The Male Population Called Her "Hot"

Chapter 3

Ultimate Makeover

(Victoire's POV)

I refused to talk to Teddy for days. I could hold a grudge and I knew it. I thought he was different. I thought he saw who I really was, under the hair. I guess no one could see past the beauty. I knew I was pretty. My father had been considered the hottest of the seven Weasley brothers and my mother being what she was, I was bound to come out attractive but sometimes I wished I could have an odd birth defect that made my face deformed. Or maybe I could have been born a boy.

I watched the vibrant turquoise of Teddy's hair pale over the next few days until he looked like a blonde who'd spent too long in chlorine. I wanted to forgive him but falling in love with me, that was what all the other guys did. Not Teddy. Teddy was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be my safe house: the only person in the world who completely overlooked my outer beauty, seeing me for what I really was.

All right, I'd take him back as a friend. But only once I got rid of a bit of my beauty. I'd never had a haircut. I never get split ends so my hair had been allowed to grow to my waist. It's a Veela thing. It was often a nuisance but I'd learnt to deal with it, keeping it tied back in a ponytail except when I was on my broom, when I braided it so it didn't slap me in the face when the wind blew it around. But it was also part of my charm. It played an instrumental role in attracting guys and getting me out of trouble. But I thought maybe I attracted too many guys.

I went to find Carly, one of my roommates, who was famous for her use of a severing charm on hair. I found her in the library.

"Hey Carly," I said, sitting down next to her.

"What? No manly entourage?" she teased, though not as lightly it should have been. I knew the other girls thought it was strange that I spent all my spare time hanging out with guys that I not only wasn't dating, but also had no interest in dating.

"Nope. Teddy fell in love with me and it was all I could do to prevent myself from jinxing the shit out of him."

"Oh, a guy fell in love with you? That's news." I knew that one was playful. Carly was drop dead gorgeous as well what with her wavy, layered, black hair and fathomless dark brown eyes. She was also infinitely more popular than me, mostly because she allowed herself to be a girl. And she had a gift with severing charms.

"Yeah, well, that's kinda why I'm here," I said, serious now. I took a deep breath. "Will you cut my hair?"

"Wait, I thought you never had to cut your hair."

"I don't have to. I want it gone. All of it!"

"You want me to shave your head?" she asked skeptically.

"OK, not all of it. I want a pixie. A really short pixie cut."

"I can do that," she said, smiling. "Meet me in the dorm in like half an hour?"

"OK," I agreed, "and, Carly, thanks for doing this. Really."

"Hey, no problem!" she said.

Thirty minutes later, I was sitting in a chair in my dorm, with Carly brandishing her wand at my hair.

"Is this going to hurt?" I asked, nervously.

Carly laughed. "Wow! You really haven't had a haircut before! No. It won't hurt at all. You probably won't even feel it. Just the weight of the hair being lifted from your scalp."

"Your sure?"

"One million percent," she assured me. "You ready?"

I gulped. I tried to respond in the affirmative but could only manage a squeak.

She chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."

She raised her wand. "Diffindo." I felt a piece of my scalp get a bit colder. "Diffindo" It happened again. With each severing charm, I felt another lock of hair fall to the ground. It only took about ten charms before she began flicking her wand delicately. I assumed she was taking off smaller pieces to make it look better. About ten minutes later, she was done. I ran my hand across the back of my head and gasped. It was short and spiky.

"Grand-mère Delacour is going to murder me!" I said, fully aware that I was the only female since Veela blood had entered the family ever to cut my hair.

"Well, go see!" Carly chided me.

I stood up and walked to the mirror. I gasped. My hair was short, very short. It stuck up in the back in a way that made it looked like I'd slept on it at a strange angle. The front was cut into wispy, side swept bangs. It was much more masculine without making me look totally like a guy. I liked it.

"Well?" Carly asked.

"Screw Grand-mère!" I exclaimed. "My mother is going to murder me. My father is going to murder me. Even he has a ponytail!'

"You hate it?" Carly asked, confused.

"Are you kidding? I love it!"

"Oh. Good!" She raised her wand to vanish the strawberry blonde tresses that now lay on the floor.

"Wait!" I stopped her. "Can I keep that? The long bits at least? I'll send it to my parents. Break the news to them."

"Sure."

I drew my wand. "Accio hair." The long, cut off pieces of dead protein flew to my hand and I pulled my now useless ponytail holder that I always wore around my wrist over the

bunch, securing it. With one last, "Evanesco," I vanished the shorter parts from the floor and walked off to go find Teddy.