Open Y34 Graduation Ceremony: Graduates

[Katherine Alicastell]

From the end of the hall, the Headmistress stood waiting for graduates and guests alike to enter and take their appropriate seats. Gone were the long tables that usually resided in the hall, leaving a large empty space for rows upon rows of padded chairs. Gone too, were the usual banners and drapes depicting the four individual houses and their respective colours, replaced now by banners depicting only the Hogwarts insignia on a plain, black background. Today, the seventh years weren't Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs or Slytherins. They stood together as one, the graduating class of 2050

As everyone settled into their seats, Katherine strode across the stage to take her position at the podium. With a raise of her hand, the murmur and chatter of those present ceased, and she spoke. "Welcome all of you, family and friends, students and staff, to the graduation ceremony of twenty-fifty. Thank you for joining us in celebrating the long journey of our honoured graduates, and in commending their seven years of growth and dedication at Hogwarts New Zealand. Truly, each and every one of you have been the heart and soul of this school." There was a brief moment of applause, and once that too had died down, Katherine continued. "To the class of twenty-fifty, remember that your lives are only just beginning. You are all the future of wizardkind, and it is your actions and achievements that will continue to shape the world we live in. With that said, I'd like to call upon our head students, Kauri Tipene and Sophie Wilson to take the podium. Please give them a warm welcome." The Headmistress finished, stepping off to the side to allow the two students to take her place and present their speeches.​

Out of Character:

This thread is for Graduates and Speakers to post in. Guests and Spectators can post in the 'Guest' topic.

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri could feel his hands trembling slightly as he waited for Professor Alicastell to finish speaking. For all the years he had dreamed of himself as Head Boy, standing on this stage giving a speech, now that the day had finally arrived, Kauri didn't want it to happen. He didn't feel like he was truly ready to leave Hogwarts yet, to say goodbye to the home he had made over the last seven years. It still felt like there was more to do... Brotherhood meetings to lead, first years to help, spells to learn... it couldn't all be over already. Every time he thought about walking away from Hogwarts for the rest of his life, Kauri couldn't help tearing up, and it was taking everything in him not to cry here and now as Professor Alicastell spoke. He quietly reached over and gripped Sophie's sleeve for support, knowing she would be here for him now like he had been for her the last year.

They had agreed that Kauri would give his speech first, expecting that he would have no problems, but when the time came to walk to the podium, Kauri's feet felt like lead. He had been writing this speech all year, had even asked Professor Josephs for help with a karakia to open the speech, but now that the time had come, Kauri didn't know how he was going to get through it without crying. Taking his place at the podium, Kauri adjusted his graduation Kākahu as he pulled his notes from beneath it, glancing down to make sure he remembered what he had to say, before raising his eyes to address his classmates directly. "Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. I'd like to open with a karakia. Whakataka te hau ki te uru, whakataka te hau ki te tonga. Kia mākinakina ki uta, kia mātaratara ki tai. E hī ake ana te atakura. He tio, he huka, he hau hū, tīhei mauri ora! Thank you." Kauri cleared his throat and glanced down at his notes again, glad to be through the part of his speech he had been the most nervous about. Knowing only bits and pieces of te reo, Kauri sometimes felt guilty not for being more fluent in the language of his people, and it had felt good to learn a piece of the language and be able to involve his own culture in his speech. "Today marks... an enormous change in all of our lives." He continued, looking out at the faces of his classmates.

"Hogwarts is the place that has made us who we are, and the time has come to move forward and be those people, on our own terms. Before we leave here though, I think it's important to thank the people who have formed that journey. To our teachers and classmates, to our families and friends, to every staff member and house elf who played a part in our time at Hogwarts, I'm sure I speak for every member of the class of 2050 when I say thank you. None of us made it to our graduation alone, and the support and love we received at Hogwarts will be appreciated for the rest of our lives. As we move forward from today, let's all strive to build lives of compassion and inclusion based on the foundations we've built here at Hogwarts. Let's never forget to help those in need the way we've been helped, to reach out to others in need, and to remember it's okay to ask for help when we need it ourselves. We've supported one another this far, let's let that spirit carry us forward into our adult lives, because the future ahead of us is bright and we're all walking towards it together. Thank you." The words of Kauri's speech were so familiar, having been circling around his head for years, and he was relieved that the familiarity made it easy to just keep talking, without his voice wavering or the tears managing to break his eyes. Now though, it was over, and as he finished speaking and just looked out across the Great Hall, it finally, really struck Kauri that today would be the last time his class would all be together like this. This was their last day in Hogwarts. As tears began to run down his cheeks, Kauri leaned forward to add one last un-planned addendum to his speech, "I love you all. Thank you very much for everything." He added, before finally stepping back to resume his place next to Sophie, tears running down his cheeks that he allowed to fall. It was strange, this mix of excitement for the future, sorrow for the past, and love for the people around him, and Kauri just allowed himself to feel what he was feeling, knowing he would never have another moment of his life quite like this one again.

Spoiler: Translations

Karakia - Prayer
Kākahu - A traditional cloak woven from flax and feathers, worn for important ceremonies.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa - Hello, hello, hello to you all. A common way for speeches to begin.

All of the language above is common knowledge to just about anyone living in NZ, the karakia below is a traditional one used often to open meetings, especially in maraes (sacred tribal community halls) and might be recognisable to non-Māori speakers, but a character without specific knowledge of te reo Māori likely wouldn't understand the actual words being spoken. The translation is from here, where you can also hear it spoken out loud.

Whakataka te hau ki te uru
Whakataka te hau ki te tonga
Kia mākinakina ki uta
Kia mātaratara ki tai
E hī ake ana te atakura
He tio, he huka, he hau hū
Tīhei mauri ora!

Cease the winds from the west
Cease the winds from the south
Let the breeze blow over the land
Let the breeze blow over the ocean
Let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air.
A touch of frost, a promise of a glorious day.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

This was the moment Sophie had been dreading all year. Ever since she had received the Head Girl's badge in the mail, she had been worried about this speech. Logically she knew that many of her classmates read her words in the paper every single semester, but it was different to speak to them directly. She had gotten a little better at it over the recent weeks, but still didn't feel secure in speaking to the staff, graduates, prefects and guests. Who was she to speak for her whole year group? She doubted she had anything truly interesting to say to anyone here. But she also knew it was part of the job, and knew she had to do it. Sophie was oddly grateful to have Kauri by her side. He was her complete opposite in many ways, but she had found herself relying on him more and more over the past few weeks. It was odd, for most of their time at Hogwarts they had hardly interacted, but now she almost felt like they were friends. They had decided together that Kauri would speak first, though Sophie regretted that decision as his speech began. It was clearly a lot longer and a lot more complete than her own, and also simply better. How was she gong to look in comparison? Sophie felt both fond and vaguely uncomfortable as Kauri started to cry near the end of his speech. It really was pretty emotional, and it was clear that he had a lot of positive feelings about Hogwarts. Sophie wondered how big the contrast was between this speech and the speech last year's head boy had given. Apparently that one had been quite negative. Sophie patted his arm as he came to stand next to her, but then froze as she realized it was now her turn. She took a deep breath, then stepped forward. She tried a trick Amber had told her about, looking over everyone's head, but somehow it didn't really help steady her. It wasn't until she spotted her sister in the crowd, that Sophie relaxed somewhat. She took another deep breath, then started to speak. "If anyone is hoping that my speech will be as moving as Kauri's, let me disillusion you. I'm a writer, not a speaker. But since the Headmistress gave me this responsibility, I will try to honor her trust in me." She said, giving the headmistress a slight glance. She still wasn't entirely pleased with her, but was honestly grateful to be chosen as head girl. "These past years at Hogwarts have shaped us all into different people. Every graduate had a unique experience these past few years. Whether you played Quidditch, became a prefect or became part of a club you were passionate about... we all discovered new parts of ourselves within these walls. My first year self would be skeptical hearing this, but through the hard work of the professors I feel like have learned a lot, both about the world and about myself. I can only thank you for that. We will use the skills we learned here to become even better in the future." She said with a slight nod to the professors. "Thank you. That was what I had to say." She added a little awkwardly before stepping back to stand next to Kauri. She didn't know if she had done a good job, but at least it was now done.

 

[Katherine Alicastell]

Katherine stood quietly to the side as the two head students gave their speeches, applauding each in turn as they finished and stepped down from the podium to make their way back to their seats. She couldn't pretend she understood some of the words Kauri had to say, but she found his delivery enchanting nonetheless. With all said and done, the Headmistress took their place once more to address the hall. "Thank you, Mr Tipene and Miss Wilson for those words. To the class of twenty-fifty - the future is yours - don't be afraid to leave your mark in the history of wizardkind. I look forward to seeing what each of you bring to the wizarding world. Now, let's move on to why we're all here. When I call your name, come up to the stage to receive your diploma." The woman said, taking a moment to look across the sea of faces in front of her, many for the last time. Her eyes dropped to the parchment she held, and she called up the first of many names.

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.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

The day had finally come, and Geo was doing her best to be mentally ready for it. Her last year had been the hardest and most challenging, and while the seventh year was looking forward to the next step, working towards becoming an Auror and spending her time with her friends, she was leaving behind the school that had shaped her. Kauri was right; the school played a large part in who she was today, and she’d developed so much since she’d arrived as a loud naïve first year. After listening to Sophie give her speech, Geo was clapping hard as she and her classmates were due to complete the last part of their education. When her name was called, the metamorphmagus stepped up to the stage, smiling at the Head Boy and Girl, before turning to the Headmistress to receive her diploma, thanking the woman before moving on. She had actually done it. Looking on to Austin and Flavio, both boys had done this themselves too, and now she was able to move on to the next step in her life.​

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe wasn't surprised when Kauri gave a touching speech, but she was surprised that it actually touched her a bit. She was a little sad about graduation, though that had more to do with Charlie than with her classmates or the school itself. Her time at Hogwarts had been nice, even if she felt like she could have been challenged more with more interesting things to learn. Phoebe hoped to find that after school, though she wasn't really sure what she wanted to do yet. But she had time to figure all that out. The head girl's speech was next, and it was a lot shorter. Phoebe was glad, as she was impatient to get up there and get her diploma. Get the proof that she had worked hard and finished everything. Once her name was called, Phoebe got up with a grin on her face, heading towards the stage. She shamelessly waved at her parents before she turned to Professor Alicastell to accept her diploma. Once she was done, she returned to her seat with it. This did feel somewhat surreal, and a little sad too.

 

[Gabriel Rosenberg]

Gabriel was a bit sad for not taking the win with quidditch in his last year. His cousin Liam went along with the cup. But Gabriel saw a bright future for himself in quidditch and wanted to continue with that. He had put on a nice suit because his father and Sofia would be there for sure he hoped. He hoped that Sofia was doing better, she wasn't exactly living the life Gabriel thought she should do. But working in the shop with their dad was something she wanted now. He wanted more ofcourse. Gabriel went sitting next to Marcos his best buddy who seemed to be having a girlfriend as well now. Gabriel liked Sophie and he had spoken it out to her. But how things should go after hogwarts they needed to discuss. Sophie was a good writer and when Gabriel listened to the speech Kauri first gave and than Sophie he kind of had to laugh. It was exactly Sophie, and as she said she was more a writer. But still Gabriel felt proud in some way. He tried to get a look from Sophie but she seemed to be busy.

Gabriel waited until his name was getting called and he smiled. He felt it was time to leave hogwarts and do what he always wanted to do. And follow in his mothers footsteps. He would finally try out for a professional quidditch team. He walked over to the headmistress and took the diploma and thanked her shortly. He than looked at the crowd for a moment. '' GRYFFINDOR FOREVER!'' He than said loud with a grin and put his fist into the air. And left to sit again. He had always been very house spirit and he thought of Lizzie for a moment who always made him laugh and both cheer. He was wondering if they would ever play together, she was still the best beater in his mind.

 

[Therese Fergusson]

Therese still felt a bit strange of this graduation. It didn't seemed real, or perhaps she didn't want it to be. She remembered the first day she came here, so impressed by the castle and all of it's people. It would be strange not come here every year. The brunette had invited Rory and some family to come. She hoped Rory would show up, since she still saw him as one of her best friends. The brunette searched for Leif in the crowd they were still together but she didn't want to think of an ending or the future because that would mean leaving hogwarts. But now that day was there and the brunette felt a bit stressed of how things should be. She knew what the do she wanted to play as a keeper. She had found her passion here on hogwarts, something she felt suprised by. She always thought she would go in the direction of her parents. But she had found her own passion. The brunette found a place in the great hall and went sitting close to Leif. She listened as Sophie and Kauri spoke and she felt a tiny tear in the corner of her eye. They both had spoken really beautiful and she actually felt that this was an ending to this adventure. She clapped for the people before her and when she saw her cousin Gabriel and being him loudly speaking his love for Gryffindor she had to laugh for a moment. They would both play quidditch if they were accepted by a team and it would be nice to play together or against eachother sometime.

When it was her time and her name was getting called she stood up and walked to the headmistress and looked at the crowd for a moment. She spotted Rory sitting and smiled shortly, was glad her friend came and her family ofcourse in the other side of the room. The brunette took her diploma and thanked the headmistress and shook her hand. When she was done she returned to her seat and felt tha this was it. Sadly.

 

[Gabriella Davenport]

Gabriella had been looking forward to this moment. But it was also the ending of and area and her parents would look at what she had achieved. But Gabriella had already been speaking to people of her fathers work at the Norwegian Ministry of Magic and she would work there after. Her father had made sure she would. Gabriella believed that since the day she was born her father had it all sorted out what she needed to do. If she had been a male it would be the same she figured. But perhaps than she had given some more love than she and her sisters had been getting now. Her youngest sisters were still seven and three years old and she hoped that they didn't noticed what was all going on with Lauren and in the home situation. She was glad the nanny cared with love for both of her younger sisters and that her parents were often away for work. She was too afraid what her father would do if June or Camille would turn out to be just like Lauren. Gabriella wanted to leave the house as soon as possible. She was happy being with Marcos finally. Gabriella hadn't told him about home, how should she start and what would he think of her and her family? She was too scared. But today it was graduation and she and Marcos would get their diploma.

Gabriella went sitting close to Marcos but Gabriel sat there too. Gabriella went sitting on the other side of Marcos and didn't spoke to her cousin. If her parents saw that she was not sure she could ever leave the house. Gabriella smiled shortly to Marcos but felt her parents eyes in her back so didn't do anything and took a bit of distance from Marcos. When her cousins were called on the stage she looked at them and sighted shortly about Gabriel. It wasn't a suprise to her. It was not a thing she would do. Gabriella clapped for Therese shortly, she acted more normal gladly. When it was her time she walked to the headmistress and smiled shortly she looked at her parents and saw her mother looking at her and making a gesture that she had to smile more. Her father was just looking as he always did. Not single joy. Gabriella took her diploma and thanked the headmistress and left to sit again.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie felt a sense of relief when the speech part was over, but she wasn't entirely done yet. It was now time to pick up her diploma from Professor Alicastell. Sophie waited for her turn, watching her classmates walk across the stage. As it was Gabriel's turn, Sophie felt her heart flutter at the sight of him. Then he yelled into the crows, and the proud grin he was was so funny and cute that Sophie couldn't help a surprised laugh. She clapped louder for him than she did for anyone else, and was still smiling as it was her turn to go. She stepped up to the stage and approached Professor Alicastell. "Thank you." She said as she accepted it. Then she left the stage, meeting Gabriel's eye as she returned to her seat. She couldn't believe it was really all over now, but she did feel happy. Maybe the future would be difficult, but at least she had her time at Hogwarts to think back on.

 

[Norton Gillespie]

Norton was quite surprised to have finally made it to graduation, after all of the years of work that he had done, and this was it. The hufflepuff had built this day up in his head and finally here it was for him. He had been to a few graduations in the past because of his status as a prefect, but he knew nothing would’ve prepared him for his graduation. He was sat in his seat at the ceremony, glancing over his shoulder to the crowds where he spotted Gilly. He waved at her but knew it wouldn’t be easy to be at graduation and not actually be part of the graduating class. He glanced towards April who was sat relatively close to him. He knew this wasn’t an easy day, he knew that she was nervous about the future, but for Norton he was pretty eager to get out into the world and make his mark. He looked towards the headmistress as she gave her speech and he listened to the head boy and girl as they too spoke. He was pretty proud of them both, but most of all Kauri, he had grown to really appreciate the other boy. But all too soon they were moving on to the name reading. He looked as the people before him were called and then eventually his was. He moved across the stage, much like had had once done as a first year. Norton shook the headmistresses hand and took his diploma. He took his seat again, and then applauded loudly for April, cheering happily for her. He couldn’t believe that was it. He was done. ​

 

[April Ward]

April wanted to both laugh and cry. She was happy to be here with her classmates, with Kauri and Norton, but she was sad to leave Hogwarts. It only felt like she had been here for a short while. Sorting didn't feel like it was that long ago, and she remembered how excited she had been on that day. Now it was all over, and while April knew it was just part of life, she couldn't help being sad about it. She was sad too to hear her mother couldn't come to this. Not because she was busy with work for once, but because muggles couldn't go to Hogwarts. April teared up at Kauri's speech, and had to resist the urge to run up to the stage to hug him when he started crying as well. Sophie's speech wasn't nearly as nice, but she supposed she was a bit biased. She glanced at Norton, trying to smile bravely but failing quite a bit. She watched Norton get his diploma, cheering for him loudly. Then it was her turn. April took a deep breath as she approached the stage. Then, she did what she had done at her sorting all those years ago. Instead of walking up to Professor Alicastell, she cartwheeled across the stage and stopped right in front of her. She gave the headmistress a watery smile as she took her diploma. "Sorry." She added in a whisper, in case she had startled her. Then she returned to her seat between her two dads, discreetly wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Leif couldn't believe the time had actually come. He'd always thought he'd be ready to take on the world when he graduated, just like he had been ready to take on the school when he entered as a first year, but unfortunaly things hadn't quite gone the way he would've liked them to. The boy felt ready to graduate and leave school behind him, but at the same time he didn't feel completely ready to face the world. He had looked around for Therese after he entered the hall, but with all the students and guests moving around he wasn't able to spot her before they were ushered to sit down. He smiled when he eventually noticed her just a couple of seats away from him. He knew she would stick by him after graduation, but with all of his struggles of late he was wondering whether or not they'd make it. He wanted to more than anything, but there was this thought lingering in the back of his mind. What if he'd hold her back? She had so much potential and he had no clue what to do with her life. Either way this wasn't what he wanted to think about right now so he shook away his thoughts and smiled as he listened to what their headmistress and their head boy and girl had to say. ​

​

It took a little while after the ceremony started before his name called out, but when it finally he could feel some sort of relieve wash over him. At least he had made it this far. Leif smiled as he walked up to receive his diploma and thanked her with all the sincerety he had in him. His eyes wandered into the crowd and his smile grew as he noticed his sister in the crowd clapping almost embarassingly loud, knowing for certain that he would at least always have one person who fully supported him. ​

 

[Marcos Morales]

Marcos couldn’t really believe he was graduating. He was finally leaving school. He knew he hadn’t achieved nearly as much as Flavio or Pia, but he felt rather pleased with himself. Pleased that he had been able to get this far. Pleased that he would be moving on with his life. He knew he would be moving forward with Gabriella, their tentative steps forward into a relationship were small but it was nice. They were going at a pace which suited them, and really, Marcos was just ready and willing to give Gabriella all of the time she needed. He had thought they might stay in New Zealand or go to where her parents were but last they’d spoken it had been neither. It didn’t really matter to him, he could work anywhere, he could take his quidditch anywhere, and he was more than willing to. If it helped her, then he would always say yes. It wasn’t forgetting his own needs and wants, but he could apparate and quidditch was quidditch anywhere. The biggest problem Marcos faced was having to learn a new language, but he already knew two, how hard would another be? ​

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The gryffindor’s attention was drawn away from his thoughts as the headmistress drew the hall in, drew the celebration to a start. Marcos brush his hands down his suit and she introduced the speakers. He listened with a fond expression to both, sensing the almost raw emotion within kauri’s speech, if he wasn’t so happy about where his life was heading he might’ve shed a tear or two. He listened closely to them though, absorbing all of those words knowing they were speaking of him and his friends. He watched and applauded as people from his year crossed the stage. He felt proud of all of them really. He crossed the stage himself and shook the headmistresses hand as he took the diploma. He applauded loudly for Gabriella as she crossed the stage, but really he was just ready to start his new life with her. Outside of this school.​

 

[Caro Taylor]

Today couldn't have come soon enough. After years of waiting, freedom was finally in Caro's grasp. Frankly, now that she was here she wished more than ever that she had just dropped out of Hogwarts. Staying until the end hadn't been worth it, and now she had to sit through this whole ceremony. The only worthwhile part was going to be watching Sophie's speech, and as much as Caro loved her best friend, she didn't especially think that part was going to be worth having stayed at school for this entire year. Sophie was amazing, but she was a writer, not a speaker.

Caro rolled her eyes through Kauri's speech, barely even listening to him. Of course they'd picked the biggest teachers pet in the world for this, and of course his speech was one last attempt to suck up to those teachers. It was vomit-worthy. Ugh. Caro was relieved when he was off the stage, and clapped enthusiastically for Sophie's turn. It chuckled her when Sophie began her speech with the same thought Caro had had herself only minutes ago. She smiled warmly as she listened to her best friend speak, glad that the school had at least recognised Sophie's brilliance. And then it was graduation time. Caro zoned out as her classmates took to the stage, only paying attention again when her own turn came. Caro stepped onto the stage and accepted her diploma, a rush of relief flooding her as she returned to her seat. It was finally over. She was finished. She could leave this place behind once and for all, and the entire world was waiting for her to see it.

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri was grateful for the support from Sophie as he tried to collect himself, trying to pull it together as Sophie moved forward to give her own speech. Any calm he managed to regain was short lived though, as he listened to Sophie's speech. It was different to his own, but Kauri appreciated her perspective, and found it just as touching, and he had to bite back a fresh wave of tears as he applauded for the Head Girl. Thinking back to how nervous Sophie had been taking this role on at the beginning of the year, he was proud beyond belief of how far she had come.

And then time had come for the ceremony. He watched his classmates called up one by one, clapping for every one of them as they crossed the stage. It broke Kauri's heart to realise he might never see any of these people again. He couldn't have been prouder to have been a part of this class. And then his own turn had come. Kauri stepped onto the stage as his name was called, trying to blink back a fresh wave of tears. This was really it. He was becoming an adult, truly once and for all. School was over, and the future was ahead of him to make. He smiled through tears as he accepted his diploma, shaking Professor Alicastell's hand gratefully. "Thank you so much for everything, Professor." Kauri said earnestly before stepping down off the stage and taking his place with his classmates to watch the rest of the ceremony. His time at Hogwarts was really over, and the time had come for the rest of his life to begin.