that?" he whispered, gesturing to Luther and Linda.

"Oh, Dad made Mom angry. He says this is the best way to calm her down," Joey explained, handing Fred a pumpkin pie.

Fred glanced at the couple, intrigued. "Learned something new," he muttered.

"Why are you here? Didn't Aunt Molly feed you?" Joey asked.

The Weasleys had been in chaos since Percy became a prefect. He'd made a list of the twins' misdeeds and demanded they promise not to repeat them. In retaliation, Fred and George had posted embarrassing photos of Percy singing in the shower. Molly, at her wit's end, had banned the twins from dinner for a week.

Fred grinned. "Mom's soft-hearted. She's been feeding us like kings, saying we've lost weight. But George and I have each gained two pounds!"

"So why are you here today?" Joey asked, handing him another slice of pie.

Fred hesitated, glancing at Luther and Linda. "Just wanted to hang out. Do they always... do that? Don't they run out of oxygen?"

Joey shrugged. "How would I know? I haven't kissed anyone yet."

Fred's ears turned even redder. He suddenly stood up. "I'm leaving!" he blurted, disappearing through the fireplace before Joey could ask if he wanted to take some pie for George.

---

The next day, Joey announced her plans to go shopping in Diagon Alley with Flami. Linda, still in a good mood, asked, "Do you need Ryan to go with you?"

"No, let him study. He doesn't like shopping," Joey said, waving her hand.

Linda nodded. "Is it Angelina you're meeting?"

"No, it's Flami Foley," Joey replied.

Linda froze. "The Foleys of Hampshire? The pure-blood Slytherin family?"

Joey shrugged. "I guess? I don't know. We don't need addresses to send letters. The owls handle it."

Linda's brain short-circuited. "You're friends with a Slytherin?"

"Mom, don't be prejudiced! Slytherins have their charm too. We're all Hogwarts students, one big family!" Joey said earnestly.

Linda's headache returned. "Then why do you hate Delton so much? He's a Slytherin too!"

Joey turned to Luther. "Dad, your turn."

Luther, ever the peacemaker, pulled Linda into another hug. Joey took the opportunity to sneak a Galleon from Luther's bag and dashed upstairs to send Flami an owl: "Meet you tomorrow at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor."

---

Back at the Burrow, Fred returned to find George lounging on the sofa. "How's Ginny?" Fred asked, trying to sound casual.

"Crying again. Ron's been bragging about Hogwarts nonstop," George said, smirking. "But don't change the subject. How's your little crush?"

Fred's ears turned red. He couldn't stop thinking about Joey's lips, stained with ketchup. "You'll understand when you have a girl you like," he said defensively.

George laughed. "Oh, we'll need more Floo powder for all your visits!"

Fred shoved him playfully, but his mind was elsewhere. Joey's smile, her laugh, the way she'd handed him that pumpkin pie—it was all he could think about.