Pretty girl

Ron was a simple kid to parent if you asked Arthur Weasley. He never caused any problem, he tried to be friendly with all of his siblings (beside the twins who loved to tease him), he was fascinated with all of the magical wolrd had to offer.

And he noticed how fast Ron learnt facts. Arthur caught Ron arguing with Charlie about dragons and he was as passionate as him. He also noted that Ron was like a sponge, absorbing little facts that his brothers said. Then he noticed they delved into another argument while Arthur zoned out a little thinking about muggle radios.

"Ronnie you can play with a girl who said you can't?" Charlie asked his face red from fury.

"Um... nobody. It's just... I love Ginny but I can't go down to the village and make friends. I would give away the wizard secrets and I wanna be friends with Luna too!"

"Then you shall befriend her. Hey I had girlfriends in Hogwarts too." Charlie offered thinking of Tonks.

"The twins alteady tease me enough... and mum only wants Ginny to play with Luna. I bet I'm cooler than her."

"Both of you are cool. Ron you want to know Luna?" Arthur looked up from his thoughts. "I will talk with Molly. I know that she probably needs more than one friend." Arthur smiled.

"Thanks dad."

***

Ron keeps secrets. He was asked by the twins to keep their little pranks hush hush. He knows that Charlie and Bill keep their hair long and only cut it before summer vacation and Ron wished he could keep his hair long too, like Ginny. He knows how Percy feels most of the time, because he felt the same emotions, both of them are the neglected, overlooked middle child. He keeps dad's secret about him getting muggle stuff from work and thinkers with them in his garage, not even mum can know about half of it.

But he has the biggest secret. An universal truth that rings on his mind. He's a girl. Or he feels like one. Yes he lacks the beautiful long hair, and he looks ugly and he hates his skin, but he is a girl.

He only told about it to Bill and Percy. All Bill said it was normal and Percy said he should keep it a secret from mum and that he will look into it when he goes to Hogwarts.

(A secret he keeps away from his deprecating thoughts.)

He is a girl, but he lacked everything that made a girl a girl. He had boy features, ugly hand me down boy clothes, hair that he washed in every two days yet still was ugly carrot orange cut too short to his liking.

He also had rough features. He was very tall and lanky, everyone loved to tease him about how ugly he was. He believed every word.

***

The day Mrs. Lovegood and Luna showed up was a rainy one. Mum wasn't as happy as before because dad asked her to let Ron also tag along, her dream of having a tea ceremony with two little girls gone. Because she couldn't include her sixth son, whom she clearly wanted to see play with the twins instead.

"Ronnie do act your best and wash your face quickly. Also don't complain that we will drink tea and play with dolls." Ron just smiled it was better than tossing a ball around the twins room or reading with Percy and Charlie.

"Mum can we do anything else?" Ginny complained uncomfortable in her frilly pink dress.

"We can swap clothes." Ron offered. He hated his maroon button up and brown pants.

"Never ever suggest that Ronald! Ginny you have to wear your best dress! Boys wear pants girls wear dresses." Mum parrots an old saying and Ron hated it.

"After this whole thing you can try this stupid dress." Ginny whispered an offer. "But teach me how to fly a toy broom."

"Sure." Ron agreed. Another unfair rule that only applied to Ginny that mum and the others doesn't let Ginny fly a broom, when there are famous Quidditch players who are girls. Ron doesn't get it and Ginny neither.

Mum fusses about their looks then finally the floo network flames up and a little five years old girl stumbled out of it. Ron stopped a second to observe her.

She had pale skin, beautiful blue eyes and long flowing blonde hair. For a second he felt jealous of that hair and beautiful sunflower earrings but then he noticed that she had muddy boots and jeans.

Then Mrs. Lovegood came over too, she wore blue robes and a blue skirt. If Ron grew up he wanted to look like Mrs. Lovegood.

"Molly, can I leave Luna over? I am in a hurry I left an experiment Rune and I have to check on the cauldron."

"Yes. We will have a tea ceremony."

"Thank you. Have a nice time Luna. Bye Ron and Ginny." With that she left quickly.

"Girls, Ronnie." Ron felt more distant after that remark. "I have to prepare some tea. Did you bring any dolls darling?"

"No." Luna shook her head her hair was like a wild mane of blonde cascade. "But I have some pencils with me." She took out a pencil from behind her ear and more from her pockets. Ginny was already bored but Ron was fascinated with her.

"Oh. Then I leave you three. Ginny do bring down your dolls." Mum said and left to prepare the tea and snacks.

"I have some dolls I will bring them down Ro you will like it." Ginny offered and left.

"I am so rude not introducing myself I am Ronald Weasley." He said his name, but he hated it. "Call me Ron please."

"You are not." Luna said like it was the most natural thing.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked confused. That was his name he was Ronald. His middle name was stupid Bilius and he was a Weasley.

"Ronald I mean. Mama said that names have power, but if we dislike them we should find a different one." Luna said and she decided to sit down to the cold floor looking for something that wasn't there

Ron stopped to think. Names have power, you are not Ronald, you can change it. All of his life he disliked his names. He loved being Ron, but when he had to introduce himself as Ronald he froze up. Bilius while he liked his uncle he hated that he was named after him. It was so similar to Bill's name and it felt alien, like it was someone else's name.

"Can you just change your name?" Ron asked more hopeful.

"Mama and daddy offered me if I ever want to I can so I guess you can too." Luna snatched up a pillow she found behind the sofa. "This has a bad aura."

"Toss it away probably one of the twins pranks." Ron warned her and she did put back.

"I brought the dolls, but until mum comes back we can do anything else." Ginny ran back with four dolls.

"We could play." Luna said happily picking up a doll with blue hair. "I like this one."

"Yeah Fred accidentally painted her hair blue." Ginny shrugged. "I would rather play with brooms."

"I like it." Ron took his favorite doll. A plastic Barbie doll dad found tossed into the trash by some muggles and he fixed it up for Ginny. She had long hair and blue eyes, a long pink dress that had roses and tulips sewn into it. Ron would like to wear a dress like that one day.

"You always do I have to give it to you." Ginny sighed. "But you have to give me one of your Quidditch magazines."

"For Tulip I will." Ron said as he moved the doll's fragile arms.

"That dress needs more sunflowers." Luna offered and she wanted to use her accidental magic to make it possible but instead she changed Ron's brown pants to an orange skirt with sunflowers on it.

"Wow." Ron said as he tried to get used to the skirt. It was a nicer material than any of his clothes, the color while ridiculous it was his favorite and even the sunflower motives made him feel more special.

"You look nice." Luna said proudly. Ron blushed after Luna's compliment, one part of him felt validated.

"Yeah better you than me." Ginny said kindly. "But we have to hide it from Mum."

"Can I wear it for a second?" Ron begged. It felt good, natural even.

"You can even check yourself on the mirror." Ginny teased him. "One of us has to stall mum until you check your pretty self and change back to pants. She would hate it."

"Yeah I know." Ron shifted.

"I can stall her." Luna offered and jumped off to the kitchen.

"Come on we have some time. I can even take this stupid dress down." Ginny and Ron left first for the mirror.

Ron was stunned by the sight. Long orange skirt that made him more slim and even his button up was now a nice shade of orange. He can't thank enough for Luna. He checked himself feeling much better.

"Nice skirt, but do check your hair it needs a brush." The mirror called him out.

"Even the mirror agrees." Ginny smiled cheekily. "I wish we could switch clothes forever. I know you like my clothes and I hate them."

"Yeah it is unfair." Ron mused too.

After the skirt was put away to a secret place only Ron knew and now Ginny, he changed back to black pants and Ginny also wore pants under her dress.

"Where did you two wander off?" Mum asked sternly.

"We played dress up." Ron said smoothly. "Also I vanished my pants by accident. It was magic."

"Ron while I am glad you used some magic I can't get you any new pants!" Mum sighed. "Come down the tea is ready."

The four of them, plus the dolls, had a nice tea party. Mum was still fuming that Ron made his pants disappear and that he was part of the girls date but what mum couldn't stop was that they got close.