Through the Pages of Time: Joey’s Hogwarts Tale

Joey was spending Christmas at Hogwarts again this year. Luther and Linda had booked a vacation to Hawaii, and after years of being separated from their daughter, they had fully embraced their "empty nest" lifestyle and were thoroughly enjoying their time together.

Ryan, on the other hand, was heading home for the holidays. He'd accidentally sent a package of magical creatures to the wrong address and needed to retrieve it. He'd tried to convince Joey to come with him, but she refused.

"I don't want to go home and eat your terrible pies. They're inedible. You can starve alone," Joey said firmly.

"Can you at least promise not to go anywhere dangerous this year?" Ryan asked, frowning. "I don't want to take the blame for you again!"

"Fine, I promise. No dangerous places," Joey said with a grin.

Ryan eyed her suspiciously. "Your promises aren't exactly reliable."

Joey shoved his suitcase toward the door. "Stop worrying and get going! There's a pile of boring books waiting for you at home!"

This was Joey's third Christmas at Hogwarts. This year, she was excited to visit Hogsmeade and stock up on color-changing fireworks and "tracking snowballs" that chased people around.

The Weasleys were visiting Charlie in Romania, so Fred, George, Ron, and Percy were staying at school. Joey was thrilled—she'd be surrounded by familiar faces in Gryffindor.

"We're going to take up half the table!" she declared.

Harry was also staying. He'd become obsessed with wizard chess, though he kept losing to Ron. Still, he was improving quickly, even surpassing Hermione.

"This game is so violent!" Joey commented after watching Ron trounce Harry.

"Compared to your Exploding Snap, I'd say this is pretty civilized," Ron shot back.

"Our game doesn't involve smashing people's heads!" Joey retorted, knocking Ron on the head.

"Stop hitting me! I'm not smart enough as it is!" Ron complained.

With five older brothers and now Joey, Ron felt like the unluckiest boy in the wizarding world—except for Harry, who was even worse off.

"What's going on here?" Fred appeared, smacking Ron on the head.

"I said stop hitting me!" Ron yelled. "If I can't get a job because I'm too stupid, you two are feeding me!"

Fred laughed. "Don't worry, little brother. 'We two' will take care of you."

"Harry, what's the point of having brothers?!" Ron complained.

Harry, watching the chaos, said honestly, "I don't know. Dudley never argued with me like this." He just beat me up.

"Ron, you're wrong. If it were Harry, we'd let him in. Right, Fred?" Joey said with a smirk.

"You're ruthless," Ron groaned, leaning on Harry's shoulder. "You two are perfect for each other."

"Hey, little brother, you might get a great Christmas present this year!" Fred said, deciding to gift Ron a set of Exploding Snap cards for his cheeky comment.

---

Christmas dinner was uneventful, except for Professor Quirrell, who was so intimidated by Snape that he could barely cut his steak. It wasn't nearly as fun as when Sirius had been around.

"Professor Quirrell is too submissive. You'd think he'd stand up to Snape, given how much Snape seems to favor him," Ron whispered to Harry.

Harry just kept eating, avoiding eye contact with Snape. He understood Quirrell's fear all too well.

Joey, sitting next to Harry, leaned over and said, "If you'd been here last year, you'd have seen what Ron's talking about. Sirius drove Snape crazy. It was hilarious!"

Joey and the twins laughed, reminiscing about Sirius's antics.

"Who's Sirius?" Harry asked curiously.

The Weasleys and Joey stared at him in shock. "You don't know Sirius?!" they exclaimed in unison.

Harry shook his head. He'd only just learned about the wizarding world—how was he supposed to know Sirius?

"Merlin!" Joey sighed. "Sirius is being unusually quiet this year." The Weasleys nodded in agreement.

"Who is he?" Harry asked again.

Joey cut Ron off before he could answer. "It's better if he tells you himself," she said gently. "You'll like him, I promise."

Harry looked confused but intrigued.

---

Joey was more excited about Christmas presents than anything else. Her annual trip to the Forbidden Forest with the twins had been canceled this year.

Professor McGonagall had stationed herself at the entrance to the Great Hall after dinner, warning Joey and the twins, "I've placed a tracking spell at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. If any of you try to sneak in, I'll know immediately."

Joey and the twins nodded obediently, promising to behave. "Gryffindors are always well-behaved," Joey said with a straight face.

Professor McGonagall almost laughed but quickly regained her stern expression. "Go to bed."

---

Later that night, Fred and George were in their dorm, tinkering with a magical snowball from Zonko's Joke Shop. They were trying to add spells to make it follow people like a Bludger.

"This could be brilliant!" Fred said. "Imagine controlling it to chase someone!"

"Like Professor Quirrell!" George added. "If we can knock off his turban, this snowball will sell like hotcakes!"

They worked late into the night. Afterward, Fred pulled out the Marauder's Map and stared at the dot labeled "Joey Forest" in the girls' dormitory.

"Spying again?" George teased, climbing onto Fred's bed. "Why don't you just tell her you like her? Watching her on the map is getting pathetic."

"She'd think it's a prank," Fred said, sighing. "But I have a feeling I'm close to winning her over."

George rolled his eyes. "Sure you are."

Suddenly, George pointed to the map. "Hey, look! Harry and Ron aren't in their dorm. Where are they?"

Fred leaned in, intrigued. "They're in that old classroom on the fifth floor. What are they up to?"

"Let's find out," George said, grinning.

The twins grabbed their coats and followed the map. When they reached the classroom, they found a large, ornate mirror in the corner.

"Was this here before?" George asked, admiring the intricate carvings.

Fred shook his head. "No way. This thing looks ancient."

George stood in front of the mirror, marveling at his reflection. "Look at this! I'm wearing fancy robes covered in gold embroidery, and there are boxes of Galleons at my feet! This mirror must show the future!"

Fred stepped forward, but when he looked into the mirror, he froze. His face turned bright red.

George nudged him. "What do you see? Why are you blushing?"

Fred didn't answer. He just stood there, staring at the mirror, his expression a mix of shock and panic.