Y44 Graduation Ceremony: Graduates

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt stood at the end of the hall and watched as graduates, guests, staff members, and prefects entered and settled into their seats. The long house tables had been removed from the hall, leaving enough room for many rows of chairs for everyone in attendance. The decorations for the four houses were gone as well, replaced by simple banners with the Hogwarts symbol on it. The graduates were no longer a part of their house, they stood together as the graduating class of 2060.

After waiting for everyone to sit down, Matt made his way across the stage to take his position at the podium. It was one of the first times he had to do this, and he hoped his nerves weren't showing. There was something different about addressing parents and other guests along with the usual students. He hoped this would all go smoothly. "Welcome everyone to the graduation ceremony of twenty-sixty. I would like to thank you all for joining us in this celebration of all the bright young witches and wizards who will be receiving their diplomas today. Seventh years, you should all be proud of what you have achieved." He said with a smile. "Your lives are just beginning, you are the future of wizardkind. I think I speak for all of the staff when I say that our future is a bright one." He said, pausing for a moment. "With that, I'd like to call upon our head students Eugene Nestor and Celia Vuong to take the podium." With that, Matt finished, stepping to the side to allow the two head students to take the stage.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene had always known that he would complete school. Whether that be muggle or magical, his intention had always been to finish it and then follow his dreams. Now, he was at the end of it. The end of his schooling. Eugene had been working towards this for seven years, he had caught up to his magical peers and worked hard to get the best grades that he could manage. He had discovered new hobbies and done things he’d have never imagined. Magic for one. It was a little bittersweet for him, as a lot of his achievements could feel, since he couldn’t share them with his mother. He missed her every day, but magic and this school had certainly helped the loss feel less present. Though as he faced graduating he wished she were here.

Eugene had been preparing his speec for a while, unsure of what exactly to say. Of how to express his gratitude to school that had changed his life. Completely changed it. He was invited on to the stage with Celia and he stepped forward first. ”Hi,” he said nervously taking out a few prompt cards and reading over the first a little before he glanced back at the graduating class. ”Graduating class of 2060, I’m so grateful to be able to speak in front of all of you now. Hogwarts changed my life. Before this place I’d never left Auckland, but I have seen places I could’ve never imagined and experienced things beyond my wildest dreams,” He took a small breath. ”I would like to thank our professors for their guidance, to our friends and families for their support, and to each other for all the great memories I’m sure we all have of this place. I wish for everyone sitting in this graduation ceremony to have every success in what they pursue, to have lives which are fulfilling and positive. I know we close a chapter here together, but I, for one, can’t wait to see what we all do next,” He put away the prompt cards. ”Here’s to us, class of 2060,”

 

[Celia Vuong]

The assignments had been turned in, the exams written. For all intents and purposes, Celia was a Hogwarts New Zealand graduate now. She didn't need a ceremony or a piece of paper to tell her that, and she had seriously considered not even showing up as one last snub to the entire school. But Celia could also recognize the special opportunity in front of her. She would have a captive audience and a chance to say whatever she wanted. There was a lot that had been said about her, especially these last few years; people never could seem to get her name out of their mouths. But today, she, not them, would be in control of the narrative. Today, she would get the last word.

It had taken her a long time to decide on what to say. Celia knew she was speaking to a hostile audience, so anything she said would be criticized, likely unfairly, or even booed. Part of her wanted to call out and tear apart every single person who had wronged her, but that would take several hours, and she knew her words would immediately be dismissed as the rantings of a bitter misanthrope. Alternatively, she could shock everyone and deliver the kind of speech that was expected from a head student — something treacly and emotional and filled with motivational clichés — but she would rather jump from the towers than become a mouthpiece for the school.

In the end, Celia had landed somewhere in the middle. The ceremony started without incident, and she made her way to the stage with Eugene. Celia had very gallantly offered to let him go first, and she listened politely as made his way through his speech. It was, well, the kind of speech that was expected from a head student, and the only nice thing she could say about it was that it was short. But she clapped anyways. When it was her turn, Celia stepped to the podium and placed a copy of her speech on the lectern even though she'd already memorized what she wanted to say. As her gaze swept over the crowd, she felt a heady rush. "Hello. Welcome," she greeted with a smile, enjoying the way her voice boomed across the room. "I remember the first time I stepped into this hall. I was transfixed by the ceiling," she gestured upward, "its stars so sharp and lifelike. They weren't real, of course, but they seemed that way. It was a spectacular illusion.

"I've learned that a lot of Hogwarts is like that. The illusion of history. The illusion of education. The illusion of progress." Celia was still smiling. "Whether you were aware of it or not, those illusions have shaped our lives, and today, as we mark an ending, I think it is worth looking back at what we have missed so that we may go clear-eyed into the future." She knew she was starting to get dangerously abstract for a crowd that had never made it past a fifth grade English class. But as much as Celia was speaking for the audience before her, she was also speaking to the Accio! page that would document this speech forever.

"So how do we do that? Well, we might start with the castle itself. We might ask why we have been kept ignorant of our own history." Her expression turned serious. "We might ask why we have wrapped ourselves in the mythos of the Scotland founders, instead of the people who have lived in this country and walked these halls. We might ask why we lionize a notorious blood supremacist, dedicating an entire house to him, and why we cling so desperately to traditions that were barely ours to begin with.

"And then we might move on to our education. We might ask how much of our class time was spent learning and how much of it was wasted on study periods. We might examine the hoops we had to jump through to receive extra instruction, the permission slips we had to obtain to read books from our own library. We might ask why so many of our lessons were lectures, never discussions, and why we were punished every time we dared to go beyond the prescribed curriculum.

"When we take all these things into account, is it any wonder that Hogwarts is the way it is?" she asked, voice rising. It was clear that Celia was comfortable with public speaking, and she relished the way she had the whole room's attention. "I stand here and look out and see an institution frozen in time. The Hogwarts of today is almost exactly the same as the Hogwarts of seven years ago. As individuals, we might have grown, but the traditions, the ideals, the ethos of this institution have not. Is it any wonder that old prejudices persist when we honor their perpetrators, when we tolerate blood slurs as banter, when we judge people for their parentage? Is it any wonder that we, as a magical society, struggle to innovate when we quash every attempt to think outside the box, when we ignore entire branches of magic because of arbitrary categorizations, or worse, when we prohibit them because we are too scared, too apathetic, too lazy to grapple with anything that challenges our preconceived notions?

"I know that these problems neither begin nor end with Hogwarts," she conceded. As much as this speech was an indictment of the school, it was also a condemnation of the Ministry and the world she'd had to live in for the past seven years. "There are much larger social and political issues at play, and I know there are like minded individuals in this room who have tried to push back against them, who have tried to broaden our education. I also know that for many of us graduates, myself included, Hogwarts has given us something that can't easily be dismissed — a foundation for our magical education. But I can't help wondering how much more we would've grown, how much more we would've accomplished, if we had all striven beyond the status quo instead of accepting the limitations set before us.

"To the Class of 2060, soon, we'll leave these halls, and we'll be faced with the kinds of questions that only we can answer for ourselves. Are we satisfied with the half-lives our schooling has left us? Or do we want something more? What would our lives look like if we reached our full potential? Who would we be? What would we do?" Even as Celia addressed her classmates, she knew none of them were actually listening. She had no doubt that most of them were content with their time at Hogwarts and that they would continue to live their sad, little lives after graduation. Still, she paused to let the questions linger. "All illusions are based in reality. The stars I saw on that very first night weren't real, but what lay beyond them was," she said, gesturing up at the ceiling once more. "It would be a mistake to assume that as graduates, we are done learning, that we are done growing, especially now, when we have a chance to finally move beyond the illusions of this institution and reach for something real."

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt stepped back and listened to Eugene's speech. It was nice, kind of what Matt had expected of a speech by the head boy. Then it was Celia's turn, and Matt braced himself. He knew who he had picked as head girl, had seen more than one of her Hogwarts Monthly articles. But he still hadn't been prepared for her speech. It was long and brutal, mercifully Matt saw a few people zoning out, but he knew most people picked up exactly what Celia was saying. She took her time to criticize the school and the magical community as a whole, and she did so eloquently. It went on long enough that Matt considered stepping in, but eventually, she wrapped it up. Matt knew people would be looking at him for his reaction, so he kept his expression neutral. He simply stepped forward, deciding not to address it in any way. "Thank you both." He said shortly, before turning his attention to the other graduates. He knew Celia had a few valid points and he understood her frustration, but she should know better than to use a moment like this for her opinions. Matt spoke as if nothing had happened. "To the class of Twenty-sixty, I wish you all the luck in the future. I know you will all be amazing. Once I call your name, come up to the stage to receive your diploma.” He took the group of graduates in for a moment, then smiled and read the first name on his list.

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.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene wasn't sure what he had expect Celia to say, he had known that she wasn't going to go 'quietly' so to speak, but it was quite something. He didn't disagree with all of it, he just knew he had a fundamentally different view of the school and what it both did and was. The way it had helped him, the way it had helped his family, that he was a better person because of it, that he had passions and a drive for life that wouldn't have otherwise perhaps existed. The school had issues maybe, but he didn't think that it outweighed how good he found it. How good it had been for him. But it didn't matter, all she had done was give a speech that other than being in the yearbook he was sure wouldn't be remembered.

And the headmaster didn't linger on it, they were then called up one by one to shake his hand and accept the diploma from the school. He was happy to receive it, proud to have completed his schooling. Happy to have finished it. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with his life, other than pursue music, but he was confident that it would all be fine, and that he had given hogwarts his best shot.

 

[Valeria Iglesias]

For someone who had not started at the school with the rest of the class, Valeria was very excited about graduating. She had thought Hogwarts would be a for a year, but she had spent most of her schoolng at it, and it was perfect. She liked the company that she was able to keep, the opportunities given and the lessons learnt. Certainly the boys and the dating was the thing she had most enjoyed about it, but she had found passions and desires beyond what she had expected. She had always figured that art might be in her future, but it was being at this school which had made her thing that it was definitely something for her to do.

Valeria had put on a pretty but occasion appropriate dress and was sitting amongst the class of students. She wasn't surprised by the speeches given as it got started. It felt very in keeping with both of the head people. She didn't think the school was bad, but she had been homeschooled, her opinion on it was clouded by the knowledge that education was always a little like that. She was continuing her education at an art school. She was looking forward to it. Valeria was glad they moved on and the people were crossing the stage. Val was eventually called forward and she walked the stage to get her diploma, happy to have made through the school, and to have come out the other end. Sure, it hadn't been perfect, she had spotted charlie in the crowd and was pointedly ignoring him. But all in all, Valeria was happy with her schooling, and how good it had been. She was still ready for the next adventure.

 

[Crystal Holmgaard]

Crystal was both nervous, but also relieved that graduation was finally there. It felt like after Hogwarts there was gonna be an new chance and perhaps finally an time where she could just be herself and do the things she liked the most. But perhaps that was just an ilusion and her future co-workers would decide to bully her too. But Crystal tried to look at the bright side and to achieve what she wanted to do already very long. And hopefully it would really succeed. An quidditch career was not what it was, that would be terrible. No one would even want her as keeper, she was sure. Also Crystal was not gonna follow her family into the fashion bussiness. She was ready to become happy herself, make her own choices.

The white blonde had put on something from her cousin, an pretty dress which seemed appropriate and sat down next to her fellow students. When the speeches started she listened closely. Already wondering what Celia would tell, but also smiling bright as Eugune. He had always been her friend, and when he finished she applauded for him and smiled. Celia's speech was way longer, and the blonde had to listen very well to understand what she all ment. Crystal looked up to the ceiling when Celia spoke. She herself had experianced Hogwarts in Scotland, but for Crystal that was an way worse place than this one. But Celia didn't knew that. What she said was impressive to Crystal, something she had never dared to do. And Crystal had no idea how she thought about the meaning of it all. But she applauded when Celia was done. When it was time to get their diploma's Crystal sighted. This was the moment. Her goals were not all there, in fact she didn't even felt like an seventh year. But hopefully life after Hogwarts was gonna be better in many ways. Once her name was called she stood up and repeated in her head, that she should not fall. That was all she wanted to avoid. Crystal smiled at the headmaster and took her diploma and noticed her mother and sister in the crowd and gave them an smile. But she tried to look away quickly in their direction, because she saw her mother crying. And that was just not neccesary. Crystal sat down again and applauded for her other fellow classmates. ​

 

[Ivelisse Burleigh]

Back in first year Ivelisse would've probably told a whole different story if anyone had asked her how she thought she would feel during graduation. First year her had plenty of hopes and dreams for what her time at Hogwarts would be like, part of which never came to be. Others did.. just not like she had imagined. So whilst tiny, naive, eleven year old Ivelisse might've thought it would be bittersweet to sit down in the great hall for the graduation ceremony seventeen year old her felt incredibly different. There wasn't much of a bittersweet feeling to it.. perhaps just bitter. She didn't hate the time she had at the school, had still been succesfull in several areas, but the thought of getting out excited her. It felt like she would finally be allowed to make her own decisions. Like those had been strained one way or another during life at Hogwarts. Ive listened as Eugene took the stage, applauding when he finished his speech. As soon as Celia started talking she zoned out though, paying attention to anything but the head girl. She didn't need to know what Celia had to say and she certainly did not care about any of it. She refrained from clapping when the speech was done and focussed her attention on the headmaster instead as he started calling out names. Her name came up fairly quickly and Ivelisse held her head up high as she made her way up the stage, thanking the professor Alcott-Ward when he handed her the diploma and shooting the crowd her best smile before heading back to her seat. She clapped for the few people she actually liked who took the stage after her. Eugene, Crystal, Caleb and a few others. When all of her classmates had received their diplomas and the ceremony was wrapped up she made sure to look around for her father, but specifically her sister.

 

[Rhys Garner]

Though he still had many worries, Rhys was ready to graduate. He was ready to get out of Hogwarts, make something with his life, forge his own path in the world. There was anticipation as he sat with the rest of the graduates as the two Heads made their speeches. And really, he wasn't surprised in the slightest when Celia decided to take the opportunity to complain, as usual, about Hogwarts and how things were done. He would have been more surprised if she simply gave a normal speech. But she didn't matter anymore, he wouldn't have to put up with her views about Hogwarts or stand through another Monthly meeting where she always found something to complain about.

Finally, the graduation moved on and names were called out. And Rhys did his part, clapping along politely with everyone, even those he didn't really care much about. And he didn't have to wait long to hear his own name, standing before rising to the stage to receive his diploma.

 

[Manaia Te Rangi]

Manaia had hardly thought about today, and now it was here. Something about the fact that he would be leaving Hogwarts just hadn't sunk in properly, not even after all this time. The future had been a vague far off something for so long that he had refused to consider. It wasn't even like he liked school all that much, it just was. And now it wasn't, and he had no idea where to go from here. A job? University? He knew he wanted to talk to Eugene and Nolan, see how far they could take the Badgers, but he wasn't so naïve as to think he'd be able to make a living off music fresh out of school. Being an adult meant figuring out what to do with his adult life, and Manaia was not there yet.

But whether he liked it or not, adulthood had arrived for him. He tried not to fidget as he sat with his friends at graduation, doing his best not to think about what this really meant. This was a great opportunity to hype up his friend's speech, and get a cool bit of paper. If he could just focus on those parts, the rest wouldn't matter so much. That was what Manaia told himself all through Professor Alcott-Ward's introduction, only really tuning in when Eugene took to the podium. He gave a whoop along with his applause, pleased to see his bandmate in such an important position. He smiled through Eugene's speech, glad that at least he had people around him in such an uncertain time. Celia's speech was.... less comforting. Longer, certainly, and some of it went over his head. A lot of what she said made sense though, and he found himself regretting not spending more time with her. There were so many people in this school he hadn't gotten to know properly, and now it was too late.

It was really too late. The speeches were over, and the time had come. Manaia watched as his classmates were called up to the stage, clapping politely for the people he wish he knew, and cheering loudly for the ones he did. The T-s were late enough in the alphabet that most of his friends had gone by now, and when he was called, Manaia tried to ignore the chaotic thumping in his heart as he took to the stage. He had always taken a relaxed approach to life, but those days were over. As he took the diploma and shook Professor Alcott-Ward's hand, all he could think was that this was the start of something terrifying.

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis was feeling weird about this day. Graduation was such a strange concept. He couldn't really imagine not going back to Hogwarts next year. With his friendship with René in shambles and the one with Caleb complicated and messy, it might be nice to take a break from them. Though it hurt Louis' heart to think that way about both his best friends. He didn't really look at either of them as he sat down with the other seventh years, focusing his attention on the stage where his uncle was waiting to address the crowd. He didn't say much, leaving the speeches to the head boy and girl. Louis felt a childlike sort of disappointment that his uncle didn't mention him in some way or even look at him. He wondered if he was proud, or if Louis was perhaps a bit of a disappointment. He was hardly a top student, but hey, he had made it to graduation. He'd been named prefect and Quidditch captain, it was nothing to scoff at.

Eugene spoke first, and his speech was fine if a little bland. Louis was curious what Celia's speech would be like sitting up straight as she started to speak. He kept glancing at his uncle, but he kept a straight face even as Celia ripped into Hogwarts and the magical world as a whole. She had clearly put a lot of thought into it, and Louis felt a sense of admiration, even though he didn't agree with everything she said. He was a little disappointed his uncle kept his face so neutral, he thought he'd look at least a little bit worried or shocked. Louis clapped loudly for Celia, grinning at her as she made her way to her seat.

Then it was time for the graduates to go up, and with his last name, Louis was the first to go. He headed up to the stage and came face to face with his uncle. The proud smile on his face made his earlier worries seem silly, and Louis beamed as he shook his hand and accepted his diploma. He jumped off the stage rather than taking the stairs, grinning as a few people laughed. Then he returned to his seat to clap for his classmates. He clapped for his friends too, even René. Just maybe not as loudly as he would have normally.

 

[Nolan Burke]

In all honesty, Nolan hadn't expected that he would have made it to Hogwarts this far. His grades weren't the greatest, even though he knew that his mum wouldn't be pleased with that. But that didn't matter to him. He was graduating today, and he found that quite shocking. Nolan didn't really know what he was going to do once he left Hogwarts. He tried his best to think about it the entire year, but he wasn't really sure.

Nolan with the rest of the graduates, as they listened to the headmaster begin with the ceremony. It was the head people that had to do their speeches first and Eugene was up first. He was quite pleased with his friend getting such a big position. He clapped and cheered at Eugene's speech when it was over. Though he was a little nervous about Celia's speech. She was quite known to go over the top with things, and he wasn't surprised about what she was saying in her speech. But clapped politely at her speech.

It wasn't long before they were able to grab their diploma and walk across the stage. Nolan was one of the first couple of people as his surname was closer to the start of the alphabet. It wasn't too long until his name was called up. Nolan gulped nervously and made his way up to the stage. He smiled nervously at the headmaster, before shaking his hand, saying a quiet thank you and accepted his diploma and sat back down in his seat. Nolan clapped and cheered for everyone, but cheered extra loudly for his friends.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb felt a sense of relief and excitement as he walked into the great hall with his classmates. They were finally done. It was all over and they could get to the good part. Freedom and real life. He glanced at the section where guests were sitting and his cheeks flushed slightly at the site of his family: his sister waving, his mother smiling, and his brother looking bored. He couldn't blame Simon for that. Caleb wasn't looking forward to the ceremony it was just one more thing to get through. If he was being honest it was what the whole year had felt like to him. While some of his classmates were feeling sentimental he was mostly irritated. He had been so excited to come to Hogwarts as a kid to finally join his siblings and get out of the house and explore, but now the castle is what felt like a trap. But as he sat there listening to the headmaster he remembered all the times school had felt like a sanctuary. He didn't want to think about why home felt so different now, not today, not right now.

His eye rolling started as soon as the head people began their speeches. Caleb had nothing against Eugene but the proximity to Celia was enough to not want to take him seriously. But his speech was fine. Up next was Celia. "Boooooo!" he called out from his seat but it was mostly drown out by the polite applause of the crowd. He made a point to stare up at the ceiling in attempt to ignore her completely. He expected it to be short and sweet like the head boy's but he should have known better after all this time. The longer she spoke his irritation grew and eventually he looked forward again. "Oh, get on with it!" he shouted. He was surprised Celia had any air left in her when she finally finished. Then the next excruciating part began, as he waited for his name to be called.

Caleb had to wait a while and his heart did a funny little tug as Louis' name was called almost immediately. They had barely even looked at each other since their trio imploded. It had made for a lonely semester. Maybe that was why he wasn't feeling very sentimental. Caleb clapped politely for everyone until it was finally his turn. With an lopsided grin on his face he walked up to the stage and grabbed his diploma. It didn't mean much to him but he knew his mother cared and after everything they went through as a family he was glad to have done something right. But that didn't stop him from sticking out his tongue in the direction of his family before sitting down again. Rene was called right after him and he felt funny in a different way. He felt a pang of sadness as he wondered if they would even keep touch after the day was over. But he guessed there were a lot of things that would change after today.

 

[Celia Vuong]

Celia had spent the last seven years learning about different kinds of magic, but as she delivered her speech, she thought this might also be a form of magic. It was intoxicating watching the crowd respond to her words, the impact of each sentence playing out in their expressions, their mutterings, their gestures. Even the negative reactions were welcome as they were still a response to her, and Celia relished the power she had over the crowd. She could do this forever.

However, even the best speeches could not last forever, and Celia had been very deliberate in crafting hers even though she had her doubts as to whether anyone in the crowd was capable of appreciating good rhetoric. She struggled to keep a neutral expression as the crowd seemed to digest what she'd just done. Celia knew that if she smirked or looked even the slightest bit triumphant, it would take away from the impact of her words. Even though half the reason she had written this speech was to openly defy and disrespect the school, she also thought her arguments had merit on their own.

Professor Alcott-Ward didn't have much of a rebuttal, and Celia was familiar enough with the significance of a "no comment" comment to know that meant he thought she'd made some valid points. She maintained her neutral expression as she returned to her seat though the corners of her lips twitched upward at the sight of Louis grinning and clapping for her. Celia returned the gesture — albeit in a much more subdued manner — when he was the first to walk across the stage to receive his diploma. She didn't bother clapping for anyone else.

And then finally, finally it was her turn. Celia was not fond of her last name, but she was grateful for it today because it meant she would be the last to walk. She would be everyone's final impression of the ceremony. Celia didn't both looking at the crowd as she crossed the stage. She hadn't invited anyone. She knew her mom would have wanted to attend, and it was for that reason that Celia deliberately did not invite her. She had briefly considered inviting Seamus but eventually decided that was a lot to ask of someone she wasn't even official with. No one enjoyed graduations.

Celia had started Hogwarts alone, and now it seemed she would end it alone — and she was perfectly fine with that. She accepted her diploma, and when she was able to glance down at it, she just barely suppressed a scoff. Seven years of suffering for a piece of paper that meant nothing to her. But it didn't matter now. She'd already gotten the paper that she actually cared about — her college acceptance letter — and the detour in her life that had been Hogwarts was quickly coming to an end. There was a whole universe waiting for her, one in which she finally be able to realize her full potential and live her life the way she'd always meant to.

She couldn't wait.