And we are officially brought to the end. And while this is by no means the usual length of my chapters, I feel these words wrap in simplicity Rose's journey to self-discovery. I want to thank everyone who stuck by me as I took entirely too long to write this story. I love every one of you for your reviews, your messages of encouragement, and your suggestions. They have meant and do mean everything to me. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot

"For most of us, the past seven years have been full of old and new friendships, of new experiences, and sometimes, some very unexpected adventures. Take it from a girl who happens to be related to no less than ten other students at any given time, nothing is ever a secret for long and someone is always there to offer you advice and give you a helping hand along the way."

Somewhere in the back rows, Rose heard an outbreak of giggles. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she smiled, pausing to regain her composure.

"As a message to those of who just ending the first year of your Hogwarts adventures, don't be afraid to walk out of your comfort zone. There is something here for everyone: try out a new subject you've never read about before, explore the castle and its many hidden rooms, make friends in other houses and years. For those of you who are about to start your last year, make it the year you always dreamed of having. Life is short, there is no use worrying about what people may think, what others may say because in the end, you have to live your own life, not them.

"And along those lines, to my fellow graduates, I want to remind you all that sometimes, life is nothing, but the unexpected. Many of us have already been accepted into further study programs. Some of us are headed to St. Mungos, while others of us will wander the halls and floors of the Ministry. Some of us will be joining Quiddich teams or traveling to foreign countries to work with magical creatures or in foreign politics. Remember to stay in touch with your friends, your housemates, your classmates. Don't let time or distances distract you, detach you from those you love.

"You never know when the people you have lived with for the past seven years will be the very ones you need to lean on and while you may not have liked everyone you walked the halls with, sometimes, they are the ones you need in the end because sometimes the people you trust the most are the ones who let you down."

While she didn't look in their direction, Rose Weasley knew her Uncle Harry was elbowing her father in the ribs, her mother and Aunt Ginny glaring at the best friends, hushing them to mind their manners.

"What matters most however, is that, no matter where you end up, who you are friends with, or how your life turns out, through thick and thin, despite the muddy waters, you need to remember, it is better to serve yourself than living a lie to make someone else smile. Do what makes you happy, be friends with those who cheer you up, who understand you on a level no one else can. Don't do anything you don't want to do just because it would make your parents happy, your family happy, or your significant other happy. Yes, their approval is always appreciated, wanted even, but if you're not happy, you won't get far in life. Take this from someone who had to learn the hard way; in the end, if you are truly happy, even the hardest of hearts in your family will soften."

Rose paused, smiling as she looked around the room, her skin prickling as she felt his eyes on her, adoration in his gaze. She thanked Merlin he had put up with her the previous night as she made him sit for hours, listening over and over again to the words she was speaking now, anticipating the nervousness of front of nearly every person she had ever known.

"I offer you this advice, along with these warnings and promises today with faith and confidence, and from experience because I myself once thought that to be accepted by those around me, I had to be just like them; that I had to like the same hobbies, the same routines, the same interests. For my family, that generally means being a Quidditch loving Gryffindor. Unfortunately for me, fate had other plans for my life, plans which included being a studious, unathletic Ravenclaw.

"I spent too many years of my life worrying about fitting in, worrying about not being the same as everyone else. But if I had opened my eyes, I would have realized that if I had just been me all along, if I had just had confidence in who I am, I would have fit into my family perfectly, Gryffindor, or not."

Throughout the hall, friends leaned their heads on each others shoulders, parents wiped tears from their eyes, and professors looked on fondly at their soon-to-be former students.

From their seats in the front row, Hermione Weasley sucked in her breath, fondly looking at her husband as Ronald lent her his handkerchief, dabbing her eyes with the soft cotton fabric, gripping it in her hands as she watched her daughter up on stage. Next to her, Ronald Weasley proudly wore a blue and bronze tie, a graduation liturgy on his lap.

To their right Ginny and Harry Potter held hands, smiling as they watched their niece speak with confidence to the crowd around them, Ginny's hand resting softly on her swelling stomach—it looked as if Hogwarts would be welcoming another Potter in eleven years much to everyone's surprise. Behind them, the rest of the Weasley/Potter/Scarmander clan filled several rows, all showing up to watch sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, and friends graduate that bright and sunny late June afternoon.

The right side of the Great Hall was filled with graduating students, current and former professors. Side by side, Albus Potter drew circles on the knee of Annalisa Zambini, completely content to just be beside her, excited for their future together as they began jobs together in the Department of Mysteries. On the other side of Annalisa, Sapphire Cooper let her mind wander, thinking about how her parents were handling their first real full day in the wizarding world, hoping and wishing the world she was about to completely enter excited them as much as it did her.

Opposite of the Weasley and Potter families, Draco and Astoria Malfoy watched with fondness as the young woman they had both come to love as their own daughter prepared to wrap up her speech. Astoria knew in her heart that Rose Weasley was special, something only dreams could create and more than anything, she knew she belonged in their family, and that one day soon, if her son had his way, she would be, Astoria's own engagement ring ready to be passed on to a new generation of soon-to-be Malfoy women.

And with his eyes forever on the beautiful brunette, with curls still cut just above chin-length, Scorpius Malfoy knew in his heart that he was absolutely and truly in love with Rose Weasley. The following week, the two of them would begin their individual apprenticeships at St. Mungos, he in the Healer Program and Rose studying alongside the Head Potions Master. And while they would both be incredibly busy over the next two, long years, knowing that other would be just a few floors away was more than enough to give them the hope that they would make it.

Catching Rose's eye, Scorpius smiled, the words "I love you" silently ghosting over his lips as he watched her fingers slide over the simple silver band with a sole diamond, on her right hand. It was a sign, a promise between the two, that no matter what the following years would bring, they would be there for each other, to love and support each other through thick and thin. And while Scorpius had promised her that the ring was nothing more than a promise, he knew already that he wanted to marry her.

Receiving a nod from Headmistress McGonagall, Rose tucked a few curls behind her ear, letting her eyes sweep over the crowd one last time.

"Students of Hogwarts and soon to be official graduates, remember these words because more important than who your parents are, who they fought in a war that nearly crippled England, no matter where your brothers or sisters or any one else in your family is placed in a boarding school, or where you work, play, or raise your family, keeping sight of yourself is the most important of all. Because in the end, no matter where life takes you, remember you are so much more than a last name. You're you."