Ana wouldn't say she had forgotten how exhausting exams are, but she can admit to being a bit startled after nearly two years without them.

NEWTs are set the week before the OWLs, so despite being the harder exams the seventh years have less time to study than they did in fifth year. Ana honestly has never been so thankful for her own study skills as she watches several of her classmates devolve into panic as the exams approach.

Ana herself is actually feeling rather confident all things considered, but the general terror is admittedly weighing on her, even if she herself isn't contributing to it.

She's almost thankful she has exams every single day, as it gives her something better to focus on than her classmates.

Day one has two exams assigned - Divination in the morning and Charms in the afternoon.

Ana arrives at the Divination room early, though Clary and Elspeth both surprisingly arrive shortly after she does, armed with their notes. The three girls barely acknowledge each other as they settle in to wait, the Slytherins going over their lessons one last time while Ana merely closes her eyes and lets her head rest against the wall behind her.

Finally the proctor arrives and calls the girls in one at a time - alphabetically of course.

Elspeth grumbles under her breath as she shoves her notes into her bag and climbs the ladder up to the room. Clary gives her a quick, supportive smile that goes unnoticed.

"So, um, you're feeling pretty confident then?" The brunette says after a long moment, breaking the silence and starting Ana slightly as she hadn't expected the other girl to speak to her.

Ana flicks her eyes over to the brunette. "Relatively, yes. My fiancé's family has a lovely tarot set I've been able to practice with quite extensively."

Clary gives a small smile. "Well count me jealous, I'm honestly still not sure how I managed an A on the OWL." She hesitates, and then, "So... you know Amelia, right? She's one of your roommates?"

Ana raises an eyebrow. "Yes, and a... friend of sorts." She admits. "I wasn't aware you knew her."

"We're neighbors. Could you tell her Mr. Travers said good luck and to not forget to eat? I'd tell her myself but..." She trails off as if it's obvious, and Ana doesn't push. She simply nods.

The exam itself is quite straightforward - as Ana had suspected it primarily involves tarot reading which she breezes through confidently. She can tell her examiner is impressed - perhaps she'll manage a grade higher than an A this time.

The exam only takes about twenty minutes, and afterwards she has nearly two hours until lunch, and another one after that until Charms - so she decides to take a walk around the grounds and enjoy the nearly-summer sunshine everyone is hiding away from in the library as they desperately cram as much information into their short-term memory as they can manage.

There are a few couples lingering around, giggling together, but Ana mostly ignores them as she knows thinking about how far away her own partner is might drag her mood down and that's the last thing she needs.

Instead she finds herself sitting by the Great Lake, idly practicing her wandless, wordless magic until the sun is beating directly overhead and a tempus charm informs her that it's time for lunch.

Her group of friends are already seated at the table - sans Evie and Fitzwilliam, though Finnigan has become a standard fixture at the table now - and she takes the open seat next to Jerome when he waves at her.

"How did Divination go? We thought you'd join us in the library afterwards but you never showed." He greets her cheerfully.

"It went quite well I believe." She replies with a smirk. "And I decided to take a walk - it's quite nice out today."

"It is." Shaun agrees wistfully. "Hopefully the weather holds up for the next two weeks as well - it would be a shame for this week to be beautiful and then for it to rain on the graduation ceremony."

Finnigan snorts.

Ana tilts her head in acknowledgement before turning to Amelia. She's not a messenger, but it would be rude not to share Clary's words with the other girl considering the Slytherin has always been polite enough in class.

"Amelia, Clary wished for me to tell you that her father wishes you luck and reminds you to eat properly."

Amelia blinks, scowls, and then sighs. "She could tell me herself." She grumbles. "Six years of nothing and that's the best she can do."

Ana decides to ignore the comment and instead asks after the other's studying. That fills the time until lunch is over and they have to begin waiting for the Charms exam.

Charms is incredibly straightforward, and Ana fully expects another 'O' for her NEWT. After the three hour mixed written and practical is complete (and Ana once again is one of the last students called for her practical so despite finishing the written quite early she's one of the last to leave the room) she and her friends end up in the Ravenclaw common room, watching some of the fifth years stress-studying.

"Tomorrow is...?" Jerome trails off a clear question. "I don't have any exams so I figure it's probably more electives."

"Ancient Runes is in the morning." Ana says. "I'm free after that though, so I assume Herbology or Muggle Studies."

"Herbology." Amelia confirms. "I think there are three exams Wednesday, which is terrible for anyone who has all of them." She glances over at Ana curiously, but the Bulgarian shakes her head.

"Aidan might, but one must be History or Muggle Studies since I have the afternoon off." She explains.

"Not History." Jerome shakes his head. "Must be Muggle Studies. But when would the third even take place?"

"Potions in the evening." Ana supplies. "I admit even I'll be taking the afternoon to study for that one."

In fact, she takes both of the next afternoons to study a bit more rather than wander as she had on the first day. Ancient Runes goes well but she takes longer than she likes recalling several of the runes, and she's absolutely certain three of her translations failed to accurately account for the context of the paragraphs they were in. She knows it's still 'E' material, but considering how confident she'd felt prior to taking the exam she decides a bit more review wouldn't hurt anything.

Her morning exam on Wednesday is Arithmancy, so she spends most of her newly allotted study time to reviewing the more complex formulas they'd studied in the last month, though she does also take some time to go over her potions notes as well.

Arithmancy goes much better than Ancient Runes - as it had for OWLs as well, she remembers belatedly - and thanks to her work the day before she ends up able to spend part of her afternoon study time going over Care of Magical Creatures with Jerome, which they have the following afternoon after Transfiguration in the morning (that one she isn't going to study any further for - she's an absolute master in the class, even McGonagall has said as much).

Amazingly, potions seems almost easy compared to what she was worried it would be. Ana supposes that after years of Snape's frankly impossibly high expectations from the students the NEWTs seem laughable. She comments as much to Shaun when they leave the exam room at the end of the three hour period and he just grins and agrees.

"To think, that was the one I was most concerned about." He admits. "I just have History on Friday morning now, and I've got all day tomorrow to prepare for that." A small shake of his head, and then he puts into words something that has been an ever present permeation around all the seventh years, steeped in their stress but still distinct. "It's weird how close graduation is. One more exam and that's it. Everything is over." He shakes his head in awe. "I was so confused about all this when Professor Sinestra visited me and my folks and told us about wizards. Now it's just every day life."

Ana hums. If she's honest, she'd almost forgotten that Shaun is Muggleborn - he's taken well to magic, she has to admit. "Well now it's every day life without school." She points out. "It isn't all that different from graduating from Muggle school I'd imagine."

Shaun laughs. "Probably not. I'll ask my little sibs how they feel when they graduate in a couple years."

Ana hums idly as they make their way up to Ravenclaw Tower. Amelia and Finnigan had both left the exam early - Ana supposes their assigned potion took less time to brew than hers and Shaun's had - so it's just the two of them on the stairs as it's very nearly curfew.

They end up getting to skip dealing with the doorknob (and yes, after seven years Ana is officially sick of their common room's entrance test - sometimes it's late and you just want to sleep, not think about the paradoxical nature of existence) when a frazzled fifth year stumbles out on his way to, presumably, his prefect rounds. He holds the door for them nervously and then takes off, nearly falling down the stairs in his haste.

"Brett. A bit overeager but generally good at the job." Shaun supplies, though Ana can't say she cares when there's only one more flight of stairs and a quick stop at her bed between her and a hot shower. The dungeons have always made her feel grimy.

She's not all that tired upon exiting her shower, so she settles on her bed with her Care of Magical Creatures workbook for a little under and hour before finally turning off her light and studying the stars on the ceiling until she finally drifts off.

Transfiguration is first thing in the morning, and Ana is quite certain she's managed another 'O' when she trots out of the examination room - last as always. The curse of her last name.

It's too bad I couldn't become a Macmillan sooner. She smirks to herself. That would certainly fix the problem.

To her surprise Jerome is sitting in the hallway, tongue poking out between his teeth as he focuses on the notes in his lap. She's glad she spotted him before walking away as he's clearly in his own world and wouldn't have seen her.

She prods him lightly with her foot. "Good morning. I hope you weren't waiting long."

He looks up and promptly beams. "Nah, I'm good. Finnigan is at a morning Quidditch practice, just helping out, so I thought I'd study with you for this afternoon!"

Ana doesn't really need to study, but she also doesn't mind spending time with Jerome so she agrees. She spends more time going through her Defense notes and Astronomy charts for the following day that Care of Magical Creatures, but Jerome doesn't seem bothered.

The Care of Magical Creatures NEWT ends up have a lot more practical aspects than it's OWL counterpart did, but Ana feel she did well enough. It's not really a required class for Curse-Breaking, and considering she hadn't actually taken the elective she feels an 'A' will still be quite impressive. Annoying, yes, but impressive on paper.

Her last two exams are Defense Against the Dark Arts and Astronomy, which are scheduled in the afternoon and evening on the final day of the exams. There are far fewer panicky students scrambling to study Friday morning - quite a few are already finished with their NEWTs and Ana does envy them somewhat.

Conversely she's actually quite looking forward to the Defense exam - she's one of only three students to have successfully cast a Patronus, and hers is the only one that's entirely corporeal. She fully expects an 'O' for her efforts.

The written exam is a bit trickier than most of the others, simply because things are worded oddly in several sections so Ana finds herself rereading questions multiple times to ensure she's actually answering what is being asked.

It's quite annoying in the moment but when she finally finishes answering each question to her satisfaction, she realizes she only has to wait for a few other student to complete their practical before it's her turn, which is admittedly a nice change of pace.

She double checks a few of her answers idly before handing the written exam to one of the proctors and walking towards the area where the practicals are being held to sit down and wait to be called.

The others still waiting don't acknowledge her and she returns the favor, instead focusing on Alec and the proposal, then letting her mind wander towards a possible, tentative future where they're working side by side as Curse-Breakers.

When she's called in a few minutes later, she knows her Patronus is going to be effortless to summon.

She goes through the requested spells easily, and then the examiner finally asks for the one she's most looking forward to.

"If you can, I would like to see you cast a Patronus."

Ana grins confidently, and the examiner raises an eyebrow. Ana supposes she usually doesn't see students look quite so self-assured on this question.

"Expecto Patronum." With thoughts of Alec creating the now-familiar warm, white buzzing in her mind it's easy to bring her wolf into existence. She lets him lope around the examiner, sniffing for danger suspiciously, before he settles at her heels.

When she looks back to the examiner, Ana finds the woman smiling faintly.

"Excellent, thank you. That will be all, and best of luck."

Ana hums and dismisses her Patronus with a short flick of her wand before striding proudly out of the examination room. If that didn't land her an 'O' she's confident that nothing could.

All that's left after leaving the testing hall is Astronomy, which she doesn't have until much later that night. So she finds a quiet spot in the library to settle in with her charts and while the time away to the last thing she'll do as a student of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

At least, the last academic thing she'll do. They do still have two weeks after all, and graduation to boot. She's certain her parents will likely show up, though she trusts they won't be too embarrassing.

As the exam draws closer Ana heads up to the Astronomy Tower, hoping to arrive a bit early to get a feel for the skies. Finnigan and Amelia end up joining her on the walk, and she can tell they're feeling the same mixed tension that she is.

"Nearly done." Amelia offers as they approach the top of the stairs. "Only this left. Then we're real adults, I suppose."

Ana smiles faintly. She rather likes the sound of that.

With NEWTs behind them all the seventh years are becoming restless. Sure the first few days of sleeping in and having no responsibilities was amazing, but the total lack of anything to do is starting to get on people's nerves, and the louder personalities are the most noticeably affected.

"AGH I'm bored! Why can't we just have the darn ceremony now and go home?" Holly whines, draped over one of the armchairs in the Gryffindor common room, where the entirety of the seventh year Gryffindor class is currently congregating. "I could be carving wands and ambushing my boyfriend at his university for lunch dates but no, we have to sit around for two weeks instead because God forbid we run the Hogwarts Express twice!"

Myr somewhat sympathizes - despite going to the same school still he barely sees Amanda these days since the fifth years are now neck-deep in their OWLs, something he and Raj have had to account for in the patrol schedules. He honestly almost feels bad for the sixth years considering how overworked they're being due to the loss of seventh years the week before and now the fifth years.

"We should do something." Remi declares vaguely. The strangest part of their schooling almost being over is definitely how it seems to have chilled Remi out. "Like, I dunno, something."

"Very specific." Drake drawls, not cruelly but clearly having hoped for more.

Evera suddenly perks up. "Hey, remember first year?"

"It's a distant memory, when times were simpler." Brandon jokes, somewhat wistful.

Evera rolls her eyes at him with a grin. "Shush you. We used to go down to the lake all the time, remember? Remi nearly got attacked by the giant  squid that one time."

"That wasn't first year." Remi corrects her, his eyes bright with excitement. "That was really fun though."

"We should have a lake party! Graduation is still a week away and the weather is beautiful!" Evera says excitedly.

"We could probably have a mini pickup Quidditch game too, a lot of people in our year play." Charlie adds, eyes gleaming hopefully. "It does sound like fun."

"Well then it's settled!" Evera declares happily. "Brandon and Charlie you guys tell Aidan so he can invite Hufflepuff. Does anyone here have Ravenclaw friends?"

Nabila gives a noncommittal hand gesture. "I could talk to Fitz. He's not that close to his House though."

Evera shrugs. "Well it's a start! This is going to be awesome!"

They spend the rest of the afternoon eagerly planning out the details and sending off the chosen representatives to invite the other Houses.

Myr has to admit he's rather excited as well. He didn't make a habit of going to the lake excursions when he was younger, but he does remember them being enjoyable and mostly relaxing when he did attend, which he thinks they could all use after NEWTs.

His good mood is thwarted somewhat when McGonagall tells him after dinner that he's been summoned to the Headmaster's office, but then he spots Snape lurking at the Slytherin table near Raj and relaxes slightly, deciding it's likely a Head Boy situation rather than him having failed all his NEWTs so spectacularly that they're holding him back a year.

Sure enough Raj is waiting for him outside the Great Hall after dinner is over, maintaining the perfect posture he's honestly come to envy somewhat.

"See you guys later." He waves to his friends, who give varying responses as they vanish back towards the Tower with the rest of the House.

"Prefect stuff do you suppose?" He asks as they fall into step next to each other.

She hums. "Most likely. I suppose we could be getting a commendation on our History assignment but that would be too much to hope for."

Myr chuckles. "It was a rather good assignment though."

She laughs. "Not that you're biased or anything." She points out teasingly. He grins in return.

Despite the mocking their project really had gone phenomenally well when they had presented it two weeks before. Aidan Ward had even dragged his head out of a NEWT revision workbook to tell them he'd really enjoyed the presentation, and Jemma was more than happy to gush about their ending proposals during the patrol he'd had with her that night.

"I admit I was a little surprised that Raj was okay with that topic." Jemma admits as they make the turn to head up to the Astronomy Tower. "But you both did amazing. Is it okay if I tell Don about some parts? He'd probably enjoy it even more than I could considering he's a Muggleborn."

Myr smiles faintly at the memory. "Not biased at all." He agrees, and she rolls her eyes but it's... almost fond. Myr isn't sure when they became comfortable enough for 'fond' but he's more surprised that he's not really surprised about it at all.

The Gargoyle in front of the Headmaster's office takes one look at their badges and moves aside to let them up the spiral staircase.

"I've never been up here before." Myr mumbles idly as they traipse up the steps.

Raj huffs, slightly out of breath from the climbing. "Me neither, thank goodness. Cad has though, which was sort of my fault." She grins at the memory but Myr doesn't ask. He remembers Cadfael's comments from Defense class a while back and frankly doesn't understand how someone like Raj could be friends with someone like that.

Dumbledore is working on something at his desk when the two enter the office, and Myr glances awkwardly at Raj but she looks as uncertain as he feels, which is an odd expression to see on her face.

They end up standing quietly for nearly a minute before the Headmaster looks up and gives them a warm smile.

"Mr. Cadwallader, Ms. Misra, take a seat." He gestures to the chairs in front of his desk, and the two quickly comply with the offer. The Headmaster takes a moment longer with his parchments before folding them and putting them away in one of the many drawers in the desk. "So sorry to drag you away from your friends, but I wished to speak with you both briefly about the matter of next year's Head Girl and Boy."

Myr steals another glance at Raj, but she looks surprised. Clearly them having any say in the process is news to her as well.

"Sir? Are we to take it that you'd like our input as to who our successors ought to be?" She offers, with far more confidence than Myr had expected considering the body language. Still, she is very good at being professional when the situation calls for it. He'd nearly forgotten.

Dumbledore smiles, his eyes sparkling behind his half-moon spectacles. "If you have any I would indeed like to hear it. You two spend far more time with the prefects than I or the professors do after all. You would know best."

Myr already knows who Raj would pick. It's something they've spoken about before, while studying or when they have time between planning patrols and briefing the rest of the prefects. He agrees with her completely, so he leans back to let her do the talking.

"For Head Boy both Myr and I agree that Aidan Clearwater is undoubtedly the best choice. He's good at keeping a level head, and he does an excellent job assisting younger students." She glances at Myr then, and he nods his approval. "For Head Girl there are a few good choices. Alana is a bit aloof but very organized, and Cass is generally friendly. However I would personally vouch for Saundra Caldwell."

Dumbledore raises an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "Is that so? I seem to recall Ms. Caldwell turning most of Hufflepuff pink her first year. Does she have the self-control to be an effective Head Girl?"

Myr decides to give his own two-cents here. "As someone who's only really known Saundra for a year I'd say she's a good candidate sir. She's always ready to help out, and she's come up with some very clever ways of finding students out after curfew and locating any pranks set out to catch prefects on patrol. She cares a lot about doing a good job - every aspect of it. More than the others I'd say."

Raj is beaming at him, and Dumbledore hums thoughtfully.

"Very well, thank you. I must say, this is the second Head Girl selection that's surprised me in as many years. But last year's Head Boy and Girl had nothing but glowing praise for Ms. Misra here, and she's done quite well I must say." His eyes sparkle behind his spectacles. "So I'll take your word on Ms. Caldwell."

Rajani looks startled, and then flushes ever so slightly. Myr isn't even sure she'd blushed at all for how quickly it vanishes.

"Thank you sir." She says. "If that will be all?"

"That's all, that's all. Enjoy your last week at Hogwarts."

Raj is smiling warmly the whole way down the staircase, and the rareness of the expression on her face causes Myr to act impulsively.

"You should come to the Lake Party tomorrow." He blurts, and she nearly trips.

"The what?" She tilts her head, some of the quiet contentment seeping out to be replaced with her usual sharpness.

Myr shrugs. "We're, um, having a party down by the lake tomorrow. You should come. Bring your friends." He adds quickly, and after a moment Raj laughs.

"You're sweet Myr, but we wouldn't be welcome. I appreciate the thought though." She adds. "You enjoy yourself, and don't worry about me. We snakes have our own ways of having fun and unwinding that don't require washing sand out of our hair afterwards."

Myr hums, knowing she's right. Still, it would have been nice to have the entire year spending one last day together.

The next day is chaotic - their delegations to the other Houses had proven quite successful, and Myr is almost completely confident that every single seventh year who isn't a Slytherin is on the beach that afternoon, splashing in the water and chasing each other across the sand.

One Hufflepuff girl had brought a football and starts a pickup match on the ground as soon as enough people show an interest. Myr ends up jumping in after Fiona goads him slightly. He's never been a particularly good football player, but he used to kick the ball around with his friends from home and a few minutes in he can admit that he'd missed it.

It gets a bit awkward sometimes, as they don't all know each other's names and Myr finds himself being nicknamed 'Welsh' by the teammates passing to him.

After an hour Charlie starts shouting about Quidditch and Myr and Fiona both excuse themselves from the football match to grab the school brooms Charlie has somehow gotten his hands on and join several other students in a loose pickup game about twenty meters over the ground - and over the lake.

"I have such an urge to jump in from up here." Evera laughs to Myr as they hover near each other. Charlie is trying to work out teams, as well as a scoring system, with Fiona, leaving the rest of them to mingle for the time being.

"You could hurt yourself this high up." Myr points out. "So please don't."

Evera grins. "Sure sure. Don't die days before graduation. Kent gave me the same advice."

"I want to jump in from up here!" Drake declares as he swoops over to them, and Myr can only sigh and smile faintly as Evera bursts into laughter.

The game eventually kicks off, though it's nothing like actual Quidditch, instead turning more into "keep the Quaffle in the air" which is honestly still quite enjoyable.

A few people volunteer themselves to intentionally try and knock the Quaffle into the lake while the rest of them scramble to keep it airborne. No one is allowed to hold the Quaffle for more than ten seconds, which is eventually dropped to five after Charlie abuses the rule with his speed.

Eventually the Quaffle does end up in the lake, at which point Myr sneaks back to the beach, leaving the organizers to figure out how to retrieve it from the inky depths of the water.

He suspects Evera and Drake may get their wish to dive in from their brooms after all.

Holly is chilling on the sand, apparently sunbathing when Myr drops off his broom.

"Mind if I join you?" He asks and she waves him down cheerfully, flipping up her sunglasses to grin at him directly.

"Funned out?" She guesses. "It sounded like the game got pretty intense."

Myr laughs. "It was fun. I don't envy whoever has to go get the Quaffle though. The bright side is that there's no way Coach Hooch will be as pissed as Coach Crowell would have been if they don't manage to find it."

Holly hums. "True. That man was terrifying." She agrees. "So it feels like we haven't talked in ages, how are things with you?" She turns onto her side, propping her head up in her hand so she can face him properly.

He shrugs as he sits down beside her. "Normal I guess? A little scary. I don't actually have anything lined up for after graduation."

Holly frowns. "Well, worst case I bet you could get your summer job back. Not permanently, but it's something, right?" She suggests.

Myr hums. She's not wrong, and he had really enjoyed working in the bookstore. "I could probably crash with Cadi for a month or so too, so I can save up for rent." He says thoughtfully.

Holly beams. "And this is why you talk to me, I'm always helpful." She teases. "Honestly though, I expect lunches at least twice a week. Payment for my great wisdom."

Myr laughs. "Sure thing Holly, I'll look forward to them. We're splitting the bill though."

He doesn't know how long he relaxes there, chatting on-and-off with Holly and watching the rest of his class enjoying themselves on the beach (and in the water - as predicted quite a few of the Quidditch players have jumped off their brooms into the lake).

Fiona ends up joining them a while later, dripping wet and pulling seaweed out of her hair.

"You made the right call bailing when you did." She informs Myr, but she's beaming so he doubts she regrets staying behind. "We did manage to find the Quaffle, but Evie nearly drowned herself in the attempt."

Myr cannot honestly say he knows concretely who Evie is, though the name does sound familiar, so he just smiles awkwardly. "Well that's good then." He offers.

Fiona drops onto the sand next to him, lying back and closing her eyes.

"Wake me up when we're heading in, I'm already exhausted." She announces, and Holly gives enthusiastic consent.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it." She states suddenly, maybe an hour later, as they watch Remi, Tyler, and Brandon use their wands like water guns to chase down several of their classmates. "In two weeks' time we'll be back home, never to return."

Myr hums. "Well, it's just another adventure I suppose. This one didn't turn out so badly - I can't imagine the next one will be any worse."

Holly laughs, and Myr leans back properly and stares up the sky overhead.

It really hasn't turned out so badly. He thinks he's definitely going to miss Hogwarts. Just a little.

Rajani isn't sure if Sahana is coming to the graduation ceremony. She knows her parents won't - they didn't attend Sahana's after all - but her sister has vaguely hinted at possibly attending in the sparse letters that they've exchanged over the year.

She wakes up the morning of the graduation ceremony assuming that she'll likely be on her own, or at best spend the day with Eugene and his mother, who she can't imagine wouldn't attend despite not having confirmed it with Eugene.

"Nearly free!" Clary sing-songs as they all get dressed into the formal graduation robes they'd been presented with a few days prior.

"And then you have to start Auror training almost immediately." Nia points out with a grin. "So not really free."

Clary groans. "Don't remind me about that! I'm not even accepted yet, and I don't want to think about it because it stresses me out."

"When will you know?" Rajani asks curiously, grinning innocently at the petulant glare Clary sends her way. "Sorry, I just already have quite a few interviews lined up thanks to Keaton's connections, so I'm just curious how long the process takes without those."

"I'll know in the next two weeks supposedly, though it's obviously conditional on my NEWTs. Even if I get in I could be kicked out in July if my scores aren't where they need to be." She makes a face.

Nia winces. "Rough. Do you feel good about the NEWTs at least?"

"Most of them." Clary acknowledges. "Divination is always tricky though, since it's so subjective, so that's the one I'm most concerned about."

"For someone who didn't want to talk about it you sure are still talking about it." Elspeth grumbles.

Nia elbows her lightly. "Alright grouchy, what about you? I don't even know what you have lined up for after graduation."

Elspeth grumbles under her breath. "I didn't mean I wanted to talk." Is her only response. Nia shoots Rajani a long-suffering look before grinning and returning to her own morning routine.

Rajani knows that despite her pouting Elspeth is actually excited about graduating - or at least as excited as she gets about anything. The whole of the seventh year Slytherins have concocted a little surprise for the rest of the graduating class and they're all looking forward to it.

Rajani had vetoed a few ideas given when they'd been planning their prank the week before, so she's confident that what they've settled on is pure, harmless fun.

They beat the boys down to the common rooms, but they wait for them before heading to breakfast.

The boys are all in their graduation robes as well when they come up, and Alasdair has already perched his Captain badge in a position of prominence on the lapel.

Rajani's own Head Girl badges is in her pocket for the time being - for the morning she just wants to be another Slytherin seventh year, without the reminder of her responsibility weighing heavily just over her heart.

"Ready then?" Eugene greets her. He's been better recently. Still a bit melancholy, but Rajani is happy to see him interacting with the world again. He's even set up an interview to work as a Wizengamot administrator once he graduates.

He'd confessed to her that he's taking Queenie's dream and making it his own.

"It's not like I had a real direction before. This feels like something I should do." He'd said. Rajani can't say she understands, but since it hasn't seemed detrimental yet she's honestly happy for him.

Breakfast is an oddly normal affair considering how not-normal the rest of their day is going to be, but Rajani enjoys listening to Nia and Cadfael debate over how vital casting a Patronus will be to their Defense NEWT grade while Lenox occasionally tosses in his two cents which is generally ignored.

Even Finn is with them, perched next to Elspeth while discussing Auror training with Clary - apparently he's applied to the department as well.

For her part Rajani is seated by Eugene at the edge of the group and the table, one foot hooked around the legs of the bench so she doesn't accidentally tip off the side of it mid-meal.

"When is your mother arriving?" She asks as she cuts into a pancake.

Eugene shrugs. "Noon I think? Oh, she's fine with adopting your for the day if your folks won't be around, by the way."

Rajani laughs. "Oh good, I'm glad my assumptions were accurate. Honestly I don't know if anyone from the Misra clan will be attending. Sahana said she'd try to get some time off but I doubt she actually asked."

They end up talking work for the rest of the meal, discussing the timing of their interviews as well as which parts of the city they plan to house-hunt in.

"Say, you wouldn't want to be roommate by any chance?" Eugene asks abruptly. "I mean, Queenie and I were obviously going to live together but... well, living with someone else is good for saving money." His eyes get a bit distant as he speaks, but he mostly manages to stay steady despite the topic.

Rajani smiles softly. "That would be a really good idea." She agrees. "Together we can probably afford a nicer place as well."

He smiles weakly in return and they're back on track.

Eugene's mother ends up arriving shortly before noon, along with several of the other parents. The Slytherin families mostly gather in the courtyard to greet their graduating children and mingle with each other.

Rajani lets Ms. Slughorn fuss over her son for a few minutes, opting to go introduce herself to her friends' families. After all, some of them may become her coworkers in the future - it's never too early to start networking.

Clary waves her down first.

"Mum, Dad, this is Raj. She's the one I'm always covering for." She grins teasingly as Rajani shakes the Travers' hands in greeting.

"I do hope I haven't made a poor impression before properly introducing myself." She says apologetically. "Rajani Misra, I consider Clary a good friend." She adds, giving the other girl a wry look.

Clary laughs. "Don't worry Raj, all good things."

"Indeed." Mr. Travers says after dropping her hand. "Clary tells us you're looking to work with the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

He's a bit intimidating if Rajani is honest, having both significant height and bulk on her, but she thinks she holds her own quite well in the following conversation - enough so that she believes Mr. Travers may be a possible ally in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

She is a bit confused how someone as relaxed and teasing as Clary was raised by such intense parents though.

The next person she meets finds her first.

"Hey Raj, long time no see."

Rajani spins on her heel, momentarily forgetting to care about her image when she tackles the speaker into a hug. "Ed!"

Ed Poole laughs, thankfully managing to keep them both standing despite Rajani's actions. "Good to see you too. Congratulations on surviving Hogwarts."

Rajani beams up at her friend and ex, finally releasing him and fixing her robes. "It wasn't so difficult really. How have you been? I'm sorry I haven't written, NEWTs were rather overwhelming."

Ed shrugs. "Understandable. Honestly things are the same as ever. I actually went on a date recently."

Rajani perks up. "Rosie? Or someone else?" Ed had mentioned a fellow secretary he found cute in a letter from a few months before but hadn't mentioned anything since.

The two of them walk around the edge of the courtyard, occasionally greeting other families but mostly staying focused on each other and catching up. It isn't until Rajani sees a face she hadn't expected that she finally switches her attention away from Ed.

"Is that Kingsley Shacklebolt?" She asks aloud, despite knowing the answer.

Ed raises an eyebrow. "Yeah. I didn't think he would come today, considering..." He trails off awkwardly.

"Well, let's go say hello." Rajani decides, leaving Ed to follow her as she makes her way purposefully through the crowd to reach her best friend's brother.

"Kingsley! Hey!" Ed is the one to catch the man's attention, and he smiles when he spots them, moving so he meets them halfway.

"Ed, good to see you. Here for your sister I assume?"

Ed raises a shoulder. "Eh, technically. More here for this one though. Did you hear she followed in your footsteps? First Slytherin Head since you."

Kingsley laughed. "I did indeed, Queenie was quite proud when we got the news."

Ed clears his throat. "I, uh, probably should go back to my family though, before they try to find me. Last thing we need is that lot making everyone uncomfortable again."

Rajani grins and gives him a hug goodbye, then watches his form vanish towards the castle.

"It's been a while Raj." Kingsley says quietly, and Rajani finally meets his eyes.

"Yeah, too long." She agrees. They hadn't talked at the funeral. They hadn't been able to, not with the crush of well-wishers and their own emotions clogging their throats. Now though, Rajani is actually glad to see Kingsley. It will be good to replace those awful memories with something lighter. "You've got two Slytherins trying for the Auror training this year." She says, instead of asking how he's been.

He hums. "I saw. Improvement from the last few years, though I seem to recall Clary struggling in her classes. I'm impressed she was able to do well enough to even apply."

Rajani laughs. "I'd say you're being mean, but you're not wrong. She's gotten better since you left, though we'll see how her NEWTs went."

Kingsley grins as well. "And how about you Raj? Anything planned for when you're back home next week?"

Rajani hums. "Several interviews. I'm most optimistic about landing a spot as Barty Crouch's personal assistant - I technically need more experience than what I have but Keaton - that's my brother in law, you remember the wedding - is friendly with Mr. Crouch so he's going to put in a good word for me."

"Crouch is quite tough." Kingsley warns. "He's not so prone to giving chances without them being clearly warranted, regardless of political connection."

Rajani grins at him. "Please Kingsley. You know me - I warrant every chance under the sun."

He just laughs.

She ends up staying with Kingsley after that, and he joins Ms. Slughorn in the family sitting area when the ceremony starts just after one in the afternoon.

"I guess you didn't need to borrow my mom after all." Eugene whispers to her teasingly as they sit next to each other while Dumbledore gives a long, winding speech about potential and the future that sounds quite nice if not intensely clichéd from the few sections Rajani has actually paid attention to.

Rajani smiles faintly. "We're snakes." She points out. "We're all each other's family."

Dumbledore's speech has just concluded when Elspeth and Nia activate the prank, and the entire graduating class - including the Slytherins, per Rajani's specifications - end up completely coated in silver and green glitter. The visiting parents are spared, and while some people look horrified Rajani is pleased to note that even some of the Gryffindors are laughing.

Final prank: definite success. Let no one say Slytherin can't play fair. And no one even takes any House Points, which is an extra bonus.

After the ceremony she finds herself being waved at by a woman she doesn't recognize in the slightest, but she walks over since she does know the clearly embarrassed, still glittering student standing next to her.

"Hello ma'am, can I assume you're Myr's mother?" She asks, holding out her hand and grinning at the Head Boy's shame. "Or, my apologies, his sister."

The woman laughs as she accepts the handshake. "Aren't you a dear. I'm Aster, and yes I'm Myr's mother. He tells me you were Head Girl with him this year. It's nice to finally meet you." She looks around. "His Uncle is here somewhere, I know he'd love to see you as well. Said you were a top tier student in fifth year."

Rajani tilts her head curiously. "Your uncle?" She asks Myr.

He sighs. "Uncle Cyril. You'd know him as Professor Greengrass from fifth year."

Rajani hums, surprised but not showing it. No need to display more weakness weakness when everyone can already clearly see her conversing with a Muggleborn Gryffindor, even if their matching badges give them clear cause. "I didn't realize you were related." She offers instead.

"We aren't, but he was best friends with my dad growing up so he's always been around." Myr shrugs, clearly not thrilled with the topic of conversation. "Are your parents around?" He adds, clearly attempting to shift the topic.

Rajani lets him. "No, they're both quite busy unfortunately. Kingsley is with Eugene and his mother though, so I have people here." She adds when she sees Aster's worried look. "Speaking of, I should go find them so I can say goodbye before you all have to head back. We do still have a few days left in the castle after all."

Aster smiles warmly - she's like a stereotype of a mother really, and Rajani hopes Myr appreciates what he has - and Rajani bids them farewell.

The parents do all have to leave shortly after so Rajani is glad she'd left when she had, as she gets about thirty minutes with Eugene, his mother, and Kingsley before the castle once again is occupied only by students, teachers, and ghosts.

The last days fly by in a daze of nostalgic familiarity, complete with a lazy day spent looking out the windows of the common room and trying to spot merpeople or the giant squid.

Nia even brings her stuffed black sheep out to sit with them. It's getting quite worn after six years, but the stuffing is at least staying inside.

Then the last day arrives, and the whole House is beyond excited. They've managed to once again secure the House Cup, meaning that Slytherin has won it every single year since their first year.

The seventh years all pile into the boys' dorm (except for Finn - who ever knows where Finn is though) and proceed to get very tipsy with a stash of firewhisky that Eugene has somehow smuggled into the school.

"Quidditch and House Cups. Not a bad way to end the year." Cadfael sloshes his drink as he attempts the toast. "Let's see anyone else live up to that legacy."

"Here here!" Eugene cheers, and the rest of them wave their bottles in solidarity.

None of them is completely sober by the time they head to the Great Hall for their final Feast, and when Dumbledore officially announces Slytherin as the House Cup winners they probably get a lot louder than they really need to.

But frankly, Rajani can't bring herself to care. It's their last day, and their last victory. They've more than earned a bit of fun.

For the first time in her entire Hogwarts career Franziska isn't excited to go home.

Well, she's excited to see her parents, Rosa, and Stephan of course, but she knows that this time there won't be a return trip on the Hogwarts Express.

This time is actually a goodbye - one that might be permanent for some of the people who have become a family away from home in the past six years.

She ends up freezing on the train platform, Rudi's cage in one hand and her trunk being rolled in the other, effectively blocking traffic.

"Frannie did you forget-" Kiera cuts herself off when she sees Franziska's face, and Franziska isn't surprise.

She's managed to start crying already and they aren't even on the train yet.

"Aw Frannie!" Kiera nudges the trunk out of the way to give her a hug. "Guys! Seventh year Hufflepuff girls get over here we have an emergency!" She shouts, loud enough that Franziska is confident the entire platform heard it.

She's only given a few moments to be embarrassed though, as the rest of her House - even some of the guys despite Kiera's call for only girls - descends on her shortly afterwards and she's too busy crying to give any other emotion much room to work with.

She calms down after what feels like it should be a shamefully long amount of time, but mostly she just feels exhausted.

"Come on, you're sitting with me and Tonks." Kiera insists. "You can leave Rudi with us and walk around the train to your heart's content during the ride." She adds with a grin.

Franziska sniffs and nods, letting herself be led. "You know I'm going to cry again when we arrive at King's Cross." She mumbles blearily as the three girls settle in the compartment.

Kiera laughs. "Honestly Fran, I probably will too. It's not Germany, but I'm not exactly centrally located."

"I'm going to too, and I'm probably going to see a bunch of people at Auror training in two weeks." Tonks declares. "So I don't even have an excuse."

The three girls talk for a good hour or so about Tonks' Auror training, Kiera's plans for her family's farm, and Franziska's job-hunting before Franziska decides to start patrolling the train so she can say proper goodbyes to all of her friends.

She wanders slowly down the corridors, really looking at the train for the first time. She usually stays in one carriage for the entire trip, so she hasn't really walked the length of the engine before. It's actually rather nice, if a little wobbly whenever the train takes a turn.

She glances into each compartment as she passes, searching for her friends. The first group she comes across is Leona, Henry, and Tyler, who are accompanied by Remi Longbottom.

"Frannie!" Leona waves her in cheerily when she taps on the door. "Come on in, sit down, join the gossip circle."

Frannie laughs and accepts the offer, taking an open spot next to Henry. "Gossip circle?" She asks once she's settled.

"We're just talking about our plans." Remi grumbles. "They're the ones who wanted to call it that."

"Information gathering should have a fun name to go along with it. When I get my own radio show it's going to be called the Gossip Hour." Leona declares brightly. "For now though I have to make do naming everything else for my own entertainment."

Frannie just laughs and listens to their conversation. Henry apparently will be doing filing work for the Apparation Department starting in July while he works to get his license as an Apparition instructor, and Tyler managed to get an internship with the Nimbus Broom Company through his sister Lola, who's working as one of their engineers.

"I don't intend to stay there though. I want to get into broom quality control." He says determinedly. "Did you know there are dozens of knockoff Nimbuses sold every month, and there's no clear regulation on any of it? I'm hoping to start pushing for stricter guidelines, those fakes can cause serious injuries."

"Transportation departments in general seem to have less funding and oversight than you'd think they'd require." Franziska adds, thinking about Stephan and the overworked and underpaid Portkey office back home. "I think it's awesome to try and push for improvements there."

Tyler beams at her, and then shoots a look at his cousin. "Told you it wasn't dumb." He declares.

Remi rolls his eyes. "I said boring, not dumb. And it is boring. Leona at least gets to travel and stuff with her reporting and Henry might get to meet weird people who don't get their Apparition lisences at school like normal people. Broom regulation is just a bunch of paperwork."

"Paperwork may be boring, but it's where all the laws are made." Franziska offers, wanting to defend her own job choice, which also involves quite a bit of filing. "That's long-term impact. It may not be flashy, but it probably gets more accomplished."

"Killing evil monsters gets plenty accomplished and it's fun." Remi counters, grinning a bit mockingly. "I'm going to become the most famous monster hunter in British History - even bigger than Gilderoy Lockhart!"

Leona rolls her eyes in amusement. "If you ever manage that I'll get you a front page interview with the Prophet myself." She declares. "No offense, but Lockhart is way hotter than you, and that's a good fifty percent of his fame."

"That is true, he's a very attractive man." Henry concurs confidently.

Leona perks up. "Hey, get Tyler to be the face of your work, that might do it."

Tyler turns bright red even as Remi shifts gears rapidly from insulted to highly amused. "Ooh, does Kiera have some competition then?" He teases.

Leona rolls her eyes. "Please, boys are gross. I'm just saying, he's cuter than you, objectively and by a long shot."

"Speaking of, how are you and Kiera planning on doing things? Will you be long-distance for a bit?" Franziska can't help asking. The farm girl is far from centrally located, and she knows Kiera doesn't intend on leaving the family farm, while it's clear Tyler wants to work at the Ministry in London.

Tyler gives a half-shrug. "We'll work it out. Long distance for now - once I'm settled I plan to floo to her place most weekends until we figure something more stable out. It's not like I'm going to force her to move to London, or she'll force me to move in with her family. But you know." He smiles, a bit awkward, "We love each other so we're going to try and make it work."

Leona pokes him with a teasing grin. "Adorable." She giggles.

Franziska stays with them a while longer before once again excusing herself to hunt down her other friends. Tyler decides to leave as well, and he heads for the car Kiera and Tonks are sharing - going the opposite direction as Franziska.

Franziska's next friend finds her first. "Badger! Yo, come sit with us for a bit!" Brandon is leaned halfway out of his compartment and is waving at her far too enthusiastically - Franziska isn't sure how he hasn't fallen onto the floor.

She obliges his request though, and finds Charlie Weasley, Aidan Ward, and Nabila Shafiq sharing the compartment with Brandon.

"Fiona was in here earlier but she's in the bathroom. She'll probably be back soon." Charlie says, gesturing to the seat next to Nabila which Franziska assumes is where Fiona is sitting.

"I can't stay long, I'm trying to see as many people as possible before the train arrives." She says, even as she takes one of the open seats.

"I ought to do that too really. Did I tell you I got a potions apprenticeship in the States?" Brandon sounds beyond excited. "I'm moving back next week. Dad is taking time off of work to help." He adds, sounding as grudging as he ever does when talking about his father.

They chat a while longer - Nabila has secured a job as an assistant for a Magizoologist at a reserve in Bulgaria which she's quite excited for - before Franziska heads back out into the train.

The next group she finds includes Jemma, Donaghan, Cian, and Jemma's two Gryffindor friends Drake and Evera. They're chatting excitedly with each other and Franziska nearly opts to walk past when Donaghan spots her and waves her in.

Jemma grins at her brightly. "Frannie! Come, sit! Cian and Don were telling us about their plans for the band." She looks incredibly proud, squeezing her boyfriend's hand where they're intertwined on the seat.

Franziska finds herself squished between Cian and Evera a moment later when the former pulls her down impatiently.

"As I was saying we still have to wait for Heathcote and Myron to graduate, but we're going to work on writing songs and saving up enough to put a down payment on a proper recording studio." Cian says, his eyes sparkling with a sharp determination. "I've been working at a Muggle music shop during the summers, so I'll keep doing that."

"I'm hoping to get some work with the Wizarding Wireless Network." Donaghan adds easily. "It's low-intensity and I might be able to see how the process works getting on the radio."

"What about you Jemma?" Franziska asks. She knows her friend is planning to get her Healer's license, but she hasn't heard much about Jemma and Donaghan's plans as to how their being a couple is going to continue working.

"Well, you know I'm studying to be a Healer. Don and I are going to live together downtown London hopefully, if we can find somewhere we can afford. Otherwise i'll have to stay in the dorms." She frowns slightly at that.

"Enough with the long face, Drake and I are living in dorms, it's probably not bad at all." Evera declares. "Auror training." She adds to Franziska. "My brother had to live in them too. He says they're a bit small but you're only in there to sleep anyway."

Franziska doesn't spend too long in that compartment, acutely aware of the time slipping away, and when she heads out again she has particular people she's looking for, who she intends to spend the remaining few hours of the trip with.

Evie and Fitzwilliam are alone in their compartment when Franziska taps on the glass, grinning as the two pull away from each other and Fitz blushes heavily.

Franziska has to admit, her two best friends starting to date during the last week of school was a surprise when they'd first told her. But she's honestly quite happy for them - Evie had confessed to her during the graduation ceremony that she'd had a crush on Fitz for quite some time.

For his part Fitzwilliam is obviously happy, and Franziska couldn't ask for more for her best friends.

"Heya Fran!" Evie greets her brightly. "Crazy to think this is the last train ride huh?"

Franziska immediately feels close up slightly as she takes a seat on the bench across from her friends. "I-" She clears , "Yeah. Crazy is definitely a word for it." She says, laughing slightly because the alternate option is crying again and not yet. She can do that on the platform but right now is for being happy with her best friends.

Evie picks up on it anyway. "Aw, Frannie! Don't be sad, it's not over yet." She switches over to sit next to Franziska and pulls her into a hug.

Franziska gives a watery laugh. "Almost though. How often will we even see each other after this? You guys are my best friends and I'm going to miss you." She's very proud that she isn't crying yet. Definitely close, but not yet.

"You'll still see us. And I'll get an international owl with my first paycheck!" Evie declares. "We can still send letters all the time!"

Franziska laughs again. "Evie, use your paycheck to pay rent." She scolds lightly, and her friend grins.

"See, I have to stay in touch with you or I'll lose my common sense." She jokes.

The three stay together for the remaining three hours, sometimes talking about the future but mostly talking about nothing, simply enjoying each other's presence in the time that they have left.

Franziska is glad things still feel natural between them, even with Evie and Fitz holding hands across from her.

She's almost calmed down when she feels the train starting to slow.

Evie feels it too, as she glances out the window with a frown. "Guess we're almost there." She observes. "You should probably go back to wherever your stuff is Frannie."

Franziska frowns as well. Evie is right, but she's reluctant to leave her seat. It would feel too much like goodbye.

"We'll find you on the platform." Fitz says, as if reading her mind. "I think most people will be lingering to say goodbye, and I doubt Rudi would appreciate being left on the train."

"He's with Kiera, she spoils him. If anything he'll be annoyed that I'm back." Franziska counters with a small laugh, feeling marginally better at the promise. "But yeah, I should get my stuff."

The train is pulling into the station when Franziska arrives back at Tonks and Kiera's compartment, and the two along with Tyler give their goodbyes as the engine rolls to a stop and they all help each other get their trunks down from the overhead storage.

Franziska knows her mother is somewhere in the crowd on the platform but she doesn't look for her just yet, instead hunting down every one of her friends and demanding goodbye hugs from all of them.

Evie and Fitz are last.

"I'll write as soon as I'm settled, and I'm telling Rudi not to come back without a response." She warns them, teary but still not crying.

Evie laughs slightly - she is crying - and nods. "Of course, I wouldn't let him leave otherwise." She promises.

"We'll see you." Fitzwilliam promises. "I'm coming into a decent inheritance you know, I have some extra Galleons to spend on possible Portkeys."

Franziska blinks, and then beams. "Well then, I expect a visit sometime in the near future."

When she finally finds her mother, she realizes she never started crying.

"Well Lida, how does it feel to be a graduate?" Pannidda asks.

Franziska hums, takes a deep breath, and gives the Hogwarts Express one last look before turning back to her mother.

"I think," She says, smiling, "That I'm ready for the next adventure."