Y41 Graduation Ceremony: Guests

[Victoire Fontaine]

Out of Character:

Here is the area for invited guests, staff, professors and prefects to post while at the graduation. Please be reminded that you are also invited to start separate RPs that take place after the graduation ceremony has concluded.

 

[Liusaidh Styx]

Graduations were a boring affair, but as a prefect Liusaidh was invited and she always tried to go along. or had gone last year and was keen to go again this year. It wasn't like she had anything better to do with her time, so it just made sense to go along to it. She sat down in amongst other prefects and let her gaze settle on the minister at the front. It was odd seeing them, but she didn't care, Liusaidh went to school in New Zealand but she did not live there. She didn't applaud for the minister and just listened to the speeches, both of them lame and boring. Liusaidh knew there was no chance of her being head girl, but if she was she'd certainly make her speech fun, maybe just list all of her own victories. But the students went and liusaidh half applauded for slytherins but largely didn't bother. She was glad when it was over. ​

 

[Vader Hume]

Vader was quite sad to be at this graduation, if only because he was no longer with Goku and his sister was still missing, but there had been no way he wouldn't. For one without Goku, he did have plenty of other people and without Padme he had to step up and be a better brother. Vader knew that he and leia with such a wide age gap and him being off at magical school were not as close as they could be, but he was proud of her, happy for her and her achievements. Duelling champion was quite a title, especially when Vader had done duelling once and decided it was not for him. He sat down and glanced towards the front, immediately spotting Leia and waving at her. Vader watched the minister get started and welcome the head people to the stage. Vader had not said a lot at his graduation, he'd taken a picture, which for him felt right to do, but Leia's speech was exactly what he'd expect her to say and entirely better than what he'd said. Vader applauded and cheered for her when she crossed the stage to get her diploma and immediately went to her to congratulate her the moment that he could. ​

 

[Ajaccio Skey]

Ajaccio Skey had only been graduated a year when he found himself back at the school. He had known this would happen and had planned for it. It helped too that he could line it up and spend some time with Nicole too, since much like him, she had a brother who was now graduating. He held her hand in his as they walked in. "You know I think I figured they'd entirely changed this place the moment we walked out," he joked lightly, because a year was a long time and nothing about this place had changed at all in that time. Just the students. He went to where they were supposed to sit and leaned towards Nicole as things got started. He couldn't help but wonder, as the speeches got started how Accio was doing. He knew that the new leader wouldn't be here right now, but he wondered if there was any way he could speak to him. He was brought back to paying attention as the hall broke into applause. He applauded for each of the students who crossed the stage but cheered loudest for his brother and for Nicole's brother too.​

 

[Nicole Fisk]

Stepping back into the Great Hall, Nicole had rather expected everything to feel different, she certainly felt a lot different since she'd graduated last year. It was almost a disappointment with how normal it all seemed, as if if she lingered long enough in the corridor she'd suddenly be late for Potions again. It was a strange feeling and she was glad for Ajax's presence, laughing quietly at his joke as they got settled.

"Well, I can see one notable difference," she said, nodding towards the now new Minister of Magic as she addressed the gathered crowd, frowning slightly at her presence. She'd heard Professor Alicastell had resigned, no doubt something to do with the Basilisk incident last year, but it was still an odd adjustment, seeing someone else stand before the school.

Nicole shook her head, focusing on the rest of the ceremony, smiling brightly to see Leia as head girl, though she couldn't say she knew Lucas Fletcher quite as well as her fellow ceremony. She made sure to clap extra loud for Lumio as well as Ryan when their respective brothers were called up, even sparing some extra applause for Augustus and his poor girlfriend too. "Merlin forbid they're loose in the world now," she said in a quiet whisper to Ajax, eying her brother warily as he retook his seat for the rest of the ceremony. She'd quite enjoyed the quiet of being out of school without Ryan, but still, she was proud of him, shaking her head fondly at the idea of what Ryan was likely going to get up to in the coming months and years.

 

[Martine Kinnek]

Martine had been rather surprised to get the invite from Linden rather than Casper. She knew that they were slowly discovering the relationship and Martine had really wanted to come but wouldn't have imposed herself on to Casper if he didn't want her there, but the ecouragement from Linden had been good and here she now was, with Basil at her side. She took a spot in the great hall, marvelling at its beauty. She spotted Linden and her son in the crowd of graduating students and had to stop herself from shouting out to him to get his attention, but when he glanced round she waved excitedly. Martine was then focusing half on the ceremony, but mostly her gaze was on her son. She was so proud of him, so happy with what he achieved. When his name was called Martine was on her feet cheering loudly for him, all decorum gone as she just made sure he was hearing her. ​

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar entered the great hall and smiled at it's familiar sight. there was always something about being at hogwarts that held a tender part in her. it had been her first home, a place where she had grown, found friends and family. She looked over at her husband and gave him an encouraging look. he knew that events like this were not his favorite thing. but it was important to lin that he was there.
she had been a little surprised when their invitations had come separately one addressed to Dederick from linden but she had received her invitation not from linden but from Casper. though it seemed with both Dederick and Willow here, and most of caspers family invited by various cousins it must have been a favor. she noticed a lady who she recognised from some photos linden had taken in Germany, Casper, and Tara's mum. she took a seat next to her. Hello," she said undure as to how she was meant to introduce herself. "Is it martine?" she asked. though she was saved from saying anything else by the start of the ceremony. She listened as the new minister made the introduction and then the speeches. She recognised Lucas as he gave his she was not happy with him after the way he had broken her boys heart last year but he did speak well and she did agree with him on points about and the head girl. then came the awards. she listened and clapped for each of the names. but as cas was called she took lead from the lady beside her and cheered she did the same for linden when he was called. eventually the ceremony was over and she got up hanging back to let lin spend time with his friends and not to embaress him on his day.
@Dederick Cullen @Martine Kinnek

 

[Willow Cullen]

Briar stepped into the school. it had been years since she had been here she recognised some of her old teachers. and wondered if she could go up see them or if that would be rude. it was then that she saw her parents and moved over to them taking a seat down next to her dad. she watched the ceremony getting a funny feeling in the speeches as her mind flashed to analei. maybe she and jacob were always a little unfair to her but it wasn't like she made an effort to be nice to them either. she clapped as linden was called as well as when his friends were. Tara had written to her with the gossip months ago asking her to pay up from the bet they had made. she should have known better after catching them together at Christmas but it was the only bet she had made that she had made wanting to lose. and how cute were they together she recognised her brothers brown curls and caspers blonde hair leaning in towards each other, and it was hard to tell from behind but it looked like thet were holding hands. it sort of made her feel sad that she hadn't found someone she felt like that with, at least not for a long time. she glanced at the professors, she knew Noelle was teaching now and she was pleased for him. but she knew he wouldn't have been good together long term. and she had been far too young when he had asked her. she sighed and cheered for the next name. and before she knew it the ceremony was over. she got to her feet and didn't know where to go so she slowly started to wander towards the front looking to find and maybe even embarrass pipsqueak one more time

 

[Basil Kinnek]

Basil had been thrilled to be invited to Cas' graduation. He didn't think he'd get the cut for Tara's graduation- that would probably be her boyfriend and either Cas or Linden, but he didn't mind. He would just throw the graduation party after, for her and Maisie. He chuckled at his mother, but matched her enthusiasm. He cheered loudly for Casper, and for Linden, though he hadn't met the other kid yet. He sat down again, draping his arm over the back of his moms chair. The graduation ended quicker than he thought it would, and stretching, he followed after his mom, trying to keep close.

 

[Professor Yvonne Dubois]

Yvonne loved graduation. She had to admit it was a bit sad too, seeing the students in her classroom leave Hogwarts for good. But it was all for the best. They would be off for bigger and better things. She had heard that the new Minister would be hosting graduation and she was curious to see their new leader in person. She took her seat with the rest of the professors and clapped politely as the ceremony began. She had Leia’s older brother as one of her first students and she wondered if he was around her somewhere. Apparently head people ran in the family and she smiled when she gave her speech. It was a nice speech and she clapped again as the Head Boy stepped up to the podium. She listened attentively and she thought it was rather unique which was nice. She did raise an eyebrow as he turned critical towards the end, no doubt referencing last year's incident. That was rather bold considering the minister was present but she had to admit she appreciated his guts. But it wasn’t like she disagreed with anything he said and she made sure to applaud a little louder when he was done. Next came the calling of the names and she cheered for every one but especially for her students. She was tired by the end but was full of pride seeing another class graduate.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah was glad that at least this year's graduation probably wouldn’t be nearly as dramatic as last years. No students had been expelled at least, which was a good sign. She took a seat with the other prefects and was pleasantly surprised to see that the new minister of magic would be hosting graduation. It was odd not seeing Professor Alicastell up there on stage and she wondered who their new headmaster would be. She clapped as the head boy and girl were introduced and she cheered a bit louder for Leia as she stepped up to give her speech. They didn’t talk much during their patrols but she thought well of her and was proud to see her give her speech. Next was the head boy whose speech was… interesting. She thought saying those kinds of things during a graduation speech was a unique choice but she clapped for him all the same. Then the rest of the seventh years started to make their wait up to the stage to accept their diplomas. With a sickening drop in her stomach she realized that next year she would be the one walking across the stage. That thought kept her preoccupied until she heard Lumio’s name called and she let out a cheer for him. She clapped for her fellow Ravenclaw prefect and just like that it was over and she started to leave with the rest of the crowd.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper had never been to a graduation. She'd had to miss both of her brothers' Year 13 prizegiving ceremonies because of Hogwarts' weird academic calendar. It had been strange going home for the summer break and realising she had missed all the parties and revelry by several weeks (not that her brothers had ever truly stopped partying after finishing high school). So she was curious to see what the Hogwarts graduation would be like. Harper wasn't sure why prefects were invited, but she wasn't about to complain.

The Great Hall looked different today, but it was the sight of the minister that made Harper do a double-take. Did the Minister for Magic always attend these? She couldn't imagine the Prime Minister visiting a high school for end-of-year celebrations. Harper listened, a little wide-eyed, as the minister introduced the head students. Leia's speech was pretty much what Harper had expected, but Lucas' words made something inside her shift. She realised with a start that at least two of the three people on stage were muggleborn, visible proof of what was possible. As much as Harper valued her muggle ties, she had always thought of her blood status as something to overcome. But sitting here, listening to Lucas, watching Minister Fontaine, she started to wonder if her muggle background was an advantage. Would she have been able to see the "lesser sides" of the magical world if she hadn't experienced them? How limited would her perspective be if she'd never grown up in the muggle world?

After the speeches had concluded, Minister Fontaine began handing out diplomas. While Harper clapped for everyone, she cheered extra loudly for Nikko and the other Gryffindors. It was a little surreal to think that they wouldn't be around next year and instead, she would be one of the oldest students at the school. As soon as the ceremony was over, Harper got up to see if she could congratulate Nikko in person before the prefects were ushered away.

 

[Zelda Wigham]

There was no doubt things with Kia had been tumultuous to say the least, especially in the beginning, but Zelda had never been put off by a little hard work. And it had more than paid off, Zelda couldn't have been more fiercely proud of Kia than if she'd been her own flesh and blood, and when Kia had offered to have her and Waldo attend her graduation she'd admit she got a little weepy just at the idea.

Watching the actual ceremony, Zelda didn't bother holding back the wave of emotional tears, waving her cheetah print hankerchief out with a loud hoot as Kia was called onto the stage before using it to delicately dab at her thickly lined eyes. "Well done, Kia!" She called as Kia stepped down, flapping the hankerchief again and nudging Waldo excitedly where he sat next to her, just in case he couldn't see their somewhat adoptive daughter over the heads in front of them. It was all she could do to stay in her seat until the ceremony was finished, keen to rush over and find Kia in person once everything was over.

 

[Professor Angel Castillo]

Angel didn't necessarily think of himself as overly sentimental but even he had to admit the Graduation Ceremony seemed to hit just a hair harder now that he was Slytherin Head of House. He'd actually spent more time with a lot of the students leaving today outside of class and it would always be odd not to see them about the common room or grounds anymore.

He listened to the head peoples' speeches, trying to shove aside the unsettled discomfort at seeing the Minister of Magic making her presence known at the school, reassuring himself it was only a temporary appearance until next year and hopefully not something the ministry planned to make a regular thing. Leia had always been an excellent student, and a reliable prefect, Angel would miss having her around, especially when he slide his eyes over to were Liusaidh was making a nuisence of herself in the prefect section. Lucas Fletcher's speech was a good one as well, and Angel had to raise an eyebrow at some of the wording, it was certainly more of a statement than Angel had been expecting, but he didn't have too long to mull it over before the students were walking the stage and Angel instead focused on clapping appreciatively for the Seventh years and Slytherins leaving the school today.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Graduation ceremonies never got any less bittersweet, even after over a decade at Hogwarts. Kahurangi had no doubt that the students leaving today were all headed on to bright futures, and she looked forward to hopefully hearing about their future accomplishments in time. She was a little concerned by the start of the ceremony however, frowning as the Minister took the stage. One of the policies she had supported Minister Fontaine in was her commitment to the Ministry keeping its distance from the school, so what on earth was she doing here now? She kept her remarks short at least, but Kahurangi didn't like the precedent the woman was setting by showing up here. She tried to settle her frustration as she listened to the head people speak, particularly touched by Leia's words. She had been the only one of her class to complete the Ancient Runes syllabus, and she was glad her brightness and hard work had been rewarded. She applauded for each speech in turn, and for the graduates as they took the stage, clapping a little louder for each Ravenclaw that passed.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria was usually good at keeping control of her personal emotions in public, but she knew she was going to be a mess today. All of her children's graduations had been difficult in their own way, but Finn... her baby boy, all grown up. With this her nest was well and truly empty, and for the first time in years, Maria would be all on her own. She didn't know how to begin with that, and though she was immensely proud of each of her children entering their adult lives, this was the real end of an era. She was grateful to have the rest of her children with her, sitting between Charlie and Emily for support. She was a little jolted out of her feelings by the unexpected presence of the Minister, something she hadn't expected and wasn't especially happy about. The woman had promised to keep the Ministry out of Hogwarts, and showing up so quickly afterwards was concerning, to say the least. It was hard to focus as the head people spoke, between her concerns about the Minister and her feelings about Finn's graduation. The concerns were quickly forgotten though, as students began taking the stage, and before long it was Finn's turn. Maria knew high grades had never been a priority of his, but she was immensely proud of his accomplishments nonetheless, taking Charlie and Emily's hands and squeezing tightly to stop herself from crying as Finn accepted his diploma. She let go to applaud loudly, and with that it was real. All of her children were adults, and now she had to figure out what came next in her own life.

 

[Charlie Madison]

Returning to Hogwarts for Emily's graduation had been weird, but Charlie hadn't expected just how much weirder it would be coming back for Finn's graduation. It had been years now since Charlie had set foot in this hall, and they were an entirely different person from who they had been back then, in so many ways. The stress and pain of their teens felt so distant now, with years of therapy and self-care separating them from those struggles. And it had all paid off in the end - here they stood, an Auror, exactly how that stressed, struggling teen had wanted. It was a good feeling.

They took a spot with the rest of their family, pleased to see everyone together for once, a feat that had only gotten more and more difficult as everyone progressed with their own lives. They settled in to listen to the speeches, wondering if these kids were Finn's friends. It hadn't really hit them until now how little they knew about Finn's Hogwarts life - Charlie's school years had barely overlapped with Finn's, and despite the letters and holiday visits, they felt as though they barely knew him anymore. It was a painful thought, especially with how emotional Mum was about this whole thing. Charlie squeezed back supportively when she took their hand, releasing it to applaud as Finn took his diploma. That was it then. Finn was an adult like the rest of them, and Charlie couldn't help looking forward to having the chance to get to know their brother all over again.

 

[Emily Madison]

Emily had known it would be strange returning to Hogwarts, but she hadn't really been ready for it. Her own graduation felt like yesterday and forever ago all at once. For all the good memories she had of school, having some space from the place and returning really highlighted to Emily how unhappy she had been here. She belonged on a beach, not locked up in a castle with the most miserable weather she had ever experienced, and returning here was a pretty solid reminder of that.

Still, it was nice having the family together, and she was pleasantly surprised to see the minister speaking, though she wondered where Professor Alicastell had gone. Not that Emily was complaining much - Alicastell had always seen like a bit of a fuddy duddy and Minister Fontaine was a total girlboss. She listened to the speeches quietly, pleased to see Vader's sister as Head Girl. She clapped for all the graduates, though as soon as Finn's name was called she felt her mum's hand gripping hers tightly. Emily squeezed back supportively, wondering what it was like. Watching your youngest baby grow up like this. She couldn't imagine it, and couldn't help being grateful that kids weren't in her future any time soon. This was emotional enough for her, and Finn was just her baby brother. She clapped loudly as he accepted his diploma, looking forward to dragging the entire sibling squad out for drinks as soon as possible.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund hadn't expected to come back to Hogwarts for a long time - possibly not until his own children were graduating. But he had been pleasantly surprised to be invited by his cousin, and had jumped at the chance to attend. His time at school had been an incredibly mixed experience, and he had been curious what it would feel like to return. It was a relief that Theodore had been invited too, as returning to school without his twin would have felt nothing but wrong.

It was a pleasant surprise that the main feeling Edmund had was nostalgia. Certainly, he had had his struggles here, and remembering the year he and his brother had spent at odds wasn't a pleasant experience, but he was far more reminded of all the good times. Winning costume contests, meeting his wife... all around, Hogwarts had changed his life for nothing but the better. He hoped it had done the same for his cousin as he settled in to watch the graduation, surprised to see the Minister here. He had some idea of the recent events in the Forest, word having reached the Department of Mysteries as part of the Ministry investigation, but he hadn't realised that the headmistress had.... left? Been sacked? Retired? He didn't know, but the Minister herself being here seemed... off to him. Still, he listened to the speeches quietly, sitting silent with Theodore by his side until Augustus took his turn to graduate. Their cousin had grown up so much, and Edmund was pleased to see he seemed well and truly to take after his family. He applauded for the boy as he accepted his diploma, wondering where Augustus would go next in life.

 

[Connor Holland]

Connor had half-chickened out of coming to graduation a dozen times today. He didn't really know what he was doing here - yes, he and Lucas had rebuilt their friendship, but he was surprised to have been invited to the younger boy's graduation. Connor kept his head down as he entered the castle, not looking anyone in the eye and ducking into a seat at the back. Just being at the ceremony made him feel a bit sick, thinking of the disaster of his own speech, of how many people in this room had seen that, and of how he hardly felt any different now. He should have grown, he should have healed, he should be better. But here he was, feeling like the exact same scared, sad child.

Connor kept his head down as the Minister and Leia spoke, barely managing to peek up when it was Lucas' turn. It was an excellent speech, one Lucas had clearly worked hard on and one that perfectly encapsulated everything he knew about the younger boy. Pride and envy fought inside Connor, and though he applauded it was hard not to compare it to the disaster of his own speech. He could barely bring himself to stay for the rest of the ceremony, slumped in his seat with his eyes down, desperately waiting for the agonisingly long procedure to be done so he could escape.

 

[Odette Madison]

It was weird, being back here. Odette's memories of Hogwarts were certainly mixed, a lot of bad but also a lot of good. She instantly felt like a teenager again as she took her seat in the Great Hall, but she tried to push her own baggage to the side. Today was Finn's day, wild as it was that he was graduating. Odette sat with her family, glancing at her mum to make sure she was alright. She knew today must feel strange for her as well, with her youngest child graduating. Odette focused her attention on the stage as the speeches began, wondering idly if Professor Alicsastell was sick or something. The head boy and girl speeches weren't very remarkable, nothing like the one Jerara Tapsell had given when Odette had graduated. She smiled vaguely at the memory. Then it was time for the kids to get their diplomas. Odette clapped loudly as Finn was called forward, even cheering a bit. She was very proud of him.