Ginny's eyes cracked open and she stretched her legs under the bed sheets, easing the tightness from her joints. With a yawn, she curled back into a ball like a cat, intending to instantly fall back asleep; but, a quick perfunctory glance across her shared dormitory stopped her eyes from closing back shut.
She glanced at the clock on the wall, barely being able to read the two hands in the hazy light, and saw that it was just past five o'clock in the morning. Ginny frowned and turned back towards Hermione, who was standing by a window, her arms crossed and leaning against the sill, still in her plaid pyjama pants and her hair pulled into a messy bun behind her head.
Ginny moaned softly, but forced her hand to flip the warm blankets off of her, and she padded quietly over to the window.
"You okay?" Ginny mumbled, stifling a second yawn.
Hermione started, clearly not realizing that Ginny was awake. Then she turned back to the window with a small, sad smile on her face.
"Yeah," she said simply.
Ginny nodded and stood next to her, leaning against the window sill too and staring out at the view reaching out below them.
"It's so beautiful in the mornings," Hermione whispered.
The sky was streaked with delicate layers of pink and yellow with the undersides of the clouds illuminated cheerfully. The top of the sky was still a dark blue, but the grassy fields of Hogwarts were dripping with morning dew and songbirds twittered above the forest's trees, calling gaily out to one another.
"Yeah. It is," Ginny agreed with a sigh. After a moment, she glanced at her friend and assumed that Hermione wasn't planning on saying anything else without some urging.
"Any reason why you decided to appreciate the view today at five in the morning?" Ginny asked with a friendly smile.
Hermione looked at her bewilderedly. She had assumed that Ginny could have guessed the answer to that question. "Ginny," she said slowly. "It's our last morning here."
Ginny's eyes grew wide. "Shit… We're graduating today, aren't we?"
Hermione laughed and nodded. "Yes, Ginny. Yes we are."
Ginny turned back to the window, suddenly eager to memorize every detail that she could and the two girls fell silent next to each other.
After a few minutes of mute contemplation, Ginny said, "I can't believe we're graduating."
Hermione sighed. "I can't believe we made it this far."
Ginny snorted. "Honestly! But I have to say, I'm glad you came back to finish off your schooling."
"Me too," she replied warmly.
Ginny wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder tightly before letting go and continuing to stare over the treetops.
"It doesn't feel real," Hermione said in a hushed voice.
"Maybe it'll feel real tomorrow?" Ginny asked uncertainly.
"Yeah... Maybe..."
The sun began to peek above the horizon, a tiny sliver of a ball of light illuminating the castle turrets.
"Do you feel ready?" Hermione whispered suddenly.
Ginny turned to her briefly and saw Hermione's pale face glowing in the early morning sun. "What do you mean?"
"School… it's the only routine we've done for years now. It's all we know."
"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly," Ginny smirked. "You broke up that routine last year pretty dramatically."
"That doesn't count," Hermione huffed.
"Why not? It was all on your own, definitely not school, and had much higher stakes than a few measly job interviews."
She gave a small smile and turned to face Ginny. "So you're not scared?"
Ginny pursed her lips to think about it for a moment. "No, I'm nervous… and scared, I guess. But, it'll work out in the end. Everyone else has managed to find what they want to do with their lives. Why won't we be any different?"
"I guess," Hermione frowned, deep in thought.
Ginny grinned and said, "If Ron can do it, then anyone can, right?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to defend her boyfriend, but Ginny cut her off with a laugh.
"Just joking. But seriously, we'll be fine. If anyone can survive out in the real world, it would be you."
Hermione remained silent, staring out at the rising sun.
"Come on, Hermione! You've already overcome so much! And every single Professor here will vouch and recommend you for any position you want! Plus, you can have the Chosen One himself write you a recommendation letter! You destroyed horcruxes! You fought Death Eaters! You lived on the run for a year! You infiltrated the freaking Ministry of Magic itself!"
Hermione began to laugh and some color returned to her cheeks.
"You'll be fine, Hermione," she finished with a smile.
"Thanks, Ginny. I guess you're right. Things will work out if I work for it."
The sun was cresting above the forest trees now, making the lower sky a pale blue that was slowly seeping its way upwards and fighting back the dark blue that still hung over the castle.
"And when do you go to the training for the Harpies?" Hermione asked.
"Three weeks," Ginny replied promptly. Just the mention of it brought a steely glint to her eye.
"Will I get free tickets when they hire you?"
"They have to hire me first," Ginny smirked.
"I'll expect my free tickets by the end of summer, then," Hermione replied confidently.
Ginny snorted and turned back to the window. The clock ticked by behind them, marching along at its regular pace. Yet time seemed to freeze. All that existed was a beautiful painting of a morning sunrise with two young girls, heads full of possibilities, staring out into their endless futures.
"What do you want to do? We have some time until we should start getting ready," Hermione asked. The sun had risen by now and soft voices and creaks of bed frames could be heard from the dormitories below them.
"Well, it is our last morning here," Ginny said, flopping backwards onto her bed and fingering the soft quilted cover. "Let's just walk around a bit."
"Sounds good," Hermione smiled. They pulled on jeans and sneakers before walking leisurely down the curved staircase into the Common Room. They joined up with Luna and the three girls made their ways through the castle floors of Hogwarts, turning at random corners, noticing things that they've never noticed before. They ran into classmates and friends, caught up with everyone they encountered briefly before going on their way. Eventually, they made their way out onto the Hogwarts grounds and walked around the outside edge of the castle, looking up at the towering walls and walking along the bridges and through the courtyards, fully and painfully aware that this was the last time they would be doing so as students.
After an oddly typical lunch in the Great Hall, they returned to their dormitories to get ready for their last meal at Hogwarts and the long-anticipated graduation ceremony. Hermione calmed her bushy hair with far more than the suggested amount of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion and Ginny carefully wound and plaited hers at the back of her head. Then they put on their dresses and jewelry, the same from Slughorn's graduation party, before sliding on their Hogwarts robes for the last time.
The two girls stood side by side in front of the floor length mirror leaning against the wall, Ginny in her shimmering silver dress and Hermione in her deep purple.
"Ready?" Ginny asked their reflections.
"No. You?" Hermione replied.
"Ready enough," she replied with self-assured confidence.
"Not quite ready enough," said Hermione.
Ginny spun around, confused. "What?"
"Shoes. We need shoes," Hermione explained smirking and pointing down at both of their bare feet.
"Oh, right." Ginny plunked down on the edge of her packed and closed trunk to slip on her pair of heels, inadvertently racing Hermione to see who could finish the fiddly clasps first.
"Now I'm ready enough," Ginny said triumphantly, about three inches taller.
Hermione smiled and rose to her feet. "I suppose I am too, then."
Ginny nodded in satisfaction and linked her arm through hers. Then they marched down the staircase into the crowded common room and left with the rest of the students, the seventh years in their dresses and bowties, the rest in their usual Hogwarts uniform. They sat at the Gryffindor table for the last time, and taking this into account, they each piled their plate high with their favorite foods, eating way past the point that their stomachs were full. They took tiny slivers of every dessert set in front of them to make sure they weren't missing out and they chatted happily with their housemates until the golden platters were cleared and a hush fell over the crowd, the thick curtain of anticipation descending over the room.
McGonagall stood from the chair on the raised platform and carefully made her way around the staff table towards the podium at the center, well aware that every eye was glued to her. She gazed slowly around the room, picking out each seventh year student with a carefully trained eye and a sparkle glinting merrily behind her stern facade.
"Students," she finally addressed in a magically magnified voice that easily carried across the Great Hall. "The day has come. After seven years of hard work, dedication, and continuous effort, our seventh years are now moving on to the next stage of their lives.
"Some of you seventh years may be moving on to more schooling while others will be entering the workforce, or perhaps somewhere in between. Yet, no matter where your path may lead you, know that every Professor on this stage is extremely proud of all that you have achieved and all that you will come to achieve. Every Professor knows what possibilities lie within you and we all expect great things to come out of this incredible class of students. Every Professor is thrilled to have had the opportunity to teach you, watch you learn, and watch you grow into the exceptional young witches and wizards that we see before us, myself included."
McGonagall paused and looked out across the crowd of silent students, shining a watery smile as she met some of their gazes.
"It is our hope that you take all that you have learned and apply the knowledge in every aspect of your lives to continue bettering the world and making it into the world that you want to see. Make it into a world that you are proud to be a part of.
"As a class, you have certainly met struggles throughout your schooling years. You have had to grow up in a dangerous and treacherous world where you learned the hard way that tomorrow is not guaranteed. You have struggled to keep learning here at Hogwarts and some have even had to struggle to prove your rightful place in this world- something that no child should ever have to do. Yet you did so with grace, with dignity, and with honor. Some of you even fought, in the truest meaning of the word, alongside us Professors at the Battle of Hogwarts just last year- again, something else no child should ever have to do.
"Nonetheless, your class rose to the challenges and faced them head on. Your class has defeated every type of obstacle thrown at you and I know that you will continue to do so in the future. You will continue to rise above your struggles and will rise above all of our expectations. You have truly proven that anything is possible- no matter your age, house, or family name- if we can work together as a united front and trust one another.
"This class of students has left an exceptional legacy behind at this historic institution of learning. Continue to leave your own legacy that is unique to you and ostensibly your own. Do not always take the ready made path that so many have walked upon before you, but know that there is an infinite number of possible paths to blaze and trails to weave, even if it is more difficult. Every choice you make and every turn you take is the foundation for your legacy and I know that the stories you will write in the next chapters of your lives will be truly incredible."
Professor McGonagall paused with a smile, letting her words sink into her enraptured audience. "Now, seventh years, please stand and join me on the steps."
Ginny and Hermione shared a glance before rising to their feet as one with the rest of their class. Cheers filled the hall and they weren't the only ones to have tears glistening in the corners of their eyes. Some of the seventh years waved to younger friends as they walked to the front of the Hall, knowing the time was coming nearer; others were busy trying to memorize the moment and preserve it in their memories, too focused to notice anything at their vision's periphery. In an unorganized mass, the students filed onto the three steps leading up to the platform and turned to face the rest of the student body, all gazing up at them either in jealousy or admiration.
"Students, please raise a glass to the students before us. May happiness, good health, success, and peace come their way. To the class of nineteen ninety-nine!" McGonagall said, raising her own golden goblet to the students gathered before her.
"To the class of nineteen ninety-nine!" the entirety of the hall chorused back and drank from their cups.
Then McGonagall waved the seventh year students aside and gave a quick hand motion to the Professors seated behind her. The students filed into one corner, just below the platform near the left side of the Great Hall while the Professors rose and made a line just in front of their typical staff table while the podium was levitated out of the way.
"When I call your name, please step forward and claim your diploma before making your way down the row of Professors towards the opposite end,' McGonagall instructed. "First, Miss Martha Abel of the Ravenclaw House."
The students cheered at the name and a girl with soft waves stepped forward, grinning at the Ravenclaw table in particular before standing in front of McGonagall. She shook the Headmistress's hand and took her shiny black diploma with a beaming smile. Then she moved down the row towards the other Heads of Houses at the opposite end.
Slowly, the corner at the right end of the hall began to grow more crowded as the left corner emptied. More and more seventh years crossed across the stage to the thunderous applause of their peers and second-families, clutching their well-earned diplomas and unable to wipe smiles from their giddy faces. Quite a few were crying unabashedly and hugging old friends.
Yet, a long while later, there were still four students standing at the other end.
"Please, take special care in congratulating our last four students," Professor McGonagall said, never breaking eye contact with the four in question. "Our Head Girls and Head Boy for the year. First, Miss Hermione Granger of Gryffindor House."
Hermione beamed and glanced quickly at her two friends and Ginny squeezed her hand, letting it go as she carefully climbed the three steps towards McGonagall.
McGonagall gave her a watery smile and handed over her diploma, just like every other student. But then, she broke protocol. When Hermione extended a hand to shake like she had seen every student do before her, McGonagall stepped forward and pulled Hermione into a tight hug. Hermione stiffened in surprise, but then laughed with pleasure and returned the embrace in full force, squeezing her eyes shut and hearing her long-admired Professor's words breathed in her ear.
"I am so, so proud of you, Hermione," McGonagall said, and Hermione was surprised to hear a waiver of emotion in her voice. "You are truly an exceptional young woman with a bright future ahead of you… And make sure to keep in touch."
Then she pulled away and held Hermione by her shoulders, studying her over her square spectacles as if to make sure Hermione believed her.
Hermione gave a smile, tears streaming down her cheeks which she wiped away with one hand. "I will. Thank you, Professor," she whispered back. "None of it would have been possible without you."
McGonagall sniffed and patted her shoulder again with a tearful smile. Hermione smiled back, then moved down the line. She shook hands with Bill who smirked at her in a friendly way, with Professor Slughorn who grasped her hand in both of his to shake hers all the more vigorously, and Professor Flitwick who squeaked well-wishes to her just as she descended the stairs.
By the time Hermione walked back down the steps, her diploma clutched protectively in her hands, tears were streaming freely down her face, making it rather difficult to see Luna who was called up next.
Luna walked up the steps, skipping the middle one jauntily, with her dirty blond hair streaming down her back in long waves. Hermione watched as McGonagall whispered some kind words into her ear, passed her the diploma, and pulled Luna towards her for a quick embrace. When Luna reached Professor Flitwick, they shared a few moments together, a private conversation that Hermione could see meant the world to Luna. A few salty tears welled in the corners of her large blue eyes and when she reached Hermione, she turned to stand beside her wordlessly, the confusing torrent of emotion making speech rather difficult.
Thomas Murphy was called up next and it wasn't until he was halfway down the line that either were able to dislodge the large stone blocking their throats.
"We did it," Luna whispered, leaning closer to Hermione.
"Yes we did," Hermione agreed, finding meaning to the words beyond just graduation and surviving their seventh year.
McGonagall then smiled down at the last student, the student who complained about the misfortune of having a W last-name any time the alphabet was involved with order, and called forward, "And last but not least, Miss Ginerva Weasley of Gryffindor House."
The students cheered and clapped as Ginny beamed widely, racing up the few steps towards the Headmistress.
"Congratulations, Ginny," McGonagall smiled, her eyes crinkling with genuine joy. "I'm so incredibly proud of you, more than you can ever know."
"Thanks Professor," Ginny replied, taking the diploma from her hand and stepping in naturally for a hug.
"And I'm excited to see you play for the Harpies next year," she added with a sly smile.
Ginny laughed. "People keep saying that, but I haven't even made the team!"
They pulled apart and McGonagall said, "Only a matter of time, really." She reached up and patted her cheek affectionately.
"Keep in touch," McGonagall said quietly, almost as an afterthought as Ginny began to move down the line of Professors.
"Congrats, Ginny," Bill grinned when she reached her.
She grinned up at him. "Thanks," she said, fistbumping him rather than reaching for a handshake. "You're coming to Hogsmeade after, right?"
"I'll be there," he replied quickly while she was already stepping slowly towards Professor Slughorn, then Flitwick, and then she found herself on the other side of the stage and suddenly, the ceremony was over. Just like that, they had graduated. Just like that, a chapter closed.
In a haze, Ginny joined the throng of seventh years that were sheparded out of the Hall as the remaining students gave them a last loud farewell. She flowed through the castle with the rest of them, out of the Entrance Hall and into the evening, down the path lined with floating lanterns to guide them to the lake.
The young witches and wizards were shockingly quiet now, as if the realization of what had happened was just beginning to dawn on them. The first batch of students were making their way into the same wooden boats that they had first arrived at school at all those years ago and they steadily began to float along the calm, dark waters towards the far edge of the lake where Hogsmeade lay. Slowly but surely, the queue moved forward, and the girls found themselves purposely letting more and more of their peers go ahead of them until they were at the very back of the group.
They found themselves staring at the castle, their backs turned to the lake with the coldness of night starting to bite at their bare legs. Hermione squinted through the hazy light and picked out the Gryffindor tower floating above them, the light streaming out of its windows, and she could imagine dark blobs of the other students celebrating their last night at Hogwarts until their next school year. But this was their last night at Hogwarts and there was no school year waiting around the bend. There was only the unknown and the unpredictable.
Her throat constricted and she felt her chest grow tighter. She took a shaky breath, willing herself to hold back the tears. Hermione glanced to each side of her, seeing Ginny and Luna studying the castle too- Luna with mild curiosity and Ginny with her typical determined steel glinting in her eye.
"We'll be back," Ginny said confidently.
"Yes," Hermione agreed.
"But we've got better things to do now," Ginny added with a grin.
"Yes," Luna replied with a smile.
Ginny nodded with finality and turned on her heel, walking down the wooden planks towards the last few boats just as another group clambered into theirs. Luna touched Hermione's arm as a gentle reminder and followed Ginny down the planks. Finally, Hermione smiled wistfully up at the castle before taking a deep breath in and turning her back to it too. She moved forward towards the lake and whatever the horizon may hold.
The three girls squished into one small boat, even if as seventh years, they really should only be fitting two per boat. Nonetheless, the boat slid peacefully over the glassy water, soft chatter filling their ears from boats around them along with the sound of the water regularly lapping at the wooden sides. Dark trees passed by them lazily and for a brief moment, they were completely shrouded in the darkness of the night with no lanterns hinting at where they were and the castle's lights long behind them.
"Should we light our wands?" Luna asked softly, unwilling to disturb the peace.
"Er…," Hermione responded, unsure of what to expect.
But then they had their answer as the boat crested a corner and Hogsmeade station came into view. An archway of balloons and lanterns floated above the water, streamers hanging down so that their edges just barely missed the rippling lake, and cheers erupted from the dock. The three girls laughed giddily as their boat passed through the streamers, the thin paper falling over them. Finally, they could see their families waiting for them on the dock. Ginny was only barely still sitting, perched on the edge of the bench, waiting to pounce once the boat got close enough to the edge.
It came to a slow stop and Ginny bounced out, her arms thrown open to catch her teary-eyed mother in a warm hug. Mr. Weasley joined in and soon, Ginny was being passed from brother to brother, each hugging her and congratulating her in their own distinct ways, some with hugs and others with playful punches in the arm.
Luna gracefully stepped onto the dock and squeezed past the Weasleys to where her father stood, awkwardly alone between rejoicing families, waiting for his daughter to find him. She waved back at her two friends who smiled at her as she walked to the station to collect her luggage before apparating home. Like most other students, they had already said their heart-felt, but certainly temporary, good-byes.
Hermione was the last out of the boat, smiling sheepishly at Ron who reached down and offered her his hand. She took it gratefully and managed to step onto the dock out of the rocking boat without falling. She wasn't sure how Ginny could jump out of a rocking boat in heels, but that was a question for another time.
"Congratulations, 'Mione," Ron whispered to her, both of her hands in his.
"Thank you, Ron," she smiled back, stepping closer and tilting her head back so that their lips could meet.
"As much as I'd like to, I won't keep you all to myself," Ron smirked, letting go of her hands and instead guiding her towards the small crowd with a hand on her lower back.
She gasped. "Mum! Dad!" She raced forward to her two parents standing to one side near Harry who was still waiting for Ginny to make it down the line of Weasleys. He grimaced slightly at the words and all the meaning that they held, but quickly rearranged his face to a thrilled smile and stepped aside to let Hermione have her moment with her family.
Ron, ever adept at reading his best friend, ambled towards him languidly with his hands in his pockets and a sympathetic grin. But, knowing Harry also meant knowing that the chances are he did not want to talk about it. So instead, the two friends stood side by side in the night, the Weasleys on one side and the Grangers on the other, both wrapped up in their own celebrations.
Eventually, Ginny walked towards them, a smirk lining her freckled face and her cheeks flush with giddiness. Ron quickly hugged his sister, muttering a few words of 'Congratulations' before letting go so that Harry was all that was left.
Ginny took the last few steps at a run and threw her arms around Harry's neck. He caught her with some surprise, but quickly returned the kiss with equal passion and all of his worries melted away.
Meanwhile, after a few more minutes of conversations passing between her and her parents, Hermione slid up behind Ron, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and peeking out from one side.
" 'Mione?" Ron asked, amused.
"Thank you," Hermione said simply.
Ron turned around in her arms to face her with one eyebrow raised, begging an explanation.
"My parents told me how you helped them get here."
Ron ran a hand through his hair sheepishly, his cheeks suddenly flaming. "Oh… er…'course. It was nothing."
Hermione beamed up at him. "It's definitely something. It means the world to me- and to them- that you make such an effort with them, even if they're muggles."
"You know I don't care about that!" Ron instantly protested.
"No, no. I know. I just meant that… well, it's harder to include them in our lives because they're muggles, and that's just… how it is. So thank you for making the extra effort," Hermione explained, tears still glistening in her eyes.
Ron grinned down at her. "Of course, 'Mione. No effort is too big for you."
"I love you," Hermione whispered, leaning forward to kiss him again with the floating lanterns encapsulating them in an ethereal glow.
Ginny and Harry had broken apart from their kiss and were now watching the romantic scene between the two of them with a mix of revulsion and confusion on their faces.
Ginny pursed her lips. "Why don't you say things like that to me?" she teased, her back leaning against Harry's and his arms wrapped around her stomach.
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"Like 'no effort is too big for you'," she mimicked in a perfect impersonation of her brother.
Harry sniggered. "I thought that was your thing."
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked peacefully, still not turning around.
Harry cleared his throat dramatically. " 'His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,' " Harry began to recite with a grin.
Ginny instantly turned around and shoved him backwards, Harry laughing all the while.
"Shut UP!" she growled at him dangerously, drawing attention from her family and the Grangers.
" 'His hair is as dark as a blackboard,' " Harry continued as if she had said nothing, still wearing an irresistible lopsided grin.
"I'm warning you, Potter," Ginny threatened, reaching for her wand.
" 'I wish he was mine-" Harry ducked out of the way of a silencing spell she fired at him "-he's really divine!'"
" 'The hero who conquered the Dark Lord!'" Harry finished triumphantly with George and Ron both joining in gleefully.
Ginny glared daggers at Harry, ignoring the laughter from her two older brothers. "I hate you," she muttered stubbornly.
"Nah, you don't," Harry smiled warmly.
She rolled her eyes and found that she couldn't keep her scowl on her face for a moment longer. "You're insufferable."
"Uh-huh. Sure," Harry replied with a grin.
"Really," she insisted, stepping forward and intertwining her fingers with his. "I can hardly stand you."
"We can sit if you'd like," Harry smirked, gazing down so there's eyes met.
There was a silent pause where Harry seemed to be on the verge of laughter. Ginny raised an eyebrow. "That was terrible."
He let out a laugh. "Sorry. Not everyone can be a natural born poet," he shrugged, feigning sympathy.
"I was eleven, Potter!" she shouted.
Harry grinned and leaned down to kiss her. As Harry's lips met hers, Ginny's annoyance disappeared and all of her worries melted away.
George cleared his throat loudly and pointedly, forcing the young couple to part and turn towards him.
"What?" Ginny asked rather harshly.
"If you two love-birds are done snogging, Mum has made us some lovely dessert to celebrate your graduation," George answered calmly.
"And we have a few gifts for you two girls," Mrs. Weasley said warmly, her cheeks flushing.
"Oh, so do we!" Mrs. Granger said, raising a hand and stepping forward next to Hermione.
"I can floo to the Burrow with you," Hermione instantly offered to her parents.
"I'll come too," Ron instantly added. The four of them walked off towards the station door, talking with large smiles.
Bill nodded as they passed, then grabbed onto the handle of Ginny's trunk that he had grabbed from the station a moment earlier and said, "See you there." Then he and the trunk twisted into nothingness. With small pops, the rest of the Weasleys disappeared too until it was just Harry and Ginny standing on the dock, hand in hand.
"You better have gotten me a good present," Ginny said idly.
Harry smirked. "But I thought any moment spent together was a gift," he said innocently.
Ginny made a retching noise and said, "I take it back! Never say stuff like that!"
"Noted," Harry chuckled. Then he twisted on the spot and pulled her into the darkness, reappearing on the dirt path just outside the Burrow where the rest of the Weasleys were already walking up to the front door.
"And don't worry, Gin," Harry whispered into her ear. "We got you something great."
" 'We'?" Ginny repeated worriedly. "Did you just say 'we'?"
Harry grinned enigmatically and tugged her hand as they started walking to the door.
"What is going on?" she demanded.
"You'll see," Harry answered evasively. Then they walked through the open door into the familiar Burrow. A minute later, the fireplace swirled brightly, and Ron stepped out first, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Granger who he helped to their feet and finally Hermione, who stepped out with well-practiced ease. They were welcomed by their family and enveloped in the room's warmth and love and smiling faces. Loud conversation instantly erupted, promising not to die off until well into the night. They were home.
This chapter was quite the experience for me to write because I'm graduating in just over two months which is a crazy thought for me. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! I can't believe next week is the final time I'll be posting for this story and wow, it's been quite the run. As always, comments are always appreciated! See you next week.