Lucinda was excited, their year was graduating, they had a few days left at Hogwarts, and they were throwing a party. Room of Requirement just after curfew, was it suspicious? Oh most certainly, but it was the end of the year, if anyone went down they all went down, she had a feeling some of the Professors were even allowing it to happen, though she was not sure that it was the case, but she had fun imagining the idea.

The Room of Requirement had been decorated up, namely with just a big banner congratulating them on finishing the year, there were of course food and drinks provided by the kitchens on requests...and several students had even managed to smuggle in some alcohol to help spice up the party, everyone was 18 after all now.

While the graduation party had no official dress code and was more just show up, most people took it as a chance to dress nicely, she was no exception of course, she wanted to celebrate finishing off the year and surviving exams.

Seeing someone set off a firework inside the room, the room would not be happy with that, she leaned in and delicately kissed Jessica Billingworthington on the cheek before giggling. "Shall we go get a drink?" She asked her before the two went towards the table to see what people had brought.

Cosima Early, Ravenclaw Seventh Year, 18

"I thought it tasted funny," Cosima Early of Slandermouth said it too loudly for how close she was to Tommy Sidelong. Lucinda and Jessica approached and Cosima took it upon herself to make sure they knew. Her pale pink cheeks were flushed and she batted her hand a little at them both then pulled it back.

"Someone spiked the punch," she warned them. She took another sip from the cup and made a face. "With alcohol," she clarified. "I like your dress, Temple. It looks really good on you."

Cosima's idea of dressing up for a party was her navy blue pant suit that she'd work for her Daily Prophet apprenticeship interviews, but with a t-shirt under the jacket.

Hufflepuff Seventh Year

“Someone spiked the punch.”
“Of courrrrrrrse!” Eta Pepper grinned, ladling herself some. “I saw it in my cards - no I didn’t need to. Come on, live a little Cosima!” She seized extra cups to force some more upon Lucinda and Jessica.

Honestly, it was something that she might suggest Early was too stiff for Tim. Her cousin was straight off to healer training the moment his NEWT results arrived, and Eta was sure he’d get a clean sweep of them like most Ravenclaws. He and Cosima had been a cute little pairing that she’d totally predicted and read.

“Is waking up with a hangover at Hogwarts not on your bucket list?” Eta asked, them all, high-spirited and carpe diem given they had finished their exams. It might have been the nastily exhausting part to them, that was making her delirious but that was half the fun.

Ravenclaw Seventh Year (Prefect)

“You might need another kind of bucket,” Tim Pepper interrupted his cousin’s well-meant question, and gave Cosima Early and Tommy Sidelong a placating smile. He and Cosima had been a thing that year, but they had been realists and truthful about their aspirations. There was no chance of things continuing once they left Hogwarts, so they had called it quits not so long ago. He wondered if Cosima was already moving on. He wouldn’t blame her, but he was definitely judging already how Sidelong fitted into the picture Cosima had painted him before their breakup.

“Always best to go with someone bottled,” he suggested, offering his housemate a sealed bottle of butter beer tucked behind the punch. “But if you do need something to remedy it, Selly’s got something perfect.” He gave a chef’s kiss.

"Need something?" Asked Selly appearing from nowhere. Her hair was changing color. Another of her potions. She had heard her name.

"Of course its spiked, be boring if it wasn't right?" Lucinda said with a giggle, before giving a small twirl of her dress after the compliment to it. "Thank you! I thought I should wear my best." She said with a grin, before a slight look of sadness came on her as she saw Jessica slipping off, she knew the two wouldn't make it, they had both talked it through and realized they just weren't a match, only that the two were both stressed and needed something away from exams...so they had worked out.

It still stung somewhat however.

She quickly cheered herself up by pouring a drink as she looked over at Tim, then smiled warmly at Eta. "I think getting drunk at Hogwarts is the best way to go out." She took a sip, recoiling slightly at the aftertaste before drinking more.

"Well, if you aren't a professor, surprised Professor Byrne hasn't come in high or drunk."

Eta wiggled her own full cup at Lucinda.

“Rude not to toast a friend,” she chided, giddy, and pressed her drink to her mate’s. “Sel’s the most likely of all of us to be a Professor.” Ravenclaw with colour-changing hair or whatever. “What’s left on anyone’s bucket list? Reckon we can do a broom race down the stairs still?” Eta wasn’t the most amazing on a broom, but she had a romantic notion about rule breaking once she’d had some alcohol.

“Cossie, Tim you up for that?”

"I'm fun!" Cosima Early insisted, though no one had claimed otherwise. "I'll do it!"

She'd only had a few sips of the punch, but she had fallen under the charms of the party. Through all her years at Hogwarts she'd often isolated herself more than she'd meant to and now here they were on their way out. Their NEWTS were done. What else left was there but to live?

"Not me, I'm always sick on brooms," Tommy said putting a hand to his stomach.

"I've got my camera," Cosima said heading to where she'd set her bag down. She'd intended to make mementos of the party, and that plan needn't change.

"Say coagulated dairy protein!" she lifted the device to her eye.

“Coag…”
   “Cheese!” Tim called loudly, grabbing shoulders and grouping the bunch together before Cosima’s camera.

“Oh is that what she meant?” Eta was a little slower on the uptake, but her face was bright at the realisation. Hufflepuffs… He gave her a pat on the head, sympathetic for his cousin’s shortcomings, which she made up for in other strengths.

“Come on Cosima, you’ve got to be in at least one, charm it or something.”