Hogwarts Graduation--Atrium

Louis had listened to Robert and Amelia, he knew next year he would graduate in a different way, there were lives lost durning the battle, why hadn't it been Louis'. He couldn't let Simon die in vain. Or the others, They wouldn't die in vain, neither would his Uncle, the Dark followers and Death eaters would die in vain. Since they had no firends, just people who would do anything they want because they were afraid.

He thought that Jack had ignored him when she didn't say anything back to him.

Then as Louis looked close he saw someone he never thought he'd see, Thaor.

Edgar Albert Doyle was late, but not as he would usually be. He apparated in front of the Ministry Office, limping to the entrance of the building he despised because of its policies throughout history. It was not unusual, to those that knew what happened, that the Ministry took over the graduation ceremony, but he was still reluctant to come, despite him being, almost, vital to the process. He had to be questioned, by whom, he did not know, but he knew he would be questioned for his use of magic during the defense of the school and it was one problem he could go without. But, he managed to keep his job, he managed to keep the post of Headmaster despite all those idiots labeling him as incompetent. He had a love for the school, not necessarily the kids, but the school gave him what is now his whole life, it gave him the education and the mentors that turned him into what he was now.

He was dressed casually, wearing normal jeans trousers, a simple, dark grey shirt and his black suit jacket. His hair was messy, he was not shaved and he limped with a miserable expression on his face. The Atrium was full of people. Some of them he knew from the school and those idiotic meetings that some of the parents desperately desired before storming out of his office with a pink slip threat. He did warn them, though. He always would.

He despised formal wear and all the robes and suits he came across made him sick, but he decided to tolerate that mainly because of the few worthy ones that really deserved these few moments of attention. The majority was just a bunch of ignorant idiots, but there was a small number, a group of students that managed to exceed both in ability and nobility, the managed to achieve both academic success and become people. Each and every one of them was a different personality, from a rebellious boy, to a shy and brilliant girl that would soon take the podium and tell something to the lot.

The Minister was a man he had respected because of his knowledge of potions, but they had little opportunity to communicate as Doyle avoided company and society, even while working at Hogwarts. His speech was brief, more symbolic that meaningful, with a bunch of obvious facts that were meant to inform those that had lived in ignorance this whole time, and there were always such idiots around, especially among the fame-driven parents that wanted their children to live up to their ridiculous standards. But, the next speaker was of more interest to him. Amelia Lyons. A girl that triggered his curiosity from the beginning, a very strange girl, intelligent, distant and seemingly cold, but much different inside. He was not able to break through her defenses, but he had no time to do so. He pushed away some of the people in front of him and then stood in front in order to listen to what she has to say.

The speech was wonderful, well thought of and without a single mistake. The metaphor was brilliantly incorporated and it was enough for those able to understand what his former student wanted to say. Those that were not were amongst the idiots mentioned before. As her words echoed the cold Atrium, he listened to her voice, to her tone in order to analyze her. He did not care much about the speech itself, although he did manage to hear it, he cared about her, about her mental state. When her last word echoed, he smiled. It was more of a sigh, than a smile, but the word 'luck', that last, stereotypical, but very important word, made him react the way he did. It was strange, but that word was the same word he had spoken several decades ago on that same spot. At the time, he realised it was just an empty phrase, but he thought it would fit for the end of a very interesting period. Now, upon hearing the same phrase coming out of the mouth of one of his students, he realised he was right. Luck was overrated, a mere creation of the human mind. These kids went through hell and back not long ago, they faced death and destruction. That wasn't luck, that was bullshit. They were scarred for life, and he knew it. Maybe they didn't, but he knew they were. Sooner or later. He did not clap her, he just stared at her with that smile and laughed. ''Oh, did I laugh? Sorry to interrupt'', he said.

He then limped next to Amelia Lyons and looked at the lot. ''Good job, Lyons. As expected. Are mother and father, well, mother primarily, satisfied?'', he asked looking at what he guessed to be her parents. ''It is now the time for me to address the lot, as, well, I am the Headmaster of the school your children went to not long ago. For those of you hoping to get rid of me, I am still here and I shall be your worst nightmare next term, but only as Headmaster'', he said. He then looked at Amelia. ''The position of Potions Professor is, as of now, vacant as I have decided to keep the rest of my nerves in order to be able to help those few that actually deserve it. I shan't, though, give the position to any prick that applies, but only to the person I see being fit and competent to replace me as Potions Professor'', he said, winking to Amelia. He then turned around to the crowd. ''To the five of you that actually cared to listen to me despite being bullied, I wish you all the best in life, honestly and I wish you good luck, you will need it. You won't find it, as luck is just a shitty concept created in order to rationalise our success or lack of failure, but you will be searching for it and make that your life goal - luck! The search for luck is the most noble search you will find, but be sure to use it well. The knowledge you gained will hardly be enough, but time will fix that and one day, I hope, you will be the one to replace me, professor Wilson or the retired professor McCoy as the school's new pillars. Thank you! As for the rest of you idiots, you will go through life without understanding what it is and how to live it, you will obey your parents' wishes and live like parasites among the few worthy enough to call themselves people, but there is nothing I can do about that, which is why I shall leave you to your ignorance and remove myself from this... podium'', he said and looked at each and everyone of them. ''Oh, no applause? Well, if you can't beat them, join them'', he said, patted Amelia on the shoulder and then stood next to the Minister. ''I do hope you have security here'', he whispered.

Ash had heard about the battle and the lost lives. Hogwarts had always been almost a safe haven for her, like so many of the other students and she closed her eyes for a moment. She could always feel for the ones that were lost, even if she didn't know many of them. As she listened to Amelia, her hand went to her stomach rubbing it gently. She couldn't wait to have this child and one day, when it was old enough, maybe the battles at Hogwarts would stop and it might be safe for her to be there.

And as Amelia finished up her speech, she realized that her life was truly beginning now. She looked around the room at the faces of her fellow graduates and wondered if they had the same realization that she just had. Soon she'd be a mother and be searching for a job and wondered if everyone would be in the same boat as she was. Clapping her hands she figured probably not and tried to take a deep breath.

Jack and Amelia had always been.. tolerant of each other. In one way, they were always irritated with each other, because they operated completely opposite of each other. Jack like causing chaos, she let herself seem out of control, she did not mind having fun and looking like a slob, whereas Amelia's like was about control, she came off as a know-it-all and a goody-two-shoes.

But there was always some respect. Both girls possessed intellgience (though Amelia had what Jack assumed was a perfect memory as well as a much better work ethic) and both of them were shut off, that much was clear. They had always sort of been singular entities throughout Hogwarts, until this year really. Ariel had attached himself to Jack, as Peter had for Amelia.

So Jack did feel a little pride as she watched Amelia, proud for the girl, who's talents did belong up on that stage, delivering a student address no one else could. The metaphor was perfect and Jack felt the relation. She had thrown her heart into something and then hoped she survived to see some results; schoolwork, PA, Quidditch, her friends.. Vito.

Elliot had not survived. Neither had others. But Jack could make it, if she had made it this far, or so she hoped. Amelia's speech concluded and she clapped, resisting the urge to stand up to clap. She saw the Headmaster lumber forward and she sighed, "Here we go." His speech was arrogant, insulting, and superior-- as was expected. She rolled her eyes, though there were words in there she agreed with. She turned away from the stafe and back to the Greybacks.

Thaor watched with disgust as Doyle gave his speech. He however, was not surprised when no one applauded. At the conclusion of Doyle's speech, Thaor walked to the podium, dismissing all the looks he received, shook Roberts hand, and addressed the crowd. Ladies and gentlemen, family, guests, friends, and last, but not least the Hogwarts Graduating class of 2024 it is my pleasure to be here with you all today. I believe, first, an explanation is in order. I am very much alive, if you couldn't tell by me being here. For personal reasons, I left the country for a while. I was not reachable by anyone. Which lead to the belief that I was the body found at the base of the Astronomy tower. Secondly, I apologize to Jack Dyllan for any acusations that fell upon her for my death, she happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Now, lets get to the reason we're all here today. In preparing my remarks, in all seriousness I tried very hard to remember who spoke at my commencement. I have no idea. Unless I’ve just tricked you into remembering, my bet is that 30 years from now you won’t have any idea what was said here, but you will remember the parties tonight. You will remember your families being here, you will remember all the hard work that got you to this point and you’ll remember how you felt. And I hope you feel great, because this is a remarkable achievement that we are honoring here today.

I have just a few words to say. After my graduation, I was faced with having to survive on my own, my only living relative in Azkaban for killing the rest of them. Many would have used that as an excuse to do nothing, to be a bum. To go nowhere in life. I decided I would prove everyone wrong, that I would do something with my life.

On my path of studying wandlore, I had many ups and downs. Failures, and successes. They shaped the way my career would go. So, that’s what I wish for all of you: the bad as well as the good. Fall down, make a mess, break something occasionally. And remember that the story is never over. If it’s all right, I’d like to read a little something from just this year: “Somehow, Thaorson Elldir has transformed himself into the brightest star in the wandlore firmament. His wands are the gold standard and Thaor himself is not only the quickest and most inventive wit of his generation, but quite possible the greatest wizard of his time.” Ladies and Gentlemen, Class of 2024, I wrote that this morning, as proof that, when all else fails, there’s always delusion. Thaor read from his prepared speech. Taking a moment to let it sink in.

On a more serious note, I had the pleasure of getting to know many of you in the past year or so as the Care of Magical Creatures Professor, and Deputy Headmaster. While I have vacated both of those positions for the Deputy Minister of Magic position. I will always remember my few years as a professor at Hogwarts. I wish the best of luck to you all. And that you all have great success. I'll leave you with one last thing to think about. As recent events have shown us, life is short, and can be taken away far sooner than we had hoped. So live your life in a way that if you were to pass today, you would be proud of. You were born an original, don't live as a copy. Be yourself. Reach for the stars. Thaor said, before stepping away from the podium, and standing on the opposite side of Robert than Doyle.

Peter gaped slightly as Amelia was called up- she had not told him. Judging by the looks on his parents- he could not help but glance back- they had not known either. He turned, flabbergasted, to watch her approach the podium. He knew should not be surprised, because, well... Amelia was brilliant. He was sure that everyone knew this of her.

He listened in quite awe as she spoke, his face mirroring this emotion- how could someone be.. so amazing? In all aspects? This peek into her mind amazing, simply beautiful and rare. He knew this was not true Amelia, the Amelia he had been trying to get to, but it was a lot more than he had seen out of her, and it was a moment he would treasure. He could think of not better way to graduate, listening to the words of the beautiful girl he had slowly grown to fancy more and more.

Her speech finished and he clapped with everyone else, a small smile on his face. And then the rude Headmaster followed her, and though he was sort of funny, Peter would have been much more content to hear Amelia speak all night- everything she said was like a new revelation to him, and still, his heart was full from her words.

Suddenly, a man strode forward. Peter heard murmurs all around him and he leaned over to a boy at the table behind him. "Is zat no ze man who is supposedly dead?" The man began to speak and Peter glanced over at Jack, a girl he vaguely knew, feeling a little bad for believing some of the rumors about her killing the man. The man had flair and certainly a good speech. Peter felt himself grinning at it and clapped at the end, his mind still trying to process. So.. he was not dead..

Hogwarts certainly was interesting.

As the ring of applause burst forth at the conclusion of Amelia's speech, Jess couldn't help but find himself joining in with them. In the brief time that he'd spent teaching the girl he'd found her to be one of the most engaging, most intuitive and interesting students there, despite her quiet demeanor. Of course all that had been confirmed in a matter of minutes as she'd given her speech, but to him it only strengthened his opinion of her.

"Here here," he called out over the applause, trying to catch the girl's eye as she walked off the stage and the applause began to die down.

Rather suddenly the applause died down to nothing, and the warm feeling the room seemed to come to a rather stale halt, as an unseen presence made itself known. Craning his neck towards the source of the discomfort which was now completely embedding the room he was shocked to see the limping figure of the Headmaster approaching the stage.

Shooting a confused look Robert's way he kept his eyes trained on the podium, ready for any trouble that the man could cause. The last he'd heard, after all, he'd lost his job.

At the conclusion of Doyle's speech the applause... well, rather the few people who clapped uncertainly until their neighbours prodded them in the ribs with the tip of their wands, only served to increase the awkward feeling in the room, as well as the tension that seemed thick enough to cut with a butter knife.

"I'm going to kill him," he said softly, catching Khaat's eye and passing her his wand discreetly, knowing that his anger could easily get the better of him if continued to hold onto the deadly weapon. "Khaat, I am going to murder that man. Brian, you are an Auror, get him out of here right now," he said in a strained voice.

Of course Jess' opinion on what the man had to say was inconsequential, and while there was certainly some sort of grounds for the Headmaster's eviction of the premises, Brian would probably do the right thing and simply ignore it, preferring to just let the situation die down on its own accord.

"I didn't even know he was dead... pity he didn't stay that way," he then softly said, smiling apologetically at Khaat and shrugging a little.

Chase wasn't sure what to say... but suddenly the graduation was starting, so she rushed to her seat,after giving Calvin a quick kiss on the cheek, and listened to the LONG speech given by their student whatever she was.. she wasn't paying much attention. In fact, she wasn't paying much attention to ANYONE.. she was leaning down in her seat, staring off into space, until she noticed an odd ripple of attention among her fellow peers. Sitting up a bit straighter, her eyes widened, and she sighed slightly. It was him.. that MAN who had made Jack... upset to say the least. That man who had pretended to be dead! Made Jack a wanted person! Chase felt anger harden her eyes, and she sat a bit forward, listening to what he had to say.

She wasn't quite sure what his point was though... he went on about himself.. and though Chase had never been the smartest in the class, she felt a stir of confusion from her classmates as well. It was obvious that most people hadn't even known he was dead.. or better yet, didn't care, at least judging by the Slytherin's reactions. But Chase was angry.. more then angry.. she was a word she would NEVER say around her daughter.. so she was trying to stifle it out of her vocabulary. Chase glared daggers at him, hoping to either catch his attention, or get the attention of her peers around her. That man.. she was angry... poor Jack.. her friend.. Chase immediately turned her attention towards her friend though, judging her reaction to his appearance, hoping she was doing okay!

Jack's suprise had not ended yet though... Thaor began on his way up to the podium, and her eyes closed, ignoring the looks she was bound to get. She heard a few people around her, muttering to ask 'wasn't he the man who was murdered' and people muttering 'didn't some student seem to be his murderer, but there wasn't enough evidence?' She felt people looking at her and she opened her eyes, staring forward determinedly, her face set and unfathomable. She was strong, she was brave, no one needed to know that she was close to getting up and punching the lights out of the gaping Ravenclaw in front of her.

Thaor began to speak, and Jack almost closed her eyes against her words, instead settling for a prolonged blink before nodding slowly, to acknowledge the apology. She had hoped he would just leave it be, but she knew otherwise she would go from suspected murderer, to suspected attempted murderer- she was not sure which she would rather be known for, honestly.

She felt her tired soul flicker with amusement at his words. He was honest, he was snarky, he was sarcastic. There was not quite the literary beauty and metaphor that Amelia's speech had, but it got another message of some sort of twisted sense of hope too. She saw Chase turn around, looking for her reaction- as Jack was sure a lot of people were looking for- but she would give them none. The speech ended and she clapped her hands normally..

What would Fenrir Greyback think of her briefly suspected murder, she wondered. Maybe she would be part of the family now.

Thaor judged the crowds response to his presence, and speech. He came to the conclusion that more people preferred him dead, than alive. Which was to be expected. He lived most of his life killing, and as a death eater. These reactions to him, made it clear to him what his choice must be. Either stay a loyal death eater, or turn his life around completely, and make a positive difference in the world.

After the murmers quieted down, Thaor stepped back up to the podium. As he stepped forward he caught the glare of Chase Moor, normally, he would have returned the glare, full of hatred. However, instead he blinked, and looked away. Thaor cleared his throat before speaking once more. Ladies and gentlemen, It is my pleasure to introduce the next speaker. This student was quidditch captain, received high marks, and honors in Care of Magical Creatures class, and was a Triwizard Champion. I'm also pleased to announce she is the newest addition to the Ministry's team of Magizooligist, and in the new title of Wizard-Werewolf Relations Officer. Jack Dyllan. Thaor finished, stepping away from the podium once more.