Y41 Graduation Ceremony: Graduates

[Victoire Fontaine]

It felt right that one of the first things Victoire was to do as Minister was be the host of the graduation. It was strange to be back at school, odd to be back in this hall. Victoire had been back at the school once since her own graduation, so that did make coming back easier. The Minister knew that if this had been the first time she'd been back to the school since her graduation, it would've been very very hard. Her graduation hadn't been a really happy occasion, with the death of her friend fresh in her mind. But now she was older, she had accomplished so much. She was Minister, and she could do this, it would be simple.

Victoire was at the end of the hall, watching and waiting as the graduates and guests took their seats in the hall. The Great Hall didn't have the usual long tables but instead there were rows and row of chairs stretching all the way to the back of the hall. The house banners were gone, replaced with plain black banners with only the hogwarts logo on them. It was exactly as she last remembered it. And it was right, after this moment, this ceremony these kids who'd been defined by their houses since sorting, wouldn't be. Today they'd stop being Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs or Slytherins, but instead were the Hogwarts graduating class of 2057.

Everyone got settled, and the hum of noise began to quiet. Victoire knew this was her cue. She stepped forward, moving across the stage to take her position at the podium. As she did, the noise quickly quietened down. Victoire cleared her throat and smiled as she spoke. "Good afternoon all, and welcome family, friends, students and staff to the graduation ceremony of twenty fifty-seven. A very big thank you to you all for joining our graduates in celebrating the long journey they have taken, in commending their seven years of growth and dedication that they've all achieved at Hogwarts New Zealand." Victoire took a little breath, letting her gaze move across the students, she wanted to gush and talk about her own experiences, but this was not for her. "To the class of twenty fifty-seven, this is just the beginning of your lives. You are the future of wizardkind, and your actions as you leave this school will continue to shape the world we live in. With that, I'd like to call upon our head students, Ms. Leia Hume and Mr. Lucas Fletcher to take the podium. Please give them a warm welcome." Victoire stepped to the side, giving the podium to the two students.

Out of Character:

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

 

[Leia Hume]

Leia Hume had never expected a lot of things which had happened in her life so far to be how things turned out. One surprise was being a witch, the other was being good at duelling of all things and the last and latest was being head girl. Of course Leia had worked hard, her first year grades had been fine, but she had improved them, gaining much better grades in the years that followed and doing her best each time to make it seem like she hadn't worked at all. Leia had no idea how successful she'd been at it, but she had worked hard, gained highly and been given this position - which she did take very seriously. But it was over now, or almost all over now. The graduation ceremony was moments away from beginning and she would be graduated. She had invited both her sister and her brother to the celebration and was disappointed that she could only spot Vader in the crowd. It did seem that padme had just left...without a word and didn't apparently want to associate with them. Pity for her, Leia thought. But this wasn't about her siblings, this day was for her and her fellow graduates who had all worked so hard for this.

Leia knew that working hard didn't mean straight Os, but for some it would be just getting to this day. Making it with dropping out or being expelled. There was nothing wrong with not making it to graduation, but knew that everyone at this had put in some effort to get themselves there. She wasn't too surprised given the lack of head person that the minister was there, Leia brushed down her outfit as the woman spoke. Leia knew who this woman was, having spent a lot of time reading older graduation speeches, and knew hers would be nothing like the one that this woman had given all those years before. But Leia and Lucas were invited up and Leia stepped up. They'd decided before hand that Leia would go first so she stepped up to the podium. Leia cleared her throat and looked out at the see of faces in front of her. She had never like public speaking.

"Thank you Minister, and hello everyone," she felt herself cringe hearing her own words. "Welcome to the graduation of the class of 2057...We're all so thankful that you could all be here with us," Leia glanced about the faces staring back at her. "Class of 2057, graduates, we've all worked so hard to get to this moment, and every second has been worth it. We've made friends, best friends, found love, fallen out of love, we've succeeded in classes, in quidditch, in duelling. Many of us have found our passions, what will drive us in the next stages of our lives," Leia was trying her best to smile as she spoke, but she was mostly trying to not concentrate so hard on what she was saying. "I'd like to take a moment to thank all of our professors, to the ones sat here today, to the ones who left the school before we did, they have supported and nurtured us in ways we will never fully appreciate," Leia paused slightly. "I don't really have more to say, here's to the graduating class and I can't wait to see what everyone goes on to do next! Thank you," Leia had written more for her to say, but she'd ended up skipping most of it and just getting to the end. she was sure Lucas would have far more to say than she did. ​

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas had already been feeling nervous and jittery about his upcoming speech before he had seen the literal minister was the one hosting graduation this year. He tried to tell himself that it didn't matter, but it was definitely even scarier. As intimidating as Professor Alicastell could be, Lucas was at least fairly sure she didn't have the power to put anyone directly into azkaban. Not that he thought that was likely to happen if he gave a bad speech, but it was at least a vague possibility. He was grateful he had agreed with Leia that she would go first, he watched her as she stepped up to the podium and held her speech. It was nice, though not very long. It was with a jolt of alarm that Lucas realized her speech was almost over and he would have to step up soon. When it was time, he swallowed nervously and stepped forward, the piece of parchment with his speech written on it trembling in his hands.

He cleared his throat, eyes scanning the crowd in front of him. He spotted Kas and Connor and felt his shoulders relax slightly, they had come. Then he launched into his speech. "Welcome everyone, both graduates and guests," he said, glad to hear his voice waver only a little bit. "It is a strange day, today. The end of something truly magical, but also the beginning of so much more. I think I speak for all of us when I say we wouldn't be the same person today if we hadn't gone to Hogwarts." He paused, taking a deep breath. "For me, as a muggleborn, I fell in love with magic the moment I stepped into these halls. Everything about this world felt amazing to me. I couldn't believe I was really learning magic. I loved learning new spells, learning to play Quidditch... everything." Lucas hesitated for a moment before going on, he knew he had to get this out. "But it took me a few years to realize it isn't all... flying brooms and colorful sparks. Like any other place, the magical world has its lesser sides. Prejudice, ancient rules and beliefs that probably should be challenged a bit more often, harsh consequences to small infractions..." He stumbled over his words for a moment, gaze moving to Kas and away. He had to steer away from this now, but he hoped Kas understood what he meant. "No place is perfect, all we can do is try to make things better. I think that's something we can strive for." He said, voice rising a bit as he found his stride. "I think that's something we all have to strive for. Class of 2057, whatever it is you'll do after Hogwarts, try to work for a better world. Challenge things when they need to be challenged and trust your instincts to do what's right. I think that's all we can do." He glanced at his paper, realizing he had gone off-script a bit. He nodded at the Minister, hoping again that she wouldn't arrest him. Then he nodded at the audience. "Thank you." He said, before stepping back.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

The speeches given were both shorter than Victoire had been expecting, but they were no less interesting. It wasn't to difficult to see how things had both changed and not changed since she'd last been at the school. She stepped forward once the head students had finished. "Thank you both for those heartfelt and amazing words. As the Minister For Magic, and as a Hogwarts Graduate, I'd like to say that I am very much looking forward to seeing what all of you amazing students will do. You will no doubt do this school proud. All, here is to the class of twenty-fifty seven!" she said, leading the hall in a round of applause for the students. " Now the moment you've been waiting on, hen I call your name, come up to the stage to receive your diploma," Victoire then glanced to the list of names she had, and proudly called up the first of many names.

Out of Character:

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

 

[Lumio Skey]

Lumio Skey could not believe he was at his own graduation. It felt like just the other day he'd been at Ajax's and just the other week that he'd been sorted. But no, here he was, finally at the end of his schooling, having put in hours and hours of work. He had certainly not achieved quite as highly as he had wanted to, but he wasn't disappointed by that either. Lumio had done what he could, he had a boyfriend, he had a part-time job, and he had a faint idea of what he wanted to do. With his grades though it might take him a little bit longer than others, but he was in no rush. Lumio was looking forward to spending some time working, of visiting family and for a little while not worrying about homework or exams. It would be nice to relax a little. Save up a little and be ready for when Ronald graduated the following year.

Lumio waved towards his brother and then took his spot in the great hall, in amongst all the rest of the graduating students. He glanced towards the front, noting the minister there rather than the head master or mistress, in part because he knew that they didn't yet have one. Lumio listened to her speak, and then to the head students. He felt the speech that leia gave was exactly what he expected, though perhaps shorter, and Lucas' one was sweet, it was more personal than Leia's. But with that it was over. Lumio applauded for each of his classmates and friends as they crossed the stage, thinking it funny that the last time they'd done this it had been for sorting, and they hadn't known a thing about each other then. Lumio's name was called and he made his way across. He took the diploma, shook the minister's hand and continued. It was truly amazing that he was done, finally graduated. ​

 

[Linden Kinnek]

Linden could not believe that he was graduating. this year had been such a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings and stress, NEWTS and hope and he didn't want it to be over. but here he was dressed in his best outfit sitting in the great hall next to casper Beckett their fingers entwined and hand resting on Caspers lap. he remembered the graduation ceremony last year, Connor breaking down on stage and thought back to the boy he had been then. what had he expected from his last year? part of him had expected to be or at least hoped to be, the one standing up on stage giving the speech. part of the home had thought he and Lucas would be together. part of home thought that he would have to not invite someone. but all of the options were wrong. Everything was better, and this was the perfect place to be. he listened to the speeches knowing full well what Lucas was referring to. before giving Caspers hand a squeeze he liked feeling cas squeeze back, it was reassuring that he was there. once the speeches were over he clapped before finding Caspers delicate artist hand again "Congratulations on graduating buttercup" he whispered before the new minister started giving out the awards.
once his name was called he stepped up onto the stage and crossed it shaking her hand and looking out over the crowd. he saw his classmates, his parents and big sister his mum next to Casper's he smiled looking at them glad they could all come. and then he was shaking hands with the minister his diploma in his grasp and adulthood on the horizon. he returned to his seat and sat down watching the proceedings and clapping every time. someone crossed the stage as he wondered how many of them he would see again.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addison was nervous, twirling her hair and trying to shrink into herself, tuck herself out of attention as the head speeches were given. She wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse that she was one of the ones called first. She shot a look to Augustus, wishing she could just stay with him. She couldn't believe they were graduating so soon. She stood, smoothing her dress, and walked over, just thankful she didn't trip. She could hear her father cheering for her, and a pang hit her as a sharp wave of longing twisted her gut. She wished her mother was here. Or Asher. But he was out on tour and wasn't able to make it. They'd all insisted on it, but there would be a party later that he would be at. She smiled shyly at the minister, grabbing her diploma before walking back to her seat. Unfortunately, she tripped on the way back, stumbling and practically falling into her seat. Mortified, she shrunk down in her chair, hiding behind her hair and clapping shyly for the rest of her family and Augustus.

 

[Allison Jusantrea]

Allison was stoked for today. She dressed up, wanting to look her best. She sat confident, looking out into the crowd for Thomas. She spotted him and smiled, blowing him a kiss. She couldn't wait to be out of here, to start her life. Go home, actually spend time with her twins. She stood as her name was called and sauntered over to the Minister, giving the woman a confident smile before going back to sit down. Finally, she couldn't wait to get out of this place. She found Thomas in the crowd again, just staring at him when she wasn't clapping enthusiastically for her family.

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Casper was unbelievably nervous. He hated big ceremonies like this, having the attention on him so much, even if it was only for a few moments. He felt tense, and a little down. He held onto Lindens hand, distracted. He wished he'd had the guts to invite his mother, but he was sure she wouldn't want to be here for this. Her or his brother. He chewed his lip, sitting properly but staring at the floor, his hair covering his eyes. He squeezed Lindens hand back when he felt it, his heart beating madly.

He swallowed nervously when his name was called, and he stood, starting towards the minister. He stumbled a little when he heard unfamiliar cheering, looking over wide-eyed and freezing for a brief moment when he saw his mother and Basil standing there, cheering for him. He flushed and quickly hurried over to the minister, thanking her softly before walking back to his seat. He took Lindens hand again and waved shyly to his mom. He clapped for Stan, Linden, and Lucas as they all got their diplomas, his mind racing. This was it. It was really over.

 

[Leia Hume]

Leia had said what she needed to, cutting herself off a little and then was glad that her part was over. For the weeks she had spent writing it, less was more. The teen applauded for Lucas once he was done, wondering if she too should've mentioned she was muggleborn. But she remembered she'd never like advertising it before and now in front of so many people would've absolutely been wrong. The Slytherin took her seat again, as the first names were called forward. She applauded for each of them politely, not quite joining in with the applause that some of the students got. When it was her turn she heard Vader's voice through the crowd cheering for her, and she half rolled her eyes before just taking the diploma as it was handed to her. "Thank you," she told the minister before continuing. After seven long years she was finally free, and she was looking forward to never having to quietly study again. ​

 

[Stan Beckett]

Stan was looking forward to graduating even though it meant that he would no longer have the safety of Hogwarts to rely on on a daily basis. Knowing that he could not come back to the castle and transform without having to worry about a thing thanks to the Wolfsbane potion was a comfort that he was going to miss greatly. And while the Becketts persisted that he could continue to use their basement for as long as he wanted to, the teen knew that he couldn't burden them any longer with his monthly problem. It was his problem to find a solution for, however hard that was going to be. Stan rolled his eyes at the speeching, knowing full well that there wouldn't be a place for him in the Wizarding World what with all the discrimination against werewolves around, which was why he was going to continue working at the Three Broomsticks - Rhianne didn't care much for all that official business so he never actually had to tell her about his condition. For now, however, Stan decided that he wanted to enjoy graduation with his friends, girlfriend and family. He clapped and whooped loudly for Allison, Addison, Casper and Linden, and when his own name was called out, he stepped up onto the stage and thanked the Minister for Magic when she handed him his diploma. His life had been turned upside down the moment he got bitten and found out that magic was a real thing. And while he hadn't always been the most cheerful person, he was definitely feeling cheerful now.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas was glad his speech was over, feeling mostly relieved as he sat down and waited for his name to be called. He watched as Casper and Linden sat very close, realizing they were holding hands. He looked away, feeling unreasonably annoyed. He knew he had no reason to resent them, but he felt weird about it. He clapped for his classmates as they received their diplomas one by one. Then it was Lucas' turn to get up on the stage again. He walked up and quietly thanked the Minister as she handed him his diploma. He then returned to his seat. This all felt very surreal and weird, he didn't quite feel like he was actually graduating.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus was very nervous about today. He knew his cousins were in the audience and would be watching, and judging, him as he got his diploma. Not for the first time, Augustus was immensely grateful he didn't have to give the head boy speech. He would probably have perished on the spot. He sat with Addison, squeezing her hand before letting go as her name was called. He clapped loudly for her, smiling proudly. Then he had to wait a long time for his own name to be called. Nerves were building in his stomach the entire time, and when his name was finally called he quickly got up, nearly stumbling over his own feet. He managed to make it to the stage, taking the diploma with a stammered thanks before heading back to his seat. He was glad that was over with now, at least.

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou had not thought about how she was going to feel when her time to walk across the stage would come. She had appreciated Lucas' speech and Leia's was alright too, though she didn't really consider the girl a friend. She was pleased that she did not dislike the girl anymore and that was enough for her. Mary Lou held her head high as she walked across the stage, looking out to see her Husband and Monty watching her and all the more proud that she could do this with them here for her. She was nervous, but it was just a walk and then she could join them.

Walking down the other side, Mary Lou rushed into Wendall's arms and kissed him fully, before turning to Monty and throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss on the cheek too. He'd been good to her even before she'd basically invited herself into his family, but now that she was a Layton, she was related to him legally and that brought her more joy than she thought they would ever understand.

 

[Nikko Blackwood]

Nikko had pinched himself more than once today. He couldn't believe he was finally graduating and he would finally be leaving Hogwarts for good. When he had first come to school he had been so wary of magic, just like his dad. Nikko glanced around to where the family section was and his breath caught when he finally saw his parents. His mom sat wide eyed next to his dad who looked uncomfortable but he was here. Up until the moment he saw them he wasn't entirely convinced his dad would show up at all. He had never told Nikko exactly what had made him leave magic behind but he hadn't really asked either. It wasn't something they talked about but instead it was just something understood between them. His mom caught him staring and waved back excitedly at him. Nikko smiled and waved too while his dad just nodded. He felt suddenly emotional after that and faced forward just as the Minister started the ceremony.

He cheered as Leia took to the podium to give her speech and again when it was Lucas' turn. Nikko had expected this all to take much longer but the next thing he knew names were being called and his was one of the first. He stood up and tried to remember how to walk. He felt overly aware of his body and everyone watching him as he made his way to the Minister and shook her hand. From the front of the hall he spared a glance at the crowd and his stomach did a nervous flip. But he spotted his parents again, then Aubrey and grinned at her before taking his seat again. The rest of the names went by in a blur and suddenly it was all over. They had graduated, and he wasn't sure what would come next.

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Ryan tugged vaguely at the collar of his robes as graduation ceremony got underway. He didn't really have the patience for all the pageantry, having seen part of it already last year when Nicole graduated. He'd already figured he wasn't going to look back on his time at school with nearly as much nostalgia as his other classmates. In fact, he wasn't going to miss much at all except maybe access to the school library and some of the weirder secrets hidden around the castle. He'd never quite managed to finish that map of all the hidden passage ways after all. Still, at least he'd never have to sit through another lesson on a subject he'd lost interest for or be reminded yet again that he'd forgotten to return a library book. That Ryan could get behind.

It was very interesting to see the new Minister of Magic preceding over the ceremony. Ryan had to wonder why the ministry was sticking its nose up in the school's business, mind wandering back to his conversation with Augustus at the start of the year. It certainly didn't bode well for the new era of government oversight if they were this involved in the school after what had happened last year and Ryan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. At least Lucas seemed to echo some of that sentiment, his speech catching Ryan's attention more than Leia's had, enough that he nearly missed when his name was called as he mulled the implications over his in mind, standing quickly to collect his diploma, though not without giving the minister a curious inspection as she handed it over and he was free to sit back down. Things were certainly going to be different going forward, but Ryan was finding himself far more optimistic about their new found freedom.

 

[Kiasora Cantore]

Kia felt oddly nervous about this graduation. She had invited Zelda and Waldo, but she wasn't sure they would want to show up. She sat in her seat, hands folded in her lap and trying to sit straight. She had to keep her eyes from darting to the side to try and find Leia, forcing herself to focus on the speeches even if she couldn't quite recall what had been said in the end. She let out a soft sigh as her name was called and stood, starting towards the minister. She could do this, easily. She was startled by a loud cheer and she looked automatically, blushing as she saw Zelda and Waldo sitting in the crowd. She smiled almost bashfully and tried to regain her composure, offering a quiet thanks to the minister before returning to her seat. That was it, then. It was over.

 

[Finn Madison]

The thought of graduating was beyond surreal to Finn. He remembered so long ago coming to Emily's graduation, feeling so impossibly small and young looking at the adults up on that stage. He still felt that young, nowhere near ready to be finished with his schooling and moving on to life as an adult. For all the time he had spent preparing for NEWTs and graduation, none of it had all felt real until now. But here he was, with his mum and siblings in the audience, and there was no going back. Hogwarts was over, and it was time to move on and start his own life.

Finn listened as the Minister spoke, wondering why she was giving the speech rather than one of the teachers. He hadn't thought much of Minister Fontaine's policies, though he knew Charlie and Emily disagreed, and he couldn't help thinking she surely had more important things to be doing. Still, at least she didn't try to preach politics at them, and he was glad to hear more from his classmates. Leia's speech was nice, and Finn couldn't help the smile that crept over his face as she spoke. He was more interested in Lucas's speech though, having enjoyed the dalliance he shared with the Hufflepuff this year. He couldn't imagine seeing Hogwarts through the eyes of someone who knew nothing about it, his whole family having been entrenched in the school for almost as long as he could remember. He smiled as he listened, though he knew well the prejudices and problems Lucas spoke about. He applauded when the speeches were done, though his heart started to race as he realised what was next. This was it.

Though his nerves were buzzing, Finn had a while to wait, M being annoyingly late in the alphabet. He applauded for his classmates accepting their diplomas, and after what felt simultaneously like forever and no time at all, his own name was called. Finn's legs shook slightly as he stood and made his way onto the stage, looking out into the audience and grinning at the sight of his family. He hadn't been able to watch all of his siblings graduations, but he was glad to have them here with him now. He crossed the stage quickly and accepted his diploma, hands shaking a little bit. This was really it - he was finished with school, for better or worse.