Hi. I just want to thank Lily Ginerva Hermione Potter for being the first (and only) person to review my first fanfic Deathly Hallows Alternate Ending which you can check out on my profile and to lllesen for adding that story to his/her favourite stories list. This is just another oneshot you can read and enjoy till I get a more permanent story started up. PLESE REVIEW! I don't like silent readers.

December 26th, 1997

Dear Diary,

So, today is December 26th, as you clearly should have concluded from the date of this entry. If not… well that's nothing short of pathetic, isn't it? Honestly! Some people just never seem to get down the simple skill of deduction. Idiots. If everyone just stopped for one second and –

Okay. I'm going to stop right there and swiftly change topics before this entry turns into a five page rant. Now, I received this diary when I, Hermione Granger, turned 17. Finally being of age in the wizarding world had excited me to no end! If only I felt that way at the moment, I could really do with some joy in my life right now...

Anyway, back to the subject of this diary and my birthday, as it is the one day where everything is about me. Or, you know, approximately five minutes of the day is completely about me.

Now Harry dearest, being the sweet one of all my friends, gave me this diary. So special, right?

The thing not so special about the gift is scrawled onto the first page of this diary. It reads:

Dear Hermione,

We all know that you're veryacademicneurotic(the word 'neurotic' is in Ginny's penmanship. Apparently she snuck in and crossed out 'academic' and replaced it, along with the rest of Harry's message with her own special, little notice. I have got to speak to her about her sticky, little fingers...)but I feel you should know something all of us have known for years. You're moody, insecure, you bottle everything up, you don't ever let anybody inside and you refuse to see how special you are to us. So, hopefully this diary will help you find you, yourself and nobody else.

Your dearest friends,

Harry& Ginny

Thank you, Ginny. Don't hold back. That's exactly what I need to hear…or rather read: that I'm a social mess. How sweet.

Truth be told, the diary is gorgeous. Its hand bound and has the creamiest, white parchment. It must have cost Harry a fortune to get it for me. I really do appreciate it, and it's one of the few gifts that showed he actually knew me, because whether or not I'll admit it, I need an outlet. Too bad it took me nearly a year to use it.

At the moment . . .

I'm worried.

About Harry, about my family, about my friends and frankly, about everyone else I know! Voldemort has finally corrupted the Ministry. With new laws in effect, witches and wizards of non-magical descend are carted off to prison because of their parentage, innocent people are being tortured for speaking the truth and anyone who supports Harry, interferes with the newly christened government's aims or are part of the 'Rebellion' may as well have 'kill me' written across their foreheads!

Unfortunately, that applies to the majority of people I care for.

Right now, there are only two of us left. In a move of reckless disillusionment we talked ourselves into visiting Godric's Hollow and look where it's gotten us! Harry's wand is broken, both of us are injured and we're no closer to tracking down the rest of the Horcruxes than we are of ridding ourselves of our first one!

Every move we make, it seems, Voldemort is there anticipating us. We have nowhere to turn, nowhere is safe and everyone in wizarding England believes we're the enemies.

Harry's telling me to go to bed now, but first let me add one more thought.

Dumbledore meant for us to do a job, we understand that, but why is he making it so hard?

Hermione Granger