THEIR N.E.W.T.S WERE OVER. Classes were over. It all had gone well for Claudia, and all that was left was, well, graduation.

The next day, Claudia and all her friends would be leaving Hogwarts behind. They would be leaving their childhood behind.

And, Claudia, well, would be leaving her home behind.

Sort of.

"What're you doing here?" The girl, who was sitting in the Gryffindor common room thanks to being let in by a younger student, heard Sirius ask her. "Everyone's by the lake. Why aren't you?"

Claudia looked up at the boy who had a huge smile on his face as he stood next to the armchair she was sitting on.

"I was waiting for you," she said, smiling faintly up at him in the same weak way she had been doing towards everyone the closer to the end they got.

She didn't want to leave. Hogwarts was the closest thing she had to a home, and leaving the castle would also mean that she was soon to leave everyone.

And it ached in her every waking minute.

"Then come on, my darling," Sirius smiled, offering the girl who always looked pale in the face nowadays his hand, and then helping her to her feet. "Are you feeling better?"

"What?" She asked confusedly.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Remus said you were feeling tired."

"Oh," she breathed, knowing that it was because she had made that excuse just so he would stay with her in bed a little longer after they had come back from their accidental sleepover in the Astronomy tower. "I'm fine."

"You sure? You do seem a bit tired."

"I'm fine," she repeated with a sweet smile as they left the Gryffindor tower so that they could go see the others, who were hanging out by the lake.

The two walked whilst they chatted loudly and happily about basically everything that came to mind. However, their loud noises immediately came to a stop as they walked through an empty corridor and was met by a single person.

Regulus.

At first, the two merely walked past him and shared awkward looks with each other, him, the floor and the ceiling, but then Claudia - after they were a bit past him - tugged on Sirius' sleeve in a way of making him stop.

"What?" He asked quietly, but she didn't answer. Instead, she gave him a look that meant something along the lines of "I have to".

"Regulus!" She called after the boy, who surprisingly stopped and turned around, which was more than Claudia ever would've thought that he would do.

And then, she ran towards him and hugged him; despite the Dark Mark on his forearm and the confusing thing that was their friendship.

He didn't hug back however, but it didn't matter, because he also didn't push her off.

"I'm sorry for pushing you," she whispered. "But just remember what I said, okay? If you need me, I'm there. I'll see you soon."

And then, she broke the hug - one that definitely wouldn't be the last - only to run back to Sirius, who was standing there like a fool as he suddenly realised why he, just like so many others, had been feeling put off by leaving Hogwarts.

And now he knew why. It was because of Regulus.

Even though they never spoke, or even so made proper eye contact, Sirius loved his brother. He always would. And, being at Hogwarts alongside him had been an excuse to keep an eye on him, even so if from afar.

But now, he was leaving him behind for good.

And honestly, Sirius felt more pained by it than he thought that he would.

So, he did the strangest thing. He caught Regulus' gaze by intention, and then he smiled just the tiniest of a smile.

And, for now, it was a goodbye.

But it wouldn't be his last time seeing his brother, that was for sure.

Claudia and Sirius walked in silence the rest of the little way to the river, with the exception of one thing said by Claudia.

"He's going to be okay, Sirius," she had said, and Sirius had nodded with a face that didn't carry a smile nor a frown.

But Claudia knew that he cared. Oh, how he cared.

"What took you two so long?" James asked as he sat with Lily and played a game of cards when they arrived.

"I couldn't find my sunglasses," Sirius lied with a shrug as he pulled out his jet black sunglasses and put them on, smiling at some sixth year girl who was watching him with plenty of interest.

"What're you all up to?" Claudia asked as she wrapped her arms around Remus' shoulders and kissed him on the temple.

"Xenophilius and Pandora are showing Peter some small creatures in the lake," James explained, nodding to the blonde couple who were pointing at something in the lake Peter most definitely couldn't see. "But I'm pretty sure they're high or stoned or something so I'm not sure if it's going that well."

Claudia chuckled, "I'm not surprised."

"I wanna get high too," Sirius said immediately, still smirking at the girl who was watching him.

"Me too," said Remus, earning a nod of agreement from Claudia, Inez and Marlene. "But we haven't got anything, so that's for another time."

"Sure is," said Sirius as Claudia sat down for good next to Remus on the grass and Peter arrived with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"I want whatever they're on," he said, plopping himself down next to Betty, who was tanning with a book in her hands.

"Tell me about it," said Claudia and Remus at the same time from where they now lay next to each other on the ground with sunglasses on.

"You know what I was thinking?" Said James. "Since this is our final day here, let's each say our favourite memory or memories from all our years here!"

"That's a great idea!" Peter said happily.

"Okay, I'll start!" James offered. "I think it was...maybe when I played my first quidditch game! Or maybe when we won the other week! Actually, no...I think my favourite memory from here is meeting Padfoot."

Sirius gasped, and then he took off his glasses and sat up, "Really?!"

"Yeah," James nodded. "You're pretty alright, mate."

"That's my favourite memory too! Nice one, James! You're gonna make me cry-"

"Come here you big softie," James said dramatically, and so Sirius squeezed himself in between James and Lily and hugged his best friend for what must've been like several minutes.

"Well, as for me," Lily said with an amused smile as she moved to the side to avoid being squished by the two. "My favourite memory is probably when Marlene's pants broke when she was having a conversation with McGonagall by the teacher's table and the whole school saw her arse."

"That's a strange favourite memory to have," Marlene commented as Inez snickered. "But fair enough. I do really have a great bottom."

Lily laughed, "You do, Marls, you really do. And, oh! I think another one of my favourite memories is just when we walked to the Gryffindor tower for the first time! I'll never forget that. I felt so...big, and meaningful. As if magic was just a little secret between us."

Marlene smiled, "Well, my favourite memory is probably when I played my first quidditch game and a Slytherin teased me about being a little girl so I 'accidentally' got him hit by a bludger so he nearly fell off his broom and his pants broke so his arse was showed in front of the entire school up in the air. Now that I'm saying that, my pants breaking must've been Karma!"

Inez laughed, "Oh, that reminds me of one of my favourites! What was it you said after you ruined Nolan's internship, Claudia?"

"Karma's just as bitchy as I am," Claudia said, still laying on the ground with her sunglasses on as a little smirk of pride came over her face.

"Oh, you were so fucking cool!" Inez gushed. "That's probably one of mine! Oh, and I guess maybe when I became friends with you and Betty on the first day."

"That's mine too," said Betty. "I'll never forget that."

Claudia smiled, despite her small little missing pieces of most of her memories. She figured it - all the memory loss that is - had to do with how much her body had to put up with through the years.

Curses that hurt her immensely, and of course, that deep sadness that she had had for all those years that came with several other side affects than just sadness.

And, well, that was true. She had forgotten many things because of what her body had been forced to put up with.

She just wished that she wouldn't forget them all once she left.

"Pete?"

"When we became a group I think," the boy replied with a big smile aimed towards his three best friends, who all smiled back. "What about you, Remus?"

The boy sat silent for a moment - his sunglasses now off - and then he smiled as he spoke carefully and quietly to the rest of the Marauders, "I think it was when you three found out about...my condition. I didn't think that you would stay with me. I figured you'd hate me. But then you didn't, and I knew that I had found myself some great friends."

Everyone smiled happily at the four boys who were as tight as a group could be, Claudia doing so with a lump in her throat as she once again realised that she couldn't make Remus leave his friends.

"And...I also think it was meeting Claudia on the platform," he confessed. "I know she doesn't remember it-"

"Hey!"

"But I'll never forget-"

"Your first boner?"

"No, Sirius, not that," Remus sighed. "I'll never forget the first time I met her, is all. She was the one who came up to me, you know, and I was bloody terrified to talk to people. But she saved my arse and made sure that I would be fine."

And she would continue on doing so.

Claudia smiled as she sat up and took off her sunglasses, only to give him a little kiss on the cheek as they all waited expectantly for her to share her favourite memory.

And, to be honest, Claudia couldn't really come up with one.

Because, despite all the pain and suffering, her Hogwarts years had been one for the books. With her three Eagle Chicks, everything had always been like a dream. Her girls were kind, funny, and they had been her only source of happiness for many years.

And then, there was Lily. And Marlene. And Henry. Mary. Regulus. Even Nicolas, for Merlin's sake!

And, finally, her boys. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. The funny boys who never failed to make her laugh. The courageous boys who would do anything for her.

And, the loving boys who loved her to no end.

With all these people, she had too many memories to count. Laughter, tears, sadness and happiness. Birthdays, Christmas, Halloween and Easter. Classes, recesses, trips and weekends.

They were her family.

And with family, one never really has a single memory. There's too many to count - and that's what the beauty of it all is.

So, Claudia simply replied this:

"My favourite memory is...right now."

"Right now?"

"Right now," she nodded.

"Why?"

"Because," she shrugged with a smile. "My favourite people are here. The sun is shining. I've got a book with me, and Remus next to me, and James and Lily are in love, and so are Inez and Marlene, and Sirius is being himself by flirting with a pretty girl, and Peter is so sweet, and Betty is crying as she reads about Mr. Darcy-"

"Hey!"

"And Pandora and Xenophilius are really fucking high!" She laughed. "Everything is what it's supposed to be. And there's nothing to complain about. That's why this is my favourite memory."

They all smiled happily at their strong girl who had overcome so much and stayed so pure hearted through it all; all of them unbeknownst to what was to come.

But that was fine. Because in that moment, they were all happy.

And that was what counted.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Peter asked the group.

"Yes, soon, but Lily and I have got something to say," James said.

"Oh, don't tell me she's pregnant-"

"We're pushing up the wedding," he announced, causing everyone to nod and smile.

Everyone but Claudia. For she had made a promise to leave by the first of August.

"To when?" She asked, trying to hide how nervous she was.

"July 31st," Lily responded with a smile. "We figured we needed more time to prepare, after all. And the invitations aren't out, so-"

July 31st, Claudia repeated in her mind. That meant that she had to leave the day after the wedding. That meant that she had to ruin it for all of them.

But, she tried to keep her smile up as she figured that maybe she could convince Evan to give her more time.

And so, she ignored her thoughts like she always did nowadays, and then she followed along the others and swam and played in the lake.

And time passed quickly, yet slowly.

She kept on swimming around in the warm water, constantly playing around with Remus or joining in on the others.

And it was fun. It was just like any other day at Hogwarts.

But it wasn't. For, the next day they would be leaving that life behind.

And Claudia would be leaving despite wanting to stay. But, she would do it with a smile; because all good things must come to an end. Even if it hurts to go, the time eventually comes and maybe things will be fine.

But, still, where'd all the time go?

END OF PART XV
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and so it goes - part xv.

bye hogwarts!!! you will be missed.

currently feeling like crying.

i listened to leaving hogwarts the entire time as i wrote this chapter and suddenly i don't want this to ever end.

we've got four chapters left.

also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! i mean, i'm not sure if it's a new year for anyone yet but i won't be posting a chapter tomorrow cause i'm gonna party all night!

LMAO but yeah...ILY THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE SOO GOOD FOR ALL OF US YES LET'S GO!!!

i don't know about you, but i'm feeling 22!!!

ily guys <3