Heath gazed up at the ceiling, taking in the skyscape as he awaited his turn at the memory book. So much had changed in his six years at Hogwarts, but some things never did. It was funny, really. On his first day here, he stared at that ceiling while waiting in line for his sorting. Now on his last day, he stared at it while waiting in line for the memory book. No matter how much time had passed, that skyscape still calmed him.

As he stepped up to the pedestal, it hit him. He was leaving forever. He always knew he was, but it just became real. Flipping through the pages, he found his grandparents’ entries, then his aunt and uncle’s, his mum’s, his many cousins’, and finally his brother and sister’s. But it was Claudine’s entry that came closest to breaking him. Swallowing hard against the sudden onslaught of emotions that threatened to overpower him, he picked up the quill and wrote:



His vision blurred as he wrote the last lines, and he had to turn his head, pressing his free hand to his eyes to stop the tears from falling onto the page. He replaced the quill and quickly beelined back to the Ravenclaw table to regain composure.

This was so weird. She knew it would be, but standing here in front of an acient book that her parents had written in when they were her age and knowing everything was about to change after she signed it? Yeah. Weird.

They were so sappy, her parents were. She'd brushed her fingertips lightly over her mum's handwriting, thinking it was strange how you could almost feel her personality based on her penmanship alone. And her dad's entry was so him. She could hear him speaking the same words aloud in her head and could imagine the look on his face when he did. It made her smile.

Also they'd said those three words to each other right here in this book for all of Hogwarts to see and it created a mixture of embarrassment and pride in her. Embarrassment that they were very much teenage lovesick puppies and she was now witness to it never mind that her and Kale could be the same way, ahem. She couldn't wait to see them in person and tease them a little for it.

The pride came from being a product of that kind of love. It was sort of powerful. Like, soulmates did totally exist and it was possible to find that and trust your gut on it because her parents were living proof. It made her feel less silly about beliving in fairytale endings.

Reading the entries of her fellow seventh years just left her feeling even more emotional than she'd been at the start of the evening. These were her people. It felt so big that they'd made it through seven years together. It meant everything that they were still close. And though they'd lost some friends to different schools and adventures along the way, she considered herself lucky to have a group of people in her life that she knew she could count on. Gosh, she loved them so much. It radiated from her in that moment, her eyes filling up with tears... Maybe she was sappy too..

Wiping at her eyes, the blonde flipped to a fresh page and tried to get something down before a fresh wave of emotion made it impossible to write anything at all.



She didn't re-read it when she was done. She couldn't. Instead she took a deep breath, stood up a little straighter, and managed a sad sort of smile as she headed back to her house table.

Teddy James was no stranger to this book. He'd frequented it over the years in times of distress, when he sought inspiration or encouragement, and when he needed clarity about what was most important. There were loads of adults who had made an impact on his life, even before Hogwarts, who had written in this very book, who had even further impacted him with their words inscribed on these pages. His most frequented entries were his family's - his mum, dad, Uncle Mo and Aunt Cat - but he often revisited those by his extended family, too (the Summers, the Starks, Aunts Selina, Alexa, and Kurumi, plus all the friends who mentioned these loved ones).

The entries made in the prior six years were a little harder to read. He regarded them as little pieces of the hearts of his peers who had once shared these halls. Some bits were quirky, some were sad, some were angry or relieved or wholly celebratory. The range of tones, of attitudes from one entry to the next could give anyone whiplash, but the overriding theme among the bulk of them was gratitude - gratitude for the time they'd all had here to learn, to grow, to become who they were when they wrote in this book, but most of all, gratitude to their loved ones. And that was what he felt tonight.

He took the opportunity to read through the night's newest entries. He laughed aloud at parts of Phoebe's and Kale's, but all of them made him smile. And sad. It was the first time this evening he'd experienced sadness. He knew who he was going to see again when they'd graduated, and he knew who he didn't know if he'd ever see again. That was a tough pill to swallow.

With a hint of a smile playing upon his lips, Teddy revisited Phoebe's entry to protest in the margins of her P.P.S. to their sister:

SPOILER!!: Phoebe's entry

P.P.S. Kinsay, you're going to read this some day, because you are NOT a house elf, and I want you to know that I love you incessantly and that you are the most beautiful soul I've ever met (even including Teddy, who does NOT put his socks in the laundry). Hey, I do too!

Then Teddy flipped to the next open page. His page. Where his words would forever be imprinted in this book. Unless a fire destroyed it, which probably was likely, considering the nature of Hogwarts. Frankly, it was a miracle it had survived this long as it was, he thought, even if it was protected by some magic.

And then he wrote.

SPOILER!!: Teddy's entry

This shouldn't be about me. It's about all of us. The things we've done together, the things we've seen, the people we've lost, the friends we've gained - that's what's important. That's what matters in our lives. At the end of all of this - wherever you are in your Hogwarts journey - all that's really going to matter is the people you've loved, whose lives you've touched, whose days you've brightened, and how you've made people feel. Anything else is just noise.

Please, let the people you love know that you love them. Remind people that they matter. Every connection we establish with our peers is the most precious gift in which we're fortunate enough to be both a giver and recipient. The people in my life mean more to me than anything else ever could, and I hope I will always be able to say that I've done my part to ensure every single one of them knows it. I hope you will, too.

Anyway, sometimes Hogwarts sucks, but it sucks a lot less when we all look out for each other.

Thanks for looking out for me, friends.

Sending love and light,
Theodore "Teddy" Maddox James
Ravenclaw, Class of 2106

P.S. I love you, Kinsay James. You can do anything.

Writing in the memory book was like, a big deal. It was something that was going to last forever and everyone from future generations was going to read it. Well, maybe. It wasn't like Morgan really read any of the previous entries at any point while he was at Hogwarts. But there was always the possibility of anyone and everyone reading his final, departing words, preserved for all eternity. That was a lot of pressure! Should he be wise, should he be funny? Morgan had spent zero time thinking about it, and now the time was here.

He paused a minute to flip through, looking first at his closest friends and yearmates, and knowing that his older siblings had written entries in here, as well as his parents. Or at least he thought they did. He hadn't read them before today and he hadn't heard any of them talk about doing that. Or at least he didn't remember if they had. Gunnar's and Chloe's weren't too far back and were close together, so they were easy to find. He read both of theirs and chuckled to himself as they were each so much like them.

He took an extra minute to flip way far back in a search for his parents too. It took him a fair minute and he nearly gave up, but eventually found first mum's, then dad's. Morgan only skimmed because Merlin they were some long entries. Who could read all that? And who knew what saps both of his parents were? Morgan knew, that's who. All right, time was a-wasting, so he turned all the way back to a fresh page and jotted down a few words to be memorialized for eternity.

SPOILER!!: Morgan's entry

So long, Hogwarts. It's been real, it's been fun, and even sometimes real fun. Catch you on the flip side.

Morgan Finn "MF" McCarthy
Gryffindor, class of 2106

Somehow, there was a little entry on one of the most recent pages of the book, scribbled in a hasty hand.

SPOILER!!: Lil Note

Dearest Hogwarts,

Thank you for always being a home to me. Even when I didn't know what I needed, you were the place that provided. I made my first wizard friends here and memories that will last me my entire lifetime. And maybe even into the afterlife, who knows. It would be pretty cool to pop up in a seance here one day.

I know I wasn't the best student, or best person, or best Gryffindor, but I tried. I'll never forget all the rules I didn't know I broke. I definitely learned a lot of magic and also learned that I still have a lot of learning to do. I apologize sincerely for all the chaos, curses, possessions, suspensions, detentions, etc., but wish everyone the best. Truly, the best. It's been real, it's been fun, but now I'm done.

Cool regards,
Bernadette O. Grantham

The whole feast was oddly bittersweet for Gracelyn, even as she was looking forward to summer and then uni, grateful that she’d technically gotten her acceptance before NEWTs. Not that she thought she’d done horribly on exams, but it didn’t mean she was fully confident about them either. What with everything else that had been going on in her head over the past term, a respite was nice. Just the somewhat excitingness of it being the end of another term, although once again it reminded her this as her last one. She wasn’t coming back next term. Instead, she’d be going off to Edinburgh with Phillip and Moira. Which also reminded herself that she wasn’t certain what her other friends were going off to come September, aside from those who weren’t also graduating with her.

There had also been the letter she’d received from Teddy, which she’d stowed away in a pocket as she’d watched the others filtering up to the memory book; watched the professors and the headmaster up at the dais and thinking about how she’d miss them. How she’d miss everything here at Hogwarts.

With that thought in mind, she had finally gotten up to approach the book, acutely aware that, aside from her friends, there weren’t likely any other names inscribed inside that held particular memories. Professors didn’t usually write in here, that she knew of, and any relatives would be distant. Even so, she hoped someone would read her words and feel something. Anything.

SPOILER!!: Gracelyn’s entry

Hogwarts can throw a lot at all of us. Sometimes it seems like too much, but that doesn’t mean it’s something bad. Hogwarts gives us all a lot of good things too. Not just memories, friends…there are certain things I’ve learned over my years here and some of them are important to know.

It’s okay to not have the answers to every question, whether it be in class or outside of it. Nobody knows everything, and that’s something to remember.

Friends are everything. Someone to cheer you on, to comfort you when you’re down…Hogwarts gave me that. It gave me a lot of other things too: knowledge, survival instincts and probably a lot that I don’t remember right now. I’m grateful to each and every person who I’ve met during my seven terms here, for better or worse, but I’m especially grateful to my friends. Everyone I can call my friends. Some of you are going off into the world to hopefully make it better, some of you will continue to be here and learn how to. I’m looking forward to seeing all of it.

With all my love,

Hufflepuff, class of 2106

After reading it over again once, she took a breath and returned to her table to finish off her last feast at Hogwarts.

Darius couldn't have imagined this book would appear for him... so soon. It felt like yesterday he had joined the halls, following his older sister and.. brother in his heart. Now leaving his younger sister behind, this was feeling a bit heavy with each step he took.

Remaining collected by appearance, he strode over to open the book.. or at least attempt to before it flew open to read his own dad's entry. A small smile in apparent amusement formed. So cheesy, but that's my dad... are those tear drops? He wasn't going to cry like him... until he read his Auntie's. Sniff. He'd have to thank her later for that as he reached for the quill to jot down his thoughts in the newest blank spot.

SPOILER!!:

Hogwarts,

Not a day went by that I wasn't taken aback by a crazy event here. I came in hoping to carry my brother along so we can finish the journey together.. but I now see that the journey is just beginning for me. By the time you're able to read this, I trust you'll recognize the same.. and that's okay. The bumps and gaps along the way will only serve as another stupid test. The end justifies the means they say, but that doesn't mean you can't have or create another beginning on your terms.

To everyone that I've interacted with and befriended, you know who you are, and for that.... Thank you. I'd write more, but I don't feel like challenging my dad to a competition on wetting the parchment. So, I'll leave you a quote to an ancient favorite song of mine.

"We're all scared to fly, still, we try, learn to be brave, see the other side" - Paradise by Meduza ft. Dermot Kennedy


Slytherin, Class of 2107
Creature Companions Club
Former U-17 Beater
Yearbook Paparazzi
Another Gen Down
Drama Club

Closing his entry, Darius felt a weight lift off of him. Looking up at the ceiling, he felt a certain presence as if they were floating away... Could it be? He didn't know and it probably wasn't the case... but he wanted to believe what it was. "We did it Tad, we did it.." He blinked up feeling something roll down his cheek before he wiped it off. And with that the last Potter son for now walked away to enjoy the feast.

Knowing he would be entirely too fidgety and incapable of holding any semblance of conversation before ticking this item off what remained of his Hogwarts Bucket List carefully crafted with Celyn, Cooper loosened his Ravenclaw tie a bit and approached the pedestal and felt a lightness on his shoulders rather than the heavy weight he had all to often felt while walking the corridors over the years. The Cooper Emilio Branxton that had transferred would have fretted so much about family legacy and spent all his breaks between NEWTs revisions to work on and outline the perfect entry for this book he had grown up hearing about. A self-inflicted pressure to compose words worthy of a legacy arguably started by his grandmother as a former headmistress and continued by his mum and dad who were basically Hogwarts royalty as far as his warm chocolate brown eyes could see. Aunt Vivi and Uncle Max as well. It had not been difficult to find their names in the trophy room and other remnants of their presence at Hogwarts all those moon’s ago. He had often pictured this moment, this night, as something he would be anxious for. A night he would have reservations and feel a real reluctance to leave. As had his entire time at Hogwarts gone, his expectations had not been met…but they had not been disappointed either.

Things simply had panned out differently and new paths forward unlocked.

Burden free as he dipped the quill into the inkwell, his fingers swiftly flipping back to find his mum and dad’s entries specifically to read, the only emotion he could pin down was excitement. Excited to put some final punctuation on his journey here at Hogwarts and ready for the blank pages that life after Hogwarts offered. Dad’s entry was first and there was a youthfulness to the tone, an almost lack of maturity …in a good way… that Cooper had not anticipated but found very refreshing. His heart swelled a bit and his rubbed his nose to muffle a small sniffle as he read over the advice potion of dad’s stream of consciousness writing. Like father, like son…and it was at that moment Cooper realized just how much like his dad he was. Something he yearned for, fervently, had been so worried about not fulfilling ... but the evidence was right there in what dad was taking away from his time here. The same kind of lessons this Ravenclaw had learned as well.

Well…save for the whole…boyfriend thing. That was a role Cooper had yet to step into. Someday though. Someday soon.

Smiling to himself, Cooper took the quill out of the inkwell and tapped it on the rim while he moved on to mum’s entry…which was much shorter than dad’s and brought another smile to his face and a bit of some tender nose rubbing. He couldn’t wait to be home and have some of her cooking - no offense, house elves. Mum’s advice about seeing the best in situations out of your control struck a particular cord and memory upon memory of his life her at Hogwarts since his transfer came flooding back. “...thanks mum…” he whispered to the page while touching her signature. Thanks for letting him convince her to let him come to Hogwarts despite all her reservations and giving him the chance to learn all these lessons himself. The way Aunt Elodie’s entry had spoken about mum was…really special too, her advice infallible. Best friends. Cooper still counted dad as one of his, but along his Hogwarts journey he had gained two more. One he was lucky enough to be moving in with once they finalized some logistics on their flat (which really meant once Cooper finalized a few things and ran them by Theo for a final seal of approval).

He had not anticipated the words of Morgan McCarthy ressonnating with him, but life was full of plenty of surprises and, well, yeah...it HAD been real and the flip side was looking real good right about now. He would also be giving Phoebe a big hug next time he saw her to let her know that she did an outstanding job letting people know...and also remind her and Teddy that they mattered. He may not be jumping on tables and belting out tunes, but Cooper nonetheless had grown into the sentiment Kale radiated so effortlessly and, yeah, Cecelia...it sure had taken some bumps and bruises from making the choice between a bad and worse option to get there. Growing up was hard...and they all still had so much of that to do. He couldn't wait to keep doing that with all of them outside of the Hogwarts bubble.

There was no hesitation in his movements as he put the quill to his blank page after reading Aunt Vivi, Uncle Max, and so many others from that particular generation of Hogwarts students. He had woken up a couple of days ago knowing exactly what he wanted to say and put in this Memory Book. Something which apparently was aligned with Uncle West and Uncle Ascanius too, somewhat. The gluing of a photograph into the entry specifically - one he had taken and developed this morning, actually, so there was still the faint smell of developing solution clinging to the print.

Quote:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so take from this what you need and pay forward the rest:

Class of 2107
Ravenclaw Storyteller & Bard
Yearbook photographer
Witch Weekly’s 21 Under 21: Young People Shaping Tomorrow

Smiling and satisfied, Cooper set the quill back in place and stepped away from the pedestal for the next seventh year to pick up and utilize. He hoped his siblings, cousins, and friends would see his entry when their time came and take from it their own ride on an emotional wave, just as his own reflections of his parents' and family friends' entries had swept him up in. Anyone who took the time to look at his humble entry for that matter. He hoped to leave an impression and cause a pause for reflection. A quiet moment to consider and appreciate the self for the journey to this point and what was to come.

Knocking on the pedestal's top a few times, Cooper stepped away and began his journey back to the Ravenclaw table. He did not know what came next, but he was okay with the ambiguity of his future. Tonight was about the moment and he intended to spend his last hours left at Hogwarts as a student living in it.

Charlie had watched Cooper walk up to the podium that held the Memory book. Her mom had told her all about it and she wondered year after year if what her mother had written was true. It was about bucking up and standing tall for what you believe in. It made her smile because honestly she had had to do her fair share of bucking up to stand up.

Watching as Cooper sat down she sighed before standing tall and strutting over to the podium. She thought she had figured out what to say. She Glanced at Coopers entry smiling at the photo. He was right, a picture was worth a thousand words. He had an eye for his photography, and she really needed to get him to take a few new pictures of her latest collection of clothes. She'd nearly convinced her parents to let her do an apprenticeship with the owner of Madam Malkins. All she had to do was submit a few pieces.

Grabbing the quill she took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." she mumbled under her breath.

Quote:

Dear Hogwarts, Younger students, Friends of Gryffindor, and my siblings,

When you come to this place as a bright, young, and very impressionable first year you'll wonder how you'll ever survive until you're 17 and ready to take your NEWTs. Let me tell you it will go faster than you think and then you'll be writing an entry like this wondering how the years went so quickly. I have a few pieces of advice, in no order obviously:

-Make friends with your bunkmates. These people will be with you for the most important years of your life. You'll cry, laugh, and maybe even start a revolution with them
-Worry less about the big tests, you'll do fine our professors usually don't steer us wrong.
-Enjoy the little things, like going to Hogsmeade and shopping in Diagon Alley.
-HAVE FUN!

Oh and to my younger siblings and their friends. Don't take what my sister says to heart she's kind of mean. The twins will rival the Weasly twins and may just create another natural disaster in this Castle.

One day you won't be this close to your friends, don't leave with regrets, stand up for your self, and honestly fight the good fight.

Charlotte "Charlie" Rivers
Gryffindor Class of 2107
Fashionista, and future designer extraordinaire

Setting the quill back near the ink she glanced over her work one more time. Letting her hand rest on the book for a second longer she turned taking in the full great hall. She had survived 7 years of ridiculous things and would be a Hogwarts graduate soon enough. Moving back to the table of Crimson and Gold she would enjoy this feast one last time.

It was after the Headmaster's speech when Celyn finally made her way up to the memory book to write her entry. Maybe she had been putting it off till the very last moment or maybe it was because she didn't know what she wanted to say, but she was here now. And yet still unsure what she wanted to write.

She paused a moment to read the couple of entries before hers. Charlie was always so sweet and her personality really shone in the words she wrote. And Cooper's entry... She smiled as she read over his concise words and lightly touched the photo he left on his page. It was very Cooper. But what could her own entry say that would be reflective of her? It felt important and trivial all at once and she knew she was overthinking it.

Maybe she was still stalling but she flipped back through the pages as she contemplated the words she'd leave. Celyn had read her older brother's entry a few times over the years, but she really felt the need to read it once more. She smiled a little to herself as she read Derfael's name and she traced her fingers over his signature. His words were wise, his message concise, but she was not sure if she lived up to his advice. Not yet. But maybe one day.

Celyn flipped back to the next blank page, then paused, her quill poised above the page. And then she wrote.

Quote:

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

Celyn Addiena Asburry-Hawthorne
Ravenclaw, Class of 2107

It was simple, but straight to the point, and in that, she thought it was powerful. And fitting for her. She might not be remembered for anything life-changing, but she hoped that she'd be remembered as kind. And she hoped that through her actions and her words, however simple, would have even just a small impact on someone else.

Cassie was nope, nada, nuh uh, NEVER the emotional type. There was not a single bittersweet bone in her body tonight even if this was her very last one within the boundaries of Hogwarts. She was a GRADUATE. She was FREE of Hogwarts and its constraints. All she’s ever known in her life is school and school and more school, and quite frankly, she’d like to be over that now. No more schooling could help her in her path to Quidditch stardom anyway. This is where it ends for school, and where it begins for REAL life to happen.

But this redhead isn’t getting out of here without leaving her mark. A literal one, aside from the little vandalisms she’d done here and there in bathroom stalls and classroom desks, you know? This time, it was a legit and, well…authorised one. The staff should be proud of her for being so considerate. Taking her place on the pedestal, Cassie flipped quickly through the pages, way into Merlin knows how long it’s been, and skimmed just as quickly until she found entries of very familiar (and old) people. First, it was her Aunt Elise’s. Long and sappy. The long part, she had expected. The sappy part? Amazing. Cassie had known Aunt Elise to be a super strong female figure in her life, and to read such emotions from the words in front of her were just…truly insane.

And that “love of my life” part!! Of course!! The Gryffindor tried not to snort at it, but it made sense. It’s been such a long time since this entry was written, and it amazed Cassie that Aunt Elise and Uncle Chris made that work. Cassie had zero patience when it came to such commitments, so kudos to them.

Reading her mum’s entry was an even greater challenge because it was just as long and sappy as Aunt Elise’s. Sheesh, no wonder they were best friends. But still, it was a whole other level because that was her MUM’s. Some kids enjoyed looking into their parents’ history, but not so much was the case for this Belrose. It was also weird seeing her mum using her maiden name. It’s been THAT long. Jokes aside, though, mum’s and Aunt Elise’s friendship was something Cassie really admired. One doesn’t simply come across such an intense bond so easily. It was all nice and fuzzy until Cassie read the short but ICKY entry mum wrote for dad. Of!! Course!! She couldn’t help but make an almost silent gag in response. Just a very natural reaction, no big deal! Parents. How wild it was to read all of this in the perspective of their younger selves.

That was too much reading. Cassie had always preferred writing to reading, so this was it! She dipped the quill into the inkwell, and proceeded to leave her mark as the ink hit the parchment.

Quote:

Watch out, Hogwarts.

You’ll see and hear more of me one day, and you know it. See you on the pitch. See you at the stands. I suggest subscribing to every single Quidditch magazine and newspaper you can get your hands on from this day forward.

England U17 Chaser
Quidditch Legacy
Gryffindor Class of 2108 (but also an honourary Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw and you cannot tell me otherwise)

Her first ever autograph, right here in the Hogwarts memory book. Quite fitting, don’t you think?

Contented, Cassie turned around and left with a little pleased smile on her face as she joined the Gryffindor table one last time.

Violet finally remembered that she really ought to write something in the book, what people called the 'memory book.' As a budding writer, she'd planned for years what she would write. It would be something brilliant and incisive and memorable, and years later when she was a famous author, people would look back and copy it and quote it in her biography.

But nothing about this day was going the way she had expected and now that the time had come, she found her thoughts a chaotic jumble. Images from the past seven years flew through her mind--getting possessed by a ghost, the Neo-Alliance takeover, Healer Poppy and her drugged candles, the Pharoah's Triumph vines and their stranglehold over the school, the year the corridors and walls were filled with cracks and the Castle nearly came apart, the Baby Sphinx's appearance at the Big Dance, ah yes, the wonderful, wonderful dance...

Flipping through the pages of past students, Violet realized that she was looking at them without really seeing them. Right. Well, then. Resolutely she picked up the pen, smoothed out the next blank page, and began to just jot down whatever came into her mind...

There. It wasn't brilliant, or even good, writing, but it would have to do. Sighing, Violet signed her name with a flourish, the signature she'd been practising since she was about seven. Then she slowly walked back to the Slytherin table.

Lio hadn't put too much thought into his memory book entry before now. He was far more concerned about what would come after the term ended, and whether he would get a recruitment letter from a Quidditch team. It wasn't the end of the world if he didn't, considering tryouts would still come later, but a letter would be preferable. It could come any day now too...

But. For now, he needed to focus on the task ahead of him.

Having attended Hogwarts for seven years now, there was probably a lot he could write here. Lio had no interest in spending half the feast writing a lengthy entry though. The feast was meant for hanging out with everyone before the summer officially started, not doing more essay work.

Still...what to write? He skimmed a few recent entries, amused by Belrose's in particular. It certainly fit her. And Violet Blackthorne's held some good advice.

And then. There was a blank page.

Hm. Best not overthink it.

Quote:

Because of you, Hogwarts, I'm ready to handle whatever the future has in store.

Thanks for the experience.

Lio Ainsley
Scotland U17 Seeker
Ravenclaw, Class of 2108

Satisfied, he set the quill down and headed back to the Ravenclaw table, ready to enjoy the end of term feast one last time.

How was this it? How was she here? Gemma had certainly had her share of tears today. Leaving this castle was hard, it was the end of so many things, but the end of the connection she felt she kept very close. Would she feel less once she wasn't walking these halls anymore, she wasn't sure and that scared her.

When it was her turn she stepped up and took time to look through this book finding her parents, her friends, and others entries that had come before her, but now it was her turn.

Quote:

The end is just the beginning, that is what I've been told for so many years. The end of a year is the beginning of a new. The end of one adventure is the start of another. This ending is scary and exciting, but Hogwarts know this, this adventure was amazing, sad, joyful, and a blessing. This adventure made me grow and it will you as well. No one that walks through these doors leave the same person.

To my mother who's spirit I can feel in these walls, I miss you. Your memory and lessons will live on. Hogwarts is stronger because of you and so many and rest knowing we know, we love, and we learn.

Gemma Kitridge
Hufflepuff, Class of 2108

She stepped away wiping yet another tear to head to her table, wishing Hope was with her to celebrate.

Caes had thought leaving memories behind seemed archaic and a bit too sentimental. Until he heard his grandpa mention something about the memory book. Well, that got him curious to at least read whatever his grandfather wrote in it. Maybe even he'd catch his parent's entries.... on second thought he wasn't that interested. But, he was standing here now so the least he could do was open up the book and browse.

An entry he read did get his eyes focused and a slight jab feeling took him aback. He'd have to settle that this summer. With that out of his mind, Caes took the quill and began jotting down.

SPOILER!!:

Made you look.

Just joking, by the time you check this book you're probably leaving Hogwarts. So congratulations on surviving. My only advice, you'll be fine. Take what you know and use it against the world. Aria, Luther, the summer and world awaits your gift by the time you see this.

Caeson Hawkins
Slytherin, Class of 2109

With that taken care of, he wiped his hands of any ink blots before heading back to the feast.

Margaret honestly couldn't believe she had made it this far. She hadn't been murdered by the Neo-Alliance, and she hadn't failed out or had to repeat any years, in fact she had found a knack for charms and found ways to make the rest of her classes bearable felt she'd done pretty well on her recent N.E.W.T.s. Plus, she'd even gotten really good at Quidditch. Practice could do that for you.

She was not very certain of what to write, however. She flipped back a few pages, hoping for some inspiration. There was Aboli's entry...wow, she missed Aboli. And some of her former, and possibly future, Quiddditch teammates. They all had some interesting things to say. It was not...not very helpful, though, for forming her own thoughts. How could she leave any advice when all these older, smarter people had already left so much? She turned another page, hoping for a hint that it was OK to not have anything profound to say.

Instead, she found a photograph glued to the page, left by (who else) Cooper Branxton.

It was a beautiful photograph, and the tiny plant shown gave her an idea. That was all she'd needed, anyway, was one idea. She picked up the quill and flipped back to the first blank page.

Quote:

Dear....whoever,

You don't need my advice. Hopefully you're a bigger and better person than at your first Hogwarts feast. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, but Hogwarts does at least give you room to grow. And supposedly prepares us for whatever's next.

We'll see about that.

OK. Maybe I do have one bit of advice. Work hard, and dream big. The worst that can happen is you get stronger, but the best that can happen is you actually get to your goals. Unless it's Quidditch, in which case I won't let you near the goals.

Best wishes?
M. Turov
Hufflepuff Class of 2109
England U-17 Keeper
Future TBD

Satisfied with what she'd written...or at least...not embarrassed enough by it to scratch it out and try again, Margaret put the quill down. She read through it one more time, grimaced because Merlin this was a cheesy exercise, and went back to the Hufflepuff table for the last time.

He'd tried to make his walk down from the Ravenclaw Tower for dinner as slow as he possibly could, though he couldn't have gone too much so considering he and Jude had already had plans to meet and head down together. Still, it had been probably the longest he'd taken on the trek and yet... he was here already, in front of the memory book with a quill in his hand - Fwooper feather, which only felt fitting given who had been by his side when he started this journey.

Ev looked at the book for a moment. There weren't a lot of people he felt the need to go back and read entries from. Actually, the number was limited to one and he was debating if he really wanted to or not. But knowing it was now or never, he reached out and gingerly flipped a few pages back - finding the familiar handwriting of his older brother pretty easily. The words on the page had him swallowing a new lump in his throat, remembering the state Noah had been in at the time of this signature versus where his brother was now. Noah was right.. life did go on, his life had and Evan was endlessly proud of where his brother was now.

Flipping back to more recent entries, he spotted Caeson's and he scanned over Margaret's, a fond smile settling on his face - a far welcome change to the emotion he'd been feeling prior. He was excited to see what she did next, and despite the fact he still knew very little about Quidditch.. he'd make sure to attend as many games as he could to cheer his friend on from the stands. Perhaps that could even be the best reunion spots for him, Blake and Ash.

He flipped a couple more pages to see if any of his other year mates had already signed, before finding a blank one and realizing it was his turn now. What was there even to say? He didn't hate Hogwarts as much as he used to, but he wouldn't be sorry to never see the building again. What he would miss was the people - the relationships he'd built within these walls. He'd grown with his sisters, he'd met his closest friends. This was where he became the person he was today, only through the meetings of all the people he'd shared these halls with.

So that's what he'd focus on. Taking a deep breath, he put his quill to the page and began to write.

There was probably a lot more he could have said. Or specific encouragements he could have given to Jude or his sisters, given they still had time here. But leaving a note in here for them felt too much like a good bye, and he wasn't going anywhere from their lives - where as some of the people here he may never see again. But whether they'd been close or not, he felt he had learned something from every person he'd come across. Perhaps he just hadn't realized it at the time.

Stepping back from the book, he turned his head to incline towards his Professor's - a small thank you, a 'See you later' to all of them whether they saw it or not, before he made his way back to find a seat at the Ravenclaw House Table.

It was Ash's second time up here tonight. The first time, after looking around at the other people in the room, and reading the other entries, she'd burst into tears and ran off to go cry in the bathroom, leaving only a few letters(I didn't) and a tearstain on the page. Thankfully, the next people to go had left her page for her. She took a couple deep breaths and started writing.

SPOILER!!: Ash's entry

I didn't expect to miss Hogwarts. It's usually only made me miserable. I've counted down the days for seven years, but now I'm afraid to leave. Afraid that people will forget about me, afraid that I didn't make an impact here, afraid of whatever I'm going to do next. So just in case I didn't say enough with my actions, here's what I have thought:

1. always be kind, always always always(to yourself too). Be patient, and understanding, and treat people right. You never know what they're going through, or how much time you'll have together.

2. live in the moment, instead of looking for a future that is not guaranteed.

3. be open to change, but don't let yourself be pushed over.

4. appreciate the little things that make you happy.

5. find people who care about you and keep them close. Friends are invaluable.

I have lots of other things to say but they have slipped my mind, and anyway there are other people who have probably said them already. I hope I've said enough.

-Ashley Calder Fox(Ash)
2109
Artist

I trust I will see you all later.

Then, in the margins, she drew a phoenix. It would have looked wrong without one.

Welp, this was it. Amabel couldn't say her years here were uneventful or boring. Even though she wished it was. Amabel removed herself from her seat by Sammy and made her way to the book. The Ravenclaw took a deep breathe and flipped through it seeing if she could find some family posts so she could laugh at them or some classmates post. Caeson's was amusing. There was Margaret's and it was nice and of course there was the line about quidditch. On brand. Then there was Evan's which was she thought was beautifully written and not something she could match.

Ah, even Ash got here before her. Guess she wanted to get it over with it quickly. Good list. very good list. Sigh. Its about time for her to start writing and get this over with.

Kinsay Cassandra James used to frequent the Memory Book often. So much so that she could even recite a couple of her favorite entries by heart. But. But that felt like a lifetime ago. At some point along the way, she stopped reading it. Probably when she realized her Hogwarts’ experience would never live up to the one of her parents or her grandparents or all her aunts and uncles and family friends.

So.

When she walked up to the pedestal, she had a lot of catching up to do. Not, like, every entry. But the ones that mattered most. It was the only reason why she was stood here; Kinsay didn’t have anything left to say to Hogwarts. So. So yeah. She absently played with her necklace as she read the entries belonging to Teddy, Phoebe, Cece, Cooper, and Kale, and traced the book’s binding as she flipped back to the familiar entries of her parents, Uncle Mo, Aunt Cat, The Summers, The Starks, Aunt Selina and Alexa, and TDK.

Everyone she loved was in this book. If not within their own entries, they existed between the lines. And. And for all of her confidence in wanting to leave this place behind, Kinsay James realized that maybe she did have some words she wanted to leave here too.

So taking a quill, the littlest James began writing in her loopy cursive script. The words she wrote surprised even herself.

Honestly, Adam had NO idea what to put in this memory book. Had any of his siblings ever filled it out? He could flip through the pages to see, but he felt weird standing up here. Like there was a huge spotlight on him or something. He didn't feel like he had any parting words of wisdom to give future generations, and he wasn't necessarily one to write out long entries dedicated to his friends and family. He told them to their FACE how he appreciated and admired them. He didn't need to write in this book for them to know that.

Still, he wanted to put SOMETHING. Adam Luck DID need to leave his mark around here somehow. He paused and stared at the page for...probably longer than he had been hoping for, willing something clever to come into his head so he could write something and hand off the quill to the next person. Finally, something DID pop into his head - it wasn't the best thing he'd ever come up with, nor would it be the most inspiring thing anyone would write in here, but it summed up his whole experience here pretty well, he felt.

Quote:

To all future students of Hogwarts, and to all my friends as we part and head our separate ways - don't be afraid to put yourself out there, because good things WILL happen to you. You WILL get lucky. I know I did.

ADAM STERLING LUCK
Gryffindor
Class of 2109

The whole memory book thing was kind of adorable, honestly. Nerina was eager to have herself a flip through, reading what family and friends and famous Hogwartians of the past took for words of wisdom. The importance of friendship was a reoccurring theme and one she was down with. It was one of the reasons she’d survived this place, after all. Thing was, her people knew how much she loved them. She told them often. Couldn’t help but tell them. Nerina talked a lot, you see. And so she didn’t feel the need to put that down on paper. She also didn’t really have any wisdom to share. Her best tips and tricks had everything to do with her future career and if she gave them all away for free, who would come to her for advice and guidance once she was out there working for hard earned galleons? Nah, she was a business woman. She’d be keeping those to herself, too.

It never hurt to advertise, though…

SPOILER!!: From the quill of N Moretti

Hey Hogwarts,

Look me up for all your future hair care needs. If you’re a Ravenclaw, I might even give you an eagle discount. I’m generous like that.

Keep being fabulous,
Nerina Moretti
Class of 2109

Henry Desmond Hembree was a graduate, who would've thought?

The (former??!?!??!) Hufflepuff had definitely looked forward to the day he would finally bid Hogwarts farewell. While he had made amazing memories within—and outside, because he was no saint—the school boundaries, Henry was sure of one thing: that he wouldn't miss the place. The days counting down to tonight had made him think back on the past seven years. He had been Roomed™, experienced a war, and just everything in between. He was lucky to have his friends graduate with him, really. And his cousins! So so lucky. With Darren already a graduate, he was leaving Hogwarts with Karleigh and Jane. Otherwise, this would have been bittersweet or whatever. All the great things about Hogwarts, he'll still have even after leaving the school behind.

But this show doesn't end without an entry to the memory book. This was one of the things Henry was looking forward to for the evening, aside from the food. Okay, so maybe he'll miss the food, but that's it!!

Text Cut: The entry

Thanks, Hogwarts, for the great memories. Thanks for being the place where I met most of my friends. Thanks for allowing me to discover my likes, my dislikes, my identity, my style, myself. Thanks for the fun parties and proms and dances and events. Thanks for the art classroom. Thanks for the beautiful grounds. Thanks for the great food which are honestly the highlight of my every normal day in this castle. Thanks for the funny and helpful house elves. Thanks for the patient and insightful professors. Thanks for the super wild power of strength that I didn't ask for. Thanks, Headmaster Kazmi, for not kicking me out when I broke one of the school boats because of said power.

But all that doesn't mean I'll miss you. I suppose it's my turn to leave advice, like a lot of people before me have, and that is to stand up for yourself even when others don't believe you. The younger me was rumoured to be many weird things, but I'd like to let it be known that I was not named after the Giant Squid. I do not like poop-anything. And I will never stop eating mint chocolate, so I will not hear complaints about or apologise for something that I genuinely enjoy. And, after standing up for yourself, setting the record straight, you'll know who your real friends are. Because they'll eventually listen and understand you, and accept you. You will also know who you are, and that's the most important thing anyone can ever know. Don't ever stop being unapologetically yourself.

Hogwarts, I'm happy to be leaving, so see you never. But if you're a friend or family, then see you somewhere else! Those who ought to know, know.

Good bye.


Henry Hembree
Hufflepuff, Class of 2109

Finishing up his entry, Henry took one last skim of what he's written and nodded to himself. It's over. He's done.

It was time for him to head back to his house table. Or the Gryffindor table, where he shall be squishing himself into a space beside his bestie Lewis.

There was a part of her that was stalling as long as possible before officially acknowledging that she was officially a Hogwarts graduate as of now. Listening to Headmaster Kazmi’s speech had made it official. His last speech, which had made Cailyn feel that much more nostalgic over it all. Exams were over. All that was left was to find out how she’d done on her NEWTs, whether or not Professor Holden’s faith in her ability to pass them was well-founded.

Also, the fact she had no uni acceptances as of yet made it that much easier for her to feel sort of in limbo. The decision to allow herself a year to figure things out made her feel less like a failure, but it was still a thing. A thing that crystallized even more as she’d finally approached the memory book and glanced at the entries before hers. Her classmates and friends all seemed to know what was ahead, and she didn’t. It was something she hadn’t even mentioned to Wyn, who for all her twin’s own internal debates about his future still seemed more confident than herself. But Henry’s entry did at least give her the ability to flip to the page after his and put quill to page.

SPOILER!!: Cailyn’s entry

I would love to be able to say that my years here have all been good, but that would be lying. There’s been as many events here that I’ve hated and wished I didn’t have to remember as there have been good memories, but then, that’s Hogwarts. Anyone who expects their time here to only be amazing should expect disappointment. Even with that, I’m glad I got to be here. I don’t regret any part of it, even the bad parts. Even if sometimes I really wish I could forget them.

Being here at Hogwarts meant I was able to meet everyone I would rather not forget. Friends and everyone else. It’s easy to just say I promise to remember my friends, but then it’s just as easy to acknowledge there are people you’d rather not remember. The smart thing is to admit even they had an impact. Even the memories and people we’d all like to forget helped make us who we are today. Even if, honestly, I don’t know who that is yet. Who I am.

I will, one day. And I know everyone here will have contributed to that. Some of you will get to see the results.


Hufflepuff, class of 2109

There is something profoundly anticlimactic about the end of things. It comes and goes, like the tide, and, like the ocean currents, Gideon has no intention of fighting against nature. Hogwarts was a thing he did. Next year it will be something resigned to the past.

He came after the war where the trauma of the rest of his peers seemed to be forged. He doesn’t have strong feelings about Hogwarts as an institution or the professors that shackled their lives to his alleged betterment.

It doesn’t come from a cruel place, his apathy. Rich boys simply take everything for granted.

Gideon doesn’t necessarily believe he has earned the memory book. But he approaches the weathered text anyway.

He picks up the quill and scratches out the following:

SPOILER!!: G.G.E. entry

The uniforms at Hogwarts are grotesque. If you are reading this memory book, you have survived their tyranny. I salute you.

Go elsewhere and dress better.

Gideon George Emerson