Author's Note: I just wanted to say that I have poured possibly my heart and soul along with my mind into this story, so I hope you are enjoying it. Every review means a lot. Thanks to my readers for all their support, they are amazing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry:

Early the next morning during breakfast McGonagall stood up to speak. It was surprising she was choosing this time of day, since many students where still half asleep. One Gryffindor way down the table had even fallen asleep into his food. You have to love mornings.

"Students!" She called out.

Everyone, well everyone who was awake that is, snapped to attention.

"Students," She said again, quieter this time. "I am to inform you that there will be an assembly in the Great Hall tonight. All students are required to attend."

A few hundred groans littered the air.

"But it's Friday!" Someone shouted out.

"Yes, I am aware of what day it is, Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall snapped.

Figures he would say such a thing.

I then looked over towards the Slytherin table to see Vienna, sitting around with her friends, smirking. It had to be her doing. Though the bigger question was, why would she want McGonagall to call an assembly?

Vienna:

Even though tonight was all my doing, I wasn't going to let any of the other students catch on. As usual I had on my regular clothing. Honestly, I hated the uniform rule. At my wizarding school we had been aloud to wear our own cloths. I wasn't even going to pretend to follow it.

Shortly after McGonagall's announcement I hurried out of the Great Hall, a little bounce in my step. As I shuffled down the hallway I could hear footsteps behind me. I whipped around, coming face to face with a Slytherin, and none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Vienna, isn't it?" He asked me.

I glared at him for a good hard moment.

"If it concerns you than yes." I replied shortly.

"Well you see, Vienna," He said drawing my name out. "I know your behind tonight. So whatever it is your planning…"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence, staring off into space.

"Go on!" I snapped loudly.

He glared at me before continuing. "So whatever you are planning needs to stop."

I laughed in his face.

"I'm sorry, no can do."

I turned to walk away but he grabbed my arm.

"Well make it possible. I don't care how, just do it." He growled.

"Or what?" I asked, slightly amused.

He looked dumbfounded for a moment. I laughed again, a little more coldly this time.

"Next time," I said patting him on the shoulder. "take it up with someone who cares."

With that I turned and bounced away. I heard him cursing me as I did so. It just amused me further.

When I reached potions I sat down in my seat a little farther away from everyone else. I had no interest in any of my classmates at the moment.

"Is this seat taken?" I heard someone ask.

I didn't look up until the person tapped me on the shoulder.

"Is this seat taken?" The person repeated.

I shrugged. "I guess if my feet count than yes."

I gestured to where they were resting atop the chair. The boy, who I recognized as Harry, laughed.

"Anyways," I said. "shouldn't you be sitting with Ron or Draco?"

He shook his head. After that I removed me feet and he sat.

"So, I know you're behind tonight." He whispered as class started.

"Behind what? Me?" I asked pretending to be outraged.

"Yes, the whole school knows it too." He whispered under his breath.

"Well, that's too bad." I shrugged.

X0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

By the time the meeting came, I was ready. Like I had planned I wore the black dress along with the necklace with the matching black flats. I put on my bravest face and hurried to the Great Hall, where I waited behind the podium. As soon as the last student was seated I began to speak.

"I know you are all wondering why you have been called here." I called out so everyone could hear me.

With all this magic they really needed microphones.

The room filled with a round of "yeses".

"So I'm going to tell you," Those words caught their attention. "I called this meeting. You see, I have a few things to tell you."

I glared out at them.

"First of all, I was asked to come here by your lovely Headmistress." (It always helped to kiss up.) "Second of all, I know I may stand out or not fit your idea of what I should be like, I will talk about that later though. Third and finally, I am hear to help you heal. This is my one and only mission."

I waited a few moments before continuing.

"I know that I seem to you like nothing but a thick-skulled, idiot American girl."

A lot of people agreed with that statement, but I refused to let it bother me.

"That image though, is not who I am. You see, there is a similarity between us all. It is that we have been through loss."

A lot of voices rose at that statement, accusing me of knowing nothing.

"I have lost much too." I snapped a little too harshly. "My mother died when I was young, I lost my best friend shortly after and later my boyfriend was deployed by the U.S. Military and reported MIA."

After those words came a few "I'm sorry" and "I didn't know" s. I chose to ignore them.

"But I got through it. I cried for them all, I worried and I became angry. Sometimes I whished of nothing more than to be dead. After all three events it had seemed I had lost my everything. Though, there was always someone who stood alongside me. Someone who was there to catch me when I fell. My father. He never let me down, and I never let him down."

I began to pull out the locket from under my dress. As I spoke I gently unclasped the chair and held it in my hand. Now, I held it up so they could all see it.

"This," I said. "was my token of hope. My father gave it to me after the death of my mother. Let me say now that this is no ordinary locket. It is a unique one, shaped they say, to fit my personality."

"It doesn't have pictures inside of it, only words. I won't read it to you because you wouldn't understand." I re-hooked the chain around my neck. "But this other one, this gold one here, has two words on it that might help you along the way. I don't know if you've ever head the term "country strong", but I have every night since the night I was born. Those two words can mean whatever you want them to, just think about them for a bit."

I paused for about a minute before surging forward.

"Now, you're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. I'm telling you because we all, each and every one of us here, must learn to be country strong. In order for this wizarding nation and this school to heal you must have faith and keep on hoping. You must never give in and even though your war is over, you must keep fighting."

There was some fidgeting along with many voices agreeing. A small smile crept onto my face.

"Now believe me when I say this. I am broken too. I have faced many hardships too. But together, as a whole, we can heal. We can help each other to heal. Look at the person next to you. Think about the way they look. Think of their background. Just because they are muggleborn, pureblood, half-blood, a squib, I don't know…just because they are not like you doesn't make you any better than them."

At that sentence many strictly pureblood wizards and witches cast their heads down but not without glaring.

"We are all different, unique, special. You will never be just like them but you shall never be better than them either. We all bleed red, there is nothing more to it."

I glared out a several students.

"Now I have only a few more things to say. One is that I know your story. I could tell it to you by heart, but not the way you know it. For I know it in a different way, as do the muggles…no don't make faces when I say that. They do, I say this to everyone who doesn't believe me, they really, truly do."

"Then prove it!" Called out the voice of none other than Draco Malfoy. "Prove that those worthless creatures know anything of us at all!"

My blood boiled at the comment.

"I will." I snapped, glaring at him coolly. "Now be quiet as I tell you. Their story is a little different but they still had heroes, traitors, dictators, all that good stuff. Their story was called World War II. It began when a man, much like your Lord Voldemort, rose to power. His name was Adolf Hitler. He believed in many ideas that are truly and morally wrong. He discriminated against Jews because of their religion. He put innocent people into Concentration Camps, working them to death while barely giving them any food and water at all. He tore families apart, separating men and women only to die. He never gave young and innocent children the chance to live. The Nazis, his followers, gassed, burned, and killed people in many cruel ways. The Allied Powers, as they came to be called, fought him and the countries that were allies. It was a long and bloody war, many lives were lost."

"Sounds a bit like your own, doesn't it? So now I dare you to say that muggles know nothing of what you have gone through. They do. I do. Now you, like they did, must take your world to the next step. You must guide them on so maybe the scars of this all will heal. They can't do it without you, every single one of you. So now, whether you are on board the train or not, it's going to leave the station. The past has happened, it's gone, now you all must focus on the future. That is where you must put your trust, your hope, your faith. You must believe, and you must be country strong."

"Now the last thing I need to tell you. I may seem worthless to you, I may have gotten off on the wrong foot with you and I'm sorry if I did. I'm not perfect, and I can promise you I won't ever try to be. I will not ask for your forgiveness, I don't want it. I don't want to start fresh. In all honesty, I don't want to be here. It is not because of you, but it is because of who I am. I left behind my life to be here and all I want is to be home. For everything to be the way it was, but for all of us it never will be. I am here to do my job, nothing more. If you need someone to talk to, I will be here. Though I cannot promise how long. I can tell you I do not plan on staying a second longer than necessary. Now, I shall bid you all good night for I have nothing more to say to any of you."

With that I turned, spinning on my heel, and waltzed out the door.