Graduation 2035: The Ceremony

[Ava King]

Ava Davershire glanced fondly around the Hall, trying to keep her mind off the inevitable. It was a bitter-sweet moment; a moment of sadness, that a number of great students were leaving Hogwarts. No year was ever the same, no student alike. But it was a moment of great pride. Ava was proud of every single student that was graduating. She was proud of the Professor's for teaching everyone well enough for them to pass. Ava watched the graduates and their guests making their way into the hall and each taking their seats. The Professor smiled at each one, knowing that she had to have a brave face for each person today; a new lot of students would be coming in the next year, and she would have to try to get used to saying goodbye to students, even though there were some students she knew the Professors weren't too upset about leaving.

Once everyone was seated, the Headmistress made her way to the front of the stage, smiling excitedl to the crowd. "Welcome parents, guests, and most importantly, graduates. Thank-you to everyone who made it here to join us in celebrating and honouring the graduating class of 2035." Ava focused her attention on the students graduating. "Graduates, remember that this is not the end, it is simply the beginning. You are going into a world where anything is possible, so dream big, and work hard. I'd now like to welcome up your Head Boy and Girl, Troxa Matthias and Artemis Jackson." Ava finished before moving away from the podium and clapping for Troxa and Artemis.

Out of Character:

Out of Character: Important Information
This thread is for Graduates and Speakers to post in. Graduates please do not post until the Head Boy and Head Girl have posted. Guests and Spectators can post in the 'Guest' topic.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

Ah, this was the year wherein Slytherins held the reigns of the school. Or at least both of the Head students did. That was not it, Slytherin won all their games in Quidditch and that alone could make Artemis Jackson squeal in delight. If she were younger, she would probably have immaturely boasted about it. But her mind whispered otherwise. She did not help in the games, but she was proud of her teammates. Mighty proud, that was and would forever be. The Slytherin felt sentimental all of a sudden, and she willed herself not to shed a tear. Don't be too emotional, thought Artemis, reviewing herself in the baseness of public speaking etiquette. She knew she was not the best speaker out there, for there was a possibility she would stammer, stutter and do every embarrassing thing in the universe. However, now, she had to toughen her skin up. What was there to be anxious of, when all she had to do was make a speech in front of lots of people. Nothing, right? She straightened her outfit for the hundredth time and inhaled deeply. She could smell the subtle vanilla perfume she spritzed on herself and she calmed a tad. Artemis sat up straighter when the Headmistress started with her brief intro. Soon, she would be in front of everyone acting like an awkward as ever teenager. The blonde did not want to faint herself in front of the batch so she looked down and rehearsed the speech outline on the note card she prepared weeks ago. When she looked up, she caught the Headmistress' eye, which was her cue to get her ass up and share the speech she planned out. Well, she was going first obviously and she nodded at Troxa before standing up. Artemis swallowed dryly and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Uncrossing her legs, she nodded her thanks at Professor Daveshire and went up to the podium.

"Thank you, Headmistress." Now, it was time to start. She got a good view of her audience, familiar and unknown faces. These were the people she shared classes with, with their loved ones by. Today would be the last day she'd see all of them in the same room, so she needed to make the most out of it. "When I first entered the castle, I didn't quite imagine, our er, graduation day. Damn, I didn't imagine all the homeworks, quizzes and exams. I had no dream whatsoever in becoming a prefect and I thought that the role of being the Head Girl was out of my league. All I knew then was I'm going to make it good till my seventh year. Well, time flies doesn't it," Artemis showed no signs of nervousness, except for the little shift of her weight from one foot to the other. "And now we're in our final year, it's been quite rough recently for all, with the exams and extracurricular activities yeah?" She saw some signs of agreement from the audience whilst others still bore their stare onto her. She didn't like it, but she had to go on with the show. "But besides from the bad things, the good thing is I believe most of us met people who we now consider as one of our treasures." Her eyes scanned the crowd for her boyfriend and when she found him, she smiled, her eyes sparkling knowingly. "And Hogwarts has given us more than a year to know who we are and what we really want. The friends that we have, and even those people who we consider more than friends are one of the best things that we bring out of the school. I could not be more than grateful to have known you all and made friends with some of you."

"So er, I would love to reminisce further on our younger years but that would take too long. Instead I want to share my personal opinions on how to handle life outside these walls." She paused and took in a long, deep breath before continuing. Artemis did not want to bore them all, so she'd like to be quick and straight to the point. She looked at her note card to remind herself and when she looked up, she smiled proudly at all of them.

"Firstly, when we get out of Hogwarts to find a job or whatever, be passionate; lemme tell you guys. It can be difficult but hey, what's success without hard work?" Artemis felt her voice stay firm, a good sign that she was slowly easing to the eyes watching and ears listening. "That's right, strive harder everyday and believe in your abilities always. Test the limits but don't go too far. Don't tell yourself you'll have a bad life just because of a crappy day... It's not worth it. I dunno about you lot but I think life is now our one massive exam. Gotta work hard to get an Outstanding, yeah?" Now she was displaying a casual aura which she was really aiming for. She did not want someone to feel as if she was trying to intimidate them because at the end of the day, all of them would be equals anyway. She saw several people who were close to her heart and she felt the corners of her mouth tugging themselves up. Her dad was here whilst her mother would surely make it up to her. Her younger sister was present as well, watching her with those intent blue eyes ever. Artemis cleared her throat and cut out the dramatic air hanging. "That's my first point. Second, don't let anyone take control over your life. Write your own life and make it good. Don't be afraid to break free." Now, Artemis felt calmer and she knew that in a minute, her speech would be over. All she wanted was to give her last words to her classmates and made sure it made a mark on them, even if they barely knew her. "Have fun, and don't bury yourself under stress all the time. It's time for our lives to go according to how we want it to be, not by letting it be influenced by negative factors." That sh!t was bad, basically. Artemis felt that what she had said was almost enough, and she was getting to the part where she would conclude her speech.

"Before saying goodbye, I would like to give my last thanks to all the professors. Thank you, all of you, for tirelessly teaching us what magic really is." Artemis wanted to crack a joke, a joke about hoping their lessons would be put to use one day but she did not want to offend anyone, hence she proceeded to add more words. She wanted to express the genuine thanks, but she could not seem to find the right words. Pausing for a moment, Artemis did her best to gather her swarming thoughts. For seven years she was surrounded by professors, and now was the time to show them a little gratitude. "Thank you also, to the prefects who helped us out this school year. I look forward to seeing you guys again, hopefully in the near future." Artemis bit her lip, knowing that it was time to end her speech in a thoughtful way. Overall she could say that what she said was fine, if not totally boring. "To the seventh years, you all are brilliant. I'm honored to be a part of you guys. It's been rough, but we all made it through. Good luck to us all, and keep that chin up." Artemis smiled at them, showing off her whites. Her eyes lingered on Minoas, who always had the ability to make her melt. She glanced at her dad and sister, who she saw were close to tears. Especially Alliyah, who she knew had readied a box of tissues just in case. The Head Girl felt proud that finally, school was done and she was ready to begin with her real life. Artemis nodded once and for a last touch, she smirked one last time as a Slytherin and added,


"Cheers to us all, class of 2035!"
​

 

[Troxa Matthias]

It took everything in Troxa Matthias' willpower to not go to his dorm and just end up staying there for the entire ceremony. There was only so much a teenager could take. Although, he knew that if he missed out on the graduation ceremony, he would end up being like the others and not a very good Head Boy. This year, the Slytherins took over and that felt nice for a change. Artemis Jackson, the Head Girl, was the first Slytherin Head Girl to ever walk down the halls of Hogwarts New Zealand. There had been a few Slytherin Head Boys, so Troxa was nothing special. He might have been the first to ever be a father by the time he took the badge though. No matter what would happen today, he would have to live with it for all of eternity. That was something he did not want to see. He sighed and he straightened up his dress robes and his hair so that he looked presentable to the crowd. He could not invite the whole family since he did not want to have them end up tearing this place down. He invited the people that mattered to him most. That meant a lot. Plus, he could see his daughter, Victoria, once more. He could not wait to hold her. The amber eyed Slytherin looked up at the Headmistress as she started into the ceremony. Troxa looked down at his note cards before he listened to Artemis' speech, which was rather prepared. She went first which was good for him since he could hear how she does before he went into it himself. He wondered which would make him pass out sooner, blood or having to deal with this mess. He hoped that he would not faint. That would be embarrassing to no end. Absolutely no one would let him live that down if that happened to him. He loathed it.

Once the Head Girl finished her speech, he clapped respectively since she seemed to have done well. There were some pauses in there, but who would have handled this any better? He didn't know any other girl around here more deserving of Head Girl than Artemis Jackson. He would be biased if he said Auden Lefevre, even though she would have made a more beautiful and stunning Head Girl. Again, he was biased. Approaching the podium, Troxa looked over the area before he started on his speech, "Greetings, family and almost graduates. I am sure that I speak for my peers to say that we appreciate you all being here for this momentous occasion. Without family, my peers would not be here today." Troxa paused for a moment to take a deep breath. That was very good for an opening, so he thought. He looked over the crowd as he continued, "From the moment we turned eleven, we could not wait for school. I am sure that none of us got what we came here for. We came to learn more magic and spells, albeit we did, but we also learned lifelong lessons along the way. We learned how to balance time to handle tasks and clubs as well as quizzes and exams. We all thought that we could not last through each and every exam, but here we are, about to graduate." Troxa chuckled since he thought the same thing, every time he went through the exams. It was nerve wrecking. But, he managed to come out of there fine. He wondered if he should go a bit into himself, and according to the note card, he could. He had a lot about himself he could share, like the fact that he was a father and he had a wonderful family that needed to see an exorcist from time to time. Otherwise, everything was completely normal. Only, he was lying to some point to himself to make himself feel a little better about his family and what he was bringing Auden into.

"When I was a first year, I was not exactly the most friendly of Slytherins. I picked on my now girlfriend and teased her relentlessly. Somehow, that changed with age. I became prefect and then head boy. If that was not a shock enough, I also became a father in December to a girl named Victoria. You never know what to expect when you come into this school. You could leave with badges, a child - though I hope not unless you are prepared for the responsibility - or even a husband or wife. No matter the choices, we always tend to end up where we are meant to be. I am just glad that I managed to keep a few friends while being here, and it was truly an honor to become the head boy. I made my family proud and hopefully my house proud as well." He was proud of that fact, and hopefully his dad felt the same way. It would be hard to live up to him. Nikandros was trying, the last time he had heard anything anyway. Troxa could not believe that he was still standing here, somehow not passing out. His wondering eyes landed on Auden before they fell onto his amber eyed little girl. She inherited the gene that was mutated and messed with so long ago. He could not resist smiling when he saw his girl look so happy to see him. He looked down at his note cards before he cleared his throat to continue, "So, I speak to my peers now. Though we might separate to live our own lives, I must say that you should never forget what the school has taught you, or us all rather. Lessons here can be applied to future use whether it would be toward a family, a job or one's self. Never forget what the professors have taught you. They are helpful enough to lend a helping hand to guide you where you needed to go. It won't be like this anymore. We won't have anyone but ourselves to count on." Troxa looked down and knew that it was only true to some people, but not to him.

Raising his hand up in a friendly gesture, Troxa was nearing the end to his speech. This would make it probably the best and only speeches he would ever give in his life. "So, class of 2035, let us always remember everyone who has guided us to this spot. Let us begin with the rest of our lives and may they be as full and happy as you can make it. Good luck out there. Everyone will need it once they set foot out here for the last time. Unless you want to come back and teach, but that is all up to you. For all we know, some of the professors here might need a break from us anyhow, or the future first years. So, I wish everyone here an awesome life. We might not meet again. However, it has thoroughly been a pleasure to be sorted with you and now graduating with you. I will cherish this moment as much as I know you all will." Troxa ended that speech with that. His dad looked really proud right now and he could not be blamed. Troxa Julian Matthias managed to not only become a father to a pure-blood child, but also Head Boy, a leader in the school. Troxa handled his abilities well, and did not wreck any of his privileges. He knew that he would not be able to see them again. He would probably move away with Auden and their child once they managed to score a few jobs. He was going to the Ministry to work with Quidditch but not be a part of it with Levent. It would be a good career and would pay well. He walked back to the area he started off with to await the rest of the ceremony. It would be worth it, he believed. Now, he just wanted to get this done and over with so that he could get his diploma and be with his family, newborns and his father and uncle. He just hoped his uncle was sober.​

 

[Ava King]

Ava listened to the Head Boy and Head Girl's speeches, smiling proudly of who they had become. Everyone had come so far since they first started, and Professor Davershire was proud to have been part of their journey. Once they were finished with their speeches, Ava enthusiastically clapped along with the crowd and approached the podium as the two graduates made their way back to their seats.
"Thank-you Miss Jackson and Mr Matthias, for your amazing words of encouragement. Class of 2035, remember this day fondly, but keep keeping on. Don't ever give up; as Miss Jackson said, keep that chin up! Congratulations students!" Ava finished warmly. As she called each student up, and shook their hands, Ava wished each and every one of them luck, hoping the best for their futures.

Out of Character:

It's time Graduates! You can now RP your character coming on stage, getting his or her diploma and then sitting back down until the end of the ceremony.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

The thousands of applauses from the students rocked the hall when the Headmistress, Professor Ava Davershire finished her introduction and invited the Head Girl to the podium. Minoas dressed in a sharp-looking, and well-fitted, black suit, was sitting at the edge of his seat amongst the other seventh years. He hadn't get rid of his all-over beard but he had clipped it close to his face for this instance and he had also done his light brown hair, messy spiky. This day was important for all of them. The end of their student lives, the beginning of their lives in the society's jungle. Minoas wasn't really in favor of events like this but his whole family (around 35 individuals) was there to see him receiving his diploma. They had already occupied a section of the guests' stands and Briar Rowan had also joined them with his goddaughter, Willow. His attention however, was owned by the blonde girl with the blue eyes at the podium. There were no words to describe how proud he was for her. He didn't cease smiling encouragingly at her every time their gazes were meeting and he thought she had made a great job with her speech. When she was finished, another round of applauses thundered across the hall and Minoas whistled with his fingers. "Well done baby! Well done!" he mumbled and joined the round of applause right afterwards.

It was now the time for the Head Boy to make his speech but Minoas couldn't take his eyes off his girlfriend who made her way back to her seat. A burden had nested in his chest of how their relationship was going to work now that he was planning to continue his studies in Europe. In any case, he didn't want to lose her and he was determined to travel between continent to combine both his studies and his time with her. He reassured himself that this was going to work out for them as the Head Boy finished his speech. Minoas applaud respectively as the rest of the attendees did and took a deep breath for what it was going to follow. One by one, the seventh years were summoned to the podium to receive their diplomas by the Headmistress. Minoas had to wait as they were called alphabetically and thought of how nice it would be if his father was there, somewhere in the crowd to watch him in this important moment of his life. His grey eyes escaped from the oblivion only when the name of his girlfriend echoed in the hall. His face brightened and his eyes smiled as he watched her getting her diploma and being congratulated by their Headmistress. He applauded as she returned back with the valuable scroll in her hands and winked at her. He also congratulated his best friend Elbio returning back with his own diploma and his fellow Gryffindor and roommate, Sandalio.

Soon it was his name called by Professor Davershire accompanied by booming cheers from the Stratis, making Minoas fail containing his smile as he stood up. The distance from his seat to the podium seemed much longer than what he had expected. He met the warm gaze of the Headmistress and beamed at her. As she was picking his diploma to give it to him, Minoas took the chance to look at his loved ones in the audience. It was Artemis' turn to give him that encouraging smile. Somewhere in the background, his younger brothers were holding a huge banner with color changing letters, writing 'Congratulations Minoas!' while shouting his name rhythmically along with Briar and his goddaughter, Willow in her arms. He casted a sort of stern look at his mother who was shedding tears of joy and felt somewhat awkward when he spotted the camera in his grandfather's hands pointing straight at him while his grandmother by his grandfather's side was waving unstoppably for Minoas to see them. Cousins, uncles, aunts, were all there to support him during this special moment. Minoas felt really blessed, a really lucky man. It was hard to draw his attention away from these wonderful people but his diploma was waiting for him. He exchanged a handshake with the Headmistress, bowed slightly his head and thanked her as he was bestowed the roll parchment with the blood red seal of Hogwarts' crest on it. The smile of fulfillment didn't left his lips as he left the podium for the next students to come and get their diplomas. He returned back to his seat, examining the roll of parchment but not unsealing it. He couldn't wait for the ceremony to end already and go to meet his family, friends and also squeeze in his arms Artemis.

 

[Proserpina Laurent]

Proserpina Laurent, dressed in bright yellow for Hufflepuff, walked into the Great Hall and found herself among the other seventh years, as few as they were. She soon stood near Auden Lefevre, a friend of hers, as the Head Girl and the Head Boy made their speeches. Everything felt perfect. Proserpina’s eyes located her father and her step-mother, before waving to them before she saw Romaine Snow, in the crowd as well. He really came. Her heart felt like it skipped a beat as she thought about how much that meant to her. He was a nice guy, no matter what the family appeared to be. She then looked to find Philippa and Sidney, former Gryffindors that went here, and the first being her older twin. Proserpina waved to them and knew that the two would end up as a happy couple one day. It was just cute, and there seemed to be some sparks between them. Proserpina looked down a bit and wondered if that would end up similar with her life. She might not have been the prettiest girl or the smartest, but she was the brightest and probably had the appetite of a small horse. She just could not help it.

Clapping for both Artemis Jackson and Troxa Matthias, as both speeches were wonderful, Proserpina knew that this would be the moment of truth. Everything would be out and in the open. Everyone here would no longer be seventh years but graduates. She loved every moment of it, but at the same time, she wanted to throw up. That was something she would have to get over at some point in her life. Proserpina smiled to herself and she heard her name called by Professor Davershire, the Headmistress. She walked up near the podium where she took her diploma and smiled lovingly at the professor. She looked to her loved ones before she saw them clapping and cheering her name. Nothing could make the Hufflepuff Prefect more proud right now. She did it! She graduated!​

 

[Myuna Kickett]

thank good today was here. for one slytherin it couldn't come soon enough. the day she could finally leave the school and actually have a little fun. she hated not being able to go surfing for three years after living in the castles walls and being unable to go to the beach she was glad to be free. she knew exactly what she would be doing when she was allowed to leave, she would be going for a surf somewhere she had always wanted to surf, Hawaii. and then she would have to go home but a few hours peace would be fantastic. allowed to invite two guests to the ceremony she had no qualms in picking hers albie was a must and her brother Lowan, she hadn't wanted to let her family back home know it was an open ceremony or gamma and her mum would be there instead and even worse than gamma was that she would have to go straight home and not have any fun at 'leavers'. She really didn't care about graduation but seeing as she was going she had gotten an actual dress for the occasion she took her seat near the front with the other graduates and half listened during the head boy spoke and paid a little more attention to the head girls speech as they had been room mates in the last three years and she had become friends. as the names started to be called she was thinking of what she would be doing in a few hours time. after a while she stopped paying attention all together. hen her name was called she didn't even hear it, it wasn't until the person next to her elbowed her and hissed in her ear it was her turn. she got to her feet and made her way over to the stage. accepting the certificate which had had just about managed to scrape through enough grades for graduation before heading back to her seat to daydream again, Hawaii for a surf then home to see MAka, then a holiday over east to bells with a swag, board and goon. once the ceremony was over she quickly got up thanking and congratulating her friends who's graduation represented an achievement not a end of imprisonment. soon she reached where her boyfriend and brother were waiting and smiled at them actually starting to get exited. "gawd that was dull" she said giving albie a hug and a kiss and seeing lowan cringe before giving him a hug to embarrass him. "i hope you didn't almost fall asleep too. she said smiling glad to be graduated.

 

[Auden Lefevre]

Today was a little bittersweet. Auden was leaving the place she had called home for the past seven years, and she would probably never get the chance to see it again. On the upside, she would get to go home and see her baby. Auden felt really bad for leaving her with relatives for the Semester, but not Graduating from school would probably pose an issue later on in life. Auden wanted to have a job someday, and she wanted to be successful. Her dad thought she was wasting her life away because of that baby and because of Troxa. Auden didn't think she was wasting anything away, mostly because she was very happy with her life, but she was driven to prove to her dad that having a baby wasn't going to ruin her life. Auden grinned when she saw that the speeches were beginning. She couldn't wait to hear them! Artemis had a very nice speech herself. Auden didn't know her personally, but she seemed pretty cool. As for Head Girls, she was a pretty decent one. Then Troxa's speech came. His speech was a little bit different, but Auden still loved it all the same. After the speeches were done, Auden politely clapped for both of them. They did well!

Then it came time for the students to receive their diplomas. Auden didn't have to wait a long time before it was her turn. Auden smiled softly and stood up from her chair to walk over to the podium. Gingerly, she took the diploma into her hand and smiled at the headmistress. Once Auden stepped down from the podium, it began to sink in. She had Graduated! Auden smiled at Troxa and blew him as kiss as she went back to her seat. In a moment or two it would be his turn to receive his diploma. After the ceremony finished, Auden didn't hesitate to go in search of Troxa so they could find their family and celebrate a little bit! Auden was so proud of Troxa as well as herself. Now they could focus on raising up their daughter and enjoying the little family that they had started. ​

 

[Artemis Jackson]

</SIZE>

<SIZE size="50">Whilst listening to Troxa Matthias' speech, Artemis spared Minoas a grateful smile for his support. She was lucky, luckier than a person winning a jackpot, to have Minoas Stratis in her life. He was one of the best men she knew in her life, next to her own father. She felt flushed with all the stares that were on her a whilst back and she let herself calm down and compose herself. Troxa's speech was definitely a good one and Artemis could not help but think about the times they worked together. They were not a bad team, besides from the little arguments they had about certain, little things. She clapped when he concluded his speech with his last farewell to the whole class of 2035 and she could not help but feel proud for all of them. After seven whole years, Artemis Jackson made it with school titles she never imagined gaining. But here she was, clad in her graduation robe proudly.

Then it was the sentimental moment of her getting her diploma. It was not long before the surname 'Jackson' was called and she stood up, grinning as she approached Professor Davershire. She heard several voices cheering, that including her family and her boyfriend. (perhaps) For the last time, she shook hands with the Headmistress after getting her long awaited diploma. Merlin's pants, she was done with Hogwarts forever and she knew that she would not come back to become a professor or something similar. Artemis saw her dad in the crowd clapping, his eyes telling her almost everything he wanted to say with pride. Alliyah was giving her the most emotional smile ever, which made Artemis want to hug her sister madly. The next in view came Minoas, who did not forget to give her his signature wink. She smirked at him, subtly, excited for his turn to go up the stage.

The rest of the students were a blur to Artemis. Of course, each of them had their own moment of pride and joy and she was happy to witness that for each of them. When it was Minoas' turn, she clapped eagerly as he was congratulated. He deserved it, after all the crap he's been through. She nodded at him in approval, noticing the triumphant spark in those grey eyes. Hearing the cheer of his family members, she chuckled warmly at their support. How she wished she had at least her mother here as well to watch her get her diploma. It was just unfair. As the ceremony continued, the former Head Girl sat back onto her chair, eager to celebrate with her loved ones outside the castle. It was finally over.
​

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