After a year of happy stories, all of the seventh years slowly came to terms with the fact that it was their last year at Hogwarts. Never again would they be students here, at the place where they'd grown up, found their best friends, their true loves, their true selves.
Dean and Seamus were out playing Quidditch or Exploding Snap or Wizard Chess or just walking around talking or in the kitchen every day practically, not trying to face that they wouldn't see each other much anymore.
Pavarti and Lavender spent days walking around the grounds, talking a mile a minute, trying to get through everything they hadn't talked about these past seven years, sometimes bursting into tears at the thought of not being able to gossip away about anything anymore.
Luna was slowly packing things away, along with Neville, and they were usually in the capacity of one another, already feeling homesick for the place where they had friends and memories.
Harry and Ginny spent time together every day, goofing off and messing around, trying to have as much fun as they could. Knowing that Ginny would still be in school another year, keeping the two of them apart, made them know that they needed to have fun and enjoy themselves until then. Joy seemed to prolong the matter.
Ron and Hermione had rarely been seen without each other the entire year, and, once the realization of leaving Hogwarts started to kick in, they never left each other's sights.
To Hermione, it just seemed that life for her would continue without the magic she'd known when she was there. She had dreams of her in the Muggle world, either not knowing or caring about magic, about Harry, about Ginny, and, worst of all, about Ron. She thought magic would only last while at Hogwarts and these thoughts terrified her.
For Ron, it seemed that all memories from Hogwarts would remain in Hogwarts. They were Hogwarts' to keep, not his. While he was here, he could share them, but once he left, for good this time, they'd never be his again. That meant that Dean, Seamus, Neville, Lavender, Pavarti, Luna, Harry, and Hermione would disappear from his life altogether. He'd go back to a life of being one of six brothers, and disappearing into the background.
The thoughts that their lives, memories, and friends would fade away haunted all the seventh years, who were still trying to keep a grasp on them while still at Hogwarts.
The last day of school, there was a graduation ceremony for all the seventh years. It was a special one, most of them receiving especial honors, due to all they did to help the fight again Voldemort.
The vast majority of seventh years stood in a straight line up at the front of the Great Hall. Ahead of them was a line of what contained most of the D.A. There was Luna, standing next to Neville, Dean with Pavarti, Seamus with Lavender, Ernie, Anthony, Terry, Dennis, Hannah, Susan, Padma, and, at the front, Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
Before the graduation, McGonagall had a speech to make. "Behind me are a group of what are probably some of the bravest witches and wizards Hogwarts has and will ever see. Through their efforts, we can all stand here today and celebrate together. However, two students never got the chance to graduate. A moment of silence please, for those Hogwarts has lost during this terrible war: Cedric Diggory, Colin Creevey, and Fred Weasley."
There was silence for a moment before someone started clapping.
Harry looked up and saw that it was George, standing up and slowly clapping. McGonagall looked up sharply, then softened when she saw it was him.
The past year and a half had been hard for George. Losing Fred had been losing a part of himself. Only the consolation of marrying Alicia, earlier that year, kept him going. That, and the expectation, of his unborn child, a son to be named Fred Weasley.
Still, McGonagall said, "I'm not sure that would be entirely appropriate Mr. Weasley."
"Really?" said George. His voice echoed all through the halls. "I don't think so. Is this really how you want to celebrate their lives? I'd think they'd want to be remembered in a way that made people enjoy themselves. Like the way those three enjoyed themselves, and made other people enjoy themselves, when they were alive."
Harry noticed throughout his speech that he was still clapping, slowly, making each clap individual and alone, like himself at that point.
As George clapped again, he was joined by another. From partway across the room, everyone turned to see Lee Jordan joining in. Then Alicia was clapping, joined by Angelina, then Katie, then Oliver. Harry found himself clapping, along with Ron and Hermione, who was moved to tears by George's speech. Luna, now Dean, then Neville, and Seamus, Lavender, too, Pavarti, Padma, Ernie, Anthony, Hannah, Dennis, Susan, and, starting off the Gryffindors, Ginny. The Gryffindors, following Ginny, started in, followed by Hufflepuffs, led by Cho Chang, who'd come just for the occasion. Then the Ravenclaws slowly started.
The Slytherins stayed still. They would not cheer for a Gryffindor.
Suddenly one little Slytherin boy stood up. He was a second or third year, by the look of it. "What's the matter with you people?" he shouted at the rest of his house. "Why not cheer for them? You've seen where hating people gets us; it gets people like them killed. It gets people like us killed. We'll be sitting here forever, never cheering, only making it happen again and again!" He clapped with such ferocity that it was hard not to see.
At this point, Harry saw that Hermione next to him had tears streaming down her face, and she refused to look anyone in the eyes, but was still clapping steadily, leaning against Ron, who was looking rather white.
A few of the Slytherins looked at the boy, then around the table anxiously. Finally, a small boy stood up and clapped along. Then another and another until the entire first, second, and third years were clapping. Fourth years joined in, followed by fifth years, then, at last, sixth years. Seventh years did not clap. The year's incidents were too present in their memories to clap. Finally, someone did. No one knew who, nor why, but clap they did, starting off the rest of the Slytherins.
The clapping intensified, growing louder and faster, until it quieted and slowed off into nothingness, reminding Harry altogether too much of the lives of the people who had passed, of Fred, of Colin, Cedric, Dobby, Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Lupin, Tonks, Dumbledore, Sirius, his parents.
Then the clapping ceased altogether.
