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."
"I told you not to call me that," I growled at them. I looked to the other boy. "Harry? As in Harry Potter?"
He nodded.
"Do you really have the..." Ron wondered.
Harry already knew what he was talking about and showed us the lighting bolt scar on his forehead. "Whoa," I muttered. "Do you remember much from...OW!"
"Don't ask him that!" I scolded him. "Just green light," Harry told us. "So, what is your name? Since you asked them not to call you Joanna?"
"Well, that is my real name but I prefer to be called Joy," I told him. "Are your families wizards? All of them?"
"Mine is. We heard you live with Muggles, what is that like?" Ron asked Harry. "Horrible," Harry told him. "Joy? What about you?"
"Didn't have the greatest childhood, got raised in an orphanage..."
"Oh, what happened to your parents?" Harry asked me. His cheeks turned pink. "Sorry! You don't have to answer that..."
"No, it's okay," I brushed it off. "My mum died when I was a baby and my dad's Merlin knows where. My aunt adopted me when I was eight so I've been living with her ever since. She was fourteen when my mum died so she couldn't raise me until she had a house and a job."
"So you have three brothers?" Harry turned to Ron. "I have five actually and a sister, Joy is basically another sister to me."
"Where do you live?" Harry asked me. "In a big house in the Forest of Dean, Gloucester, it's peaceful," I told him. "What's your story?"
"Uh..I think you already know," Harry murmured. "No, not that one, when you got your letter," I specified.
"Well, I only found out I was a wizard when I got it," Harry admitted. "Hagrid told me everything, about my parents and Voldemort."
Ron and I gasped. "You said You-Know-Who's name," I was gobsmacked. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to," Harry explained. "I have a lot to learn."
"And we'll be happy to teach you," I smiled at him.
There was a knock on the door and the trolley witch stopped by. "Anything from the trolley."
I sighed and I leaned back, realising I left my money deep in my trunk. "We'll take the lot," Harry declared, surprising me and Ron.
***
"Aw no!" I complained, grimacing at the jellybean I ate. "Liquorice."
"But isn't liquorice supposed to be nice?" Harry frowned, confused at my reaction. "To me, it tastes like old tar," I muttered, eating a Cauldron Cake to get rid of the taste.
A round faced boy popped his head in. "Have you seen a toad anywhere?" he asked us.
"No, sorry," Ron told him. "I've lost him," the boy was sobbing. "He's gone!"
He left the compartment. "Do you have any pets with you?" I asked Harry. "I have an owl," he told me. "Me too. Ron has a rat named Scabbers. My owl is named Biscuit, most annoying owl in the world," I sighed.
"Want to see real magic?" Ron asked us and I could tell where this was going.
"Ron, George was just having you on, I told you this three times, it's not a real spell," I mumbled.
He had his wand pointed at Scabbers and was about to turn him yellow apparently.
"Has anyone seen a toad?" a bushy haired girl with big front teeth poked her head into our compartment. "A boy named Neville lost him."
Her eyes fixed onto Ron's wand. "Ooh, you're doing magic, let's see then."
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" Ron chanted.
I coughed while saying. "Told you," which earned me a glare from Ron and Harry started laughing. "Are you sure that's a real spell?" the girl asked him. "Well it's not very good is it? Mind you I've only tried a few basic spells, no one else in my family is magical, oh sorry, I'm Hermione Granger by the way, who are you?"
"Ron Weasley."
"Joy Jones."
"Harry Potter."
Hermione gaped. "Are you? I've read all about you! You're in a good few of the books I've been reading over the summer!"
"I am?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "You didn't know?!" Hermione gaped. "Do you know what houses you'll be in? I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds great, or Ravenclaw..anyway, we'd better look for Neville's toad."
She left and Ron rolled his eyes. "I hope I'm not in the same house as her."
"What house are your brothers in?" Harry asked him. "Gryffindor," he answered him. "My mum was a Hufflepuff, my aunt was in Ravenclaw, my father was a Gryffindor," I told Harry. "But I might actually change schools if I get sorted into Slytherin or change my name."
"Same here," Ron agreed with me. The door opened again and a white haired boy and two burly boys stood at the door. "Is it true?" the white haired boy looked at Harry. "Everyone said Harry Potter is in this compartment, is it you?"
"Yes," Harry muttered. "This is Crabbe and Goyle and I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
"Oh ugh," I groaned. "Well, I know who you are," Malfoy looked at us. "Red hair, freckles, more children than they can afford, obviously a Weasley. And you, I don't know who you are."
"Well, I know your parents kiss You-Know-Who's arse," I snapped. "What's your name?" he asked me. "Jones," I answered him. "Jones, that does sound familiar, how's your aunt, still a Mudblood?"
Ron was about to lunge at him but I grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"You'll find out that some wizarding families are better than others Potter, you don't want to make friends with the wrong sort, I can help you there," Malfoy held his hand out.
"I can tell the wrong sort for myself," Harry retorted. "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter, unless you want to end up like your parents.."
Malfoy didn't get to finish his sentence as my fist collided with his face. Harry and Ron gasped. "Insult my friends or my family again, I'll aim for where the sun doesn't shine."
He had a nosebleed and he and his friends took off. "That was brilliant!" Harry told me. "Thank you," I smiled at him, rubbing my bruised knuckles.
***
"First years! This way!"
I got onto the same boat as Harry and Ron and we sailed across the lake to the colossal castle. Twenty years ago, my mum and dad were in the same position as me right now.
We all gathered outside two big doors. "Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall greeted us. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly but first you will be sorted into one of the four houses. There's Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family here in Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, rule breaking will lose you house points. Whichever house has the most points at the end of the year will win the House cup. Form a line and follow me."
We followed McGonagall into the Great Hall.
I looked up to see the ceiling exactly like the starry night sky. "It's a Charm," Hermione told me. "It's so cool," I smiled.
"I will call up your name, you will put on the hat and you will be sorted," McGonagall told us. She had her list ready.
"Abbot, Hannah."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
I kept thinking about what house I'd be in. Anything but Slytherin would be fine with me.
"Bones, Susan."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Boot, Terry."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Brocklehurst, Mandy."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Brown Lavender."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Bullstrode, Millicent."
"SLYTHERIN!"
So at least there was one of every house now. Ron turned to Harry. "All the bad ones end up in Slytherin," he whispered to him.
"Granger, Hermione," Professor McGonagall called her up to be sorted.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Jones, Joanna."
I shuddered at my full name being used. Everyone called me Joy but my aunt only called me Joanna if I was in trouble.
I sat on the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed onto my head. "Difficult..difficult, hmm, a Jones, I knew one of you would show up sooner or later, like your aunt, you are loyal, brave and intelligent but I think it's time to change, I don't think Ravenclaw is the right fit for you or Hufflepuff for that matter, wait, I know! GRYFFINDOR!"
Fred and George were cheering once I walked over to their table. Harry and Ron were also sorted into Gryffindor, much to our delight.
I would've thought I'd be in Hufflepuff, like my mum but the Sorting Hat thought Gryffindor would be better. I was with my friends which was all I cared about.