The room was quiet in the specific way that genuine appreciation produced — not awkward, just full, the weight of something true landing properly.
"Go home," Henrik said. "Rest. Be with the people who matter to you. Come back ready for spring term, because the Inter-House Competition is going to ask a great deal of those of you participating, and the rest of this academic year will continue asking a great deal of everyone, regardless of participation status." He paused. "But for now — go home, and be people who aren't constantly managing crisis, for a little while. You've earned that too."
The class dispersed with the specific lightness that came after a difficult term's genuine conclusion, the relief and gratitude and exhaustion all present simultaneously in the way they tended to be at exactly this point in an academic calendar.
