Chapter Eight, Graduation

Previously on Unconditional Love:

-Headmaster's Office-

It was two hours later after Newt was saved from falling down a ravine and into territory of the Manticore that had taken up residence at the very edge of the ward's boundary line deep within the forest, that saw Professor Merrythought, Professor Dumbledore, Lord and Lady Brown, Mr and Mrs Lawson, Xanthos and Aethra Scamander along with Newt, Sierra Brown and Mary Lawson within the Headmaster's Office waiting for Professor Dippet who went to talk to Magnus the herd leader of the Centaurs and went to fetch someone.
"Now, I'm sure we can all come to an arrangement –"

"An arrangement? An arrangement?" Lady Aethra Scamander asked irate, clutching tightly to her son who was covered in cuts from the brambles he'd slipped into. "My son was nearly killed as a result of your Gryffindors playing a malicious sick game, Professor Dumbledore and you want to come to an arrangement? Are you out of your mind!?" She shouted. "If he hadn't been rescued by the Centaurs I would have been planning my youngest son's funeral!!"
"Come now Mrs-"

"Lady!" Xanthos interrupted sharply, not moving his scrutinising gaze off of Dumbledore. "You will address my wife via the correct title, Professor Dumbledore as neither of us have given you leave to address us so informally!"
"Mr-"
"Professor!" Lord Brown's voice boomed within the quiet tense office where the only sound is of Lady Brown scolding her daughter for her heinous behaviour, while Mr and Mrs Lawson were the polar opposites of the Browns as they weren't horrified by her behaviour in fact they seemed quite glad if the truth be known. It was at that moment that the Headmaster returned to the office with a cloud of anger swirling over him; but he wasn't alone Anya Greengrass was with him.

"I have just returned from speaking with Magnus the leader of the Centaur herd that lived upon these grounds, and he has informed me that Mr Scamander had nearly fallen into the territory of a Manticore that has taken up residence on the ward's boundaries having slipped down a ravine but luckily he had been passing by just in time to pull Mr Scamander up." Headmaster Dippet revealed, seating himself behind his desk while Anya came to stand between his desk and her Head of House Professor Merrythought.

"As for Heiress Greengrass here, she happened to witness everything that had occurred between Mr Scamander and Miss Brown and Miss Lawson, including what they did afterwards. Laughing maliciously as they crowed in delight about how it will teach Mr Scamander and his friends a lesson for messing with them and Professor Dumbledore."

"SIERRA!!!!" Lord and Lady Brown shouted in shock and horror while the two girls stared at Anya in fear and hatred and a look of hatred and slight fear passed over Albus's face before he schooled his features into a genial expression once more. But Aethra, Xanthos and Merrythought caught it and glared at the man.

"Is this true Albus?" Dippet asked sharply. "After the warnings I gave you before summer, before I started sitting in your classes to monitor your behaviour regarding the students of other Houses and even some of your own for the simple fact of having either family in a different House or befriending others of a different House?"

"Of course not Armando, I would never tell my students to behave in such a way and I do believe that a simple warning and a detention with me will –" Albus tried to placate but Sierra, panicking over having to leave Hogwarts started crying as she revealed how he had instigated everything explaining how he had wanted to get rid of the Lestrange twins as they were a threat.
"If you try to interfere and stop these girls from being punished appropriately I will be taking these matters to both the Wizengamot and the Board of Governors for a severe lack of conduct!

This has gone on for long enough! Since my son, Heiress Lestranges, Heir Adonis Lovegood and Miss Vulpecula Black started here in first year they have been bullied by your Gryffindors but mainly these two without so much as a rightful punishment, well my wife and I have had enough!" Lord Scamander hissed.
"My wife and I will support you both in your decision." Lord Brown declared with a decisive nod.
"DAD!" Sierra shouted outraged.
"No Sierra, your father is right. Now be quiet, you're in enough trouble as it is!" Lady Brown snapped at her daughter.

"There is no need for that Lord Scamander as I have already sent word to the Aurors on what has happened and the same can be said for the Board. And I have decided to suspend both Miss Brown and Miss Lawson for their abhorrent behaviour and will only be allowed back to Hogwarts pending a formal hearing, and you are also suspended Albus pending a formal hearing and investigation into these allegations and previous ones." Headmaster Dippet declared, causing the Scamanders, Anya and even Merrythought to bite their lips to hide a smirk.

"BUT IT'S HER OWL YEAR!!" Mrs Lawson screeched, causing everyone to wince at her Banshee-like voice.
"Then she should have made wiser decisions." Headmaster Dippet responded carelessly. "I will not have students under my care be made to feel like Hogwarts isn't safe for them anymore and my decision is final." He added firmly when Dumbledore and the Lawsons' opened their mouths to argue. "You may use my Floo to return home, I have asked the house-elves to pack for them." At that moment two trunks and owl cages appeared beside Sierra and Mary.

"Albus I suggest you hurry up and pack and leave as your own suspension starts now. Galatea, may I ask you to accompany Albus to his office and escort him out of the grounds, so he doesn't talk to any of what used to be his Gryffindors?"
"Of course." Professor Merrythought agreed, ushering Dumbledore out of the office. Behind their backs Newt and Anya were sharing secret smiles as they couldn't wait to tell Leta, Lisette and the rest of the Court what had happened to Brown, Lawson and Dumbledore; it seemed their time at Hogwarts was finally looking up.

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Chapter Eight, Graduation

Lisette's time at Hogwarts seemed to be flying by. It only seemed like yesterday that Lisette was on the train with her twin, Leta meeting Newt for the first time; and now they were graduating. At the end of their Fifth year neither Lawson nor Brown returned to Hogwarts due to failing their appraisal hearing with the Board of Governors resulting in them being permanently expelled from Hogwarts.

As for Dumbledore, he was permanently sacked from Hogwarts to the relief of Lisette, Newt, Leta and their Court as he too had failed his appraisal hearing with the Governors. No one knew what was said in either of the three hearings, but they knew it couldn't be good enough to satisfy the Governors or Headmaster Dippet. Not that any of them were complaining.

With Dumbledore being permanently fired and a vacant position becoming available for Transfiguration, Minerva McGonagall took over the position of Transfiguration Professor at the start of their Sixth year, (a nostalgic smile had appeared on Lisette's face when she first walked into Transfiguration her Sixth year). At the start of that year an Irish witch, Emily Cohan, became the Head of Gryffindor.

She had studied for years as a Mind Healer and studied children psychology at Hibernia Memor Magus Hospital to be, in what she thought, and the Governors and Headmaster Dippet agreed, a better position to understand all what her charges could go through in their time at Hogwarts and the best way to help them.

With the lack of their tormentors the remaining two years of Lisette, Leta and their friends – and no doubt many others - immediately picked up and became a much more enjoyable experience and exactly what their time in the ancient and magnificent school should have been in the first place, but unfortunately there will always be bullies and tormentors in this world. In the last two years since Theseus had graduated at the end of their Fifth year.

He had started Auror Academy the year before, and was doing exceptionally well, according to all reports from him and Manthus in their letters. In fact, Theseus had been recommended for a part-time position on Manthus' team which was basically unheard of for a recruit, and they were incredibly proud of him even if they were extremely worried as the war with Gellert Grindelwald was slowly picking up in Europe.

Now that Lisette was seventeen she had all of her memories from her previous life as Elspeth Potter. She knew that changes had already been made; both small and large changes. In regard to the small changes: she was with Theseus and her twin was with Newt, but Newt hadn't been expelled, they had worked on their book since their First year and knew it was nearly complete.

Neither she nor Newt could wait for their year abroad in the field. For the large changes: Dumbledore hadn't been made Deputy, in fact he had been removed from Hogwarts all together which should benefit the future generation greatly, but also lessen his grip on the British Wizarding Community as a whole and some of Europe's Wizarding Community as well.

She doubted now that he would get asked to 'deal' with Grindelwald, his ex-lover now, which she had always doubted in her previous life was correct as it had taken him far too long to deal with him. McGonagall had managed to secure the position of Transfiguration Professor and Mistress earlier as well as completing her teaching degree. She would be happier later in life now as she only had one position, in fact Dippet had changed many positions in Hogwarts.

Listening to what Professor Cohan had told him no doubt as new Professors had been brought in not only as Deputy Headmistress but also Heads of Houses Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw as well as Gryffindor as it gave the students more chance to gain help from their Professors.

Lisette knew that at this moment in time Gellert Grindelwald had the Elder Wand which he had stolen from Peverells – Henry and Alex Potter's, and her, Lisette's, Nimah and Manthus and Uncle Falco's ancestors, due to Death's interference he had kept her as Mistress of Death once she reached her majority, so he had made her paternal grandmother a descendant of Antioch Peverell (the eldest brother), while Henry and Alex were the descendants of Ignotus and unfortunately Tom Riddle would be the descendant of Cadmus Peverell (the middle brother).

All this information she had been bombarded with on her seventeenth birthday had caused her a blinding migraine and to lose control of her magic as it matured, but it left Lisette with the determination to not only – when the time came – to put a stop to Grindelwald's reign of terror and to get the wand back; no matter the cost. Peverell's were known for their Dark Battle Mage Magic (among others) after all.

Although Henry and Alex had been beyond happy that the four Lestranges who had been their best friends – their family – for years were in actual fact their cousins. And if they took on the mantle of overprotective cousins/brothers and were hard on Theseus and Newt and on Adonis Lovegood who had just started seeing Nimah Lestrange at the end of his Sixth year.

Which brought a lot of amusement for the girls and fond/exacerbated eye rolls for the guys as despite knowing each other for years and knowing they wouldn't hurt the girls, Henry and Alex didn't accept that as it was different now as they KNEW they were actually family so they needed to be harder on Newt, Theseus and Adonis to make sure they wouldn't hurt them.

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"...ette!"
"Lissy!
"Lisette!"
Lisette jumped out of her skin at the loud voice of her twin older sister and best friend Indra Li (the younger sister of Gaia Nott née Li, who had married Cantankerous Julius Nott, who went by Julius to his friends and acquaintances, and CJ to close friends and family.

"Oh." Lisette muttered bashfully, turning away from the view of the Black Lake in the Slytherin Common room windows that she had been staring aimlessly out of the window into the Black Lake, lost deep in thought. "Sorry. I was lost in thought."
"Are you okay, Lissy?" Leta asked her little sister concerned.
"I'm fine Le-Le." Lisette replied, offering a reassuring smile but her elder sister still looked at her shrewdly before she finally nodded. No doubt leaving it for now.

"Okay then." Indra stated, clapping her hands excitedly. "Let's go ladies. We graduate today!" She exclaimed excitedly, full of happiness and joy. She often had the nickname Sunshine and many within Hogwarts could always tell why.
"Let's go!" Lisette and Leta cheered, the trio linking arms together o Lisette was in the middle. Despite a troubled start to their journey within Hogwarts, the last two years had been the best they have ever known (even compared to her previous life, although there wasn't much competition there), they have enjoyed their time at Hogwarts and were filled with a mix of emotions.

Both sad to leave but also ecstatic to start their new journey. During the grounds of Hogwarts in the bright sunshine there wasn't a dry eye in the audience from both those graduating and those who came to see their family graduate. Cheers reverberated and echoed throughout the grounds as each student walked across the erected stage to collect their diploma and N.E.W.T grades, though the loudest of the cheerful celebrations had to be when both Leta and Lisette walked across the stage (their cousins were big mouths).

Once all of the students had collected their diplomas and grades, and shook hands with their teachers and Headmaster and listened to the speech of Headmaster Dippet as he wished all of his students good luck on their travels throughout life and wherever it may take them; praising them for all their hard work the past seven years and how he was proud to be their Headmaster.

The end of their journey within Hogwarts was to ride the boats from the Boat House across the Black Lake, much like their arrival in First year, signalling an end of an era where they would then ride the Hogwarts Express with their guests for the last time ever back to London and their new milestone in life. The next stop for Leta after the summer, was Auror Academy; like their cousins Manthus and Alex and Theseus, as she had already been accepted this past May due to her impressive N.E.W.T scores.

Adonis would be attending Business School for the Magical Creative Arts as he wanted to create his own newspaper called The Quibbler (Lisette teared up at that as she missed Luna deeply but was glad she had Adonis and learned where the Quibbler came from), while also planning his wedding to their cousin Nimah that was in a year's time.

They wanted to have all the planning done as Nimah was busy at St Mungo's where she was a Healer in the Child's Ward, and Adonis would be busy with Business school and setting up his own business. He was also eager to be the first to announce Newt and Lisette's book so wanted to have it done and set up by then, plus he wanted to announce Henry's new Potion business: Potter's Potions. Vulpecula Black was going to be travelling with Anya Greengrass, Indra Li, and Prisha Patil before she would marry Alex in a year's time. Ashley would be working at Percival Longbottom's Herbology shop.

CJ Nott, Camulus Malfoy and Aryan Patil were either lawyers or would be training to become one. Cygnus Black was now an accomplished Curse Breaker and Ward Master; Manthus' wife Eleanor Lestrange née Smith was a tailor and worked in her aunt's shop; Anya Greengrass-Black was a Runes and Charms Mistress; Gaia Li Nott had opened a publishing company and was eager to publish Newt's and Lisette's book when they were finally satisfied with it.

Aryan's betrothed Suzanna Bones would be joining the Law Enforcement as a Hit Witch. Lisette was incredibly proud of her friends, family and Court and was eager to travel the world with her best friend Newt to work on their book and eventually marry the love of her life: Theseus Ares Scamander.

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Author's note: DO NOT ask me to update in any way shape or form. There are other ways of telling me what you thought of this.