I put the small pointy hat on my head, not believing that my time at Hogwarts was actually coming to an end.

It seemed like only yesterday when I'd first set foot into this magical castle.

This was the end of an era, and I'd really really miss it. Who knew what the future held, right?

I was quiet when Aleya, Lina and Valerie happily lead the way to the Great Hall, ready to get their NEWT certificates.

It had been a rough few months, and where I was happy that all the studying had finally come to an end, I was sad because this would be my second last evening at Hogwarts.

The end of term feast would be tomorrow, and we'd be on our last ever train ride on the Hogwarts Express the day after. Really, where had the time gone?

"You okay, Freya?" Aleya let herself fall back so that she was walking next to me. "You're so quiet."

I gave her a nervous grin as reply. They were all excited for their time after Hogwarts, so I was a little ashamed because they wouldn't understand why I was being sentimental. "Just nervous for my results, you know?"

Aleya took a deep breath. "Oh yeah. Me too."

And we fell into silence again, before we reached the Great Hall, where a lot of seventh years were already sitting at their house tables, chattering happily.

I avoided looking at the Gryffindor table and quickly followed my friends to the other Ravenclaws.

I sat there quietly with my cheek propped on my fist, listening to the others ranting, before Professor Dumbledore stood up and went to his little podium.

The hall fell silent.

"Hello seventh years of Hogwarts! The time has come. After seven years at this school, you're free to go and fulfill your childhood dreams. Whether you want to become a Wandmaker, tame Dragons, work for the Ministry or fight against Dark Wizards or Witches, I wish you all the very very best."

He clapped his hands together. "Now, we all know why you're here and I don't want to keep you waiting for too long. The house teachers will call your names and give each one of you your certificates. After that, your Head Boy and Girl will hold a little speech before you're free to go - until it's time for dinner, of course. Now, Professor Slughorn, if you will?"

I sighed when Professor Slughorn stood up from the teacher's table and went to stand next to our headmaster.

The house teacher of Slytherin had a stack of parchment in his hands and began to call out names after names. Every student went forward, got their certificate and shook hands with Professor Slughorn and Professor Dumbledore.

The only time when things were changed up a little bit was when Professor Slughorn added who from house Slytherin had the best NEWTs. (A boy called Damian Selwyn.)

It was really boring, to be honest.

Lucky for us, Ravenclaw was the next house, and I felt my heart rate speed up, all because of my nerves. I had studied more than ever in my life, just because I had wanted to keep myself busy, but I was still a little scared that my NEWTs wouldn't be as good as I'd anticipated.

I knew that I shouldn't, but seeing as school was the only thing I was really exceptionally good at, I identified with my grades and felt as if I always needed academic success and evaluation (and I hated myself for that). I always wanted myself to be one of the best, and I knew that I would be terribly disappointed and angry at myself if my results weren't very good. That was basically my toxic trait, always wanting to be the best.

My foot bobbed up and down, just because I had to wait so long. Aleya was the first one of our friend group to receive her certificate, and my friends made sure to cheer her on as loud as they could. When she sat back down, Valerie and Lina across from us immediately bent over to see her grades.

"Very good, Aleya!" Lina cheered and patted her shoulder, and Valerie agreed. Then I peeked over Aleya's shoulder, too. One 'Acceptable', three 'Exceeds Expectations' and the rest all 'Outstandings'.

Those weren't the scores I was hoping for myself, but I knew that Aleya could be very proud of herself, so I congratulated her as well before all of us directed our attention back to Professor Flitwick.

Valerie got her results next, and a bit later, it was Lina's turn. She looked very pleased with herself when she laid her certificate on the table.

Then we waited and waited, until-

"And now, with not only the best NEWTs of house Ravenclaw, but the best of the whole year: Freya Tygris."

My jaw dropped and Aleya had to push me on my feet. I was blushing profoundly as I walked up to the two Professors, accompanied by polite clapping.

I was so overwhelmed by the situation that my head couldn't string together coherent thoughts. I just smiled back when Professor Flitwick beamed at me and handed over the certificate, before shaking my hand with the words "Very well done, Miss Tygris."

I hurried to shake Professor Dumbledore's hand before I almost ran back to my seat. I was in a trance and overwhelmed, but not overwhelmed enough to not feel embarrassed for being the center of attention.

I sat down and tried to calm my thumping heart beat. I took a deep breath and was about to look at my results when the parchment got snatched out of my hands.

Lina, who was sitting across from me, was eyeing the paper curiously. "Wow, Freya," she said without looking up. "Really good."

There was something in her voice that I couldn't decipher, but I brushed it off, since the others didn't seem to notice it. They all peeked at my certificate before congratulating me as well, and Aleya was hugging me from the side. "Awesome, Freya, I'm so proud of you!"

She sounded sincere, so I my grateful smile was genuine.

Then I carefully took my certificate out of Lina's tight grip, because I actually hadn't looked at it myself yet.

One 'Exceeds Expectations' in Arithmancy, and the rest was all 'Outstandings'.

I was in awe. I mean, I had hoped to get good NEWTs and I had studied really much, but I hadn't aimed that high.

At least one positive thing had come out of this last year at Hogwarts.

The Gryffindors came after us, and to no one's surprise, Lily Evans had Gryffindor's best NEWTs. The hall broke into laughter when Lily's face turned redder than her hair after James' screamed "THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND!!!"

Yeah, I think he was the happiest person at Hogwarts ever since Lily had officially become his girlfriend. And the fact that Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup as well had just been the cherry on top.

After all the Hufflepuffs had gotten their certificates, Lily and James stood up and took Dumbledore's place on the podium.

"Seven school years are over," Lily started the speech, and I could already feel my eyes prickle. Gosh, why was I so emotional!?

"The best ones of our lives, I must add," James grinned at the Gryffindor table - more specifically, the marauders, who began to snicker.

"Yes," Lily agreed. "It was an amazing time. We've made amazing friends for life, found dream jobs and callings, and made unforgettable memories. We shared laughter, frustration, fun, and even a few tears at the one or other Quidditch match -" She gave James a look, who jokingly glared at her and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Anyway," he hurried to change the topic. "We're all ready now. For the real world, I mean. And in the name of all of Hogwarts, we wish everyone of you the best of luck."

"Those are difficult times we're living in," Lily took over the word again. "But I believe that our time at Hogwarts has shaped and prepared us. We've learned a lot about magic, of course, but most importantly, we've grown in experiences, and we've made amazing friends that we know will have our backs for the rest of our lives. Once we leave Hogwarts, everything will be different, yes, but we know that we can rely on our friends. No matter what happens, if we all stick together, nothing can do us harm, remember that."

"So thank you all for being part of this amazing time," James concluded.

"We've rocked Hogwarts, and now we'll rock the adult world."

The whole hall erupted into cheers, which was started by Sirius, Marlene and Dorcas, but James raised his hands to signal that he wanted to add something else.

"Now, because I'm feeling generous and because this evening is all about us seventh years-" He took a step away from Lily and quickly said, "Everybody, make sure you don't drink from the pumpkin juice this evening - this prank is reserved for the first to sixth years."

"James!"

"Mr. Potter!!"

But James was already running back to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Sirius, who was laughing and patting James' back.

I shook my head, smiling. I hoped that some things would never change.