Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and characters in it belong to J.K. Rowling. The plot and various original characters are of my own idea, based on her wonderful works.

Rose Weasley was very much of an enigma around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Nearly everyone and their owl knew her as daughter to two thirds of the Golden Trio, saviors of the wizarding world. Many classmates in her year merely knew her as a quiet bookworm, the one the professor would likely call on when no one else bothered to raise their hand. She kept to her close knit group of friends and family, although she was friendly to nearly everyone she met. There was much questioning throughout the years over her sorting into Gryffindor house, given her quiet nature and seemingly Ravenclaw tendencies. Even Rose herself frequently questioned the Sorting Hat's decision to place her in the house of the brave, when even she couldn't see the bravery that it had seen in her.

This lack of bravery became increasingly apparent as she stood waiting for Headmistress McGonagall to wrap up her valedictorian introduction so that Rose could give her speech. It wasn't a shock to most that Rose had received the title of valedictorian, her only competition throughout the years had been Scorpius Malfoy of Slytherin and Kenneth Jenkins of Ravenclaw. She wasn't sure how much of a competition they truly were, however, as she was not friends with either of the boys who sought the valedictorian position she claimed.

Rose looked out across the crowd as she walked to the podium stationed in the middle of the makeshift stage in the Great Hall. Four large house banners hung from the ceiling behind her, a Hogwarts banner hanging in the middle. Her fellow graduates were sat front and center of the audience, all donning black dress robes with sashes of their respective house colors. The students' parents were seated behind and to the left and right of the graduates. Her beloved professors sat in a row behind her.

Rose locked eyes with her cousin, Albus Potter, who gave her a thumbs up. As her best friend, he of all people knew how terrified she felt right now. She cleared her throat and glanced at her notes, despite not needing them. She may have been terrified but she knew exactly what she wanted to tell the crowd.

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall for your lovely opening words. When I was told I was receiving this honor I immediately ran to the library to research great speeches throughout history"

A laugh came from the crowd, amused by her obvious bookishness.

Well, at least they think I'm funny, she sighed internally.

"Despite all my research, I couldn't come up with a suitable topic for a graduation speech. I mean, I'm the valedictorian…the one who spent all her time holed up in her common room writing and re-writing papers. I completed nearly every reading assigned to us throughout the years. Every single one. I promise that only about half of those readings were necessary to do well in class."

A couple students looked at their friends as if they were saying I told you so.

"I missed out on a lot while I was holed away in my books. Sure, I went to parties when Gryffindor won Quidditch matches, I had a boyfriend or two,"

A look of horror came across her father's face.

"It felt as if I was going through the motions of what a perfect student should do, and through that I didn't fully enjoy the things others did. You're all probably sitting there wondering to yourself why this batty girl is rambling on about her unfulfilled youth in order to celebrate graduation. I'm telling you this because I know I'm not the only one who wasn't completely happy during my time here," she looked across the graduates faces, she could tell by certain students' expressions that they knew exactly where she was coming from, "to those of you who feel like me, this is me telling you that it is going to get so much better when we are out in the real world," she made air quotes around real world. "I'm here to tell you that this isn't the end. Even though you might not have gotten the marks you wanted or that crush you pined after for years four through six. This isn't the end. This is only the beginning of a new chapter of our lives and you can do anything you want with this."

She took a moment to compose herself before she continued, she felt completely exhilarated. She knew her face was flushed and her voice had cracked once or twice, but as she looked at the awestruck faces in front of her, she decided she couldn't care less.

"To those of you who have had the time of your lives these past seven years, I'm here to tell you that this is where you take that success and transfer it to the rest of your lives. I know so many of you are brilliant, charming people who will take the last generation of witches and wizards by storm and I'm so glad to know our world will be in your hands."

A quick burst of clapping erupted from graduates and parents.

"To the friends I've made over the years here, thank you for a hell of a ride. To my family, thank you for putting up with my constant reading and studying, and thank you for supporting me in my choices down the road. To the wonderful professors I've learned so much from, thank you for everything you do, it doesn't go unnoticed."

Rose took a deep breath.

"And finally, to my fellow graduates, congratulations. We finally did it."
Rose thanked the crowd before stepping away from the podium as cheers erupted. She waved to her family and friends as she took her seat next to Albus.

"That was amazing, I can't believe you never told me how great of a public speaker you are," Albus nearly exclaimed as he clapped Rose on the back.

Don't worry, I had no idea either, she thought to herself.

Headmistress McGonagall retook the podium and went about her closing remarks before announcing that the students sitting before were now officially Hogwarts graduates. As clapping and whooping erupted, families and friends began to find each other in a wave of chaos. Within minutes Rose was surrounded by red hair and congratulations regarding her speech and academic success.

The rest of the day seemed to go by in a blur; the dinner following the ceremony, the countless congratulations and questions of her future, and a seemingly permanent exhaustion commenced as Rose collapsed onto her bed and immediately fell into the most needed and well deserved sleep of her life.

A/N: Thank you for reading, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to leave a review or PM me!

~Shanna