A/N: So... This is my new story. I really hope you like.
So... I'm going to keep talking a little long cuz I'm almost to 3,000 words... doo do do... *whistles Pink Panther*. AAAAAANNNNDDD The duck walked up to the lemonade stand and he said to the man running the stand: "HEY! Bum Bom Bum. Got any grapes?"
3,000!
So here is the first chapter, just like I promised. Merida's thick accent won't be so thick in the dialogue, and if you guys are wondering where Repunzel and Jack Frost are, they will make an appearance in the next chapter. Please tell me what you think. I also don't have a name for Merida's dragon, and I need one desperately.
PLEASE PEOPLE HELP ME OUT WITH A NAME, I BEG OF THEE. lol yeah. so... I guess here it is.
Okay so some of you were confused earlier. This might clear it up. In this story, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second was the first dragon rider, and now that the Hiccup we know is here, everyone knows and loves dragons. This is a Big Four Story. The time is set before even Tom Riddle was born... Seven years to be exact. So Dumbledore is maybe 40
Chapter 1: Unsatisfied
"Mum! Just leave meh hair alone." I whined, groaning. Mom would always try her hardest to tame the fiery locks that made up my hair.
"Merida. Ye know ye need te look yer best for the sorting! We have to figure out how ye will wear yer hair." The queen said persistently. I groaned. "Lets try something new! Let's see if we can braid it. It's certainly long enough."
With a flick of her wand, mom actually made my hair into a neat yet carefree braid down the side. Other than a few stray hairs poking out, it didn't pull my scalp, and it didn't feel too orderly for my taste. For once, my mother got something right. I ran to look in the mirror, my bare feet slapping the stone floor in a hurry. I stared at myself. My hair was still a bit wild on the top, but the bottom was pulled away from my face. The little curl on my forehead was sticking out, just the way I liked it. I... loved it.
"Mum... How did ye do that?" I ran my fingers over the simple braid.
"Just a flick of the wand, dear. Ye can practice when we get yer wand!" She flicked her wand again, and my hair was back to the tangled mass it was before. I grinned. I couldn't wait to get my wand. "Just remember, no magic around yer father. He doesn't believe in it." Mom gave me a knowing look, then walked out of my room.
"Mum?" I called after her. Her head appeared from the side of the door frame, making me giggle.
"Yes?"
"When do I go to Diagon Alley?" I asked excitedly.
"First thing in the morning, dear." She smiled. "Remember, yer father thinks we're going for a two-day camping trip. Don't tip him off, okay?" She came over to the side of my bed and patted it, gesturing for me to get under the covers.
"Okay, mum." I giggled, jumping on the bed once before mom pulled me down and tickled me to the point where I was hiding under the covers. She smiled warmly, kissing my forehead.
"Goodnight, Merida. I love you." She blew out the candle beside my bed before turning to walk out the door.
"Mum?"
"What is it now, ye wee lass?" she sighed, walking back over to my bed.
"Will Hiccup be coming too?" I asked hopefully. We used to play together all the time when we were little, when he would come to visit from the lowlands. Now we would be going to the same school. He was a year older than me, but he was smaller, and I enjoyed teasing him about it. Mom chuckled.
"Yes, Hiccup will be comin' with us. He'll be givin' us a ride to Diagon Alley... or, rather, you. I'll be goin' to get yer... present from Hiccup's father while you two find yer way around. I hear the caretaker for Hogwarts will be showing a few new students around to get their things, you can just join them. Remember to act lady-like." Mom smiled. I almost jumped up in excitement. Dad and Hiccup's father had a signed contract years ago way before either of us were born, and they had been war buddies ever since, so naturally Hiccup and I would be friends as well.
"Now can I go to bed ye little devil?" Mom asked. I giggled.
"Yes, Mum." I smiled real big for her, pretending to act innocent.
"You two keep yourselves out of trouble now, ye hear? We don't want another... 'incident' like last time do we?" She asked accusingly. I smiled mischievously. Hiccup and I had gotten into a bit of trouble last time he came over. Well, it wasn't really our faults. We just kinda stumbled onto a Nadder nest, and... well... you can probably figure out the rest.
"I'll keep Hiccup out of trouble, mum." I smiled. She chuckled.
"I'm sure you will. Goodnight my dear." She smiled, walking out the door and blowing out the last candle. I smiled in anticipation for the day to come. I wondered what Hiccup was going to bring. We each brought a gift for each other every time we met up.
Last time he brought me a drawing of myself and him riding my horse, which I still kept tucked in a secret drawer. He charmed the picture to actually move, so it looked like he was falling off the horse and I kept pulling him up. Sometimes they would wave at me, and it reminded me of how much I missed the little dork. Being around him was fascinating, as all nerds were fairly interesting, so he was almost never boring.
I quietly snuck out of my bed, slipping into my sneaking-around shoes. These kept my feet from making the noisy slapping and pattering sound against the smooth stone floor. I smiled as I pulled out the nightlight candle, then creeped out into the hallway to light it on one of the fancy decorative candles standing elegantly in place. When I got back in, I sat down quietly at my desk where mom makes me practice my penmanship. I sat the candle just right to where it would shine light on my acceptance letter, which had been there since it flew in by Terror transportation. I smiled, looking at the two pages that I had now learned by heart.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss. Dunbroch,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
Dragons: A Rider's Guide
by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students will NOT bring their own riding saddle, they will be provided
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad OR a SMALLdragon
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK OR THEIR OWN RIDING DRAGON UNTIL THEIR SECOND YEAR
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
I hoped so much that Hiccup would bring me a dragon. I wanted one soooo bad. They were obviously the best pet that anyone could have, and Hiccup had the best of all those. The Nightfury. He was able to shrink him using a shrinking spell, and that would make him the size of a house cat, that way he could carry him anywhere he wanted... well, his dad could. But when his dad wasn't around, he did it himself using only his hands.
Reducio. That was the spell. He had gotten pretty good at it, too. I could only imagine how good he'd be when he got his wand. Oh a wand! How amazing would it be when I finally got one?
I reached down into the hidden drawer that I kept the gift for Hiccup in. I had carved a mini Toothless out of wood, and I had practiced transforming it into glass, then to charm it to move. I took it out, smiling. I admired my handy work. I was good with turning things into other things. It was clear, smooth, and not choppy at all. It looked up at me innocently like Toothless would always do. I had also asked mom to put an unbreakable charm on it. I smiled, tiptoeing back to my bed, blowing out the light as I did so. I put the gift under my pillow before crawling into bed. I laid down on my stomach, my head turned to the side, my arms under my pillow and my legs sprawled out. This was the most comfortable position as far as I could tell, though mom always told me to sleep on my side, curled up. She said more lady-like to sleep on my side. I sighed. Being a lady was such a bore. I wanted adventure. And I hoped that was what I was going to get come morning.
.*.
"MERIDA! Wake up ye wee fool! Hiccup is here! An' what are ye doin' sleepin' like that? Oh if yer mum found out..." A familiar voice shouted. My eyes widened and I rolled out of bed in excitement. I jumped up immediately, falling on the maid's toes, and getting to my feet to scramble into my blue dress that mum had insisted that I wear. I sighed mentally as I rushed into it. One of these days...
Ow! Curse that dress!
I gave up trying to put the blasted thing on, and ran to my closet to find my green dress instead of the blue. The green was more comfortable, and I loved the way it actually fit instead of the tight as heck blue.
"Merida! Ye know yer mum won't like that..."
"She won' see it anyway! I'll change before I come back." I said excitedly, grabbing the dress to get it fitted later. Mum wouldn't even notice... "Ye better not tell her. Ye know I'll get me revenge later, Maudie." The maid quickly shut her trap. She knew, even though I was only ten, that I had my ways. I grabbed Hiccup's gift and rushed out of the room with my soon to be filled bag.
I rushed out of the castle to see... Whoa.
The most beautiful Monstrous Nightmare I had ever seen was gazing back at me with calm eyes. It's scales were light blue, some places green, and it had red and orange accents all over, like a blue fire. It's eyes we're a blue-green, like mine, and it lit up it's fire like my fiery red hair. It was only the size of a house cat, and something told me that Hiccup had shrunken it down.
"Do you like him?!" came an awkward voice from the forest. I laughed.
"Of course! He's wonderful!" I shouted in excitement as I went to touch the little guy. He sniffed my hand calmly, then blew a little smoke on it to tell me that I could pet him. As my hand touched his head, he gave a deep purring sound. I smiled, giggling. Hiccup immediately tripped out of the forest, stumbling over his own feet, then tried to right himself. He had leaves all in his hair and he was covered in mud. I snorted, then, my hand over my mouth, started into a laughing fit. Toothless was pretty big at the moment, so when he jumped out of the forest to pick Hiccup up by the boot, I actually dropped to the ground, falling right on my face. That still did not make the laughing fit stop. Toothless's wide eyes questioned in innocence if he had done something wrong, and Hiccup was waving his gangly arms back and forth trying to get him to drop him. That made it all the more hilarious, and by the time I had calmed myself, Hiccup, Toothless, and my new dragon were all staring at me, waiting for it to end. I chuckled one last laugh, exhausted, then sat up on the ground.
"So, how's yer life?" we all just stared at each other before we burst into a laughing fit together. When we had all calmed down, with my new dragon on my shoulder, I walked to Hiccup in exhaustion, then handed him the gift. His eyes lit up as he saw the glass Toothless, that, now that I looked at him in person, looked almost exactly like him.
"How did you do this?" he asked, amazed. I shrugged.
"Well, I carved it out of wood first, then used a Transfiguration spell te turn it into glass, then charmed it te move."
His eyes widened.
"And you did it without a wand?"
"Well... yeah. I guess. It's not that big of a deal. Ye use shrinking and growing spells all the time."
"Yeah but they aren't very complicated like this is." he admired the glass Toothless, his green eyes fascinated.
"Nah, I can't do those spells. Eh, anyways, what house do ye want te be in? I'm hoping fer Gryffindor." I smiled.
"I think... well, maybe Ravenclaw, but my dad will kill me if I don't get Gryffindor." he frowned.
"Don' worry, Hiccup, yer dad won' be able te get ye 'till they let ye out fer winter break. Besides, if yer in Gryffindor, we can be prefects together later." I smiled. That was enough to cheer him up at least a little bit. He smiled awkwardly, then Toothless picked him up by the arm and put him on his back... wait... "How did ye loose yer leg?" I asked curiously. His face paled.
"Dragon attack." His eyes wouldn't meet mine, and I decided not to push it. I nodded. The silence was uncanny for a few moments before Hiccup spoke up again. "Are you ready to get your wand?" His face lit up in excitement. Wands: the most amazing things in the world, and one was about to be mine. I jumped up and down in delight.
"Yeah!"
"I wonder what kind I'm going to get. I'm hoping for a dragon heartstring core. You'll probably get the Phoenix Feather. I heard the wood used to make it made a big difference in the wand's personalities, and-" He rambled on and on about the different woods used to make it, and soon my eyes glazed over with me just staring off into space. The one time he had to be boring... "aaaaaand I lost you, didn't I?"
"Yep, okay let's go. Can ye grow me dragon?" I asked. Hiccup shook his head.
"You don't have a saddle yet..." he blushed. "Sorry, but -ahem- your mom insisted that I don't bring you one." He got on Toothless steadily. Dragon Riding was the one thing that he wasn't awkward about. I mean he was amazing at riding Toothless and dragon training, but I hadn't even gotten my saddle... Ooooh mom was so mean. Just because I wasn't supposed to ride until my fifth year... but Hiccup got his saddle when he was eight! I formed a pout, stomping up with my new dragon on my shoulder. I sighed when I climbed on behind Hiccup. He gave me a sentimental look before taking off.
I didn't need sympathy. I needed a saddle.
I closed my eyes as I felt the rush of wind over my face, and I knew I had to hang on, so I grabbed the saddle. I knew Hiccup would be either embarrassed or awkward if I held onto his waist. I didn't think a thing of it, but last year I had pulled that stunt and we had both ended up crashing into a lake, and I had no desire to repeat it.
I needed to name my dragon, but I had no idea what. I also needed a saddle ror my dragon, but I couldn't just get one. They had to be made especially for the person and dragon's matched shape. I sighed. Well, all wasn't down the drain. Hiccup was here right? That meant we were bound to run into some trouble.