The soft winds of summer shook the tall grass outside of the small country home. The blue skies held only a few clouds, and the small garden flourished in the midday sun. The small house was the only sign of life in this part of the Germanic countryside.
The building was not much. A two bedroom, one bathroom hut that miraculously had running water. The kitchen was tiny, but functional, and the living room held nothing but a couch and a few bookshelves. The walls, however, were anything but mundane. They were covered in paintings of butterflies and daisies. There were constellations painted on the ceiling and trees of all sorts adorning the bannisters.
Inside, a small, blonde girl was sitting in the front room of the house, entertaining herself with a chameleon. The little reptile would change into vivid colors: pink, purple, a light shade of blue. The small child would giggle with glee each time. Finally, the chameleon changed into a polka-dotted pattern, and the girl shrieked with laughter. As she did, she heard the door slam shut.
"Flower, are you alright?!"
Rapunzel covered her mouth, and then motioned to Pascal to hide. The long-haired girl quickly sprang up, and ran to her mother.
"I'm fine mother!" She called in a sing-song voice as she rounded the corner. She ran up to the elder woman. Mother Gothel held out her arms and picked Rapunzel up. She swung her around in a circle and then promptly set her down.
"My dear flower, could you be a bit less...excitable? I was fairly worried."
Rapunzel looked down in guilt. "I'm sorry, mama. I was playing with Pascal."
Gothel looked down at the girl with a bit of disgust. " That slimy reptile? Rapunzel, please. You could do far better than some green, scaly-"
"SMASH!"
Gothel quickly pushed the blonde girl down and grabbed an odd looking piece of wood out of her sleeve. She pointed it at the window from whence the crash had come. It was eerily quiet for a moment, and the suspense almost brought the poor, young child to tears.
"Rapunzel," Gothel whispered. "Stay right here."
The girl nodded, and Gothel walked slowly towards the window. With caution, she put her hand on the latch, and ever so delicately undid the hook. The woman opened the window, and as soon as she did, she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She turned to face Rapunzel, and…
"WHOOSH!"
Gothel fell flat on her face, her sharp nose digging into the hardwood floor. Soon after she had fallen face first, she heard a sharp shriek. It was soon after followed by the loud laughter. Gothel stood up quickly, and ran to the child, only to find her being affectionately nuzzled by a very large owl.
"Mother, mother, look! I got some mail!"
Gothel paled considerably. This wasn't possible. The wards, the charms, the spells… They couldn't find them, she had thought…
'Mother, what's a Hogwarts?"
"Merida! MERIDA! Merida, I swear, if ye don't get back here right now..!"
The yelling fell on deaf ears, as the curly, red-headed daughter of the Minister hid behind a large chest in the left-wing hallway. As soon as her mother was out of sight, Merida ran to the stables, giggling the whole way.
"Hah! Me mum thinks me to be a wee lady," she said to herself. "I'll be no such thing, I won't."
She swiftly saddled Angus, her trusty, beautiful steed. The red head knew she had to act swiftly, or her mother would surely find her. As soon as she had finished with the leather latches, Merida grabbed her trusty bow. It was a lovely evening for target practice, after all.
As soon as she swung her leg over the horse, she heard the clicking of her mother's heeled boots.
"Merida, ye best not be in those damned stables again!"
"Go, Angus, go!" She said rather forcefully. The horse seemed slightly annoyed with the command, shaking its head at the girl.
"Merida, I'm giving ye ta the count of three. One…"
Her mother's shadow was outlined in the stairwell. Merida growled and glared at her horse again. "Ye stupid horse! Get yer stupid hooves in gear, will ye..!"
"...twooo…."
Angus huffed, obviously upset with his rider. However, with a few more kicks to the gut, the clydesdale responded, and slowly began to gallop off into the forest. It was just in time, anyway, as Merida's mother saw the shadow of a horse leave the stables.
"MERIDAAAA!"
The young girl laughed as her mother faded into the distant blur of the castle. She felt the breeze flow through her tangled heap of hair and the distinct feeling of freedom puffed in her chest. She began to shoot at the targets so strategically placed throughout the forest.
"SCHWACK!"
The first target shattered. It was just as so, right at her eye level and dreadfully close to the path. The easiest to hit by far.
"SCHWACK!"
The second target was hardly any more difficult. Sure it was higher up, but Merida was practically a professional.
"SCHWACK!"
This target was a significantly more troublesome, but Merida's practice was paying off. The round chunk of wood shattered under her bow's might.
Merida was about to drawback another arrow when she saw something glow. She stopped Angus immediately to observe the oddity.
Her horse backed away, but Merida urged him forward. There was something about the glow that called to her. They trotted over, the large horse obviously wary.
"Oh mah, Angus," Merida whispered in awe. "I think, I think it's a wisp."
Angus backed away, not willing to get any closer. Merida, on the other hand, was fairly enamoured with the magical creature. She hopped off her horse and slowly walked over to it. Something inside of her was drawn to it.
"Mah goodness, yer a beautiful little glow, aren't ye?" She attempted to touch it, but it quickly disappeared. Behind it, however, came another one…
...and another one…
...and yet another one.
Soon enough, there was a line of the wisps, and Merida was immediately intrigued. She ran after the wisps, and Angus, though frightened, ran after her. It took them deeper into the forest than either of them had gone before.
Finally, the pair reached a clearing. The wisps had disappeared, and Merida and Angus were left in the ever-darkening forest. Angus huffed, and Merida looked fairly disappointed.
"Oh, so this is mah fate?! It's this stupid clearin'?!"
Merida growled, certainly unhappy about things. However, she suddenly heard a small noise.
"Croohhh…"
The strange, animalistic sound was coming from the middle of the clearing. Merida cautiously walked over to it. As she stalked towards it, the sound became more and more desperate. The redhead finally came upon the source, and it was fairly displeasing.
It was an injured owl.
Merida picked the poor thing up ever so carefully. Just from the looks of it, the owl was certainly not one of her father's. Her dad did always show favoritism towards the tawny owls, and this was most definitely one of the barn variety. Oddly enough, it seemed to have a letter strapped to its claws.
Merida Dunbroch
Horse Stables at Dunbroch Manor
Scottish Highlands
Merida almost shrieked in happiness. It was her Hogwarts letter! Ohh, her mother and father would be so proud!
However, something was bothering her. How did her owl end up all the way out here? And injured no less? This didn't look like a common injury. In fact, it almost looked as if someone had deliberately hurt the poor thing.
Suddenly, a sour wind blew in, and a wolfish howl was heard even deeper in the forest. Merida shivered, and Angus whined. There was a definite uneasiness to the forest, something that not even Merida had felt before.
"Angus, uh, I think it's time ta go."
The horse couldn't agree more, and with the inured owl in tow, the two set off for the manor.
"Absolutely not! Jack, this must be some sort of joke!"
Jack Frost was on the verge of tears. "Mom, it can't be a joke! Nobody trains owls to deliver mail just for some sort of prank! It has to be real! It would explain everything!"
His mother fell onto the sofa. She seemed absolutely distraught. First, her husband leaves her and her children without warning, then Jack gets stuck with, well, whatever this is! She couldn't handle anymore of this.
"Jack, I'm so sorry, but-"
Suddenly, a sturdy knock came to the door.
Jack's mother looked at him with a wistful gleam in her eye. She walked up to the door, and opened it every so slightly. "Yes, who is it?"
Jack slumped deeper into the chair, expecting it to be one of his mother's many clients. However, what he expected, and what he received, were two fairly different things. Instead of some snooty woman demanding some sort of jewelry polishing, he saw a large, white bearded man.
"Ah, You must be Mrs. Frost! You look exactly like your dear grandmother! I knew her well. She was quite scary woman, no?"
Mrs. Frost looked rather frightened by the large, Russian man with tattoos running up his arms. He looked as if he could crush a table with a single hand. The huge man sat on their couch, almost seemingly breaking it. Jack took in a breath, afraid of what he might do next.
"Uhm, I'm rather confused. You said your name was North? Sir, what do you want?"
"Oh yes, yes! I am ever procrastinating! Bunny is right, but don't tell him I told you!" The large man laughed. North, huh. What a strange name. Jack could've sworn he'd…
...Wait a minute.
Jack began to beam at the large man. "You're….You're…!"
"Ah, yes. Finally you recognize the name! I was wondering if you had actually read letter!" North bellowed, a wondrous gleam in his eyes. He stood up and faced Jack's mother.
"Mrs. Frost! I am North, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! I have come to invite Jack to study!"
The poor woman paled considerably, and it almost seemed as if she would faint. She sat down, looking at the large man in somewhat disbelief.
"..But...but, uh…"
"Ah, I see! You require demonstration! Very well, very good! I am happy to accommodate!" The burly man brought out a large wooden stick covered in intricate carvings. It was a lighter wood, but not one Jack had seen before. North waved it, and suddenly it began to snow inside the small apartment.
Jack looked up in wonder, thrilled that the magic was as real as he had believed. "Woooaaahhhh…."
His mother, still slightly frightened, turned to look at her son. She could only see happiness in the boy's face, and she hadn't seen such a thing since...well…
"This is amazing mom! You have to let me go! I have to learn how to do that!"
Jack jumped straight off the chair he had been sitting in and ran over to his mother. He hugged her. "Please mom, please!"
The woman looked at the man sitting across from her, his burly arms crossed in glee. Her young son was bouncing up and down in anticipation of her answer. Mrs. Frost's head began to spin. This was all so sudden, all so new. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it all.
"I...well, I...I'm just curious I suppose. I just can't seem to understand how you...well, how he...I…"
"Mrs. Frost," North said, looking at her directly. "I know this can be shocking, but really, is best for boy. He is very strong young man, and with strength comes training. I promise, there are many other parents who feel same way, but in end, they know is best for child. I will give time to sort things out, but a decision must be made."
Jack's mother sighed. "I understand, but I will need time to think this over. I'm just not sure that I-"
Suddenly, a short figure burst through the front door. "I HEARD MY GRANDSON HAS GOTTEN HIS LETTER!"
Everyone in the living room jumped. Jack ran behind his mother, and North pulled out his wand. However, the woman who had let herself in didn't look like much of a threat. She was a short old thing, barely reaching the five foot mark. She had dark grey hair and emerald eyes. Her face was riddled with wrinkles.
"Grandma?!" Mrs. Frost squeaked. "Wha...What are you doing here?"
"Well I certainly wasn't going to miss an old friend glomping around the neighborhood, especially when he's visiting for such a special occasion!" The elderly woman walked up to Jack and brought him into a rather uncomfortable hug.
"Ohhhh, my boy's gonna be a wizard!"
Mrs. Frost walked over to her son and grandmother, looking rather upset. "Grandma, what's going on here?! And put Jack down!"
As she began to lay into the elderly woman, North managed to slip into the kitchen and take out a small coin. He muttered a simple spell, and suddenly, the coin began to speak.
"So, did it work? Did she convince him?"
"Well, not quite. She's just getting started!" North let out a hefty laugh.
"Well she'd better hurry," the voice said, the Australian accent riddled with worry."I dunno if Tooth told you yet, but the redhead's owl was hit by some sort of spell. We're lucky she wandered and found it, but that just proves that these kids are already in danger."
North growled. "Tell Tooth to keep a close eye. I already heard from Sandy, and he had nothing to report. Any luck with the viking?"
"Well, not really. See, I've mostly been trying to keep myself from lighting on fire, which is a bit hard when you're surrounded by bloody dragons, North. I'll let you know once I find him."
"Well be quick." The hefty Russian stated. "We need to get to all these children. They are already in grave danger."
The freezing wind bit at the the small boy's nose as he shifted his way through the forest. He barely avoided the sticks and stones that threatened to send him reeling headfirst. He had to keep going.
"Come on, come on, just a little further…" He whispered to himself. The young one could hear yelling and shouting right behind him. The dragons were acting up again, and what a better opportunity to escape than now?
He barely missed another branch as he stumbled down the hill. Just a few more steps and…
...there he was.
The boy could see the outline of the black reptile long before he walked down to the cliff. He ran down there as fast as he could, and promptly shook the dragon awake.
"Toothless, Toothless! We have to go. We have to get you out of here!" The boy tried to move the dragon, but to no avail. The dragon growled.
"What is it, Hiccup? I was napping."
"Toothless," the boy said nervously. " The letter, it came. I can't go there, I can't… That will leave you here and I… I don't wanna go."
The dragon huffed. "You know, young one, I took care of myself long before you came along, and we knew this day would come sooner or later."
"It's not you I'm so worried about. If anyone found out that I could talk to you and the others, they'd think I'm…they'd find out she…" Hiccup shivered at the thought. He began to unpack the saddle and clip it to Toothless. The large reptile stretched his wings, and looked at the smaller of the two with a sad glint in his green eyes.
"Very well, if you believe that's best. Do you have everything?"
"I do. Let's-"
"Hiccup! Hiccup! Hurry, split up. Certainly he couldn' ave gone far! Hiccup!" The young boy shivered in fear. It was Stoick, and if he found Toothless…
"I...I have to go." Hiccup jumped off the dragon's back, and Toothless looked at him in confusion.
"I thought we were leaving."
"We can't with Stoick this close." Hiccup sighed. "I'll lead him away and we can try again tomorrow night."
The large dragon grumbled something about waking up for nothing as Hiccup ran up the hill. He could see Stoick's bright red beard, and if he ran just right…
"Dad!" Hiccup yelled and ran up to him.
"Hiccup!" The large man yelled in delight and slight exhaustion. "I've been looking all over for ye. What happened?"
"I...uh… I got lost." Hiccup lied. Lies weren't really his strong suit, but he was hoping that it might work this one time. Fortunately for him, Stoick wasn't exactly in the mood for twenty questions. The large man nodded with conviction, and began to carry him back to the village. Hiccup, already tired of being seemingly weak, was a bit upset at the thought of being carried.
"I can walk on my own."
"You walking around somehow makes trouble appear. I"ll not have ye destroying us before I get a full night's rest."
Stoick waved to the other vikings as they returned to their respective huts in the village. The large man looked at his son and shook his head. As he opened the door, he began to lecture Hiccup.
"Listen, Hiccup," Stoick sighed as he walked in and sat down in a huge yak skin arm chair. "I know ye want to tame the dragons, believe me I do. It's just...ye haven't received yer letter yet, and I haven't seen any accidental magic. It's high time we start thinking about the possibility that your a squib, and I-"
"Dad," Hiccup interrupted." I just got-"
"Son, please," Stoick said harshly. "This is serious! I know yer struggling with it, but-"
"Dad, but I-"
"Hiccup!" Stoick stood up angrily. Why couldn't…
"Croooohh."
Stoick heard the foreign noise and instinctively grabbed his wand to point in the direction. "Sectum-"
"Dad, no!" Hiccup ran in front of his father to block the spell. Stoick looked behind his son, wondering exactly what he had gotten into this time, when he saw behind him a small owl with a bandage wrapped around its claw.
Stoick looked confused. The younger boy sighed, and then walked over to the owl. "This is a Tawny owl. She was hit by a few pieces of hail on her way here, and I'm trying to patch her up before she makes her trip back."
"Where did she come from?" Stoick asked, confused. Most people never sent owls this far north. Usually people just sent messages from the mainland through Trader Johann.
"Well, actually, she came from Scotland. She was trying to deliver this."
Hiccup handed his father a slightly yellow envelope with a crest he immediately recognized. Stoick gasped, and it was silent for a moment. The boy became more so nerve-wracked by the second.
"Are…are you mad?"
Stoick looked at his son, something nostalgic in his eyes. He then scooped his son into a bone crushing hug, and he chuckled.
"It seems as if ye are yer mother's son after all."
It was quiet for a moment, and just as Hiccup was about to open his mouth, a knock came at the door. The two broke their embrace, and Hiccup went to open it. When he did, his jaw dropped. There, in the flesh, was a pooka with grey fur that was covered in scorch marks. Stoick and Hiccup looked speechless, and the pooka chuckled.
"Uh, hello. Congratulations on your Hogwarts letter, Hiccup. I'm Aster Bunnymund, the, uh, Care of Magical Creatures professor. Would you mind if I came in for a spot and patched myself up? I suppose apparating into the Monstrous Nightmare den wasn't exactly the best idea."