Rapidly Fading Innocence

"How am I supposed to find anything in this bloody place?"

     Ron frowned, looking around at the many, many boxes stacked up in the dark, dusty attic. He took a step forward, and immediatly tripped over a small one. "Bloody hell!"

     Hermione rolled her eyes. "It would help if we had some light. Lumos!" A soft glow immediatly emitted from her wand. "Don't you have any...windows up here or anything?"

     "Nope," Ron said, picking up a box, "Remind me why we're doing this again?"

     "Because!" Hermione said, "Its your parents 30th anniversary, and we're having a party, and I thought we should get some nice wedding photos. And maybe even bring down your mother's wedding robe. She could wear it or something. That would be so cute."

     Ron snorted. "No way she's goingt to fit in it, 'Mione? Have you ever SEEN pictures of my Mum back then? She was..." He held his hands about an inch apart. "Tiny. And now...well, after seven kids, what do you expect?" He opened up a box. "Hm...what's this?"

     Hermione peeked into it. "Hey!" she said, reaching in. She pulled out a kind of dulled, silver badge that said 'Head Girl'. "Its your Mom's Head Girl badge. Oh, and pictures!" A cute, freckled girl with a short, chin-length red bob smiled and waved at them. Next to her stood a tall, red-headed male, holding her hand. They both wore school robes.

     "You're right," Hermione said, "Your mother WAS tiny. Oh, she and your dad look so cute!"

     Ron was more interested in a plain, blue book. On the front it said MOLLY, in bright, embossed silver letters.

     "Ron..." Hermione said, "Don't you dare read your mother's diary. That's an invasion of privacy! Plus, you might find things you didn't want to know."

     Ron rolled his eyes. "Things I didn't want to know? Come on, Mione, this is my mother we're talking about. She has nothing to hide." Eyes still rolling, he turned to the first page.

     "Dear Diary..."

     ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     "Dear Diary."

     Molly Ellis sucked on the end of her quill. How to exactly describe the day? She had graduated from Hogwarts, and that had been fabulous, but then she had had a fight with her boyfriend, Arthur Weasley, and they had broken up.

     "It doesn't matter," Molly told herself, "After all...we're not in school anymore. I want someone more serious. More...adult. No, its best I broke off that childish, school-girl relationship." She nodded. "Yes."

     She then proceeded to write, describing her nervousness of making the Head Girl speech, the wonderful excitement of graduating, and the sadness of breaking up with Arthur. She then closed her diary, and went to double-check her packing.

     Molly was moving out of home the next morning. She was really intent on moving foreward in her life, making something of herself. Living on her own. Sure, her father was paying the rent on her apartment for the first few months, but that was only until Molly got a job. Then she would be able to support herself.

     What she really wanted to do was write. For the Daily Prophet. They weren't always keen on taking women onto their staff, but it wasn't impossible. Molly loved the idea of being a journalist; she dreamed of it day and night. She loved writing, and she didn't miss a day in her diary.

     After she was sure she had everything she was taking, Molly got undressed and into her nightclothes. Tommorow was going to be a long day; she needed a good night's sleep.

     ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     "Oh, Mummy, Daddy, I'm going to miss you!"

     Agatha Ellis hugged her daughter, and kissed her on the forehead. "Oh, honey, you know we're just an Apparation away. Come home any time you feel the need...theres always a place at the dinner table, you know..."

     "She'll be fine, Agatha." Joseph Ellis smiled warmly at his daughter, who had tears in her eyes. "You take care of yourself, okay, muffin?"

     "Daddy!" Molly embraced him tightly. "I'm really, really going to miss you."

     "I'm going to miss you too, but I realize that you're growing up." He kissed her cheek. "And I'm very proud of what your growing into."

     Molly wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh, Daddy..."

     "Remember, just an Apparation away!" Agatha said. And then Molly was left alone in her new apartment.

     She plopped down on the couch. "Well...here I am. Alone. In my new home." She grinned, the tears suddenly a thing of the past.

     An hour later, the small apartment was filled with recent graduates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

     "This is so awesome," Tara Simmons said, popping to top off a butterbeer, "Your own place! My parents would NEVER let me get my own place right after school. They'd never trust me. Mind you, they're already disapointed in me enough, so I don't think they want to give me any more chance to disapoint them."

     "They're still nagging you about the doctor thing?" Molly took a bite of pizza.

     "Yeah..." Tara said, "Its the whole, 'Tara Lynn... I'm a doctor. Your mother is a doctor. Your brother is a doctor. Won't you even think about...and I'm all, 'Mum! Dad! I'm a witch! Give it up already!" She sighed. "Besides, I haven't been to Muggle school since fifth grade! How am I going to get in med-school, I ask you?" She took a swig of butterbeer. "Have you got a job lined up?"

     "Not exactly..." Molly said, "You know I want to write for the Prophet..."

     "But you can't start at the top!" Tara said indignantly. She grabbed the paper from the coffee table. "Here. Look in the classifieds."

     Molly said. "I guess you're right. I can't start out immediatly doing my dream..."

     ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Molly slapped the wet rag on the table. "Working in a pub! Me!" She wiped off the table agrily, then marched on to the next. "Wiping off tables! Me! Head Girl! All those O.W.L.s! All those N.E.W.T.s! The...the injustice of it!"

     Her blood was boiling. When she had gone to apply for a job at the Daily Prophet, she had been LAUGHED AT. The same at every other paper. She had then applied at other places...Flourish and Blotts, Madam Malkins, even Quality Quidditch Supplies.

     "But no!" Molly muttered angrily, slapping the rag on the next table, "I got stuck working at this nasty...greasy...pub!"

     "Miss?"

     "WHAT?!" Molly whipped the rag dangerously in the air as if she was about to hit someone. She froze. A young, handsome man sat there, smiling at her. He had thick, dark hair, bright blue eyes, and a charming smile. Molly blushed, and lowered her rag. "Um...I mean...can I help you?"

     "Yes, please, if its not too much of a bother. I'd like...two butterbeers."

     Molly looked around. The man was alone. "Is someone joining you?" she asked.

     The man smiled that dazzling smile. "If you'll do me the honor."

     Molly really began to blush now. She looked away. "I...um..yes. Wait a minute." She ran over to the bar. "I'm taking my break," she hissed, throwing down the rag. She then grabbed the two butterbeers, and ran back to the table. "Here," she said, handing him one. She sat down across from him. "So, um...my name is Molly Ellis..."

     The charming man popped the top off his butterbeer. "Tom Riddle."