Through the Pages of Time: Joey’s Hogwarts Tale

The Gryffindor common room was alive with laughter and celebration. Cheers erupted as Charlie recounted, for the third time, the thrilling moment he had outmaneuvered the Slytherin Seeker to catch the Snitch. Yet, no matter how many times he repeated the tale, his audience reacted with the same excitement as before. The Gryffindors, especially Slater Lin, were willing to hear it a hundred times over.

"I'm definitely trying out for the Quidditch team next year!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing Angelina's hand in excitement. If first-years were allowed on the team, she would have joined already. The idea of soaring through the sky without a care, playing the game she loved—Merlin! That was her dream life.

Angelina, equally thrilled, nodded enthusiastically. "And you'll have a Nimbus 1700 by then! You'll be the fastest one out there! I want to try out too, but I only have a Comet at home."

Joey grinned. "If only I could wake up and be a second-year already!" The wait for next year felt unbearable.

After repeating his story countless times, Charlie finally grew tired and nudged Wood forward—the second hero of the day. Wood, still rubbing his reddened nose from an earlier collision, hesitated at first. But as the crowd urged him on, he began describing the saves he had made, even reenacting a few with exaggerated enthusiasm.

The common room cheered for him. No one cared if his nose was still dripping—tonight, even with snot on his lip, Wood was a hero in their hearts.

Charlie, after making his way through a sea of high-fives, suddenly noticed something amiss. "Hey, Joey, where are my twin brothers?"

Only then did Joey realize that Fred and George were missing. That was unusual—they were always nearby. "Yeah, where did they go?" she muttered, scanning the room.

Angelina shrugged. "Who knows? It's so lively in here, I didn't even notice."

Joey's curiosity spiked. If the twins had disappeared, it could only mean one thing—they had sneaked off to a secret passage!

"I'll go find them!" she declared and dashed out of the common room. She was certain they had gone to buy Butterbeer.

The Lion Marshmallow, their new invention, had been a huge hit after today's game, and students were throwing money at them for more. Even Ravenclaw's Ryan had asked when the Eagle Marshmallow would be released, since their match against Slytherin was coming up. With their pockets full of earnings, what else could the Weasley twins be doing besides spending it on drinks?

As Joey ran down the corridors, she realized there was no catching up to them. They must have left ages ago. Instead, an idea struck her—why not visit the legendary Hogwarts kitchen? She had read about it in a book: an endless supply of strawberry puddings and brownies, served by eager house-elves. How could she resist?

Navigating Hogwarts' staircases, however, was another matter entirely. Just as she was about to reach the first floor, the mischievous steps shifted beneath her feet, sending her spiraling in the wrong direction. Frustrated, she leapt off the last few steps in defiance—only to land face-first on the cold stone floor.

"Bah!" she spat out dust and wiped her lip. Great. She had busted it open.

A sigh from above caught her attention. Joey rolled onto her back and found herself staring up at Cedric Diggory.

"Are you just going to stand there and watch, or are you going to help me up?" she huffed.

Cedric blinked, momentarily caught off guard, then quickly reached out to pull her to her feet. He had hesitated, not because he was rude, but because he genuinely feared getting crushed under her dramatic fall.

Joey dusted herself off and inspected her scraped hand. She licked the wound instinctively before realizing Cedric was watching. He looked like he wanted to tell her it was unsanitary but decided against it—perhaps remembering the time he had seen her eat a caterpillar on a dare.

"Dinner's long over," Joey noted, eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you doing here? Your common room is in the tower, isn't it? Curfew's coming soon. Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"

Cedric smirked. "Your common room is also in the tower. What are you doing down here?"

"Tsk. Typical Huffelpuff, always with strong morale code." Joey rolled her eyes before grinning. "Unlike you, I fully intended to break the rules."

Cedric sighed. There was no arguing with a Gryffindor about the dangers of rule-breaking. They'd just try to convince you it was fun.

"Alright, fine. I was just taking a walk," he admitted. "What about you?"

"I'm heading to the kitchen to grab some food. We won today! We need to celebrate properly."

"And the Weasley twins didn't come with you?" Cedric asked, surprised.

"Ugh, why do you have so many questions? I'm going to the kitchen!" she declared, making a sharp turn towards the left staircase.

"Hey!" Cedric called after her. "You're going the wrong way."

Joey stopped mid-step. "Wait, really?"

Cedric smirked. "Yeah. I know where it is. Follow me."

Suspicious, Joey trailed after him as he navigated through twisting corridors. They descended into a warm, well-lit hallway lined with brass lamps and paintings. Cedric finally stopped in front of a large portrait of a fruit bowl, his eyes briefly darting toward a row of wooden barrels in the corner.

Joey noticed his strange expression but ignored it. "It's in the fruit painting, right?" she asked.

Cedric didn't answer right away. His voice was oddly tight when he finally said, "Yeah."

Joey hesitated but didn't press him. Instead, she watched as he reached out and tickled the pear in the painting. It giggled and transformed into a green door handle. With a twist, the portrait swung open, revealing a bustling kitchen.

"Whoa!" Joey gasped. "That's so cool!"

Inside, dozens of house-elves paused their work to stare curiously at the two unexpected visitors. A few scurried over.

"Would the young lady and gentleman like something to eat?" one asked in a squeaky voice.

"Yes! Lots of strawberry puddings and brownies! Oh, and—hey, was that house-made wine at the Christmas feast? If so, I'll take some!" Joey added excitedly. She turned to Cedric. "You want anything?"

"No, I'm fine… Actually, I'll take some brownies too."

The elves hurried to fulfill their requests, returning with trays of delicious treats.

"Would you like something to drink?" another elf piped up. "We just made fresh mango juice. It's delicious!"

"Yes, please!" Joey cheered. She took the cup and downed it in one gulp, letting out a loud mango-flavored burp. Cedric chuckled and took a sip of his own. It really was good.

"You elves are amazing!" Joey declared. "You know, I've grown three centimeters since starting school. That's all thanks to your cooking!"

The elves were so overwhelmed with joy that some of them burst into tears.

Joey turned to Cedric, confused. "Did I say something weird?"

"No," Cedric said, amused. "They're just… really, really happy."

As the elves eagerly packed a large basket of treats for her, one hesitated. "Miss, you're too young to drink. The headmaster's orders."

Joey groaned. "Fine, no wine!"

She and Cedric left the kitchen, arms full of sweets, and she sighed dramatically. "That was way too close."

Cedric chuckled. "I thought Gryffindors were fearless?"

Joey stuck her tongue out. "Oh, is Huffelpuff preaching again?"

And just like that, a new bond was formed over their shared rule-breaking adventure.