Daisy could not believe that her second last year at Hogwarts was over. She made her way to the Hufflepuff table and sat down. She was going to miss her friends that were departing Hogwarts. The thought of it made her eyes well up.

.........And just like that... this term was OVER.

Aaron was slow in making his way to the great hall. Earlier in the day, he'd made sure to press his school uniform; meticulous in putting creases in his trouser legs and shirt arms. Before sitting his exams...the need for control was real. If his outfit was on point, than that clearly meant he had his stuff together. That he was capable and fierce, and could conquer a few tests.

... The creases remained, but... his hair was a flipping mess from running his fingers through it so many times. It was sticking up in odd angles, and looked as if he'd rolled around in bed for a few hours, and had gotten out of said bed without brushing....

... He could make it look artful and deliberate... So, pausing in the entrance hall, Aaron stood before the hourglasses, using their gleaming surfaces as a mirror. After flattening his hair in some place, but leaving others messy, he shot himself a tired smile...and then proceeded inside.

Ah... he was early.... but not the first to arrive. He offered his housemate a warm, open smile. "Hello, Daisy. How are you?"

Daisy was playing with her fork when Aaron arrived so she placed the utensil back on the table in front of her. "Hey, Aaron. I am doing pretty well actually. I've had some personal issues resolved for the better and I'm looking forward to my final year next year. How are you?"

So this was it.

Seven years had accumulated to this evening and it felt nothing like how his first year self had imagined it would. Having any real attachment to the benches here in the Great Hall or the tapestries decorating the walls or really any physical element of the castle had a real air of nugacity about it - even the badge still pinned to his robes. One would almost think that the Hufflepuff had come to hate Hogwarts were he to verbalize these thoughts, but it was anything but that. Despite everything he had survived here (portals and a terrifying monster, Dark magic possessions and threatening the security of the entire wizarding world, an inferi invasion and cursed treasure, Hogwarts attempt at becoming a reform school and psychological damage from polyjuice potion, hair growth NOT associated with puberty and splintered lips from gnawing on things he should not thanks to the appearance of small cute not-pygmy-puff creatures, AND all the teenage angst that came with...well...growing up), Derf still valued his time spent here. There just was no reason to feel nostalgic nor attached to anything inanimate or enchanted from here.

Memories were the foundation of that attachment anyway and those stayed with him, not here in these halls.

....and he had absolutely no idea what he was going to write in the Memory Book.

So, needless to say, one Derfael Mitchell Ashburry-Hawthorne was ready to leave this place and turn the page to start the next chapter in the on-going novel that was his life.

So it was that after giving the Ravenclaw table a brief glance and smiling at both Daisy and Aaron, that the Head Boy slipped into a seat somewhere in the middle of the table and ran his palms over the wood...allowing himself to feel a little nostalgic.

When Derf sat down at the table, Daisy returned his smile and opened her mouth to speak. "I am really going to miss you, Derf. You have been an immense help to me. I hope we can keep in touch. Erm, any plans for the future?"

Daisy was determined not to cause herself any sort of imbroglio by becoming too emotional.

Term was over. OWLs were done. This was the best feeling in the world for the 5th year... or was she basically a 6th year now? It was all very confusing, really.

Penny Lane shook those thoughts away as she took a seat at her house table. Her eyes shifted automatically toward the Ravenclaw table in search of one Benji Park, boyfriend extraordinaire. But he had yet to make it down just yet. They'd see one another before ending, though, so she wasn't worried. Now her eyes shifted to the inhabitants of the table. Derf and Daisy. Such sweeties.

Most of the time. In terms of Derf anyway. As the term had progressed, she had decided that they were indeed friends again, at least. That had been nice for her... even if she hadn't properly verbalized it to him. Heh. She wasn't much for words most days anyway. But today... seeing as it was his final year, she decided to move to sit beside him. Her small hand reaching out to pat him.

"Are you excited to be done?" she asked softly, hoping he could hear over the den of the Great Hall.

This was it.

He'd done it. He was on his way out, onto a new chapter, a new school. Starting over was not knew to him but starting over in this way was. Before, he knew he had at least one friend at his new school... One who he wasn't sure where he stood with as of right this instance. But that was entirely his own doing. He was the one who'd avoided Derfael, who had wanted nothing to do with him for weeks, keeping the curtains drawn tight around his bed and taking dramatic routes around the castle to hide away.

Looking at him still hurt and that was exactly where his eyes had landed upon his entrance into the Great Hall. Cue the heartache.

Focusing his gaze elsewhere, his eyes landed on Aaron, his other teammate, who seemed to be striking up a conversation with Daisy. His feet guided him toward the other boy, sliding in beside him, selfishly using him as a buffer between him and the blonde. "Aaron. Daisy. Hey."

Was it really that time of year already? Or... Shouldn't it have been that time of year a long time ago? Benji couldn't decide if the year had flown by or dragged on. It depended, he supposed, on what part of this year he was thinking about. Flown by? His time with Penny. Dragged on? All the countless hours he'd spent without her while she was studying for OWLs. (He was so proud of her, no matter what her results were. She'd been working so hard!)

Also, y'know, the whole mutant thing. But no matter about that now.

He made his way down to the feast for the last time that year, thinking about how glad he was that Penny's fifth year was over, and they would finally be able to enjoy each other's company without the stress of her OWLs hanging over them... Until the realization dawned on him that next year was his fifth year, and they would have to do it all over again but with him being the stressed-out studier this time around. OH NO. And then when next year was over, Penny would be a seventh year and studying for her NEWTs, then she would graduate and leave Benji all alone!!!!! WHY did he have to fall for an OLDER WOMAN?!

But he was determined not to think about that now! He could feel his palms beginning to get all clammy and gross like they always did when he got himself all worked up like this. He wiped them on his robe as subtly as he could, deciding that he was simply going to locate Penny and try to enjoy his time with her WITHOUT thinking about any of this stressful stuff. He spotted her nearly right away. She always caught his attention without even trying, and he counted himself lucky for the millionth time that she had chosen him (for some reason).

Skipping over his own table entirely, Benji made his way to the Hufflepuff table and slid into the seat beside his girlfriend. "Hey," he said, giving her a huge smile and trying not to let her pick up on his earlier rabbit hole of stress. "You're done. How does it feel?"

... Personal issues? He, of course, didn't want to pry, but given that she'd said they'd been resolved.... Well, that was great! Aaron didn't like hearing about his housemates struggling. Or really anyone, for that matter. So he offered up his best smile and leaned over to squeeze her hand, having read that sometimes just the pressure of a simple hand-hold could decrease stress. "... Have you decided what you want to do after you finish here?"

... and they were no longer alone.

Derf, Eamon... and many others were finally filling out the rest of the tables, adding to the cacophony of sound in the great hall. Hard to believe he only had two more terms of this. That knowledge created a lump in his throat, but he didn't want to think about it right now. No, he wanted to celebrate Derf and Eamon... among others. Speaking of...

He grinned at the latter, trying to be stealthy with his gesturing. "Do you have it?" The gift, Aaron, meant.

His FIRST WHOLE YEAR AT HOGWARTS was over. Done. Finished forever! He only had six left! And Head Boy Derf had ZERO! And Eamon had zero too and Aaron only had a couple and BEL- sLDIJFljsldfjalsjdf at least Maxie would be with him through alllllllll of the six years. And his rats. And Mary Muldoon unfortunately.

Ronan's first destination was obviously head boy Derf, his second favourite old person who's not family. The twelve year old, much bolder than he'd been at the start of the year following some major, life altering experiences tapped his teammate on the shoulder. "Hey Derf!! I'm super sad you're leaving so I made you a card!" and he handed said card over, which was just a roughly torn piece of parchment with a sentence written in block letters. ''I HOPE BEING AN ADULT IS JUST AS FUN AS HOGWARTS WAS FOR YOU! - RONAN EMERY WALLACE"

Next up, Eamon and Aaron. Well. Eamon. Aaron doesn't get a card because Aaron's not leaving. "Eamon!! I wrote you a card too I'm real sad you won't be on the team with us next year," Ronan said, genuinely very upset that his best group is already breaking up. Noel's band took at least a couple of years before they broke up! Eamon got a note similar to Derf's, in big block letters. "BE THE BEST ADULT PERSON EVER! RONAN EMERY WALLACE"

And......... Bel wasn't here yet. Which he was very sad about, but also happy because he didn't want to say goodbye to Bel the Captain OR Bel the housemate because he loved her she was his favourite person who's not family the NUMBER ONE PERSON IN THE WORLD, BEL MACINDOE. "Aaron, I promise I'll write you a card when you graduate too," Ronan said as he took a seat, and shot a somewhat diminished smile at Daisy, another housemate. He was glad to be going home, he'd get to hang out with Noel and see Sunny maybe and make fun of Patience and stuff but.. he'd miss Hogwarts and all his friends.

Ronan suddenly bit his lip, and looked away. Where was Maxie??

Mary couldn't believe the year was finally over. She realized that she had come out her shell, but also lost so much of the fear that allowed her to be so sweet and kind. She didn't make any friends, but it was still a good year, except for one thing.

Despite being several weeks ago, the accident with Ronan felt fresh on her mind. She wanted to apologize before the year was over. It was really stupid of her. Maybe she should have listened to his message on the train. Don't judge people. Approaching Ronan, she started, awkwardly and quietly, just as she had on the train. "Hey Ronan? I'm really sorry about what I did in the courtyard. I was really scared and I wanted to go back home, but that didn't mean I could yell at you. I felt terrible almost immediately after. Please forgive me. I was terrified and I didn't know what I was saying" That had taken all her energy, but it lifted a huge weight off her shoulders. Whether or not he accepted it, it had to be done. "I'm so sorry," she said again.