March 10th, Overcast

After the Christmas break, Joey overheard Ron talking about how he, Harry, and Hermione had used Polyjuice Potion to investigate whether Draco Malfoy was the heir of the Chamber of Secrets. Of course, Hermione's transformation had gone awry, leaving her with a cat's face for weeks. Joey couldn't help but laugh, especially since George had just recovered from having his head turned into a stone and was still being scolded by Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing.

"You had such an exciting Christmas! I regret going to the States now," Joey said with a pout. Aside from a few massive snowball fights, her holiday had been uneventful, and she couldn't help feeling a little envious.

"I regret not going to the States with you," Fred replied, equally disappointed. He felt like he'd missed out on what could have been a wonderful time with Joey.

Despite the fact that no students had been petrified in over a month, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere still hung over Hogwarts. That is, until Professor Lockhart decided to "brighten" everyone's spirits with a special Valentine's Day celebration. The event gave the students plenty to talk about.

The most talked-about moment was when Harry was ambushed multiple times by Lockhart's ridiculous, winged cupid dwarves. They forced him to listen to absurd love poems, including one that described his eyes as "like a freshly pickled toad" and his hair as "as black as a chalkboard." The poem's lack of creativity reminded everyone of George's notoriously poor vocabulary.

Joey and the twins hadn't witnessed the scene firsthand, but Ron eagerly recounted it to them in the Gryffindor common room later.

"Hey, George, that love poem sounds like something you'd write," Joey teased, pulling out one of the twins' latest products—a Lover's Quill. She demonstrated how it worked, and the quill quickly scribbled a beautifully written love letter on a piece of parchment: "I fell in love with you not long ago, and since then, my love for you has grown every day. I truly hope to see your smile, so that I may be worthy of you."

Hermione, who had been reading over Joey's shoulder, exclaimed, "That's beautiful! It's a love letter Napoleon wrote to his wife. Your product is really impressive!"

"It better be," George said with a grimace. "Our ghostwriter charged us a fortune for those edits."

"But you'll make it back tenfold. I love this quill—how much is it?" Hermione immediately bought one.

The Lover's Quill quickly became a sensation at Hogwarts. By noon on Valentine's Day, the twins had earned fifty Galleons! Even Professor Lockhart bought five, claiming they were for "spicing up" his autographs for fans. Joey seized the opportunity to get his autograph on a photo she'd collected. The quill wrote, "The moonlight envelops my love around you. Do you feel it?" followed by Lockhart's flamboyant signature. Joey was thrilled.

Fred, however, was less than pleased when he saw Joey clutching the photo to her chest. He decided then and there that he'd make sure Joey felt "his" love after class—no cheesy photos or quills needed.

The quills did add a touch of genuine romance to the school, though. At least the love letters being passed around were less cringe-worthy than Lockhart's cupid dwarves' efforts. Joey even quietly slipped Ginny a quill during lunch, suggesting she write a new love letter to Harry. "Don't mention toads this time, dear," Joey advised.

Ginny nearly jumped out of her seat. "How do you know I wrote that? Does anyone else know?"

Joey patted her on the back, smiling. "No one knows. I only just figured it out myself."

Ginny's face turned bright red. She'd been tricked!

Later, when Harry received a beautifully written letter that read, "You don't need to look back to see me; I'm always by your side," even the Hufflepuffs couldn't help but compliment him on having such a tasteful admirer. Harry blushed but didn't seem as mortified as he had been with the earlier attempts.

Joey, sitting at the Gryffindor table, glanced at Ginny, who was trying to suppress a grin. She turned to Fred, who was urging her to eat faster, and complained, "You're always telling me to eat, but you haven't written me a single love letter!" Fred had been particularly protective all day, silencing any dwarf that tried to approach her.

Fred leaned in and whispered, "I'll take you somewhere special after dinner. I'll tell you everything myself."

---

As spring approached, the trees around Hogwarts began to turn green, and the sun warmed the castle grounds. The lawn outside became a popular spot for students, even near the Whomping Willow, where couples could be seen whispering to each other despite the occasional violent thrashing of the tree.

But Joey was in no mood to see Fred today. She had broken out in pimples! She stared in dismay at the red bumps on her nose and cheeks, which seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Angelina, who had been sent by Fred to coax Joey out of the dorm, was growing impatient.

"Fred says he wouldn't care if you were covered in pimples. What's the big deal? Just go out!" Angelina said, exasperated. She had plans to meet Ryan in the library and didn't have time to play messenger.

"The only thing covered in pimples is a toad!" Joey groaned. "I don't want Fred to kiss me with these giant red bumps staring him in the face!"

Angelina couldn't help but laugh at the mental image. "Alright, I'll tell him to give you some time to recover. But you should ask Flami for help. I heard she's been brewing acne potions this year."

Joey's eyes lit up. "You're right! I'll send Miao to ask her right away!"

After receiving Flami's reply, Joey wrapped her face in a scarf and hat and hurried downstairs. Flami had agreed to meet her at the entrance to the dungeons, where she'd prepared a special potion for Joey to try. "I've been waiting for someone to test this," Flami's letter read. "Don't worry, it won't make your pimples worse."

Joey was tempted to send Flami a dungbomb in response but decided against it. Her own potion skills were nowhere near Flami's level, so she had no choice but to trust her.

As Joey made her way to the dungeons, she thought her disguise was working perfectly. A few students gave her odd looks, but no one stopped her—until Hermione suddenly appeared behind her in the library corridor.

"Joey! What are you doing?" Hermione asked, holding two thick books. "Why are you covering your face like that?"

Joey pulled Hermione into a corner and revealed her face. "Look at this!" she said, pointing to the pimples on her nose and cheek.

Hermione squinted. "What's wrong? You look fine to me."

"You don't see the three giant red pimples on my face?" Joey exclaimed, incredulous.

"They're just pimples," Hermione said with a shrug. "It's not like you've never had them before. Remember when you used to go to breakfast without even brushing your hair? What's changed?"

Joey paused, thinking. When "had" she started caring so much about her appearance? It must have been after her first kiss with Fred... She sighed, lost in the memory.

"Joey! Focus!" Hermione snapped her fingers, bringing Joey back to reality. "Where are you going?"

"Oh! I'm meeting Flami in the dungeons. She has a potion for me," Joey said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Hermione grabbed her arm and pulled out a small mirror. "In times like these, we can't be too careful. Always check for basilisks before turning a corner."

"Basilisks? What basilisks?" Joey asked, her interest piqued. The name sounded exciting, like something out of a heroic tale.

"I've been researching in the library," Hermione explained proudly. "The only creature that can petrify people is a basilisk. But you must never look directly into its eyes, or you'll die instantly."

"That sounds amazing!" Joey said, peering into the mirror Hermione held up. "But how do I know if I'm looking at a basilisk? Oh, my pimples don't look as bad in this mirror. Hey, what's that big yellow eye in the reflection—"

Joey froze. Hermione, noticing her sudden stillness, glanced into the mirror as well. Her face turned pale.

"Merlin's beard..." Hermione whispered.

Both girls stood paralyzed, staring into the mirror as the massive, yellow eye of the basilisk stared back at them.