Just Like Everybody Else

I'm Just Like Everybody Else--Part II--Ginny

I've never been one to beat around the bush, so I'm going to be blunt. I'm so sick of people seeing me as someone I'm not. When I was a kid, people knew me as several things. Here's the list:

*The Seventh Weasley

*The Weasley Girl

*That Poor Girl

*Ron's Little Sister

*The Girl Who Voldemort Possessed in the Chamber

*That Redheaded Girl

*The Girl Who Fawned Over Harry Potter

Not in that particular order, of course. And there's loads more, let me tell you. But I won't get into that because I like to be to the point, unlike others I know who prefer to be--er, more detailed. Hint, her name is Hermione.

Anyway, people have never seen me as Just Ginny. Just like people have never seen Harry as Just Harry. Maybe that's why we're engaged...

Even now, a grown woman of twenty-four, people don't see me as Ginny Weasley. I'm "Harry Potter's Girlfriend" or "The Sister of that Quidditch Star" or "The Sister of The Minister of Magic" or "The Sister of The Twins Who Own WWW". I'm never just Ginny Weasley and it drives me insane! It's been this way all my life and now it's encouraged by the media! I swear if I ever meet that Skeeter Cow, I'll strangle her with my bare hands!

To me, I'm just like everybody else!

Yeah, I have my addictions

CHOCOLATE!!!! Have you ever met someone who doesn't like chocolate? Yeah, I didn't think so. One point to Weasley for being the same as everybody else.

I keep my share of secrets

That whole ordeal between Voldie and myself was really between Voldie and myself...until Harry got involved. And, I kept that secret about Percy and Penelope, though I must say I was traumatized for life. I mean, this was Percy I found snogging some girl in an empty classroom! Oh yeah, one other secret I have--I'm pregnant. Another point to me.

And things you'll never see

I get selfish and defensive

Yes, I must admit, lately when around chocolate selfish Ginny reveals herself. I am known to accio it from everyone's hands. I did it the other day when Ron, Hermione, Harry, and I were hanging out, and their reactions were interesting, to say the least. Ron, my dear old brother, was livid that I had stolen his chocolate frog and stuffed it in my mouth before he could say a word, Hermione had a look of puzzlement I don't think I've ever seen on her face before, and my poor Harry was so bewildered that he didn't notice that he was dripping tea down his front.

And pay too much attention to my insecurities

Oh yeah, the list goes on and on. Often I think that I'm not good enough for Harry and that he deserves someone better than me. But then I see him in the morning sitting at the kitchen table, fast asleep with drool creeping out of the side of his mouth, obviously the result of pouring over Auror work, and I think, "How could I ever doubted how good we are for each other? It's clear that this lovely man is the one for me." Honestly, would I prefer him to be with someone like that Cho girl? Ugh.

Oh, I, I'm just like everybody else

I try to love Jesus and myself

Yeah Yeah

I don't know what you believe

What you think of

What you see

But this is a part of me, yeah

Of what I do and who I am

All of my impurities are right here on my sleeve

This is me, yeah

This is me

You know that question, "Do you see the glass half empty or half full?" It's complicated. But it's the way I look at my life. If I am in a situation, I ask myself that question. A week ago, I was offered a teaching position at Hogwarts. I said to myself, "If I were to take the job, would it be half empty or half full?" In the end, I decided half empty. At this point in my life, if I were to take a position there, all of the other opportunities in my life would be blown out of the water.

I decided that I want to explore the endless possibilities of this life before actually settling down. I'd like to travel around the world and do everything. I'm succeeding too.

Out of Hogwarts, I decided to live in a flat with my friend Sara. Then, her sister got evicted and moved in, and I decided to move out and live with Ron and Hermione in their flat. Harry had just moved out and moved into his mansion. It was great living with them, and I started my own column in Witch Weekly. Not only that, I started a shop "The Best of Ginny Weasley" in Hogsmeade where I sold art. Just art. Sculptures, paintings, you name it and I had it. My best friend Sara handles the shop now, even though I still submit my work and receive some of the money, and every once in awhile, I stop by.

After a couple of months of living with Ron and Hermione, I decided I couldn't put up with their bickering--or their snogging. I moved out and went to live with mum and dad. Mum and I had a lot of fun teaching the neighborhood kids to sew, cook, and clean. By this time, I was twenty and had lived three different residences in three years.

Then, I became bored with that and moved to France. I had fun with the French culture, dated lots of French men, and worked as a waitress in cafes. I kept up with my column back in Britain and wrote several editorials about France.

At twenty-two, I finally returned home--for awhile (about two months). At this time, Harry expressed interest in being more than a friend. I was afraid. For a long time I had had a crush on him, and then I decided to grow up. This declaration was so sudden. Not only that, I knew that with Harry, I couldn't just love him and leave him. Harry meant commitment and I wasn't ready for that.

I left and headed to the U.S. I started a thrift shop and founded different organizations dealing with defense against the dark arts. I was doing well. I found out that my old boyfriend, Michael Corner, was also in the U.S. and we hooked up. Despite the complaints from my family, six months later, we were engaged. Then, one day I found him snogging another woman and I left--again.

Next, I went to Bulgaria. I stayed with Viktor Krum, by Hermione's suggestion, and he became a very close friend of mine. Ron doesn't know of course. In all the letters I sent back home, I defined Krum as a bloke or prat. Ron was pleased. Anyway, I went around helping in food kitchens and supporting Viktor at every single one of his games.

I loved Bulgaria, but at twenty-three, my mother became ill and it was imperative that I come back home. I did, and my mother recovered slowly. That's when I realized that I didn't ever want to leave her. I rented a flat near the Burrow so I could stay close to her. And guess what? Harry told me that he still had feelings for me. I agreed to date him, and we fell in love. On my twenty-fourth birthday, the dear man proposed.

And here we are today. I still write my column and I have a part time job at Honeydukes. Later in life, I wish to go to Italy and study the pyramids in Egypt, and become an Auror.

Yes, my heart breaks for the homeless

Hence, helping in the soup kitchens.

I worry about my parents

Especially my mum. After she became ill that one time and nearly died, I realized how much she meant to me. I love her to death and it is because of her that I am who I am. She shaped Ginny Weasley and if anything ever happens to her or dad, my whole world will be gone. Although I'm mainly worried about dad because of his obsession with Muggles...

And all my bills are late, yeah

My bills have always been late! With the shop, my flats, my small paychecks... The only time my bills have ever been paid on time was when I was living with Hermione and Ron (there's something weird about that girl...) and when I was living with Krum (but that's explainable because he had accountants and other people for that sort of thing.) When I was with mum and dad, dad was responsible for the bills and he is so disorganized it's not even funny. Of course, living with Harry isn't any different. We just never think about that sort of thing.

I'm dealing with the changes

This complicated strangeness

Of seeing life this way

I'm always adjusting to my environment. I'm always dealing with changes. Leaving Hogwarts behind wasn't really that much of an adjustment for me, I was always wishing for my time there to be over so I could be free to do whatever I wanted. Now, the biggest change has been learning to live with Harry, which isn't really that bad. I'm learning to deal with the fact that to the public, I'll always be "Mrs. Boy Who Lived" and that soon I'll be getting married, which is an adventure in itself. And, I have to tell dear Harry that he's going to be a daddy...

Hey, I, I'm just like everybody else

I try, Lord I try, to love Jesus and myself, yeah yeah

I don't know what you believe

What you think of

What you see

But this is a part of me, yeah

Of what I do and who I am

All of my impurities are right here on my sleeve

This is me, yeah

This is me

For me there are two doors you can take in life. The right or the left. The good or the bad--right? Wrong. I think both doors have equal opportunities and result in both good and bad consequences. For example, I had a choice whether or not to get engaged to Michael Corner. There were too doors. Right or left, yes or no. I chose the door that said yes. Good--I found him snogging another girl and realized that he was a jerk. This opened my eyes to the manipulating world of the man and made more picky about my suitors. Then, I explored the world some more and eventually found that Harry was the man for me. Bad--I actually wasted my time on that prat. If I had chosen the door that said no, I might have never realized that men can be scum, which is bad. Good--I wouldn't have wasted my time on that prat and could have been with Harry sooner. But if I could back and change my decision, would I? No. So, my advice to you is that it doesn't matter which door you take, they both will make you stronger in some way and eventually lead you down the right path.

I laugh at silly movies

When I went to live with Hermione and Ron, I was introduced to movies and I found them fascinating. There was a period where I went to Blockbuster every day, disguised as a Muggle, and rent five movies, come home, pop the movie in, and enjoy chocolate, never taking my eyes from the screen. I'm a fan of two movies in particular--Braveheart, with Mel Gibson and Legends of the Fall, with Brad Pitt. Never seen them? I suggest you do. Both are love stories in a way and they both made me cry. As for "silly" movies, I recommend My Big Fat Greek Wedding and My Cousin Vinny, especially the ladder.

Tear up when I see babies

Like you wouldn't believe. And now that I actually am pregnant (about a month, I don't know if I mentioned that), I tear up even more. It seems I'm more emotional about everything, actually. But babies are a person's escape from horror within the world. They represent all that is innocent and holy. I know that Harry fancies the names Lily and James for children, but I personally like Arwen and Aidan. I don't see how we're going to make that work. Aidan James...James Aidan. Arwen Lily...Lily Arwen. Actually, Aidan James for a boy and Lily Arwen doesn't sound that bad...it could work, and that way, we both get what we want. No more ugly names like Pigwidgeon for me! Honestly, what was I thinking?

And I'm stubborn as a stone, yeah yeah

Yeah! Yeah! Anyone can tell you that. When Ginny doesn't get her way, watch out! Never be around when Ginny throws hexes everywhere!

I criticize my body

Er, this is a really sticky subject with me. I don't really like talking about it because then I get all depressed. I really do think that I am plain. My skin is pale and I think I look like Nearly Headless Nick at times. At least my freckles give me some color...And my hair doesn't help at all. It's so bright people could go blind and it just makes my pale skin stand out even more! And, it makes people more aware that I'm "A Weasley" instead of "Just Ginny". There was a time when I seriously thought about dying it. I had just turned twenty and I had just moved in with Ron and Hermione. My wand was ready, but Hermione came into the bathroom and accioed the darn thing right out of my hands. We were about to get into a row when Harry walked in and asked what the noise was all about. Hermione told him, and he looked at me, astonished. Then, in a rather strangled voice, he said, "Er, Ginny, your hair looks...good, er the way you have it...it's colorful...and er, goes with your freckles, I guess..." So I left my hair the way it was (until I went to France, and I dyed it blonde and then brunette, but I changed it back to red eventually).

I wonder if I'm ready to ever be alone

The answer to this is simple. I'm not ready to be alone. I'm twenty-four for crying out loud! I plan to live a long long life with Harry and watch our children grow and have their own families. He better not die any time soon, and my parents better live until I'm at least sixty! I need to be surrounded by people, by my family. I've spent enough time by myself.

I, I'm just like everybody else

I cry, yes I cry, just like everybody else

Now that I'm pregnant, I cry a lot. Let me repeat. A LOT.

I don't know what you believe

What you think of

What you see

But this is a part of me

Of what I do and who I am

All of my impurities are right here on my sleeve

This is me

Oh this is me

Oh this is me, yeah

I'm gonna celebrate it

Don't be afraid of who you are

What you do

What you feel

What you see

Who you are

With this in your mind, hopefully you will see me, Ginny Weasley, soon to be Ginny Potter, and yourself, in a new light. I celebrate who I am. I'm different, as every person is in their own unique way, and I respect that about myself. But, every person is different and that's how we're all the same. Does that make any sense? I'm not any different because I'm well known. To me, and those who love me, I'm Just Ginny.

And Just Ginny is just like everybody else.

Now, I have to get ready for Fred's engagement party. The git's marrying Angelina Johnson, and everyone from Hogwarts is going to be there. This is my chance to prove who I am to everyone else, and I still haven't picked out a dress.

Yeah this is me