Her final Hogwarts feast.

Ever.

Claudine was indeed going to miss this place. The life threatening situations? Not at all. This was just another chapter of her life coming to an end, and a new one was about to begin in a few months; another chapter that she could not wait for. As she sat there at the Slytherin Table, Claudine let her gaze take in all of the scenery: the banners, the tables... She sighed, looking up and down her House table. It was going to fill up soon and then there was going to be constant chattering. But she could be social this evening, could she not?

Yes, she could and she would be.

Another year come to an end, another end of term feast that V was looking forward to. She liked summers. No school work and getting to see Prince Charleston EVERY DAY! It was the BEST. But she had to get through this feast, first.

The best part about this summer was that she totally did better on all her end of term exams than last term, and so her parents weren't going to be as mad. And she did a LOT more homework this year thanks to Lisa, Serena, Ollie, and Remy (kinda) so she felt infinitely less stupid. She even managed a small wave and a head nod at Claudine, who she normally didn't like all that much. But Claudine was leaving, right? She wondered if the seventh years were sad. They had mopey and CRYING all day, it seemed. She couldn't wait to be a seventh year so SHE could cry and have all the attention on her in a GOOD way.

He had spent some time searching for a gift that he wanted to give to one of the seventh year Slytherin's. It had surprised himself that he had been so actively searching for it but this was different. He wasn't going to see Claudine again until probably years later. And although he was never ever ever going to admit it, he was going to miss her a little bit. Because now he had to find another student to train with!

Daniel approached the table on the far left of the Great hall and walked past V, only giving her a quick look before he stood behind the older Slytherin with a book pressed against his chest.

"Claudine?" he asked as he tapped the older girl on her shoulder.

She had to say goodbye to Claudine. It was strange to see her go…. She had been so helpful. So as she ran across the Great Hall to the Slytherin table, she cast her eyes to the Staff Table, and noted that she had enough time.

Arriving at the Slytherin table, she paused when she saw Claudine seated. She took a deep breath and began to walk closer when she spotted V. “Hi!” she happily waved before sidling up next to Daniel. She hip bumped him and then noticed that he was holding something. “Oh sorry.. I’ll wait.” She then took a seat next to V and beamed. “So ready for summer?” if she didn’t catch Claudine now, she’d catch him later. In the meantime, she’d let him have this moment with the older slytherin.

It was his send off Feast .. Blake had survived and had now officaly graduated from Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was insane how fast the last 7 years went. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do next but this was it. Nothing left for him here. He looked up and down the table with a slight tear in his eye. He was saying good bye to everyone.

When Violet finally made it over to her own table, after a brief detour, she was determined to sit near Claudine, who would not be back after this year. And when a Slytherin wanted something, they usually got it, so Violet managed to squeeze her way onto a bench directly across from her housemate. "Hi, Claudine," she began, rather lamely, but then, Violet had never been that adept at starting a conversation. "I...that is, well--I'm sorry you're leaving this year. Well, not sorry, exactly, because I'm sure you must be excited to be graduating and all, but...I'll miss you," she finished awkwardly, looking down at her empty plate in embarrassment.

No, Victoria. Claudine was not sad, much less near to tears. That would have only drawn attention to her and Claudine hated attention. She was instead having bittersweet feelings towards this entire final evening at Hogwarts. She was even positive she felt it on her tongue. Huh. The seventh year gave Victoria a small wave because she was not a fan of the second year.

Feeling the tap on her shoulder, Claudine turned around to see Daniel. Immediately she smiled. This sassy Hufflepuff had become a friend, despite the number of times he exasperated her. “Hi, Daniel. Want to have a seat for a bit?” Let anyone tell him he couldn’t sit there at the Slytherin Table. Claudine would happily jinx them. And what was that against his chest? A book? Interesting. The second year Ravenclaw that came bumping into Daniel earned Lisa a laugh. “Hi. Aren’t you always the excited and energetic one.” Oh, how Claudine was going to miss these two. And Violet too. Sweet Violet who was so hardworking. "I'll miss you too, Violet. Write to me when you have the time, yeah? And keep an eye out on the baby Slytherins?"

Okay, okay. The sadness was slowly washing over her. Darn these feelings.

That’s when Claudine caught someone looking as miserable as she now felt. Blake. The girl wiggled her fingers at him. “Not going to be a big baby, are you?’’ Teasing. It was only a tease. This had been hers and Blake’s relationship for the last few years.

Another year was over at Hogwarts, Darius barely surviving once again. It was strange, some of his friends and housemates were leaving this year. He'd be leaving U-17 after this summer and then his final year at Hogwarts... well, he couldn't think too far ahead right now.

"Hey Claudine," Darius said when he sat down. She was always cool with him, considering how popular and infamous she was over the years. It was no wonder she'd get a gang of their house ready to say their goodbyes. He felt awkward telling people he'd miss them, "Don't tell anyone I said this, but you were always one of the coolest here." Compliments and Goodbyes were an awkward thing with him, he couldn't deny this.

"Hey... you alright, mate?" Darius asked Blake who seemed to be in their own head. Was he going to be as overwhelmed when he graduated too next year?

"Hello Violet," Darius said hesitantly, he too was also going to miss Claudine and seeing her reaction brought out some of the emotions he usually kept at bay. "Have any interesting summer plans?"

Blake caught a movement out of the corner of his eye .. it was Claudine and her finger waving, a gesture he had grown quite accustomed to over the last few years. Well at least they weren't throwing food over each other heads. "I can't make any promises" He added to her comment about being a big baby. He wasn't known to be the toughest Slytherin ever.

And then he heard his name again, turning to the new sound. "Hey Darius" Blake added. "Yeah I'll be alright man, just the realization that's it's over."

Ash was a tiny little bit sad. Okay. She was more than a tiny little bit sad. In fact, she had tears in her eyes as she stopped by the Slytherin table looking for a few Slytherins. At the top of the list was Claudine. She had a whole present for her... it was book full of art of the two of them and Heath. and she had a little sketch of a phoenix on the inside cover... and a cute note... and she even tried her best to make the silver wrapping paper perfectly neat. It was not perfectly neat. It was not neat at all... but she had really tried. She hesitantly approached her big sister, who looked busy. Was she too busy for her? "Umm, Claudine? I made you... something..." She held out the present to her. Was she crying? No, of course not.

She was definitely crying.

Since Daniel had spent the majority of the year practising spells whenever he could, the boy's legs had developed a natural firm and defensive stance meaning that when Lisa appeared and hip bumped him, he did not wobble. He turned to look at his friend with a raised eyebrow as if to ask 'what was that for?'. He watched her with his dark brown eyes as she sat next to V at the table before giving his attention to the graduate.

Daniel stepped over the bench to take a seat next to Claudine and placed the book on the wooden surface before sliding it towards her. The gift was not wrapped nor did it have a bow around it or whatever ridiculous things people did when giving a gift. "I wanted to give you this... As a graduation gift." the Hufflepuff closed his eyes for a moment as if what he was going to say was too complicated for him. And it was. He rarely felt gratitude toward another person but the tutoring lessons he had with her was something he would forever remember. "Because you helped me out with spell practice and such" In other words he was saying thank you. He found these words easier to say when there wasn't a crowd. "It's a University textbook about Magizoology... I corresponded with a wizarding bookshop for two weeks and found out that this textbook is used in classes at University so I thought I'd get you it as a gift"

Daniel looked around the table as he waited for Claudine to say something. Last year he had only spent his time at the Hufflepuff table so seeing the Great Hall from this perspective was odd but fascinating. He caught sight of another graduate (Blake) who he was certain he had worked together with during his very first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson but had never paid any attention to after that, talking to Darren (Darius)??? The sixth-year dude and Violet as well who he recognized from when they entered the Restricted Section to find information about the vines before he turned to see Ashley approaching Claudine.

And she was crying. Merlin's Beard. What was it with people crying when someone left? It wasn't as if they had died. They just graduated and went on to a new chapter in their lives. He could not understand why this was supposed to be emotional?

Violet sat stunned for a minute at Claudine's last statement. Oh Merlin, was she going to have to be the older kid looking out for the younger ones now? At seventeen, she was afraid so. How had this happened so fast?!? (She would have been even more stunned to know that Claudine considered her sweet, which no one else ever had, and which she probably was not.) "Uh, yes, sure," she muttered in reply. "Sure, I'll write. And I just wanted to thank you before you left, for encouraging me to draw. I had stopped doing art because people had told me I wasn't any good at it, but I like to, and ever since that day in the Butterfly Garden, I draw and stuff all the time. I'm still not much good at it, but I like to do it." It was a big step for Violet to embark on something that she wasn't good at.

Violet turned to Darius and realized in surprise that she had no idea what she was doing this summer. This was the first year since she'd been back that hadn't ended in some sort of disaster that sent her or someone else to the hospital. "You know, I really don't know," she replied. "I don't really want to just sit around the house this summer, either." For a change. "But hey, maybe something exciting will turn up.: She made an attempt at an amusing smile, and hoped she didn't look ridiculous.

Violet stared over Claudine's head at the sudden appearance of Ashley at her table. Hadn't she just said good bye to her? But no, she had come to say goodbye to Claudine, and...to give her something. Bother, why hadn't Violet thought of doing that?! And now Ash was openly crying, bringing all those disorganized Ravenclaw feels over to the Slytherin table.

Bella was a bit late as she entered the great hall for the feast. She figured she had a legit reason since she had finished Claudine's goodbye gift. A quick glance to the staffers told her that her HoH was up on the dais, but not Headmaster Trent so hopefully her slight tardiness would be ignored for the night. Coming to the snake table Bella saw the queue of eagles (Lisa and Ash) waiting to say their goodbyes to Claudine. Okay, she had to wait to hand over her pop-up hogwarts castle parchment gift which was why she took a seat next to Darius and put the gift next to her plate. Glancing around she smiled brightly at all the other present snakes greeting them all. "Hello Darius, Violet, Blake, Claudine, V! Has anyone got any summer plans?" She was ready for a summer without seeing and avoiding vines everywhere she went...

Apollo might get flak for this considering Nemesis had earlier in the term for sitting with the Gryffindors, but the third year felt the need to make things right with his best friend. Plus it was the end of the year and the professors were surely exhausted by now, so they wouldn't care as much compared to start-of-term feasts, right? And wasn't there a hufflepuff over at his table? So like, yea.. he should be fine. He wasn't sure where they'd gone so wrong, because it wasn't that he didn't care about Isabella, but rather that he wasn't sure that he was in love with her, the same way she seemed to be with him. Couldn't they just go back to being kids again, before hormones had to go and muck things up?

"Isabella," he said quietly, tapping her shoulder and taking the seat on her other side. He didn't really know most of the Slytherins here, except for Bella and Maya, the latter of which he didn't see yet? "Can uh... we talk?" Maybe he should have waited for the train.

Claudine had no idea she was popular, Darius, especially considering that she literally had about two handfuls of persons she called friends. And she happened to like Darius a lot. There was just something about him… Oh. He really thought that highly of her? You lot were really going to make her into a huge sap. Darius’ words meant a lot and really touched her but Claudine simply grinned and whispered, “Thanks, Darius. Your secret is safe with me.” Indeed it would be. “I bet another student is going to tell you something similar next year.”

It was true she and Blake had come a long way since their first year. They both had done some growing up; maybe Claudine had had much more to do. “Oh, that’s fine.” Leaning in his direction, she lowered her voice. “I’ll tease you about it later.” Because that’s what she had done all her time of knowing Blake.

The girl was pleased that Daniel didn’t mind sitting with her for a bit. After all, they wouldn’t have this opportunity again. A gift. Obviously she was surprised as she had expected nothing of the sort from anyone, much less her sassy friend here. She eyed him as he closed his eyes, not knowing what to expect next. Daniel’s next words reduced Claudine to a pile of mush on the inside. He had done that for her? “Thank you, Daniel. I’ll be sure to take very good care of it.” So that it’ll be in excellent condition for years to come. “This is so thoughtful of you.” Did her voice sound weak? It should because it was heavy with emotion as she turned the book over in her hands. She couldn’t wait to read it.

Speaking of tears and crying. Oh no. The Snakette’s heart leapt into her throat when her gaze fell on Ash. The level of concern felt completely made her belatedly realise that Ash was holding out something. “Ash. What’s wrong? Did someone tell you something bad?” Just say the name and Claudine was going to hex them into oblivion. Because that’s what big sisters did, right? Only afterwards was the gift fully registered in her mind. To her, the wrapping looked perfect. “Oh Ash. Thank you.” She took the present with a smile. “I already love what’s in here.” Yes, even though she hadn’t the slightest clue. “Is that why you’re crying? You know I’ll write to you often. And we’ll have our usual day out together, and this time it'll be during all of your breaks.”

In all honesty, Claudine hadn’t meant to overwhelm Violet; it was easily noticed that she had done exactly that. The seventh year really thought that Violet would make a great role model. “You’re welcome, Violet. No one started off as an artist being perfect at it. You’ve improved and you’ll continue doing so. Include some of your work whenever you write to me.” Violet’s artwork was bound to brighten up her days.

It suddenly dawned on Claudine that she had made an impact on quite a few lives at Hogwarts. The realisation stunned her. It really did. Never in a million years did she ever see something like that coming her way. It all came around in a full circle, starting with three of her professors who had impacted her first - Trent, Fuller-Thompson and Williamson. Idly, her gaze moved to the Ravenclaw table where she saw the boyfriend. Of course Heath had played a huge part on bettering her personality too, and she would love him forever for that. Claudine smiled at him, hoping that he’d enjoy his final feast here at Hogwarts.

Then her attention was on Bella. “Shop for all the university things. That should be fun.” Maybe as fun as gathering Hogwarts supplies. “Looking forward to fourth year?” Wait. Fourth year? Already, Bella? Really?

Making big eyes as Claudine answered her questioned Bella asked curiously "Wow Claudine! Do you already know what classes you want to take at university?" It just showed how much older the other girl was. Bella was glad she had survived a year with new subjects and those pesky vines.

Remembering her gift she lifted it up from her lap and handed it over to Claudine with slightly trembling feeling her face warm up like a tomato. "This pop up paper castle is for you Claudine so you don't forget the castle and Slytherin. I'm really going to miss you Claudine, you've been a really cool and reliable friend. I'm so amazed how you always manage to score so many house points for our house. I hope I can continue in your footsteps." Okay now Bella had rambled way too much.

Bella was about to glance over at the lion table to see if Apollo was sitting there when he spooked her so much by tapping her shoulder that she almost fell off her chair. Straightening herself up again, hoping that not too many had noticed she took a few steadying breaths before she mumbled out as she met her best friends eyes. "Hi Apollo, you really spooked me..." After a quick look up at the staffers Bella nodded back. "Yes, sure we can talk, but don't you want to talk on the train?" They'd have more time then. Headmaster Trent would arrive any minute to give his speech.

Violet sat back, satisfied that she had managed to make it through the socializing without mucking anything up too badly. She was not confident she would ever have the nerve to send Claudine any of her artwork--except maybe as amusing illustrations accompanying her letters. She listened to Claudine talk about university. University?! That seemed so far away that it was hardly on Violet's horizon. She wondered if that was something she wanted to do, someday. Probably her family wouldn't like it, but by now, Violet had learned how to get her way, if it was something important (you pick your battles).

For now, Violet just let all the hubbub wash over her and just enjoyed sitting in the Great Hall with her friends and housemates, waiting for what was sure to be an excellent (and vine-free!) dinner, and relieved to have put the O.W.L.S. behind her. She had no idea how she'd done--the persistent brain-fog left over from whatever Poppy had used in her candles had lifted during the last few months of school, whether from the potions Violet had started dosing herself with in private, the adrenalin from dealing with the vines, or--maybe it just went away naturally. Whatever, she had felt mentally herself again just in time for O.W.L.S. and had put forth her utmost (she just hoped the time she'd lost at the beginning of the year hadn't hampered her efforts).

Ash shook her head at Claudine. "No..." Okay, well, yes, but someone was always being mean to her or telling her bad news(half the time it was herself). That wasn't, like, news. She was upset for a different reason.

Claudine got it right the second time. Ash nodded wordlessly and handed her the present. I don't deserve a big sister like her. But she needed Claudine and she really liked her. Which was very dumb, because I can't rely on other people. Nobody's gonna be there for me when I'm a seventh year. Why would I get accustomed to it?

"Um, I.... I'll definitely keep in touch this summer. I don't wanna lose you, Claudine."

You know what? Ash was pretty sure that she definitely needed to go to the bathroom right now immediately. To compose herself before she went back to the Ravenclaw table.

Excellent.

Or maybe not so excellent? Claudine would have liked to hex someone tonight but she supposed it wouldn’t have been ideal. Whatever. Her heart melted as she looked at poor Ash. “You won’t. Whatever on earth makes you think I’d allow anything like that to happen?” Perhaps it was the distance that would be between them was what Ash feared? Claudine could understand but her determination game was strong. “Do you need a hug?” Because for Ash, she would hug without caring that anyone was watching. Merlin knew Claudine hadn’t hugged her biological sister in years and she wasn’t about to let the same happen with Ash.

With Violet settling into the quiet, the seventh year turned her attention to the others around her. Oh, yes. Claudine already knew what classes she wanted to take. “Anything and everything that has to do with creatures,’’ she told Bella, her eyes lighting up. She wanted to be the best in Magizoology someday. Anyone who knew her knew that that was her biggest ambition.

Oh. A pop up castle. What an interesting and wonderful gift. Claudine was once again mushy on the inside because of this next act of kindness. “I’ll make sure to take good care of it, Bella. I love it. Thank you.” She smiled happily at the other girl. “I won’t forget none of you. You know you can always write to me.” Even if the bird delivering the mail to Canada may take a while to reach her. “I’ll make sure to reply to each letter.” And did she have some advice for Bella? Of course. “You will. Just be determined to be the best at whatever you’re doing. You’ll also be just a great friend to whoever you choose to have.” Goodness. Claudine was turning soft on her final evening here, wasn’t she? The girl didn’t usually speak this much in one sitting.

”I don’t know,” Ash mumbled, eyes filling up with tears once again. It was probably just the insecurity talking, but... this felt like the end of something(I wasted a whole year being annoying and all the other ones being sad). No no no. They would continue to talk and be close friends forever and ever. Right? Right.

She really could use a hug. And she appreciated that Claudine offered even though Ash was not sure that her big sister liked hugs too much. She gave Claudine a big hug, accidentally getting some tears on Claudine’s shirt. When she let go, she felt a little better. But not good enough to head back to the Ravenclaws just yet...

So when she thought Claudine was saying goodbye to someone else, she disappeared in the direction of the bathrooms in order to compose herself.

Violet sat stunned as Malachi Trent finished his speech. He was leaving? She couldn't bear the man in her early years at Hogwarts, but over the years she'd come to appreciate his harsh, though useful, teachings on the Dark Arts. And now that he was leaving, she was rather sorry to see him go. She just hoped his replacement would be up to snuff, because, if the past few years were any sample, they'd need all the help they could get.

Still thinking about everyone who was leaving and what the future had in store, Violet thoughtfully began filling her plate.