Disclaimer: None of it belongs to me. The rights belong to their, appropriately enough, rightful owners.

I feel like there is no way I can possibly live up to their expectations.

Everyone just wants so much from me. I must be smart, but I mustn't seem like a know it all. I must be one of the guys, but I must maintain my femininity. I must be myself, but I must know when to smile and acquiesce.

When I was a child, I was everything my parents wanted; making them proud was my only goal in life. I would read for hours on end to impress them, and I would study to amaze my teachers. Social duties were placed to the side for a time; I would have time later in life to learn those skills.

But, it changed with Hogwarts. Suddenly, there were so many demands on me. No longer did I have to be merely astonishing; now, I had to be perfect. I had to be everything they could imagine and still retain the capacity to surprise and awe them with my brilliance. It was my duty, and I strived every day to fulfill it.

Harry was the only one who knew what it was like, but even that was never the same. He was famous; the entire wizarding world placed him on a pedestal and asked the impossible of him. The sheer pressure would have driven a weaker man to far more desperate measures. But, that is where our situations differed; his task was impossible, mine merely improbable.

Everyone says that all teenagers feel the weight of the world on their shoulders, but it passes – soon enough, it is gone, just another phase. Maybe that is so. Still, it weighs on me.

I wake up every morning in the arms of my husband, the man I love more than all others. I lovingly brush the red hair from his forehead, but pause as I think, 'What if I am not all he needs?'

I make breakfast for our two children, rehearsing their schedules in my mind and playing out the day's events before they happen. As they rush into the room, I am struck by the thought, 'What if I am not a good parent?'

I walk through the halls to my office carrying stacks of files and booklets, smiling politely at everyone I pass. I lean against my closed door and take a deep breath as I wonder, 'What if I am not doing everything I can?'

My day is filled with what-ifs and worries of every sort. The most minor situation remains in my mind for hours to be painstakingly agonized over. Every day, I freeze in terror at the thought of not living up to their expectations.

Life goes on. The pattern continues. Wake, worry, sleep; wake, worry, sleep. Sometimes I schedule in time to relax and just stop thinking, but it never lasts. It merely puts a brief hiccup in the day's typical proceedings. I research techniques to try and fix myself, but the idea of something being wrong with me terrifies me to such a degree that I hide all evidence possible.

Sometimes, I just want to find a spell that will float above my head and display a message for everyone to see.

"Hi. I am Hermione Granger Weasley, and I am not perfect. Can you love me anyway?"