What's in a Name?

Summary: Sick of being constantly known as a Weasley's little sister, Ginny moves to America to start a new life for herself. After two years, she's perfectly happy...but then her past comes back to bite her in the arse. Harry/Ginny

Rating: PG-13 for language

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and no I am not getting paid to do this.

Chapter One: Oh Brother!

"There are simply times in your life when you must move on." -- Unknown

"Weasley, Regina?"

Ginny jerked back into reality. A secretary with blonde hair and sea green eyes and a delicate nose that turned up a little was staring around the room. "I'm right, here." She said, standing up.

The woman smiled. "Are you Charlie Weasley's little sister?" She asked brightly and her eyes sparkled insanely.

Ginny sighed. "Yes, I am."

The woman clapped her hands excitedly. "Holy Merlin! I thought you might. I dated Charlie for a while at Hogwarts. How is he?"

"Fine, I think." Ginny said shortly. If the woman noticed the tension that had been strung against Ginny's tone, she didn't pay attention.

"Oh that's wonderful." She said sweetly. "Would you tell him that Noelle says hi the next time you see him?" She led Ginny into a room with an examining table and several colorful pictures on the walls. Noelle smiled and then left.

Ginny went and sat down on the table. Noelle seemed like the type of girl that Charlie would date. Beautiful, and vapid. Without warning, the door opened again and an aging Healer walked on in. "Ahh, it's nice to see you again, Regina." Healer Fitting said. "How are you today?" He walked over and sat on a stool, pulling on the pen attached to his clipboard, the bald spot on his head surrounded by white frizzy hair glinted by the glow of the light on the wall.

"I'm fine, thanks." Ginny said.

"How's your brother…Bill, huh?" Fitting asked, starting to perform some complicated spells to check on her health. "Heard he got a nasty Egyptian Curse put upon him. Has he gotten over that?"

"Yeah." Ginny said, distractedly, the spells tickling her stomach.

The Healer finished his spells and smiled. "You're in the peak of health, Regina." He smiled widely. "See you next year, alright?"

Ginny managed a small smile and picked up her purse and walked out. She reached the waiting room and was immediately assaulted by sparks the size of tennis balls. She cried out in terror. "Oh my word!" A voice cried and the sparks stopped and a young child giggled insanely. He was holding a long tube that had silver scrawled writing that read "Weasely Wizard Wheezes." Ginny's scowl worsened.

"I'm so sorry." The woman exclaimed, who was obviously the boy's mother. "He's just so excited, we went to Diagon Alley…"

"It's fine really." Ginny cut her off mid-sentence and left the Healer's office, feeling slightly peeved for some reason. She walked slowly down the street, not paying attention to anything. She finally reached the Leakey Cauldron. She pulled the door open and walked in.

It was only semi-crowded. She walked over to a table where a young man with fair hair and a quick smile and a young woman with long light brown frizzy hair and a necklace of butterbeer bottle caps sat talking together.

It was Luna Lovegood that spotted her first. "Ginny." She said dreamily, in a tone that Ginny had learned over the years meant that she was happy. Luna had gone on to become the editor of the Quibbler, taking over for her father when he had retired, and it had become mildly accepted among the magical community after Harry Potter had that interview with it in his fifth year.

Colin Creevey turned around and smiled at Ginny. He had grown from a scrawny little schoolboy with overlarge eyes, into a tall man with the slight ripple of muscles underneath his shirt that had come from a summer of Muggle Boot Camp after sixth year. "Hi Gin-Gin." Colin said, grinning wickedly at the stupid nickname. Ginny noticed a small camera case at his feet. Colin was now a photographer for the Daily Prophet, and he was one of the most sought after photographers for very fancy events.

"Hi Luna, hi Colin." Ginny said sullenly, sitting down at the table.

"What's wrong?" Luna asked. Luna had always been the more perceptive of her friends, knowing when anyone was in a bad mood. Ginny didn't know how she did it sometimes, even when she did try to hide her feelings, Luna always saw right through it.

"Nothing…" Ginny said immediately. "Well…It's just…I don't know…"

There was a shout from the bar and she heard a distant crackly voice said, "And that's another goal saved by Ronald Weasley of the Chuddly Cannons…Oh, there they go again! Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King…" The voice faded away as the wizards started to chatter excitedly.

"It's that." Ginny said, gesturing to the radio that was situated on the counter of the bar that several wizards had crowded around.

"Quidditch?" Colin asked stupidly, staring at the radio.

"No!" Ginny said exasperated. "It's my brothers… It feels like I'm constantly being overshadowed by them. Everywhere I bloody go, someone mentions them, or I get reminded of them, and how I'm a ruddy loser." She smacked her head down on the table.

"You are not a loser." Colin said, putting a comforting hand on her back.

"Let's think." Ginny said in mock seriousness, sitting back up again. "Bill's an adrenaline junkie charm breaker for Gringotts with a Veela wife." Ginny paused to let Colin sigh heavily. "Charlie works with dragons. Percy, the git that he is, is rising through the Ministry and might just become Minister of Magic. Fred and George have a very successful buisnes that is about to buy out Zonko's and Ron is a world famous Quidditch player. And Look at me." She paused again to take a breath. "I still live at hime with my parents, and am still looking for a job."

"Doesn't Ron still live at home too?" Luna asked, wide eyes focused soely on Ginny.

"When the team is in town, which is rarely." Gin said, taking a sip of butterbeer that had been placed before her during her rant. "I'm…I guess I'm just sick of being a Weasley…being assosiated with them." She tugged on a lock of red hair. "I'm just one of seven, but all other six are better than me in some way or another."

"If you're so sick of it, why don't you just stop being one?" Luna said brightly.

Ginny froze. Colin looked alarmed. "Ginny, you okay?"

"Luna just said something." Ginny said slowly.

Luna looked confused. "I did? Was it smart?"

Ginny smiled brightly. "You said I should stop being a Weasley! That's absolutely brilliant, Luna! I'll talk to you guys later." She said, and she got up and left them both staring.

"Ginny! Wait, Ginny!" Colin called after her. He rounded on Luna. "What did you do now?"

Luna shrugged, taking a sip of butterbeer through a straw. "What I do best. Enlighten people."

Colin shook his head and sat back down again.

Ginny packed all of her belongings into a suitcase, using magic to enlarge it slightly. She started to pack her photographs, of Colin, Luna and one of her whole family in Egypt finally she came to the one of her and Harry Potter taken at the celerbration that had taken place after the fall of Voldermort. It had spilled out onto the front law of Hogwats and Harry had hugged Ginny tightly at one point during the evening. Colin had managed to snap a shot of it. Ginny shook her head. Harry was just a friend, nothing more. A distant friend she only knew through her brother.

Ginny groaned out loud. Back to her brothers, again! She threw the picture down on her nicely made bed. She slammed her suitcase shut and reached into her dresser. For once in her life she was glad had saved nearly every Knut and Sickle she had gotten since she was fourteen. Now it was going to good use.

Ron and Harry were the first ones home that night. They were chatting animatedly as they walked through the front door to the Burrow about the latest Chudley Cannons game. "Ginny!" Ron called out. "We're home!"

It took them both about a minute to realize that Ginny wasn't responding. Ron shrugged as Harry gave him a questioning look. "Maybe she's asleep?" He suggested. By the time that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came home she still hadn't come down.

"Ron, sweetheart, will you go get Ginny for dinner?" Mrs. Weasley asked sweetly.

"Alright." Ron said, pushing himself away from the table. Ron walked up the stairs his mind still focused on the rather large dinner that his mother had made. His stomach was growling and he wasn't happy about waking his baby sister up. He knocked on her door. "Ginny." He called through the wooden door. "Dinner's ready."

When Ginny didn't answer, "Ginny?" Ron asked and then he pushed the door open. He gasped. Her bedroom was in shambles. The drawers were open and the clothes were gone. All her jewelry and make-up was gone as well. "Ginny!" Ron exclaimed. She started to search Ginny's room.

"Ron, what's the…Merlin's Beard!" Mr. Weasley had wondered up the stairs and had seen the mess from the hallway. "Where is she?" Mr. Weasley cried out.

"Ron, I send you up for one little thing…" Mrs. Weasley came tramping up the stairs but her verbal reprimand was changed into a gasp.

"Look." Ron had found a piece of parchment that was attached to the mirror of her dressing table.

Harry had wandered up the stairs as well, alerted by the noise, and looked horrified at the state of Ginny's room. Ron began to read the note out loud.

Dear Mum, Dad and all my brothers,

I'm sorry I left so suddenly. I just realized that I need to be my own person, and find my way in the world, without having to rely on my parents or siblings. I need to be alone to learn what it's like to be just me, not Weasley's little sister. Please don't worry about me, really Mum, I'll be fine. I will be back eventually. I love you all.

Always,

Ginny

Ron stared at the parchment incredulously. He handed it off to Mr. Weasley who reached out for it. Harry felt so stunned at the letter's contents that he had to go over to her bed, the only thing not been upset and he put his hand down, and found a photograph underneath his fingertips. He picked it up and saw it was of him and Ginny. He could only think of one thing.

Ginny, gone?

Author's Note: Okay, some of you might be going, "Regina? Ginny's real name is Virgina!" I would like to mention that Ginny's 'real' name has never been said in the Harry Potter books. I have read them. (Ohmigod! I have! Yeah!) I just thought I'd go against popular belief and say her name is Regina. One of my close friends is named Regina and everyone calls her Ginny.

AS OF JUNE 20, 2005: I BLOODY KNOW NOW THAT HER REAL NAME IS GINERVA! I have gotten a total of 11 reviews so far that tell me that, and guess what? I already knew. I do visit Mrs. Rowling's website and saw that information, but I have chosen, as an artistic decision to KEEP MY ORIGINAL IDEA OF HAVING HER NAME BE REGINA. It suits my purposes better and I would be much happier and write more if people would stop telling me that I've got it wrong because I know that thank you and have mentioned it in later chapters, though I see that hasn't gotten through to some people that don't care to read on after this chapter.

Thank you and onto chapter two.