September 15th, Rain

The weather at Hogwarts had been dreary since the start of term, with rain falling almost every day. The Dementors patrolling the grounds didn't help the mood, and neither did Filch, who seemed to have gone mad with power. He berated students daily for tracking mud into the castle, even though it was impossible to avoid on rainy days.

"Thank Merlin he's a Squib," Ron grumbled as he stormed into the Gryffindor common room. "Otherwise, I'd swear he's a Death Eater!"

Joey, Fred, and George were playing Exploding Snap at a table nearby. They'd just been chased by Filch for having wet shoes after visiting Hagrid's hut. "He's not wrong, though," Joey said, earning a glare from Ron. "You're not a Squib. You could've used a drying spell."

Ron scoffed. "And risk losing my clothes if I mess it up? No thanks. Right, Fred?"

Fred froze, his face turning red as Joey shot him a sharp look. George burst out laughing. "Ron, you're on fire today!"

Joey threw her cards down and grabbed Ron's ears. "You've got some nerve, laughing at me!"

"You're not my sister!" Ron yelped, trying to pull away. "You're Malfoy's sister! Aren't you scared of him?"

Joey's temper flared. Ever since her Boggart incident, students had been teasing her relentlessly. The story had somehow morphed from "Joey fainted at the sight of George with one ear" to "Joey ate George's ear and scared herself to death." It was infuriating.

"Ron, you're dead!" Joey shouted, tightening her grip.

Harry and Hermione intervened just in time to save Ron's ears. Fred, meanwhile, was trying to calm Joey down. "It's just a joke, love. Don't let it get to you."

Joey huffed, crossing her arms. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one being called an ear-eating monster."

———

At dinner, Dumbledore announced that the Ministry of Magic had ordered a search of the student dormitories for contraband. "I trust you are all good, rule-abiding students who would never hide anything… inappropriate," he said, his eyes twinkling as they landed on the twins.

Fred and George nodded solemnly. "Of course, Headmaster. We're model students."

The Gryffindors around them snorted, but no one said a word.

After dinner, Joey, Fred, and George hurried to the Room of Requirement. They needed to hide their stash of prank items and potion ingredients before the search.

"Are you sure this room will work?" George asked as they ran up the stairs.

"Trust me," Fred said. "Joey and I have tested it. It can make anything you need."

Joey, however, was still stuck on something George had said earlier. "Wait, what exactly are you two working on? Nosebleed Nougat? Or something else?"

George smirked. "Oh, just a little love potion. Fred didn't tell you?"

Joey's eyes narrowed. "A love potion? Fred, are you planning something?"

Fred paled. "No! It's not like that! I just thought… maybe you'd be more… affectionate."

Joey's face turned red. "Affectionate? Are you saying I'm not affectionate enough?"

Fred stammered, trying to explain, but Joey was already fuming. George, meanwhile, was enjoying the show. "Poor Fred. Your troll girlfriend is really out of her mind."

Fred shot George a glare, then turned back to Joey. "There's no one else! I just… I just want you to be more… you know…"

Joey crossed her arms. "More what? Warm? Loving? What's wrong with how I am now?"

Fred sighed, pulling her into a hug. "Nothing's wrong. I just… never mind."

Joey softened, but George interrupted. "Can we focus? We've got a room to find and contraband to hide."

———

The Room of Requirement didn't disappoint. It was filled with towering shelves, each crammed with strange and fascinating objects. George picked up an old diary and flipped through it. "This is from 1865! Dumbledore wasn't even born yet!"

Fred grabbed the diary, his face turning red as he read a passage. Joey, curious, snatched it from him. "What's so interesting?"

Her eyes widened as she read. "It was a wonderful night for us… we embraced and tasted the forbidden fruit…" She threw the diary down, her face burning. "What is this?!"

Fred chuckled, picking it up. "People were bold back then, huh?"

Joey glared at him. "Shut up!"

George, meanwhile, was busy hiding their stash under a shelf filled with broken dolls. "This is perfect. No one will look here."

Joey, still flustered, wandered off to explore. She found a dusty, tarnished tiara tangled in a doll's hair. Disgusted, she pulled it free and examined it. "What is this thing?"

An idea struck her. If she cleaned it up, maybe she could pass it off as Ravenclaw's lost diadem and prank Ryan. Luna had said no one alive had seen the real thing, so who would know?

She tucked the tiara into her pocket, grinning. Fred would know how to clean it.

———

By the time they finished hiding their contraband, it was late. George realized he'd forgotten the Marauder's Map, which made sneaking back to the common room much riskier.

"How could you forget the map?" Joey whispered as they crept along the corridor.

"I changed my clothes!" George hissed back. "I was distracted!"

Fred, bringing up the rear, chuckled. "If we run into Filch now, it'll be the perfect end to the day."

As if on cue, they turned a corner and came face-to-face with Filch and Mrs. Norris.

"Well, well," Filch sneered. "Out after curfew, are we?"

Joey groaned. "You just had to jinx it, Fred."

George sighed. "This is going to be a long night."