"Lupin, Remus"
Remus shifted nervously before Lyra shot him reassuring look, which calmed his nerves down lightly.
"Go on, Remmy." She squeezed his hands tightly before gently pushing him towards the stage.
Remus walked over there, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed from all the attention, he glanced to the side and caught Lyra's eyes, which gave him a bit of confidence. He cleared his throat awkwardly before taking a deep breath.
"Um- Hello everyone. I really don't know what to say because I'm not quite prepared for a speech. I'll just speak my mind."
"The day I entered this school is the day that changed my life, and I'm sure it's the same thing to every other student here. But it's different for me because, I'm genuinely grateful that I have a chance to attend this school. As a child, I've always been quiet and shy, but when I met three other boys in the Hogwarts Express, my life changed completely. Those three boys have been my anchor, and believe me when I say that they are the best friends you could ever ask for. We may fight over small things, we may be polar opposites, we may have different opinions, but we will always be a family. Those three, are one of the best things that has ever happened to me. The things they've done for me, you can't imagine. Some of you might think of us as some naughty teenagers who loves pranking, and sometimes see us as annoying. I do agree, we could be a little.. hard to handle, sometimes, especially James and Sirius, but we're a family, and we do everything for each other. I've always doubted myself, always feeling insecure, and I've struggled to find myself, but I did, and it's thanks to those three, and of course, my best friend, my other half, my sister, and my everything." Remus chuckled quietly,
"Lyra, you really don't know how much you mean to me. You've always been the one I go to whenever I needed someone to talk to, and you've never failed to be there for me. You've looked out for me since day one, and you're always there to encourage me. And honestly, we all know I'm your favorite person. You've trusted me with every secret you have, and you told me everything. And that day, I knew you were my other half. You really don't know how thankful I am to have you in my life, you're the best friend anyone could ask for. You often forget to think about yourself because you're too busy taking care of others, and I'll always be there to scold you when you do that. There are no secrets between us, and I know how hard it is for you to open up sometimes. But I just want you to know that you mean the world to me and a couple others. Thank you for being you, I owe you everything I have. And to every Professor here, thank you for dealing with me and my mates, I know we're not the easiest to deal with. This is my goodbye to Hogwarts as a student, but this place will forever be in my heart." He finished.
A round of applause echoed throughout the room, and Remus joined his boyfriend on the other side of the hall who gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"Pettigrew, Peter."
Surprisingly, Peter went up confidently, and he cleared his throat before starting his speech.
"Good evening to every single person in this room. I want to start this off by saying, that I'm not the same person I was when I first arrived here. A lot has happened, and I'm glad those things happened. When I first joined Hogwarts, I was a scared little boy who looked for validation to his friends. I knew I had the best friends I would do anything for. Hogwarts shaped me to the person I am today. The first few months here, I was incapable of doing anything correctly, I tail along people, always feeling that I was living under their shadow. But that changed when Lyra confronted me about it. I'm proud to say that she changed me to who I really am. She helped me find myself, and everything I know, I learned from her. I look up to her, as does everyone else who attends Hogwarts. She's changed so many lives, and she's not even aware of it. Ly, you've changed this place into a better place, and I do know that every single student here agrees. And to my best mates, thank you for being my brothers. You've taught me how to live my life to the fullest, you've brought so much happiness to me and a lot of other people. I am grateful to call each one of you my best friends. To my Professors, I apologize on the Marauders' behalf, we've been nothing but trouble, and I sincerely apologize for that, but if I could change it, I wouldn't. The memories I've had in this place, brings me endless happiness. Thank you, Hogwarts." He finished.
"Oh wow, who knew he could present a speech like that." James gaped, staring at his best friend with wide eyes.
"You shouldn't be surprised." Lyra rolled her eyes, lightly smacking his arm.
"I know, even after years, I still can't get used to that."
"Potter, James."
"Go on, love, tell the crowd how much you love me." She joked, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.
"Oh, I will." James grinned, striding up to the stage before sending his best mates a wink.
"Good evening, my fellow students, teachers, and parents. You've all been graced by the presence of the Head Boy, me, James Potter. I would like to start this speech by saying, this won't be the last you see of the Marauders. The past seven years of my life has been the best. Not only that I've learnt so much from the Professors, by the way, thank you all for that. And not only that I've made a new legacy, found three best friends who I'll die for, I've also found the love of my life. Hogwarts taught me a lot. It taught me how to be a friend, a student, a brother, and a lover. Especially the past two years, I've realized that I've done a lot of things wrong. And I really do apologize, especially to those me and Sirius bullied. We were childish and stupid. But we've been brought to a new light, and we've grown up. I've changed over the years, and I'm sure all of you changed too. Before two years ago, I was still immature and selfish. I didn't think of the consequences to my actions, and I acted rationally. So I sincerely apologize to those I've hurt. I would also like to apologize to the Professors for tiring them out with every single prank we've pulled. We know we're a handful, but please know that it's nothing personal, and that we were just having fun. And Evans, I'm really sorry for annoying you for four years straight, I was completely out of my mind." He grinned, causing the red-head to roll her eyes playfully.
"You might ask what changed me, and to be quite honest, the answer is a bit confusing. Each one of you might know the things that has happened too often behind these walls. And I realized that my actions could affect those who were already stressed out by these Dark times. The other answer was Lyra. By now, you all must know who she is with how often her name was mentioned during our speech. But she really did change our lives, including mine. I didn't know exactly when I had fallen in love with her, but I'll tell you that when I saw her that day, her gentle tone, her caring nature, everything about her.. I fell for her. She helped me see the things I did wrong, the things my actions could have led to and how it affected others. She helped me be the person I am today. I'm proud to call her the love of my life. She's the most gentle soul you'll ever meet, but she won't hesitate to throw a hex if you wronged her. She's a strong woman, and we owe everything to her." James stared at his girlfriend with so much love in his eyes, while Lyra had her hand in her mouth, stopping herself from sobbing happily.
"Ly, I'm proud of you. Everyone here is, and I know that they are too."
They, referring to everyone in her past lives, this nearly made her break down.
"To Sirius, I really don't have anything to say because you already have too big of an ego, and I'm not going to feed you with that. Let me humble you a little bit, we all know you cry to Elvis Presley, and you're scared of ducks." James snorted, while everyone else erupted into waves of laughter.
"You can't blame me! I'm soft!" Sirius called out loudly, his cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment.
"Sure you are.. To Peter, I still can't believe you beat my pranking record.. To Remus, I really don't have anything to say either because you're Lyra's perfect angel, and if I say a single bad thing about you, she'd hex me. To Minnie, I'm going to miss you the most. But cheers to everyone here, congratulations!"
The crowd burst into another round of applause as he took his certificate and walk towards his friends. More and more students were called, giving out their speech, most of them thanking Lyra for tutoring them, thanking their friends and family for being there, thanking the Professors for the past seven years.
Until, it was only Lyra herself standing in the other side, waiting for her name to be called.
"And lastly, please welcome our valedictorian of class 1978, who has changed Hogwarts for the good, Lyra Hyperion."
Cheers echoed throughout the room as Lyra walked towards the stage carefully, a large smile painted on her face. She scanned every face in the room for a moment, before clearing her throat.
"Hello everyone, as you all know, my name is Lyra Hyperion." She greeted them.
"Ever since I was young, I've never been afraid to speak my mind. I grew up in a loving home with a loving family who spoiled me to no end. Mum, Dad, I want you to know that you're the reason that I am who I am today. Both of you have always been understanding and supportive of me, and who I became. You're one of the reasons why I do the things I do. I've always been impatient about attending Hogwarts." She laughed softly at the memory, her laughter sounding angelic to everyone in the room.
"And when I did, I made friends. And I can't put words on how much I love you all. I've stumbled upon people who struggled to find themselves, struggled to find happiness, and struggled to find a reason to live." She started, staring down at her hands.
(I want you all to read this carefully, please. I know you need this)
"I know the past few years might have been so hard to some of you. With everything going on behind these walls, it's hard not to feel stressed about it. Some of you might be dealing with loneliness, and I want you to know that you're not alone. There's always other people around you who cares about you, even if you don't see it. You're not alone. Some of you might also be dealing with anxiety, and I want you to know that you matter. You're not too loud, or too annoying, or too quiet. You're perfect just the way you are, and please stop doubting yourself. Some of you might feel like everything in your life just is crashing down, but I'll let you know everything will get better, I promise. All the toxicity in your life, perhaps the bullying, the emptiness.. I know you're struggling to hold on, I know some of you feel as if it would be better to fall back into the dark hole you've been trying so hard to avoid.. But please, hold on. It doesn't matter what others think of you, it matters what you think about yourself. You're not worthless, you matter. You are valid. Don't be afraid to be yourself, because in the end, when you have found yourself, you win. You win against every single person whose done terrible things to you, you can prove them wrong, because you are strong. You matter." She looked around the room, seeing some tearful faces.
"Ever since I attended this school, I've tried my best to befriend everyone, guide them, teach them, and being there for them. Forgive me if you weren't one of those, but I want you to know that you can talk to me, because you're valid. Hogwarts has brought me so much happiness, happiness I can't even put to words. I've given everything I have to make this school a better place. These are dark times... And please know that happiness can be found, even in the darkest times, if one remembers to turn on the light." Lyra made eye contact with Dumbledore who smiled, a twinkle on his eyes.
"I trust that each one of you will make the right choices once we leave this place. Because the choice you made affects everyone. Please take care of yourselves." She took a deep breath.
"I won't be mentioning anything about my best friends, my family, because it's personal to me, and each one of you have received a letter this morning."
"I just want to thank all of you. Thank you for being here, thank you for holding on even when you feel like everything is falling apart. Thank you for staying strong, and thank you for being you. Each and every one of you matter, remember that." She told them,
"I'm not ready to leave this place.. I know neither of you are too.. This place has taught us a lot, and brought us sad and happy memories. But the seven years you got to experience here, it's a gift. Your friends, your family.. Don't ever take them for granted, because you don't know when will be the last time you see them." She reminded all of the, thinking back to everyone she has ever lost.
The fresh tears in her eyes dropped once she closed her eyes, remembering all her loved ones, and she sniffed quietly.
"Hogwarts is, and will forever be our home. This is home." She finished, and the crowd slowly stood up, starting to applaud her speech.
"Thank you, Miss Hyperion, for that beautiful speech. And thank you for everything you've done for this school. You will-" Professor McGonagall was interrupted by the loud slam of doors.
There, stood Lucius Malfoy and his wife, Narcissa. The couple were panting heavily, eyes wide with fear.
"They're coming! Lyra! They're planning to attack today! The Death Eaters-" Lucius was then interrupted by the ground shaking.
"They're attacking the barriers." Lyra widened her eyes.