authors note: the last and only graduation elodie and the twins will ever attend. enjoy it while it lasts!
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
Elodie had only been to one Hogwarts graduation before now, which was Charlie Weasley's back in 1989; and that had been interrupted halfway through when one of the baby dragons he brought sent the marquee on fire.
This one was far more elegant: the rows of chairs were draped in white and pink flowers, and Forrest was standing in his black dress robes up on the platform with the rest of the graduates. She thought he looked handsome, and proud.
"You look dashing." A voice came from behind Elodie. Fred and George were in slightly tattered red robes alongside the rest of their siblings. They were there for Percy, of course. Elodie wondered if he was going to give a speech-being headboy, and all.
"Weasley." She smiled. "As do you."
Fred smirked. "Was that a compliment? From Elodie Florence?"
"Nope, meant George." Elodie waved a dismissive hand over her shoulder.
George grinned smugly at his twin. "Els likes me bett-" He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence, because Lee came up and put his arms around the twins jovially.
"Hiya, mates. Fancy seeing you here." He was decked in casual attire, as was the Lee Jordan way, but had his hair tied back more formally than usual. He was there for his sister, Lola, who was in Ravenclaw.
"Hi." George smiled weakly. Fred rolled his eyes and detached from the two boys, striding up to talk to Elodie.
"Now there's two people who should just shag already." He said amusedly, glancing back at his brother. "They're worse than us, honestly."
Elodie slapped his arm, which was trying to snake around her waist. "I don't think anyone is worse than you."
Fred sighed, slipping his hand into his pocket instead. "You are."
"I am not."
"You so are!"
"Try me, Mr. Don't-ask-questions-you-don't-want-the-answer-to."
"I thought we were never talking about that again." Fred groaned.
Elodie grinned slyly at him. "But it's such good blackmail."
Fred glared at her. "You drive me crazy, Florence."
"My pleasure." Elodie winked, and flounced off to take her seat.
It was in the back, because most of the places were reserved for family-only. The Weasley's, being relatives of the headboy, were sitting in the very front, as far away from Elodie as you could get. This made her a little sad, because she was accustomed to playing hand games with Ginny during long ceremonies. But this was what growing up was, apparently.
Dumbledore was standing at the front, beaming. "Quiet down now, quiet down." He adressed the crowd, and everyone settled into their seats. One woman was juggling twin babies on her lap. Elodie smiled at her.
"Welcome to the graduation of our class of 94'. I daresay this is a long awaited day, for some of you." Some of the graduates gave appreciative chuckles. "I would like to congratulate our seventh year students on their preservation and..."
Trust Dumbledore to give the most austere speech ever. Elodie almost missed the dragon. She zoned in and out of Dumbledore's monologue, mostly focusing on Forrest or the gurgling babies beside her.
She caught her boyfriend's eye and blew a kiss, which made him smile. It was Percy's turn to speak next, and his valedictory was even more dull than Dumbledore's. How that boy was related to the twins, Elodie had no idea.
"Farewell to my fellow classmates, and farewell Hogwarts." Percy ended to a load of applause. The graduates all walked to the stage to receive their certificates, and the ceremony was over. It was much shorter than Elodie had expected, but that was a great relief: it was sweltering outside.
She had struck up a conversation with the mother next to her, who was surprised to learn that Elodie "knew a thing or two about raising twins".
The two women talked for a while-Mary, the mother, had gratefully accepted Elodie's help in holding one of the boys, who was clutching one of her fingers with his tiny hands.
"Els! Who have we here?" Fred came up behind her, grinning down at the babies. Their names were Sage and Basil, because Mary worked on a medical herbology farm.
"Mary, this is Fred, who I was telling you about. Best not let him near your children." Elodie introduced her friend jokingly.
"Wotcher, Mary. Don't listen to Els, I happen to be great with kids." Fred said, looking adoringly at Basil.
"And you must be George." Mary smiled at Fred's twin.
"Wow, am I that famous?" George grinned. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"
"Macdonald." Mary replied. "Elodie was just telling me about her own experience dealing with twins. I just had these two not half a year ago." She gestured to Sage and Basil.
"Dealing." Fred shook his head. "We're ages older than Els."
"By a week." Elodie rolled her eyes. She shifted Basil on her hip while he played with a strand of her hair.
"And a half!" George added.
"Anyways, don't worry about these two. Twins are easy." Fred reassured Mary, pulling a face at Sage to make him giggle.
"I have a feeling I'm being lied to." Mary laughed. She had a pretty laugh; unrestrained and throaty. "But I'll take it."
"We'd better get back to our brother. Y'know, the prat who made the speech." Fred sighed. "Who are you here for, Mary?"
"My cousin's daughter. She's over there, I'd expect she would rather be with her friends." Mary lowered her voice. "But I'm really here to see an old friend. Do you know where I might find Remus Lupin?"
"Oh." Elodie glanced down at Basil to avoid Mary's eye. "He left today, actually. I think he might be in England?"
That was a very broad and unhelpful statement, but it was all Elodie knew.
"Oh, he'll be in Chinatown, then. Thank you, darling. I've been meaning to pay a visit for a while now, actually." Mary mulled, bouncing Sage absentmindedly.
"I'd better get to my boyfriend as well, but it was wonderful to meet you, Ms. Macdonald." Elodie smiled, kissing Basil gently on the head.
Mary grinned. "The handsome one? With the brown hair? Ah, some birds really do have all the luck."
Elodie blushed, and Fred scowled. She could see him trying to keep his composure in front of Mary and the little boys. They said their final goodbyes to her, and set out to where the graduates were all chatting amongst themselves.
"You're going to make an excellent mother one day." Fred remarked fondly once they were out of earshot from Mary. "Think of all the little kids... like our own personal army."
Elodie pulled a face. "Fat chance you're going to get me to have kids with you, Weasley. Our child would be like the devil raised from hell."
"A little, adorable, ginger, devil." George added, grinning.
"It's definitely going to happen." Fred nodded firmly. "We're going to create a Weasley-Florence family mafia."
"You could already create a Weasley mafia, you don't need me for that." Elodie reasoned, although she rather adored the idea of a large family, being an only child.
Fred was ignoring her. "We have to do original names, not like the whole "naming it after your father" guff."
"Kiwi..."
"Mick Jagger."
"Absolutely not." Elodie shook her head, trying not to laugh. "And stop trying to name my children!"
"Who's children are we naming?" Forrest came up behind them, putting his arms around Elodie.
"Definitely not mine." She said. "And congratulations, darling, you did wonderfully."
"Mine." Fred replied proudly. "And yeah, kudos, mate."
That was the most civil Elodie had ever seen Fred be towards Forrest. She was impressed.
"Thanks," Forrest said warily.
The twins wandered off to find Percy, presumably to give him some kind of cursed gift. Elodie smiled at Forrest, searching his face for a new kind of maturity. He wasn't a student anymore. Merlin, did that mean she was dating an adult? Gosh, that was scary to think about. Elodie couldn't picture herself anywhere but Hogwarts.
"What now?" She asked, frowning slightly, putting her arms around his neck.
"We have a summer." Forrest reasoned. "And the post."
It didn't seem like enough, but Elodie didn't say anything.
"Okay."