Red

Red. Ron Weasley snorted in disgust when he saw the familiar mane of red hair atop his head.

‘The Weasley Curse’ he had once dubbed the infamous red locks. For as long as he could remember, everyone of his family member had red hair; it couldn’t be stopped. He remembered when he was seven, his brother Charlie told him a story when his uncle Bilius tried to charm his hair black; he resulted in having all his hair fall out and it grew back the ‘Weasley Red.’

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the colour red; in fact, it was one of his favourite colours. It was just that everyone in his family had it. He didn’t stand out at all; but all in all, everyone can recognize him as a Weasley before he opens his mouth, because of his red hair. All his life all Ron has ever been, was just a red haired Weasley. His brother Bill is successful, Charlie is the athlete, Percy’s the genius, Fred and George are the troublemakers, and his sister Ginny is the youngest. As far as Ron was concerned, he was nothing. Sure, his best friend was The-Boy-Who-Lived, but he was nothing more than a sidekick. His only major accomplishments were a lucky game of chess and making prefect; and that didn’t really count because everyone knows Harry deserved it.

Yes, all his life Ron has been in the shadows of countless others.

Letting out a groan of frustration, Ron turned his back on the mirror and stalked up and down the dormitory.

“I don’t know what you’re upset about,” the mirror said. “I like red hair!”

Ron tossed a glare in the mirror’s direction and stormed out into the common room.

“Hey Ron,” Harry and Hermione greeted not looking up from their books.

“How’d you know it was me?” Ron asked slumping down into one of the armchairs.

“Saw your hair out of the corner of my eye…” Harry mumbled. Ron scowled and Hermione grinned. “What’s the matter with your hair?” she asked, looking up.

“Nothing,” Ron muttered miserably. Harry and Hermione shrugged and went back to their books. Ron sighed and looked around the common room. His eyes rested on the window where large, rolling clouds threatened to drop rain at any minute. A strong breeze was blowing, causing the trees to shake. Looking around the common room, Ron understood why most students decided to stay inside.

“What did you get on your Transfiguration test Ron?” Hermione asked sorting through various parchments.

“A ‘P’” Ron muttered.

“Oh honestly! I told you to study for that! Professor McGonagall said that it would count as two test grades!” Hermione scolded and shook her head. Ron’s ears turned bright pink and he slumped further down into his chair.

“Give him a break Hermione, we had a big game that day,” Harry said giving Hermione a soft nudge. Hermione still look disapproving but her face softened slightly.

Ron snorted loudly, “Yeah, too bad we lost! I was terrible!”

“You were not. It was the Ravenclaw’s new chaser; he was amazing…” Harry’s eyes narrowed slightly at the memory of the lost game.

“Ron! Look at this letter I just got from Mum!” Ginny came billowing down the stairs waving a letter in her hand. She quickly shoved the letter in his hand and Harry and Hermione scooted over to read over his shoulder.

Dear Ron and Ginny,

“Good for Bill!” Hermione grinned. Harry and Ginny nodded in agreement and Ron vaguely muttered something and sunk even further into his chair. After a few seconds he got up in a huff and announced he was going for a walk. He stomped his way out of the common room leaving his sister and best friends confused.

He felt terrible for feeling jealous of her brother, for he should be proud; but he couldn’t help but feel like he was being pushed further into the shadows of his family’s limelight. He wanted to feel unique, special and admired.

His happiest moments were when he was getting attention; no matter what for. He liked feeling special and with successful, talented brothers and a famous best friend, it wasn’t always easy.

To him, the only thing special about him was his flaming red hair. Grumbling he pulled the hood of his jacket up to cover the bothersome hair, stuffed his hands in his pockets and made his way to the grounds.

He was just coming down the first floor when a Hufflepuff bumped right into him.

“Oops! Sorry, didn’t see you there,” she said hurriedly and walked briskly away, not giving him a second glance.

“Of course not,” he grumbled and sprinted out of the castle and onto the grounds.

As soon as he opened the doors, the powerful scent of on coming rain filled his nostrils and he instinctively pulled his jacket closer. The wind was blowing harshly, causing small, choppy waves against the lake’s surface. Looking around, Ron saw that the grounds were completely deserted. He made his way to the lake, keeping his head bent against the wind.

He settled himself underneath an old oak tree near the lake and watched the small waves slap lightly against the shore. He leaned his head against the trunk, closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He felt a refreshing sense of peace come over him as he said their, listening to the wind and waves.

“Ronald?” a voice behind the tree made Ron’s eyes snap open and he jumped slightly. Luna Lovegood emerged from the other side of the trunk wearing large, umbrella earrings, a loud, striped raincoat and a large grin.

“Luna!” Ron asked, surprised to see the younger Ravenclaw there.

“What are you doing here?” she asked jovially plopping down next to him.

“Er…nothing,” he replied. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh this is the perfect weather to spot a Spotted Snerf!” she said dreamily.

“What’s a Spotted Snerf?” Ron couldn’t help himself from asking. Luna looked at him oddly. “You’ve never heard of one before?” Ron shook his head and Luna sighed.

“A Spotted Snerf is a lake dwelling creature that comes out in the stormy weather hunting for squirrels as their prey,” she said simply.

“Oh…right,” Ron rolled his eyes and turned his focus to the lake half expecting a Spotted Snerf to just come waltzing out.

“Why are you covering your head?” Luna asked eyeing his hood questionably.

“I’m just covering my hair,” Ron grunted.

“Why would you want to do that? The red colour is really special!” Ron turned to look at the blonde sitting next to him.

“Not if you’re a Weasley,” Ron sighed and looked at his hands.

“What’s wrong?” Luna asked in such a hushed, trusting tone that Ron couldn’t help the flow of words that spilled out of his mouth.

“It’s just that, all my life I’ve been cast into the shadows of my brothers or Harry or Hermione. I’ve never done anything to make me stand out. Sometimes I just feel like I’m nobody.” He sighed deeply as he explained and he felt his ears burn with embarrassment.

“You’re certainly someone Ronald. I happen to think that you shine. You do stand out,” Luna said warmly and truthfully.

“And sometimes, standing out isn’t always a good thing.” Ron quickly turned to look at her and saw the faintest blush on her cheeks. He suddenly felt a large tug at his stomach making his mind spin until he was dizzy. Luna looked up at him and the next thing he knew, Ron quickly kissed her. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, nor was it very quick. All Ron knew was that when he did kiss Luna, he felt the shadows disappear from him; and suddenly he was in the spotlight.

When he did pull away, both he and Luna were beaming.

“Ronald, do you know what my favourite colour is?” she asked quietly.

“No. What is it?”
“Red.”