Window into the Past

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Joy POV

"This bus is fast!" I clutched onto the handlebar of the Knight Bus, holding on for my dear little life.

My aunt, however, was completely fine with it, she was calm and acted like being on this fast bus was one hundred percent normal.

Oh, yes, while I'm holding on to this bar, worrying for my life, best to know who I am.

My name is Joanna Jones, Joy for short. My aunt adopted me once she turned twenty one. Before that, I was bounced around from orphanage to orphanage, not all of them were nice.

My mother fought in the war and unfortunately was killed in action. My father's whereabouts were unknown.

I'm eleven years old and I'm on the way to King's Cross Station for my first year at Hogwarts.

The bus finally stopped. "King's Cross, Miss Jones!" the conductor called. "Thank you, Stan," she said to him, taking my belongings off the bus.

"Merlin, this is heavy!" I groaned, moving my trunk onto the trolley. "Joy, you'll get used to it," Tia laughed at me. I shot her a death glare. "But Platform Nine and Three Quarters sounds made up," I told her.

"It's to confuse the Muggles," Tia simply told me and I decided to just go along with it.

"Joy!" I turned around to see my best friend heaving his cart with his trunk on it. "You doing okay over there, Ron?" I asked him. "Bloody hell, this thing is heavy," he complained. I met Ron shortly after Tia adopted me. The Weasleys looked after me while she was working. I'd always spend time at their house during the summer with his brothers and his little sister Ginny.

"Told you," I said to Tia. She rolled her eyes. "Joy.."

"I'm going," I mumbled. "Think I'll get sorted into Hufflepuff like Mum or Ravenclaw like you?"

"Or maybe Gryffindor, like your father, you never know," Tia told me. She hardly mentioned him.

"Tatiana!" Mrs Weasley, Ron's mother greeted her. "Is it Joy's first day too?"

"Yes," Tia smiled proudly. "The house will be finally quiet."

The subject of my dad was never really discussed. He and my mum loved each other in school but after she died, he was declared an unfit parent and wasn't allowed to raise me. The Ministry forbade me from contacting him. Tia could but he wasn't allowed any correspondence with me.

I ran through the barrier onto the platform. Once all my belongings were unpacked, including Biscuit, my owl.

Mrs Weasley helped me get a head start on magic. But Ron and I bonded over our shared love of Quidditch.

"Alright, Joy, remember what I told you?" Tia looked at me. "Don't get into too much trouble and don't get sorted into Slytherin," I listed them off. "That's my girl," she smirked and hugged me. "Ron, keep an eye on this one for me, please?"

"I will," Ron nodded and the two of us got onto the train.

"There's no free ones," Ron complained as we searched the train. "Maybe this guy will let us sit with him," I pointed to a dark haired boy with round glasses. I knocked on the door and opened the compartment. "Can me and my friend sit here? Everywhere else is full."

The boy nodded. 'Actually, it's my friend and I," I corrected Ron. "Oi! Shut up!" he exclaimed.

Fred and George poked their heads in. "Hey, Ron, Lee has a giant tarantula! Wanna see?"

"No!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. They looked to the dark haired boy. "Oh, Harry, we didn't introduce ourselves, I'm Fred and this is George, that there is our little brother Ron and his best friend Joanna."