Another Shade of Red: The Drastic Change

Disclaimer: Although I love Jo Rowling's books and the world she created, I didn't create any of the characters or things in the Harry Potter books. Most of the ideas are my own, but everything else belongs to Mrs. Rowling.


A/N: Hey! This is my first fanfic at fanfiction.net, so I'd appreciate it if you'd r & r. I didn't have time to put up the rest that I have done, but I have at least a few more chapters. I'd appreciate some feedback! Thanks a bunch, -- PaGi --

Ginny Weasley couldn't believe what she was about to do. She had thought it over in her head a million times, sure, but it was a whole other thing to actually go through with it. And what about her parents? She'd never hear the end of it. Worst of all, she had no idea what her six brothers would think. But Ginny wouldn't and couldn't change her mind now. Is she was going to be a more independent person this was the only way.

She checked one more time to make sure the door was locked- with nine people living in the same house one never knew if someone was going to run in on them when they were doing something private. Ginny remembered when she accidentally did that to Percy, and she laughed at the thought. But what she was doing wasn't like that at all, it was different and much more important. Then she heard footsteps coming up to the door.

"Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "are you almost done in there?"

"Yes, mum," Ginny lied, another thing she rarely did. "Just give me a few minutes, okay? Five minutes, that's all."

"That's fine, but we're eating soon." Ginny heard her mother descend down the stairs.

Ginny knew she had to do it now. If she ever wanted to be thought of as anything besides the little Weasley girl, she had to. Okay, she decided, I'll do it.

Ginny took the small blue bottle and poured some of the weightless liquid into her hands. The liquid was a pearly white color, and she wondered if (and hoped that) it would work correctly. What if it didn't work right and instead made her ears fall off? She hesitated for a moment, but then she decided it was a chance she was willing to take. Ginny smothered her bright red hair in the iridescent goo and closed her eyes. The potion was already beginning to work; she could feel the roots of her hair suddenly get heavier. But then it felt like all her hair had been pulled out! She had never felt such excruciating pain on her head before, and she opened her mouth to scream. However, she didn't scream because she realized that she couldn't scream anymore if she was going to be the all-new Ginny. And besides, screaming would probably mess up her hair.

Ginny had realized that she wasn't a little girl anymore, and she never again would be. She stood up to look in the mirror and she gasped. No longer did she look like Ginny Weasley, at least not the Ginny she had been before. She felt her soft new strawberry-blonde hair, and decided that she looked five years older than she had with her "Weasley" hair. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the reactions of everyone at Hogwarts!

She decided not to go downstairs until supper because she wanted to unveil her new look to her whole family at the same time. Unfortunately, things often didn't go as planned for 14-year-old Ginny Weasley. In fact, if she got what she wanted all of the time she'd be the most popular girl in school, a chaser on the Quidditch team, and Harry Potter's girlfriend. And if not his girlfriend, she at least hoped to be his crush.

As Ginny planned her "grand entrance" (or at least that was what she called it), she looked around her room. She had a plush blue bed covered in stuffed animals and on the walls were several posters of the Weird Sisters, Ginny's favorite band. She also had countless pieces of parchment on which she had scribbled "I YHP" or "I luv Harry 4 ever," or something else to that extent. Ginny wondered if Harry Potter, who was probably the most popular (and famous) boy in school, would ever think of her as any more than his best friend Ron's little sister. But maybe he would realize that she wasn't any longer Tom Riddle's 11-year-old puppet on strings. She didn't need Harry to save her from some perilous chambers or enchanted (and evil) diaries. She knew she could find her way and crawl out of her little cave of codependence.

As she was thinking all of this through in her head, the door to the room burst open.

"'Ey, Gin, do you have any chocolate frogs so we can- whoa!" Fred and George stopped dead in their tracks.

"What did you do to yourself?" Fred laughed.

"May I ask what is so funny?" Ginny said simply.

"You look like a gigantic strawberry!" George guffawed. "I guess it's better than the way-too-ripe cherry you were before"

"Funny, very funny," Ginny replied sarcastically.

"Mum's going to kill you!" George grinned.

"And bury your bones- that is, if there are any left when she's done," Fred added.

"Wait until Percy sees! Oh, this should be good. I can see a lecture coming on! I wish I had a camera for that."

"Does it really look that bad?" Ginny asked her two brothers worriedly. "I'm pretty sure I followed the directions correctly-"

"Nah, it's fine," Fred chuckled, "you just, well, you don't really look much like Ginny anymore."

"Good," she replied shortly. "I'll meet you guys downstairs at dinner." The twins looked befuddled as they stood in Ginny's doorway and watched her exit the room.

That didn't go so horribly, Ginny thought as she strolled down the stairs. The worst part'll be dad and mum... Oh, I wonder what Bill and Charlie will say! Percy and Ron will probably get creeped out, though. What else is new?

Ginny walked with her head held high downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Thank you for finally joining us Gi-" Mr. Weasley began as he looked up from his plate. "What in the name of Merlin?!?"

"Don't tell me it's a new one of Fred and George's Weasley Wizard Wheezes- erm, not that they're still making those, mum!" Ron laughed nervously.

"Actually, I um, I did this on my own," Ginny blushed. She looked different when she blushed now; she didn't turn into a tomato anymore. "I bought Madam Mangy's Miraculous Moisture, and um, I think it turned out rather nicely, actually."

"Well, if you like it, so do I," Charlie smiled. Mrs. Weasley nudged him in the arm. "What?" he groaned.

"Yeah, Gin, strawberry blonde is totally in right now," Bill agreed. Ginny was pleased with his response. After all, he was the one with the pierced ear.

"Well, it's too late to do anything now," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "I just can't see why you would want to get rid of your lovely red hair."

"It'll grow out, mum," Ginny replied. "Besides, I can always buy another Moisture in my natural color it I decide I really despise it."

Ron just gaped at his sister's new look. It seemed to change all of her features, except for her eyes which remained the same beautiful blue tone. "I have to tell Harry about this," Ron shook his head. "Won't he be in for a surprise." Ginny smiled secretly. This, of course, was exactly what she had been hoping for.