Molly Weasley is scared.
Everyone thinks that Molly Weasley is perfect. Everyone thinks that she doesn't have a care in the world. Everyone thinks that she doesn't talk to people because she thinks that she's better than them.
Everybody thinks wrong.
Molly Weasley is scared, more scared than she'll ever be able to admit. More scared than anyone knows. Molly Weasley is scared of other people.
All the stories she's heard about the awful people that her parents had to fight during the war, all the stories about Death Eaters, and Bellatrix Lestrange really scare her. All the books she's read about girls that act all petty and mean to everyone, and ruin girl's lives, scare her.
It scares her to think that there are people like that in the world- people that will do anything to get what they want.
So, instead of facing her fears, she just runs away from them. She doesn't talk to people, doesn't play Quidditch or join clubs, sing songs in the halls, play pranks. She doesn't do anything to get other people to notice her.
She blends in, like a chameleon. Because she blends in, and she's safe. She blends in, and no one can hurt her.
But people that blend in are never noticed. She knows that. No one ever hears stories about Stephen Cornfoot for a reason. But they hear stories about Harry Potter, someone who stood out.
Because the truth is, deep down, Molly Weasley wants to be noticed. She wants to stand out, have other people notice her. She wants to be remembered for doing something special, like Harry Potter.
She doesn't want to be a nobody. She wants to be somebody. She wants people to remember her, and not just because her last name is Weasley.
Deep down, Molly Weasley just wants someone to care, someone to remember her, someone to go ten years after Hogwarts, "I remember Molly. She was the girl that…" and not, "I remember Molly Weasley. Her uncle is Harry Potter. Can you believe that?"
But she believed it when despite her best efforts, people noticed her (she was a Weasley after all) and they told her she was worthless, that she was nothing, and would never amount to anything.
She believed them when they said she would have to use her last name to get anywhere because she was stupid and had no talent. She walks on and pretends that she can't hear them laughing.
But curiosity killed the cat, and Molly Weasley's afraid that if she tries something new, people are just going to laugh at her if, really when, she messes up. She's afraid that they'll tell her she's worthless, that she's nothing.
But on the outside, she keeps up the façade, and lets everyone else think that she is perfect and doesn't care what people think about her.
But deep down, Molly Weasley is scared.
A/N-my 50th story! Can you believe it? I can't. The dedication of this story is split five ways, to thehogwartsgleechick, Lady Meli-Bee, Exceeds Expectations, Lord Harry James Potter and everyone at the HPFC forum. This is for the first round of the long jump competition at the 2012 Hogwarts Games and ladyoftheknightley's School Subjects Competition with Divination.