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| 44 |
| July, 2007 |
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| Professor Alba Dumbledore
Headmistress of PadsHogwarts *As all the students gathered in the Great Hall & took their seats at their house tables, the staff filed in from a door in the back & took their places at the staff table. Seated in the center of the staff table was the Headmistress, Prof. Alba Dumbledore. It was customary that before the End of Term Banquet got underway, she was to give a speech. When it seemed that everyone was in their seats, PAD stood & began to speak. * "Good evening one & all to the End of Term Banquet for the 2006-2007 term! *applause* It's been quite a year, hasn't it? Although it's sad to see it come to an end, this ending also marks a new beginning in which we are about to embark upon together. *clears throat* As endings often go, we sometimes have to say goodbye to fellow students & staff that we've come to know & love over time. The good news is, however, that where one leaves another is there to take their place. So without further ado, I'd like to go over some staff changes that we will be experiencing. *pauses for a moment, looks over at Prof. Robert Weasley, & then back out at the students* It is with a heavy heart that I announce Prof. Robert Weasley will be leaving Hogwarts this summer. As most of you know, Prof. Weasley taught Paranormal Phenomenon & he also runs various shops that we frequent. The good news is that his business ventures are so prosperous that he will be devoting all his time to them. So although we will be seeing him from time to time, we will no longer be seeing him here. Prof. Weasley has been with us since we opened & started off as a student in Ravenclaw. He graduated 2 years ago & has made quite a living for himself. *turns to him again & begins to get choked up* Robert...you will be sorely missed. Merlin's speed to you in all that you do & please come back to see us when you can. *applause* I am also sad to announce that Professors Tabatha Moonstar & Kiley Morrigan will also be leaving us this summer. Prof. Moonstar taught Irish Folklore & Language & Prof. Morrigan taught Muggles Studies, German, & substituted for Herbology at the beginning of term. Neither of them have been with us long but the void they shall leave behind will not be easily filled. Ladies... *turns to them both* ...Merlin's speed to you in your bright futures! *applause* *pauses to pull out some note cards* Although we will be saying goodbye to 3 highly gifted staff members, we will be saying hello 2 two others! The first I'd like to introduce you to is Prof. Stephan O'Connell who will be teaching a new class this term called Wizarding Occupations as well as heading up testing for OWLS & NEWTS. Welcome, Stephan! *applause* The second is a former staff member, Prof. Nathan Weasley, who will be teaching Flying Lessons this term! Welcome back, Nathan! *applause* *smiles* Well, that covers our arrivals & departures as it were. Now there are some very important changes that I need to announce so please bear with me. *pulls out more note cards* The first change that will be taking place is that Prof. Gilderoy Lockhart will no longer be Quidditch Chairman. He is turning Quidditch over to Cedric Cenn F�elad who has been working closely with him for some time now & is highly capable of running Quidditch for us. Well done, Cedric, & thanks for all your hard work, Gilderoy! *applause* Next, it is with a very heavy heart that I announce our beloved Prof. Lily Fairydust is stepping down from her Head of Ravenclaw position due to time constraints. She will remain on staff as a Deputy Headmistress, however, & plans to continue teaching History of Hogwarts so we don't really have to say goodbye. Taking her place in Ravenclaw as Head of House will be graduating student & current Senior Prefect Taylor Wallace! Taylor will be teaching Muggle Studies & German & will make a fine replacement for Prof. Fairydust! Let's hear it for both of them, shall we? *applause* Finally, probably the most shocking change that will be taking place, I must announce that Prof. Severus Snape will also be stepping down from his Head of Slytherin position so that he can devote more time to Potions, DADA, Magical Myths, the Dueling Club, & the MOM Committee. He will remain on staff as a Deputy Headmaster as well, so he's not really leaving us, just the Slytherin Common Room. Taking his place in Slytherin as Head of House will be graduating student & current Prefect Seraphina Rosehill! Seraphina will be teaching Paranormal Phenomenon & possibly one other class to be announced later & will also make a fine replacement for Prof. Snape. Let's give them both a hand, shall we? *applause* Another change taking place this year is the selection of the Head Boy, Head Girl, & Prefects. Rather than taking applications for these positions like we do every year, we felt enough changes on staff were taking place as it is & didn't want to upset the balance anymore than we had to. The Heads of House have already put their staff together behind the scenes & now I am here to tell you who they all are. Please stand as I call your name & please hold all applause until I am finished. *clears throat* Remaining on as Head Boy is Cedric Cenn F�elad. Also remaining on as Head Girl is Ava Black. Penshire's Senior Prefect will be Samuel Craft & Penshire's Prefects will be Bryony Casten & Thomasina Sealy. Gryffindor's Senior Prefect will be Audrea Martin & Gryffindor's Prefects will be Kristin Johnson & Megan Miller. Ravenclaw's Senior Prefect will be Summer Levy & Ravenclaw's Prefects will be Myrrima Goldenleaf & Will Potter. Hufflepuff's Senior Prefect will be Zoey Taylor & Hufflepuff's Prefects will be Ronald Weasley & Adrianna La Cerva. Finally, Slytherin's Senior Prefect will be Tom Riddle & Slytherin's Prefects will be Avin Holmes & Jess Dark Wing. Let's hear it for all of these fine students for their accomplishments! *applause* Now that all that is out of the way, I just want to say that we've seen many hardships throughout this term. Some were more difficult to overcome than others, but in the end they have brought those of us that remain closer together. It is through these hardships that we grow & mature & become better people in the end. I'd like to think we've all grown & matured this past term & look forward to carrying that new growth & maturity into next term so that we can be happier & stronger than we've ever been. *tears up* As I say every year, all of you are like family to me & I love each & every one of you. If it weren't for you & the vibrant life you breathe into these walls, we would have crumbled & fell a very long time ago. Thanks to each of you for the sacrifices you've made & the support you've given. Your dedication to this fine school has paid off & we are a united front with a deep rooted bond running among us that can never be unbroken. Cherish this for it is this love & devotion that will carry us forward into next term & get us started off on the right foot. *applause* Now... *clears throat*... without further ado, let's eat!" *Food magically appears on the tables before everyone & the Headmistress takes her seat as all begin to feast.* |
| End of Term Speeches! |
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| Professor Cecilia Opal
Head of Gryffindor Deputy Headmistress *Standing up, Professor Opal looks out at the hungry and eager faces of the Hogwarts students and begins her speech.* Another year has come and gone- quite quickly too! We experienced many things this past term. Some great things and some not so great things, but no matter what each experience has helped us grow as a school. Now looking back at the beginning of the term, we can see how much we�ve changed for the better. We�re stronger, larger, and more united. This school has come a long way since I joined five years ago, and I know it will continue to change and grow into an even better home for us. Speaking of changes, there are a few more happening with the staff, which you all have heard by now. What�s most important is to remember to embrace these changes, and know without them Hogwarts wouldn�t be the same. With it comes fresh ideas and I can�t wait to see what great things the new additions to the staff will bring. I know we can expect nothing but hard work and dedication. So let�s give them our full support, because I know they'll all do amazing! *Turning to the Gryffindor table, Professor Opal smiled as she continued on with her speech.* I�d also like to thank my Gryffindors for another wonderful year. You�ve made me a very proud Head of House, and every day I�m so thankful to have such great students. All year long you�ve worked hard, and I know how much dedication and strength you have. The effort and work so many people contributed to the house, can�t even be summed up. All I can say is thank you for showing your lion pride, and having the courage and strength. The house wouldn�t be the same without the help from each student, and I wish I could thank each and every one of you, but I�ll try and make this as short as I can. Sadly, we'll be seeing Felicity Hedwig step down as Prefect, and all her contributions and dedication to Gryffindor will always be appreciated. Thank you so much, Fliss. Megan Miller and Rose Wick will be two new additions to the Gryffindor staff and I know both of you will add some great ideas that will make Gryffindor even better. No trophy could express how amazing you all are, and I�m so happy to be your Head of House. Let�s make next year even better, and bring the cups to the Lion�s Den so we can show Hogwarts how awesome Gryffindor really is. Go, go Gryffindor! *Professor Opal cleared her throat and smiled.* As for the Art Club, I�d like to thank all the members for their art contributions. The club has gotten bigger and better and it�s all thanks to you! I would like to announce that I will be looking for a few assistants in the next few weeks. I�ve felt terrible for not being able to start any new contests in the club, and my assistants will be able to help me get these started and run them. I might also be considering a few other changes with the club, but those will be decided later on. Also, my two classes, Astronomy and Astrology will be returning next term, and I hope to add some new lessons to them. So look forward to that! With the summer finally upon us, it�s important to remember that there are still plenty of things to do around the school. So there�s no excuse to lie around your common room until September! Be sure to check the Bulletin Board for all the latest updates, and keep yourself active. ;D We�ve finished a great year, and I can�t wait to see what the 07�-08� term will bring us! *Raising her goblet, Professor Opal toasts to the past term and takes a seat.* Now let�s dig in! =D |
| Professor Gilderoy Lockhart
Head of Hufflepuff Deputy Headmaster *Professor Lockhart was sat at the table fixing his hair using his expensive golden mirror. Once he had made sure his hair was perfect...he rose. He continued to fix his dress robes and made sure his hair did not flaw from standing up. For safe measure he cleared his throat, and found a little tooth pick to ensure his smile was nothing but perfection. It was until then that Professor Lockhart realized that the students in the Great Hall were waiting for him to finish his speech so they could eat. He smiled at everyone, with his more than perfect complexion...* A wise man once told me...This day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us. Now I know this is relevant to us all. Although all houses can�t win the house cup, I know that with everyone�s inner strength, it is achievable, and no one here is a loser. After all Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything. I am more than confident that everyone here showed the will to achieve their goal, which is all that matters! Now onto Hufflepuff! Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. This is exactly what inspires me about Hufflepuff! The amazing strength that keeps you fighting, the amazement I have that no matter what the outcome the house is united as one! With everything that has happened lately, we stayed together, showed how a family should act and never deserted each other when it looked dark for us all. It�s all those factors which makes me the proudest Head of House ever! To be able to lift my head up and share our success with everyone who passes. What more could I have asked for! As you may have heard in Professor Dumbledore�s speech is that I am stepping down as Quidditch Chairman this year. I�m sure that Cedric will do a fantastic job this year and I have faith that he will serve all the houses well. I will also not be teaching Flying Lessons next term. As you may know Professor Nathan Weasley will be taking over and I am sure he will do a better job than me. Good luck to you both! This term we have hit amazingly big highs and just as equal lows. As we have seen many leave and go I would like to say that truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget. Which is why I want to tell EVERYONE at Pads Hogwarts, that you are all my friends and I will never forget any of you. You may be stuck with me as I'm not going to be leaving anytime soon, but this is the only time each year that I really get to share my thoughts and feelings on this magical place! I have met some amazing people this year and I would like to say thank you to all my staff this year, which includes Zoey Taylor, Isabella Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Adrianna La Cerva, Maya Parker and Amanda Dasaro! Thank you also to everyone who I have met along the way this year...this has been truly a year for the record books! Furthermore I would like to extend my warm hand of gratitude to both my dear friends Professor Lily Fairydust and Professor Severus Snape. Both have worked unbelievably hard since they first began their Head of House career and I know it was very hard for them to hand over the roles and people they loved soo much. But after all, Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams. Pads Hogwarts is the best place on earth and I would never exchange it for anything! Just remember one thing though... If you only do what you know you can do� you never do very much. *Professor Lockhart gave everyone a glance at his Witch Weekly�s Most Charming Smile! Fixed his hair and then sat down to make sure his hair was still in tact. Once down he piled all the food onto his plate and dug in! Making sure nothing missed his mouth. For him Pads Hogwarts was a place of great friends, great knowledge, great creativity and jolly great grub!* |
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| Professor Ripley Guildhall
Head of Penshire Deputy Headmistress And Mom to some (Ripley stands up, she was already tearing up and had to clear her throat.) Well, it�s certainly been an interesting term, I will say that! It started out in the summer and we never looked back! We�ve grown, we had some great new activities, and many, many students grew and shined! I will speak first of Penshire, being my house and all, I am so proud of that fact that we have done so well our second year in existence. Our first year, we could not even win a Quidditch game, and look at us now! It just shows that anyone can come from behind and even with our past losing streak, the house pulled it together and showed that we didn�t give up. Anyone can beat the odds if they encourage each other, support each other, and just are there to do what it takes. Penshire was the first to have a �house hosted� dance, and that was just a blast. We started the Posting Wars, and Point-a-tons and the named dorms. There is so much innovation and creativeness in the house, I have to say, it is never a dull moment and wait until the new term! We have seen some go, come back, and transfer into our house. One I would like to mention is Danny Lupin. (Wipes tear away) He was with us from the start and I have watched this young man grow. He is going to be sorely missed by all the Shirelings, but we are so proud to see where he is going next�and we know he is around. Good luck Danny, and we thank you for ALL you have done for us in Penshire, you will always have a home with us. I would also like to thank the Penshire staff and the Head Girl, without them, the house would not run as smoothly and they are always the first ones to get everyone excited about what is going on, so thanks Ava, Samuel, Bryony, Shalamar, and Araceli, . We will be sad to see some leave the positions, like Celi and Shal, (wipes tear and waves at the girls) but we have some great new talent coming in, like Thomasina and Sapphire and with the hope of the house growing, we may be adding a another staff member or two. You can say what you like about the Shirelings, and I have heard things, but I would not be in any other house! And a warning, next term, we are out to beat everyone in the �fun� department, because we are going back to our roots. As for the school as a whole? I am always pleased to see so many new students get involved, it�s the best way to grow within the site. I am proud of the job the Student Council is doing with the Owl Gazette, not an easy task, but one that is coming on very well! I want to thank all those who write articles and stuff, you all make it a great read! I enjoy all the house magazines too, each house does it differently and each one is a really fun read! I want to thank all the students who attended my classes! I hope you found the lessons interesting and fun, and took away something new...even it you didn�t like tea! Now, we have some really great stuff planned for the summer and the school term. I hope you all stick around, bring friends, and give this place a shot! You will grow to love it as the rest of us, and like we always say, we must be doing something right, come this Oct. we will be SIX years old!!! I hope you give those in the new positions a shot at proving themselves and support them and those who are stepping back a little, be there for them and support them too! You cannot make a beautiful painting with one color, well, you can, but wouldn�t it be more fun having all kinds of colors to work with? |
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| Professor Lily Fairydust
Head of Ravenclaw Deputy Headmistress That was it. PAD has announced the news and Prof. Lily rose from her seat at the Staff table. It was her time to give the speech. She never guessed it was going to be this hard. For a few moments she just looked around the Great Hall, looking at all the students with a bitter sweet smile, and then her eyes rested on the Ravenclaw table� Wiping a tear she cleared her throat and said: "Dear Students and staff members... Another excellent term is over. It brought with it many surprises both good and bad. And we stood united in front of everything that happened this term, more united then we ever were� This term brought new ideas, new students, new staff members, new friends, new clubs, new games, new adventures and new loves�the magic never ending inside these walls and that�s the beauty of this place, the one we call our home away from home. And I am sure that the magic will continue to be inside these walls as long as you all are in here, each bringing something special of him or her to this place. I am proud of how much you all accomplish this year and proud to see how grown up you all are. The Summer Vacation is upon us, with many activities as well. As many of you noticed, this term I was away most of the time, due to a difficulty that rose at my home land I had no choice but to be absent for a long period of time, and with that neglecting my many duties around here. I feel that I wasn't giving 100% of myself, and I hated it. So I decided to step down from my Head of House position *trying to hold herself together*. I been a Head of House for 4 years now, 4 marvelous years, filled with joy and laughter, I had the honor of seeing many new ravens getting sorted into this house, making friends, filled with house pride and working hard, as a true Raven, brining new ideas to make the place more fun. I was there to watch them grow up and learn how to accomplish what ever they set their minds to, deal with problems that life throw at their way and saw them rising above it with their heads held up. I could not ask for more�This is why I decided to step down, I can't give my ravens my undivided attention as I gave them for 3 years and I feel its time to hand over this position to someone who worked hard to keep this house going, someone that gives a lot of himself each day to make sure this house won't fall apart and that everyone will be safe and happy. I am talking about Taylor of course. I got no doubt that she will be an excellent HOH. such a compassionate person with such a big heart that do so much to this house and care so much for the people in it, I leave the house in the best hands I cold ever wish for and this is the only reason why I decided to step down, knowing that this house got the best HOH they could ask for. *all during the speech she was looking at her ravens, eyes filled with tears but always with a smile* I wish to thank you, my dear ravens for giving me the chance to be a part of your family, and do not fear I am not going away and I will still be around, 24/7 for you and for everyone of this school, with this decision I will be able to be more active, have more time for my HOH, now that I handed Magical Myths completely to my dear Severus, I will be able to be around the school more often and be there for you any time if you need� Now let's start with the celebration shall we? *The Professor wiped the tears away and smiled toward everyone that was sitting in the Great Hall, raising her butterbeer cup up in the air* "For you, for Hogwarts." |
| Professor Severus Snape
Head of Slytherin Deputy Headmaster Yes, yes�you heard the Headmistress right; I am stepping down from my duties as Head of Slytherin. Mind you, I think my replacement is quite suitable�and have been working with her closely to make it a smooth transition. I do hope none in the house, who deem yourself her friends, will take advantage of that friendship and give her the respect that is due one in that position. She has a job to do and I have every confidence she will do it right and the house will come first�not friends. What will I be doing then, you ask�well, this will free me up to spend more time with my Potions, Magical Myths, and DADA classes�it being the one of the three that needs more attention. I will also be about the school more, mind you, there are things the Headmistress needs a bit more help with, one being monitoring the BB more�I will be there when you step out of line and do something that I have been wanting to do for a long time�start deducting points for poor choices and bad behavior. This past term, we have seen some leave, some return, and some evolve. You have to remember, this site is for everyone to enjoy and we try to make it a safe place. So yes, we have rules�and it�s the way it is, like it or leave. You want freedom to run about acting all lose and boundary free, go else where, but you will not find a place that is filled with staff that has their main goal of �making it a fun safe place� as you do have here. So, stay within the rules and who knows what you can accomplish. As for Slytherin, we held the House Cup and Quidditch Cup all term, and though neither one will be in our hands at the end of this term, it was not for lack of trying. I could not be prouder of my students and I think the house is filled with some of the best here at Hogwarts. I would start naming names, but the list is long and I am sure someone will be slighted�but you know who they are, you see them all the time. They are at Quidditch games either in the stands or on the field, they write articles for the Owl Gazette, they publish the Daily Prophet, come in at the top of contests, and are sitting right beside you in class. They are the Slytherins, and they are proud. The staff, we had this past term was one of the best, and next term we see some changes, and though it is always sad to see some move on or over, we have a great group lined up and I would warn you now...those Cups are not going to be gone from here too long... Now, we have a great summer planned, and the school term will be here before you know it, so enjoy the time off from classes and get involved. |