Y40 Graduation Ceremony: Guests

[Solomon Tofilau]

Sully was getting a kick being back at Hogwarts, even if it was only briefly. He kept trying to decide if he had time to try and slip out of the hall to check out the Quidditch pitch or even see if he could still get into the dorms but he knew Chloë'd be upset if he missed any of her speech so he begrudgingly sat down. Craning his neck, Sully grinned when he spotted Blake, waving to him before looking back around the rest of the crowd, trying to see who else was here.

Despite Sully's own good mood, even he could notice something was decidely off as the ceremony got underway; the mood was weirdly somber even before Connor Holland started actually crying on stage. Sully was definitely asking Chloë about that later, though it didn't stop him from wolf whistling when she stepped up to make her own speech. He also couldn't help but notice Lysander's name never got called, even with Sully waiting for it after cheering for Chloë and some of the other kids he remembered. It was all super weird and Sully was practically bouncing in his seat to get up and start bothering Chloë by the time the last diploma was handed out.

 

[Lena Williams]

Lena was excited to attend graduation, as always. The longer she was here, the more she got to know every student. Next year would be the year she saw her first class of students graduate, but for now, she enjoyed attending and feeling the happiness in the air. Although, this day was different, and she felt for all the graduates and their families. As the Head Boy removed himself, Lena was the glad the Head Girl could keep her head up through it all. Lena clapped for each graduate as they walked, or tripped, across the stage.

 

[Ainslee Maxwell]

Ainslee had to make a jolly face as she step inside the castle ground. What happened at this school a couple of weeks ago might not be her department's headache but some of her family gets their education here. The woman was a proxy for one of her distant relative from Spain, her parents couldn't come and so, she and Nora would step in to see her get her diploma that she worked on for seven years. As the ceremony went on, Ainslee looked around and found some one familiar and then @Professor Noelle Maxwell with the faculty staff.

He won't know She thought to herself. Tina wasn't using the Maxwell last name, he won't know and Noelle won't know. Ainslee managed to make a straight face until the student heads did their speeches. The woman was surprised at the Headboy as he stepped back and started crying. She cleared her throat slightly and adjusted herself from the chair she was in.

 

[Austin Maxwell]

He felt his cheeks warmed as Jenna kissed his cheeks. Of course, from time to time he felt like a kid who had his first crush kissed him but this was beyond just a crush. This lady is literally his girlfriend. "Yah welcome, sugah." He did however got nervous when she mentioned her father. Maybe this was the feeling Jenna felt when she met her parents and he understand why. "Well, darlin', we should get going and start this rodeo on the road." His southern slang was coming out and heavy as his anxiety to meet her dad was getting into him. @Jenna Jusantrea

 

[Jenna Jusantrea -Maxwell]

"Yes, we should go but we need met my parents for the small moment and then i go." She smiled Austin and walked closer her dad and step mom. "Dad" She hugged him and let him go and then hugged Caroline. "This is Austin!" she smiled to them. @Caroline Jusantrea @James Jusantrea. "I need go, you will be fine with them"She kissed Austin cheek.

@Austin Maxwell

 

[Soren Song]

After hearing so many conflicting stories, Soren had largely given up on actually understanding his sister's life. He had barely seen her for seven years now, and of all the explanations Freya had given the idea that she was in juvie seemed the most likely. So when he had been invited to her graduation, he had expected it was a cutesier name for release, or something like it. Certainly nothing in the invitation had implied that she was graduating to actual prison, at least. After being shut out of his sister's life for so long, Soren was almost apprehensive about taking such a big step into it, but if Freya was reaching out at last he certainly wasn't going to take that for granted. He knew enough about her trust issues to know how big a deal this was.

Finding the school had been a surprisingly difficult ordeal, but as he approached Soren had to conclude that if this was juvie it was probably the fanciest juvie in the world. That impression only grew as he entered the castle, thrown off for a moment by just how big it was. That Freya had hidden something this big. His stomach twisted in discomfort as he followed the crowd of guests to the graduation hall, pulling up in a dead stop in the doorway as he took in the room. The air was full of candles, suspended... on strings? Soren didn't know of any kind of invisible sting strong enough that you would trust it with flaming candles, but he hardly knew much about these things. The ceiling above was even more breathtaking, swirling with a reflection of the outside sky above them. A projector? Soren reevaluated his assumptions as he stumbled back into motion and moved to take a seat, looking at the people around him as he did. Some were dressed extremely strangely, and Soren considered the thought that perhaps this was.... a drama school? A very fancy, very expensive performing arts school? It did seem like something Freya would do, and that would explain the.... dramatic decorations.

Soren had barely listened to his own graduation speeches, but he was riveted to hear what the speakers would have to say at this one. The headmistress's speech began predictably enough, but Soren's brain immediately stuck on one of the words she had used. Wizardkind. He was still turning the word over in his mind, trying to process how casually she had tossed out something so ridiculous, when the Head Boy took the stage to speak and blanked his mind all over again. The boy seemed to barely be holding it together, and Soren's heart broke a little as the boy choked his way through half a speech and then fled the stage. Had it been... a performance piece? Was this all a performance piece? Soren was perfectly ready to accept that explanation until the Head Girl started, and it became clear that her entire speech was just... a speech. Perfectly normal. If she was doing a bit, he couldn't tell what it was. And then the Headmistress spoke again, using the word wizard twice more. Soren couldn't help his eyes drifting up as the ceremony began, studying the candles and ceiling with fresh eyes. Where were the strings? The projector? It all looked much too real, and Soren struggled to pull his gaze back to the stage when his sister's name was called. He clapped for Freya as she crossed the stage, studying her face for any kind of clues as to what he should be thinking of all this. For all the bizarreness, she seemed perfectly calm. What was going on...

 

[Professor Joseph Burleigh]

On one hand, Joseph was excited for graduation. He hadn't gottent to know his seventh year students that well last year but since he had been teaching these students for two years he felt like he knew them a little bit better. It would be nice to see them graduate, they had worked hard for it and he knew they all deserved it. On the other hand, the two students he thought he knew best weren't present. What had happened bothered him. Kasim and Lysander had been helping him out for quite a while now and he thought them to be smarter than to do something as reckless as they had. Simultaneously he wondered whether he somehow hadn't been paying enough attention to them during the year. He was the one who taught his seventh years students about all sorts of dangerous creatures, Basilisks included, and it made him feel like somehow he should've noticed something. Did he need to change his curriculum? Not tell students how the creatures are hatched but focus on the danger even more? Were there flaws in his lessons? Or was it fair that he would've never thought any student would be so incredibly careles as to try and get their hands on, or in this case hatch, a deadly creature.

In the end, Joseph was left disappointed. Disappointed in what had happened, disappointed in Kasim, Lysander and their actions. Disappointed that he wasn't seeing them graduate nor sending them off with a proper thank you. He had truly appreciated their help during the year after all. Taking his seat with the other teachers Joseph tried not to cringe when the Head Boy attempted to address them, glad the Head Girl had managed to take over and attempted to salvage the ceremony. He clapped for each of the graduates as they took to the stage, a little louder for his own students, hoping they would all be able to shake off the heavy atmosphere that hung over this year's graduation sooner or later.

 

[James Jusantrea]

When Jenna approached him, he beamed, proudly taking her in his arms. She had her boyfriend with her and James just smiled at him politely. "It's nice to meet you." he said, holding his hand out for him to shake it.

@Jenna Jusantrea @Austin Maxwell

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle grinned as he entered the hall for the graduation ceremony. Tina would be graduating and he was kind of looking forward to seeing family. He took his seat among the staff and listened and clapped accordingly, clapping harder when Tina went up to get her diploma. He let his eyes scan the room, smiling when he spotted Aunt Ainslee and Nora. The ceremony ended and he approached the women. "Aunt Ainslee! Nora!", he greeted the women with a smile. @Ainslee Maxwell

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Ryan twist in his seat as people started to get settled for the start of the ceremony. He'd been doing his best to get a read on what exactly had happened and it seemed to involve the 7th years almost exclusively. Nicole unfortunately had been no help, swatting at him when he tried to ask what had happened to Emma, saying something about today not being the day, which Ryan thought was stupid considering school was pretty much over. All Ryan knew was that Emma had been petrified and Lysander and Kasim Safir had gotten expelled, which got more and more intriguing the more Ryan put the pieces together.

Sighing, he sunk in his seat as the graduation ceremony got underway without any mention of forest creatures or dark magic, just normal speech stuff, sans Connor Holland bursting into tears which was notable but not really that interesting. It was going to be weird to be at school without Nicole Ryan realized as she walked across the stage when her name was called. Ryan had always had Nicole to fall back upon for his entire time at Hogwarts and he realized with a jolt that as nice as it would be to not have her around asking him to do things and chiding his behavior, he was going to miss her next year.

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

dang it

 

[Avarian Lockwood]

It was like yesterday when it was Ava who graduated. Now it's Arthurian. A few more years would be the twins. He felt so old. Now, he was seated with Kami and applauded as his son cross the stage when he was called. Rosalind was also one of the graduates. He leaned to whisper in Kami's ear. "Three more to go.", he joked, referring to the twins and their youngest child.

@Kameron Lockwood

 

[Caroline Jusantrea]

Caroline wasn't expecting for Jenna to bring her boyfriend around so fast but Caroline hugged Jenna tightly. "I'm so proud of you, Jenna! You did so well," Car supported her and then let her go, to take a glance at Austin. James was the first one to talk which made sense, she usually let him speak first. "Glad to meet you, Austin! Would you like to have a meal with us after the graduation? We would love to get to know you better," and there was the perfect business woman. Well, she just tried to be friendly towards Jenna's boyfriend, knowing it would be better to have him on the good side. A Maxwell after all. After the invite, she looked at James to make sure he was fine with her offering for Austin to join them. @Jenna Jusantrea @James Jusantrea @Austin Maxwell

 

[Fleur van Houten]

Fleur had been quite shocked about what had happened to Emma. Before the ceremony began, she had gone to her sister to make sure she was okay. Emma did seem fine, physically, but there was a sadness to her Fleur wasn't used to seeing. She hoped Emma would feel better soon and hoped her sister could enjoy her graduation, despite everything. Lars was sitting with his fiancé and some friends, so Fleur decided to sit a bit away from him to let him socialize with them. She was proud of how far he had come, even if she also thought he was getting married way too young. The ceremony started and Fleur listened, mentally comparing it to her own graduation years ago. She frowned at Connor's speech, glancing at Emma and Iris a few times. She knew the boy had been friends with her younger sisters, did they know what was going on with him? But then the head girl spoke, which was definitely better. Fleur clapped for both of them and applauded for all the graduates, cheering more loudly for her sisters. She was so proud of them, though it was also strange that there would be no more of her siblings at Hogwarts.

 

[Lars van Houten]

After everything that had happened with Emma, Lars was relieved the twins were graduating along with their classmates. He held Blake's hand as they entered the Great Hall, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over him. He smiled at Blake, wondering how he was feeling. But before he could ask, Lily had called them over. Lars headed to her, smiling at her and Elliot. "Hi Lily, hi Elliot." Lars said, shooting Blake a look at his tone of voice. He winced a bit at Elliot's response, wishing they would drop their issues already. He sat down between Blake and Elliot, making sure to squeeze Blake's hand encouragingly. He glanced at Lily. "How are you?" He asked, hoping to ease the tension a bit by starting some small talk. But then the ceremony started and Lars winced at Connor's speech. He wanted to answer when Elliot asked what happened but hesitated. "I'll tell you later." He whispered. He applauded for the graduates, a little louder for his sisters and Poppy. It felt surreal they were all graduating already.

@Lillian Lockwood @Blake van Houten @Elliot Briar

 

[Eric Holland]

It was strange, being back here at Hogwarts after only a year. Even now, Eric felt like the professors looked at him and only saw trouble. He sort of wished he had a good Ministry job to brag about, to show them he had done better than they expected, but he doubted anyone would be all that surprised or impressed to hear Eric was a bouncer at a nightclub now. Though he did enjoy his work for the most part. Eric sat next to his mother, glancing around occasionally. It was strange and unsettling not to be here for Connor and Kas. Hearing what had happened had been pretty shocking, and Kas hadn't answered his letter about it yet.

Connor took the stage for his head boy speech, and Eric's heart dropped at the sight of him. He was not looking good. Eric knew the expression on his face all too well, Connor was about five minutes away from bursting into tears. He knew Connor had been upset about Kas, but he didn't think it would be this bad. He winced all the way through Connor's speech, slowly covering his face in his hands. This was a disaster. He only dared to lower his hands again after the head girl was done, feeling terrible for his brother. It was humiliating to fall apart like that in front of everyone. He was glad being head boy had never even been a remote possiblity for him.

 

[Melanie Holland]

Melanie was pretty sure she was going to cry before the day was over. Last year, when Eric had graduated, she had felt a certain nervousness. As if she was waiting for something to ruin the graduation at the last moment. It wouldn't have been entirely unreasonable to worry Eric might get himself expelled on the final day, after all. But with Connor, it felt too soon. He was still her baby, and Melanie didn't know how to deal with him being a proper adult now. She was glad Eric had decided to come, despite their recent fight. Melanie was determined not to think about Ryan right now, though, and pushed the thought from her head. After the headmistress, it was time for Connor's speech. Melanie's face fell as soon as he started to speak. It was clear that her boy was incredibly upset, probably about his friend that had gotten expelled. Melanie had been worried about the other boy and had wondered if she should reach out to see if he had a place to go, but she hadn't really thought about how much it would affect Connor. At least, not at a time like this. Who had allowed him to go on stage like this? It was obvious he wasn't ready. Melanie resisted the urge to leap out of her seat and onto the podium, to shield him from all the eyes on him as he broke down. She was relieved when the speech was over and applauded loudly for him, nudging Eric hard as she noticed he had covered his face. Melanie was impatient for the ceremony to be over, she needed to pull Connor into a big hug.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas felt absolutely miserable at graduation. He had known it would feel awful, seeing his best friends graduate and leave him behind. But it was even worse when one of those best friends wasn't even here to graduate, he had already left. Lucas was sitting with the other prefects, his expression stony. He had his badge pinned to his robes and kept his gaze fixed forward. He was trying to pretend he wasn't actually here and this wasn't actually happening. He missed Kas so much. Every day he didn't return Lucas' letters, he felt his heartbreaking slightly more. He couldn't believe he was losing Connor and Freya on top of it as well. In his bleak mood, he was sure neither of them would remember him once they graduated and left. They would just think of him as a silly school friend.

Lucas' mind snapped into focus the moment Connor's speech began. He realized immediately this wasn't going well, and he stared at his friend in muted horror as he broke down on stage. Lucas knew exactly how he felt, he was sure Connor was just as hurt as he was. He winced as the speech ended with Connor rushing off the podium to cry. He felt his own eyes sting. He made sure to clap loudly for Connor when it was time for him to get his diploma, but he was sure Connor barely registered anything in that moment.