November 11, Sunny (Part 2)

"Oh, sorry, this is Sirius's grandfather. Doesn't he look stern? Haha! Joey, please continue. Our listeners are eager to hear more." Dumbledore chuckled, though Phineas Nigellus Black's cold snort in the background suggested he wasn't amused.

Joey took a deep breath and continued. "I only dreamed about the aftermath of the battle yesterday. I must've paid more attention to that part when I read it. The rest is a bit vague. Harry is a Horcrux, Professor Snape loved Harry's mother, Harry liked Cho, Ron liked Hermione… that's about it." She shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. It wasn't much to go on.

"Except for the Horcrux bit, the rest is just gossip!" Phineas Nigellus Black snapped, clearly unimpressed.

"I read it as a romance novel, okay? It's not my fault I remember the juicy parts!" Joey shot back, defending herself.

If she had known she'd be reborn into this world, she would've memorized every detail of the books. But here she was, spilling what little she remembered and getting mocked for it.

"Dumbledore, is this really your student? So disrespectful! In my day—" Phineas began, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Phineas, that's precisely why you were so unpopular as headmaster," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "I believe in letting students speak their minds and ask their questions."

A round-faced witch in one of the portraits clapped in approval, while Phineas huffed and fell silent.

"Joey, I have a few questions for you," Dumbledore said kindly. "If you remember the answers, that's wonderful. If not, no worries. First, did we ultimately win the war?"

"It was a bittersweet victory," Joey replied. "A lot of people died. It wasn't a clean win."

Dumbledore nodded, looking relieved. "Thank you. That's helpful. Second, you mentioned Harry is a Horcrux. Do you know what a Horcrux is?"

"Not really… I just remember the line from the book: 'Harry is the last Horcrux.'" Joey admitted, glaring at Phineas when he let out a derisive snort. "This old Black guy is so rude! Is Sirius really his grandson?"

Dumbledore waved his wand, conjuring a tapestry to cover Phineas's portrait, silencing his protests. "That line is very important. It tells me two things: Harry is a Horcrux, and there are multiple Horcruxes. This is incredibly useful for the task at hand. Thank you, Joey."

Joey blushed at the praise. She knew she wasn't the most useful transmigrator, but being complimented by Dumbledore? That felt pretty good.

Fred, who had been quietly holding Joey's hand, finally spoke up. "What if Dumbledore hadn't believed you? What if he thought you were crazy?"

Joey hadn't considered that. She blinked, then shrugged. "I guess I'd have to figure something else out. But he believed me, so it's fine!"

Fred sighed, ruffling her hair. "You're lucky he's so open-minded."

Dumbledore, meanwhile, was extracting the memory of their conversation and storing it in a Pensieve. "These memories are heavy for an adult, let alone a young girl. She might need a Pensieve of her own someday."

But Joey, blissfully unaware of Dumbledore's concerns, was already moving on. After unloading her secret, she felt lighter than ever. She trusted Dumbledore to handle the rest.

---

By afternoon, Joey was back to her usual self, snoring through History of Magic class. Fred watched her with a mix of amusement and exasperation. How could she go from such a heavy conversation to napping like nothing happened?

Meanwhile, the story of Joey's midnight dash to the boys' dormitory had spread like wildfire. Ron, in particular, was indignant.

"Hermione does it too! She's always barging into our dorm! What if I like to sleep naked?!" Ron complained loudly at the dinner table.

"Then you've got nothing to show!" Ginny shot back, earning a laugh from Harry, who nearly spilled his pumpkin juice.

Joey, however, was too busy dealing with George and Lee's antics to pay attention. The two were hounding her and Fred for help with their homework, claiming they'd suffered enough after sleeping in the common room the previous night.

"Fine! Let's settle this after dinner. A duel, winner takes all. I'll do your homework for a week if I lose," Joey declared, slamming her fork down.

George and Lee exchanged glances. Joey might not be the brightest, but she was a fierce duelist. Still, Lee couldn't back down. "Deal! Meet us in the empty classroom on the fourth floor after dinner."

The duel was short and brutal. Joey's silent spellwork left George and Lee covered in boils, groaning on the floor.

"Perfect! This new spell is ready for the joke shop!" Joey said cheerfully, inspecting her handiwork.

George and Lee could only glare at her. They'd learned the hard way not to underestimate Joey.

---

Later that evening, the group snuck out to the seventh floor to retrieve some butterbeer they'd hidden near the Room of Requirement. As they climbed the stairs, they ran into Filch, who was unusually cheerful.

"Good evening," Filch said as he passed, his cat Mrs. Norris in his arms.

Lee stared after him in shock. "Did Filch just say 'good evening' instead of calling us 'little troublemakers'? Is he under the Imperius Curse?"

"Who'd waste an Imperius Curse on a Squib caretaker?" George scoffed.

Fred, however, was more concerned. "He came from the direction of the Room of Requirement. Do you think he found our stash?"

Joey laughed. "I don't even remember where we hid it. No way he found it that fast!"

Fred shook his head, amused by her optimism.

As they continued their mischief, Joey couldn't help but feel content. She'd done her part by telling Dumbledore what she knew. Now, all she could do was live her life to the fullest. If the worst came to pass, she'd face it with Fred by her side. And that was enough for her.