Dear Hogwarts,
I’ve spent my final week this year much differently than I have in the past. Where I once would be chatting with friends, creating mischief, and making summer plans, I’ve instead been taking the time to say goodbye to the castle I’ve called home for the last seven years.
Seven years is such a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things, but when you’ve just lived through it, it seems so long. I remember when I first stepped foot into Hogwarts, small… scared… and alone. I imagine many of you can’t picture me that way, I’ve changed a lot in those seven years, but I came to Hogwarts just like many of you did. Anxious and afraid that I would not be able to live up to the expectations put ahead of me. I didn’t live up to what my parents expected of me, but I’d like to think I did better.
There’s been so much drama and chaos, so much trauma and bloodshed these seven years. We have faced and lived through so much. Hags and werewolves and vampires and spiders. Blood loss and loss of limb and… loss of loved ones like our beloved Headmaster Fox. But we have lived and I wholeheartedly believe it is because we have faced it all together. I don’t think I would have survived my time at Hogwarts without the support of all of you.
But now I have that feeling of anxiety and fear as I look forward to what’s ahead. I think the other seventh years might relate to that fear. Leaving the familiar and moving out into a world without the safety nets the castle offers, facing the potential of failure that won’t result in a loss of points but perhaps being fired or… worse.
I’m getting off track. I wanted to write this for those I’m leaving behind. The students who have brought me with tears as they told me how they would miss me, the ones I’ve promised to write. I want you to all know just how much it has meant to me, from the goodbye parties to the farewell discussions. I have befriended some of you far too late after years of fighting, but I promise that I will not forget any of you. I will always be around, at Hogsmeade weekends and summer galas. If you need advice or a friend to listen, you may always write to me and I will always keep in touch. So many of you will continue on with many more years to complete here at Hogwarts, you will make new friends and experiences and I hope you cherish every moment. I hope you take advantage of this opportunity to explore and experiment and still have a safety net to catch you. Hogwarts has its dark days, but it will always be the safest place. Appreciate the time you have and don’t take it for granted. Before you know it, you’ll be where I am… Preparing to say goodbye to your home, to move on, with no way to go back.
For the professors who have protected, taught, and tolerated me… Thank you. I know that there have been times I have been a lot to deal with. I am stubborn and headstrong, but you have all taught me so much. There are those of you who have protected me, from werewolf hunters, from the Ministry, from myself. And I owe you all more than I could ever explain. Thank you for granting me leniency when I’ve broken the rules and allowing me to cry and rage when I’ve needed it. I will never forget any of you, from the Heads of my House, numerous though they were, to those who taught my favourite elective subjects. You’ve shown me what it means to be an adult in the wizarding world, how to be kind, and how to lead by example.
For those of you who are graduating with me… I know you’re likely every bit as anxious as I am. But I hope you are also looking forward to what lies ahead. We are leaving behind the safety of Hogwarts, but we are stepping into a whole new world of adventure. Ahead of us lies unlimited possibility, assuming you all did well on your NEWTs, where we can become anything now. There is nothing holding us back as we step out into the world as adult Wixen. I wish you all luck, safety, and success in whatever you pursue, and invite you for drinks once I’ve gotten settled in a new home. A terribly big adventure awaits us, one I’m ready for and I hope you are too.
All of my love,
Persephone Vitrac
Owl Post Editor 2024-2027
