Ron was uncomfortable. He took off his button up and replaced it with a soft, light red shirt. He surveyed himself in the mirror. He thought he looked fine. He ruffled his bright orange hair that he had been growing out over the summer. It had gotten quite long, and he liked the way it fell gently around his neck.
"Vain much?" Ginny was leaning on the doorframe watching him.
Ron bristled. "Don't you have something better to do?"
"Not really. Just waiting for Harry and Hermione to turn up."
Ron hadn't seen his two best friends all summer, and he felt a little nervous about how they would react to his new style. He grabbed a baseball cap and rammed it on his head.
"Come on, Ronald. Let's go down. They should be here any minute."
"Okay." He followed Ginny down to the Burrow kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was bustling around making dinner. Ron ducked as plates flew over his head towards the long wooden table.
"Perfect timing. Ginny, would you finish chopping up the salad please? Ron, why are you wearing that silly hat? You look like a muggle. Will you go to the garden and pick some sage, dear?"
Ron grumbled and strolled out the back door to the garden. He leaned down and breathed in the scent of the many plants that grew in the Weasley's herb box. He picked some lavender and rubbed it on his neck.
"Come on! Hermione's here!"
Ron jumped. He grabbed a bunch of sage and hurried back inside. Hermione's beaming face met him, and she threw herself into his arms.
"I've missed you so much!" Hermione pulled back to look up at him. "Oh Ron, I love your hair."
He left his hat on a chair for the rest of the night.
Harry showed up a little later, and they all gathered around the fireplace to play exploding snap and catch up on their summer activities. Ginny and Ron had spent most of their holiday playing quidditch in the backyard, Harry had been hiding from his terrible family, and Hermione had been at the coast with her parents. They chatted until late, then finally drifted off to get some sleep before their Diagon Alley trip the next day.
Though they were all most eager to see George and Fred's new joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, they did have to do some practical shopping for the coming school year as well. They stopped by Flourish and Blotts for books and the apothecary to replenish their potions supplies. On their way down the high street, Ron's attention was caught by another shop, Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions. In the window, there was a display of several salves and potions, behind which was a moving photo of several androgynous magical folks displaying the effects of the products. He thought they were beautiful and couldn't tear himself away from the window.
"Do you want to go in?" Hermione was standing behind him. Ron fidgeted uncertainly. "Ginny and I were going to go take a peek anyways. Come with us."
Hermione scooped up Ron's hand and dragged him into the shop. He was dazzled by the overwhelming number of colors and smells that surrounded him. There were balms for any sort of skin ailment, potions to turn your hair blue, instant freckle powders, and even a magical beautician who could perform minor transfiguration spells to slightly alter your appearance. Hermione and Ginny explored all the shop's offerings, while Ron followed nervously behind them.
"Can I do anything for you, sweetie?" The beautician, a very tall witch with a low, comforting voice, was looking at Ron with interest.
"Um, I'm not sure… If I don't like something, is it easy to reverse the effects?"
"Certainly! Why don't I try a couple of charms, and if you don't like them, I'll give you a potion for free."
"O…okay."
The stately witch busied herself with muttering tiny incantations while softly touching Ron's face with her wand. After a couple of minutes, she held up a small hand mirror for him to inspect her work. Ron stared. He looked like himself still, but better. His eyelashes were longer, his hair a little shinier, and his skin smoother.
"Blimey!" Ginny was peering into the mirror at his reflection as well. "You're almost as pretty as me now."
Ron blushed. "It's too much. I should change it back."
"Don't, you look great, Ron." Hermione was standing on his other side looking into the mirror as well.
"Fred and George will give me shit for sure."
"And if they do, they'll both have bats flying from their noses," threatened Ginny.
Ron smiled.
Fred and George did in fact end up teasing Ron, but about other things entirely, such as his inability to afford anything in their shop.
By the time they were back at Hogwarts, Ron had done a lot of thinking about his feelings over the summer. Spending so much time with just Ginny had allowed him to feel more relaxed and less afraid of someone teasing him for what he might wear or say. He had always felt tense and defensive around his brothers. Even though they meant well, their relentless joking made it hard for him to feel safe expressing what he was feeling. He bucked up his courage now, in preparation to express some new feelings to Harry.
"Mate, I've been wanting to talk to you about something." They were walking together back up from the quidditch pitch after practice.
"Yeah?" Harry looked at him, concerned.
"It's, it's not a big deal, really…" Ron stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact. "But, I think I'd like to use different pronouns." Harry stayed quiet. "You know how some people are non-binary, like they don't feel like they quite fit with their gender. Well, I think that might be me."
Harry considered for a moment. "I can't relate to exactly how you're feeling. But I definitely have experience feeling like there is a part of me that doesn't fit with society's expectations, like how I felt before I found out I was a wizard." Harry stopped walking and looked meaningfully into Ron's face. "You're my best friend, and I love you no matter what. Tell me what makes you feel comfortable, and I'll do it. Hermione and I are here for you."
Ron was relieved, and telling Hermione and Ginny went equally as smoothly.
"You're my annoying sibling always, Ronald. And you've actually been much less grumpy lately, so I support anything that continues that," Ginny had said.
"Oh, Ron!" Hermione had thrown her arms around them. "Thank you for telling me! I've actually been doing some research on gender fluidity over the summer…"
Even Seamus, one of the people Ron had been the most nervous about telling, was shockingly supportive. Though, he had been a lot nicer since he'd started dating Dean that year.
Ron was getting ready for their first Hogsmeade trip of the year. They adjusted the blouse they had borrowed from Ginny and ran their fingers through their hair, smoothing the red waves. Ron had begun testing out varying levels of femininity in their style. Some days, they would wear a flannel and jeans with a low ponytail and no makeup. Other days, they would borrow one of Ginny's or Hermione's shirts and have their hair loose and flowing. They were beginning to like what they saw in the mirror.
"Ready?" Harry poked his head in the dormitory door.
Ron took a nervous breath. They had been slowly coming out to the Gryffindors, but they hadn't taken their new look in public yet.
Harry walked over and put a hand on their shoulder. "You look great. Come on, everyone's waiting on you."
Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville all headed down the lane to Hogsmeade together, chatting and laughing as many-colored leaves blew by them.
"What in the hell are you wearing, Weasley?" Draco Malfoy and his horde of Slytherins were lingering at the entrance to the village. "So embarrassed by your pitiful quidditch performance that you're pretending to be your sister now?" Crabbe and Goyle snickered.
Ron froze, face red and eyes watering.
"Shut your filthy mouth, Malfoy." Harry, Ron, and Ginny all drew their wands and stepped towards the Slytherins.
"Now, now!" said a booming voice from behind them. Professor Slughorn waddled up beside Harry and patted his shoulder. "I'd hate to see some of my favorite students getting in trouble for dueling."
"Malfoy was insulting our friend, Professor," Harry said with his teeth clenched, lowering his wand.
"Draco, none of that! Hogsmeade is a place for merriment and extravagant amounts of shopping, not for speaking ill of others. I'm sure your father wouldn't want to hear of this nasty talk."
"No, sir." Draco's eyes were shooting daggers at Harry still.
"Alright, now that's settled. Why don't you all join me at the Three Broomsticks for a drink?" And with that, Slughorn scooped Harry's arm into his own and marched them towards the pub.
"Ron, are you alright?" Hermione asked.
They nodded, their face still flushed and their eyes on the ground.
Once they entered the crowded inn, Ron shuffled off on their own to order a drink. They were picking at a splinter in the old wooden bar, when Madam Rosmerta approached them.
"Mind you're not defacing my bar now."
Ron jumped. "Oh… sorry."
She surveyed them as she wiped the counter. "What's got you down, love?"
"I guess… In some ways, I've been feeling happier about myself lately, but I'm also scared. I'm scared people won't like who I really am, that people will think I'm a freak." Ron blushed, embarrassed about being so honest.
Rosmerta settled her hands on the bar, fixing Ron with an earnest stare. "From what I can see, you're not a freak at all. You're brave. A lot of folks who come through here are afraid to show who they truly are to the world, and it makes them unhappy. There will always be people who judge you based on how you look or sound or dress, but those people are just insecure themselves. It can be unsafe out there, for some of us who are different, but that shouldn't stop you from being who you are." She looked over to the table where Harry and Ginny were clearly ranting about their loathing of a certain blond haired Slytherin. "It looks to me like you have quite a few people who've got your back."
Ron followed her gaze over to the table full of their friends. "I do."
Ronnie smoothed more Sleekeazy's Hair Potion through her wavy red locks. She studied herself in the mirror. She was wearing a golden snitch necklace that her sister had lent her and a light blue and white patterned dress she had bought in Hogsmeade with assistance from Hermione and Ginny. She thought she looked… pretty.
Hermione peeked her head into the dorm. "It's about time to go."
She had invited Ronnie to be her friend-date to Slughorn's Christmas party. Ronnie tried to respond, but felt frozen in place. She had been testing out wearing dresses for a while, but had yet to wear one outside the safety of the dormitory. Hermione walked over and slipped her hand into hers, looking at them both reflected in the mirror.
"You can do this. I'll be with you the whole time."
Ronnie nodded and let her friend lead her out of the room and down the stairs. They made their way through the mostly deserted castle, until they paused outside of Slughorn's office, brimming with light and noise. She looked into Hermione's warm, brown eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped over the threshold into the party. The room was buzzing with activity. Fairies fluttered inside of the red lamp hung overhead, while partygoers and house-elves dashed around the room, holding drinks and trays of hors d'oeuvre. It was all a bit overwhelming, but Ronnie was pleased that her entrance had gone unnoticed. She and Hermione picked their way around the outer edges of the room, snagging drinks from one of the roaming platters.
"Oooh, you both look beautiful," said a dreamy voice. Luna and Harry were shrouded in smoke due to the pipes of the warlocks standing next to them. "We're hiding," Luna explained to them.
Ronnie giggled, as Harry kept looking over his shoulder nervously.
"Harry, my boy! There you are!" Harry groaned as Slughorn appeared seemingly out of nowhere to put an arm around him. "I hate to tear you away from all of these beautiful ladies, not surprised you're surrounded by so many, you charmer, but I have some important people who would like an introduction."
Harry mouthed "help me" as he was dragged away.
"Well, shall we dance?" Luna began spinning around, waving her arms in wide arcs.
Hermione laughed, "Why not!"
Ronnie and Hermione spent the rest of the evening trying to keep up with Luna's eccentric dance moves and attempting to hide Harry from all of the very important people who wanted to speak with him. As the party flew by, Ronnie forgot all about being nervous, too distracted by her riotous group of friends. As she lay smiling in her bed that night, she thought about the soft fabric of her dress swaying around her legs, her hair whipping around her face. She knew what it was now to feel free, and she could never go back.
Snow piled around the corners of the Burrow's windows, as Molly Weasley finished putting away the dishes. Ronnie paused at the bottom of the stairs. Since she had been home for the holidays, she had kept her transition under wraps, using her old name and pronouns, tucking her hair up in a hat, and wearing more boyish clothes. But she felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach every time someone said "he". She inched into the room.
"Oh, Ron, will you help me put the rest of this away please? I forgot how the dishes pile up with so many people in the house."
Ronnie picked up some of the magically washed and dried plates and stacked them in the cupboard.
"Mum…"
"Yes, dear?" Mrs. Weasley continued shuffling around, putting things away.
"I… You know how I've been growing my hair out?
"I had noticed that. It's going to get as out of control as Bill's soon! You should really let me give it a trim."
"No, I mean, sure, that's not the point though… It's…" Ronnie's eyes filled with watery frustration as she struggled to find the words.
Mrs. Weasley stopped her tidying to look into Ronnie's face. "Come sit down, love." She steered her into a chair at the worn kitchen table and flicked her wand at a kettle that started to heat. Mrs. Weasley poured them both a cup of tea and sat down at the table, waiting for Ronnie to speak.
"Mum. You know how some people don't feel like they've been born into the right body, transgender people." Mrs. Weasley nodded her head. "I think… that's me. I think I'm really a girl."
Ronnie bit her lip as she waited for her mother to respond. Mrs. Weasley took a big sip of tea and was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment.
"I think that's lovely, Ronnie. Oh wait, what should I call you now?"
"I like Ronnie! That's what I've been going by actually." Ronnie beamed.
"Well, I think it's just wonderful." Mrs. Weasley peered into Ronnie's eyes, her own shining. "I've always wanted another daughter."