𝓟𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓸𝓫𝓲𝓪 || Regulus Black

7.7 - Cap & Gown

The year seven students all passed their NEWT exams, to everyone's relief. Passing those exams means being allowed to graduate from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after what felt like an eternity, but was realistically only seven ruthless years. 

The soon-to-be graduates were all ecstatic about their exam results, finally seeing a happy ending to their months of cramming and nonstop studying. As it happened every year, the school's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, made a speech to all the seventh years about how everyone who passed the exams would soon be leaving the school and moving on to the next chapter of their lives. 

"Congratulations, every single one of you. Now, you will be instructed on the process of the graduation itself." Dumbledore said, his voice booming throughout the Great Hall. 

As he spoke, Ophelia's eyes started wandering around the room out of boredom. She first looked up and saw Pandora at the Ravenclaw table, listening intently to the headmaster. She then turned her gaze back to her general area, the Slytherin table, and looked at Regulus and Barty sitting beside her. 

Just as she was about to find a new distraction around the room, she noticed Barty casually moving his lips along with Dumbledore's speech, as if he knew exactly what he was going to say next. 

Ophelia watched him for another few sentences, and saw that Barty was, in fact, mouthing along with Dumbledore's exact words — give or take a few of the Crouch boy's signature quick lip licks when they paused. 

She leaned over Regulus, who was sitting between them on the bench, and moved her head closer to Barty so she could ask him "How are you doing that?". 

Barty paused his perfect impression of the headmaster, and glanced at the girl eyeing him in a confused manner. 

"Shh, Effie, it's a secret." He said, smirking slightly at her. "Now pay attention." 

He returned to the rant, but didn't give Ophelia a real answer, leaving her even more confused than she was a few seconds ago. Seeing her still confused expression, Regulus smiled and rolled his eyes at the boy, then turned to answer Ophelia's question. 

"We snuck into this thing last year. I guess he gives out the same speech for every graduating class." Regulus explained. 

"Why would you sneak into a graduation instructional briefing?" Ophelia asked. 

"Just for fun." Barty shrugged. "We pretended we were in year seven and no one really noticed."

Regulus chuckled with a staggered huff of air out through his nose at the boy's answer and the memory it brought up. 

"Yeah, it wasn't that fun." Regulus added. "I mean, it was literally an exact copy of this right now."

"Sounds thrilling to me." Ophelia said sarcastically, turning her torso and returning her gaze to the old man at the front of the room. 

He went through another round of congratulating the children, then added one detail that the boys weren't expecting at all. No one was, not totally at least.

"This year, there will be no extra graduation celebration. Tonight, it will be all students receiving their final certificates and then you will all return home by the weekend. If students are caught celebrating within the school grounds, they risk losing their graduation certificate." 

The statement was met with a roomful of shocked and upset teenagers. Some were still processing the information while others were already protesting the decision. 

"That's not fair!"

"We waited seven years for this rubbish?"

"You can't take away the graduation party!"

The year seven graduation party was always the biggest event of the year, with all the new graduates celebrating the end of their academic lives with an enormous party in the Great Hall. It was always thrown by the students, but the professors never paid attention to it. In fact, some of the younger, more fun staff members would even join in from time to time. 

"There is a war at its peak right now, we cannot risk having juvenile parties to celebrate leaving the school." Dumbledore defended without even so much as looking at a single student. 

The crowd of students let out one last outburst of protests and groans, but they were swiftly cut off by Headmaster Dumbledore once again.

"That will be all. There will be no negotiations about this matter."

The bearded old man walked through the two middle tables without saying a word. He ignored all the annoyed and upset students who tried to confront him as he left the room.

He left the room and closed the door behind it, almost catching his silvery robe in the doorframe. The students didn't stop their complaints, even when he was gone.

"This is ridiculous." Regulus groaned to himself, rolling his eyes and throwing his head back slightly.

Ophelia agreed with the boy. "I know, we don't get anything from this. It's terrible."

"Seven years of hell doesn't even merit a proper graduation party, let alone a ceremony apparently." Barty scoffed. 

As he was speaking, an also frustrated Pandora came over to the Slytherin table to see her friends.

"Can you believe this wanker? Trying to take away our graduation party?" She asked. 

Her conversation starter was met by shocked faces from all three of the Slytherins she was talking to, none of whom had ever heard her say the word 'wanker' before, especially not in description of their school's headmaster. 

Despite her friends being speechless at her remark, she continued. "What if you boys played a little prank on that git?"

Barty and Regulus eyed each other, considering the idea, but Ophelia shut it down before either of them could say anything in response. 

"No. No pranks. He's not worth the effort." She said calmly. "I say we go to the stupid ceremony tonight, get our certificates, then spend a few days in Hogsmeade before we all leave." 

The others pondered the idea for a moment. 

"What if we get caught? He said no parties." Pandora asked, her confidence drastically diminishing from what it was just seconds ago. 

"What are they going to do? Kick us out?" Ophelia asked. 

"Ophelia's right." Regulus agreed. "I'll go with you, dear."

"Same." Barty added. 

Ophelia smiled after hearing the boys in agreement with her. 

"Good." She said, her voice raising in volume as she spoke. "And there can be a round at Three Broomsticks on me for anyone who would like to join us later tonight!"