AN Hey guys thanks so much for the reviews, they are love. I've written the next chapters, short as they are. I won't post the next one till I've written the next one after that - that's how I stop myself from discontinuing the story, I hope. We're halfway there!

A repeat disclaimer: Since I already know where I'm going with the story, I think I should repeat that this is not going to be a fluffy story. The other fluffish bits (and yes, by my standards those are disgustingly fluffy) is because they're teenagers. Well they're growing up and it sure ain't gonna be bunnies and rainbows anymore. Voldemort does not give out candy, nor does he give out headbands. In order to make Blair realistic, some things will have to happen to change her mindset from Louis Vuitton to angry killing. Please don't flame because it has become too dark when I post that chapter up - it will become rather dark.

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Seventh Year, Pt II

"And we'll linger on Time can't erase a feeling so strong"

David Cook - Always Be My Baby

She will score 7 Os and 1 E for her NEWTS and will graduate valedictorian.

"….perhaps you've heard of the philosopher Plato. If you bother to trace back lineage – which I doubt many will except when you're trying to write a graduation speech -" Laughter. They were laughing. That was good, especially since she wanted them to laugh. "One of the Prewetts' earliest ancestors, I believe-" Bottles of Firewhiskey immediately shoot into the air; Heather and Ian Prewett cheering 'Hear, hear!" loudly.

Blair breathed in and out anxiously. She could do this. She was a Waldorf.

More importantly, she wasn't just any Waldorf. She was Blair Waldorf.

The name spoke for itself.

And Blair Waldorf was the one standing up, giving the valedictorian speech to the assembled masses of Hogwarts. Seven 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' in her N.E.W.T.S – even Eleanor couldn't find any fault with that, and even congratulated her with a complimentary Witchley Slimming Spa-Potion package for her "flabby thighs". But Eleanor doesn't bother her now – she hasn't bothered Blair in a long time – because tonight was her night.

Tonight was the night.

."As he said, the direction in which education starts a man will determine his future. And right now, standing here before you looking out, I see witches and wizards with so much potential, ideally placed to learn more and out the knowledge and skills to amazing use. We will all grow up and get different jobs and lead different lives, but in the end, all of us, muggleborn and pureblood alike – we will all share the same memories. Memories of warmth and laughter, memories of a place we always felt so at home in. Hogwarts has its piece in every single one of our hearts. Every single one of us belongs to Hogwarts, we are part of it the same way it is a part of us now. It has shaped us and made us, and made us magical."

Blair's lost in her own world now. The faces of the crowd seem blurred now, and Blair's acutely aware of how her voice reverberates about the room with a well-placed Sonorous charm. She registers the brief people in the crowd – Serena leaning back with her long tan thighs proving a distraction to anybody in a five-seat radius (strangely enough it doesn't bother her. She's got everyone else hooked to her speech anyway), Nate Archibald with his beautiful blue eyes as glassy as ever (stoned on weed, again?). Dorota's in the front row listening intently. There's a few people in the audience that she recognises as the crème of Pureblood Society – probably as part of a propaganda-slash-recruitment scheme. Everybody knew the recruiters made up a quarter of the attendees on Hogwarts' Graduation Nights.

Only the plebeian would join, of course. Blair already knew what she wanted, had wanted for a long time now. She wanted to be recognised. She wanted to be in the spotlight, adored and intelligent and beautiful.

And for the first time in a long while (a very long while, she thinks), she feels exactly just like that. She's beautiful, she's floating and everybody just seems so far below.

"We are magical people now, and I can only hope we can continue to do magic and achieve equally magical results out of Hogwarts. Thank you."

Thunderous applause as the crowd stands up, and Blair's flushed with happiness and relief and just happiness, now – as she descends into a crowd of congratulatory pats on her back and cheers – rowdy as they may be it doesn't dampen the spreading of warmth in her chest (has the ice-cold Queen melted, somehow? ). She accepts Gryffindor Nelly Yuki's reluctant praise with old-world charm and elegance and poise (stupid bitch would've been first if I hadn't taken an extra subject). And her senses are alight with pleasure and happiness and everything just seems so fast and a million thoughts are crammed into her head (time flies faster when you're enjoying yourself, eh B?).

She wades through a million handshakes and soaks in the adoring gazes before Serena squeezes past a dowdy, pudgy witch with a shock of red hair and a brood of likewise flamehaired, pimply boys who wolfwhistle at her and throws herself in Blair's arms with a Serena-esque squeal. "Oh, B, that speech was wonderful!"

And Blair can't help but smile, even though this is the first time they're speaking to each other since Blair found out Serena had flirted with Draco when he had crashed a sleepover. But Blair's feeling magnanimous tonight and Serena already has another boyfriend (some famous Quidditch player from Bulgaria who looked like a crow) now anyway. She hugs Serena back and they're no longer enemies, just best friends.

Then Serena laughs and releases her and they gush about how great the night is for a while before Serena spots somebody else in the distance and she floats away dreamily. Blair lets her go – Serena's always been flighty like that. She turns briefly, sipping a martini and declining the eager recruiters, before she spots a familiar blond face in the audience with his parents, standing over next to Dorota and Roman and she hurries towards them.

His lips are on hers in a flash and his hands tangled in her curls (and everybody knows she doesn't let anybody touch the curls) and he whispers into her mouth, "I knew you could do it, love."

And his parents gather around to congratulate her, Narcissa with a hug and Lucius with an approving nod, as he tells her how much she is like a daughter to him (Blair catches a flash of hot pink as his fingers slip into his pocket). And as Blair thanks him graciously she can't help but think of her own father, dead in Parisian streets and her eyes fill with tears.

She hugs Roman and Dorota next (Eleanor's sorry but she's in Paris this weekend "opening a new boutique" – as if Blair doesn't know she's having sex with a pudgy bald thing right now at her crowning moment) because they're family, even though one did marry her father and one's moved out since a new child arrived. She hasn't seen them in ages, and Roman makes her laugh so hard she cries again.

As much as Blair loves Hogwarts, she thinks it might be time for her to start growing up now. She glances up and catches Draco's eye and can't help but smile through her tears, as he grasps her hands and jerks his head towards the door, gray eyes full of mischief. Let's get out of here, he mouths and she nods, as Audrey Hepburn would do in this situation. He pulls her close and Blair grins against his shoulder as he weaves them throughout the crowd, because she knows that finally the special moment is here. The place she can lose it all to.

And as he braces her for Side-Along Apparition (the wards have been lifted for this night), Blair glances back once to the home she's loved for the past seven years. Full of memories as she is, she knows Hogwarts will only ever be just a fragment of her life.

Besides, she'd only needed a year to conquer Hogwarts – tonight was just a cementing of victory. Blair's been ready, aching for a new game to play (and win) six years ago, and she thinks she just might've found it.

She hears the world is a pretty good place to make her mark.

A/N They're all growing up. Blair's getting rather ambitious, isn't she? But then again it's the Blair we know and love Some references to canon characters - anyone catch the Weasleys cameo? I figure that's an avenue of tying it in with canon. I just like doing these kind of unnecessary details. Bite me. By the way, what dyou think of Season 3 finale?

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