Disclamer: This is based on the original Sunscreen speech and other similar stories. Link to the original and variations will be provided in my profile. I don't own the prompt or Harry Potter.
A/N: Reviews are loved. If there's enough of a positive response to this one, then I'll consider writing more for Harry Potter and other fandoms as well. Enjoy!
Ginny Weasley's Advice to Hogwarts Graduates
Be sassy.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, attitude would be it. The long-term effects of creating a lasting impression have been proved by business moguls and ministry officials around the world, though the rest of my advice has zero reliable basis except for my own experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. You never know when your boobs will sag and those wrinkles on your face become permanent. Then you'll look back at your old pictures and realize that you should have gone on more dates when you were young and naïve.
Don't worry about the future. I mean, you can worry, but know that it's about as effective as getting your Potions essay done while playing Quidditch. The real crap moments of your life are gonna be things that never crossed your worried mind, the ones that you realize while degnoming the garden one lazy Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Grow your hair down to your waist, once. Just for fun. And to watch all the boys' heads turn.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. You'll regret it when someone finally breaks yours.
Floss. Narrowed eyes and a glinting smile equals just the right amount of bitchy and bossy to get you anything you want. Like I said. Sass is important.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. So what if the love of your life is crushing on some horrible pissy crybaby? You'll get him. Eventually.
Remember the compliments you receive. Bat-bogey the morons who insult you.
Keep your old love letters. And letters from friends. And from family. Throw away that disgusting old butter dish that's been the source of your embarrassment for the past who knows how long.
Aim for the top. Also for Zacharias Smith, when he strikes a nerve.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. After watching six older brothers struggle their way out, I reckon you'll have a pretty good idea.
Remember: Be sassy. It's important.
Maybe you'll marry the world's savior, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have three lovely children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40; maybe your huge family will celebrate for the thousandth time on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, remember it was your choice to do so.
Enjoy your body. It's capable of anything.
Dance, even when nobody's watching.
Take notice of the rules. Don't pay too much attention to them, though. They were made to be broken.
Don't read tabloids. They're stupid and never true anyways. "Chosen One Leaving Wife for Ex-Girlfriend!" Lame. Like he would ever leave you again.
Get to know your parents. And your brothers, no matter how many. You never know when one can get taken away.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who liked you even when you were their best friend's annoying little sister.
Live all by yourself once, but stop before it makes you hard. Live surrounded by family once, but before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: You shop at secondhand stores. Your brothers will tease you. Your one true love left you after just a few short months. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, you had more money, your brothers respected you, and that guy you liked had half a brain to give you a chance.
Play Quidditch. It's fun.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Show that guy that you were just fine before he came along with his ten-bazillion galleon bank account, thank-you-very-much.
Don't mess too much with your hair. Sometimes, it's your identity.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing through a Pensieve for the worst memories and trying to polish them up. It doesn't work. Slughorn would know.
But trust me on the sass.
A/N: Read and Review!