Summer had finally emerged from a wet spring, and the Great Hall was glowing in the twilight. The enchanted ceiling was purple, pink and blue-gray reflecting the setting sun.  The floating candles were beginning to light themselves.  Sweet-smelling smoke was burning in the braziers.

Students were streaming in from the Entrance Hall bringing with them a rush of excitement, an almost liquid feeling of anticipation and mirth.  They were rowdy, squirrelly and loud - delicious abandon of youth.  Somehow, Knox always remembered, the last day of school was almost more fun than the first day of the holiday. 

The last day of school.  For the seventh years, tonight was a night of even more anticipation.  Their lives would start again soon.  Hogwarts was releasing them.  And the absence of one particular seventh year Gryffindor was palpable.

The last day.  Knox Greyfriar felt these words keenly as well, more than he ever had before.

He stood behind the staff table and greeted his colleagues with handshakes and smiles.

Tulojow didn't customarily come to the Great Hall for meals.  She was perfectly content to eat her meals in her little cabin or, more often then not, eat something out in one of the barns.  It wasn't, necessarily, out of an effort to avoid the rest of the school, but usually out of a desire for privacy.  And, after her years in the field, it was slightly claustrophobic to be in that big, dark castle.  In addition, Tulojow had never been one to abide by the concepts of authority and it was a belief that swung both ways.  She didn't like the feeling of sitting up at that elevated table looking out over the students sitting below the table. 

But, it was the end of her first year at school and since it appeared she'd be teaching in the fall, it seemed it would be worthwhile for Tulojow to attend the end of year feast.  She'd dressed better than usual for the event though it wasn't exactly 'witchy.'  Her turquoise  tunic, black denim jeans and cowboy boots were clean and free of paddock debris.  Her hair was braided in a neat, easy braid down her back. 

Tulojow moved into the Great Hall with the other staff, greeting them and taking her turn to shake the headmaster's hand before walking along the staff table.  Where she should sit amongst the staff, she wasn't sure - she was one of those staff that didn't have a designated seat.  Rather than inquiring, though, she took the scenario as an excuse to step down from the elevated staff table and approach one of the house tables.  "Do you mind if I join you?" She asked, offering the student a friendly grin.

Whoever wants to be the student, feel free to claim the spot - or a staff member can drag her back up to the staff table if they are too offended.

What was wrong with him? Why had Charlie's unstoppable happy demeanor suddenly stopped? It made no sense. School was coming to a close, and though he probably wouldn't have a very good summer, it was only three measly months; he'd be back at Hogwarts soon. Besides, what did it matter if he had to spend the summer with his parents? It wasn't like they were horrible. They were actually pretty cool when they didn't try too hard.

Maybe it had something to do with the article that the Prophet had printed about Headmaster Greyfriar. It was a slap in the face, that publication. Charlie was fond of the Headmaster. He had been a Hufflepuff in his time, and really cared for the students. Maybe it was just because Knox leaving signified the fact that nothing was permanent, and in just another year, Charlie too would be leaving the great hall one last time. It was a saddening thought.

After cramming his trunk shut, sitting on it, and snapping the latches closed Charlie headed out of the cozy Hufflepuff dorms. His stylish Hufflepuff uniforms left behind, he wore his traditional Hogwarts robes. The crest of the castle stood out brightly against the stark black of the fabric. It wasn’t until much later that Charlie noticed that he looked rather nice in the timeless uniform.

After making his way up through the cellars, passing a few Slytherin students on the way, he finally made it into the Great Hall. The dazzling smile usually found atop his face was long gone, and in its place, a look of dire and utter despair. He didn’t want the school year to end, and more than that he didn’t want to see the Headmaster go. With new teachers came new changes and Charlie didn’t like change. Not drastic changes anyway.

He crossed the hall quietly, holding back tears. It wasn’t like Charlie to cry, and he sure as heck wasn’t going to do it in front of all his peers and professors. So, with his head bent slightly, staring at the floor, he took a seat at the Hufflepuff table. He wasn’t paying attention to those around him, he didn’t care who he was sitting by. Heck, he didn’t even know if he was really even at the Hufflepuff table. He was scared that if he did look up, he’d bust out into tears, and he could NOT let that happen.

He finally dared a glance up, just to see the crowd that had collected, and immediately regretted it. Greyfriar stood there, just as bearish as ever, and it made little Charlie feel even worse. He looked back down, swearing to himself that he wouldn’t look up again. Not one more time. At least not until the feast actually started. Even a crappy day couldn’t keep Charlie from good food. He was a Hufflepuff after all.

Ahh, the end of another year. It was always a bittersweet time for Mysti.  She was very much excited about the summer, including her first internship.  She would be working at St. Mungo’s under a healer.  She was very much happy to have gotten the internship, as she’s always wanted to be a healer.  She wanted to take after her mother, who also worked as a healer. 

The part that put the bitter in bittersweet was that she wouldn’t be able to see her friends as much.  No more exciting adventures through the castle, avoiding anyone of authority.  But of course, Mysti would make sure to find some fun wherever she was.  If she remembered correctly, there were always some interesting patients who came into Mungos. And of course she’d be able to learn some new things about healing.  That would be the most fun in her mind.  She always loved learning new ways to do things when it came to healing.

Something else Mysti hoped for was that her dad would be able to get some Quidditch tickets too.  Either that or some type of event passes.  There was always a good possibility that he would help out with some press thing.  She loved that her dad worked in the Ministry, and loved it even more that he worked more specifically with Quidditch.  Of course, that’s where her love of the game came from.

But as she was making her way down to the Great Hall for the end of the year ceremonies, Mysti couldn’t help but smile.  She found her way to the Hufflepuff table and took a seat with her friends.  It had been a good year, full of adventure and fun.  She could only hope that the next year would hold even more of those kinds of experiences.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Mysti turned around to see Tulojow Nagde standing behind her.  She wasn’t sure if the gamekeeper was talking to her or one of the other Hufflepuffs.  Mysti rather liked the professor, especially after she’d joined in on the paintball game.

“Of course not! We’ve always got room!” Mysti said returning the smile. There was indeed space at the tables and she let Tulojow take a seat where she wanted.

Nina had never been all that sentimental about the end of the school year. She felt  indifferent to summer, as it held both fun and not so fun adventures in store. This year, however, caused her to feel a bit disheartened as she walked into the Great Hall. Her father had forced her to get an internship, and she was dreading it. It would be her first 'grown-up' experience, to be frank, and this summer especially made her feel like it was finally time to act like an adult. Nina sighed as she took a seat at the Gryffindor table, waiting for either George or Sebastian to come along.

Those were the only two people she cared to see this summer, and she hoped she would have time. Her father made it seem like she would be so busy interning and working around the house that she would barely have time to sleep, let alone hang out with her friends. While Nina loved her father very much, he was smothering her lately. At least Ramon was still living at home - at least she would have him. And if the two boys came over when Ramon wasn't working they could play two-on-two Quidditch. The Morales backyard was quite large, and in a Wizarding area. Her parents also put up the usual charms to keep the Muggles away.

Running a hand through her hair (it had gotten incredibly long this year - hopefully her mother wouldn't try to forcibly trim it when she came home, as she had done in summers past), Nina tried hard not to think that she only had one more year of Hogwarts left. One more year. Merlin, where had the time gone? The day-to-day classes of Hogwarts had felt like they had taken centuries, but looking back it seemed like it happened so fast. Too fast. Nina was still a huge kid at heart. The idea of leaving this place next year was... frightening, to say the least.

Lost in her thoughts, Nina barely noticed a small, First-Year girl walking past her, accidentally grazing her back. The girl was so tiny. Was she ever that small? No, she definitely was. Even now, Nina couldn't consider herself tall. Although she would have to find a way to lengthen her school robes - in the past four months they had gotten a tad shorter. Everything was changing at an alarming rate - it was a bit unnerving. Nina was all for change, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of sadness she was experiencing at the moment, even at the thought of the large feast that was about to appear on the table.

Like many other students, Fauna had mixed emotions about today. She was relieved to be done with exams and also looked forward to her plans for the summer, which included an internship with Covadonga and weekend piano lessons at Reducto Records. Her stomach flip flopped uncomfortably as she walked through the Great Hall doors and scanned the tables. Fauna quickly walked over to the Hufflepuffs, trying to ignore her fear and nervousness about how she’d perform at her jobs and what her seventh year held in store for her in the fall. She took her peer’s passing comments too much to heart, almost believing that she would make a mess of things no matter how careful she tried to be.

Fauna straightened the Hufflepuff crest on her robe and took a seat in-between Charlie and Mysti. She did a double take, surprised but pleased to see Tulojow sitting with them. Fauna waved at her, nudged Mysti in greeting, and then turned to whisper to Charlie.

When she looked at him, she realized something was wrong. Instead of the smile she was so used to seeing, a glum expression settled onto his face. He didn’t seem to notice anyone or anything around him. Fauna leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Charlie, you okay?” Fauna hoped that he was just having a bad day. This was an emotional time for the students and she knew that over the past few days she’d felt estatic one moment and close to tears the next.

She glanced at the Headmaster greeting the other professors at the staff table and her heart sunk. Fauna would miss him, very much. With some shock she realized this might be the last time she would see him- if not in the wizarding world than definitely at Hogwarts. She bit her lip and turned back to Charlie, immediately sympathetic towards him, whatever it was that was making him feel down.

The stress of exams was past, the studying was over and the freedom of the summer lay ahead.  On all accounts, the end of the year feast should be an exciting and relieving experiences.  But, for Sasha, the feasts were, usually, anything but exciting.  And, this feast had even more reason to make him approach the event with a heavy heart.  The feast was, usually, one of the only events at school that Sasha was consistently slow getting to - as if, somehow, dragging his feet would make the following day come any slower. 

On two separate occasions, Sasha had considered turning and climbing the stairs back up to the Ravenclaw tower.  But, each time, he convinced himself to start back down the stairs and, finally, through the doors into the Great Hall.  Like always, his uniform was pristine and his hair carefully styled, but there were red, shiny patches under his eyes, on his cheeks and on the tip of his nose. 

He kept his head down as he moved down the Ravenclaw table and slipped into a seat.  Awkwardly, he traced the rim of his plate with a finger. 

Ava made her way from the Slytherin Dungeons up to the great hall. She had just finished packing her belongings ready for going home tomorrow, and as she was doing so felt a pang of sorrow at leaving Hogwarts until September, and havin to live in a house where no one knew she existed. She had left the other girls in her dorm still packing. One of them was fretting about which shade of green she should paint her nails for tonights feast. Ava looked at her own nails - cracked nail varnish and badly cared for nails underneath. She shook her head. If that was the only thing the girl was worried about, then Ava commended her life.

Ava made her way into the great hall. It was just before eight, and not many students were seated. They were filtering in through the doors, but this was their last chance to speak to people who they wouldn't normally associate with outside of school. The students tended to flock at tables other than their own until they really had to sit down. Professor Greyfriar was at the staff table, shaking hands with the various professors who were wishing him all the luck for the future. A rumour had made its way around the school that Greyfriar was resigning as headmaster. Ava wasn't sure how true it actually was, but from the way the staff were fawning over him right now, she gathered that it was. Either way, they would hear it officially tonight.

Ava walked in between two tables, and saw Fauna at the Hufflepuff table, sitting with a small group of other students. She smiled as she made a beeline for Fauna. When Ava reached the girl, she stuck her hand out in the air. "No hard feelings, Blake?" Ava grinned at her. What an unlikely pair they made - no doubt the other Hufflepuffs would be surprised at the civility passed between the two.

Aaah, the end of the year! Jasper had, even as a first year, had mixed feelings regarding the end of the school year. He loved his mum, really, he did. He just...didn't like living with her. Jasper's mum was notoriously forgetful, which lead to an inability to keep a job, which in turn lead to money being short around their house. Jasper much preferred being in Hogwarts where he was sure someone had made a meal at every mealtime and his robes were clean. Each summer since he was thirteen, he'd helped out at Tilly's shop (or at least hung out there) and he was forever avoiding his own home by leeching onto his friends.

And this summer he'd be with Lukas. Lukas. Jasper generally avoided his father and when he did come in contact with him, it was rare for the results to be pretty. Maybe he should get to know more about that supposed brother of his... Mr. Edward I-Can't-Tell-You-My-Last-Name and see if he could stay with him. He would have to ask Tilly. The man (assuming he wasn't just a perverted creep and Jasper was hoping that wasn't the case.) said he'd spoken to 'Matilda'. Not everything was negative about the summer, he supposed. There was the internship, and hopefully he'd be able to drag Trent 'home' with him.

If not, he'd spend all his time at the internship, lounging at Tilly's, or trying to stay with Waker and Trent. At the least, spending plenty of time with them. Jasper straightened his tie and swallowed, staring hard at his reflection in the mirror. Unflinching green eyes stared back as Jasper slipped on his cloak and headed out the door. "Should brush your hair more, dearie!" his reflection called after him, but Jasper ignored it.

He made his way out of the common room and up to the Great Hall, and sat down stiffly at the Slytherin table, looking around. Was that Ava over at the Hufflepuff table? He squinted at her, confused, but shook it off. It had nothing to do with him. And Jasper was sure he'd hear some sort of rumor regarding it later, anyway.

Yay! Saffron cheered mentally, as the fifteen-year old stuffed the last of her things in her trunk. School's nearly over! Yes, she liked things like Quidditch and school and her friends, but for the most part, Hogwarts was terrifying. There were so many unknowns and things that made her worry and worry and worry...But school was over and she'd be able to control her own environment completely during the summer! It was just delightful. More than just a little pleased, she skipped down to the Great Hall.

There were plenty of people she recognized and plenty she vaguely knew, but she made a beeline for one particularly familiar face that stood out. Mysti! Beaming like she rarely did, Saffy darted over to her friend at the Hufflepuff table and plopped herself down on the bench. There was Tulojow, the new professor sitting with her and Saffron stared for a moment in confusion. "Hi, Mysti!" she burst peppily. "Can you believe it? The school year's over and we're gonna be fifth years soon! Fifth years!" she gushed.

Kendall knew that he had to attend the leaving feast.  This was for a few good reasons.  firstly because he really should get used to being in the Great Hall, it was expected of him as a professor.

Secondly, Knox had specifically asked all the staff, outgoing and incoming to  attend the feast.  This was something that he had never gotten to do in the short time he attended Hogwarts. He couldn't wait to see the room decked out in the winning house colors.

There was a third reason for attending the feast.  For the last six weeks things had been tense.  Having survived his first, somewhat impromptu lesson he had expected Morrigan to at least gloat over his embarassment at being caught unawares.  She hadn't.

Kendall pulled the sapphire blue sweater over his head, and ran his hand through his hair again.  They had been avoiding each other for the last six weeks.  But avoidance was not ignorance.  He was very much aware of her presence in the halls.  Her sense of purpose as she moved, floating along, grace emboddied.

He draped the midnight blue cloak over his shoulders.  The sapphire blue satin lining flashing as he walked out of his quarters.  He looked left and right out the door and seeing the hallway empty, sighed then headed toward the main staircase.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Kendall watched the excited clusters of students heading in to the final feast of the year.  The summer fully ahead of them, and in his case... a long summer of staying at the school to finish lesson plans, and to ensure that the classroom was the way he wanted it.  Besides where else did he have to go?

Slowly he made his approach to the Great hall, almost like he had all those years ago for his own sorting.  He also tried to covertly watch for Morrigan.  There was comfort in seeing her that he never could have expected.

Finally, it was the end of the year, and Meg couldn't be more happy about that. True, she did have her OWL exams next year, but she could at least forget about those for the time being during the summer. After all, there was plenty of time for her to be completely stressed next year, which was bound to happen. But, she still had time before that officially happened, and that was a good thing, for the time being.

At the same time, another major thing happened right before the feast. Meg had heard that Headmaster Greyfriar was leaving his post. Why, she didn't know. But, she had heard it, and read the Daily Prophet's article on it. But, she expected the Headmaster to make some form of mention about it during the feast that was going to take place soon.

Meg walked into the Great Hall, and looked around the room. Her eyes first spotted the Ravenclaw table, and noticed that Sasha was there, looking saddened. "Hi Sasha," she greeted him kindly. "Are you alright?" she asked him, noticing that he seemed a bit down. Naturally, she wouldn't know why he was down, but that was how it appeared to her. Looking around the Great Hall again, she spotted Fauna, Mysti, and Saffron over at the Hufflepuff table. She smiled to them, and waved. "Hey Saffron, Mysti, and Fauna!" she called out to them.

Getting a jump start on his work for the summer, the professor had spent all of the previous night drawing up plans for experimenting on the Wolfsbane potion… after grading exams, of course.  He had spent the day walking through the halls like a zombie, the house elves far too wise to give him any kind of caffeine.

This was why Professor Gunnar was dead asleep in his chair at the Head Table, a snot bubble slowly expanding and deflating as he snored quietly.

That is, until he heard the unmistakable sound of Knox’s chair scratching the floor as he moved up and out of it.  Sitting bolt upright, the bogey bubble bursting, he shouted, “The bunnies with peaches are to blame!” before realizing the Headmaster’s hand extended toward him.

“OCH!” he offered a sad grin after coming to his senses.  Taking the man’s burly hand, he said, “… we’ll miss you, ya old bear…” giving it a strong, squeaky shake with his purple rubber gloved one.

Knox laughed at Nicodemus, turning their handshake into a hug.  He'd always been very fond of the younger professor, especially after the bravery and kindness he'd shown to little Olivia Foley.  Their vigil had bonded the two wizards in a very brotherly way, or at least in Knox's mind.  But Nico moved so quickly, was feast or famine with him. And Knox, who was more deliberate, had trouble keeping up.  But this made Nicodemus fantastic with the students.

"I'll miss you too, Nicodemus," he said sincerely.  He was sad he could make no amendment to that - no 'I'm sure we'll see each other again!' - because Knox planned to go very far away and he really had no idea if he'd ever see any of these people again.  It sounded dramatic and fatalistic to think it out like that.

But now it was time to begin.

He left the staff table and stepped forward to the golden, be-candled podium. 

"Good evening everyone.  You've completed another year at Hogwarts and no doubt the information and knowledge you've gained is already leaking discreetly from your ears.  Stop them up!" he said, his eyebrows shooting upwards. "Plug them with cotton or the down of an infant diricawl.  Keep the knowledge in and the poisoning sounds of parents, siblings and other influences out!  Hold onto what you know and stand firm on the principles you've learned.  Be choosy about what you take in and don't listen to just anyone.

"And to the seventh years, your knowledge will leak away faster than anyone if you are not careful.  Life at Hogwarts has been safe and sheltered: life away from it will seem dazzling and every thing you've learned about yourself and about the numerous subjects you've studied will attempt to vacate your brain with as much haste as seventeen Abraxons awing.  You'll want to inhale golden galleons, ingest the freedom, and soak in the sizzling rays of adulthood and the myriad lusty opportunities it offers.

"Stand firm!" he demanded of them. "Do not forget yourself and the things you've learned here."


He paused for a moment and collected his thoughts for what he was about to say.

As he had always been, he would always be the weird boy, dressed in odd clothing at Hogwarts. Muggleborn to the fullest, and to his knowledgeable extent, Zoey walked into the Great Hall with ease, dignity, and happiness as the year was coming to a close. Underneath his robes, he didn't wear his normal uniform. Instead, he wore a stylish suite-esque fashion wardrobe. If the rumors were true, he would commemorate in the best style possible.

Slowly walking to the Slytherin table, he noticed Ava greeting Fauna Blake at the Hufflepuff table. It was odd, yes, but Zoey never put weirdom past anyone, especially when he himself was an oddball. Taking a seat at the table, he watched as scenes unfolded, as Greyfriar gave his speech, and as others watched intently.