Minerva McGonagall sighed as she folded her last set of robes by magic and placed them into her trunk. She had been at the school for seventy-odd years, with twenty-five or so as Headmistress. It was sad to be leaving, but she knew it was for the best. Her health, never the greatest after the four Stunning Spells in '95, had deteriorated since the Battle of Hogwarts. It was time to retire, and live a nice quiet life until her death.
She knew she was leaving the school in capable hands. Penelope Clearwater, her successor, was a smart, capable woman who, during her time at Hogwarts, had been a Ravenclaw prefect. She had been Minerva's obvious choice. Minerva had already briefed Miss Clearwater on her duties earlier that day. All that was left to be done was announce it at the feast that night, and everything would be completely set.
She closed and locked the trunks with a simple wave of her wand. Goyle, the caretaker, would bring them down after the beginning-of-term feast, which she hoped went without hitch. Last year, Scorpius Malfoy, Rose Weasley, and Lily Luna Potter had somehow convinced over half the student body to start singing the Hogwarts song during the Sorting. That hadn't been easy to stop. Those three were troublemakers on an epic scale.
She turned her attention to her quarters. They had been stripped bare, since she was planning to leave right after the feast. She had already cleaned out her office earlier that day, in preparation for Miss Clearwater. She conceded that it was done and walked to the Great Hall, sitting at the teachers' table. Neville Longbottom, Head of Gryffindor, was gathering the first-years.
The Sorting ceremony commenced, and she took the time to look over the crowd. There were an abundance of Weasleys, spread out over three tables- only one person in the Weasley family had made it into Slytherin, and that was Lily, currently deep in conversation with Scorpius Malfoy. She looked away from them as the last first-year, 'Yeats, Melba,' was Sorted into Hufflepuff. She stood up. "Before the feast begins, let me make a few announcements. Our Care of Magical Creatures position will be filled by Luna Scamander." She gestured to the slender blonde at the end of the table. Polite applause- enthusiastic clapping in the case of the Weasleys- filled the room.
She waited for it to die down. "Teddy Lupin will be training alongside Professor Goldstein as an assistant in Defense Against the Dark Arts." A young man with blue-black hair stood up. The Weasleys went wild again as the rest of the students applauded more calmly. He sat down, and she resumed speaking. "Lastly, I will be replaced by Penelope Clearwater, who will be arriving later tonight." There was some halfhearted clapping, as the students did not appear to know whether they should applaud for someone who wasn't actually there.
Again, she waited for them to finish, and began speaking. "The usual warnings still apply. The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to everyone, not just first-years, and wandering around after curfew is strictly against the rules as well. Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes and Zonko's Joke Shop products are banned and will be confiscated if found. Performing magic in the corridors is not allowed." She paused for a moment. "Let the feast begin."
As everyone dug into the meal, Minerva began to feel sentimental. This was the last meal she would ever eat at Hogwarts. She ate slowly, wanting to savor these moments, moments that could never be replicated. After another short speech- wishing everyone well and instructing the prefects to show the first-years to the common rooms- the crowd of students dispersed. The teachers waited until every student was safely out of the Great Hall before going to their own rooms. Goyle had already brought Minerva's trunks to the front doors, and was waiting to carry them out.
He opened the door and held it as she walked out, leading the way. She was leaning heavily on her walking stick the whole time. He followed behind, lagging a little as he carried her two ample-sized trunks. They went to the edge of the grounds, stepping off Hogwarts soil for what would be the last time in her case. Goyle set the trunks down right next to her and loped off, back towards the school.
She turned around and stood there admiring it, in all its majestic glory, although the night sky darkened it somewhat. She ached to remain, although the sensible part of her mind told her to get over herself and move on, to her new home. The castle was in good hands under Penelope Clearwater. It- and the inhabitants- would survive without her. The threat of Voldemort was gone, the Death Eaters either dead or in Azkaban. Nothing would happen just because she had left. Nothing at all.
Satisfied at the thought, she grabbed her suitcases and Apparated away.
A/N: This will get better in the next chapters, and from now on it will completely focus on the Next-Gen characters. Please review, no flames.