Harry Potter: The Witch of the Red

“There’s no better way after all, huh?” Ginny sighed in resignation. She’d been looking for ways to resolve her problem as fast as possible. She needed to get used to her female body or it would create some rather extreme problems for her. 

She had been forcing herself to do all the things she’d been avoiding - changing, bathing and every other thing that required her to get intimate with herself. And it was helping - humans were adaptable if nothing else. She had estimated that she would be without any issues by the time she was 14.

But a wrench called Magical Maturity was thrown into her plans and everything crashed and burned spectacularly.

She let out another sigh.

She had thought of many ways to resolve this problem of hers, but the most effective one was inspired by another problem of hers: her secondary personality. The only way her other personality could affect her was by making her, the main persona, more like the second personality - more cruel, selfish and really arrogant. 

Ginny had to actively defend against the influence of the other persona. She had to retrospect every other day to ensure she had not been inexplicably influenced by it. It was tedious, but at least her proficiency in Mind Arts increased.

Now, Ginny's interest lay in this ‘influence’. If she could create an identity that was completely comfortable with her body and thought of itself as a girl, then she would be influenced by the other personality, and under her guidance, she would be able to completely negate the dichotomy between her Spirit and Body.

And she actually had no other way - every other solution she could think of would take time. More time than she had, really.

The creation of a new personality is nothing that awesome in the field of Mind Arts. Every accomplished user will have tried to do so at least once; for whatever reason - though the main reason is that they could use it as a way to hide their true thoughts and feelings. So the whole process was well documented. It's just that such knowledge was really rather hard to come across for the ordinary wizard. Those specialists of Mind Arts often isolated themselves in small circles of their own kind because of the stigma surrounding them - no one liked their being in the presence of someone who could casually read your thoughts, after all. Even the relatively weirder wizards would find it unbearable. 

So, as long as she followed the expertise she gained from Riddle’s memories, she would not have to worry about her secondary personality taking over her body and going on a joyride or something. That was simply impossible. Because the personality nominally did not have any ‘connection’ to her body. It needed a ‘translator/wrapper’ that interprets the directives from the personality. And only she, the main personality, could provide it. It was sort of like a device connected to the PC but would not work because the drivers aren’t installed. 

Though she - the primary personality - will still be influenced by it, bringing her personality closer to itself. In the computer device analogy, this was equivalent to the PC knowing that some device is connected but unable to figure out what the hell it was.

She sighed again.

Building an entire personality from scratch was not easy - she needed materials. She had to use the parts of Riddle to build the other personality. For this one… she also had all the materials ready.

She closed her eyes, shutting out the external world and retreating into the sanctuary of her mind. Focusing on her breath, she slowly calmed down and slipped into a trance, letting her thoughts recede away. 

Spirit, as a whole, encapsulated the immaterial, but very real part of a Being. And the Body represented everything material. And the Mind was a subset of the Spirit and a very important part of a Being. It was essentially controlled the ‘Being’. It was to the Spirit what the Heart and the Brain were to the Body. Emotions, beliefs, ego and consciousness fell under the umbrella of Spirit.

And through the Mind Arts, one could gain access to their Mind. 

Though, to use the full potential of Mind Arts, one needed to access their Mindscape.

Ginny found that unlike what she knew of from her previous life, she did not have to build it by herself: it was already there. The only thing she had to do was access, explore, understand and make it refine it. The appearance and form of the Mindscape were shaped by her own experiences and emotions, adapting and evolving as she did. It was a reflection of what impacted her the most.

So she was not surprised when she saw the Burrow in all its precariously built glory and its surrounding fields that seemed full of colour. This was where she was the happiest. The unusually vibrant colours mirrored the joy and contentment she had often experienced within those cherished walls. It was as if her happiness had taken root in this very soil, and the landscape responded in kind, flourishing with hues of exuberance. This place was what had impacted her the most in her current life.

She was also not surprised when she saw a river that did not exist anywhere near the actual Burrow. It wound its way with an air of desolation, its waters shrouded in a sombre monotony. The river that fell in a waterfall was dark, colourless and dreary. It should have been a beautiful sight, yet no one would call it that.

‘...’ 

Ginny who had appeared in her Mindscape, stared at the waterfall. “... It has gotten more colourful.”

She smiled. It meant that she was getting better.

She turned to face the Burrow that was so vibrant and colourful - even more so than the actual Burrow.

She walked in and was instantly assaulted by the smell of home. It was a unique scent that wasn’t exactly pleasant - a weird mixture of the Perfume Charm and the smell of the barn nearby. Yet, she’d somehow gotten used to it and even welcomed it.

Walking up the stairs, past Percy’s and the twins’ Rooms and came to her own. She lifted her hand and placed it on the cool metal handle of the door. She hesitated for a bit before she pushed it open and walked in.

The room beyond the door was small, yet cosy. It brought her a sense of comfort.

The sunlight filtered into the room from the east-facing window. The twilight of the newly risen sun dyed the room in a reddish-orange hue. 

Under the window was a table that was filled with various books and notes that she’d scribbled down when she’d practised Magic. And next to that, was a bookshelf that was filled with many books of myriad colours. The bookshelf, defying common sense, seemed to have far more books than it should. 

Opposite that was a bed that was somewhat untidy as she often spent her day on it rather than on the table or outside. It wasn’t that she was lazy, it was just one of the many habits she’d brought over from her previous life.

Her eyes then went to the rather faded posters of the original Ginny’s favourite Quidditch Team - the Holyhead Harpies. She had removed the posters from her actual room in the Burrow - she did not like the Holyhead Harpies. But she kept it here anyway.

She took a few moments to close her eyes and relax before her eyes snapped open.

“Let’s do this.” She walked to the centre of the room and stood there. She casually waved her arm causing the bookshelf to shudder lightly before several books flew off their shelves and to her. They surrounded her, floating quietly.

With another wave of her hand, the books began to duplicate, turning slightly more translucent along the way. One by one, the books duplicated themselves and flew back to shelves, leaving one ‘copy’ behind.

Ginny then looked at the floating, slightly translucent books and waved her hand again. This time, they turned into silvery threads -  some long, some short, some thin, some thick, some bright and some dim. 

Ginny snapped her fingers and all the threads started to be pulled to a point one by one -  from the dimmest to the brightest.

The strings started to entangle with each other, weaving themselves into a small ball of silvery light that started to expand and take the form of a translucent humanoid about as tall as her chin.

Ginny closed her eyes and pointed her index finger at her temple, slowly pulling out another silvery white string. She then flicked her finger, causing it to float into the humanoid.

She then waited, letting the humanoid figure slowly become more and more defined into her likeness - well, her likeness from a year ago - shorter, chubbier, and more innocent looking.

Then she opened her eyes and looked at new Ginny, her lips stretched into a wide, cheerful grin.

“Hi, new-me, nice to meet you!” the original Ginny said cheerfully, waving her hand. 

New-Ginny was somewhat taken aback by her predecessor’s enthusiasm. It stood to reason that she would be neutral or resentful of her or outright loathe her. She did not expect such a cheery greeting, however.

‘Did I involuntarily influence her so that she didn’t resent me?’

Caught up in her thoughts, she let herself be dragged by the girl to the bed and seated down.

The original Ginny looked at her, eyes glowing in anticipation, “So, tell me about everything.” she demanded.

“Everything?” new-Ginny felt rather confused. She had given her the memories of all that was needed. Why was she asking again?

“Yes, from the moment you came into this world, I want to know everything. The memories you gave me don’t count. I wanna hear it from you. From the start.”

“But why d- owh!” she was interrupted by a pair of hands grabbing her cheeks and squishing them. Despite it being her Mindscape, she could still feel pain and sensations, because her current ‘body’ was the simulated spiritual manifestation of her entire Being.

“No questions. Just do as you’re told.” The original did not care about the protests of her successor at all. 

“Okway, okway, can wyou lewh mwe gow now?” The newer Ginny could only relent and give into her demands.

She did and continued to stare at her successor in anticipation

New-Ginny just sighed. “Alright, after Riddle’s diary…” She proceeded to tell the Original everything that had transpired from the moment she was transmigrated. 

The Orignal nodded along, not speaking just listening.

Ginny told her about how she felt guilty about keeping the fact that she’d taken over the body a secret from her family, yet enjoying their affection at the same time. 

The original rolled her eyes, “What are you feeling guilty for? You are me. The only distinction is that you have memories of another life. We both know names are more than simply nouns. You should know that especially well.”

“I know, but still, I can’t help it. It feels worse when I know I won’t ever tell them this fact. Even if there were no external consequences, I would not.” she said, “No one would be able to accept that their family member’s Soul had been replaced by another person’s. Even if they know it’s not my fault, I doubt they would have any positive feelings about me… I know I wouldn’t.” 

While her relationship with the Weasleys seemed no different from before her transmigration, she knew she had put up an invisible wall, as she felt that she was undeserving of their affection. Yet she also enjoyed the love and care they had for her. It was a strange dichotomy.

The original remained silent. Because she knew what the new-Ginny said was true. She gazed upon the saddened face of Ginny. She knew it was a shitty feeling, knowing that your family will never accept you for what you are, even if it was never your fault. However, “They are still our family, you know? It's unfair to them - Mum, Dad and my brothers - that you would hold back on your love for them because of this; love is a two-way street: to love a person you need to let them love you.”

She saw New-Ginny’s eyes widen in surprise; apparently, she was too busy loathing herself to even think of this. What an idiot. Regardless, she continued, “What you’re doing isn’t loving; you’re merely taking care of them.”

New Ginny opened her mouth but didn’t say anything; she knew that the original was right.

“So, you have to promise me that you’ll love them. If not for yourself, for me.” the original Ginny stared at her successor, unblinking. “I will never have the chance. So spare them from your stupidity and let them have a nice daughter and little sister.”

The original watched with slight amusement as her successor shifted uncomfortably under her unwavering gaze, “What the heck? Aren’t you barely 11? Why the hell are you so good at guilt-tripping people?” 

The original just giggled lightly and stared straight into her successor’s eyes, making her even more uncomfortable. “Alright, alright. I’ll try.”

“There’s a good girl!” the original exclaimed with an impish grin, reaching over to pat new Ginny's head, who attempted to dodge the gesture but found herself unsuccessful. 

“Now, continue.” the original quickly changed the subject before new Ginny could protest, earning her a glare.

Regardless, she continued to tell her about all that transpired. From her new friends, to the Trials, to her bullying Snape.

“He deserves it. You’d better not let up bullying him. The greasy git.” The original nodded repeatedly, very supportive of her successor’s actions in antagonising the Potions’ Professor.

New-Ginny nodded. “I don’t intend to. It's too much fun.” She looked at the original. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she continued, “Though, I think I get that from you. I was never this much of a menace in my previous life.”

“Fred and George.” the original shrugged, “Though, even I don’t dare to do that to a proper professor. That’s totally you.” 

“Probably.” New Ginny acknowledged.

Then they got to the part where Ginny started to notice her growth and started to feel guilty.

The Original rolled her eyes. Again. The succession of eye-rolls had her feeling as though her eyeballs might actually detach from all the rolling they were subjected to. Seriously, this newer version of her was so idiotic sometimes, she felt like smashing her face into a wall. This successor of hers seemed to have an uncanny ability to overthink even the most straightforward situations.

“Goodness, new-me.” the original said, her voice louder than normal due to her exasperation, “It’s your body. I’m dead. And I don’t give a damn what you do with it! Why are you feeling guilty over something so trivial?! Just accept it!”

Then the original Ginny’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Or do you feel that this body is inferior, hm?”

For some odd reason, new Ginny felt a chill down her spine. “Er, no, no, not at all! This is even better than my old body!” She shook her head vigorously.

“That’s good. Then where’s the problem?”

“But I used to be a guy you know?” New Ginny's voice wavered, “It’s not easy to adjust!”

The Original gave her a deadpan look. “After a whole fucking year you suddenly start feeling guilty?”

“I-I was avoiding it.” The new Ginny looked away, unable to bear the contempt in the original’s eyes. She whispered, “With your memories and habits it was easy to do so: I just had to let your instincts take over.”

She paused for a moment, before she continued, “In hindsight though, that was stupid. I should have done it myself. That would have been better.”

A thoughtful hum escaped the original's lips, her gaze narrowing as she considered the implications of her successor's actions. “Hmm. So that's why you created me - an image of the original? So that I would slowly influence you like that other one?”

New-Ginny nodded. 

“That’s… not a half-bad idea, but it has its own consequences.” said the original.

“I know.” New-Ginny conceded. This sort of influence is extraordinarily hard to control. This meant that she had to spend much more time trying to reverse the influence that she did not want. 

“So, I’ll have to stick around for a while, huh?”

“Yep.” New-Ginny nodded.

A strange glint danced within the original's eyes as she playfully complained, “That’s gonna be boring. Make your life more entertaining, aight?” Then as if realising something, she continued her voice tinged with slight curiosity, “Though, I suppose I’ll be interested to see how canon changes.”

Her successor chuckled, “Well, I won’t be lovesick about a certain green-eyed boy-who-lived.”

The original immediately felt her face and ears heat up. She glared at her more mature version as her embarrassment turned into anger. She instantly pounced on her and turned into an angry swatting machine.

“Ow, ow, ow! Okay, Okay, I'm sorry! I’m sorry! I won’t tease you again!” New Ginny yelped, trying to avoid her predecessor's retribution.

“Hmph!” She continued to glower at her more mature counterpart. She sneered, “You really like teasing little girls, eh?”

“It sounds wrong when you put it that way.”

“Because it is.”

They continued their playful banter for a while more, before new Ginny realised it was time for their conversion to come to an end. She told her predecessor so who acknowledged the fact with a nod.

As she was leaving Ginny smiled at her predecessor, “You’re awesome you know?”

The original grinned, arms akimbo, she exclaimed boastfully, “Of course I’m awesome! The ‘me’ in some other dimension threw Voldemort’s soul into the toilet!”

Ginny blinked. 

“Pfft~! Hahahaha!” she then burst out laughing, “I never thought about it that way! Hahahaha! ”

“Oh, my goodness me,” she continued after she managed to contain her laughter, “I really, really wish I could say that to the noseless bastard’s face! It would be priceless! Hehehehe~!”

-x-x-x-