Window into the Past

🌙6🌙

I was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas as Tia was working. She was one of the big Aurors in the Ministry, hunting down bad wizards. Unfortunately she was on the field so I couldn't come home.

It was just me, Harry and Ron for the holidays as Hermione went back to her family.

I sat down in front of the fireplace and whispered incantations as the fire took various shapes. From a quill to a bird to a heart.

"How can you do that?" Harry asked me. "I learned from Tia, kind of like meditation," I told him.

"Did you ever meet your dad? Face to face?" Harry wondered.

I shook my head. "I wish I did, last full moon was painful. I wish I could just..talk to him, he's the only person who'd understand. All I remember was his eyes, exactly like mine."

"Have you asked your aunt?"

"I've tried," I sighed, resting my hands in my hands. "But the whole werewolf thing makes things slightly clearer, what's the point? He probably doesn't want anything to do with me."

The bells started ringing, midnight. "Merry Christmas, Harry," I mumbled, resting my head on his shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Joy."

***

"Joy! Wake up!"

I opened my eyes to see Harry and Ron shaking me. "Merlin's balls! I'm awake!"

Ron literally dragged me off the couch since I fell asleep there last night. "Presents!"

Mrs Weasley made me a knitted beanie and sent me over some fudge.

Tia had sent me a horror book by a Muggle author, knowing I had something for dark stories.

Hermione had left me Chocolate Frogs.

"That's money?" Ron was shocked. "Joy look at this!"

Ron dropped the bit of metal into my hand. "Muggles use this? What even is this?"

"It's fifty pence," Harry explained to us. "Is that like a sickle?" I frowned.

"Not sure," Harry admitted.

I found an envelope on the tree with my name on it. I took it and I opened it.

"It's from my dad," I mumbled. "What does it say?" Ron asked me.

"Read it," Harry and Ron sat down on the couch.

I read it aloud for them. "Dear Joy, I heard that you got into Gryffindor, a lot better than Ravenclaw, don't tell your auntie I said that, she'd kill me herself..."

I kept reading on, the letter was long but every word meant so much to me.

"...I hope you enjoy your first year at Hogwarts, don't do anything I wouldn't do. Love Dad."

I smiled. "When does your dad usually write?"

"Never..." I mumbled, surprised but something in the corner of my eye distracted me. "Oh, Harry, one more."

I grabbed a wrapped present and tossed it over to him. He tore the wrapping paper open and took out a cloak.

Harry put the cloak on and his body disappeared. "It's an invisibility cloak!" Ron exclaimed.

Fred and George stormed downstairs. "Merry Christmas!"

They all had jumpers from Mrs Weasley. Fred and George had blue ones while Ron, much to his distaste, had a maroon one.

"Ron, why aren't you wearing yours?!" Fred burst out laughing. "Even Harry got a jumper and Joy got a hat."

George stood on the table. "Now, come on!"

"What's all the racket about?" Percy came downstairs. "Even you Prefect," George pointed at him. "Christmas is a time for family, plus Joy and Harry."

***

"Is McGonagall blushing?" Ron giggled as we all sat around the table. Hagrid had kissed her cheek and she was blushing furiously.

All of us were eating the heaps of food for Christmas dinner but I kept rereading the letter.

We had a few snowball fights, Percy was dragged in against his will.

That night, I was the only girl in the Gryffindor dormitory. I kept reading my dad's letter. I wondered if he even knew about my condition.

I slipped it into my new book and curled up in bed and fell asleep.

"Joy! JOY!"

I slowly woke up and heard Harry calling my name from downstairs. I threw my robe on over my pyjamas and went downstairs. "Come on!" Harry urged me.

"It's one in the morning," I mumbled and he threw the cloak over us both.

He led me to this room and showed me a mirror. "Can you see them?"

"See who?" I asked Harry.

"My parents," he told me.

"All I can see is myself and...."

I saw a woman with ash blonde hair, icy blue eyes and a beautiful smile on her face.

I frowned. "Mum?" I mouthed at the mirror. I looked at Harry. "It must be different for every person."

I walked over to him and affectionately gripped his arm. "Come on, let's get some sleep."