Harry Potter and the Appreciation of Redheads

by Kirsten
(Canada)

Ever since I've read and watched Harry Potter, I've adored redheads. Before that, I always thought of them as normal people.

My hair is black and my eyes are brown, which, in my opinion, is dull. And I've always wanted my eye colour to be either green or blue. So this is where Harry Potter kicks in. The supporting character, Ron Weasley, has fiery red hair, and I adore the Weasley family. Another redheaded character I love is Rachel Elizabeth Dare from Percy Jackson, especially since she's an artist -- a trait that I proudly share with her.

I always thought red hair was incredible; so different and unique from the rest. And my first impressions of redheads were obviously good, considering that the Weasley family was fun and funny, and Ron was one of the heroes, and heroes are always great. So I began to envy them, especially since I became a huge Harry Potter fan.

On the first day of school, a redhead my age immediately caught my eye. She had green eyes, which increased to interest, and freckles. Too bad she belonged in a different class though because I really wanted to be her friend (I knew nothing about her! I was really that fascinated). When she passed by in the halls, I always glanced at her, and I soon learned her name was Ally (Thanks to sharing the same science teacher). By the end of the year, we got our yearbooks and when I got to the sports sections, Ally appeared in a lot of them. I wouldn't say I was a stalker, because I'm not, I learned most of my information by accident. But I'm interested, just like Arthur Weasley's interest in Muggles.

But when I learned this stereotype that "redheads had no soul", I was utterly shocked and I couldn't believe it. The gingers that I envy so much because of their creative, fun, outgoing, humourous personalities, and how their appearance differs from most, had no soul?! After a few days on pondering on this, I made up my mind, this little piece of info will not change my opinion. I still very much wish I could befriend a redhead and I have a good feeling I will one day, seeing as I'm only twelve.

And as proof that those stereotypes aren't completely true at times, just look at the actor Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) as an example. When he was eleven, sure, he was talkative and outgoing, but as he grew up, he became very calm and collected (Emma said so herself) and is now considered the quiet one from Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter).