Secrets She Kept » Harry Potter

Part 45

When it came to graduation from Hogwarts, Beckham was preparing for his future endeavours. He thought he would have a career set in stone, Ravenclaw students were known for preparing items ahead of time. Instead, Beckham is found on his bed in his dorm room, a picture of his mother in hand. His Hogwarts robe sat beside him as he sighed.

"I can't believe I'm not going to be here anymore," he said softly. "I wish you were here to cheer me on mum. "

He closed the picture and placed it back into his pocket. It had been hard enough having her leave when she did, but knowing they wouldn't see each other again for years hurt even more. His fellow housemates called out his name, there had been an announcement that family members had arrived before the graduation ceremony.

Beckham quickly grabbed his robe, throwing it on in a rush to follow the other Ravenclaw graduates as they gather in the Great Hall to greet their families. Beckham had sent invitations to each of his siblings, including Harry and his wife Ginny. He was curious if they would make the trip to see him gain his graduation certificate. So the wizard was surprised to see his twin sister Millie standing to the side of Harry and Ginny. That was a sight he never imagined seeing in this lifetime, he knew had scared Millie had been from the trauma caused by the Battle of Hogwarts. His older brother George approached the boy who stood in the doorway.

" Congrats, little brother." George greeted him with a smile.

"Thanks." The boy replied, and the two brothers hugged briefly.

Millie's eyes widened as she saw her brother appear in front of them. In just the past year they had been apart it seemed her twin brother had grown overnight. His face had finally rid of the chubbiness and he seemed to barely fit in his Hogwarts uniform. She reached out and gave him a big hug. Beckham happily hugged his much shorter sister. He noticed he had straightened her hair for this occasion. "Hey Mills." He greeted pulling away from her, seeing her in a sundress. Her pale skin looked almost golden in the sunlight that streamed through the windows.

"Wow, you have really gotten big, " Millie said looking at him up and down.

"You too." He smiled feeling proud as he examined his sibling. She looked more like Petunia each day that passed but her hair appeared red der than blonde against the sunlight streaming through the windows. "How are you?"

She shrugged. "I' m glad to see you graduate." Beckham laughed in response. He knew when you finished high school in Australia the only celebration was the summer holidays ahead, which was still another season away for his twin sister. Although at that moment Millie was truly proud of her twin, he had always been smarter than her and she knew he would succeed in whatever he decided was right for his future.

Professor McGonagall had noticed Harry talking to other patrons in the hall, while Beckham was busy catching up with his fellow siblings. They had explained that Dudley had been too busy with work to come, but he sent his congratulations. A few minutes later Professor McGonagall approached the group, greeting Harry like an old friend.

"Welcome back Harry." She smiled, greeting Ginny in the same manner. "Isn't this exciting? You must be so happy to see your cousin earn his Hogwarts certificate."

Harry nodded. "Yes, thank you, Minerva. This is such a wonderful moment, we're so proud of Beckham ."

The Headmistress stepped closer to Harry, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You've done everything in your power to keep them safe, I'm sure your aunt will be proud of t he you ng adults they have all become ." Harry's mind wandered back to the many times Petunia had asked in the past to keep an eye out for his cousins. Harry had always been a protector towards others and his family was right at the centre.

"Thank you, Minerva." Harry thanked her. Then he turned towards his wife, giving her a warm look as he held out his arm for her to take. Ginny took his arm as she walked over to him, along with their son James. It was time for the ceremony to commence.

Beckham had never been one for speeches, especially ones where they talked about how important education was. All he wanted was to get his diploma and go home. He sat there in the hall with other granting students, bored waiting for the formal part of the day to finish. He still had so much to say to his siblings he had been away from for the majority of the year.

When everyone began to walk outside he followed behind his family, photographers were taking pictures as he went. The flash stunned him as he approached Harry, Ginny, Millie and George. Beckham proudly held up his certificate.

"Congratulations, Beckham," Harry said in that typical British accent of his. "You did very well here."

"Thank you," Beckham replied. He had spent many hours studying for his exams. Even though he had been away from Hogwarts since his first year and attended another school he was still prepared enough to get the required marks to graduate. He felt like his mother would be proud of his achievement.

" I'm so proud of my little brother," George commented, rubbing Beckham's curly hair. "His grades were impressive."

The boy chuckled, pushing his brother off him. "One of us had to graduate from Hogwarts."

"Yeah, you got lucky this time." George laughed. Then his attention was drawn to a photographer who was taking their picture together.

"Come on, let's get it over with, " George complained as the camera flashed again. The family briefly posed, all smiling as Beckham held up his certificate in hand.

Millie laughed as the photographers went off to bother another family. "You two used to model for mum when she would take photos." She reminded his brothers .

George and Beckham smiled at their younger sister. "You're just jealous you're not as pretty as us," George spoke dramatically.

Millie laughed. "Oh, shut up." She playfully hit her brother's shoulder.

As the day came to an end the group walked out of the Great Hall. They were all tired and ready to return to their homes. That's when Beckham noticed Eileen Snape waiting in the corridor, she wore tidy black robes as she eyed each of the students exiting with their families. There was such a sour look on her pale face. Beckham had sent an invite for his graduation to her, but never thoughts he would actually show up. "Is there a reason why Severus Snape's mother is here?" Harry wondered, quietly towards Beckham.

Beckham shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she wants to congratulate me." Harry eyed Beckham with suspicion, he knew that the boy had wanted to know more about his father but never thought he would seek out his mother. There were rumours that she had gone insane and murdered any Muggle that came her way, he thought she had been locked away in Azkaban. But here she was standing in front of them.

Eileen stood from her post, seeing how grown up the children appeared. It was apparent to her now that they displayed traits of her son in them, especially the eldest boy with dark hair that stood protected in front of the younger girl. She waited until Beckham approached her. "I see there is a congratulations, in order." She spoke briefly. It was a nice gesture to be invited to such an informal event, she hadn't been invited to Severus' graduation many years before. She wasn't sure her intention was to be here.

"Yes, thank you ." He thanked her quietly.

"It's good to see our family continue success," Eileen said. Her voice sounded distant and disconnected, she seemed on edge. It was evident in her eyes that she wasn't comfortable being here.

"Are you want ing to meet my siblings?" Beckham blurted out.

Eileen looked back to the group . "Perhaps , but it seems they wish to be elsewhere." As did the old woman that stood there. "Congratulations on your graduation. I wish you all the success in your future." She spoke before disappearing under a spell from her current place.