After the Ceremony

[Estrella Drage]

Clutching her diploma tightly, Estrella exited the stage and stepped into the crowd. She wondered if the three she had invited had shown up. Lily probably was, so she'd have to hunt through the sea of bodies to find her. She wasn't sure if Courtney or her grandfather had been able to make it. The Ravenclaw wiped at her face and swallowed hard. She was done with crying for the immediate moment, yet she knew the tears would be far from over.

As she recognized their former Defense instructor in the crowd, she grinned. It was nice that Professor King had been able to attend the festivities. Well, he wasn't a professor anymore, but it was much easier to remember him that way. He was just one of the many people that she would never be able to forget from her school days. She gave him a friendly wave.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Once the ceremony was over, Cyndi began to try and look for her friends. She stood on tiptoe, trying to catch a glimpse of red hair, but the swarm of people made it near impossible. Still holding onto her diploma, Cyndi spotted Estrella and headed after her. Once she reached her friend, she tapped her on the shoulder and then gave her a big hug. "Congratulations!! We did it!!" she exclaimed.

Over her friend's shoulder, the Gryffindor noticed Professor King standing nearby. She smiled broadly at him and waved.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

"Hey you two" Andy smiled at both girls, "congratulations".
She beamed fighting back her own tears as the realisation that she would not be spending many more moments in the great hall or indeed anywhere about the school with them. She embraced them both individually before turning to Estrella.
"Great speech by the way".

She knew at some point she would have to go and face Bruin and that their own goodbyes were not so very far away.

 

[Katalina Harker]

By the time the ceremony had ended Kat's face was now bright red and tear-streaked while her eyes were all puffy and her nose was drippy. She truly was a sight for sore eyes, but she was sad and well crying just seemed to be the most appropriate action for that particular time. Kat drew in a deep breath, managing to calm herself and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief that she'd already had to scourgify twice since the ceremony began. Walking over to where Cyndi was talking with Estrella and Andy she managed to perk a small genuine smile. "Congratulations guys! I'm so proud of you," she said trying to be perky, but she looked Cyndi dead in the eyes and the water works busted open once again. She pulled the older girl into a hug and said only half-jokingly, "Like hell if you think you're leaving...I'm locking you in my trunk so you can't leave us!"

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

When Andy walked over to them, Cyndi saw the tears in her friend's eyes. The Gryffindor could still remember when she had first met Andy and all the great times they had together over the years. "Thanks. Please don't cry Andy. You'll just get me started again!" Cyndi smiled, feeling the tears beginning to well up all over again. She could only imagine how difficult it must have been for Andy to watch Bruin give his speech and turned her head to see if she saw her fellow Gryffindor graduate. She knew he was somewhere within the crowd.

The graduate fought hard to keep her own tears contained, and managed to do so until Kat joined the group. As the two girls locked eyes, Kat began to cry and then the Gryffindor did as well. She returned the hug and tried not to get Kat's shoulder wet with her tears as she patted her back in an attempt to comfort her. "But...how will I eat and drink and work..."Cyndi joked as she stepped back, "Don't worry...I'll write to you guys all the time. It will be like I'm still here."

 

[Kiera Kaster]

After the ceremony was over, Kiera stood on her tip toes to find her friends. She spotted Cyndi across the room. Kiera weaved in and out of the crowd until she got to Cyndi. She pulled the older girl into a hug. "Congratulations! I am going to miss you so much!" she said happily. A few tears trickled down her cheek It was both a sad and happy day. Kiera smiled at her other two roommates. She knew that next year would be her turn and she wasn't quite ready for it. "You better write all the time!" she said sternly to Cyndi.

Kiera's attention was drawn away from Cyndi. She was looking for James. He had invited her and Kiera wanted to tell him just how proud of him she was. Kiera was still unsure what was going on between the two of them. She and Alex were still not together. Kiera didn't know where her future was going. She did know that she wanted to be there for James. Her eyes searched the crowd for him.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy laughed as she attempted to wipe the tears from her eyes. Kiera and Kat came over and she was delighted by their company into the mix.
"Kind of hard not to cry Cyndi" she said as Kat gushed as well, "You better write, tell us everything you're up to and that goes for you Estrella".

Andy inhaled deeply as she turned her head and looked across the room to where Bruin was circulating. Her heart felt heavy and she could feel a fresh bout of tears welling up and threatening to spill. She honestly believed he was the love of her life and knew the next few months were going to be devastating emotionally. Trying to cheer herself up so she wouldn't upset her friends on their graduation day, Andy smiled once more.
"So have you both got family here as well?"

 

[Bruin Dumbledez]

Bruin accepted his congratulations from various professor and fellow graduates and then made his way over to his parents for a few minutes before his gaze settled on the small group of girls consumed with a collection of smiles, hugs, laughter and tears. He made his way through the crowd towards them, totally unsure how to handle this gathering. Estrella and Cyndi were in a similar position to him, uncertain about the future and how life would be without this place...that he could relate to. The others were probably wondering what life here would be like without them and Bruin knew that this was likely worse in many ways, although he knew that they would each take their turn at being the leaders in the school and rise spectacularly to that challenge. Bruin smiled warmly at them all, hoping that the future would offer them all that they so richly deserved. "Are boys allowed to cry too?" Bruin attempted to joke, knowing that hiding behind humour would be the only way for him to manage the emotions spiraling out of control within him.

 

[Nicolas King]

After the ceremony Nicolas had spotted a small gathering of his former pupils closer to the front of the hall. Estrella and Cyndi waved toward him and he gave them both an acknowledging smile before he started to work his way through the crowd and toward the group, trying to avoid certain people while still trying to push his way through the mass of people, now all chattering amongst themselves or congratulating the stray seventh year on their graduation.

After a minute or two Nicolas had arrived at the group just in time to overhear Bruin's small joke, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder then squeezing gently he replied, "It's only alright on special occasions - I think this can be one of those." He then returned the wink that Bruin had offered him on the stage before removing his hand from Bruin's shoulder and turning once more to the group, "Congratulations Ms. Drage, Ms. Weasley, and of course you - Mr. Dumbledez. You all have worked hard for this and you definitely deserve it. I'll be keeping my eye out for you three in the world outside of Hogwarts. Just know if you ever need anything you can definitely ask me for help, whatever it is." Nicolas offered this sentiment with a legitimate and warm smile, he wasn't sure what the trio had planned for their lives - but he knew that not everything was as easy as one would hope it would be, and that the world wasn't one of sunrises and rainbows like the Minister for Magic had made it seem.

 

[Jaken Styx]

The ceremony was over, and Jaken felt like a big bundle of emotions. He saw a group of girls, plus Bruin and former Professor King. He approached the group, and he did not say a word. Not yet. Quite overwhelmed by the emotions, Jaken put his arms around Nicolas King and gave him a small hug. Quickly stepping to the side, Jaken smiled, "Glad you could make it to the graduation. Shame I wasn't hear from the beginning though." Jaken glanced over at Estrella, and stood by her side. Jaken grinned at the rest of the group, as well as Bruin. "Nice speech there, Bruin. And yours too, Estrella." Jaken laughed warmly, and wished that they didn't have to graduate... Not yet. Though half of him wanted to leave, and the other half wanted to stay.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy turned at the sound of his voice but quickly looked to Professor King as he approached. It felt strange calling him anything else so she simply didn't bother, he would always be her DADA professor no matter how many others came through the doors of Hogwarts. So Bruin had wanted to know if it was ok for boys to cry, she had wanted nothing more than to slap him hard across the face and make him cry. Get him to show some kind of emotion at all but she didn't. Instead she politely excused herself from the group and seeing Mr and Mrs Dumbledez walked over to chat with them.

She had been concerned about Bruin's father during the time he had gone missing in the avalanche and decided that talking with the couple who had been host to herself, Kat and Cyndi the summer before would only be polite. Andy didn't stay long chatting to them but after paying a respectable amount of time moved on to chat with one of the professors and some of the other graduates. It was really hard to imagine that Bruin had actually invited her here at all. But she understood now why he had, this was his final stamp on their breakup. He was graduating and leaving the school to go out into the world and she was staying put.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi nodded at Andy. "Yea, I saw my dad as I was leaving the stage and my mom's here too." Cyndi peered around trying to catch a glimpse of her dad's reddish brown hair, but couldn't see him anywhere.

Quickly enough Kiera,Bruin, Jaken and Professor King joined the group. It was still odd to think of King as anything other than her professor even though he hadn't been for a year now. She figured that it was probably too ingrained to ever think of him as anything else. She smiled as he he congratulated them and then offered his help if they ever needed it. Cyndi knew that his offer was genuine and her smile widened, the tears no longer flowing off her face. "Thanks professor" she said.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera smiled at Professor King as he joined their group. She was still slightly upset with him for leaving her when she had been taking occulemency lessons from him. However, she understood that he had his own reasons for leaving and she respected that. She nodded her head at him before returning her eyes to the crowd.

After searching for a few moments, Kiera spotted James across the room. She excused herself from her friends and began to make her way through the crowd. Kiera was beaming when she finally reached James. She jumped and threw her arms around his neck. "Congratulations! You did it!" she said with enthusiasm.

 

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas was somewhat startled when Jaken gave him a hug - Jaken had definitely not been one of the people he'd figured might hug him today. Though, with his history at Hogwarts and Bruin giving him the kiss on the lawn he should have realized that guys at HNZ were certainly not normal by any stretch of the imagination and perhaps he'd left more of an impression on the males than he had the females in his classes. "I'm glad I was invited." he replied, nudging Bruin slightly as he said this.

When Cyndi called him 'Professor' Nicolas shook his head slightly, "I'm definitely not your professor anymore. You lot can call me Nicolas now, or Nick I suppose." This, too, was something Nicolas recalled Bruin having attempted to do. Nicolas' first week at the school and Bruin was testing how far he could push his Head of House. King had asserted then that he expected to be shown the same respect that he showed his students - and he almost always had addressed his students by their last names.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella spun around as she was tapped on the shoulder and enveloped in a hug. Squeezing Cyndi tightly, she pulled back with a weak smile. "Yeah, we did," she responded happily. If she thought too hard about all of this, if she spoke too much, she was afraid that she was going to start the waterworks all over again. She had wanted this day to come for ages, but now that she was at this point in her life she was having issues trying to be resigned.

When Andy commented on her speech she nodded in gratitude, responding not so evenly, "Thanks- glad you liked it." Her grin was warm as she looked back to the soon to be Gryffindor fifth year; she hadn't gotten to know the girl as well as she would have liked, and wished she could find some way to wrench back the hands on the clock so she would be able to do a few more things at the school. Just a few more.

The Ravenclaw was about to open her mouth to respond to Bruin when Professor King beat her to the punch. She thought their former Defense professor's offer was comforting. Having someone to turn to for help would definitely be a security blanket in the great wide world that was sure to consume the graduating class of 2023.

Her grin was more than enough to convey her amusement as Jaken hugged Professor King. It wasn't the first time the man had been subject to a display of manly affection. She could only smile back at Jaken as she stood next to him. Ingesting the scene around her was much easier than speaking. It was simply enough to be here with the people she had come to love over the past seven years. Words were not sufficient to describe what she was feeling right now. All too soon, the graduates and everyone connected to them would be throttled with change. Referring to their beloved former Defense instructor as 'Nick' was only the beginning.

 

[Lily Drage]

Lily walked around the Hall after the ceremony giving hugs to people. She hugged most of the graduates -- being careful to try to avoid Ford. Not that she didn't want to see him, but that she knew she shouldn't. Finally, she spotted Courtney. She moved across the room, jumping up on her friend. "Hey, there you are!" she exclaimed. "So, how long you gonna stay in New Zealand?"

 

[Courtney Potter]

When the ceremony had finished, Courtney made her best attempts to destroy all evidence that she had been crying. Once she felt comfortable that her face wasn't too puffy, she stood up from her seat and walked around the Great Hall. She offerred congratulations and hellos to people she crossed paths with, but didn't participate in any small talk as she was looking for her friends. It was time not only to congratulate them, but to see and talk to her friends for the first time in years.

Courtney's stomach went batty when she spotted Lily Potter, moments before Lily attacked her. Courtney hugged her Ravenclaw buddy tightly for a few moments before letting go, "Lily Potter! I cannot believe it!" Courtney's anxiety about meeting her friends was replaced with excitement after speaking to Lily, which was fitting because there was exciting news to spill. "How long am I here for?" Courtney repeated, "Well, I just became shopkeeper for Gladrags Wizardwear, so I think I'm gonna be stuck here for a while!

"Now that I'm back in New Zealand, you better not be going anywhere after graduation, Potter! Speaking of graduation, I'd like to congratulate the class of twenty-three. Have you been mingling with them yet?"

 

[James Potter]

James had went to the Owlery shortly after the graduation to send off a few letters but as soon as he had made it to the After Ceremony meet and greet he was surprised to see Kiera show so much affection by wrapping her arms around him. James hadn't known where they were at but knew that an opportunity like this wasn't going to happen everyday as he leaned in and kissed her. It was nothing too special since James didn't want to embarrass her in front of the others however it was enough to satisfy James. At least for the moment it seemed as though all the trouble they had been going through was non-existent. James looked at her and smiled "didn't know it was such a big deal" James smirked as he quickly added "didn't think I would graduate?"

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera blushed slightly as James kissed her, not that she really minded. Alex still seemed to be avoiding her like the plague. She still didn't know what was going on between her and James or even her and Alex, however at the moment, she didn't care. Kiera wasn't going to ruin this day for James with talk about all that trouble. Besides, James would be gone back to his Quidditch life without another thought about Kiera. Kiera laughed and shook her head at James. "I knew you would graduate. That's the whole reason you came here right?" she said, teasing him slightly. "It was nice to see you walk across the stage though." she told him honestly.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi shook her head as she realized that she had called King professor. When he corrected her and told the group that they could call him by his name, she smiled. It was the first of many changes that could come with being a graduate of the school. "Nick. Hmm...that'll take some getting used to" Cyndi joked as she gave her old Head of house a warm hug.

The Gryffindor knew that this was easily one of the best moments of her life. She had heard best friends beside her and the world awaiting her. Right now, she felt as if she could conquer the world, and although she was afraid for what would come next, she was also excited and determined.

Looking around again, Cyndi spotted her dad waving at her. She returned the wave eagerly and held up a finger. She excused herself to go celebrate with her parents and told the group she'd see them later. In a second, Cyndi dodged and stepped around another graduate's family and went into first her dad's arms and then her mother's.