Katniss' POV:
I stand on stage, at the very end beside Minerva and Albus. I wait for the ceremony to start, fiddling slightly with my necklace, which has mine and Loki's wedding rings beside a pendant of a silver snake wrapped around a hunter-green gem. Minerva covers my hands with her own, which snaps me out of my thoughts.
"Kat, you'll be fine. Regulus will do great and so will you," Minnie reassures me, to which I nod in acknowledgment.
Albus walks up to the pedestal before adjusting the mic slightly. "Hello, everyone. Welcome to the graduation of our 1979 seventh year! All this year's seventh years have worked hard to accomplish their goals and prepare to begin their life journey beyond the boundaries of Hogwarts. Good luck to all of you in the world beyond Hogwarts. I'd like to welcome Professor Katniss Lupin to speak," Albus says.
Everyone claps and cheers as I walk up and replace Albus on the pedestal. I adjust the mic to my level and take a deep breath. "Hello, everyone. Whether you know me or not, I am Professor Katniss Lupin. I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts here at Hogwarts. I know many seventh years dropped the class in the previous years before I began teaching at Hogwarts. I am proud to state that more seventh years continued coming to my class this year than in previous years. I am proud of all of you. You have worked very hard to accomplish everything you wanted. Every student's seventh year is always the toughest. More often than not, you're taking four or five, or maybe even eight classes. In addition to that, there is quidditch, which a lot of you play. More often than not, seventh-year students will end up believing they aren't good enough, and that they'll fail. That's false. You are good enough. Well, guess what? You've made it. You've made it to graduation. It's the end of the year. At the end of tonight, the moment you step foot off these grounds, you'll be adults. That's what scares many of you. Many of you think you aren't ready. However, you have been preparing for tonight since the moment you step foot on these grounds as first years all those years ago," I pause for a moment to take a breath and look out at the crowd. "Your journeys as adults have only just begun. You've completed this part of your journey while gathering great achievements and beautiful memories throughout your years here at Hogwarts. The other professors and I have indeed been tough on all of you at times, though we don't hate or dislike any of you. The difficulties we placed on you were all part of a larger effort to prepare you for the challenges ahead. We've given you all strong foundations for your futures. Under our guidance, you have reached this impressive milestone in your life with great honor and integrity. I strongly believe, based on your behavior over the years as well as the skills and knowledge you've gained, that you will most definitely overcome the challenges ahead. As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, practical, get-your-hands-dirty way. Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your existence. Good luck on your journeys," I incline my head slightly and step back from the podium. I walk back to my spot beside Minerva. The graduation goes by fairly quickly. Soon it is the end of the seventh-year prefects and head boy/head girl speeches. Regulus steps up to the podium, seeing as he was this year's Headboy.
"My name is Regulus Arcturus Black. This year was the most difficult out of all my years at Hogwarts. Whether the cause of that was the extra courses I took and the exams that followed or the endless nights of studying to ace said exams. More often than not I recorded my classes so that I could get a few minutes of shut-eye. Like many of you, Hogwarts became my home the moment I stepped foot on the grounds. Throughout the years, Hogwarts became more than my home. It became a place I could go to get away from the classic family drama. I'd like to thank all of the staff of Hogwarts, including the house elves, for all that they've done for us over the years. Can I get a round of applause for the staff of Hogwarts? As Professor Lupin always says, we don't have to be related by blood to be family. I see every single member of Hogwarts' staff, along with all my peers, as family. Hogwarts is home to the true family of every student that steps foot on the grounds," Regulus says before stepping down from the podium.
Albus steps back up to the podium, "Staff of Hogwarts. Let the ending light show of Hogwarts 1979 seventh years' graduation begin!"
Every staff member of Hogwarts raises their wand and light shoots into the sky. The light that shoots out of my wand is hunter-green with a silver shimmer. The lights form the words 'Congratulations, Hogwarts Graduates of 1979!' Everyone cheers as the graduates join their families in the crowd. I guide Regulus off stage toward Sirius, Remus, James, and James' parents.
"Congrats, baby brother!" Sirius exclaims, wrapping his brother in a tight brotherly hug. Once Regulus gets Sirius to let him go, Remus and James hug him lightly before passing him to James' parents, Euphemia and Fleamont Potter. Mia wraps Reggie in a tight hug, whereas Fleamont simply fist-bumps him.
"What do you say we go get ready for that pool party for you and your friends, Regulus? After all, the host can't be late, even to a party thrown in his honor," I suggest.