Open Y41 End of Year Feast

Rhys usually enjoyed the school breaks, it was a nice chance to go home and see his family again. Though there were some nerves as he knew next year was going to be important with OWLs looming, he was sure he would manage just fine. He'd never failed an exam and wasn't planning on starting now. Listening to the announcements, he was pleasantly surprised that Slytherin had won the cup for the second year in a row. He clapped along with everyone else when the top house point earners were announced before his attention turn to the food. He only grabbed a couple of bread rolls to nibble on as he pulled out his notebook and quietly started sketching the Slytherin banner hanging above their heads on the page with one hand.
 
Jingyi was pleased it was the end of the year, no more school and no more exams to be worrying about. As usual, he felt as though he had scraped on by, at least getting good enough grades to keep his parents off his back. They probably weren't going to be completely satisfied, but at least he hadn't failed anything. He frowned when it was announced Slytherin had gone and won the house cup, cupping his hands around his mouth to boo instead of clapping. Not that he supposed he had actually helped at all with Gryffindor's point total, but he still didn't want Slytherin winning. Nut his thoughts about the stupid cup and house points were abruptly removed from his head when the food appeared. Food always had his full concentration, lunging forward to pile rather copious amounts onto his plate.
 
Zag still felt surprised he had managed to make it through another school year. By now he was sure he would have been kicked out for being so horribly bad at magic. But, apparently not. He was still managing to scrape on by, and next year he would even be able to pick his classes. He already had plans to drop anything that actually required doing any magic. If he was destined to be bad with a wand, then why should he even bother trying? Clapping as Slytherin won the house cup, the Hufflepuff simply sighed, resting his chin in his hand as he listened to the rest of the announcements. How anyone could get over 1000 house points was really beyond him. Moving his elbows off the table when people started eating, he shifted his gaze for a moment, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth before reaching over to nudge Aine next to him. "Do you, um, mind passing the potatoes? Please?"
@Aine Thompson
 
Renata was jolted out of her reverie and looked over at Eugene with a smile. Meeting him had been the first good thing that had happened to her in a long while and she was very glad she had. All the Hufflepuffs she'd met had been lovely and she was going to miss the graduating class even though she hadn't had much time to get to know them. "Yeah, it's a, uh, sense of obligation. You'll be working too, yes?" For her it was kind of like doing chores at home, just that those chores happened to be running meals out to customers. "You are going to take a little time to rest, are you not?" If she thought she'd been busy, that was nothing compared to what the older boy had been going through. He liked being busy, she understood, but rest was important too.
@Eugene Nestor
 
It really was the end of the year. It almost felt like everything had simply rushed by and Mish really didn't know what to think. Of course, he was pleased to go home for the break and not worry about any more studying or exams. But he was also a little sad to be leaving Hogwarts. Home was incredibly boring and he would have to put up with his overbearing parents for a couple of months to boot. He only half-listened to the end-of-year announcements, though made sure to cheer rather loudly as Slytherin won the house cup. Not that he had helped with that, but he was a Slytherin so he could still celebrate it. But with the boring old announcements over he could think about food, shuffling in his seat so he could reach the chips. Meanwhile, he glanced down the table for someone to bother, grinning slightly as he noticed Pearl. "So, got a lot o'tennis planned for the break then?" He still thought she was lying about the tennis, but it was fun to tease.
@Pearl Parra
 
Natalia had purposely found a place away from Brooke, as sitting near her felt unnecessarily complicated right now. Natalia still couldn't decide if she had overreacted or not. She was sitting near Liusaidh, and rolled her eyes as the other girl started booing. But it was with some fondness, she had grown on her a bit over the years. "Sometimes I wonder if you know some shocking, secret information about Professor Castillo, and that is why he hasn't taken your badge yet." Natalia commented idly.

@Liusaidh Fergusson
 
This end of year feast was bittersweet for Lydia. She sat at the professor's table, sipping on a cup of pumpkin spice tea and watching the proceedings. The (now former) Defence professor had announced her departure to her colleagues, but not the students. She would miss the routine, the activity, the bright and young minds that thrived in this learning environment. Truly, she would miss even the pranksters. She swore that even when she was ninety, she was still going to find bits of glitter from the bomb that Fergusson had detonated in her office years ago.

As much as Lydia had looked up to Katherine Alicastell, she had a feeling that the new headmaster or headmistress would leave the school in good hands. The same went for whoever was going to step into her own position. Lydia hoped she had left a positive impression on the Defence curriculum and her students.

Picking a few items for her meal, which Lydia left mostly untouched, she enjoyed just being present on her last day at Hogwarts New Zealand. Perhaps she would return someday; it wasn't out of the question. For now, there were opportunities for her own growth that she just couldn't pass up.
 
Delilah felt like she had let go of a breath she had been holding. She had made it through the year and exams with little issue. After getting splinched she had retreated into herself in and old familiar way. But it had felt more strained then comforting and she was glad to be past it for now. She knew it was likely that whatever hardship came next might knock her down again but she knew she could get back up eventually. She turned her head as Professor Kingsley addressed the hall. It was still strange for Professor Alicastell to be gone but she clapped for the top point earners and raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure how they managed all those lessons and exams. She never came close and felt like she was drowning at times. She looked around curiously when the professor mentioned a new headmaster. Had they already decided? She figured they would find out soon enough and started to serve herself some food. For once she wasn't dreading being at home, even if it was just because she knew she would mostly be busy with Ollivander's again.
 
Aine was lost in thought that she was jolted back into reality by the nudge to her side. She'd barely even noticed the food appearing. She'd certainly miss the food here but at least there were some things that tasted much better at home. And maybe she wouldn't be as worried about curses from her grandma's roast lamb. "Oh, uh, sure," she replied, but put one on her own plate first before handing the bowl over. It had taken her a few days to be able to eat properly again after the slug fiasco and even now her appetite wasn't completely back to where it was before. Did people make small talk at these events or were people just focused on eating? Aine was terrible at this. "Um," she started, putting a small serve of roasted carrot and pumpkin on her plate. "Are you, uh, looking forward to the holidays?" She immediately bit her lip, realizing she probably sounded dull.
@Zagreus Kohler
 
Eugene nodded a little, he felt a little bad that she was working out of obligation and not because she wanted to do. He nodded "Oh yeah, first shift is on Tuesday," he replied, meaning that he had a couple of days before it and then laughed lightly, he had been working a lot and she'd probably picked up on. "Yeah, I'm getting home and I'm sleeping for the next couple of days." he wasn't bothered by how much he'd worked or how much he was looking forward to sleeping. "Are you going to get a few days before beginning work?" he returned the question to her.
@Renata Stepanova
 
Pearl was a little thrown for a moment with the question that Mischa posed to her and then her brain caught up with the lie that she had told him. "Oh yeah, I'm going to England for wimbledon, to be a ball girl. My outfit for it is so cute. It's a muggle tennis tournament, it's very popular," she told him happily and then motioned to him. "Are you doing anything with your holiday? I bet you're gonna have a lame and pathetic holiday compared with mine," Pearl replied.
@Mischa Falter-Butera
 
Liusaidh glanced towards Natalia and then towards Professor Castillo and gave a little laugh. "Maybe I do," Liusaidh had perhaps had not misbehaved as much as she had during her first few years at the school. She still made things other people's problem, but she had succeeded as much as she had disrupted. "Have you got something on him?"
@Natalia Novak
 
Renata couldn't help but giggle in response. Given how much Eugene had been doing, she wasn't surprised to hear he'd sleep for a good couple of days but it was still a little funny to imagine compared to how switched on he was most of the time at school. But everyone needed time to recharge. "Oh, that's good! You've earned the rest. I will...probably also sleep for a day or two," she admitted, a little bashful. "At least until I have to help out around the house." She could've sworn being made to clean was some sort of punishment, since she was the only person who wasn't allowed to cast magic outside the school yet at her house and it was no trouble for anyone else to cast Scourgify. She'd probably have to do it for her Astronomy and Herbology marks, though. Sometimes her parents demanded a lot and sometimes they expected absolutely nothing. It depended on what sort of a mood her mother was in, she supposed. "If I can, um, afford it, I might try to stop by and get some Divination stuff." Renata didn't have a whole lot of spending money, but she liked Divination and Professor Le Fey had been really nice to her this semester. Maybe she could buy some tea or an inexpensive tarot deck for next year.
@Eugene Nestor
 
Natalia let out a small snort, something her mother wouldn't have approved of as it wasn't very ladylike. She shook her head. "Not unless him being involved with one of the school nurses is supposed to be a secret." She said with a shrug.

@Liusaidh Fergusson
 
Eugene nodded in agreement, "I'd be worried if I hadn't earned it," he joked but he knew a lot of people no matter how much work they had would probably take the first few days to just rest a little. He knew it was important to rest and so he would be doing it. He was working to help around the flat, so he knew his cousin would probably make him do a little bit less. "If you come by when I'm there, I'll get you a discount...so it's not too expensive," he said in a sympathetic tone, he knew what it was like to had to try to afford things, his school allowance covered school stuff but he was always giving most of it to his cousin. So he knew what it was like to not have a lot of spending money. "If you owl me before you go in, I'll let you know which days I'm working,"
@Renata Stepanova
 
Ryan figured he should be feeling some sort of strong emotion about tonight being his last proper night in the Great Hall, but mostly it felt the same as always, though slightly more green than there had been in some of the previous years. School had been enjoyable over the past seven years and Ryan had liked exploring the castle, especially with Augustus, but he didn't think he was going to look back on this part of his life with any great longing like some of his classmates. Mostly, he was just glad to be free to focus on whatever he wanted now without being reminded about whichever essay he hadn't properly finished yet, something he was looking forward to with great relish. It might be a little harder to find the books he needed for the magic he was interested in now, but between his dad and working at Flourish and Blott's Ryan was sure he'd figure it out.
 
Indi was pleased that Slytherin won the house cup yet again, even though she doubted the points they got from their quidditch games made much of a difference. The games had been so short she hadn't even had a chance to score any points before the whistle blew. But she was proud nonetheless. She listened as Professor Kingsley announced the top point earners and went through the same motions they went over every year. She was glad when that was finally over and she could finally eat. She always thought the food at the end of the year feast tasted the best and she wondered if it had something to do with the stress of exams being over. There might be something to that but she quickly realized this was the last feast she would have to herself before her sister started school. She hoped that Anisha would at least end up in a different house so she would have some peace and so she wouldn't have to deal with the little pest stealing her things all the time. It was bad enough at home. She tried to push the thought out of her mind and focus on the present but her mood was already ruined.
 
Ethan was bored. He wasn't sure why they needed a whole ceremony just to eat. He hadn't really paid attention to the house points all year so he was shocked when he saw just how many points Slytherin had compared to his own house. He frowned. Maybe he needed to try harder in his lessons? But he clapped as the Slytherin head of house accepted the cup and the top point earners of each house was announced. For a moment he thought his eyes were going to bug out of his head and get stuck that way. He definitely needed to try harder in his lessons. Thankfully before he could feel too guilty about his less then stellar grades the feast began and he started to pile his plate with food. He was ready to go home, or at least his temporary home. But he would miss the food at school. He was also hoping a letter from his mom would be waiting for him at home. A letter that would be telling him to come home. His real home. But he was sure Ilvermorny's food would be just as good.
 
Caleb let out a whooping cheer as Slytherin was announced the winner of the house cup yet again. He knew he had little to do with the win but that wasn't going to stop him from feeling smug about it. Professor Kingsley immediately lost his attention as she started to announce the top point earners. He knew he wouldn't be on that list in his wildest dreams. He was eager for the feast part of the evening to start and soon his wish was complete and plates upon plates of food appeared in front of them. Caleb served himself quickly and sighed contently. He wasn't feeling as annoyed as he usually was to go home and he felt a pang of guilt when he realized why he felt that way. But he brushed off the thought and focused on all the things he planned to do when he had the house mostly to himself since Lila would be so busy with work. It was going to be a good break and he felt like he had earned it.
 
Margo couldn't believe she had made it to the end of another year. Time felt like it was going so fast and she was a little overwhelmed if she thought about it for too long. Thankfully there was enough going on tonight to keep her busy. Besides she also had going home to look forward to and her aunt was supposed to be waiting for her according to the last letter she got from her grandmother. She turned to the professor as she began to address everyone. She sighed as Slytherin won the house cup again and wondered how they had managed to get so far ahead of everyone else. For a moment she wondered if someone had cheated but she wasn't sure how you cheated at something like house points. Unless there was a professor involved she thought, suddenly very invested in the story she was creating in her head. But she came back to reality when the feast began and she filled her plate. As good as the food looked she did make sure to leave room for plenty of desserts.
 
Felix was exhausted and ready to go home. He had pushed himself a little hard before the exams and ended up being nearly to sleep deprived to take the tests at all. Somehow he had made it through but he was counting down the minutes until he could be back in his own room and sleep as much as he'd like. Or as much as Thistle would let him before she woke him up, but he usually didn't mind. Felix wasn't surprised when Slytherin won the house cup. He was a little scared of their quidditch team so it made sense that their grades reflected that kind of fierceness. He didn't really pay attention to the top point earners, knowing it wasn't going to be him. Finally the food came and he was ready to indulge. If he couldn't sleep he would gladly eat. He knew Theia would scold him for eating so fast and he suddenly remembered that she wouldn't be coming back with them next year. At least Thistle would be, but it wouldn't be the same.
 
Harper was a little apprehensive about returning home for the break. The last one had been almost painful. She hadn't realised how much of her muggle social life had revolved around football until she'd quit. While everyone chattered about practices and games and the latest club news, Harper had stayed silent, forced to endure an endless parade of surprised and pitying looks as she explained over and over again that yes, she had quit, and yes, she was sure about her decision. Her days had been blown wide open, and unable to fill them, she'd spent an excessive amount of time alone reading or going on walks to nowhere.

But Harper also knew that if she was ever going to figure out who she was, where she belonged, she had to go home. The vision back in the hospital wing had made that clear. She took some solace in the fact that she now had her apparition license and would be able to do magic over the break. Worst case scenario, she figured she could apparate to one of her friends' houses and escape to the magical world for a bit.

For the second year in a row, the Great Hall was decorated in green and silver. The competition hadn't even been close this year, and Harper wondered if she'd see another Gryffindor house cup victory before she graduated. Despite her disappointment, she clapped politely for the Slytherins. Her mood lifted when Professor Kingsley announced the top points earners, revealing that Em had taken the title back, and Harper shot her friend a grin and cheered loudly. The rest of the announcements were familiar reminders, and when the food appeared, she turned to Em. "Congrats! You did it!"

@Emmaline Hopkins-Vance
 
The end of the year feast was always a stressful time, even more so with the difficult break that Emmaline knew she would experience. Her mother was still being impossible towards River. The young Gryffindor girl wondered if the grieves between those two would ever end or if this was just how her already tiny family was now. At least River will have top points again she thought slightly jealous, slightly relieved for her younger sister’s sake. It was always something that River had beaten her in, at least since she arrived at Hogwarts. Emmaline was always close, but never close enough. She had tough competition.

The young brunette sat and waited as the speech began. She clapped politely for Slytherin, wishing that Gryffindor would at least come on top once again. She hates to admit she had expected it all these years after the wins. But what surprised her most was the house point winners. Emmaline had taken the top spot. Her mouth fell open. Of course, she was pleased. It was what she had always wanted. Even River’s name was called. After mine the thought crossed her mind before she could even understand. She was worried about her sister but she couldn’t help but be thrilled. Did that make her a bad person? Getting the one thing River always had?

She tried to smile. Especially as Harper congratulated her. It was an accomplishment. She had worked hard, harder than ever. But there was a black hole in her stomach as she looked over at her sister, emotions unable to be read. “Thanks! I can’t believe it! Finally my hand cramping from the essays was worth it” she joked towards her friend. She wanted to be happier but something inside her stomach was eating her joy but by bit. She started to eat her food when it appeared, ignoring the Slytherin table completely.
@Harper Alston
 
Lucas had been lost in thought, mentally going over his graduation speech and trying not to linger on the fact that this was truly his final celebration of any kind at Hogwarts. He hadn't paid too much attention to the speech and was glad to start piling food on his plate. The question of the girl he sat next to took him by surprise. "Oh, uh. Looking for a job, I suppose." He said a little dryly. "You?"

@Molly Burke
 
Molly smiled and nodded as the head boy answered her question and nodded. "Any job, in particular, you're interested in?" Molly asked with a smile as she took a bite into her food. She hadn't really thought about jobs, but maybe it was because she was a little young to think about it. Molly shrugged at the returned question. "I'm not sure. Maybe spend time with my family I guess?"

@Lucas Fletcher
 

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