AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi, guys! This is DillPickle56, and this is my first fanfic on the archive! I have to admit I'm a bit nervous, but it comes with the territory, right? Without giving too much away, this story begins in September 2016 and ends in June 2017. This was originally written a little while ago, so I've had to change a few things, including the year, just to make things a bit more consistent. The story is actually undergoing a full rewrite. I realize that I shouldn't be providing context, but I feel like I have to, for some reason. I don't know.

Anyway, my hope is that you'll enjoy reading this, and please don't be too hard on me in the reviews (I define "too hard" as roasting). If this story deserves any disclaimers, it's that I'm aware that there isn't actually a town called Berk in the United States. Let's just pretend Berk is somewhere in the middle of the US.

Also, I'm going to intentionally keep politics out of this story, not just because I want to respect my readers' opinions, but also to avoid any sort of political arguing in the comments or reviews, whatever you want to call them. This is not a politics club; it's a fan community, and I want it to be treated as such.

Uploads will depend on my schedule, but since I do most of my editing in the cloud and most of my refining in LibreOffice, I don't expect chapters to be too far apart in terms of time. In fact, you can expect to see another story I'm working on pretty soon. It's an AU where Hiccup has an adoptive brother, but there's something very special about him that will remain unspecified until the story progresses. I swapped him with Heather in this fanfic for … no legitimate reason. I'll just make it clear that Hiccup and Heather are actually twins in this one, before anyone gets too confused.

I've wasted enough of your brain cells with all this stuff that you should find out in due time anyway, so let's all relax and start over.

I'm just kidding!

Enjoy, and please review! I may not reply to every review I get, but I will read them, so please review! Stick around for another note at the end of this chapter.

Most people don't know about Berk. We're just like any other town. We have a school, we have a mayor, we have a mall; we have just about everything any other town would have. We don't get a lot of tourists. The only thing that seems to attract outsiders is Berk Lake. Like all other towns, however, we have problems. We have crime here, just like any other place. And what are criminals before they commit crimes? Bullies, normally. At least, I think most criminals nowadays were bullies as kids. Some were bullied.

This is a story about someone who was bullied, but with the help of his friends, rose above … well, I really can't say, because that would spoil the ending. Let's begin with the reason I mentioned criminals…

Thursday September 1, 2016

10:30 AM

Berk PD

Scott Haddock, Captain of the Berk Police Department, stared at his office whiteboard in disappointment. "Still no luck?" he asked.

"None, sir," said Detective Janet Nelson. "All we know is that the MO matches DD in every way. Our big problem is that his fingerprints aren't in our system, so we can't determine whether it was him or not."

"Let's not assume anything yet," said Scott. "So, there were no footprints at the crime scene, and the bullet retrieved from Harold's body was from a handgun. That much we know. Anything on the car our perpetrator was using?"

"We know he stole it on the night of the murder because the car wasn't missing until then," said Janet. "No fingerprints on the steering wheel, suggesting he was wearing gloves. After we got the stolen car report from Mr. Chandler, we sent out a canvas of the area to find the vehicle. From that point, Detective Hofferson pursued the car to Berk Lake Road. The perpetrator crashed the car, and Hofferson pulled over. Hofferson got out of his car, but he didn't have time to draw his gun. He was shot in the heart from long range."

"The bullet came from the same handgun that was used in the other murders with this same MO," said Scott. "It's the same as always with this guy, Janet. And there's another problem. Not only were there no footprints at the scene because of the rain, but there was no evidence of human presence in the surrounding area. If he's hiding in the forest, he's too well hidden for us to find him there."

"What if the killer had another car at the scene, and used it to get away?"

That caught Scott's attention. He looked down at his watch and said, "We'll work on that theory tomorrow. We should all rest up. It's late."

Janet looked over the chief's shoulder, staring into the opposite side of the office window. "I guess there's someone here to see you."

Scott turned towards the open office door and saw Karen Hofferson standing outside. "Karen! I wasn't expecting you. Please, sit down."

"I'm not here for tea, Scott," said Karen, her tone sharp. "My daughter is growing impatient. She wants to know who killed Harold, and so do I!"

"Well, right now, we don't exactly have very many leads," said Scott. "We think this might be a random killing by DD. We've never been able to catch him."

"So, you think he may have just been shot for no reason?"

"That's what it looks like," said Janet. "Everything about the case matches DD's MO completely."

Karen stared blankly at the whiteboard. "Just crime scene photos, evidence, and everything else, but no suspects except some enigma without a mugshot? He may as well not exist."

"But of course he exists!" Scott insisted. "No other serial killer has this calling card. We just haven't found his real name or any sort of identifying information yet."

"You know what? Fine," said Karen. "I'll let you do your investigation. My daughter goes back to school tomorrow, so you'd better do something about this. I don't want her failing the ninth grade because her father was murdered at random!" She stormed out of the office.

Janet sighed. "Sir, it is late. We should go home."

"You're right," said Scott. He excused Janet from the office and took his personal phone out of his pocket. His lock screen read a text message from his wife, Valarie. The kids have gone to bed, and so should you if you want to solve the case with a clear mind.

Scott didn't reply. Instead, he pocketed his phone, turned off his office lights, and started to lock up the place to go home. He said hello to the guard working the night shift and made his way to the parking lot.

8:04 AM

Friday September 2, 2016

Haddock Residence

Harry "Hiccup" Haddock and his sister, Heather Haddock, were getting ready for their school day. Their dad had left early in the morning to get an early start at the police department, and their mom had just said goodbye to them on the way out to her job at the vet. The twins' living situation was kind of awkward. They lived in a two bedroom apartment, so they shared a small bedroom with a bunk bed. Hiccup occupied the lower bunk.

"How are you doing, Hiccup?" asked Heather, sitting on the lower bunk to tie her shoes.

"Snotlout's been bugging me again, but I can handle it," said Hiccup, referring to his cousin Stanley, who was just two months younger than they were.

"'Handle it?'" Heather repeated. "On your own? Hiccup, you've got to realize that he's outright bullying you. The sheer amount of bullying he's done is punishable by suspension."

"I don't want to tell on him, because he'll bully me even more," said Hiccup.

"If that's what you think, how are you going to get him to stop?" asked Heather.

"Why don't you do it, then?" asked Hiccup.

"Because I'd make myself look bad for snitching on Stanley," said Heather.

Hiccup finished tugging his shoe on and said, "Just face it. He won't stop."

"Okay," said Heather. She decided to change the subject. "What about friends? You making any good friends?"

"Nobody new," said Hiccup.

"The best time to make new friends is when school starts, Hiccup," said Heather. "I've already met this dude, Garret. He's funny, but he's kind of introverted; not as much as you, though. You might want to meet him."

"First of all, we're in separate classes," said Hiccup. "Secondly, do you really think I'd make a good first impression? Look at me! I'm clumsy, I've only got one foot, I can barely keep up a good conversation without stuttering, and most importantly, I'm lankier than a scarecrow!"

"Don't talk like that!" said Heather. "Doubting yourself isn't going to help you at all."

"Maybe we should be more focused on the time," said Hiccup. "Look. It's 8:05 right now and it's a ten-minute bike ride to school. We might as well hurry." Before Heather could reply, Hiccup exited the room and headed downstairs.

Unwilling to give up, Heather pulled out her iPhone and opened the Messages app. She scrolled to the name "George Ingerman" and typed, Hey, Fishlegs. Can we meet up at lunch? I need your advice on something. See you then. She sent the text and locked her phone as she got up to leave.

8:21 AM

Berk High School

In front of Berk High School was a large courtyard. Students often used it as a place to congregate and meet with their study groups. At the side of the courtyard opposite the school was the parking lot. The courtyard itself had walkways for students to walk on so their shoes wouldn't get damp from the wet grass in the morning. Benches were littered around the courtyard, one occupied by George "Fishlegs" Ingerman, a freshman. With a phone in hand and a book on his lap, he was typing a reply message to a text he'd received from his best friend's sister.

Sure thing, Heather. I'll be near the grass field. George put his phone back in his pocket and picked up the book he'd been reading. Before he could open it, though, he noticed a familiar blonde figure in front of him, walking on the pathway towards the school. Recognizing the person almost immediately, he stood up from the bench and said, "Astrid?" The girl stopped, but didn't turn around. "Astrid, is that you?"

She turned around and stared blankly at him for a second. "Fishlegs?"

"Yeah! We went to elementary school together!" said George.

"Fishlegs, my goodness!" said Astrid, smiling. "I barely recognized you!"

"I know," said George. "I'm a bit more husky than I used to be."

"Your face is a bit different, too," said Astrid.

"I haven't seen you at all," said George. "Have you not been to school?"

"No," said Astrid. "Remember the shooting on Monday? It was my dad who got…" She stared down at her feet, unable to finish her sentence.

"Oh," said George. "I'm very sorry to hear that. Do they know who did it?"

"No," said Astrid. "But my dad's partner at the police department says she thinks it might have been a serial killer called DD."

They sat on the bench for a few minutes, catching up with each other. After a while, Astrid asked, "Are you guys still getting oriented, or are you already starting to learn stuff?"

"Still getting oriented a bit," said George. "Do you want a tour of the place?"

"No, thanks," said Astrid. "I'd better head over to Math class. What do you have first?"

"Engineering," said George. He looked down at his watch. "Yeah, it's about that time."

8:30 AM

In the Math classroom, Hiccup tried not to look at his cousin, who had just written 'You won't even pass the first week!' on a sticky note on Hiccup's desk. Why didn't they put Heather in my class? he thought to himself. She would speak for me. He pretended not to notice the paper and avoided looking at Stanley.

The classroom door opened behind him and he took a quick glance to see who it was. His friend Jack walked in, followed by a familiar blonde girl with a blue shirt and blue jeans. He quickly turned back, pretending not to notice.

When his math teacher, Mr. Johann, took attendance, Hiccup said, "Here," when his name was called, and was surprised to hear an all too familiar name called after his.

"Astrid?"

"Here."

Hiccup immediately knew who the new blonde girl was. He couldn't remember her last name, but he had gone to elementary school with her. He'd had a childhood crush on her, but had never said anything to her about it. Now, more than ever, he tried his best to ignore her, but he couldn't help staring for a moment. He noticed that she seemed strangely sad.

"You like her?" his table partner, David, whispered.

"She went to elementary school with me," said Hiccup. "And yeah, I kinda do. Not that I'd say it openly to her. That would be creepy."

"You're right," said David. "You should try talking to her, at least."

"No thanks," said Hiccup.

"Your loss, Harry."

Unbeknownst to him, Astrid recognized Hiccup, too. Why is he pretending not to notice me? Doesn't he recognize me? she silently wondered.

12:03 PM

At lunch that day, Heather caught up with Fishlegs and Jack. She sat down next to them at their preferred lunch table.

"Hi, Heather," said Fishlegs. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"It's Hiccup," said Heather. "He refuses to be social in any way. He's just sticking to himself and I don't know what to do to help him make friends."

"I wanted to talk to you about that, too," said Fishlegs.

"I noticed he's been very adamant about being a loner," said Jack. "I wanted to get him to make more friends, but I couldn't think of a way to do it without seeming intrusive to him."

"So, we're on the same page," said Heather. "Are you willing to introduce him to more people?"

"Well, I did notice him gawking at a girl who came into class a bit late today," said Jack. "I've never seen her before."

"Who?" asked Fishlegs.

"Here she comes right now," said Jack, looking up.

Astrid walked over to the table and said, "Hey, Fishlegs. Who's this?"

"Astrid, this is my friend Jack, and this is Heather," said Fishlegs.

"Oh, yeah," said Heather, starting to recognize Astrid. "Astrid. I remember you."

"Yeah," said Astrid. "You're the police chief's daughter, right?"

"Yeah," said Heather. "Jack noticed my brother staring at you in class earlier."

"I remember him from elementary school," said Astrid. She chuckled. "Not a lot's changed, has it?"

"We have to get the two of you to hang out," said Fishlegs. "Maybe that would help remedy some of Harry's social problems."

"It very well might," said Heather. "You wouldn't mind staying for a while after school to meet him, would you?"

"Not at all," said Astrid. "I know he's super shy, but I've wanted to talk to him since this morning."

"That's good," said Jack. "That means Harry might have a new friend already."

"I guess that's settled," said Heather.

3:35 PM

After school that day, Hiccup stayed a while in the engineering class to work on a side project he'd been doing outside his class time. He had been designing a 3D model of a dragon on his MacBook. The dragon was completely black, with a small head and large wings. It looked like a flying reptilian cat. It wasn't very detailed, but he was proud of what he'd accomplished so far. He was working on the wings when he heard the door open and in walked Heather, Fishlegs and, to Hiccup's dismay, Astrid.

"Hey, guys," he said, casually.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," said Fishlegs. "I'm not sure you remember Astrid from elementary school."

"Yeah," said Hiccup. "I do remember. Any particular reason why you're asking?"

"Why did you stare at me and not try to talk to me earlier?" asked Astrid. "You seem like a nice person. If you want to be friends, the first step is talking, not necessarily staring."

"Oh, you noticed?" asked Hiccup, embarrassed by this statement.

"You bet I noticed," said Astrid. "I also noticed back in elementary school."

Hiccup closed his laptop and said, "I thought I would creep you out if you noticed. That's why I stopped."

"Maybe I would have been if we were a bit older at the time," said Astrid. "I thought it was cute."

Red in the face with embarrassment, Hiccup looked for a way to change the subject. Noticing that his sister and Fishlegs were gone, he asked, "Where did Fishlegs and Heather go?"

Astrid looked back and saw that Fishlegs and Heather had left. "Weird," she said. "They introduced us and left."

"That's rude," said Hiccup. He looked down at his phone and noticed it was out of power. "This might sound weird, but can I borrow your phone? Mine's dead and I need to send a text."

"Sure," said Astrid. She unlocked her iPhone and handed it to him.

As Hiccup opened the Messages app, he noticed the home screen picture. "Is that your dad?" he asked.

Astrid hesitated before saying, "Yeah. That was my dad."

Hiccup stopped typing the number and said, "Wait! I recognize him. Was he the police officer who…?"

With a sad, downcast expression on her face, Astrid said, "Yeah. He was the one killed last week."

"Astrid … I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I just want his killer brought to justice." She looked Hiccup in the eyes and said, "Your dad's the police chief, isn't he?"

"He's working the best he can," said Hiccup. "I'll have you know they've been chasing this guy for years."

"My dad never told me about that," said Astrid.

"Perhaps it's because he has a habit of targeting police officers," said Hiccup.

"So he has a personal vendetta against policemen?" asked Astrid.

"That's what my dad told me," said Hiccup, beginning to compose the text message. "Maybe your dad never told you because he didn't want you to be afraid for him, even though you have every right to."

"Not a lot scares me," said Astrid.

"But we're all scared of those we care about getting hurt," said Hiccup. "Every time my dad leaves the house, it could be the very last day I see him. You know there are people out there crazy enough to go after police."

Astrid couldn't think of a way to argue with Hiccup's statement. "Still, I'd like him brought to justice as soon as possible," she said.

"As would I," said Hiccup, handing Astrid's phone back to her, "but it's out of our hands."

"That's what I hate," said Astrid.

"I understand," said Hiccup.

"Do you?" Astrid snapped. How dare he say he understands my pain! she thought.

"More than you think," he said, lifting his left pants leg to reveal a metal and plastic prosthetic limb. Astrid immediately felt a pang of guilt. How could she have been so judgmental towards him? Before she could apologize for her rudeness, Heather walked in and said, "Hiccup, we should go. Mom's texting me."

"Okay," said Hiccup, picking up his laptop to pack into his bag.

"Wait, your nickname is 'Hiccup'?" asked Astrid, starting to laugh.

"Heather, why did you say that?" Hiccup complained. "I hate it when people at school call me that. It's like some dumb joke."

"Would you mind if I called you that?" asked Astrid. "I think it's a cool nickname."

Hiccup blushed and asked, "Do you actually think so?"

"Yeah," said Astrid, following Hiccup and Heather throughout the hallway to the front door.

As they walked out of the school, they passed by a muscular boy with black hair who said, "How's it going, one leg?"

"Dude, would you stop making that joke?" Hiccup grumbled. "It's not funny anymore."

"How does it feel, though?" asked the boy. "You can't even play sports."

"Leave him alone!" said Astrid. "You're being very insensitive! And the sports thing isn't true! There are a lot of amputees and otherwise disabled people who play sports just like anyone else can, so you can't say he can't play sports! He can, and you probably know it!"

"Why so defensive about him all of a sudden?" asked the boy. "Are you dating him or something? 'Cause you could do better." He flexed his muscles.

Astrid promptly punched him in the shoulder and said, "Come on, guys. Give Mr. Bully some time to think about what he just said."

As they walked out to the bike racks, Hiccup said, "Thanks for that, Astrid."

"You're welcome," said Astrid. "For what, specifically?"

"For standing up to Stanley like that," said Hiccup. "No one besides Heather has ever done that."

"Oh," said Astrid. "Well, you're welcome, I guess."

"We should all hang out sometime outside school," said Heather. "We'll talk more later on, okay?"

"Okay," said Astrid. "See you guys later!"

"See you later, Astrid!" said Hiccup. He mounted his bike and started riding away with Heather on his tail.

For once in his life, Hiccup was actually happy to go to school. He'd just made friends with someone he'd only dreamed of talking to. He knew from then on that it was going to be a great year.

Did you enjoy that? I hope so. Stick around, though! Notice this story isn't labeled "Completed". I can't leave you with just an introduction! This is barely the start of it! So many unanswered questions! Who's DD and who's Jack? Well, that's easily answered. Jack's my OC who originated from my other AU that rewrites parts of the original HTTYD plot. Since this is an AU, there will be parallels to the original HTTYD story, but I'll save that for future chapters.

Not interested in a modern AU? That's okay! I've got something else for you! You might like it!

While I'm here, I should probably put some backstory behind this chapter. So, a long time ago, when I was in elementary school, I had a crush on a girl I ate lunch with every day. I never told her this, and she shall remain unnamed on this story. I was so nervous that I might have had to dance with her at a dance event we had at the school in our last year, and I didn't end up with her as a dance partner, which I was relieved to find out, but at the same time kind of sad. When we left elementary school, I didn't see her again until my high school orientation, and I barely recognized her because we'd been to separate middle schools. I had pretty much lost interest in dating and didn't plan to do so until at least after graduation, but I still like her. I didn't get to hang out with her much in high school because we were always in separate classes, but we talked. That's pretty much where the basis of this story ends. Hiccup and Astrid are completely separate entities from what this girl and I were in school. If you guys think the shipping comes a little too fast in the later chapters, I understand, but the shipping started a little abruptly in the movie too, which is a discussion I'll save for my other story that I'll post later on.

My name is DillPickle56, and I'll see you soon! Bye!