Graduation - Hogwarts Class of 2027

Lily gnawed on her lower lip as she moved throughout the room. She wanted to remain at the back of the room, behind the crowd, but she felt herself jostled and thrust forward, being almost abandoned in the center of the room. She glanced around, becoming more and more in need of a familiar face. She turned again, feeling a collision around her midsection. She stepped back and found herself face to face with Casey Weasley, her cousin, her best friend. The girl she had not seen in months.

"Casey," Lily breathed, staring at the girl. She felt a flutter from within her breast in the hopes of having an ally through all of this.

"Sorry. Hate to inconvenience a stranger," the young Gryffindor said, eyes flashing darkly at her cousin. Casey grimaced and pushed past Lily, obviously done with her.

Lily stared after her cousin in shock, disbelief, and tangible hurt. She swallowed a lump in her throat and raised her head, only to find that a large portion of the graduating students, her peers, staring at her. She felt the movement of the crowed from behind her, pushing her forward once more. Alexander Nott's lips was moving and she could see the evident disgust on his face when his mouth formed the word 'Potter.' She stared hard at him, before turning her head. The Headmistress was smiling at her but Lily could not return the favor.

She turned, hoping to escape, and the leg of a sixth year shot out. Lily fell with a great crash to the ground. She turned around, looking at the boy who was now high-fiving a nearby friend. Lily pushed herself off the ground, stared at the boy, and then suddenly stepped forward. One hand gripped his neck as another fist collided with the boy's cheekbone.

'Like I said. This world is better off without the riff raft.' Alexander reminded his Slytherin friends as he watched in disgusted as lily punched someone Alexander recognised from his own common in the face.

Surrounding students had made a space, circling around the Gryffindor. Parents were gasping, some in tears at the terrible scene caused on their child's special graduation day; others were fighting through to stop the fight, failing miserable as the crowd surrounding Lily had become so thick.

A part of Nott wanted to roll his eyes and continue to walk towards Du Hunt for his scroll but at the same time he wanted to watch, observe one final scene of a Potter's famously nasty temper. 

'Just like her Father.' Alexander continued to his friends, 'Mother always said he had a temper too.' 

The worst part about the punch was that Lily was fairly certain that she had hurt herself more than she had the younger Slytherin. He was shocked, but he was going to be fine. Lily's hand, on the other hand, was throbbing and red and a few dots of blood dripped from her hand. She looked around, to see looks of disappointment and disgust aimed at her. She turned, finding that there was not one friend or ally in the ring around her.

If they could all be so easily turned, she was not going to stick around longer. She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand and turned, yanking her jacket over her shoulders. She pushed through the crowd, ignoring the murmers and the looks and the very tangible feeling of hatred towards her. She did not care. She had decided that this would be her test run for the next year and at least she was prepared now - next year would be a living hell.

Almost tears welled in her throat, but she refused to allow them to become real. She swallowed and left the room, hurrying out the building. She had been right. Not an ally in the world.


Casey felt bad for what she had done to Lily, considering the turn of events. She did not feel bad for doing it, but she did feel bad that it had been one of the first of a long series of unfortunate events for her dark-haired cousin. As far as she was concerned, she was the only one with any right to treat her cousin the way she had.

She tried to get to the Potter girl but Lily was gone before she could. Casey whipped around, looking around at the faces and the voices of everyone around her. Not a one had a good thing to say for the brunette who had just staged her tragic entrance and Casey's initial anger towards Lily turned onto the audience around her, onto the person who had pushed the first domino towards Lily Potter's great fall.

Casey turned, eyes finding the supposed source of all of this. The Nott boy, a small gaggle listening in to him. Casey's jaw set and she walked forward, crisp and brisk. Somewhere in the audience, her brother was about to recieve a huge surge of surprise and pride for his younger sister. Casey jumped onto the platform and flung herself onto Nott boy, fists pounding any part of him she could reach.

And everyone in that moment knew that Casey's punch was far superior to her elder cousin's. She looked like she was ready to kill.

Amelia remembered her graduation very clearly for it was perhaps one of the happiest days of her life? Why? Because that is the day Robert Cooper, her long time boyfriend, proposed. It had been besides their favourite spots and sunlight had fallen splendidly from the heavens. Of course the wedding didn't happen for another two years, being postponed due to the death of Amelia's parents. Nonetheless their loved helped Amelia through the grieving process.

It was funny how clearly parts of that day were to Amelia then how some parts were shadowy and the memories had began to wilt. The graduation speech Professor McGonagall had gave them for instance, there was a time when Amelia couls recite it word for word now she wasn't entirely sure what her Headmistress had said, perhaps something much like what Professor du Hunt was telling the happy faced graduates.

Not that they remained happy for long. It had only taken two minutes since Du Hunt called them forth for their scrolls before a fight broke out. There were students from younger years chanring 'Weasley', oos and ahhs from the graduating seventh years and the parents thay had come to watch were stood in a Stoney shock not knowing whether to break it up.

'Excuse me.' Amelia said, standing from her seat and trying to find an opening through the thick gathering of onlookers.

'Excuse me.' Yet again she was ignored. Withdrawing her wand the charms Professor aimed it straight above her head and soon gathered the students attention as she caused the sound of of a blasting canon to be emitted from her wand. Not caring too much that she had almost deafened the surrounding students Amelia simply ploughed her way through the students- who ddidn't think twice about staying in her way.

'Relashio.' The blonde said, flicking her wand at the thumping fists and grasping fingers of Casey Weasley, releasing Alexander Nott from the surprisingly strong second year. Waving her wand again to place a barrier between the two Amelia found herself looming over Casey.

'Outside, please.' Pointing her finger to a spot in the circle that quickly broke apart to reveal the grand doors. Amelia may have said please, be it in her nature, but this was no request by the one of the Profwssors tone of voice but an instruction.

Casey was pleased to find that she had landed her target. She had no idea that the cousin she was avenging was now long gone, for she was so focused on doing as much damage as she could to this boy. Her own knuckles were bruising and some skin had torn, causing her knuckles to get a little bloody. If he was fighting back, Casey didn’t notice. She had gone blind with wrath and all she was aware of was the sensation of her fists against the flesh that had so grievously sinned against her own.

She was only vaguely aware of the chanting, of the boom, of the approaching professor. It was only after she had been ripped off of the Nott boy. She stood, staring down at him, chest heaving. She reached up and rubbed her chin with her knuckles, smearing a little bit of blood across it. She took in a deep breath and bent down over the boy, jerking a violent finger into his face. “Never again. Not my family!”

She straightened up and tore away, stomping through the crowd. Her small shoulders were unneeded in the crowd, for everyone turned out of her way. Stony silence was met by everyone, save for the few people who did not like Nott for whatever reason. She glanced up and spotted her mother and father above the crowd. Her mum’s head turned from side to side, mouthing the words ‘probation.’ Casey looked behind them to see her brother raising a glass to her. That was enough. That made it all worth it.

She left the room.

Ari was supposed to be working with her.

Which was all fine and dandy. If he wanted to help, she was not going to turn him away.

But she certainly wasn't going to send him an invitation to every party she planned on throwing, and she very well had no intention of asking for his opinions. Ari was a softie, and he did not want to be heir anymore than he wanted to marry a cockroach. His only interest was in making sure his life continued to be as comfortable as he could make it. And as he had suffered some minor defeats, heartbreak seemed to be the only experience the sibling shared, his only interest was in making sure no big disaster occurred because of Fenrir's contest.

She wondered how badly his ego was hurt that he had to fight, at all, for his natural position. She, as Greyback blood, should have been appalled that she had to battle out James Blood for heir, but it had never even been available to her before. She had been the bastard of the family, and now she was its reigning hope.

Things could definitely be worse.

She had dressed to make a splash when she entered, and she certainly did just that. Her hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail, but the hair burst out in the ratted mess it was behind her. She was flanked on either side by Colby and Hoover. Hoover, the great hulking werewolf who was just as beastly when he wasn't transformed, and Colby, the man who had been her second for so long and could kill coolly if Naomi gave him the right look. And, the small crowd behind her that was some of the muscle of her pack.

She moved through the crowd with confidence and pride, her chin raised fearlessly. Those who recognized her dropped back to stare. She was that girl... that girl who had been kidnapped by Felix Barker only to marry him and go rogue, getting blamed for murders and transformations. She had just disappeaed. And now... she was back.

She approached the front, stepping onto the platform. Still, Colby and Hoover flanked her. She looked towards Kat-Car and gave a small smile. "One moment, I have a small speech."

She looked upon the crowd.

"I've missed you all," she said, a simpering expression on her face. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Naomi Barker-Greyback. And I'm here to give you a choice. It's very simple. Support me, or die. My pack needs more people, and I'm already in deep trouble with the Ministry, so might as well be hanged for a sheep than a lamb, right? I don't care who joins me, whether it is you or someone in your stead. But when my pack comes to you, I'd better have my offering. I think one child from each family should do." She glanced towards the recent graduates. "The pay's not great, but the benefits are spectacular. It's a good career move."

She smiled widely. "That's all I have to say. Thank you."

And, before Ministry officials could chase her down, she and the two men at either side dove into the crowd, running for the exit. Her pack of about twenty brutish werewolves began turning towards the people next to them, shooting spells and throwing punches. These twenty were harsh but expendable, and they knew it. Their mission had been simple - cause any and all damage they could. Naomi's mission was to escape.