Through the Pages of Time: Joey’s Hogwarts Tale

Percy had been in an absolutely foul mood lately. His beloved pet rat, Scabbers, had gone missing, and the blame fell squarely on Joey.

Scabbers wasn't exactly the most attractive creature—a scruffy, balding rat with a missing toe, generally unliked by most—but to Percy, he was family. The two had been together for years, and now he was gone.

For nearly two weeks, Percy had completely ignored Joey, refusing to acknowledge any of her many apologies. No matter what she said, he wouldn't forgive her.

The truth was, Joey felt terribly wronged. That day in the Headmaster's office, after the incident with the diary, she had been so shaken that she'd forgotten her schoolbag entirely. It had been returned to her later by a house-elf, but by then, Scabbers was already gone. Professor McGonagall had informed her that the rat had bolted from the office and might have ended up in the Forbidden Forest.

Joey had even asked Hagrid for help, but the gamekeeper only shook his head solemnly.

"If a mouse ran into the Forbidden Forest," he said, "chances are, it didn't make it."

Of course, she couldn't tell Percy that. Instead, she weakly suggested that maybe Scabbers had simply wanted more space and freedom. Percy had not taken that well.

"Life is so hard," Joey sighed dramatically for the tenth time that day.

"Hey, Joey, enough sighing! Let's go to the Forbidden Forest tonight!" Fred announced excitedly. "George and I have made a map of every single place Dumbledore said students should never go. We're going to check them all out."

"Yeah, what's the harm in seeing for ourselves why we're not allowed in?" George grinned.

"You can't—" Angelina began, shaking her head.

"Brilliant idea!" Joey interrupted, eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Angelina groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You can't be serious."

"No, of course we're not serious."

"No, of course we're not serious."

"No, of course we're not serious."

The three troublemakers spoke in unison, their grins perfectly synchronized. Angelina's headache intensified. She was starting to question her choice of friends. Was there a return policy?

Joey truly wanted to find Scabbers for Percy, while Fred and George simply wanted an adventure.

That night, once their dormitory was filled with the sound of deep, rhythmic breathing, Joey slipped out of bed, dressed in thick layers, and tiptoed towards the door—only to nearly jump out of her skin when a voice whispered in the darkness.

"Be careful."

Joey clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream. Angelina, smirking, barely dodged the retaliatory kick aimed at her under the blanket.

The twins were already waiting in the common room, buzzing with anticipation. By now, they were experts in sneaking out, and with their guidance, they successfully made it out of the castle—though it did involve leaping out of a large window.

The moment they hit the snow, a blast of freezing wind made them shiver violently.

"You two are mad geniuses," Joey said, pulling her hood tighter against the cold.

Fred and George grinned, clapped each other on the back, then took off running into the night.

"Come on! We only have an hour and a half before Hagrid does his patrol!" Fred called back over his shoulder.

Their boots crunched through the thick snow, their footprints quickly erased by the falling flakes. The Forbidden Forest loomed ahead, dark and silent, weighed down by the heavy snow. Occasionally, there was a rustle in the undergrowth—something moving.

Joey shivered, half from the cold, half from excitement. "How many times have you two actually been in the Forbidden Forest?" she whispered.

"Not that many," George said innocently.

"Five, six, seven, eight times?" Fred added with a wink.

Joey narrowed her eyes. She knew them well enough to translate. That meant at least a dozen times.

"You two are unbelievable," she muttered. "And you never invited me?"

"Oh, we tried," George said. "Fred went to fetch you, but—"

"The stairs turned into a slide the moment I stepped on them!" Fred exclaimed. "I went flying down like a sack of potatoes."

"Oh, and the Fat Lady asked him if he was sneaking into the girls' dorm for 'romantic' reasons," George added gleefully.

Fred groaned. "It was humiliating."

Joey burst out laughing. "If you ever have a girl you fancy, I'll deliver the love letter for you so you don't have to risk it!"

They wandered deeper into the forest, laughing and chatting, when a sudden whoosh broke the stillness.

Fred and George reacted instantly, yanking Joey behind a tree. They peeked out cautiously.

A large black horse emerged from the shadows.

No. Not a horse. A centaur.

He was powerful, with a thick black mane, a rugged beard, and a quiver full of arrows slung over his back. His piercing eyes scanned the darkness.

Joey's breath caught. "Wow," she whispered.

The twins slapped their hands over her mouth.

The centaur's ears twitched. "Who's there?" he growled, drawing his bow.

Three arrows shot through the air—

THWACK!

Snow exploded from the trees, burying them in an icy mound.

A burst of fire erupted, melting the snow, revealing a very wet and very startled Joey, while the twins looked like burnt marshmallows.

The centaur blinked. "Are wizard children this self-destructive now?"

Before he could fire again, a booming voice cut through the night.

"BANE! THEY'RE JUST STUDENTS!"

Hagrid came thundering into view, his enormous frame shielding the trio.

"These two have been here before!" Bane snapped. "They plucked a foal's tail and tried to keep it as a pet!"

Hagrid turned, glaring at the twins, then awkwardly cleared his throat. "Ah, well, kids do silly things…"

Joey took a bold step forward. "They thought the foal was cute—just like I think you're cool, Mr. Bane!" She beamed. "Honestly, you're the coolest centaur I've ever seen! That mane! Like polished onyx! If there was a contest, you'd win for sure."

Bane looked taken aback. Then he… blushed?

The twins nearly collapsed from suppressed laughter.

Hagrid choked on a snort. "Alright, alright, Bane. No harm done, yeah?"

Bane snorted but waved them off. "Go. Before I change my mind."

As they left, Joey murmured, "Wasn't his lover named Firenze?"

Bane's ears twitched. "What did she say?"

Hagrid groaned, scooping up the troublemakers and stomping back to the castle.

At the entrance, Professor McGonagall was waiting. Filch smirked beside her, rubbing his hands eagerly.

They were in for it now.