Window into the Past

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"Play it again!" 

"I know what you're going to do," Tia said as she drove along. "You're not rolling down the window." 

"Why not?" I asked her. "Because one, we're on the motorway and two I know you just want to scream Madonna out the window," she said, keeping her eye on the road. "You're not opening the window on the M40." 

"Fine," I pouted. Regardless I pushed the tape in again and my aunt shook her head. "You said I couldn't open the window," I told her of my very clever loophole. "Not that I couldn't play it again." 

She was fighting a smile. I started singing along and drumming on my legs to the beat. 

"Life is a mystery!" I sang at the top of my lungs. "Everyone must stand alone! I hear you call my name! And it feels like home!" 

It was my favourite song. Tia smiled over at me and she did let me roll the window down eventually and the wind blew the masses of ash blonde back like a kite. 

After playing it a couple more times, we had reached King's Cross Station. 

"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. I was a little quiet around them at first but I warmed up to them eventually.

"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 he 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?"