Well they had made it through another year..

Kalen moved through the great hall and slid into his spot at the staff table, his green eyes looking out on the tables that would soon be full of students. He reached forward and grabbed and cup, and started to fill it with hot water.

Tea was a must for things like this.

Though he found that he was getting used to crowds and noise by now, it’s what Hogwarts did to you, he supposed. But he was glad for it, for the most part at least. The noise of the feasts could still be turned down.. several notches, but alas..

He pulled out a tea bag from his pocket and placed it in his cup, watching as color slowly started to infiltrate the clear water. His thoughts swirling as he thought of his summer plans, of a certain wedding he was going to attend in the next few days, and how he hoped to spend some time in London and Diagon as well. He was looking forward to it. And to coming back next year..

Another school year was coming to a close and summer was here....

Laurel quietly made her way into the great hall through the open double doors clad for the night in a dark green dress with a snake embroidered shawl around her shoulders for warmth, noting with joy that the decorations were going in Slytherin green and silver. It made both her snake and head of house heart swell with pride. The snakes had really worked together this year and had pulled out the win when it was so close to Hufflepuff. Just around 50 points between them.

Spotting Patrick and Annalise already seated at the snake table Laurel sent big smiles and waves in their directions as she moved towards the staff table where Kalen was already seated with a cup of was that tea in front of him? Did he wish her to read his leaves?

Stopping in front of Kalen's seat Laurel greeted cheerily "Good evening Kalen," gesturing to his teacup she asked "Do you see anything interesting in your tea?" Rounding the table she took her seat left of Regina's throne to look out over the student tables and think about her summer plans.

After pausing briefly at the Ravenclaw table, Kay made her way to the Dais. Only a few of her colleagues were there which was not surprising since she had the tendency of being very early at times; or rather, most of the times.

"Good evening, Kalen, Laurel.'' She moved closer to her best friend's seat. "The usual summer plans for us, correct?'' There wasn't a summer that went by without this duo having plans for themselves occasionally with Rose and Cami. "Also, I must congratulate you on the Snakes winning the House cup.''

Needless to say, Regina was glad that the term was coming to an end. More so, she was glad that the term, for once, was ending on a quiet note. After the hawk incidents seemed to cease and the play dramatics came to an end, relief had finally come. The perfect weather and her summer plans played a part in bringing her to higher spirits as well.

With the end-of-term feast being one of the last things that needed to be taken care of before the term was officially at its end, she made her way down from her office and through the double doors of the Great Hall. Saying not a single word, the headmistress made her way alongside the Slytherin table and stepped onto the dais. She gave silent nods as she made her way past Kalen and then Kaysha and Laurel before taking her seat at the ... mostly empty table.

Fortunately for them, there was still plenty of time left for her fellow colleagues to sneak into their seats considering the students were still making their way into the dining room. Blue eyes watched the door and those coming in as she mentally went through the list of items she needed to cover in the speech she would be giving very soon.

Another term had come to an (unusually quiet) end.. Was it weird that Gaston found this term somewhat anticlimactic? Not that he wasn't grateful to not have to deal with poltergeist or monsters or competitions, of course.... it was just odd!

His bright blue eyes scanned the hall, picking out a few of the seventh years in the crowd. This was the largest class he'd had to say goodbye to in his time at Hogwarts! He reminded himself that they were on to bigger and better things, that goodbyes were just a part of his job... but the longer he remained at Hogwarts, the harder the goodbyes got. He took a deep breath, trying to shake the dejected feeling that had settled over him, as he made his way to the staff dais.

"Good evening, Regina," he greeted, "Kalen, Kaysha, Laurel..." He nodded to each of them in turn, giving them a polite, though slightly forced, smile. "Congratulations on the House Cup," he added, turning to the divination professor. He took his seat, keeping his eyes down so as not to accidentally lock eyes with anyone. For all of half a second, the thought crossed his mind to give the graduates their parting gifts now but decided against it. Hawthorne's speech could happen any moment, and he wanted to put off the goodbyes for as long as possible.

This was it. The end to yet another year but the start to what was sure to be another wonderful summer. Camilla smiled warmly as she made her way towards the staff dais, brown eyes scanning over the students tables picking out those she knew were graduation and moving forward in their lives. The end of term feast was a sad time but also wonderful as it showed them all just how much their students have grown and matured through the term.

"Good evening, everyone," Cami greeted them all with a happy smile. By the amount of those already seated it appeared she wasn't as late in arriving as she had thought she was. "Congratulations on winning the House Cup, Laurel." It had been a close race all term and the snakes had finally won it in the end.

Making her way to the end of the table she slipped onto her seat. The speech should be starting soon so she didn't want to talk to much until that was done.

Even though the feast always meant a great deal of food; the end of term had the groundskeeper in a sour mood. This year felt worse than the previous one, not only because the end of last term also meant the departure of Ilvermorny guests, but because he'd gotten to know many of the graduating kids.

That would not be returning next year.

Or the year after that.

Or the one after that.

He was d i s t r a u g h t.

Solemnly he walked, yes, walked, to the staff dais. He didn't stop to talk to any of the students, there would be time for that later. He wasn't the most articulate man and quick chit-chats was never his thing. Instead, Haraldur just nodded to a few students he got eye contact with and mumbled a low greeting as he passed them.

"Evening, good evening everyone." Yes, yes, hello, fellow cheerful colleagues excited to fry and burn in the sun over the summer.

He would never understand them.

Haraldur passed them, patted some on the shoulder as he shuffled by and nodded to the others. Pleasantries. With a loud sigh, he sat down in his seat next to the Headmistress.

"Regina." He gave a polite nod to the lady to his side before leaning back in his seat and looking out at the students arriving. He spotted some of the graduates and reached into his pocket for a comforting snack.

The bag of peanuts rustled loudly when he opened it. He froze for a second, ready to defend himself for eating before the speech and quickly popped a few peanuts in his mouth. If the Headmistress shot him a look he chose not to see it. He was old. He needed the peanuts.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

After the speech he would go talk to the students, especially those who were graduating. But for now:

Crunch, crunch.

Laurel let her eyes drift over the students as they entered the Great Hall and took their seats at their respective tables. Her attention of course was focused mostly on the Slytherin table and what was happening there. Prefect Vivian had arrived so she could act if something stirred. A warm beam appeared on Laurel's face when her best friend Kay stopped in front of her seat. "Of course, summer wouldn't be summer without spending at least one day of it with you. Shall we meet in Malkins or F&B?" If Rose and Cami wanted to tag along too they were welcome. Smiling broadly Laurel said "Thank you. I'm so proud of them all. The snakes really pulled together this term." Especially since they at one point had been down in third place.



Laurel's attention was drawn away from the snake table to Regina's entrance. It was hard not to notice that stunning sea green and glittering dress amongst the student robes. When she passed by her seat Laurel and sat down beside her Laurel murmured "Good evening Regina,". It was clear that her employer had her mind on other things than casual conversation like her speech.



Minutes later Gaston came up on the staff dais in a dark suit and lionesque tie. "Good evening Gaston," Laurel greeted with a smile as their eyes met. Accepting the congratulations with a nod and a smile she responded "Thank you. My snakes did exceptionally this year and I'm very proud of them all. I thought Hufflepuff was going to beat us but they didn't in the end. Congrats to third place!"



End of term feasts were a pot of mixed emotions especially for those students that were graduating and leaving Hogwarts for the unknown. Laurel was in high spirits and happy that her house had won the house cup and that summer was here. Looking up as Cami passed she flashed her friend a cherry beam. "Good evening Camilla and thank you. It was a very close race. Just 50 points between the snakes and badgers. Have you got any summer plans?"



A glance over to the snakes told her that Oliver and Skylar had also made it to the feast. Then Laurel's vision was obscured by Haraldurs entrance. The Norwegian man looked sad and it was unlike him to not come in with his broom in hand. When he passed her seat and patted her on the shoulder Laurel turned to greet him with a happy smile pursing her lips "Good evening Haraldur, are you looking forward to summer?" She very much doubted that he did, but she thought she'd ask. As the heavy smell of peanuts reached her nostrils Laurel quickly glanced over before she busied herself with pouring up some pumpkin juice into her goblet. Would Regina mind the smell?

PAUL HAD ARRIVED.

Feeling fresh and possibly ten years younger, who knew (not that the lines on the face would show it!), Paul Myers sat at the staff table, patiently awaiting for food to appear. There were a few seventh year faces he would be sad to see go, one of them certainly....Oliver. He had a few terms back foregone the parting gifts to leaving seventh years because it simply made him...much too sad.

But he refused to be sad tonight, because the term had gone decently well in regard to his PLAY even with all the nonsense. Nothing seriously horrible had happened? He had been cursed, but really, what wizard in their 70s hadn't been cursed? Everyone looked lovely tonight, and Paul felt generally at peace. Whether this was an organization feeling or something induced was an entirely different matter (don't ask), but he was feeling.... AHHHH. So AhhhhhH!

He had a goofy grin on his face as he watched the students. He tried to find Oliver in the crowd.

Her gaze remained on the door for a few minutes as students made their way through the door. Soon it shifted over toward the seventh years toward the memory book waiting to be written in. It was interesting to take note of how much time each of the graduates spent at the pedestal varied. Some, she noticed, wrote few words, whereas others could have produced a long essay and already were crying. It brought Regina's thoughts to when she graduated from Ilvermorny years ago...

And soon her thoughts were interrupted. Not by the greetings some of her colleagues had given her (to which she gave a nod though her eyes did not change focus), but by the loud crunching in her ear and the smell of peanuts. Her head turned to the source. Seeing Haraldur munching away, a look grew on her face. The man couldn't wait ten minutes for a proper meal?

Leaving the old man to enjoy his peanuts, she glanced past him to see Camilla at her down in her seat and, for once, a quiet Paul. Turning the other direction, she took note that Gaston was in the mix with Kalen, Kaysha, and Laurel. Then she began to mentally take note of who wasn't there.

She gave the late-comers a few more minutes to arrive and for everyone get settled in to their seats. Then, without a word, the headmistress rose from her chair and made her way to the front of the dais. It was time to deliver her speech, and she wanted a moment free of Haraldur crunching loudly in her ear. As she approached the owl lecturn, a smile grew on her face. The term was officially coming to an end.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," she began, waiting for a moment for the hall to call silent before continuing. "After a rather dramatic school year," -- at this point she was thinking mainly about the red hawk and the incident with the curses -- "I am please to say that we all have survived and are ready to make the journey home tomorrow. Before we depart, we have one last feast to enjoy together following a few last-minute matters."

"First, I would like to congratulate Slytherin for seizing the House Cup these last few days. They have ended the year with one thousand four-hundred and sixty-eight points, a mere fifty points ahead of Hufflepuff. Overall, I am pleased with everyone's achievements this term. Well done."

She then clapped her hands together, inviting everyone to join her applause. When it died out, Regina wasted no time to continue speaking.

"Recognition is also in order for everyone involved with this year's production of The Fountain of Fair Fortune. The play, needless to say, was a success and really highlighted the various talents -- from acting to musical to artistic abilities -- that were pooled to make the show possible. Well done, well done indeed."

Cue another round of applause. Once more, Regina waited for that to die down before moving on to the final part of her speech.

"At this time I would like for all of our graduating seventh years to stand up." She gave them each a few moments to do so, her eyes locking in briefly on each of them with that smile on her face growing. "Congratulations on completing this milestone in your lives. As you move forward with the next chapter in your lives, remember that Hogwarts will always be here to welcome you home. Good luck with your future endeavors, whatever they may be."

There was one final round of applause, this one lasting much longer the the previous moments. After the large dining room went quiet again, she motioned for the graduates to take their seats. Then, with another movement of her hand, food and drink appeared on all of the tables.

"Enjoy the feast and the summer that awaits you," she quickly added before returning to her seat, her green dress glistening with each step.

Tristan, as late as he possibly could be snuck in through that door behind the staff table, just as the headmistress stood to give her speech. Hopefully she hadn't noticed. He had a sick Abraxan to deal with...and they were hard to work with on a normal day. He quickly sat down and gave everyone small winks and waves, and patted Kalen on the back.

Compared to the beginning of the school year, Tristan was positively happy. He was back to his normal happy-go-lucky self, and it was a great feeling for him. He clapped at the appropriate times through out Regina's speech, especially when the seventh years stood. he was especially proud of them.

Soon enough they had food in front of them, and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. He was absolutely ravenous! As soon as Regina took her set he nudged Kalen. "You ready for this summer Kale Chip? Going to meet up with Isley?" He said wagging his eyebrows, taking a bite out of a drumstick, and grinning evilly.

Gaston returned Laurel's smile with a slight one of his own. "Of course," he replied. "It was a well-deserved victory." He'd be lying if he said he hadn't been hoping for a repeat Gryffindor win, but he wasn't a sore loser. The Slytherins had worked hard and earned the House Cup fair and square. Any professor, including himself, would be proud of them! He blushed a little when she congratulated him. Well, that was unexpected! "Oh! Thank you."

His blue eyes wandered down the table. Merlin's beard! Where was everybody?! Paul and Haraldur eventually appeared, and each got a small smile and a "Good evening" upon arrival. Was it just him or did the two older men seem unusually quiet? He eyed them with concern. Were they alright? Maybe they were just as sad as he was tonight...

Gaston's eyes remained glued to the door for as long as possible, half-expecting his wife to walk in at any moment... but she didn't. He was starting to get worried. This wasn't like her at all! Why wasn't she here? Was she tired? Sad? Sick or injured? He quickly noticed that River was absent as well, which made the latter scenario seem a lot more likely. Then an even worse thought occurred to him as his eyes fell to Hirsch's vacant seat. She hadn't been cursed, had she? Just the thought of that happening made him want to cry, but it was too real a possibility to not think about, given the events of this term!

Luckily Tristan snuck in and distracted him before he could get too worked up . He gave his neighbor a friendly nod of acknowledgement but didn't say anything, so as not to interrupt the headmistress's speech. He listened intently, applauding in all the right places... Then she mentioned the seventh years. He watched them rise, his heart simultaneously bursting with pride and breaking with sadness, but he couldn't let his eyes linger on them (especially the ones at the Gryffindor table) for too long.

Oh, that reminded him... He still had cards and parting gifts to hand out! As soon as the speech was finished and he'd had a quick bite to eat - because if he put off his meal until after he congratulated the seventh years, he'd be too emotional to eat anything - he was off to the house tables.

Oliver was a little bit nervous, to be honest, because he didn't want the Headmistress to yell at him. But he had waited until after she had given the speech and so technically there was no reason he couldn't stop by the staff table. He'd be quick, he just had something he needed to give Professor Myers before he left Hogwarts. So he grabbed the fairly large wrapped gift that he'd stashed under the Slytherin table and brought it with him up to the staff table to visit the man.

"Hi Professor." He was surprised his tone was steady and not full of all the emotions he was feeling for his last feast. "Sorry to bother you...but I got you something. Or, well, made you something." And he held the gift out toward him. It was probably obvious based on its shape and because of who it was from that it was a painting. And when he unwrapped it he'd see it was a painting of a greenhouse.

There was one last thing Kitty had to do before going up to the Ravenclaw dormitory for her final night at Hogwarts. How she would do it she wasn't sure. It was the thought that counted, and the effort made sure they knew she had the thought.

Getting up from her spot on the table after applauding Headmistress Hawthorne's speech and finishing eating, the Gothic Ravenclaw made her way towards the staff table. She listened to their conversation for a few moments before finally turning to address them, careful not to blurt in when someone was talking.

"Good evening professors, Headmistress," she said, turning to face them. "This is my final night at Hogwarts. I just wanted to say thank you for all you have done for us. Not just me, but everyone. It's been a wild, fun, and sometimes frightening ride - but I know you always had our best interests at heart and I learned a lot. You will always have a special place in my heart. Well...that's all I wanted to say. Thank you, so long, and good night."

And with that, Kitty DuGray Valentine turned around and headed back to the staff table to lead her Ravenclaws back to their dormitory for the last time.