Chapter 1~ New School, New Year, New Friends
(A/N) Warning: this fanfic constantly switches POVs between the four major characters! In future chapters it will only switch between two POVs so as to minimize confuzzlation. :3
Jack looked around King Cross station. It was crowded, just like any day in downtown London. The thing that was different about today was Jack. He wasn't the normal 11 year old pushing his trolly to his platform. He was a young wizard trying to find his way onto platform 9 3/4. Following a group of witches and wizards that he had met in Diagon Ally, he ran through the wall that separated the magical platform from the muggle station. When he emerged on the other side, he grinned. Walking as fast as he could, he made his way onto the train and looked for an open compartment.
-
Finally! Rapunzel was on her way to Hogwarts, after being cooped up for so long in her room because of her godmother Gothel. Gothel had argued against her parents' approval to go to Hogwarts even though Rapunzel had been caught tinkering with her dad's potion set he uses for work. Just from reading the textbook once she was able to create the perfect mixture of artificial liquid sunlight.
Rapunzel had already stashed away her trunk and Pascal was happily curled up in her extremely long golden hair that had been braided back for her travels.
"This is it Pascal, we're finally on our way!" She scooped up the sleeping chameleon and held him up to her face.
She wondered who she would meet on this wonderful journey outside.
-
Hiccup and his father ran through the portal at the last possible minute. They get his huge trunk put into the luggage compartment and he is rushed into the students' section of the train. He opened the first compartment door he saw and looked in. He saw a girl with a long blonde hair sitting alone. "Hey. Can I join you?" He asked when he opened the door to the compartment.
Rapunzel was startled by the sudden intrusion but nodded yes anyway. She tried to hide her face from the boy who had seated himself on the opposite bench. But with her hair braided back it was hard to do.
He started trying to talk to her. "Soo... My name is Hiccup. What's yours?"
-
Meanwhile a young girl with wild red hair looked for a free compartment, but it seemed like each one was completely full of upper class men. She looks through the glass of one of the last ones and knocked before entering.
-
"It-it's Rapunzel." Rapunzel said quietly. A knock then sounded on the door and a girl with the most unruly red hair popped her head in.
"Everywhere else is full. Can I join ya?" She asked as she opened the door wider.
"Um, sure." Rapunzel said quietly as she motioned to the benches. "Sit where you like." Rapunzel gave the red head a small shy smile.
She grins and sits next to the other girl. Introductions go around.
-
Jack was the last to board the train. He moved through the very crowded hallway and tried to find a way into a compartment. He was pushed up against a door, so he quickly opened it and rushed in, startling the occupants of the compartment.
"Eep!" Rapunzel squeaked as a boy ran into their compartment. She was startled so badly she actually threw Pascal at the newcomer. Pascal attacked him upon contact with his face.
As the chameleon hit his face he let out a yelp. "Get it off!"
Rapunzel stood immediately, plucking Pascal off of the boy's face. Her face grew heated and she apologized for throwing her familiar at him. Then she sat down and wrapped her scarf a bit tighter around her neck and pulled it up over her mouth.
Jack laughed and looked around. "Is there a free seat?"
"Yeah there's an extra seat here." Hiccup motioned to the window seat next to him.
The boy sat down, making himself comfortable.
"So what's yer name, stranger?" Merida asks.
"Jack Frost." He said. "Who are you all?" He asked.
"Well I'm Merida." She said placing her hand on her chest then she pointed to Hiccup then motioned to Rapunzel, "This here's Hiccup, and that's Rapunzel. And you've already met Pascal, Rapunzel's familiar."
"I'm sorry, I really truly am sorry for throwing Pascal at you." Rapunzel said quickly.
"I said it was fine." He continued smiling. "So what year are all of you?" He asked.
"I am a first year." Hiccup says.
"First year. Followin' in my dad's footsteps." Merida said proudly.
"I'm a first year too." Rapunzel said quietly, but with a bit more self-confidence.
"We're all first years then!" Jack states. "Great!"
They all smile in response to Jack's happy-go-lucky manner.
"So where are you all from?" Rapunzel asks, her voice sounding even more confident as she grew mor comfortable with her new friends. "I'm from Corona." She set Pascal in her lap and began stroking his back.
"A Pennsylvanian town called Burgess." Jack said at the same time Hiccup and Merida said, "I'm from Berk." "Scotland."
They all laughed for a moment.
"Hm," Rapunzel laughs. "and I thought I wouldn't find any friends. Clearly that was a wrong prediction."
"Completely wrong." Hiccup laughed.
"And I'm glad that I was wrong." Rapunzel says cheerfully.
They sit in silence for a moment.
"So what are you guys hoping to study at Hogwarts?" Rapunzel asks everyone. "I'm planning on taking some of the more advanced potion classes. My parents say that I have a real knack for making potions."
"That's cool. I am hoping to be able to take Care of Magical Creatures." Hiccup says, glancing out the window at the quickly passing scenery then back at his friends.
"I'm going to specialize in transformation potions and spells." Merida adds, almost sounding as if she was boasting.
They all turn to Jack.
"What about you Jack?" Rapunzel asked with her earnest green eyes.
"Well.. I don't really know. My parents are normal. I can't remember what word people have used for it.."
"Muggle." All three said at the same time.
"So yer saying that yer muggle-born?" Merida asks.
"Yeah." He nods.
"I'm a half-blood. My dad's a wizard but mum's a muggle. My godmother Gothel is a muggle too, but sometimes I don't think that's true." Rapunzel said, scrunching her face at the last sentence she said.
Jack nods and Hiccup spoke up. "I'm a pure blood. My mom is great with all magical creatures, especially dragons. Dad's beginning to get the hang of it."
"Dragons are real?" Jack asked with awe clearly in his voice, causing the three to laugh.
"Of course they are Jack! Haven't you ever seen one?" Rapunzel giggled.
"No." He said simply, sounding almost as if he was disappointed with himself.
"Well they are amazing creatures. Everyone thinks of them as crazy killing beasts. But in reality they're quite gentle and intelligent. I wish I could've brought Toothless on the train with me, but he's way too big to be counted as carry-on." Hiccup chuckles.
"It's true! My grandmum on my dad's side had one as a guardian for her green house she grows magical herbs in. He looks really tough and mean but in reality he's quite the sweetheart." Rapunzel says excitedly.
"That is so amazing!" Jack says with a big grin.
There's a knock at the door and an old lady opens it. She has a cart that displays all sorts of candies, magical and not.
"Would you like anything off the trolley dears?" She asks the group of first years.
Merida jumped up. "Berty bots every flavor beans, chocolate frogs. Actually. One of everything."
"I'll have what she's having." Rapunzel says to the lady. "I need to fill this sweet tooth of mine." She pulls out a purple velvet drawstring purse and pays the lady. Then Rapunzel turns to the two boys. "Do you want anything?"
Hiccup shakes his head while Jack looked curiously at the cart. After a minute the American shrugged. "No not really."
"Alright then." The lady said politely, shutting the door.
The two girls sat on their bench munching away on their sweets. After a moment Rapunzel offers Jack the Chocolate Frog she had bought. He looked at it curiously.
"Try it." Rapunzel encouraged as she picked up the little container. "Just don't let it hop away!" She then places the blue and gold pentagon in Jack's hands.
He opened the pentagon and caught the blasted frog before it could leap out any windows. They all laughed as the frog tried to wriggle out of Jack's hands. Jack laughed the most as he watched it with curiosity.
"Don't eat it though, it feels like you're eating an actual frog if you do." Rapunzel shivers as if she's done it before. Which she has but no one needed to know that right now.
"Oh, don't be such a little lass." Merida exclaimed. "Their perfectly fine to eat."
"Ew, no, they're cream filled so it just adds to the sensation of eating a real frog." Rapunzel scrunches up her nose. "Trust me. You really don't want to."
By the time the two girls where done bickering, the frog had wiggled its way out of Jack's hand and out the open window.
"Too late to decide now." He muttered.
Hiccup turned to him. "Look at the package. Who'd you get?"
"Huh?" Jack said quizzically.
"The card inside! They show a famous witch or wizard. Who did ya get?" Merida explained.
"Uh.." He looked down. "Morgan le Fey. Who's that?"
"Ohh. You got Morgana. A very powerful dark witch." Hiccup explains.
"There's a rumor that if ya buy a Chocolate Frog at the beginning of the school year it can tell ya what kind of luck you'll have durin' the year. If it's a dark witch or wizard then you'll be havin' bad luck that year. But if ya get a light witch or wizard you'll be havin' good luck!" Merida says. "An' of course the more powerful the witch or wizard the stronger the luck!" Merida grins at the end of her tale.
"I didn't buy it though. I just opened it." Jack stated.
"Yeah, but it was a gift to ya. Meaning the luck is yer's."
"Don't believe that superstition. It's never been proven to be true." Hiccup put in.
Jack frowned at Merida. "Not buying it. I always have good luck." He states.
"Oh really? Then I'll make sure the Whisps take care o' that." Merida smiles mischievously.
Rapunzel is staring outside and says to everyone, "Hey guys! Look! We've arrived at the Hogwarts train station!"
Everyone then presses their faces to see outside the darkened window.
"We aren't at the school. We're at Hogsmead, the village near the school." Hiccup corrected her as Jack and Merida crowd around the window.
"Sorry. I should remember that for the future." Rapunzel says sounding embarrassed.
-
When the train stops completely the four friends get off the train and follow their upperclassmen to a fairly large plaza. They get off the train and a big man was shouting over the noise of excited students.
"First years! Over 'ere!" He shouted. They followed his voice, and shadow, to a slight clearing where there were less students.
"We'll be sailing over the loch. It's tradition fer first years." Merida said to her friends as the big man, who had introduced himself as Hagrid the grounds keeper, lead them to boats.
After they had arrived at the school grounds and followed the large man up several flights of stairs. They stopped just before a very large set of wooden doors. An elderly lady in a green long-sleeve dress was waiting for them at the top.
The lady introduced herself as Professor Magonagall and told the students how the sorting was going to happen.
"Which house do you guys think you'll be sorted into?" Rapunzel asked her four friends as they walked into the dining hall.
"Gryffindor." Merida responded automatically.
"Eh. I wouldn't mind Gryffindor or Hufflepuff." Hiccup said.
Jack merely shrugged. "I don't know."
"I guess I'm good with any of them but I think I'd like it more if I was in Ravenclaw." Rapunzel stated as they walked to the front of the room.
Jack and Hiccup were busy looking up at the enchanted ceiling to reply. The first years came to a halt and waited for the names to be called.
"James Potter." Professor Magonagll called.
Everyone watched as the boy named James took his place upon the stool. Professor Magonagall placed the sorting hat on his head. The hat mumbled for a bit before shouting, "Gryffendor!"
All the students from Gryffendor cheered as James went and sat with them.
"Rapunzel Flowers!"
Rapunzel made her way through the crowd and up to the front, taking a seat on the stool.
Professor Magonagall placed the sorting hat on her head and it sprang to life.
"I've got a smart one here." The hat mumbled. "Yes, very smart indeed, not to mention you've got a brave soul and a kind heart. Very artistic and knowledgeable in so many subjects. I'll put you in," The hat said to her then shouted, "Ravenclaw!"
Rapunzel sighed then proudly walked over to the Ravenclaw table where she was greeted by many of the older students.
"Jackson Frost!" Everyone went quiet as Jack made his way to the front of the room. He sat on the stool and the sorting hat was placed on his head.
The sorting hat mused. "Very courageous, and fun-loving. But you're also sly and cunning. Hmm.. Better be.. Slytherin!" It said loudly. Cheers erupted from a table on the far left side of the great hall as Jack walked toward their table.
Professor Magonagall continued to call out names. After another few names Merida's name was called.
"Merida DunBroch."
Merida took her place and the hat was placed on her head.
"Brave, stubborn, strong-willed. Loyal to your friends and pure minded. You want to follow your father now do you? Then I'll put you in," the sorting hat said, then shouted. "Gryffindor!"
When the hat was removed from her head, Merida made her way to her respective table where she was welcomed greatly.
Hiccup's name was one of the last called. The hat was placed on his head. It immediately thought of where to place him. He was the quickest to be put into his house, which was Hufflepuff.