Through the Pages of Time: Joey’s Hogwarts Tale

The Forest and Weasley families had grown noticeably closer. As it turned out, Linda and Molly were not just distant acquaintances—they were cousins and had even attended Hogwarts together. While Molly had been a proud Gryffindor, Linda had been a Ravenclaw, yet their bond had always been strong.

Arthur Weasley, ever the storyteller, had eagerly pulled Joey aside one day to reveal a little-known fact about her mother.

"Linda was completely against Molly dating me at first! Thought I was too careless, too irresponsible," he confessed with an exaggerated shudder. "Honestly, she was stricter than Professor McGonagall! She always managed to find out exactly where we were meeting. It was terrifying!"

Linda, overhearing this, gave a satisfied smirk. "Molly never kept secrets from me."

Joey wisely kept her mouth shut, though she couldn't help thinking: So that's how she always caught them…

Meanwhile, Luther and Arthur hit it off immediately. Joey was convinced that if her father had attended Hogwarts, he would have been a Gryffindor as well. Watching him animatedly exchange adventure stories with Arthur, she could only sigh. Of course, Dad would get along with the Weasleys. He's just as reckless.

Ryan's first letter from Hogwarts arrived the day after he settled in, and it contained one major piece of news: he had been sorted into Ravenclaw.

"I knew it," Linda said, scanning the letter with an air of satisfaction. She was the picture of composure—except for the small twitch at the corner of her mouth, betraying just how pleased she actually was.

Joey, unable to contain her amusement, burst into laughter. But before she could enjoy the moment for too long, she found herself cursed with an unexpected side effect—dogtail grass sprouted from her head and stayed there for two full days.

After a week of frequent visits, Linda finally felt comfortable leaving Joey at the Burrow.

"I can't leave Joey alone at home," she explained. "And Luther is off chasing criminals again."

"Oh, I see," Molly replied with concern. "Joey is too young to be left alone."

"No, she'll tear down the house."

Joey rolled her eyes at their conversation, pretending not to listen—but her ears grew metaphorically larger with every word.

Molly made sure Joey had a proper place to stay, clearing out Bill's old room for her. That was also when Joey met Ginny, who had been absent from the train station. The young girl took an instant liking to her and became Joey's shadow, following her everywhere and enthusiastically calling her "Sister Joey." Ginny was eager to help with everything, whether it was fetching a book, a broomstick, or—in Joey's dramatized imagination—a sword and a bomb.

Despite the fun, Joey knew she couldn't let herself become too complacent. She resolved to carve out time for learning valuable skills—after all, survival was key in the wizarding world. She secretly made a vow to herself: she had to be prepared for anything.

In Ryan's fourth letter, he described his teachers at Hogwarts, but one name stood out the most: Professor Snape.

"My first time getting scolded was in Potions class," Ryan wrote. "It's just because I forgot to mention the bezoar when answering a question about poisons! A girl from Hufflepuff got it completely wrong, and he barely even said anything to her! I swear, he's targeting me."

Joey quickly wrote back:

Dear brother, don't be angry. Fred and George told me that Professor Snape once deducted points from a Gryffindor just for sneezing. So really, consider yourself lucky—at least he didn't take points from you.

Apparently, Ryan was not amused, because his next letter pointedly omitted "Dear Joey."

Joey wasn't particularly bothered, though—she was too busy leading Ron and Ginny in an all-out prank war against the twins.

Like all younger siblings desperate to prove themselves, Ron and Ginny were eager to challenge Fred and George's reign as the Burrow's top mischief-makers. Under Joey's guidance, they set up magical traps outside the twins' room. The moment the door opened, the unsuspecting victim would find themselves caught in a magical swamp or pelted by enchanted darts. Luther had even sponsored some of the prank materials, much to Linda's exasperation.

The twins, however, were not so easily bested. They discovered the traps, improved them, and promptly turned them against Joey.

The result? She ended up half-submerged in a magical swamp, screaming as ghostly hands grabbed at her ankles. She lost a brand-new pair of shoes in the process.

Fred and George emerged, laughing uncontrollably.

Ron clung to the stair railing, refusing to put his feet on the floor. Ginny sobbed, convinced that Joey was being dragged away forever.

Once freed, Joey was equal parts horrified and impressed. "How did you do that?" she demanded, determined to reverse-engineer the prank for Ryan's benefit.

The twins smirked. "We'd tell you, but we're broke. Materials are expensive."

The Weasley family wasn't well-off, and with so many children to support, Arthur's salary could only stretch so far.

"But once Bill and Charlie graduate," Fred mused, "things should get better."

"Maybe I'll even get a new robe when I start Hogwarts," Ron said hopefully.

"Really?" His face lit up.

The twins never seemed embarrassed about their family's financial situation. They laughed about it, made jokes, and carried on without a care. Being around them made Joey feel at ease.

Struck by an idea, she made them an offer. "I'll give you half my pocket money—on one condition. You make me as many prank products as I want."

Ron and Ginny wanted to join in, but Fred was quick to shut them down. "Where's your pocket money? Oh, right—in Mum's pocket."

Molly eventually caught wind of the mess they were making, and soon enough, she had the entire house cleaning itself with enchanted feather dusters. Unfortunately, the dusters also attacked the culprits, leading to a house full of screaming children covered in feathers.

Joey grinned, despite the chaos. So this is what it means to be in the magical world.

Later that week, Fred and Joey secretly took an old broomstick from the barn, determined to learn how to fly. The broom was practically falling apart—its tail was frayed, and the handle was cracked—but it still worked well enough.

Every afternoon, while Molly was cleaning, they would sneak out to practice. Ginny and Ron helped cover for them, promising to act as lookouts.

By the time George returned from St. Mungo's after recovering from a bout of chickenpox, Fred was already pulling off daring flips in the air. Joey could fly steadily, though not nearly as smoothly as Fred. She kept her promise and took Ginny for a short ride, much to the girl's delight.

Ron, however, stubbornly refused to ride with her. Fred refused to take him either—because of his "snot problem"—which resulted in Ron sulking for two whole days. Even so, he never abandoned his post as their lookout, though he made sure to sound irritated whenever he reported back to them.

Joey found it oddly endearing. What a lovely little brother, she mused. I'll have to remember not to force-feed him green bean soup next time.