Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Kurumi smiled back at Arabella. "We will always have Diagon Alley," she nodded.

Among the sea of robes in the Great Hall, Kurumi managed to spot some yellow ones approach the Gryffindor table and turned her head slightly to see just who it was that had come by. Did they want to sit? It was sort of getting crowded here but there was still plenty of room. Hogwarts always made sure that there was plenty of room for everyone.

"Ella! Hey," Kurumi smiled, beckoning the girl over with her hand. It was then that she noticed the very un-Ella looking smile on the girl's face. Kurumi usually would have assumed that this meant the girl was running low on gummy worms or ice cream (or a combination of the two), but Kurumi had the feeling that wasn't it. Ella wouldn't be coming over here for ice cream it would be for cookies. "Ella...it's going to be alright..." she said softly, trying to pull the younger Hufflepuff closer to give her a hug.


Attention grabbed by someone else, she smiled when she saw one of the younger lions moving towards her. "Hey Ronnie," Kurumi said in reply, eye immediately widening when she saw the girl digging into her pockets. Really...everyone didn't have to give her things. Assuming that was what the girl was doing. Trying to hide her flustered feelings by idly twirling some of her long black hair between her fingers, the slight gleam caused by tears. "Did you make this? It's beautiful. Thank you, Ronnie," she said, biting down on her lower lip and pulling the girl in close for a small hug.


Laughing softly, Kurumi returned her wand to her pocket and leaned back in her seat, sort of just watching the remaining dancing cookies and feeling a bit nostalgic already. It was too early for that sort of thing though. She hadn't even officially graduated yet and here she was already thinking back about how she had baked cookies for every opening and closing feast at Hogwarts. Shaking her head, she turned back to Dylan and smiled. "Well...you wouldn't want the cookies to go back, would you? Using Undetectable Extension Charms can fit a lot in one box you know."


"You aren't the first person to tell me that," she replied, still with a faint smile on her face. "But...it's part of who I am. And, believe it or not, I am a lot better than I used to be. We all have things we need to work on and, well, Hogwarts helps fine tune those bits of ourselves." But only if you let them. Kurumi hadn't really been resisting, but she also hadn't really been aware of things either. That had come with being prefected in her fourth year, when the timid and shy girl who hated confrontation and been somewhat forced to speak her mind a lot more.

And Selina. Of course.

"And you did a fantastic job at that," Kurumi nodded. "Just imagine the contribution you could have made without all that point loss!" Not that points were everything. Sure, Kurumi would have love to have had that House Cup come home to Gryffindor her last term, but at least they had Gobstones.

Nessie.

Between the look on Nessie's face and the tone of her voice when she did eventually speak Kurumi felt her heart breaking into little pieces. Over the years her and Nessie had grown close and, somewhat surprisingly, Nessie had really helped Kurumi. Sure, it had mostly been the Hufflepuff who had been coming to her for advice. Advice that half the time Kurumi wasn't sure she was really helping given how deep and intense the topics had been from time to time for someone so young, but the Gryffindor was glad that she had been there for her. Nessie had sort of been a bridge between her and Adam, which Kurumi hated to admit, and it was only really with the Quidditch captain around that the two of them sort of got along - because they had a mutual care for Nessie. Because Nessie was someone special.

"Nessie...come here," Kurumi said, her own voice cracking just a little when she saw the tears forming in the Hufflepuff's eyes. No, Nessie didn't get to argue this. Kurumi was just going to pull her in for a hug as well.


Smiling, Kurumi nodded her head towards the professor. Of course. The woman couldn't be down here when the Headmistress gave her speech. That would be rather rude and...if rumors were true...maybe put the Herbology professor on the woman's hit list. "I'll see you later then, professor," Kurumi nodded, her hands fumbling with something in her pockets.

"I know you will," Kurumi nodded. Kat was smart. Dedicated. Ambitious. Perhaps above all else ambitious, at least from what Kurumi had seen, which was very Slytherin of the girl. Sierra would be proud as well. Oh, wait, what? Kat had something for her too? Kurumi blushed and sort of squirmed in her seat a little. It was becoming more and more clear to her why she had never celebrated a birthday at Hogwarts, or anywhere really. All this time she thought it was because she didn't see any point in celebrating her existence...but now it was more she felt ridiculous that people were making such a fuss over her. She did appreciate the gesture, really, it wasn't that. Kurumi just felt weird being sort of rewarded for just being a friend. For doing what she felt was right.

"Oh, Kat. It's lovely," she smiled as she accepted the bracelet. Overwhelming. This was just all so...overwhelming. "And...um...you're welcome. It has been my pleasure." Really.

Oh, of course. Kurumi removed her hand from the bench and placed it on her lap and waited for Beezus to ---

Kurumi couldn't help but laugh, softly mind you, but it was still a laugh. Was Beezus seriously asking permission for a hug? It was almost as if the young woman in front of her had transformed back into the first year that Kurumi had met so long ago. "Beezus, you know you don't have to ask permission," she smiled, her lower lip slightly quivering. So, come over her and hug her already.

Kurumi spotted more yellow robes out of the corner of her eye and she turned her head to see who it was. "Messer!" she called out, waving towards him. Really, people needed to stop standing off to the side like that. Kurumi was perfectly alright with people just coming up and tapping her on the shoulder or what not.

Tinka had done so. Hehe.

Feeling Elise nod into her shoulder like that made her pull the little Ravenclaw a little closer. Kurumi didn't expect this to be so hard. Not goodbyes in general, but this particular one with Elise. Maybe it was the connection that she felt to the girl when she had heard more about her home situation, her relationship with her parents, but Kurumi...really didn't want to let go of her. Was this how Lexi had felt when she had graduated? Hugging Kurumi and trying to convince herself that she was not needed as a big sister sort of figure anymore. Not in the same capacity at least. "Of course," she laughed through a few tears. "I'll warn Lewis, just so he doesn't panic." Although, she had the feeling that Lewis would be more amused by a flood of letters coming through the mail slot of their flat.

Penelope was just...one of the sweetest little Gryffindors she had met - not to mention Selina could go on for hours and hours about the girl, which really only made Kurumi like her more because Selina was a good judge of character. Squeezing the girl back a little, Kurumi actually picked up a cookie and took a little bit from it as she pulled away.

Oh. Yeah. Not baked to perfection. But definitely full of feeling.

She felt as though she should offer Penelope some sort of words of advice right now, but her mind was just drawing a blank as she was still somewhat overwhelmed by being given cookies FOR THE FIRST TIME!. "Penelope, remember...you don't have to be perfect the first time. Or the second time. Or even the hundredth time. You do what you can and be proud of that." Kurumi had seen the girl beat herself up over not performing a spell properly so many times in lessons that it had broken her heart. Yes, it was frustrating - especially seeing others around you being successful - but it did not mean that you yourself were not meant to do great things.

Kurumi was NOT ready for something like this. Alice's reaction was beyond anything that she had imagined and Kurumi just had no idea what to do or say to make the younger lion feel better. She could say 'It will be alright' over and over again, but that wasn't going to mean anything. Not really. They were just words and what Alice needed was to see that she would be alright. "Alice...you are not going to be alone and there will always be someone there for you," Kurumi said, petting the girl's head softly. "You have Melanie, and Selina, and so many others looking out for you and...well...help will always come to those at Hogwards who deserve it. And you, Alice, are deserving and will be fine. I know you will." She pulled Alice a little closer. Ug, she was an emotional wreck herself and trying to comfort someone who was just as emotional as she was was...hard. "You are ready for this too, Alice."

Too busy for her? Those words hurt more than she thought they would, but still somehow brought a smile to her face. "Alice...if I have been able to balancing prefecting, with Gobstones, with yearbook, with Quidditch announcing, with classes, with homework, and with everything else and still had time to be spend time with you...I will always have time for you." See. Logic. There was nothing to worry about.

And Frank was gone? Erm, Kurumi really didn't want to mention that the frog had probably melted in the meantime or...become food to something...that was just going to upset Alice more. As for the rope comment... "That's...really sweet Alice." And something that probably Professor Bentley would approve of considering how supportive she was of Daichi's efforts.

But maybe Kurumi would sleep with double locks on the dorm room and a Shield Charm around her bed tonight.

Kurumi shifted a little in her seat when Selina moved and couldn't help but eye her best friend a little when she seemed....nervous? Okay, so tonight was one of those nights where people were sort of acting differently. It was emotional for a lot of people - and this was probably the most emotional she had ever seen the red head.

And it just became a billion times worse.

Hands trembling, Kurumi reached out for the two items and sort of just looked at the card and box for a moment, not really registering that she had just received them from her best friend. All it took was her eyes to look at the cover of the card and see the giant Thank You written there to bring the shimmer back to her violet eyes and for her lower lip to begin quivering. Selina had said....everyone... What did that ---

Opening the card answered that question immediately and her right have went to her mouth to muffle a whimper before it escaped her lips. But it was in vain...and DEFINITELY audible. Her eyes couldn't even focus on any one message at the moment. She was, for lack of a better word, overwhelmed. Sniffling, Kurumi blinked a few times and allowed some of the tears that had been forming to finally trickle down her cheeks and her eyes finally refocused and fell on one message.

Selina's.

Others may have seen Selina's message and been surprised or perhaps even disappointed by its length, but not Kurumi. She knew Selina wasn't the best with words, not written ones anyway because she was perfectly capable of speaking her mind, and when it came to matters like this, well, it went without saying what the two meant to each other. There were best friends, then there were sisters, and then there was her and Selina.

Chewing on lower lip, Kurumi forced her eyes back on the first page and began to read.

Ira! Kurumi knew that that little lion was going to go far. She was an excellent Gobstones player and if school didn't get in the way could easily lead the lions to another victory next term. Kurumi would miss her, a lot. They had made a great team in Defense Against the Dark Arts a few terms back. Aw, Ella! Her message made Kurumi both laugh and cry. Laugh because of the mention of Sir Lewis and Professor Handsome-face Williamson and cry because, well, it was Ella. Kurumi really liked Ella. At least they had plans to go to the zoo relatively soon, so she knew that she would be able to see her again in the near future. Brilliant...Kurumi blushed at that word...and a few more tears trickled down her cheeks.

Alice! Oh yeah, her message made her blush. A lot. Calling her Hogwarts mommy like that and a small laugh escaped the Gryffindor's lips. Alice was certainly one of those little lions that she could never forget and just knew that she would go on to do great things and turn into a fantastic leader for Gryffindor - and not just because she could whack people with sticks and bite them. Next came...Elise...and Kurumi wasn't sure that she could read through this one. But she did. And she was back to allowing more tears to fall down her cheeks as she chewed on her lower lip. Kurumi was just glad she was able to touch someone in the way she seemed to have for Elise.

Nessie's message just made the tears flow a bit more. Nessie really was one of those people that Kurumi was both worried about and not worried about once she graduated. She knew Nessie could stand on her own two feet and had things figured out a lot more. She was much more confident now and knew what she wanted - most of the time - but at the same time...who was going to be there when Nessie needed someone to talk to? Who would be there to make sure to give her a firm hug when she needed it? Well, Kurumi had an idea of a certain someone who could comfort Nessie. Hehe.

Blue! Oh precious little Blue. Kurumi still felt awful about the girl's pet, but at least they had been able to perform a wake in honor of the creature. Actually, Kurumi's favorite color was violet, but you did need blue to make that color so technically the Ravenclaw wasn't that far off. Oakey's message made her laugh. Don't get eaten by a dragon. Haha. She would certainly try not to. She wasn't too sure about leaving the house elves his care, considering what had happened with that potato soup, but she did appreciate that he was thinking about the house elves.

And Kurumi was going to miss casting Silencing Charms on him. Maybe she should just one more time...

Penelope. Kurumi reached for another one of the girl's cookies while she read the short, but sweet message. Penelope was another lion that she knew would do great things, she just needed to find her confidence. Kurumi would leave that task to Selina now. Melanie! Still calling her Miss Kurumi - probably forever. Fixing people. Kurumi had never really considering herself someone capable of fixing others until recently. Everyone was always fixing her - whether they knew it or not. Helping her feel complete just by being there or, as Selina and Lewis knew first hand, literally putting her back together. However Melanie meant those words, it made Kurumi smile. Fixing people. That was a very nice compliment.

Favorite Gryffindor. Hehe. He was her favorite Hufflepuff. Well, no...she couldn't actually say that because - to be honest - Lewis was her favorite Hufflepuff and then Treyen. Didn't mean she didn't care any less for Logan though. He was someone that Kurumi had sort of adopted into her life and felt responsible for ever since King's Cross. Could she pack him in her trunk and take him with her? He was small after all...

Oh wow...Beezus. Kurumi was a bit surprised that she had written so much but carefully read over every word, sniffling here and there to try and contain her emotions a bit more. She needed her eyes still to be able to read, so the tears needed to be kept at bay somehow. Which, for now, required the use of the sleeve of her robes. It was sort of...overwhelming reading about herself like Beezus had written. Became a part of the school' history. Who would have thought that her, Kurumi Hollingberry, would be described that way by others. She certainly hadn't...and she had to venture a glance at Beezus and offer the Ravenclaw a small smile. This was all...too much.

Kurumi set the card down on the table when she noticed there was another message. A message from Treyen...and the tears were definitely back to flowing down her cheeks. He had even added in one of his winks. That made her smile a little and it went without saying what that everything implied. Kurumi whimpered again and rested both hands on top of the card while she looked down at her lap and let more tears fall down her cheeks. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry or what right now. This was...it was beyond what she had expected.

And then she remembered there was a box too, but she was afraid to open it. So many emotions were coursing through her right now that it was hard to breathe. But move she did. And she wasn't disappointed when she removed the lid and saw the apron inside and especially with what was written on it.

Vision completely gone now from tears, good tears mind you, Kurumi glanced around at everyone and meekly said, "Arigatou...hontou ni...arigatou..." Too overwhelmed to be able to express herself in English.

Kurumi had collapsed onto Selina's shoulder after saying thank you in her first language, and noticed the small frame of a certain little Hufflepuff approaching the Gryffindor table. Kurumi was, quite literally, a mess. She was this giant balloon of emotions that kept getting bigger and bigger with each passing moment and she was probably going to burst at any time.

Which is probably why she just reached out and grabbed Logan by the arm and pulled him in for a hug with her one arm while the other was still wrapped around Selina's neck.

Could they just do one big group hug? It might keep Kurumi's body from exploding if they did.

Still a wibbling sobbing mess, Kurumi glanced up when Professor Bentley said that she would be returning to the staff table...and was encouraging methods to make her stay. It did bring a small smile to her face, but also made her feel a little worse.

How was she going to be able to leave the Great Hall, let alone Hogwarts, when the time actually came?