Blue moon ; George Weasley

Prologue: Part 5/5

June 1994

Esme made a drastic change in the bathroom on the second floor of the Burrow.

She cut her hair so that it only reached her shoulders and then she dyed her hair black before she cleaned up after herself.

She would've used magic but she was just fifteen so she wasn't allowed to use her wand outside of school.

Esme stared at herself in the mirror, liking what she saw. She thought she looked prettier with black hair than blonde.

Molly and Arthur knew that the teenage girl was up here, dying her hair. Esme wouldn't have done it without their permission, but they could both see that she longed for this change so they went ahead and let her.

Though the Weasley children had no idea.

"Esme!" George shouted on the other side of the door, banging his fist against it. "How long are you gonna be in here?! I have to pee!"

"Use the downstairs bathroom!" Esme shouted back, running her fingers through her wet hair after combing it.

"Essie, please!" George groaned. "Ron is using the one downstairs and he isn't peeing."

With a sigh, Esme turned the lock and pulled the door open, her eyes landing on George's shocked face when he realised her hair was a different colour.

He slowly lifted a hand, pointing to her hair before touching his own, and Esme let a small laugh slip from her lips.

A laugh that George hadn't heard from her in months.

A smile spread across his face as his heart warmed at the sound. He knew how hard it had been to deal with the loss of her mother so hearing her laugh for the first time three months after, was a relief to him that the happy Esme he knew was still in there.

"I wanted something knew." She shrugged, feeling the need to explain herself. "Your mum and dad gave me permission. I promised not to make a mess."

"Okay." George nodded slowly, observing her. "It's—"

He didn't know how to explain it. He loved her blonde hair but this really suited her face as well.

"You hate it, don't you?" Esme suddenly felt very unsure. "I'm sure some spell can undo it. Bill's visiting this summer, right? He'll probably help me—"

"Essie." George cut her off and she stared up at him with her green eyes. "I don't hate it at all."

He shook his head at her and she forced a small smile, feeling relief yet embarrassed at how quick she got insecure.

"It looks good on you. You're very..." he cleared his throat. "...you look pretty."

"I do?" Her eyes lit up and he nodded, loving that he was the one to make her happy even if it was just right now. "Thank you. You look pretty too."

George just chuckled and stepped aside to let her out before he walked in to use the bathroom.

Esme decided to walk downstairs and join the Weasley children in the living room and they all had a fright when they saw her but everyone ended up supporting her choice of changing the colour of her hair.

July 1994

Esme sighed as she slouched down on the sofa of the Burrow next to where Fred sat.

Fred was in the middle of a game of exploding snap with Ginny who sat across from him and as Esme watched them, she leaned her head on her best friend's shoulder.