Emily walked across the grounds. It was a nice day to be out, the sun was shining and there was a light breeze rustling the waves of her hair.

Soon Professor Vindictus came into sight, the brooms were lined up and... what was that? beaters bats and quaffles? Where they going to have a scratch match of quidditch as a finals?

"Professor", she nodded in greeting when she arrived... still not having forgotten the events of Ravenclaw's celebration party....

Hyun made his way over to the quidditch pitch for the final exam. Even the word exam made his stomach turn. He knew how to fly (if he didn't he hadn't been selected for the Snakes team) but the word exam made him nervous.

As his shoes touched the grass he felt more covidence . He looked around trying to see where the Professor was and soon found him standing close by. With a reassuring nod to himself he marched over the green grass. "Hello Professor" he greeted when he was close by enough. "Oh, congratulations on the Quidditch cup, sir" he added, remembering that he was Ravenclaws head of house. He could have said a congrats at the celebration but...Hyun didn't feel like going...

Spike skipped down to the flying final, humming to himself happily. His side was nearly healed, and his eyes looked a little less panda-like. They were still a rather delicious mix of colours though.

"Hey Professor!" he greeted excitedly, spying the brooms, bats and quaffles. He'd never been let loose with a bat before - probably with good reason - and was glad to see there was no obvious sign of a bludger. This final was still looking promising. Very promising indeed.

Spotting his teammate, Spike plopped himself down on the grass right next to her. "Emilyyy! We're gonna flyyyyy!"

Flyinggg. Finlay was happy to be flying again, even if it was a final, but yes He was rather happy as he wandered down to the quidditch pitch. Flying was his element, and he was looking forward to this, because hopefully he would be pretty good to it. With a big smile on his face he arrived at the quidditch pitch, heading over to Spike and Emily. Yup, they were totally going to rock at this just like they had rocked the championship.

"Hey guys." He smiled at them, before glancing over at Professor V. "Hey Sir." Yup. Better say hi to him too.

"Good day," Vindictus greeted those who arrived early. "I hope everyone brought their custom broomsticks."

YES! He was hoping this didn't involve any Scavenger Hunt or anything, because he was awful at it.

So, Treyen walked rather happily to the Pitch for the Final Exam.

Final.

That means...things are ending again. And then beginning again. Why did he have a smile on his face was beyond him, because some people tended not to react well to either 'Ends' or 'Beginnings' or both.

"Hello Professor!" he exclaimed, after having finally arrived.

And then...custom broomsticks. Yup, he's got his right here.

"Hey Spike!" she greeted as the ickle firstie sat beside her. She gave him an encouraging smile. Exams were always a nerve wracking time.. and especially for first years.

"Hey there Finn", she said as she watched the prefect join them.

Turning to Professor Vindictus she smiled and held up her customised broom before letting it sit on her lap.

This was going to make for a very interesting finals exam, thought Emily.. customm brooms and quidditch equipment... she really hoped they were going to play a game. Emily's looked across the grounds... she could see more students in the distance making their way over. She wondered how many would have the guts to attend Vindi's final... especially after what happened in Herbology.

Chloe headed down the pitch excited as ever with her costu broom in tow. She could not wait for this final to commense. Any excuse to take the skies is plain awesome. As she arrived at the pitch she saw professor Vindictus and she passed said, "good day professor", and then took a seat on the grass as she waited for the final begin.

"Many of you did a brilliant job on customizing the old broomsticks, and I'd like for each of you to share your creation with the class. Please feel free to ask each other questions about the customization and allow the designer to answer them," Vindictus said and he immediately conjured a folding chair to sit on.

"Once we finish this show-and-tell portion, then I'll provide the instructions for your practical exam."

Mischievous grin and a sparkle appeared in his blue eyes.

"Now, let's begin. Don't hesitate to stand up and show off your creation, and make sure you explain why you added the details to the broom."


Broom Customization Show-and-Tell Directions
[x]Tell the class about your broom customization
[x]Include a picture of your broom (insert a link to your broom so that you don't stretch the page or use spoiler tags; make sure the image is in your own imaging account because all SS image/signature rules do apply)
[x]If someone asks you a question, please answer them
[x]This portion of the final will end at 9pm EST tonight

Okaaaay... Flying exam.

Helena was soooo nervous about this one. It was the only subject she couldn't learn everything from a book. And flying... she didn't quite have nice memories during the first years of her life. The tiny scar was still there on her arm to remind her of how 'good' she was at flying.

So... she had to tell the others about her customized broom.

She took a deep breath and then looked around. "Uh... My broomstick probably looks rather... different. I chose a 'dark' style for it." And no, she is not on the dark side. The girl looked at the broomstick she was holding and then spoke again. "I changed the colour to a dark blue and added glitter, so it shines beautifully in the moonlight and I changed the tail twigs into feathers." And that was it. Ah, one more thing. "And I changed two of the tail twigs into bat-like wings." Aaaand that was it.

Rex tells the professor" I like to tell you about my broom. I am from SweetWater, Texas, I play Quidditch and football" Rex started out. " I love the Dallas Cowboys, their colors are blue and white, so I painted my broom these colors". Rex told the class and the professor " On my broom is a canteen, so I can drink water or maybe even butterbeer as I am flying or even on the ground and on the other side is a lunch bag for food, but it can be used for breakfast or dinner, too" Rex said to the professor and class. On the back I have dancing shoes for having fun when I touch down" Rex smiled. I won ballroom dance contests when I was younger and I have taught a lot of girls to dance at HogWarts" Rex explained to everyone." Neverr knw when yo uneed your dance shoes, food, drink or be ready to root for your favorite football team" Rex laughed.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...day/broom1.jpg

Ooooh. They had to talk about their customised brooms. Well Finlay was pretty sure that it was something he could very easily too. Finn could talk about himself for ages, so he was pretty sure he could talk about why he had felt like customising the broom the way hehad. Yup. This was going to be fun.

"Okaay...." The prefect grinned, holding his broom up for everyone to see. "Mainly for my broom I chnaged the colours. I altered the handle so it was coloured green and Blue. I like green a blue." Finlay smirked. Hmmm. Slytherclaw at heart definetly. "Then I changed the colors of the twigs as well, so that the broom would stand out more, because I like standing out." and he did stand out. "So I felt that my broom should stand out too." And it would make it easiser for him to find it.....which was probably a good thing for him.

"Finally I enscribed my last name onto the handle, and that was so everyone would know that it was mine." Because he was just that everyone, and they should all know that the broom was his.

SPOILER!!: Finn's broom

Jacob had his custom broom on his lap, as people started to show their stuff. He felt like this was going to be a very boring final exam.

Those Beaters Bats better be relevant or Jacob was going to throw a fit. He wanted to play a game... and not like a match, he wanted a casual Game, one where his heart wasn't pounding out of his chest as he hoped that the Match would end in a victory on his side.


Oh yes... Jacob had a question. He raised his hand and asked the slytherin girl. "Uhm, yes. So.... Is there any charms or other things on it that has to do with flying?" Like What did colour and feathers have to do with anything? It interested him what people might have come up with, but it didn't look like people had really thought of the flying, and riders aspect... maybe others would be more... relevant.



Now Jacob Jumped up, and lifted his broom above his head... hoping the sticking charm he had on the front would last through the exam. "So, Uhm... Yeah." He didn't exactly plan a speech... actually this was kinda awkward. "Uhm..." he let out a small sigh, as he tried to start.

"So, This is my broom, yo!" he looked back down at the broom. "Uhm..." He let out another sigh. "I--" he tried to start again, but nothing was coming to him.

"Oh, I got This!" he said "So, Uhm... Like... I painted the handle this... blue... color..." Jacob sort of fumbled for word as he tried to this what to say next. "This is kinda hard..." hmmm... "Uhm... And I, Like, used a sticking charm to stick this pillow to the front of the broom... Uhm... In spirit of that lovely Jimmy Versus Wall Incident, and as a reminder to the rider that... uhm... if you decide hit a wall, more times than not, the wall will win." geez this was actually much harder than he thought. "Uhm... Oh! And I like put a heating charm on the Handle, so that it warms up just enough to heat the riders hands, for those Chilly games of Quidditch." you know, it helped, he wished he had one on his normal broom, but he didn't want to put one on it and risk destroying the rest of the broom.

Spike fiddled with the handle of his broom as he listened to the others speak. He was getting rather nervous about presenting his broom infront of the others. He thoughts it was super cool, but others might just think it silly.

First though, he had some questions.

"Why bat wings?" Spike asked. He could quite fancy a bat is a pet. A little one, that good hang from his finger.
Oooo! Finn's was cool. So simple, yet really striking. "Finnnnn," Spike started, "I get the blue, but why green. Why do you like it, I mean?"

Spike wasn't sure whether to ask his Captain a question or not... It was quite possibly asking for a beater's bat to be heading his way soonish. But, at least it showed he was paying attention, right? And he'd been trying to listen to his Captain more.

"Doesn't the cushion affect the air resistance? Won't that make the broom slower?" he asked, hesitantly.

Why green? Finlay kinda of eyed Spike for a second. It was typical of Spike to ask him a question. "Well..." Finn had to pause for a few seconds to actually consider what his answer would be. One that wouldn't make Spike go all 'Ewwwww' "I like green." It was like his second favorite colour. "It's just so green?" Okay. That was pretty lame Carmicheal. "And I think it kind of goes with Blue.....maybe?"

Sierra inwardly groaned. She wasn't really the type to jump up, excitedly show off her broom, and then show a sincere interest in the broomsticks her classmates had made. She could honestly care less what they created and why, but for the sole reason that this was a final exam and therefore worth a pretty hefty amount of house points, she supposed she could put forth some really good faking.

May as well get this over and done with, too. Customized broomstick in hand, she stood and faced her classmates.



"I did three things to my broomstick," she said, holding it up so everyone could see. "First, I used the Color Changing Charm to make the handle a green and silver color." For obvious reasons, duh, but just in case someone was a few jelly beans short of a Bertie Bott's box--"...because that's the Slytherin house colors, of course."

"Next, I installed a snake-shaped alarm, which is set to go off when the quaffle is nearing the hoop," she continued. You know, just in case she was somehow distracted and in danger of missing the quaffle. "Finally, I had my initials, S.G., carved into the handle," she finished, pointing to the initials with her unoccupied hand.

Damn It Spike!

He so didn't need to think! This was Flying, He Didn't WANT To Think!

"I guess it would..." he looked at the Broom. "I didn't really think of the Aerodynamics all too much. Manly cause, as a beater, we focus more on controll and stability rather than speed." he said He really had no idea what he was talking about, he just wanted a good excuse so that Vindictus wouldn't take that into consideration and take points off. "And I didn't try it out, and I wouldn't suggest for anyone else to, cause you know... it might explode in mid air." and that wouldn't be good. Knowing Himself, things Jacob makes usually explode.

" Is the alarm legal when you are playing Quidditch?' Rex asked Sierra. " In my eyes, it seems like cheating" Rex told Sierra. Just like a Slytherin not to play fair.

Spike gave a little frown. That was it? Because liked green? Such an unsatisfying answer. But if that's what Finn thought, then he'd take it.

It did however give Spike a bit of confidence to present his own broom. He stood up, and held it proudly in front of him.

"This is my broom," he introduced, and held it for everyone to see. "I've made a few key additions to customise it, as you can see." He gave himself a little nod, to reassure himself. No one was laughing at it yet, were they?

"So, here at the front is a seat so Matilda can travel with me both safely and comfortably." At the sound of her name, Matilda stirred in Spike's hair. His curls rippled, and he looked sheepish as he had an idea. Ellie wasn't going to like this, but it'd make a point. Taking the tarantula from his hair, he put the broom on the floor, and rested her in the purpose built seat. He'd taken a long time measuring it up. "So these straps go between her legs like this," he said, demonstrating how to do them up properly, "Then she can't fall out." And to prove it, he held the brom the wrong way up. "Perfectly safe." Of that fact, he was very proud.

His hand moved up the broom a bit, to a screw top pot with small holes in the lid. "This is for other sorts of critters. Boggis, Bunce and Bean are in here for the ride at the moment, but it could easily take my frogs Killy and Kranky." He looked round. What he saying too much? Probably. But he was totally chuffed with his broom.

"Underneath the broom is a net for catching all sorts of insects. I'd hope to catch some interesting butterflies or moths, so I can tick them off my 'to be seen' list. The net can be hooked up out the way though, or taken off completely, depending on the purpose of the flight." And with that, he used the hinge to click it back so it wouldn't catch any bugs, before taking if off completely.

"Finally, the decoration. The basic handle is wrapped round with a blue snake. Blue is my favourite colour. And I've always wanted a snake of my own. The tail twigs are blue, just cos it looks cool. And I've written my name on it, so everyone knows it's mine." In case anyone else had a tarantula and wanted to go bug catching.

And he was done. Any questions? Or could he sit down and breathe again now?

Kurumi listened as everyone else showed their brooms and was rather impressed by several of them. It seemed that most people had changed their broom colors to match their house colors...which...she hadn't done.

When it came to be her turn, Kurumi stood up and stood her broom up next to her, holding it by the handle.

"I-I customized my broom to be used for long travels. I do not play Quidditch," and never plan to see as I am utter rubbish on a broom, "So the fact that some of these modifications may cause wind resistance doesn't bother me." Kurumi turned her broom over in her hands so that she now held it with both of them. "First, I used a Color Changing Charm to turn the broom a shade of purple because it is my favorite color. I also added an air fresher that will forever smell like vanilla and I altered the shape of the foot holders to be stars."

She was sure she was going to get a few comments based on these modifications alone. She glanced over at Sierra expected her to cast the first stone.

"The small basket hanging off the front of the broom's handle as an Undetectable Extension Charm placed on it, so everything can fit in there. I chose its location to be there so that I could easily grab whatever it is I need during flight. I also attached a compass to the front handle, along with a light so I can see easily in the dark."

Kurumi looked down at her broom. What else was she forgetting...OH!

"This is a retractable telescope. It is attached to the side of the broom and you can pull it out like this," she said demonstrating. "When you are done, it folds nicely to the side." She beamed momentarily. This was her favorite addition to her broom. Made her feel like a real explorer just thinking about it. "Oh! And I enchanted the tail to shoot out purple sparks."

Flying exam...the one final Simon didn't need to do much of anything. Well except bring his modified broom from the previous classes homework and do whatever Vindictus asked them to do over the course of the exam. He stood with the rest of the students, his broom held comfortably in his hand as he listened to the instructions for the first part as well as watching as a few of his classmates came forward to talk about their work. He had to admit a few had done some really good work with some unique ideas though he probably would agree the quaffle alarm being a form of cheating.

Finally Simon opted to do his part, stepping forward to describe his handiwork. "Well as you can see I used an color changing charm on the broom end to make it marroon to show some house pride along with the gold-toned metal fittings," he explained holding it horizontal with both hands to raise the tall to eye level. "Then I attached some phoenix type feathers to the tip of the handle seeing as the phoenix is one of the most magestic flyers around," he added lowering it back down so it was standing straight up and down once more.

SPOILER!!: broom

Chloe cocked her head toward girl who explained she replaced twigs for feathers, "Uh, wouldn't feathers be less aerodynamically sound then feathers. It is a cool look but I don't think it is practical.".

Chloe chuckled upon heaing how much stuff Rex put on his broom. "Uh, wouldn't all that stuff weight your broom down. Also why did you choose your main broom design to look like blue cat in the hat party broom?".

]

Now this kid had a good looking broom, "I like that your broom reflects you but you did not change the broom itself, good job".


"Uh, why did you put a pillow on your broom. Tjat could throw your broom off balance. I am all for origiality but a broom is sjaped the way it is for a reason."

"Cool design, but wouldn't an alarm going off when you get close to a goal post been rather startling and possibly a bit dangerous".

Alright, now Chloe's turn finally arrived. Sje got up and held out her broom proudly. "I decided you make my broom pink and sparkly cause I like it girly. I used color changing charm for that. I also decided took use some transfiguration to make my broom look like my favorite muggle candy sour punch straws on the inside. And thats it. Some what do you guys think.

Sorry it is two brooms, I am on my phone so.I just had to choose an image some here it is;

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...wnspotter4.jpg

Well of course it isn't legal, you idiot Gryffindor...

Sierra paused for a moment as she willed a non-sarcastic remark to come out her mouth. She eyed Vindictus out of the corner of her eye before turning back to the boy. "No," she answered, reaching a hand up to the alarm and prying it off. "It's removable. I added it as more of...wishful thinking."

Gryffindors...always trying to do the right thing. Mehh.

After watching the Ravenclaw Captain's broom, Treyen almost face-palmed himself, because...well...airbags? On brooms? That would be brilliant! And totally serve the purpose of his broom.

His eyes DID widen at the sight of Kurumi's broom. Man, she was ready for any trip, but also...she had that little light like he had.

Clearing his throat, Treyen felt like that Potions for Muggles Club presentation started to speak, "Okay, I didn't customized my broom too much," no, Kurumi we're not talking about you, "It may look like the average broom, which is what I intended in the first place," eyes on Vindictus, yes, we're NOT painting a broom, that was...terrible, dude, just terrible, "It's designed for quick escapes." And now he smiled.

"The only difference you could see is that little golden lever near the right foot rest," and he was showing the short, or not so short, metallic stuff, "That will be releasing some Peruvian Instant-Darkness Powder, when you kick the foot rest real hard," was that amongst the prohibited things at Hogwarts? "So, as you get away...from...let's say...Acromantulas," aha, Saylen, "Then you'll leave a smoke curtain behind you." Clever, no? "Oh, and the powder is hidden in a compartment between the tail twigs," like, right there, yes, you can all see the compartment, because she was showing it to the class, and don't ask him how he got it it was half full.

"If you tap the tip of the handle twice," without a wand, like he was demonstrating, "Then there's light coming out of it, in case you get lost between all the powder and don't hit a tree," because he'd hit a tree before, and it was daylight.

What else? What else? "And, the last customization was a mirror, that sort of pops out like a twig when you press tightly at the bottom of the handle," yes, yes, right where he was gesturing to, "It's most appropriate so you don't have to turn your head back to see if the Acromantulas are still following you." Man, Saylen had scarred him for LIFE.

"And...that's it, I suppose. Designed to escape. Looking like an ordinary broom." Good for escaping from Azkaban too.