Fandom The Untold Stories of Hogwarts - 1x1 HP RP

[Edric Blight]

Aaron shook his head and sighed as Xavier protested and insisted that he was ok and that they couldn’t rest and that he needed to keep fighting. Aaron wasn’t going to let his boyfriend get any more injured on his watch. “Xavier, no!” Aaron said firmly. “You’re not going to hurt yourself anymore! You’re not fine!” Aaron said, raising his voice. “We need to find safety, ok? I’m not letting you jump back into battle in this state. You’re not getting killed in this war zone!” Aaron asserted.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier listened to Aaron, his eyes looking over at his boyfriend. He could hear the firm tone. He wanted to protest, to say that he could fight. But somehow, he knew it wouldn't matter what he said. So he relented, listening to Aaron. "I don't agree with this. Others have lost their lives and we're going to go hide?" He asked. Xavier's eyes roamed over the bodies again, before they landed on a lad in Hufflepuff clothing, ripped and torn robes. The firey red hair drew his attention at first. No, it can't be. He forced himself away from Aaron's hold and walked over to the body. Sinking to his knees, he rolled it over. Ryan. He was covered in cuts but that didn't kill him, he'd been killed with magic.

Xavier's hands fisted in his robes. "No, No. Ryan!" He knew his adopted brother was dead but he leaned forward anyway, no heart beat. He was cold. Tears streamed down Xavier's cheeks as he kneeled there, before he took Ryan's body and hugged it close. "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve t-this" He choked out. Ryan was the kindest person he'd ever known, aside from Aaron. He had helped Xavier through so much, and this was his reward? Killed by Death Eaters. He held Ryan there, silently sobbing as memories from their First year when he'd helped him with his nightmares up to him trying to comfort him when he and Aaron had been fighting ran through his mind.

 

[Edric Blight]

Unfortunately that was the thing- Aaron didn't know where they'd hide. He gulped nervously as he tried to find the right words to say and racked his brain for an idea. His main goal was just to get Xavier to safety and out of the battle for now. As they were walking, Xavier in his arms, Aaron suddenly felt Xavier rip himself away from his grasp. Aaron widened his eyes as he watched his boyfriend walking away. He opened his mouth to shout after him but then he realized where Xavier was going. He watched his boyfriend approach the body of one of the fallen Hogwarts students. The dead body laid face down, and Aaron noticed that it wore Hufflepuff robes, although they were torn and tattered. His stomach dropped when Xavier rolled the body over and revealed who it was. It was Ryan....

The Gryffindor felt a lump form in his throat as his hazel eyes widened, heart sinking as he saw that Ryan had been killed. But of course, the worst part was his boyfriend's reaction. Aaron knew how much Ryan had meant to Xavier. He had even said it himself, that Ryan was like an adopted brother to him. Their relationship somewhat resembled the close one between Aaron and Jacob Cromwell. Aaron just stood a few feet away from where his boyfriend was mourning over the body of his fallen roommate and close friend. He swallowed thickly, not knowing what to say. He was barely able to process Ryan's death and his heart hurt immensely for poor Xavier.

Aaron slowly took a few steps forward, approaching where Xavier was bent down over Ryan's lifeless dead body. He bent down and placed a gentle hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. Sure, Aaron had never liked Ryan at all. Not once did he ever even have a morsel of tolerance for the red headed boy. But now, tears swelled in his eyes not only for Xavier and his reaction to seeing someone he considered a brother killed, but for Ryan himself too. Xavier was right- he didn't deserve this, even if Aaron didn't particularly like him. No one did. He was a good kid who had stayed at Hogwarts to fight, rather than cowering away in such a time.

"I- I'm sorry, Xavier..." was all that Aaron could say, whispering softly to his boyfriend as he stood by him, hand still on his shoulder in a futile attempt to comfort him. "H- he died doing the right thing- fighting for Hogwarts, defending the innocent, valiantly," he added quietly. Aaron gulped, his gut wrenching at the scene of his boyfriend hugging Ryan's dead and lifeless body. Now, Xavier had lost someone so close to him too.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier didn't know what to do. He felt Aaron's hand on his shoulder. He heard his boyfriend's words, but he still couldn't believe it. He gently laid Ryan's body down, his throat was tight. He couldn't speak, rage filled his body. It wasn't fair. Ryan should've graduated and just like Jacob and Cedric, had long lives after school. Xavier swiped the tears off his face, he gently placed a hand on Ryan's chest. "I'll miss you. Thank you for everything you've done. You deserved to live past this, but your bravery will be remembered" Xavier said through his tears.

Standing, he looked at Aaron beside him. He turned and wrapped his arms around Aaron, his head tucked into Aaron's chest. He knew there was a battle going on, but he couldn't think about that. "It's not f-fair. No one should've died." He said, trying to calm himself down. There was more they had to do. His heart was broken, worry and exhaustion pulling at his bones. This battle wasn't over, but in that moment, he took a few minutes to enjoy his partner's comfort. He knew Aaron didn't like Ryan at all, but those words were comforting all the same. He pulled back and looked at Aaron. "We need to get moving, either towards the battle or somewhere to recover. If we stay here, we'll be found" Xavier wanted to take out his frustrations and anger at more of the Death Eaters, but Aaron was adamant that he shouldn't be fighting anymore.

 

[Edric Blight]

It was an incredibly sad sight. Ryan had died at only age seventeen, just a month before he was set to graduate from Hogwarts. The bright future the red haired boy had ahead of him was gone. A feeling of dread sank into the pit of Aaron’s stomach as he looked down at Ryan’s dead body. It was a gut wrenching and disturbing sight. He remained silent as Xavier seemed to share some last words with his deceased friend. It tugged at his heart seeing this, as he knew how much Xavier had loved Ryan like a brother. As Xavier stood up, Aaron was there to comfort him and take him in his arms.

Aaron frowned as Xavier put his head against his chest, lamenting over Ryan’s death and pointing out how unfair it all was. He was right- Ryan didn’t deserve to die. It was an injustice that such a bright young life had been taken away so quickly and cut short so tragically. He simply nodded, remaining silent but agreeing with his boyfriend’s words. Aaron just didn’t have the right words to say. Death was such a difficult issue to grapple with, especially when you weren’t even a full adult yet. Although Aaron had resented Ryan took pretty much the first time he had seen the boy, in this moment, his heart hurt for the boy and he grieved like Ryan had been his own friend.

Despite Ryan’s death, the battle raged on. It wasn’t going to stop just because someone close to either of them had died. They weren’t safe, and had to move. Seeing how deeply Ryan’s death had affected Xavier, Aaron didn’t know if he could stop his boyfriend from fighting, even if he was injured. “You’re right. It’s your call. I’ll gladly stay and fight by your side if you choose but I also don’t want you getting hurt anymore,” said Aaron.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier looked up at Aaron, he hadn't expected those words from his boyfriend. In fact moments ago, he was dead set on keeping Xavier out of the battle. Xavier took a step back, his fists clenching. He had to fight, but how much longer could he go on before his own injuries would slow him down. "Let's head to the kitchens. If the battles there, we'll fight. If its not, we can duck into my houses common room to recuperate" Xavier said. It was the best of both worlds. If he could fight, then he would but if there was no fight he'd rest like his boyfriend had originally asked of him.

He took Aaron's hand, running a thumb over the back of it. "Thank you for that by the way." He said, referring to the hug and him trying to comfort Xavier. He'd take the time after this was all done to grieve properly. Xavier looked at his boyfriend, his eyes were hard and at the same time, shiny with tears that he'd yet to shed. So much death and destruction in one place, and it was all unwarranted. It was all because one wizard wanted all the power and to kill the one person who could stop him.

 

[Edric Blight]

Aaron nodded as Xavier formulated a plan. He was certainly glad that Xavier had the brains he lacked. Not that Aaron was dumb by any means, but he was certainly the brawn of the couple. He then felt Xavier take his hand and run a thumb gently over it. It made his heart flutter and he felt weirdly at peace for a brief moment in all of the war and destruction. “Of course,” he whispered back to his boyfriend, “Anything for my sweetheart,” he told him. With that, Aaron knew they had no time to waste. “We should get going Xaie,” he said, urging him on, as much as he enjoyed sharing a brief tender moment. They didn’t have time for any of that. This was a war- a battle raged on.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier nodded, listening to Aaron. He began to lead the way through the bodies. He was still moving slow, but he was more sure on his feet now that he'd had a chance to catch his breath. Xavier walked down the hallways, keeping an eye out for Death Eaters as he did so. The hallways were quiet, very quiet. Something wasn't right. Where did they all go? Xavier had turned the corner and froze, running straight into three Death Eaters stalking through the halls. Xavier dropped Aaron's hand and drew his wand, his eyes lit up with fire. Did he want to do more than simple defense spells? Yep. Did he feel anger at the loss of his adopted brother? Yep. So what did Xaie do? He let them have it, firing off spells to send them flying backwards. He sent them each, one by one flying against the castle and hitting the floor. He watched to see them get up, and each time he sent them flying further and further. His favorite spell. He finally stopped sending them backwards and bound them. He didn't want to kill them, he didn't want to kill anyone. So, he disoriented them, beat them up simply with sending them against the castles stone floor and then bound them up with a binding charm. Let the dementors have them. That's a fate worse than death anyway. Xavier looked back at Aaron, the kitchen wasn't much further.

 

[Edric Blight]

Aaron followed Xavier as they made their way into the castle. Aaron tried not to look down too much as he stepped over many dead bodies of his fellow classmates. There was so much death- no one deserved this, having their lives cut so short. But he tried to remain strong as he headed into the hallways. He held Xavier’s hand and noticed how eerily quiet it was inside. As they turned a corner, Xavier had ran right into three darkly cloaked figures- Death Eaters. Aaron’s heart leapt and his adrenaline surged, his body going on high alert.

Aaron didn’t have much time to react as he felt Xavier drop his hand and go to draw his wand, pointing it at the three Death Eaters. He stood there watching in awe as Xavier so effortlessly handled them, disarmed and disoriented them, rendering them useless. He hadn’t killed any of them but managed to blast them away so that they could get past. Aaron quickly grabbed Xavier’s hand and ran towards the kitchen with his boyfriend as the Death Eaters, disoriented, tried to collect themselves and get up. Luckily Xavier had seemed to injure them so they didn’t end up catching up, having to tend to their own wounds.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier ran towards the kitchens, Aaron beside him. As they came to it, all that was there were bodies. Students and Death Eaters alike. They were too late. Xavier knew they should've come straight here. Maybe some of them could've been saved. He pushed a hand through his hair. He had told Aaron if the fight was done, they'd go rest and recover. But, what if there are more out there? What if they could save others simply by carrying on and going further. No, something wasn't right. The castle had become quiet, very quiet. "Aaron, something's not right. Where are the explosions and the chaos? Its quiet" He looked around. Was it over already?

Xavier had no clue what to do now. Sure, he was great at coming up with plans, but he'd never had to come up with plans in a battle before. This was a foreign concept to him. He was only seventeen like the others. Xavier backed up from the kitchen. "I know I said we'd go rest if there is no battle, but I think we need to go back up to the Great Hall." Xavier said. What he didn't know was that the Great Hall was no longer standing as it used to. It had been blown open, and it was to be the home of the greatest duel of this battle. "What do you think?" He asked Aaron, his head turning to his partner. He didn't want to make all the choices, all the decisions. "We can rest in my common room or go help fight" He wanted a second opinion in this.

 

[Edric Blight]

As the two got to the kitchen, Aaron took a look at the death and destruction. It appeared that they were too late. Bodies were sprawled across the floor- there had been a brutal battle here. Aaron’s heart sunk seeing more dead Hogwarts students many of whom were his fellow Gryffindors. It was very quiet in the kitchen, unsettlingly so. Aaron looked over as Xavier pointed out how silent it was. The boy had a nervous and worried look in his hazel eyes. He stopped and thought about the two options Xavier had presented him. He knew in his gut what the valiant decision was. He wasn’t going to cower away from this. “Let’s go help fight. We’re going to the Great Hall,” he said with a determined and confident nod, knowing his boyfriend probably agreed with the decision.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier nodded. He was ready to fight. He'd seen enough death for his lifetime and if he could prevent it, he would. "Let's go" He said, leading the way down the hallways, it was a short trip to the Great Hall. As the pair of them made it to the entrance without encountering more Death Eaters, Xavier's jaw dropped. The Great Hall had been demolished, the entire back of it where the teachers would sit was gone. Rubble all over with fallen bodies of students and Death Eaters all around. A large crowd was near the back. Xavier led the way to the crowd, hearing whispers all around, but as he pushed through to see. There was Hagrid, holding a familiar Gryffindor in his arms, the body was slack and unmoving. It was Harry Potter. He was dead. Lord Voldemort stood there taunting the school about how their famous boy who lived was dead.

 

[Edric Blight]

Aaron followed closely behind Xavier as they made their way to the Great Hall. The scene that awaited them was disturbing. The room in which they used to share meals and eat was obliterated and a former shell of its old self. There was blood and dead bodies everywhere mixed with rubble. A huge crowd of Hogwarts students and teachers had gathered. At the center was the half giant and scruffy black bearded man, Hagrid, holding a body in his arms. A pale man with no nose stood triumphantly, celebrating and taunting everyone, declaring that Harry Potter was dead, his Death Eaters standing behind him. It was Lord Voldemort.

Aaron’s stomach sank and his heart dropped. The body that Hagrid was holding in his hands was a lifeless boy in Gryffindor robes with familiar glasses. It was indeed Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived was no more. “No….” whispered Aaron, a lump forming in his throat. The whole Hogwarts crowd seemed stunned. Hagrid looked extremely depressed, holding the boy he had helped come to Hogwarts in his arms. The hero of Hogwarts was dead.

 

[EquineGurl23]

As Xavier was taking in the scene in front of him, several things started happening at once. Lord Voldemort's giants had come over the walls while the centaurs from the forbidden forest joined the fray. Suddenly everyone was in motion, trying to avoid getting stepped on by the giants. Xavier pulled Aaron away as the students and Death Eaters alike were forced back into the entrance hall. Whenever a Death Eater crossed their path in, Xavier would knock them to the side with a spell. In the chaos, no one had seen that Harry managed to cover himself with the cloak of invisibility that he had and Death Eaters started dropping from an unknown source.

As the two made it into the entrance hall, they watched a duel between Voldemort's right hand, the crazy witch Bellatrix and a bright red haired older witch. Xavier didn't pay it any mind until he heard a scream. Whipping around, he saw the crazy witch dead, and then the world stopped. The chaos had settled again, everything going dead still as Harry Potter emerged in the center, facing Lord Voldemort. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. This was the final duel, the final fight between good and evil. All the Death Eaters had been defeated or killed leaving Lord Voldemort facing off against Harry Potter.

 

[Edric Blight]

Aaron swallowed thickly, coming to terms with the fact that one of Hogwarts’ biggest and heroic defenders was dead. Harry Potter was his fellow Gryffindor housemate, friend, and teammate. He had a kind and valiant heart and the courage of a lion. Now he had been killed. It slowly sunk in that all hope was lost. Aaron felt that with Harry dead, Voldemort may as well have won the war. Suddenly, Voldemort’s giants began to crash through the walls of the castle, showering down rubble and debris. Everyone had to run to avoid getting either hit with debris or stepped on by a giant.

Aaron ran with Xavier towards the exit to the destroyed Great Hall and they could see an intense duel going on and hear a scream. Aaron turned around to see that the wildly insane witch Bellatrix Lestrange had been killed by a red haired older woman. He could hear Voldemort cry out in pain. To his utter disbelief, in the center of it all, he saw the figure of a battered Gryffindor stand up tall, preparing to face off and duel against the Dark Lord himself. Aaron’s eyes widened- it was Harry Potter. Harry Potter was alive.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier could only stand there and watch. The two wizards circled each other, the conversation between them he could not hear. Xavier felt himself stepping closer to Aaron, their shoulders brushed together. This dance seemed like it was going on forever and it very well could if either chose to keep it up. This duel here would determine everything. Either the good guys would win, taking down the Dark Lord once and for all or they'd lose and the Wizarding world would be under his rule. No one wanted that, and Xavier found himself waiting with baited breath.

Suddenly, the dance stopped. Harry and Lord Voldemort pointed their wands and cast a spell each at the same time. Xavier leaned forward slightly, seeing the two spells colliding in the middle. Harry's met Voldemort's and it seemed as though the two spells were equally matched. Xavier had to squint but Voldemort's spell seemed to be rebounding? Then it hit him, sending the Dark Lord to the ground lifeless. Everything was still for a moment, before cheers erupted from the students. The Dark Lord had been killed, ending the second Wizarding war. His forces fleeing the school grounds, and the Death Eaters that had been knocked out or bound were captured. Xavier felt his entire body go lax as he realized it was finally over. It was all done. They'd won.

 

[Edric Blight]

Both the students and teachers of Hogwarts, including Aaron and Xavier, as well as the Death Eaters stood back as they circled and watched Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter confront each other and face off in a duel that would determine the future of the wizarding world. The Death Eaters had strict orders from Lord Voldemort that Harry was not to be killed by anyone but him, so they stood back as their master prepared to end Harry Potter once and for all. Everyone else knew that Harry Potter was the only one who could defeat the Dark Lord. He had done it as a toddler and now he had the chance to do it again and finally seal Voldemort’s fate for good.

Aaron couldn’t quite make out what was being said from where he was but clearly the Dark Lord and Harry were sharing a few words with each other before they drew their wands. He watched as flashes of lights came from each of their wands and the two battled, both trying to gain the upper hand. No one seemed to be gaining on the other and it appeared that the Dark Lord and Harry Potter were evenly matched. The stream of light emitting from their wands met in the middle and neither was able to push through.

Suddenly, Lord Voldemort’s spell seemed to have rebounded, going back and hitting him. Aaron and everyone else watched as the Dark Lord froze, slowly falling backwards and hitting the floor, remaining unmoving and lifeless on the ground. Aaron couldn’t believe it- it seemed too good to be true. Harry Potter had won. They had won. Good triumphed over evil. The Dark Lord Voldemort was officially dead. Voldemort’s Death Eaters began to flee seeing that their master and the most powerful of them all was dead. All that was left was the destroyed Hogwarts school and the bodies piled up everywhere. The most significant of which was Voldemort’s. The Dark Lord was gone.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier turned his head to look at Aaron. It had been an insane battle, and as they all cheered, rushing Harry and congratulating him. Xavier felt himself sway a little. Shaking his head, he smiled. "We did it, all of us" He said, his eyes catching onto Aarons. Xavier turned his body to his boyfriend and wrapped him up in a hug. They were safe, there was no more threats. Now was a time to heal and to grieve for the students lost. He had set his head on Aaron's shoulder when he'd hugged him, holding the teen close. From here, he saw Professor McGongall set up the house tables for those who needed the spot to rest, but no one was sitting by house. He pulled back from Aaron, looking at him. "C-Can we go sit down" Everything that he'd been through, the fighting and the injuries, he was tired and his legs felt like jelly now that the adrenaline had started to wear off.

 

[Edric Blight]

Aaron could hear a few cheers as many rushed to congratulate and praise Harry Potter for finally defeating the Dark Lord. Aaron was happy that it was all over but couldn’t bring himself to celebrate or even smile. They had lost too much and seen some horrible things. This was going to hurt for a long time. He let himself sink into the hug that Xavier gave him, still processing everything in his boyfriend’s embrace. They had won- it was really all over. With no Voldemort, the Death Eaters had no powerful leadership. They would all be caught and captured by the Ministry and sent to Azkaban to hopefully rot for eternity. Aaron said nothing, his face remaining stoic as he nodded at Xavier and led him to one of the tables to rest and sit down.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier could sense something was off as they sat down. He looked at his boyfriend, he had no idea how to help. How does one heal from all this? How can anyone expect to heal. He wasn't used to Aaron being quiet and stoic like he was now. It actually unnerved Xavier and he started fiddling with his hands to get rid of that nervous energy. He leaned against Aaron, hoping his touch would do something. This was something that neither boy knew how to cope with, especially with what they'd witnessed this afternoon. Xavier wished he could go back to last month, last week, hell even yesterday when all they had to worry about were exams and heavy lectures during class. Xavier took Aaron's hand in his gently, and took to biting his lip as way to release the nervous energy instead of fiddling with his hands. There were no words he could say to make this better.

 

[Edric Blight]

Aaron just sat closely to his boyfriend. He wrapped an arm around Xavier and pulled him close as they shared a moment of silence. The sun seemed to peak through the clouds, symbolic of their victory. The war was won, but at a heavy cost. Aaron was just thankful that he still had Xavier by his side and alive. They had won. They had won for Jacob, they had won for Cedric, and they had won for Ryan.

 

[EquineGurl23]

It had been a little over a month since the big battle of Hogwarts. Xavier had taken a week off so his injuries could heal. He did have a scar from the fire whip that had cut up his chest towards his neck. There were smaller scars as well but the one over his chest bugged him the most in terms of having to see whenever he changed. He had started studying after that week as a way to keep his mind occupied from having to cope with what he'd seen. Due to the circumstances, rules had been relaxed for the remaining students. He took his normal exams and the NEWT exam as well. He wasn't sure how he had done, but he felt good about it. He had also stuck close to Aaron every chance he had, even though the danger was gone, it was comfort he was seeking now.

The sun woke Xavier up this morning, not the voice of his roommate. He'd never slept in a room on his own in his entire years at Hogwarts. It was silent and he hated it. Usually he'd hear little snores and grumbles from his red headed roommate, but not anymore. As Xavier got dressed in his robes for the day, he looked at the bed. "I'm sorry Ryan, you didn't deserve any of it. You should be walking with us today" He said, resting a hand on the fabric. At some point in the last month, his things had been taken away. Today was June 23rd. Graduation day had come for the seventh year students. It was being held out on the Quidditch Pitch, which had been transformed into a stage. Parents of the surviving students were gathered in chairs lining one edge of the pitch with a stage on the other side.

Xavier made his way out of the common room and into the hallway. Flashes of the bodies and the battle would hit him every so often when he walked through the halls. The school had done a great job at repairs but the memories were there etched into the stone floor and walls. He walked past the Great Hall which was still being worked on, and out towards the pitch. The Seventh years were lined up by last name which meant that Xavier was going to be a few students away from Aaron. He waved to his boyfriend as he stepped into his place. Graduation day was here. It was a celebratory time.

 

[Edric Blight]

Luckily, Aaron had come out of the battle relatively unscathed. All he had were a few gashes and cuts but all of them healed naturally over time. Xavier had it a bit worse than him but luckily he had healed and recovered fairly quickly. The wizarding world was now a better place. Good had won and triumphed over evil. Aaron never forgot what he had seen the day of the final battle of the war that took place at Hogwarts, but tried his best to push it out of his mind by studying for his remaining final exams and spending time with his boyfriend. Some seventh years opted not to come back to finish out their last semester at Hogwarts, like fellow Gryffindors Ron Weasley and even Harry Potter. But Aaron had stayed back to finish his seventh year along with Xavier. For once, there was no more danger and Aaron no longer feared for his and more importantly, his boyfriend’s safety. He stuck close and spent a lot of time with Xavier in the remaining weeks left of school.

Eventually all of the seventh years that had chosen to return had taken their exams and with that, a very traumatic and eventful year at Hogwarts came to a close. Eventually, June 23rd, 1998 came around. Today was the day that all of the remaining and surviving seventh years got to officially graduate from Hogwarts. Unfortunately due to the war, there were a lot less students in their class year than there were when they all came to Hogwarts in 1991 as young eleven year old first years. Many of their former classmates had their lives taken from them in the war. Aaron awoke that morning to the usual sight of an empty bed beside him. It had been this way ever since his third year when Jacob died in 1993.

Aaron yawned and got dressed in his robes, having performed a spell to smooth out the wrinkles so he looked his best for graduation. His parents were visiting today to see him walk- his dad returning to Hogwarts for the first time since he had graduated many years ago and his mother for the very first time ever. Aaron solemnly walked over to the bed that used to belong to Jacob Cromwell and sighed, placing a hand atop the neatly folded covers which hadn’t been touched since the house elves cleared Jacob’s belongings from the room after his death. “We’re graduating, Jacob. We’re really graduating mate,” he said softly, smiling fondly and thinking about his late friend and roommate. “I wish you were here with us…” he whispered, bowing his head.

Maybe it was a bit silly but Aaron wore a small crimson colored flower pinned to his robe in honor of Jacob Cromwell. He of course wore the small Gryffindor Quidditch pin that Xavier had gotten him for Christmas during their first year, and wore his golden locket around his neck which he never took off. He then headed out to the Quidditch pitch which had been converted to house the parents and to hold the graduation ceremony. Aaron found it fitting that he’d be ending his time at Hogwarts on the very pitch where he had played so many games. The seventh year students were instructed to line up alphabetically so unfortunately that meant Aaron couldn’t stand with Xavier.

But he knew they’d share a hug and a kiss once the graduation walking ceremony was over, so he wasn’t too distraught. The Quidditch pitch, along with the rest of the school, had managed to be mostly repaired. Scars of war still lingered though- especially in the minds of the surviving students like Aaron. But today was a day for happiness and celebration. They had come so far after these seven years and they were finally completing their magical schooling. Aaron had gone from a wide eyed and curious boy that knew nothing about magic to being proficient in it and now looking to have a promising career in the popular magical wizarding sport, Quidditch.

Aaron gave a small wave and a smile to Xavier as he noticed him before stepping in like along with the H last names. His eyes scanned the crowd and he could see the proud faces of his mother and father. Their son was officially a wizard- officially an adult. Aaron wasn’t their cute little baby boy anymore. He was a handsome, mature young man.

 

[EquineGurl23]

Xavier had made it to his place. He wore the pin his parents had gotten him on his chest, the matching one to Aaron's though his said Hufflepuff and was black and gold. The locket was around his neck as it would be forever. He adjusted his robes again, before he scanned the crowd of parents. He spotted his mother and father, both returning to the school for the first time since their own graduation. He stood tall, no longer that short nervous shy eleven year old, but a confident, talented and smart wizard with the makings of a duelist and professor in his future. He'd changed a lot over the seven years, not only physically but mentally and emotionally. His shyness was transformed into confidence, the nervousness gave way to knowing he could handle anything.

Looking back on his schooling, he remembered himself being beaten up and broken by his roommate and at the end, he'd faced him again but this time, it was Eric who was on the floor. He'd beaten the demon that had haunted his nightmares for years and that had changed something in him. Any doubts of who he'd become had vanished. Xavier was strong, he was smart and he knew what his worth was. As he pondered the change from young child to young man, the new Headmistress was addressing the parents. Professor McGongall had been made Headmistress of Hogwarts after Professor Snape had been found dead in the shrieking shack on the school grounds.

"Parents of our Seventh year students, it is with great honor and respect that these students deserve a special round of applause. They stood up for the school, defended it and protected those that needed it. I am pleased to be providing them all with their graduation here today. Each student has shown exemplary skill and knowledge and that will serve them in their years beyond this school" She spoke. Then the procession began. The A's, B's and first part of the C's went by rather quickly. Xavier swallowed his nerves as he heard his name called. "Collins, Xavier. Hufflepuff" He stepped out onto the stage and heard the cheering and the applause. He took his graduation parchment as Headmistress McGongall shook his hand. "Excellent job in defending our school" She told him as he nodded. Xavier walked over to the chairs that had been placed on the opposite side of the stage for the students. He didn't know but she was telling each student who'd fought that they had done an excellent job. Xavier looked over and waited to see Aaron complete his walk.

 

[Edric Blight]

The graduation ceremony was to be led by the newly appointed headmistress and former deputy headmistress under the late Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonogall. McGonogall had taken over after the death of Severus Snape, who had been killed by Voldemort’s own snake Nagini (who Neville Longbottom would later slay during the Battle of Hogwarts). It soon came out that Snape was much more of a good person and a heroic man than anyone ever knew. Despite his seeming hatred for Harry Potter in particular and in general, all children he taught, he was only trying to protect Harry and set his students up for success. A more mature Aaron looked back and appreciated what Snape had done for him and his resentment of the strict and hard-nosed professor turned into respect.

But potions class and everything else was now behind him. It was time to graduate. Aaron grinned as McGonogall began the procession, the parents giving a round of applause before the names were called. Of course they started with the A’s then went onto the B’s, then C’s where Xavier was. As Xavier’s name and last name were called, Aaron looked at his boyfriend with pride gleaming in his eyes. He was so incredibly proud of Xavier and wanted to run up there and kiss him on the spot, but held back from doing so. Soon enough, they hit the H last names and Aaron was called. “Hoskins, Aaron! Gryffindor!” headmistress McGonogall announced.

Aaron stood up straight and walked up to his former transfiguration professor to receive his diploma and shake her hand. The crowd clapped and particularly applauding loudly were Aaron’s parents, proud of their boy. Aaron glanced over at Xavier and gave him a little wink.