Through the Pages of Time: Joey’s Hogwarts Tale

Angelina had noticed something strange about Joey recently. Ever since a certain day, Joey would tense up and hunch her shoulders whenever she saw Fred. Though Joey tried to act as lively and cheerful as usual, Angelina, being her roommate and close friend, could tell something was off.

For instance, today Joey was playing Exploding Snap with Lee Jordan. But the moment Fred and George appeared, she immediately tossed her cards to Angelina and pretended to be engrossed in a book.

George greeted them and headed back to the boys' dormitory with a pile of things, while Fred sat down next to Joey and started laughing loudly with Lee. Normally, Joey would have thrown the book at Fred's head, but instead, she seemed hesitant, even shrinking into herself. To Angelina, it looked like Joey was acting like a scared little animal around Fred.

Fred's voice was unusually loud, and Joey kept clutching her "Curses and Counter-Curses" book without protest. Of course, if she hadn't been flipping the pages so frequently, Angelina might have believed she was actually studying.

"Did Fred do something to you?" Angelina finally asked later that evening, after finishing her skincare routine.

Joey, startled, fell off the bed like a flustered bird.

"What? No, of course not!" Joey scrambled up from the floor, her face red.

"Then why do you shrink into yourself whenever you see him?" Angelina asked, curious.

Joey crawled back onto the bed, wrapping herself in her blanket like a cocoon, her braided hair sticking out in all directions. She looked utterly ridiculous.

"I just... suddenly realized he's a boy," Joey mumbled hesitantly.

"Congratulations! You've finally figured that out!" Angelina laughed. "He's been a boy this whole time, you know!"

Joey heard the sarcasm and pounced on Angelina, tickling her mercilessly.

"Okay, okay! I won't laugh! I promise!" Angelina gasped between giggles.

Joey finally let her go and squeezed into Angelina's bed, confiding her recent troubles to her best friend.

"So, you're feeling self-conscious about your... development when you're around Fred?" Angelina summarized after listening.

"Kind of... It's just that we've always been so close, and now I feel... different. It's weird," Joey admitted, pulling the blanket over her chest.

"But you "are" different! That's the point!" Angelina said, not understanding Joey's dilemma.

"I never thought about it before," Joey said shyly. "I've even changed clothes in front of them before..." She groaned, burying her face in her hands. "It's so embarrassing now!"

Angelina's eyes widened. "Wait, have you seen... everything?"

"No!" Joey protested. "They covered their eyes and turned around!"

"Oh," Angelina said, sounding almost disappointed.

Joey glared at her and launched another tickle attack, sending them both into a fit of laughter.

"Okay, listen," Angelina said once they'd calmed down. "It's not a bad thing to realize you're a girl. This is just part of growing up. You don't have to act differently around Fred and George. Just be yourself. And maybe... don't change clothes in front of them anymore," she added with a smirk.

Joey groaned but nodded. Angelina was right. She was a girl, and that was nothing to be ashamed of. It didn't have to change how she interacted with her friends.

The next day, Joey approached Fred and gave him a playful flick on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Fred asked, rubbing his head.

"Just felt like it," Joey said with a grin. It felt normal again, and she was relieved. Angelina was right—she didn't need to act differently.

Fred, though pretending to be annoyed, was secretly relieved to see Joey acting like her usual self. The little thought about her being his "girlfriend" that had been lingering in his mind was quietly tucked away.

George, ever the instigator, stuck his head between them. "Why don't you flick me too? It's been a while since you've hit us!"

"Let's go eat!" Fred said, grabbing George by the head and steering him toward the Great Hall.

"Hey! Let go of my head! You're not Nearly Headless Nick!" George protested, stumbling as Fred dragged him along.

Angelina glanced at Joey and shrugged. "See? They've been waiting for the normal Joey too."

Joey nodded, feeling a surge of relief. She grabbed Angelina's hand and chased after the twins, her usual energy fully restored. This was how a teenage girl was supposed to feel!

---

Professor Snape, however, didn't care if Joey was a teenage girl. In his eyes, there were only Slytherins and idiots—with perhaps a few Ravenclaws earning a grudging acknowledgment.

Since partnering with Flami in Potions class, Joey's grades had improved significantly. However, the frequency of Snape's scathing remarks had also increased. Joey suspected it was because she was doing well in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Pfft—" Joey added a piece of powdered bicorn horn to her cauldron, and it immediately spewed green foam. Flami quickly tossed in a piece of ginger root, calming the foam, but Joey's cauldron was left with a crack.

"It seems Professor Black's pet hasn't received much affection. Why else would he compensate you with points in his class but leave you so hopeless in mine?" Snape sneered, appearing behind them. He waved his wand, cleaning up the mess Joey had been about to wipe with her hands. "Oh, my apologies. I've just saved a brave Gryffindor from rotting her fingers off. Perhaps I should have let her learn the hard way."

The Slytherins laughed, and even a few Gryffindors chuckled before catching themselves.

"Professor Snape, perhaps not every second-year knows that bicorn horn is highly toxic," came a voice from the doorway. Sirius Black leaned against the frame, smirking.

Snape's glare could have melted steel. "This is "my" classroom, Black. You have no business here."

"Just passing by," Sirius said, strolling in. "Couldn't help but overhear your... unique teaching methods." He glanced at a Slytherin's cauldron. "Is that today's potion or a failed attempt at scabies cure? I'd deduct points if I were you."

Joey stifled a laugh, hiding behind her desk. Flami, though pretending to focus on her work, was clearly trying not to smile.

"Get. Out," Snape hissed.

Sirius raised his hands in mock surrender. "Of course, of course. Wouldn't want to interrupt the great Potions master at work." He winked at Joey before leaving.

Snape turned his glare on Joey. "Ten points from Gryffindor for leaving your seat without permission."

Joey groaned. Of course, she'd be the one to bear the brunt of Snape's anger. Unlucky!

---

Later, in the library, Cedric handed Joey a completed History of Magic essay. "Here you go. Just don't let Fred copy it word for word."

Fred snatched the parchment before Joey could. "Thanks, mate."

Cedric chuckled. "Just remember, Huffelpuff's got a strong Quidditch team this year. I'm the new Seeker."

Joey's eyes lit up. "That's great! I'll aim a Bludger right at your nose!"

Fred grinned. "I'll help."

Cedric laughed nervously. "You're joking, right?"

George patted Cedric's shoulder. "I wouldn't bet on it, mate."