The End-of-Year Feast was always a bittersweet occasion, as it marked the end of another school year. This year was even more so for Hermione, as it was the last one she would ever attend as a student. It was the last feast she would eat with all of her friends surrounding her. Not only that, but it was the only occasion in which the Headmaster would bend the rules and allow students from the different houses to sit at whichever table they pleased.
Because this was her last feast, Hermione chose not to go and sit with her usual group of friends at the Slytherin Table, instead going to join Hagrid at the Gryffindor's. Tom, pushing aside his less than amiable feelings towards the rival house, went and joined them. As you can imagine, the Gryffindor's were all rather shocked by this, and stared at them for the first little while.
Hermione didn't do much better. It felt strange being back at the Gryffindor Table after so many years of sitting on the other side of the hall. Her mind swirled with memories of discussions with Harry and Ron, of Ron stuffing his face most meals, of Harry discussing plans with them, be it quidditch or Voldemort related. The fact that Fleamont Potter was sitting not too far away, glancing over at her from time to time certainly didn't help either.
"It's not going ter be the same without yeh here, Hermione," sniffed Hagrid, who wiped his tear filled eyes on the arm of his jacket. "I'm goin ter miss yeh."
She smiled up at him, reaching out to give him an affectionate pat on the shoulder. "I'll miss you too, Hagrid, but I'm sure our paths will cross again one day."
He nodded his head in agreement, managing a weak smile.
Hermione was admittedly a bit worried about him, knowing that he didn't exactly have many friends aside from her. However, at the same time, she had hope for him. He had made it this far and hadn't been expelled. With any luck he would graduate for himself in a few years time.
"Would you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"Make an effort to be nice to Myrtle Warren of Ravenclaw. The other girls in her house have been bullying her mercilessly and she could use a good friend like you."
Turning around, he sought out the Ravenclaw table until he found the girl with pigtails and glasses. She wasn't too hard to spot. As always, she was seated alone, picking at her food. No one else at the table seemed to notice. They were all too busy with their own respective friend groups.
Hagrid's eyes softened at the sight of her. "What a shame," he mumbled. "Pretty thing like 'er."
Hermione couldn't suppress the urge to smirk. The idea had come to her on the spur of the moment. Who better to understand Myrtle and what she was going through than Hagrid? And there was no doubt in her mind that he would be more than capable of sticking up for her.
"Why don't you go over there right now and introduce yourself?" Hermione suggested.
Hagrid hesitated for a moment, glancing back and forth between her and Myrtle. After a few moments, he climbed from his seat, bumping his thick knees against the table as he rose, and taking a deep breath, picked up his plate of food and went to go join the lonely Ravenclaw girl.
"When did you become such a matchmaker?" Tom gave her a knowing look.
Hermione just shrugged. "What can I say? I like seeing people happy."
He rolled his eyes at her, a smirk tugging slightly at the corner of his lips. "As annoying as it may be at times, you are good at that."
Most of the students, Hermione included, didn't get much sleep that night, preferring to stay up late with their roommates to have one last night full of fun with their friends. As eager as Hermione was to move on with her life, there were still things that she would miss at Hogwarts. She knew she might never again get a chance to have a sleepover with friends.
Their departure from Hogwarts was something she had heard of but never experienced herself. Climbing into the same boats they had arrived in seven years prior, which now seemed oddly smaller than she remembered, they began their ride back across the lake and to the train station.
For one final time, her and her friends all climbed into their compartment, reflecting on all the memories they had made together. There were both good and bad. Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit sad that Druella wasn't with them to share in this milestone, but she didn't let it get to her too much, reassuring herself with the fact that she would be able to go and visit her whenever she wanted from then on.
"I suppose we should probably remove the jinx," Hermione stated.
Everyone nodded in agreement, though they didn't exactly seem too thrilled by the prospect. Combining their abilities, they worked together to remove the jinx from the compartment. It didn't seem fair to leave it so, especially when there was usually limited space on the Hogwarts Express to begin with.
"Maybe we could leave our mark in a different way," Abraxas suggested.
"What do you mean?" Cygnus asked.
"We could engrave our initials somewhere or even the name of our gang," Abraxas explained. "We're already famous, and I figure we're only going to become more so in the years to come. "
"Yes, and someday our own children might be riding together in this very same compartment. It would be a nice memento to leave behind for them," Hera added.
Abraxas cringed at the mention. It was clear that he wasn't quite ready to even think about becoming a father, especially not so soon after the demise of his own.
"It would take up far too much space to engrave all our names, but it wouldn't hurt to let people know that this compartment once belonged to the Knights of Walpurgis," Tom agreed.
Hermione shrugged. "I don't mind."
And so, it was agreed. After searching every inch of the compartment, they settled on a spot that, while not directly hidden, wasn't exactly in plain sight either. With their wands, they engraved the name of their group, with a snake coiling around the words. Anyone who knew of them would surely know what it meant.
Settling back in for the remainder of the train ride, they shared with one another their immediate plans.
Cygnus was heading back to the Black Manor. Now that he had graduated from school, he was deemed eligible and of age to take over the running of the house. He was looking forward to being able to live in relative peace with his wife and daughter, free from his scheming mother, who would be moving in with his sister, Walburga and her husband.
Rosaline was, of course, planning to go and visit her beau in France as soon as she could manage. The two had gotten engaged over Christmas, and Rosaline was relentless in gushing about her high hopes for the wedding. Despite the fact that they weren't all that close, or at least Hermione didn't think so, Rosaline had asked her to be one of her bridesmaids. Hermione accepted regardless, not wanting to hurt her feelings.
Abraxas had a lot to do back at Malfoy Manor. With his mother gone, having fled the country to go and stay with her brother's family, there was no one left to help him with the running of the estate. Hera had offered to help him, but there was only so much she could do.
"What about you, Tom?" Cygnus asked in turn. "Do you think you can survive a year without Hermione?"
Tom rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of him. "Don't be foolish. It's not like I won't see her at all. She's coming back to spend the holidays with me."
Cygnus snickered. "If you say so."
Once at the train station, they parted ways, saying their goodbyes. They would still see each other from time to time, and remain in contact, but it wouldn't be as often as before. Hermione was struck by the fact that they were each going off to begin lives of their own. Whatever path stood before them, Hermione had hope that they each had a bright future.
The Riddle's were there waiting for them in the crowded train station. Mary immediately came forward to give her and Tom each a hug.
"We are so proud of you, Tom," Mary exclaimed. "I may not know much about the wizarding world, but I am sure that graduating from school is just as much a milestone as it is in our world."
"Thank you, Grandmother."
Taking them all by surprise, Tom Sr. stepped forward and reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "Well done, my son."
Hermione could practically feel the waves of joy emanating from Tom. Such praise coming from his father meant more to him than he would probably ever admit. It was long overdue, but he had finally gained the love and respect of his father. If there had been any doubt left in her mind about leaving Tom to his own devices, they had now vanished into thin air.
"Well, I guess this is it then."
As if only just then remembering, he turned to her with a solemn expression. She could see the sorrow in his eyes, silently begging her to stay with him.
"Are you not coming back with us?" Mary asked.
Hermione shook her head. "No, my grandfather is sending a car to take me to his house in Prestbury," she explained. "I'll be traveling abroad with him for a year. Though, I'm hoping to come back to visit for Christmas, if that's alright."
"Of course, Hermione. You're always welcome at Riddle Manor."
"Thank you, Mrs. Riddle. You and your family have been very kind."
Taking Tom's luggage off to load it into the car, the Riddle's left to give the two a bit of much needed privacy.
Neither spoke, seemingly content to just stare at each other. It wasn't by far the first time such a thing had occurred. Cygnus always swore that they were able to communicate telepathically.
Then, all of a sudden, Tom reached out, took her in his arms and pulled her close, capturing her lips in his own. Hermione let out a bit of a startled yelp, as the impact threatened to knock her off balance, but she soon regained her footing in Tom's strong embrace, melting into the kiss. She could feel the stares of passing students and their scandalized parents, but Hermione couldn't bring herself to care. She would be seperated from her boyfriend for months possibly and she wanted to make this kiss last as long as she could.
Pulling back, he reached out to cup her face. "I don't want to let you go," he admitted.
"I know you don't, but I want to do this. Besides, I imagine you'll be so busy straightening out the ministry that the time will just fly by. We'll be back together in no time."
He nodded his head. "I'll try to owl you as often as I can with updates on what's going on. Abroad or not, you are still the queen of the operation. I may ask for your opinion on certain topics."
"Are you sure you want my opinion? If I had my way, I would have you issue a law to ban the enslavement of house elves."
He chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."
Their time soon came to an end, as Thomas began complaining that his arthritis was acting up again. Tom and Hermione rolled their eyes. They both knew that was just an excuse to get them to hurry up. He was not a patient man. It was a trait that seemed to run in the family.
"I'll write to you as soon as I arrive at my first destination."
And with that, they too parted ways. Tom climbed into the Riddle's Rolls-Royce. Hermione stayed and watched as the car drove away from the station, waving to Tom as it went. It was only after they were gone from view that she turned her trolley around and went off in search of her grandfather's car.
"Miss Granger?" asked an old bald man, coming up to her. She nodded. "Your grandfather sent me to deliver you to him. If you'll just follow me, we'll be on our way."
Letting him take the trolley from her, Hermione followed him through the crowd. The sight of the car made her shake her head. Her grandfather had sent a hearse for her! Could he be any less obvious? Though, she supposed it was a fitting car for him, seeing as it allowed him to take his coffin with him. Either way, at least she didn't have to worry about a lack of space for her luggage as the old man, presumably the driver, began loading everything into the back.
She let out a small chuckle. If only Tom had stuck around long enough to see this.
