It’s quite surreal to have arrived at the end of my 7th year here at HOL. Back in 2013 when I first signed up (back in the mists of time where signups were only open for a narrow window every year so just getting in was an adventure), I’m not sure I even considered that I would have made it to this point. And yet, here we are.
It’s incredible to think that I’ve been a member of HOL longer than I was at university. Partly that sense of unreality is because I’ve only been truly active in the community since 2016. Prior to that, I was an incredibly shy and retiring student who did her homework and not much else (what do you mean you find that hard to believe?). When Prof. Amy Lupin offered me my first job as part of the HOL Book Club, I was sure she wanted to talk to me because I’d broken some kind of rule. My involvement took off after that: I organised activities, became a Gryffindor prefect, a chat operator and eventually even Head Student. It’s pretty dizzying, now that I think back to where I began. What is even more remarkable though is the number of people from all over the world I can now call my friends. Those friendships won’t show on my profile like my awards or points totals but they’re the real legacy of my time as a student.
I’ll be very sad to let my HS and prefect duties go. I love my jobs and it has been a real honour to represent not just Gryffindor but the entire school. . There will be other jobs though: I’m certainly not going to sit and twiddle my thumbs after graduation. I’ll be busy enough. And there are definite upsides to having finished my career as a student. While I enjoy classes, the idea of being free of homework is exhilarating, at least for now.
I think what might be at the root of my sadness is that this is sort of the end of my journey as ‘a Hogwarts student’. Irrational as it sounds, something will change once I graduate and it will be even harder to imagine myself as an excited first year in the great hall than it already is. I’m certainly not 17 anymore: I’d have long since left Hogwarts if it really existed. And still, there’s a certain level of real melancholy here, a little like shutting the last Harry Potter Book after the first time you finished reading it. You can revisit all the past adventures but there’s still nothing that will replace the thrill of doing it all for the first time.
That being said, there’s a lot to look forward to (and I don’t just mean never having to fill out another fill-in-the-blank again). The things I love about HOL aren’t going anywhere. I’ll still be able to spend time with my friends, help new students navigate the corridors and organise fun things for everyone to do. Unlike a real Hogwarts student, I don’t have to leave the castle and the people in it behind. My titles, positions and duties might change but not the important things: how much I care for the people here and how much I love to make them happy. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my time here, it’s that the old HOL motto had it right. Friendship really is the strongest magic.
People often ask me how to ‘do well’ at HOL. As cliché as it sounds, you do well by doing what you love. Find what brings you joy here and go for it. For me, that’s been serving the community and it’s that enjoyment that has led me to achieve all the things I have. I won’t say every second has been a barrel of laughs (far from it) but at bottom, I did it all because I liked it. Even though I’m sad my student journey has come to an end, I’m still so happy for what lies behind and ahead.
HOL is meant to be a magical escape. Never let the scramble for house points or the weight of responsibilities make you forget that. As I board the Hogwarts Express for the final time as a student, my only piece of advice for you is simple. Always remember to have fun.