diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/engine/spi/EffectiveEntityGraph.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/engine/spi/EffectiveEntityGraph.java
index 998456c14327..e7dd5208a35b 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/engine/spi/EffectiveEntityGraph.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/engine/spi/EffectiveEntityGraph.java
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public EffectiveEntityGraph(boolean allowOverwrite) {
 	 * @throws IllegalArgumentException Thrown if the semantic is null
 	 * @throws IllegalStateException If previous state is still available (hasn't been cleared).
 	 */
-	public void applyGraph(RootGraphImplementor<?> graph, @Nullable GraphSemantic semantic) {
+	public void applyGraph(RootGraphImplementor<?> graph, GraphSemantic semantic) {
 		if ( semantic == null ) {
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException( "Graph semantic cannot be null" );
 		}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/engine/spi/LoadQueryInfluencers.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/engine/spi/LoadQueryInfluencers.java
index 926cb2b49f30..885ef4f0e000 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/engine/spi/LoadQueryInfluencers.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/engine/spi/LoadQueryInfluencers.java
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public LoadQueryInfluencers(SessionFactoryImplementor sessionFactory, SessionCre
 		}
 	}
 
-	public EffectiveEntityGraph applyEntityGraph(@Nullable RootGraphImplementor<?> rootGraph, @Nullable GraphSemantic graphSemantic) {
+	public EffectiveEntityGraph applyEntityGraph(RootGraphImplementor<?> rootGraph, GraphSemantic graphSemantic) {
 		final var effectiveEntityGraph = getEffectiveEntityGraph();
 		if ( graphSemantic != null ) {
 			if ( rootGraph == null ) {
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/MultiIdentifierLoadAccessImpl.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/MultiIdentifierLoadAccessImpl.java
index c2c3d43304be..10aa7fe974b0 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/MultiIdentifierLoadAccessImpl.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/MultiIdentifierLoadAccessImpl.java
@@ -15,8 +15,6 @@
 import org.hibernate.RemovalsMode;
 import org.hibernate.SessionCheckMode;
 import org.hibernate.UnknownProfileException;
-import org.hibernate.engine.spi.EffectiveEntityGraph;
-import org.hibernate.engine.spi.LoadQueryInfluencers;
 import org.hibernate.engine.spi.SessionImplementor;
 import org.hibernate.engine.spi.SharedSessionContractImplementor;
 import org.hibernate.graph.GraphSemantic;
@@ -170,7 +168,7 @@ public <K> List<T> multiLoad(K... ids) {
 	}
 
 	public List<T> perform(Supplier<List<T>> executor) {
-		final CacheMode sessionCacheMode = session.getCacheMode();
+		final var sessionCacheMode = session.getCacheMode();
 		boolean cacheModeChanged = false;
 		if ( cacheMode != null ) {
 			// naive check for now...
@@ -182,16 +180,20 @@ public List<T> perform(Supplier<List<T>> executor) {
 		}
 
 		try {
-			final LoadQueryInfluencers influencers = session.getLoadQueryInfluencers();
-			final HashSet<String> fetchProfiles =
+			final var influencers = session.getLoadQueryInfluencers();
+			final var fetchProfiles =
 					influencers.adjustFetchProfiles( disabledFetchProfiles, enabledFetchProfiles );
-			final EffectiveEntityGraph effectiveEntityGraph =
-					influencers.applyEntityGraph( rootGraph, graphSemantic );
+			final var effectiveEntityGraph =
+					rootGraph == null
+							? null
+							: influencers.applyEntityGraph( rootGraph, graphSemantic );
 			try {
 				return executor.get();
 			}
 			finally {
-				effectiveEntityGraph.clear();
+				if ( effectiveEntityGraph != null ) {
+					effectiveEntityGraph.clear();
+				}
 				influencers.setEnabledFetchProfileNames( fetchProfiles );
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/NaturalIdMultiLoadAccessStandard.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/NaturalIdMultiLoadAccessStandard.java
index f6be988fca2c..526f96602515 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/NaturalIdMultiLoadAccessStandard.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/NaturalIdMultiLoadAccessStandard.java
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@
 import org.hibernate.NaturalIdMultiLoadAccess;
 import org.hibernate.OrderingMode;
 import org.hibernate.RemovalsMode;
-import org.hibernate.engine.spi.EffectiveEntityGraph;
-import org.hibernate.engine.spi.LoadQueryInfluencers;
 import org.hibernate.engine.spi.SharedSessionContractImplementor;
 import org.hibernate.graph.GraphSemantic;
 import org.hibernate.graph.spi.RootGraphImplementor;
@@ -121,12 +119,12 @@ public List<T> multiLoad(Object... ids) {
 			}
 		}
 
-		final LoadQueryInfluencers loadQueryInfluencers = session.getLoadQueryInfluencers();
+		final var loadQueryInfluencers = session.getLoadQueryInfluencers();
 
 		try {
-			final EffectiveEntityGraph effectiveEntityGraph = loadQueryInfluencers.getEffectiveEntityGraph();
-			final GraphSemantic initialGraphSemantic = effectiveEntityGraph.getSemantic();
-			final RootGraphImplementor<?> initialGraph = effectiveEntityGraph.getGraph();
+			final var effectiveEntityGraph = loadQueryInfluencers.getEffectiveEntityGraph();
+			final var initialGraphSemantic = effectiveEntityGraph.getSemantic();
+			final var initialGraph = effectiveEntityGraph.getGraph();
 			final boolean hadInitialGraph = initialGraphSemantic != null;
 
 			if ( graphSemantic != null ) {
@@ -137,7 +135,9 @@ public List<T> multiLoad(Object... ids) {
 			}
 
 			try {
-				return (List<T>) entityDescriptor.getMultiNaturalIdLoader().multiLoad( ids, this, session );
+				return (List<T>)
+						entityDescriptor.getMultiNaturalIdLoader()
+								.multiLoad( ids, this, session );
 			}
 			finally {
 				if ( graphSemantic != null ) {
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/loader/internal/BaseNaturalIdLoadAccessImpl.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/loader/internal/BaseNaturalIdLoadAccessImpl.java
index b5d76d4f4687..14685b1c9ba7 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/loader/internal/BaseNaturalIdLoadAccessImpl.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/loader/internal/BaseNaturalIdLoadAccessImpl.java
@@ -174,19 +174,21 @@ protected final T doLoad(Object normalizedNaturalIdValue) {
 			final var session = context.getSession();
 			final var influencers = session.getLoadQueryInfluencers();
 			final var fetchProfiles = influencers.adjustFetchProfiles( disabledFetchProfiles, enabledFetchProfiles );
-			final var effectiveEntityGraph = influencers.applyEntityGraph( rootGraph, graphSemantic );
+			final var effectiveEntityGraph =
+					rootGraph == null
+							? null
+							: influencers.applyEntityGraph( rootGraph, graphSemantic );
 			try {
 				@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 				final T loaded = cachedResolution != null
-						? identifierLoadAccess().load(cachedResolution)
+						? identifierLoadAccess().load( cachedResolution )
 						: (T) entityPersister().getNaturalIdLoader()
 								.load( normalizedNaturalIdValue, this, session );
 				if ( loaded != null ) {
 					final var persistenceContext = session.getPersistenceContextInternal();
 					final var lazyInitializer = HibernateProxy.extractLazyInitializer( loaded );
-					final var entry = lazyInitializer != null
-							? persistenceContext.getEntry( lazyInitializer.getImplementation() )
-							: persistenceContext.getEntry( loaded );
+					final var entity = lazyInitializer != null ? lazyInitializer.getImplementation() : loaded;
+					final var entry = persistenceContext.getEntry( entity );
 					assert entry != null;
 					if ( entry.getStatus() == Status.DELETED ) {
 						return null;
@@ -196,7 +198,9 @@ protected final T doLoad(Object normalizedNaturalIdValue) {
 			}
 			finally {
 				context.delayedAfterCompletion();
-				effectiveEntityGraph.clear();
+				if ( effectiveEntityGraph != null ) {
+					effectiveEntityGraph.clear();
+				}
 				influencers.setEnabledFetchProfileNames( fetchProfiles );
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/loader/internal/IdentifierLoadAccessImpl.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/loader/internal/IdentifierLoadAccessImpl.java
index 5ab14cfcebab..f8d38d956b43 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/loader/internal/IdentifierLoadAccessImpl.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/loader/internal/IdentifierLoadAccessImpl.java
@@ -121,12 +121,17 @@ protected T perform(Supplier<T> executor) {
 		try {
 			final var influencers = session.getLoadQueryInfluencers();
 			final var fetchProfiles = influencers.adjustFetchProfiles( disabledFetchProfiles, enabledFetchProfiles );
-			final var effectiveEntityGraph = influencers.applyEntityGraph( rootGraph, graphSemantic);
+			final var effectiveEntityGraph =
+					rootGraph == null
+							? null
+							: influencers.applyEntityGraph( rootGraph, graphSemantic);
 			try {
 				return executor.get();
 			}
 			finally {
-				effectiveEntityGraph.clear();
+				if ( effectiveEntityGraph != null ) {
+					effectiveEntityGraph.clear();
+				}
 				influencers.setEnabledFetchProfileNames( fetchProfiles );
 			}
 		}