December 11th - Rain

The rain showed no signs of stopping. Joey woke up to the sound of droplets tapping against the window and groaned. Flying class would undoubtedly be canceled again. But then she remembered her plans with Fred to explore the mysterious room Peeves had mentioned, and her mood lifted.

Angelina was already up, admiring herself in the mirror with the red scarf she'd received from the Hufflepuff boy. Joey had to admit, the scarf looked good, but she couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt for Ryan. "Your pink scarf looks even better," she offered weakly.

"But I've worn that one enough," Angelina said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Let's go!"

Joey sighed. She'd tried. Angelina didn't seem to dislike the Hufflepuff boy, after all.

At breakfast, Joey was unusually distracted, her eyes darting to the Ravenclaw table. She even ate a few pieces of broccoli, which she normally avoided.

Fred, sitting beside her, noticed her wandering gaze. "Darling, who are you looking at?" he asked, his tone tinged with jealousy.

Joey turned to him, grinning. She leaned in and whispered, "I'm waiting for Ryan. I'll tell you later—oh, there he is!" She jumped up, leaving Fred mid-sentence, and dashed over to her brother.

"Joey, what are you doing?" Ryan asked as she dragged him out of the Great Hall.

"I need to talk to you!" Joey said, pulling him into a secluded corner. "You're so slow! How are you going to catch a Gryffindor girl like this?"

Ryan's face turned red. "Who—who's chasing a Gryffindor girl?" he stammered.

Joey smirked. "Have you seen Angelina's scarf?"

Ryan glanced toward the Gryffindor table and nodded. "Yeah, it's nice."

"It's from a Hufflepuff boy," Joey said, watching Ryan's reaction closely.

Ryan's jaw tightened, but he forced a calm tone. "Good for her."

Joey rolled her eyes. "Are you an idiot?"

"No swearing," Ryan said reflexively, though he looked miserable.

Joey took a deep breath and unleashed her frustration. "Stop pretending! I've seen the note! 'Eat well'? Really? I've never gotten a loving note from you! And those cod crackers? I've never had any! When we get home, I'm telling Dad how you treat me compared to other girls!"

Ryan's eyes widened. "How do you know about that? Did she show you? Does she know?"

Joey glared at him. "Who's 'she'?"

Ryan hesitated, then whispered, "Does Angelina know the note was from me?"

Joey shook her head. "She doesn't. But do you really like her?"

Ryan nodded, his expression a mix of confusion and frustration. "She was always following me last year. Why is she suddenly dating someone else?"

Joey bit her lip, debating whether to tell him the truth. In the end, she decided against it. "Maybe she got tired of waiting," she said gently.

Ryan sighed. "Gryffindors and their jokes..."

"Ryan, I'm sorry," Joey said, feeling guilty. She hadn't realized how much her prank had affected him.

Ryan managed a small smile. "It's fine. I'll survive. And I'll still eat breakfast. And maybe... I'll still chase the girl."

Joey watched him walk back to the Ravenclaw table, impressed by his resilience. Her brother was tougher than she'd thought.

---

Later, Joey and Fred stood in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, following Peeves' instructions. They walked past the wall three times, and to their amazement, a door appeared.

"Wow, Hogwarts never runs out of secrets!" Fred exclaimed.

Joey nodded eagerly. "We've got a lot more exploring to do!"

But when they opened the door, Joey was horrified. The room was decked out in dreamy pink, complete with a pink sofa, a tea table, and even a bed. "What is this? A branch of Madam Puddifoot's?"

Fred, however, looked delighted. "This is perfect for couples! Peeves really came through!"

Joey groaned. "This is not what I had in mind! I wanted a place to practice spells, not... this!"

Fred shrugged. "Maybe the room adapts to what you need. And pink never goes wrong with girls."

Joey reluctantly accepted the explanation and sat down to practice the Fiery Spell. After several failed attempts, she finally managed to produce a small flame. But it quickly grew out of control, turning into a fire-breathing dragon that began incinerating the room.

"Joey, run!" Fred shouted, grabbing her hand.

They barely made it out of the room before the door slammed shut behind them. As they caught their breath, Joey thought she heard a faint scream from inside.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

Fred shook his head, still panting. "No, I was too busy running for my life. That spell is dangerous! Never try it again!"

Joey nodded, her heart still racing. "Yeah, maybe I'll stick to simpler spells."