Author's Note: This will be a Jackunzel and Mericcup story, but relationships will not be explored until Year 4: The Frozen Core.
Merida was home with her mother. They had spent three months together at London after Merida returned from Hogwarts. It was the perfect schedule, as almost every day was sunny and warm for her to go outside. The only days when she couldn't were when her mother wanted to educate her about her family and Dunbroch's history. If her mother was so eager to mentor her about Dunbroch, why did they have to move in the first place? It wasn't like the demon bear, Mor'du, was waiting for them. Their father would've told them about the bear if he encountered it the second time.
Today was different. Merida wasn't outside because it was raining. She didn't mind the rain, but her mother wouldn't allow her daughter getting sick. She recently gave birth to triplets, who are now under the care of Maudie. Merida was now wondering who was taking over as the matron at Hogwarts. It had better not be someone who'd report all injuries to the patient's parents.
The triplets—Harris, Hubert, and Hamish—were very quiet. They've had their few moments that kept Merida awake all night. But in general, they were silent, usually sleeping all day. But her mother always told Merida that the quietest were usually the biggest troublemakers when they grew up. They had curly red hair, like Merida and her father. They were definitely more like their father though, while Merida knew she was a lot like her mother, despite their differences.
Their father, Fergus, was home today, getting ready to leave as soon as Merida commenced her second year at Hogwarts. However, word got out that Merida faced a Dusk Droid last March. Elinor was worried that things would become worse; the only one to convince her to allow Merida to resume next year was Fergus. He had told her to let their daughter grow up like how they did. The two parents would've wanted for their daughter to be a witch. In eleven years time, they'd have another three wizards to add to the family. If Elinor found out Merida fought the robot with her friends and barely made it out alive, things would've ended differently in that debate. At least the most convincing rumour was the one Lunar requested them to tell. Instead of them taking out that robot, it was Xander who did it instead.
"Merida, how many times have I told you that you cannot bring your bow to Hogwarts!" They've been through this argument many times already. When Merida spoke about her bow, her mother would remember what her daughter did to disobey her. She made it loud and clear, but Merida always rebelled.
"Mum, there's no rule about not having to bring weapons! You remember the Dusk Droid? If I never brought my bow, my friend would've died," said Merida. She scrunched her eyebrows together and left the room. She wasn't going to waste her time with this again.
The door slammed and Elinor sat down on the armchair in the living room, massaging her temples. "Stubbornness. It's entirely from your side," said Elinor.
Fergus was chuckling. She always blamed him for Merida's arrogance.
"Let her be. Fighting is essential at a time like this," said Fergus, sitting on the couch beside her.
"A time like this? I don't want my daughter being part of a war!" stated Elinor.
"I never said a war. Besides, if the students won't fight, then who will? Merida's lucky that the Slytherin boy stopped the robot."
Elinor did not answer. Fergus was always talking about charisma and being a good influence to the people they led. If Fergus wasn't influential, the other clans—MacGuffin, Macintosh, and Dingwall—wouldn't have joined him into working for the Ministry. They've had their good times working all over Scotland, taking out dangerous beasts and sharing the same scars; it's what kept them together all those years after the feud.
"Why was she sorted into Slytherin? Our daughter is better than that!" complained Elinor. The one thing Elinor and Fergus disliked the most during their time at Hogwarts was that good-for-nothing house called Slytherin. Now their daughter's part of it, and they should now consider changing their perspectives. Though, Fergus had already done that last year.
During the seven years of Merida's parents' time at Hogwarts, conflicts between the houses were prominent, especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin. These days the feud had ended and the only bad things were fights about blood purity. It could happen between any house.
The fireplace started cracking and the firewood twitched. A puff of embers suspended in the air and Elinor and Fergus watched the flames. A face appeared and it was Tsar Lunar's. He was using the fireplace as a form of communication, since it was connected to the Floo Network. The Dunbroch's fireplace didn't allow transportation, only speaking via the fireplace was allowed. They didn't want an intruder breaking into the place.
"Tsar Lunar! What brings you here… unannounced." Fergus got up and stood behind Elinor. They were always afraid of bad news. He rested both his hands on her shoulders.
"My apologies, Your Majesties. I have an important message to the King of Dunbroch," said Tsar.
"Aye, he is here." Fergus said, leaning over Elinor.
"You have a new assignment. For many years you've scouted the wilderness around Scotland, Wales, and England. This year will be a little bit different. I want you and your troops to begin a reconnaissance around Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts?!" exclaimed Elinor. "Is something wrong there?"
"Nothing at the moment. You are fully aware of the Dusk Droid that made its way into the Dark Forest, no? I don't want another incident like that, so your job is to patrol the regions close to Hogwarts. But under no circumstances must you be near the Dark Forest. We wouldn't want to cause any disturbance with the students."
"Understood. We will begin on the 1st of September, when the Hogwarts Express leaves," said Fergus.
"Thank you for your co-operation." Tsar disappeared and the flames reverted back to normal.
"Doesn't sound good," said Elinor. She trusted Tsar Lunar, but she knew he was up to something. If she never trusted him, she wouldn't have ever left Merida under his protection.
Merida slammed the door to her room. She was finally separated from society right now; she loved it. Her room as well as the wilderness were the places that were her shields. They protected her from the social standards, the standards that acted like boundaries, which already determined her fate, but she was determined to break free and make her own story.
Her room was cosy. There was a fireplace of her own, but not connected to the Network in any way. She had a television, unlike many pure-bloods. Everything had its place, and Merida felt comfortable on her seat. There were letters on the desk for Merida. Maudie had placed them there for her. And only she was allowed to enter Merida's room; it was for that reason only.
Even though she felt better in her room, she usually became restless for not doing anything fun. There was nothing that entertained her indoors. At least she had the letters to read. Merida had written letters to Hiccup, Jack, and Rapunzel, but so far she'd only received a few from Hiccup and Jack during this holiday. She was getting worried about Rapunzel. Merida concluded that it was impossible for Rapunzel to send the letter. Hiccup was within the range of magic, and she had learnt that Berk apparently used smaller dragons to deliver messages. Jack was at the North Pole, so there were many possibilities his letter got passed on to her.
She picked up one of the two letters and read it. This one was from Jack. It was perfectly folded in an envelope and there was a red seal with a unique symbol on top. Merida would only see seals like this if it were from another kingdom.
Dear Merida
I guess you're right about one thing. Professor Black and Thorburn have things to hide. I asked North out of curiosity and he told me that Headmaster Lunar shares things with discretion. He apparently only shares them with Black, Thorburn, and sometimes with North. It's causing a lot of conflict too between the professors. But I guess the good news is that they are with the good guys—I hope.
Anyway, it's great that you've been outside and having fun. I don't usually go out in this weather. I guess you'd understand if you lived in a wasteland covered in ice. It's also tough living here 'cause I guess I think about home. My sleeping pattern has also changed… sometimes I lose track of time. It's always daytime here in the North Pole. North tried explaining to me about the axis but I couldn't understand it very well. At least it's not winter; it's apparently always night then.
Emma told me that she wished to see you and Rapunzel. She wasn't too keen on visiting Hiccup because she was scared of dragons too. I guess they'd get along well. That thing you said on your letter also motivated me to go see Hawthorne. I'm still not going to call it Burgess. Soon I will be able to get there and inspect the area. I'm probably there right now while you're reading this.
And no, I still haven't gotten any letters from Rapunzel since writing this. Do you think Rapunzel's okay? It can't be that Rapunzel has no method of sending letters. Doesn't Corona have a method since it's part of the wizarding world? I got a letter from Nod the other day, and Moonhaven is in North America, so there must be another explanation about Rapunzel's silence. Look, I know it's not right for me to tell you this, but I think you and Hiccup deserve to know. I think Rapunzel has a bad relationship with her mother. She's told us many times about the strict rules she follows, but she also told me other things. She told me once about her mother making her feel bad, saying her father left her because he hated her. It's bullying and I know it when I see it!
Maybe it's because I pushed her… I told her she was smart and she would be able to solve things. Maybe it motivated her to defy her mother's rules, which caused things to become worse. Still, I could just be overthinking things again. Anyway, I really hope you're doing fine as well and remember that I would do anything to be with my parents again, so don't take yours for granted.
From Jack
Cold, empty, and eerie this place was. There was nothing that made Jack feel better about returning home. It was nighttime, which Jack didn't consider before leaving. It had been the first time Jack was in the obscured darkness. The only sources of light were the street lamps and the moon. The moon was beautiful. He'd seen the moon many times at the North Pole, but seeing it in the black sky, reflecting light gave him profound feelings.
Everything was untouched, except for the trees, which were all wilted. There were also strange plants inhabiting the area, probably caused by the 'explosion of chemicals'. These plants weren't going to make it. They were riddled with blight. Plants had their own poison; humans had theirs.
Jack went inside his former home. The rooms were intact, except for the living room. There was a massive hole blasted on the wall, leading back outside. It must've been what took Emma, and it left his parents behind to die. It was this very room where North told him about the wizarding world. There was a stain on the floor. Drops of blood were trailing out the house. Jack couldn't remember seeing wounds on Emma. What happened in this room?
He inspected the floor closely and could see tiny dots glittering in the moonlight. If only it was daytime, he'd be able to see it clearly. These dots were like sand, but was it normal sand, Dreamsand, or Black Sand? Jack didn't know that those skills were able to work outside of the 'magical hotspot'.
Outside Jack's house was the playground. It used to be fun; it used to be colourful. Now it was dull and lifeless. Jack could remember all those times when he played here with the other children nearby. Who could've done such a thing to kill children? The playground appeared haunted, like the abandoned ones from horror films he watched with Emma.
The last area he had to go to was the crash site. They couldn't cover up that mess in time, not without magic. He found the area where the ship crashed. There were remnants of the ship scattered over a large crater. The ship was huge, but he found his way in. He didn't want to advance any further. The interior of the ship was too scary, especially since he was alone. He might've believed in ghosts, and with this town being called Burgess—the home of many dead people—scared Jack.
He found one piece of crucial evidence though. It was hard to see, but he waited until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. On the side of the wall inside the ship, there was a symbol imprinted on it.
"The symbol of Arendelle," said Jack, as he left the ship.
A figure was standing further away from the ship. It appeared to be waiting for Jack, but Jack waited until he tried to figure out who was there. The person could've been dangerous.
"Jack," said the figure in a manly voice. It was a Russian accent, so Jack knew who it was.
Jack approached the man and waited for the lecture to begin. He'd usually hear them whenever he was in trouble with his parents. "Sorry, North."
They were standing in front of each other, and whatever North wanted to say, Jack wouldn't argue. "I'm not surprised you came here on your own, but I expected for you to head to this place sooner."
"And you let me?" asked Jack. He stared at the ground, waiting for an answer.
"Of course I didn't, but I wanted you to see for yourself. Well? What do you think?"
"It's quiet… and I'm done being here."
"How did you plan on getting home? There is nothing nearby to get you back to the North Pole."
Jack reached into the pocket from his jacket. There was a snow globe in his hand. He had seen North use it many times to transport himself to different areas around the world.
"Smart, I'll give you that, but it only works for me because it's my Semblance."
"Semblance?" Jack asked. He had heard about that term a few times last year.
"You'll learn about it soon," said North, taking the orb from Jack.
"How did you find me anyway?" asked Jack.
"The large globe at the North Pole shows me where the lights are. Before, it showed a light in Pennsylvania, which normally has none," answered North. He used the snow globe Jack took and threw it nearby while saying, "Workshop."
Before North stepped into the portal, Jack stopped him.
"Jack? What are you waiting for? You said you were done being here."
"I know, but… I saw the Arendelle symbol on the ship. Did they do this?!" questioned Jack.
North leaned in to talk over the whirling portal. "In a way yes, but you shouldn't be questioning the Princesses when you get back."
"Why not?! They know something about this!" exclaimed Jack.
"They do not, Jack. In situations like this, there is your story, their story, and the truth. Do not get mixed up with yours and the truth." North said.
Jack nodded and the two left the town via the portal. He decided to keep quiet about the sand he found on the ground, but he was going to let Merida know that her suspicions of Professor Black shouldn't be ignored yet. The road was back to being empty, with no people or animals. Soon, the plants would face the same fate, very slowly.
Merida placed Jack's letter down and neatly kept it somewhere safe, in case she needed it for reference. It was time for Hiccup's letter, but if Merida was honest, she would have wished she had read a letter from Rapunzel.
Dear Merida
It's Hiccup again and I'm glad that this time I have a few things to share. I never convinced the elder, Gothi, that I wasn't up to anything when searching the archives of Berk… so that's why I snuck in and stole them. She allowed Fishlegs to read the archives, but not me… What was so suspicious about me? They never trusted me when I tried to help them during the raids. Maybe because I usually ended up making things worse since my dad had to save my skin all the time.
Well it's great that you're writing to me. I never expected for you, Jack, and Kristoff to write anything. So I guess it's not only me that's not getting any letters from Rapunzel. I sure hope she's all right too. I'm getting the feeling something bad happened, but that's just me being paranoid.
What you said about Professor Black and Thorburn does sound interesting, but I really hope it's not true. I'd hate to know that our enemies have their own within Hogwarts. The archives haven't mentioned anything about Black, but it did mention Thorburn. Apparently, before Year X, Thorburn and Gothi went to Hogwarts during the same time. Gothi was in Hufflepuff, while Thorburn was a Ravenclaw. This proves Thorburn was there with Gothi during Year X. Too bad that's all I know that could help with your investigation.
For my investigation, I found out a couple of things. During Year X, Berk was also part of the war. There was a dragon army against us, and our army helped fend them off. The dragon army was led by a man called Drago Bludvist, but it says here that he died in the war, which ended the dragon army. If the Dark Weapon do remain, then the only dragon army they have are the Outcast Tribe's, since they are Berk's mortal enemy. The Berserkers, which Dagur's from, aren't our enemies for now. They've invaded many places, like Heather Leifsson and Oliver Steinsson's homes. For Berk… They visit us a few times to sign a treaty, which I guess is good news for us.
But the choice for me is if I trust Dagur. He wasn't good to be around at Hogwarts, and Jack did not like him one bit. If only Rapunzel replied. I had some info to share with her since she is more interested in finding out about Xander and his friends. I guess I have no choice but to tell you and Jack instead. I remember Jack told me he had to stay away from Dagur, because Xander told him so. It could be a coincidence… or it was because Xander and Dagur were up to something together. But that's if Xander was somehow affiliated with the Dark Weapon, which I needed to hear from Rapunzel for this theory to work.
When we get back, and if Xander and Yang make it back from whatever they're doing, they might just fill out the entire puzzle for us.
Also, I'm sure Jack said the same thing about North in his letter to you. I don't even know how we'll cope in Charms this year, but I guess it's good for Jack's sister.
So I sure hope you're having fun at home. If your mum gets on your nerves, just remember that you spend three months there and the rest at Hogwarts with us.
From Hiccup
She placed the letter down. She had filled them in with what she knew—or rather, what her mother knew. She had asked her mother about the professors such as Black and Thorburn. Elinor too thought they were suspicious people, but nothing proved their guilt. Hiccup's message also supported the idea that they were just shady people in general and nothing more.
Hiccup watched as one dragon flew past the forge. He felt the vibrations of the second dragon flying by. Its roar was high-pitched to reveal that it was a Deadly Nadder, one of Astrid's favourites. There was nothing he could do to help at the moment, but craft more weapons. He wished Vikings were more conservative of their axes and shields, but change was always impossible for them.
Fishlegs returned from Meade Hall. He had to file away all the archives for Hiccup, since Gothi won't suspect anything if she saw Fishlegs with the parchments. He never asked Fishlegs to help, until Fishlegs went to read them once again. Hiccup had to tell Fishlegs that he had it or else Fishlegs would've raised attention about the missing parchments. The only thing Hiccup left out was the fact he was researching Year X.
There wasn't an Outcast raid at the moment—in fact, there had been no raids this summer. Hiccup had predicted that the Outcasts have held back, waiting for Hiccup and his friends to head back to Hogwarts. Only then, would destroying Berk be easier.
"So nothing went wrong?" asked Hiccup. His friend shook his head.
"I would've been questioned by Gothi, but thank Thor for that Changewing attack."
"Yeah. I never thought I'd be thanking them even though they're corroding our buildings with their acidic breath." Hiccup said sarcastically.
Changewings were territorial, but would engage in a fight if something of theirs were to be taken. These dragons were usually red, having side horns from their head. They were smaller than most dragons, except for Terrible Terrors. Their teeth were visible from their bottom jaw, which made it appear somewhat threatening. What made these dragons dangerous were their abilities to camouflage like a cuttlefish.
"Why are they here anyway?" asked Hiccup.
"Hmm… they only leave their nest if they lost something… Hiccup!" yelled Fishlegs. "That gem I found! It's not a 'Stone of Good Fortune', it's a Changewing egg!"
"What?" Fishlegs ran off and ignored Hiccup. He was now supposedly heading back to his home to return the dragon egg. Thank Thor Hiccup wasn't in Fishlegs' shoes.
Rapunzel was crying, again. Her mother could never change; her mother would never change. Despite Rapunzel's efforts in standing up for herself when she was in her first year, Gothel's punishments gradually returned back to the way it always was. She tried persuading her mother again, but nothing happened. The only reward for what Rapunzel did was a slap on the cheek and being called 'selfish' and 'rude'.
Gothel grabbed Rapunzel by the arm and dragged her into her room. She locked it, meaning those people were coming.
Rapunzel helplessly crouched in the corner, reminiscing through her memories at Hogwarts. She couldn't wait this time. There was one more week. She didn't know why she was happy at Hogwarts, but now she had found out. She had never loved the excitement of being anywhere but near her mother until now. If Gothel couldn't change, then Rapunzel would.
Xander, Yang, John, and Lily were now off her list of suspicions. She wished that everything would point to her mother. Deep down she wished her mother was guilty. But who'd listen to a little girl?
Rapunzel wasn't crazy thinking this and she was going to prove it. Her first hint was the people visiting. What did they want? Why have they been visiting? And why is Rapunzel kept away from them?
There were no more hints for Rapunzel. Pascal sadly sat on her knee, trying to ease the pain as usual. There were probably a thousand more hints on Jack, Merida, and Hiccup's letters. Pascal tried to convince her to hide them, but it was no use. Gothel was expecting these letters for some reason. She burnt them right in front of Rapunzel. It reminded her of the time Gothel burnt the gift Jack gave her for Christmas.
A few hours passed and the door clicked, opening with her mother walking up to her.
"Rapunzel? Love?" called Gothel. Rapunzel looked up. She was submissive at this point so she could avoid another punishment from her mother.
"Yes, Mother?" replied Rapunzel. Pascal was hiding again.
"I have some good news for you." Gothel said. "When you go to Hogwarts… I'm coming too."
Rapunzel was surprised. "Wha—How? Why?"
"Why don't you let me explain before asking so many questions," hissed Gothel. "Your Headmaster sent me a letter about teaching at Hogwarts. I guess he recognises my skills of being a wonderful teacher."
Rapunzel didn't want to believe this. Her mother was obviously mistaken. There wasn't anything for Gothel to teach at Hogwarts. The only opening she knew at the school was the hospital wing. If Gothel worked there, Rapunzel would've planned to avoid all injuries at all costs—even though she barely got them. She was reminded of when she versed the Dusk Droids, and was badly injured. It was miraculous she was somehow healed from the wounds before they were taken back.
Rapunzel hoped Gothel got mixed up, so her reaction of finding out about her real job would make Rapunzel's day. But this was good. Gothel told Rapunzel this news after those suspicious people came. She had found a second clue.