Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does and she's kind enough to let us play with her characters a bit, as long as she doesn't have to see it.

A Question of Looks

"You don't have to feel so ashamed, Al. You're not the first underage wizard who tried to change his looks with a parent's wand and ended up looking like a mutant."

Al sighed as Teddy used his wand to transform growths in the shape of jelly worms that erupted from his face back into freckles. "I'm probably the first boy..."

"You're definitely not the first boy and definitely not the last," said Teddy decisively. "Once, when I visited Gran at St. Mungo's, she was treating this eight-year-old boy who wanted to look like your dad. The only thing he managed to do was sprout a green lightning-shape horn in the middle of his forehead."

Al giggled. "That doesn't look like Dad."

"Definitely not." Teddy transformed a few more growths back into freckles. "What were you trying to do, anyway? You don't like your freckles?"

"I don't mind them," said Al quietly. "It was a mistake. I just wanted to color my hair." Indeed, Al's hair was magically dyed with every color of the rainbow.

"It gets tiring when people tell you how much you look like your dad, huh?" Teddy asked in an understanding tone.

"A bit," admitted Al. He looked at his feet.

"It's alright, Al. You know, even Uncle Harry doesn't want to look like himself sometimes. He once told me that he'd be happy to be a Metamorphmagus like me." With a flick of Teddy's wand, the last jelly worm growth on Al's face turned back into a freckle. "Right, now all that remains is your hair."

"Can you dye it turquoise?" Al asked.

Teddy gaped. "Turquoise?" he repeated.

Al nodded. "Like you. That's what I wanted to do."

Teddy laughed and ran a hand through his light brown hair and turquoise fringe. "You too, huh? I should've known."

Al's eyes widened in surprise. "'You too'?" he wondered. "Someone else wanted hair like yours, Teddy?"

"Your brother," Teddy answered, smiling in amusement. "Remember when you visited Shay Finnigan in Ireland last summer? When you were away, James went to a Muggle shop and bought a bottle of turquoise hairspray. It was temporary, though. He was really disappointed when the color came off in the shower two days later. That's probably why he didn't tell you."

A huge grin spread across Al's face. "So I did better than James?"

"Not for long," Teddy snickered. Al's face fell as Teddy waved his wand and turned his hair black again. "It's not that bad, you know," Teddy said as he affectionately ruffled Al's already messy hair. "Well, that's it, then. If you're already here, though, want to come to Diagon Alley? We can visit George, bet he has some wicked new jokes."

"And everyone will notice me because I'm Harry Potter's son again," Albus mumbled solemnly.

When he looked back at Teddy, however, he found that Teddy had messy jet black hair just like him. "So we'll both look like Uncle Harry together," Teddy said with a smile. "That way, you'll get only half the attention."

Al smiled back.