A/N: I got this idea when we had a Holocaust survivor speak at our school a while ago, and have finally gotten around to writing it.
Disclaimer: Of course I own the Harry Potter series! I've got all but DH in my room right now…I just don't earn any money from them.
"I'm not here today to tell you that I was unlucky, because I wasn't. I'm not here to lecture you about how I lived through Azkaban, because I didn't. I'm not going to tell you that you should always remember this, because let's face it, who wants to remember forever what their cranky old History Of Magic guest said? No, I'm here today to tell you about hope."
Those were the first things she said when she got up in front of us. That must have taken a lot of courage, I thought, because it was obvious that we expected to be in for another long, boring, speech. Greg was obviously plotting yet another prank on the Slytherins with his cronies, and the Ravenclaw girls were in a fierce argument about the philosophy of hair (don't ask. Please, just don't ask.). The Slytherins were huddled into corners and against back walls, looking scared and nervous in an I'm-trying-to-look-fierce-so-you-won't-attack-me sort of way. One poor girl succeeded in looking nonchalant, except for the finger that continually wound and unwound a single strand of hair. The Ravenclaw boys were loudly discussing their Charms essays, and the Gryffindors were gleefully cheating off of them. The Gryffindors not involved in that scheme were talking about Quidditch, or were part of some other group. Most of the Hufflepuff girls were giggling over Greg, the current school-wide Casanova.
And me? I sat with Jess and looked dutifully and somewhat sadly up at the middle-aged woman who had come to talk to us today; knowing that she would get no respect, and that things would be no different from how they were before when she left. It's so easy to say that you'll do something, but so few actually get around to doing it. Jess seemed bored and disinterested, but you can never tell with her. Besides, she respected suffering too much to be totally immune to the words.
"I know what it is to be in school, and though we were never lucky enough to have a guest speaker, I can imagine that it gets kind of old after awhile. But please, a moment of your time. You're getting out of class for this, so please pay enough attention that it won't seem to drag on forever, for you and for me.
"I went to school with the famous Harry Potter. Even when I was young, everyone knew his name. He defeated V-voldemort for the first time when he was only a year old.
"He had all sorts of adventures during school, and while that might be interesting, that's not what I'm here to talk about. You see, I am a Muggleborn. That meant that I was not made welcome by those who believed in pureblood supremacy. I was taunted and called 'Mudblood'. Boys, and not just from Slytherin, would split open my bags and spill my ink. Then they began to tease and taunt me, and eventually I heard rumors of people even getting beaten. Soon, the outside world began to worsen, as well. As things escalated, I began to refuse to tell my parents the news, hoping that I could stay at Hogwarts a little longer. Unfortunately, they didn't pull me out until it was too late.
"The Ministry was soon completely under Voldemort's control. They made every Muggleborn register, and dragged you off to Azkaban if you didn't have a wizard somewhere in your line. I was fortunate enough to hear about these new measures before they were even enforced, and ran off. After that, I was constantly on the run.
"Of course, lots of people had it worse than me. Luna Lovegood was locked in a cellar. Dobby the house elf died, as did many others. You always hear about these people who have amazing strokes of luck, but that's because they're the ones willing, or alive, to tell their story.
"As I traveled along, I found other refugees that were also on the run. We often banded together, to help each other. We tended to avoid big groups, though. Everyone learned pretty quickly that big groups could get you caught."
She continued to talk about her experiences throughout those troubled times. Not once did she make herself seem any more or less than she actually was. Despite the fact that she was a wonderful storyteller, everyone was restless. People were talking and gossiping, and I didn't even feel angry. I was fascinated by her story, and felt sorrow that my peers didn't care.
Finally, she stopped for a while. At first, the murmur grew into a dull roar, but as she stood there with her eyebrow quirked and a smirk on her face, it died away.
"I've got the rest of your day," she said, "and in case you haven't noticed, those chairs are uncomfortable. I don't care if you didn't listen to a word I said before, but you will listen to this. I have no problems with casting silencio on the lot of you, but your teachers might object. So don't tempt me.
"I suppose you're all wondering why I'm addressing the entire school. Well, aside from you all needing to know about this, there has been an unusually high amount of prejudice against Slytherins lately. I'm sure you all think that I would agree with this. After all, weren't most Death Eaters, Slytherins?" There was a murmur of agreement, and a few Slytherins began slinking toward the doors. She shook her head and continued.
"I don't. Prejudice is an awful thing, no matter what. Just because you're in Slytherin doesn't mean you're evil. I'm sure you've all heard of Severus Snape. He was my professor, and a slimier git I've ne'er met, but he was also a hero. He sacrificed himself, and I'm grateful to him, and admire him, even if I'll never like the man. He was the Head of Slytherin House.
"Narcissa Malfoy put herself in great danger during the Last Battle for the sake of her son. She saved Harry Potter through motherly love—the third time that had saved him.
"No, I hold nothing against Slytherins. In fact, I find those of you that do shameful. Many of your parents fought; many of their friends lost of their lives; many of us lived through fear; so that there would be no prejudice. And here we are, just a generation later, and the same taunts that used to be aimed at Muggleborns have been turned around on Slytherins. Is it their fault, what house they're in? You're just as bad as you say they are.
"Mudblood used to be a terrible insult, something that made me feel small and worthless. Now, I think of it as an honorable title that I fought tooth and nail to bear. It marks me as someone who survived a regime that hated me, and as someone who knows, and hates, prejudice.
"Live with the knowledge that the war was fought to make everybody equal. Can you live with yourselves, as you are, then?" Her eyes swept over the crowd. "I like a good practical joke as much as the next person, but you have taken it too far. Don't prank someone so terribly simply because they're a Slytherin, or a Mudblood, or a know-it-all. That's the cowardly way to confront your problems. If they, personally, are a terrible person, that's still no reason to attack them so awfully without provocation. I don't want this generation to have to learn their lesson the hard way, through war and terror, the way mine and previous ones did. Learn from our mistakes, and move on.
"Move on from the past. Make friends based on who they are, not what or where. And reserve judgment until you've walked a mile in their shoes. If you decide they're a bad person, then you've got their shoes and you're a mile away from them. You'll also walk away from the experience wiser and more empathetic."
I watched as she nodded at us and swept away, awed. I felt guilty at unwittingly going along with the segregation, even though I proclaimed myself to be against it. As I looked around, I saw people exchanging looks with their friends, looking as though they had their eyes wide open for the first time. We weren't quite sure, yet, what we thought of this new sight; we were too surprised that it had appeared in front of us. Those who were carrying on as normal were receiving glares and exasperated glances.
Maybe a speaker had finally influenced us. And maybe this would all be gone tomorrow. But I felt more confident than I had in a long time, and straightened my shoulders with a grin on my face.
A/N: I actually had this idea months and months ago, and just got around to posting it…