Joke to

[Xinfu]

p.304
-joking Ron to the moody, aggressive model he had been enduring for the last few weeks, [...]

'Joke ... to' is not found in dictionaries; what does it mean?

[Rusty]

The words you highlighted aren't paired.

The word 'to' goes with 'preferred'. If I omit a few words, and substitute 'Ron' for 'model', I believe you'll understand the phrasing.

Although Harry much preferred this ... joking Ron ... to the ... aggressive [Ron] ...

[Xinfu]

Excellent answer. Thank you.