Don't own.


2

"So, Merida," Rapunzel said lightly, "Is there a reason you've been staring at Jack all morning?"

Merida tore her eyes from Jack to look at Rapunzel, her spoon sticking out of her mouth. She pulled it out, trying to say nonchalantly, "No, nope, no reason." She had never been very good at nonchalant.

Rapunzel gave her a disbelieving look, then followed Merida's gaze over to the Slytherin table. Merida had joined Rapunzel at the Ravenclaw table for breakfast. The Ravenclaws around her didn't pay her any attention, used to her presence. It wasn't uncommon for students from other houses to join their friends for breakfast or lunch. Jack had always joined Hiccup at the Hufflepuff table, making a ruckus and causing the other students to laugh. Up until last year, that is, when he'd begun staying at the Slytherin table in order to sit beside Elsa.

Currently, Jack was standing at the end of his House table, still in his nicely tied tie and full black robe, like all the Prefects. Everyone else had discarded the long robe and the gray sweater, since they weren't required for every day classes. He was pretending to survey everyone in the Great Hall to make sure they were all behaving, while secretly entertaining the first years near him by sending little silver sparks into the air to bother Peeves, who was floating around the ceiling. The first years giggled when Peeves swooped down to angrily yell at Jack, who only shrugged innocently. He winked at the first years, before heading off along the table to stand beside Elsa and Professor Tallen, the tall, fierce looking black man with one eye scarred shut, who had been head of Slytherin since Professor Slughorn had retired their second year. Rumor had it that Professor Tallen had been in the battle of Hogwarts when he was a student, and his scar had come from none other than Antonin Dolohov. It was a rumor unconfirmed, since any of the professors who had been in the battle weren't allowed to talk to the students about it. "Glory grubbing ridiculousness," the headmistress, Professor McGonagall, called it.

Merida and Rapunzel watched Jack casually chat to the stoic professor and the reserved girl, not seeming to notice that neither were talking back, although Elsa did smile at him now and then.

"Funny that he's getting along so well with Professor Tallen, now," Rapunzel commented. She plucked a tiny strawberry and holding it up to her shoulder, where her chameleon, Pascal, was hiding. He was currently the same color as her hair, and was only visible when he peeled an eye open, his pink tongue shooting out to grab the strawberry. "Elsa must be a good influence on him."

"Hm." Merida said, taking a large bite of toast. Jack wasn't acting any differently today. He seemed the same as always, as if he hadn't been out late last night, breaking half a dozen school rules, communing with some unknown magical creatures from the Forbidden Forest.

Merida hadn't told Rapunzel about it yet, although she didn't have a good reason why. Something about the whole situation seemed strange and personal. She couldn't get Jack's face from last night out of her head. So serious and dark. Never in the six years that she had known him had she seen him look like that. There was something going on in that big old head of his, and Merida had found it difficult to sleep last night, wondering what it could be. She'd even gotten up early and come down to breakfast on time this morning, much to Rapunzel's surprise.

She wondered if Elsa knew what he had been up to. Was his girlfriend ok with him sneaking off to do stupid things like that? She wondered if Hiccup knew what Jack was meeting out there. He knew almost every creature in the forbidden forest, and he was Jack's best friend. If Hiccup knew what Jack was up to and she didn't, then Merida would be pissed. If Hiccup didn't know, then she'd be confused. What on earth would Jack be keeping secrets for? They were his best mates, weren't they?

Professor Tallen excused himself from Jack and Elsa without a word or a glance, and with him gone Elsa seemed more willing to talk. She said something to Jack, to which he smirked and replied with something that made her giggle. Then she stepped past him and walked along the table, calming down a group of rowdy third years. Jack stayed where he was, looking around the Great Hall. He caught Merida's eye, and she panicked. He winked and she just gaped back, forgetting that a normal response from her would have been to stick out her tongue or make a face.

She was vaguely aware of Rapunzel saying something to her. "What you saying, Punz?"

"Did you finish the Transfiguration homework last night?" Rapunzel asked again.

"Transfiguration homework?" Merida turned away from Jack to stare at Rapunzel.

"Yes, you know. We started it yesterday, and you said you were going to finish when you went back to your room?"

"Ahhh…crivens."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes good naturedly and pulled out her Transfiguration book, homework, and her wand, instructing Merida to do the same. Merida shoved her plate away from her, stuffing one last biscuit in her mouth. It stuck out as she hurriedly copied Rapunzel's neat handwriting, listening absently as the blonde chatted to the invisible reptile on her shoulder, not noticing the stares of the second years across from them.

Her quill froze when someone plopped down next to her, his green and silver tie standing out amongst the blue ones at the table. Merida turned wide eyes on Jack, who had straddled the bench facing her direction, his knee bumping hers.

"Hey-o, Dunbroch," he said, snapping the cookie from her teeth and taking a bite of it. "Rapunzel."

"Morning, Jack," Rapunzel replied from Merida's other side.

"What'cha doing there, Punz?" Jack asked, chewing on Merida's cookie and watching Rapunzel sneak more fruit into her hair. "Your hair hungry again?"

"Famished," Rapunzel replied. "It's never satisfied. It keeps me very busy."

The second years across from them paused, their eyes straying toward Rapunzel's long, golden hair.

"A slave to your hair," Jack tsked, shaking his head. "But it's for the best. If you don't appease it, it might turn out like Merida's. She let it go hungry one time too many, and now it's got a mind of its own. Is that first year that it grabbed the other day still in there? I don't hear him screaming anymore." He poked at the mass of curly red hear coming from Merida's head, and the second years across from them swallowed. He paused when Merida just continued to stare at him. "What's up? You feeling ok? You're up pretty early today, and that can only be a bad omen."

She blinked, then swatted his hand away. "Shut it, Frost, or you'll be the next victim." She turned away from him, realizing that she had been searching his face for some sign of the dark expression from last night. There wasn't one. She wasn't sure what to think of that.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He tugged on a curl draped over her shoulder. "Do you absorb the magic of your victims through this rat's nest?"

"Aye, definitely." She allowed a more ominous tone to thicken her voice, aware that the poor Ravenclaw youngins near them were watching her with wide eyes. "Their bones are still in there somewhere." Then she shot the second years a look and said reassuringly, "Slytherins are my favorite."

"Ooh, I bet they are," Jack said with a smirk, leaning his chin on his elbow uncomfortably close to her face. She rolled her eyes, pushing his face away. He moved back with a chuckle, standing up behind her and leaning his elbow on her head heavily.

"Ugh, Frost, get offa me, you twat!" Merida complained, trying to wiggle him off. He didn't allow himself to be thrown off easily.

"So, Rapunzel," Jack said, ignoring Merida. "How'd you do on the pop quiz in Potions yesterday?"

"Full points." Rapunzel replied. In her hair, Pascal coughed on a blueberry and spat it back out, making the second years gasp and gawk. Rapunzel picked up the blueberry from the table top and tossed it in her mouth. "How'd you do?"

"Only missed one mark." Jack shrugged, still wrestling against Merida, leaning further on her much to her loud annoyance. A few older Ravenclaws looked up from their books in irritation. "I mixed up thistleweed with thistlethorn. I blame Hiccup. He kept going on about razorbacks the other night when I was studying. Where is he, anyway? I haven't seen him this morning. Have you or the freckled monster talked to him?"

"Get off, Frost!" Merida growled, trying to reach back and smack him, but he was now leaning on her so heavily that she was bent over her homework on the tabletop. "For a skinny prat you're heavy!"

"He's not coming to breakfast," Rapunzel said, ignoring her friend's squawking. "Astrid had early morning quidditch practice, so Hiccup took the opportunity to help Hagrid in the stables before class."

"Ah, I see. Busy guy, our friend." He stumbled when Merida finally managed to fling him off. Peeves was floating overhead, and cackled loudly as Jack practically fell on the lap of a large Gryffindor boy at the table across from them. He grinned at the boy, putting an arm around his shoulder. "Good catch, Baynard. I didn't know you cared."

Baynard shoved Jack off him, glaring at his laughing friends. Jack adjusted his robes, pretending he didn't see Merida's glare and instead sending a smile toward Rapunzel, "I've got rounds to do. I'll see you later, Punzie." Then he turned and walked toward the entrance, his footsteps being drowned out by the morning chatter around him.

Merida jumped up suddenly, "Ah, that idiot! He made me forget that I needed to talk to him!" She messily slammed her homework between her textbooks and stumbled away from the table. "I'll see you in class later, Punz."

"Uh, ok." Rapunzel said as Merida left her behind and hurried out of the Great Hall.

Merida dodged through students as they left their breakfast tables and wandered into the halls, only slowing down once when she dropped a quill and had to go back for it. She spotted Jack easily ahead of her, his white hair sticking out in the crowds, and caught up to him as he had descended the stairs to the dungeons and Slytherin common rooms.

"Oi, Jack!" she called, her voice echoing around the dark stone walls of the basement.

Jack looked back at her in surprise and stopped. "Well, hey," he said, eyebrows raised. "What brings you to these parts?"

She tried uselessly to push her wild hair out of her face, breathing a bit heavy but trying to downplay it. "I wanted to talk to you, is all."

"What, you miss me already? How cute," Jack said.

"You wish, Frost." She glanced down the hall to see who was around. There were only a few Slytherins walking the hall, and a Ravenclaw boy leaning against the wall, presumably waiting for a Slytherin friend. A couple students gave her a pinched look up and down, although others recognized her from the years she had been friends with Jack, and didn't seem to be concerned that she was in the dungeons talking to him.

"So," Jack started after she was silent for a minute, watching her with sharp blue eyes. "What's up? What did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, ah, just wanted to see how you're doing," she said awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. "How's the Prefect thing going?"

"Um. It's good," he replied, and she could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Good. Good. How's Elsa doing?"

"Elsa's fine."

"Well, that's good, too. She still getting along well with you?"

"Sure."

"Like she doesn't mind that you talk with your mouth full? Or that you never comb your hair? Or that you sometimes sneak out of the school at night?"

"No, in fact, she loves all of that. She says they're my best qualities."

Merida snorted, but decided not to take the bait and roll with his sarcasm. Instead she said, "Good then. Anything else you want to tell me?"

"Uh, no?" His amusement was growing, a smile tugging at his lips. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"No, no, no. I was just checking. I mean, you know, secrets between mates and all that. I mean, I don't have any, and you probably don't either, so that's good. Right?" Well, that wasn't true. She was definitely still keeping her love for Hiccup a secret from him. But he didn't need to know how much she wanted to kiss his best friend—what good would that do him?

He pursed his lips, holding back a laugh, and she thought about smacking him but tried to hold back. She already knew she was a terribly actress. This was why she was always so easily caught doing something she wasn't supposed to.

"Right," he said. "Well, good talk, Merida, but if there's nothing else, then I've got to go. I'm on hall patrol this morning." He stepped away from her, smiling and shaking his head.

Merida felt her chest hitch, knowing that he was about to get away and that she hadn't accomplished what she'd come here for. She quickly said after him, "Ok, well, if you do ever have a secret or you're not doing good, you know I'm your friend, right? Or at least Hiccup. You've always told him everything, right?"

Jack's smile faltered, ever so slightly. If she hadn't been staring at him so intently she might not have noticed. His eyes searched hers, and although she was used to it she couldn't help but feel like they burned a little bit. As much as she refused to admit it over the years, she understood why girls swooned over him. His full smile returned.

"Yeah. Of course," he said.

And he was lying. Jack was a great actor, but she'd known him too long not to notice, and he knew it, too. She took a step forward, preparing to ask him what was going on outright, but he stepped back. She could see it in his face that he knew she was going to pry further, and he wasn't willing to let it happen.

With a wide smile he said, "I'll see you around, Merida." He gave her a two-finger salute before turning and walking briskly away.

"Grr," Merida grumbled to herself, clenching her hand around her textbooks. "Not again, you twat." She ran after him, but by the time she rounded the corner to catch him up, all she saw was the Slytherin common room door sliding shut again.


The more Merida thought about Jack running away from her, the more it pissed her off. So, the more she tried to chase him down and corner him in order to force some sort of truth out of him. And the more she chased him, the more elusive he got. She had no idea how he did it. One minute she would spot him walking by himself and call out to him, and the next he would be surrounded by a group of students, all of them laughing at him and making it impossible for Merida to reach him. Other times he just disappeared completely, as if through the stone walls. More than once she had run after him, only to round a corner and find herself at a dead end. They had two classes with the Slytherins, but even then Jack chose to sit with Elsa or others instead of beside her, like he had done when they were children. And he somehow always came late, claiming "Prefect duties" had kept him, and always left early with Elsa, too. It was driving her crazy. And it was showing.

"What is up with you?" Rapunzel demanded one day, breathing hard. She had been walking with Merida when suddenly they had spotted Jack down the hall. Jack had run, and Merida had been hot on his tail, Rapunzel following, calling out to Merida in confusion.

"It's not me, it's him!" Merida responded, looking angrily around the moving staircases in front of her. She looked above them and below them, but nowhere did she see the shock of white hair or long black robe. She slammed a fist on the stone railing, cursing the stupid idiot.

"It's you," Rapunzel said, leaning over her knees and wiping her forehead. "You've been acting weird for weeks. Why are you obsessing over this? You keep staring at him and chasing him around. You really feel like he's hiding something from us?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Merida said angrily, "Why else would he be running?"

"Even if he is, Merida, don't you think he has a good reason? He's never hidden anything from us before—why don't you just let it go and wait for him to come to us?"

Merida clenched her jaw to keep from snapping at her friend. She had yet to mention the strange creatures from the Forbidden Forest, but she had asked Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Astrid quietly in the library one day if they thought anything was up with Jack. They had all pondered and shrugged and said they hadn't noticed anything.

Rapunzel was right, as much as Merida didn't want to admit it. She didn't really know why she was letting this thing with Jack get under her skin so terribly, but she couldn't help it. Maybe Rapunzel just didn't understand. Merida had always been closer to Jack than she had been, laughing over the same stupid things, having long conversations over Professor Longbottom's homebrewed tea in the detention room. She had counted on him to be the buffer between her and Hiccup when he had begun hanging out with Astrid. She never had to be the awkward third wheel when Jack was there. Even when Jack had drifted away from them to be with Elsa, she had told herself it didn't really change anything. He was still best friends with Hiccup. He still adored Rapunzel. He still showed up to laugh with her, or at her, now and then. He just had Elsa to do that with, too. And she couldn't blame him. Elsa was gorgeous.

But now, now he was purposely keeping something from her, and she hated it more than she had thought she would.

Rapunzel's chastising at least convinced her to calm down. She stopped sprinting after Jack in the halls, which was better for her because she had already been yelled at by the teachers half a dozen times, and once Professor McGonagall had even raised an eyebrow at her, which was always bone-chilling. She settled for staring at the back of his head in class, and whenever he did turn around to look at her, she simply held his gaze until he turned away first. She finally agreed with Rapunzel that he'd better get over whatever diva issues he had and talk to them on his own.

She hadn't seen it snow again. The weather advanced as normal, although it became colder more quickly than she would have liked. So a month after school had started, Merida found herself at the first quidditch game of the year, bundled up in her robe and long red and gold scarf, shivering like crazy.

"Merlin's beard, it's freezing," she complained, folding her arms so her hands could be tucked under her armpits and keep warm.

"It is pretty cold," Rapunzel agreed, wrapping her own blue scarf tightly around her. "Poor Pascal isn't doing so hot."

"You and me both, Pascal," Merida said as they climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor stands. Merida cringed against the wind as they reached the top, other Gryffindors coming up around them, filling the wooden bleachers. But despite the cold, Merida couldn't help but look out at the field longingly. The first game of the year was going to be Hufflepuff against Ravenclaw.

"Crivens, I want to be out there," she said as she watched the Ravenclaw team fly together, warming up. They were in perfect unison, flying in constantly shifting patterns of formation even as they ducked and weaved through the stands. That was so Ravenclaw, she thought.

"You will be next week," Rapunzel said excitedly, "And I've almost got the banner ready with your face on it."

"Oh, goody. Since the last one turned out so well."

"Well, the last one had some kinks. I mixed up 'fire red' with 'red fire' for your hair, and, well, you remember what happened. This time I asked for Jack's help, so it's perfect."

Merida bit her tongue, choosing not to dig further into how Rapunzel had managed to talk to Jack when he was still so adamantly avoiding her.

They stopped at the front of the bleachers, and Merida removed her hands from the safe warmth of her robe to lean on the railing. She watched the players fly, the other stands fill in with teachers and students and the occasional parent, and listened absently to the young Slytherin announcer, who was gearing up for a dramatic match.

After a few minutes her eyes drifted, as they always did, to the benches where the Hufflepuff team was getting ready. Even from this far, she could see Astrid in her bright yellow robes, adjusting her boots while Hiccup stood next to her in his normal school uniform, holding her broom. She finished and stood up, taking her broom. Merida felt her heart sinking into her stomach as they said something to each other before leaning in to kiss.

Just before she saw them make contact, someone popped up right in front of her. She screamed, reeling back, only to see Jack grinning widely at her.

"Hey, there, Mer," he said. He was standing on the outside of the stand, his grip on the railing the only thing keeping him from the forty foot drop to the ground. He turned to the surprised Rapunzel with the same smile. "Hey, Punzie. You guys ready for this?"

"We sure are!" Rapunzel replied, shooting a glance at Merida.

Merida just gaped at him, her surprise burned away by her anger. "What the hell, Frost?" she snapped. "You ignore me for weeks, and suddenly you're popping up like a pimple when you're least wanted? Have you boiled your head, what are you doing up here like that—"

"Ah, sorry, no time to talk," he quickly cut her off, "Just wanted to show you something. C'mere." He grabbed her hand and yanked her forward, pulling out his wand. "I learned a new spell."

Taken off guard, her next sentence was lost in her open mouth. She and Rapunzel watched as he tapped her palm with the tip of his wand. From the wand was left a tiny lump of roundish gold. She leaned closer to look at it, but Jack took her other hand and put them both together, so her hands were cupped around the little lump, hiding it from sight.

Merida looked down at her hands nearly completely enveloped by his, wondering when his hands had gotten so big. Last she had checked, she, Hiccup, and Jack had all been the same size. Hiccup had grown up. She supposed Jack must have, too.

His gloved hands remained around hers, the leather of his gloves cold on her skin. "Ok, now hold it like this for just a minute."

She looked up at him suspiciously. "What is this?"

"It's a new spell. You'll like it."

"If this spits water at me or turns into a bogey or does anything else of the like, I swear I'll knock you off this tower."

"That is a risk I am willing to take."

"How are you up here, anyway?" Rapunzel asked, leaning over the railing to see where he had perched his feet. Merida looked, too. He was standing on the handle of a hovering broom. "And why are you dressed like that?" Rapunzel asked next.

Merida looked at him again. He was in his normal uniform, but he was also wearing elbow pads and black gloves. His tie was gone and around his neck was a pair of goggles. He wasn't wearing a sweater or his robe, and didn't seem to be the least bit pink around the nose of the cheeks because of the cold.

"What are you dressed like that for?" Merida questioned, narrowing her eyes. "You're not planning on crashing this match are you?"

"I would never do such a thing!" he said with a gasp. "I am a Prefect." Merida and Rapunzel shared a skeptical look, and Jack continued, "Really, though, I'm just helping referee. Madam Hooch said her eyes aren't what they used to be, so she asked me to help her out."

"She asked you?" Merida asked. Jack was amazing on a broom, it was true. She'd never seen someone so natural in the air, as if he belonged there. It drove her mad and pushed her to practice even harder. Yet no matter how much she had fought with him when they were first and second years, he had refused to join the Slytherin quidditch team. He had claimed that it would get in the way of his free time. She was never sure if she should be glad she didn't have to go up against him on the field, or if she should be irritated at him for treating her favorite sport so flippantly. "First a Prefect, now you're being asked to help referee? Who are you?"

"I'm the same old me. All the teachers just suddenly realized how perfect I am. The perfect Prefect."

"Right, yeah, and I'm the muggle queen of England."

"Are you? My apologizes, your majesty."

"Hey!" A shout came from behind them, "Rapunzel!"

The three turned to see Kristoff, captain of the Gryffindor team, hurrying down the bleachers toward them, looking at home in the cold with his huge jacket and knit hat.

"Oh, hey, Jack, Merida," he greeted with a grin.

"Hey, Kris," Jack returned. "You ready for this match?"

"Of course!" Kris said, "But not half as ready as I am for our match next week. We'll slaughter the Slytherins, so watch out." Then his eyes strayed to their hands, where Jack still had his around Merida's. Merida stiffened and pulled back, but Jack held on.

"It's almost done, just give it a second," Jack told her, and she turned her glare away from him, hoping Kristoff knew her cheeks were only red because of the cold.

"Anyway, Rapunzel," Kristoff said, turning to the blonde, "Can you come help me with something real quick? I decided to get that birthday present for Anna like you suggested, but well, I'm having issues with the…" He glanced behind them at the other Gryffindors, who weren't paying them any attention, but lowered his voice anyway, "The thing, you know."

"Right," Rapunzel whispered back, "The thing. Ok." She turned to Merida. "I'll be back in a couple minutes."

"Fine." Merida sighed dramatically. "If you must. Don't miss the beginning of the match." Rapunzel hurried after Kristoff, who looked around in paranoia, although Merida knew full well that the birthday present was nothing more than a silly love song Rapunzel had helped him write for his girlfriend, who was a year younger than them in Ravenclaw house.

After a second Merida realized she had been left alone with Jack, and she snapped her head in his direction, eyes narrowing. He must have realized the same thing at the same moment, because his eyes slowly slid toward her.

"Jack—" she started heatedly.

"Merida," he cut her off with an exasperated sigh. "No."

"Don't you 'no' me, you scaffy loon! You've been avoiding me for weeks, obviously not wanting the least bit to do with me, and now, poof, here you are! Are you ready to talk to me about whatever new mischief you're up to?"

"I'm not up to any mischief, you mental girl," he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, aye, and you didn't actually drop your pumpkin juice the other day in order to jump over the first floor balcony in order to avoid me. Quit with your fussing and give it up!"

"I've got nothing to give up! You're being paranoid," he glanced around at the stands behind her, making sure no one was listening to them. Merida inhaled sharply through her nose, and then tried a different approach. She lowered her voice, trying to sound more comforting and kind, like Rapunzel always did.

"Jack, listen, I don't want to be prying into your business." Actually, she did, but these were Rapunzel's words, not hers, "I just don't understand why you don't want to talk to us. We always talked before. We're friends, right?"

"Of course we are, don't be stupid."

"Alright, then, I don't get it! You can't talk to us anymore, is that it? Just your girlfriend, now?"

"Who, Elsa? She's not my girlfriend."

"Don't be stupid, what reason have you got to lie to my face about that—"

"I'm not lying," he said lightly, "She's not my girlfriend. Elsa and I are close, and last year I thought it might have worked out, but…stuff happened. We never were officially together, and then we decided we were better as friends anyway."

Merida blinked as he scanned the stands, looked down at their hands, turned slightly as the Hufflepuff team was announced with a cheer from the crowds. Basically, he was looking anywhere but directly at her. Merida had seen Jack and Elsa together—everyone had, and no one had a doubt in their minds that the two were a couple. How could they when they talked together quietly and intimately in public, and held hands even when people were looking?

Then again. Had Merida seen any of that since the beginning of this year? She saw them together frequently, but looking back she had to admit that they didn't seem as physical as they had been the previous year.

Merida bit her lip. Jack hadn't told her any of this until now. So, he was keeping a lot of things from her. Maybe it was because she was a girl. Maybe he talked to Hiccup about this stuff. Maybe it hadn't been his choice, and he was heartbroken. Maybe that was making him act out, seeking solace in trouble outside of school. She didn't know. How could she know? They didn't really talk anymore.

"So…Elsa doesn't know what's going on with you, either, then?"

He rolled his eyes. "There isn't anything going on, you're being insane."

Her eye twitched in irritation. She fought to keep the same calm tone but it came out through clenched teeth. "I'm not being insane. I saw you, Jack. A few weeks ago you were outside by the forest, and I saw you with those things. What were you doing out there? You up to something with creatures from the Forbidden—"

She stopped abruptly when he grabbed her shoulder, pulling her closer and speaking low and fast, "Who have you told?"

"Huh?" she said, her mind going blank when she felt his cold breath on her face. He was very close. Way too close. Closer than any boy had ever been to her face, including Hiccup. Well, except Hogarth at the fourth year Christmas party, but that kiss was terrible and didn't count. And on top of the proximity, his eyes were so intense it was a bit frightening. "No one," she quickly answered, shaking her head slightly. "I haven't told anyone."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure."

He exhaled, his grip on her shoulder relaxing. She was beyond words. His reaction left her more confused than she had been before. What on earth was going on?

"Please don't tell anyone," he said, sounding like all the energy had suddenly gone out of him. All the while he kept eye contact with her, and she could feel the familiar burn behind her eyes. "It's not anything that will get anyone in trouble, trust me. Just…don't tell anyone."

Even if he hadn't asked her, she didn't know what she would tell anyone. She still didn't have any more of an idea of what was going on with him than she had before. But he looked desperate, and she wanted to reassure him, "I won't. I swear it."

He exhaled again and leaned back, looking relieved. "Thank you." Then he smiled at her, and it was a smile she hadn't seen from him in a long time—it was sincere and sweet and wholly for her. And she didn't feel as cold as she had before. And then she felt suddenly awkward. And aware that he was holding her hands in front of every Gryffindor behind her.

Then she felt something move inside her hands. She let out a squawk, looking down at them.

"Finally," Jack said, thankfully turning his attention away from her face. "It wasn't supposed to take this long to warm up. Your hands must have been freezing."

Something moved again. It was wriggling and growing bigger, bumping against her palms and fingers. She opened her hands slightly and saw a dull glow. He let go of her hands and she opened them fully, revealing a sparkling and golden flower bud, with little golden leaves and curling vines coming from the base. As she watched, the flower opened, wide enough to fill both her hands. The inside was golden and orange, with little streaks of red at the base of every petal. The vines curled and twisted around her fingers and wrist like little hugs. She recognized it immediately, and for a second the roaring sounds of the now full stadium seemed far away.

"It's a Treasure Flower," she said, looking back up at him, her lips in a small 'O' shape.

"Yep. I know you don't really like flowers, but, hey," he shrugged. "That's the best I got."

She wasn't a fan of flowers, he was right. But this particular flower was special to her. As a little girl she had helped her mother plant these in their garden. It was a silly but cherished memory that she held from the years before her relationship with her mother had become more difficult. She still liked seeing the golden flowers every time she passed the garden. She wistfully thought of them as little drops of the sun that brightened the green and sometimes dank Scottish moors.

When had she told Jack about these? Had Hiccup told him? Why had he gone out of his way to give her one now?

She was beyond confused. She was having a hard time keeping up with Jack's swing in emotions lately—upset and serious, flirtatious teasing, avoiding her, then giving her nice gifts? Jack had never been so weird. Whatever secret he was adamant about keeping was affecting him, and she wondered how long he could hide it. And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to know herself.

"Jack," she started, her eyebrows drawing together, "What's going on with you?"

His smile turned into a frustrated frown. "Drop it, Merida. It's not anything."

"How can I drop it, you twat? You're being too weird, what am I supposed to think?" She took a step toward him but he pushed off from the railing, somehow managing to keep perfect balance standing on the handle of his broom. She blinked at him hovering in the air, glaring back at her. A couple fourth years a few feet away gasped and pointed at him but he ignored them.

"Let it go, Merida," he said firmly. "It's none of your business."

She clenched her teeth. How could he possibly expect her to let it go? But she just chose to stay silent, matching his stubborn gaze.

"Ooh, that's pretty!" Rapunzel said, coming up beside her. "Wow, Jack! How are you so good at Charms? Your creativity and skill are always so impressive."

"Thanks, Punzie," Jack said, slipping easily and quickly into his usual attitude. "I've always been a charming person. Right, Mer?" He winked at her.

Merida kept glaring. Rapunzel looked back and forth between them with an odd look.

"Um, Jack," Rapunzel said next, her eyes looking worriedly out at the quidditch field. "Aren't you supposed to be out there?"

They turned. In the center of the field, hovering on their level, were both quidditch teams, with Madam Hooch between them, the quaffle in her hand. They were all looking at Jack. Astrid was at the front of the Hufflepuff's, and she spread her arms at them questioningly.

"Ah, whoops. I'll see you guys later." He dropped down onto his broom and hurried away to join the players.

"I still can't believe Madam Hooch asked for his help," Rapunzel said with forced cheer, evidently deciding not to ask about what had happened, "Did you ever think we'd see the day when all the teachers were relying on him?"

The quaffle flew into the air and the whistle blew, but Merida found herself watching Jack's back. "No," she said, feeling the little vines of the flower curl around her fingers and wrists, "I never thought we would."


Jack stopped avoiding her, but he wasn't any more forthcoming about anything. He only hung out with them when they were all together, and would respond to her passive aggressive, and sometimes aggressive, comments with a flippant or underhanded comment of his own. It led to lots of rants to poor Rapunzel on how annoying and impossible he was, to which Rapunzel never had her questions answered as to why, exactly, he and Merida were fighting.

"Why are you two so up in arms every time you see each other?" Hiccup asked one day in the library, dropping the book that was impossible to study with Merida's snarling and Jack's cool comebacks. Astrid had given up half an hour ago and left for the common rooms, and Rapunzel had buried her face in a book ages ago, deciding to avoid the situation.

"We're not up in arms. Princess fussy pants over here is just Scottish," Jack said, his feet propped up on a chair as he charmed pieces of paper into origami cranes that then flew over their heads. "Can she be anything but a pain in the butt?"

With a growl, Merida snatched the cranes out of the air, crumpling them in her fist and tossing them at Jack. He let them hit him without so much as blinking.

"See what I mean?" he said to Hiccup.

Hiccup gave an exasperated chuckle and fond look at her, and Merida sucked back her angry remark prepared for Jack, instead picking up the book that she was supposed to be reading. Idiot Slytherin boy. Making her look like the one in the wrong when he was the one being a putz in the first place.

Half the time she stubbornly ignored him when he was around, the other half the time she tried to weasel information out of him, or drop in on him when he was having conversations with other people. Once she did it when he was walking alone with Elsa, and ended up startling the poor blonde girl, who tried to good naturedly brush it off. When Merida went in for the "do you know what this git is up to?" Jack put her in a headlock and dragged her away, leaving Elsa to watch them go with wide eyes.

"It's none of your business," he kept insisting. The more he said it, the more Merida resented it. She didn't even stop to wonder why, although Rapunzel was giving her stranger and stranger looks as the days passed.

The weather took another turn for the worse. A storm came in, with freezing rains that dropped the temperature even inside of the protected stone walls of Hogwarts. No one dared go outside for three days, and even Care for Magical Creatures was moved inside to the great hall, which meant the room smelled like exotic birds of the orient. Quidditch practice was canceled, and Gryffindor's first game against Slytherin was postponed, much to Merida's horror. She moaned as she roamed the halls with Rapunzel, lamenting every time she sat in class, staring at the rain on the window panes. The weather was downright ridiculous, and the only consolation she had was the fact that it had yet to snow like she had seen a month ago.

Jack, the devil, was MIA, which she absently wondered if it was because she was in a fouler mood than normal and he was trying to stay out of her line of fire. Coward. He had just better not be avoiding her again. She hadn't really liked that the first time.

When she asked Hiccup about it on the fourth day of rain, he answered, "I haven't seen him either, so I asked Elsa about it this morning. She said he caught a cold and has been laid up in the infirmary for a few days. I asked if we should go and visit him, but she said he was doing better and just needed some rest. I guess she knows best—she is his girlfriend. Have you finished your Care for Magical Creatures homework, Mer? I won't go easy on you just because we're childhood friends."

A pit settled in Merida's stomach the rest of the day. She couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but it festered woefully until she found herself unable to focus in any class. Before she knew it, she was skipping Potions, her last class of the day, and heading up to the infirmary instead. The halls were quiet, and she had to duck out of sight once when Nearly Headless Nick and the Red Baron floated down the hallway, deep in conversation about some ghostly women they had met at the last Specter's Ball. She waited for them to pass before hurrying on.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting—probably for Jack to be sitting in bed drinking butterbeer, perfectly fine and only faking an illness in order to avoid his Prefect responsibilities. She didn't expect to see the headmistress outside the infirmary door, talking in hushed tones to the new nurse, Toothiana, and Professor Longbottom, Jack's name on their lips.

Merida panicked, quickly ducking behind a suit of armor that turned it's rusty, creaking head toward her. She quickly told it to shush, begging it not to rat her out. Calming her breathing she strained her ears, trying to pick out what they were saying.

"He's been fine since then?" Professor McGonagall was saying in her brusque voice. But through cracks in the armor Merida could see the woman's long, withered hands were clasped behind her back tightly.

"Well, yes, he's been all right," Toothiana said, her gestures and voice quick and fluttery. She was a petite, pretty woman with short hair. She was even smaller than Merida, who always felt like a clumsy lug next to her, despite how friendly she was. "I mean, all things considered."

"Isn't the potion helping?" McGonagall asked, turning to Professor Longbottom.

The tall man scratched the back of his neck. "Um, well, it's doing what it can. I always make sure it's full of rageweed, but it can't fix anything, it can only help with the symptoms, so…"

"Didn't Professor Tallen tell me that he was doing better? What's really going on?"

Toothiana and Professor Longbottom shared a look. Then Professor Longbottom looked away and Toothiana told the headmistress hesitantly, "He's not doing as well as we'd hoped. He's actually declining quite rapidly in the last few weeks compared to the last few years."

"What about Ms. Arendell?" McGonagall demanded.

"She's doing fine, as far as we can tell. Much better than last year, almost no symptoms at all."

"So, what's the difference? What about Mr. Frost?"

"Well, we're not really sure. Elsa comes from a very different situation than Jack. Ever since she reconciled with her family, she's been doing phenomenally better. Jack, well, he doesn't have the same support system."

"Hm," Professor McGonagall mused. "Then, is there anything else we can do for him now?"

Toothiana looked down at her fidgeting hands and Professor Longbottom dropped his hand from the back of his neck. "No," he said, "There isn't."

Professor McGonagall nodded, and after telling them to keep doing what they could, she turned and swept down the hall, her long robes billowing behind her. Toothiana and Professor Longbottom sighed, turning to talk to each other in quieter tones, before Professor Longbottom also left and the nurse slipped inside the infirmary.

Merida took a deep breath, realizing she had been holding her breath. She leaned back against the wall, her head was spinning a little. The pit in her stomach seemed heavier, as well as the guilt that was settling over her shoulders at her stupid behavior the last few weeks. Whatever was wrong with Jack, she certainly hadn't been helpful or supportive of him. She stayed there for quite a while, ignoring the suit of armor who patted her shoulder comfortingly.


The next day was sunny. The air was still a bit chilly, but the sun was warm and everyone seemed more cheerful because of it. Everyone but Merida. She hurried down to breakfast, hoping to see Jack, and if not, then intending to march right up to Elsa and ask if they could talk. She never even made it to the Great Hall, since Kristoff intercepted her on the way. He told her the quidditch game was back on that afternoon, so long as the weather stayed nice, and he wanted to squeeze in an early morning practice before then.

Being on a broom in the sun did make her feel better. Or, rather, keeping her focus on chasing the quaffle and dodging bludgers helped distract her for a while. Them she was stuck in classes again, and she fell asleep on her desk more than once, tired from a restless night and an early workout.

"So," Rapunzel said to her just before the game, "Do you love it?"

Rapunzel was holding one corner of a long banner. Hiccup held the other end, and he and Astrid seemed to be trying not to laugh. The banner had a huge image of Merida, who looked regal and important on top of her broom in her scarlet and gold uniform, but her hair was insanely wild, even more so than in real life. It stuck up in every direction like a giant afro, and the flashing gold words on the side said, "Dunbroch, 04. Go, go, Gryffindor!"

"Mm, yes, I…love it," Merida said with a forced smile at her best friend.

"Yay!" Rapunzel said, jumping up and down before throwing her arms around Merida.

Merida hugged her back, catching Hiccup's eye over her shoulder. When Rapunzel let her go, he said, "Kill it out there, Mer."

"Will do," she said. She would have gone in for a hug, but decided not to. She was trying to back off, after all. Even if he looked cute in the Gryffindor t-shirt beneath his jacket that Rapunzel had made for him.

"You'd better win," Astrid said, also in a Gryffindor t-shirt, "Because I want to be the only one who beats you."

"Of course we'll win," Merida said with a snort and a pointed look, "I'm not letting anyone beat us." They high fived a little harder than necessary. Merida looked around the field, then up at the stands, which were filling up quickly with nearly the entire student body. Kristoff was on the field briefing the team, and looking at her with urgent eyes to get over there. "Has anyone heard about Jack?" she asked, looking up at the Slytherin stands.

"Yeah, I talked to him at breakfast," Hiccup said, and she snapped her head back in his direction.

"You did? He's out of the infirmary?"

"Yeah, he's doing fine. Said he just had a bad fever and head cold for a couple days. He's all better now, although I suppose he won't be helping ref. He probably should take it easy while he can."

They all wished Merida good luck before Rapunzel excitedly whisked them away to the Gryffindor stands, where they would be the only non-Gryffindors on the front row. Merida walked out to the field in a daze, the sound of the crowd just a buzz in her ears. Her eyes were still on the Slytherin stands, but of course she couldn't make out any individual faces from this far down. Then she saw Kristoff anxiously waving her over, and she jogged out to him.

The game was short and fast. Merida threw all her stress into it, chasing the quaffle with such vigor that the seventh year Slytherin guarding her literally shrunk back at one point, giving her clear access to the hoops, much to his team's annoyance. They finished the game in record time, the score 160 to 100, with Gryffindor in the lead before their seeker, a third year named James, snagged the snitch.

Lost in the adrenaline and cheer of the crowd as her team circled the arena victoriously to the sound of fireworks and lion roars, she reveled in triumph. Half an hour later on the edge of the field, she laughed loudly and return slaps on the back. Rapunzel practically tackled her, and she couldn't avoid Hiccup's hug, either. She shook Astrid's hand a little too tightly, only for both girls to be nearly knocked to the ground when Kristoff's girlfriend, Anna, came crashing through the crowd. Merida and the rest of her team turned in embarrassment as their captain and Anna kissed each other a million times.

The student body was moving back to the school in mass, and when Merida turned, she spotted the head of white hair she had been hoping to see.

Jack was walking with Elsa and a group of Slytherins who looked pissed off that their team had lost, but Jack cupped a hand to his mouth and shouted to her anyway, "Nice flying, Dunbroch!"

She just looked back at him. He smiled, he laughed, he joked when a classmate hit his back, he slung an arm around Elsa's shoulder jovially. He didn't look sick. He didn't look like the secret subject of the headmistress, the nurse, and the herbology professor.

"Hold this, Punz," Merida held her broom out to Rapunzel without looking back at her. She barely waited for Rapunzel to take it before she ran into the crowd.

She received some slaps on the shoulder and congratulations as she raced on, not caring that she was still in her quidditch gear, or that her hair was now falling out of her ponytail in a sweaty, frizzy mess. She was heading down the ground floor hall towards the stairs to the dungeons, not sure where else to look, when she spotted Jack out a window. So, he was still outside, headed toward the main entrance. There were a few students walking his same direction, but he was walking alone.

Merida skidded to a halt, before turning on her heel and running back to find an exit. She bumped into a few younger kids, accidentally sending one sprawling. Grabbing the kid roughly she set them on their feet, apologizing before moving on. She ran along the covered stone walkway, taking a shortcut through the courtyard to catch up with Jack quicker. Finally, she spotted him, below her walking on the grass. She was on the walkway, with a three-foot stone wall and a four-foot drop separating them, but if she went around, she would lose him. So she sprinted forward, reaching to grab hold of the hood of his robe, and nearly knocking the wind out of herself when her stomach slammed into the top of the wall. Not that it mattered, since she was already completely out of breath.

Stopped in his tracks, Jack turned toward her with a shocked face, his blue eyes wide.

"Jack," she said, her voice wheezing, a drop of sweat sliding down her temple, "Are you ok?"

He blinked at her. "I…yeah. I'm fine. What's up?"

She shook her head, trying to catch her breath, not releasing her hold on him. "I heard Professor McGonagall talking to Professor Longbottom and Toothiana outside the infirmary," she paused to breath, and watched his face go blank as he realized what she was saying. "Don't lie," she said firmly. "And don't you dare tell me it's none of my business. You're my friend. And I was," she paused to shake her head again, feeling her throat getting tight, "So worried. You stupid idiot, what were you thinking? You're playing stupid Mr. Prefect like everything's peachy keen while it isn't and I'm going crazy worrying about you, and you're not helping at all!" Choking on the last word she looked away from him and cleared her throat.

He shifted and she looked back to see him reaching up for her. He wrapped his arms around her and she responded in kind, holding him tightly around the neck. She could feel his fingers gripping her robe desperately, like a lifeline, which just made the lump in her throat harder to swallow.

Although, hugging like this was really not comfortable. After a few minutes she could feel the wall digging into her bottom ribs as she leaned over it, and it couldn't be better for him. She began pulling away, saying in his ear, "Hang on, I'll come down."

His grip on her tightened fiercely, keeping her close, but he pulled one hand away. She glanced over to see out of her periphery that he had pulled out his wand, which he tapped twice on the wall she was leaning over. She let out a yelp when a section of the wall disappeared and she fell straight through, knocking her and Jack to the ground. Her arms stung a little, since he fell on top of them, but at least they had landed on grass and not stone. He didn't let go of her. She dropped her chin onto his shoulder, closing her eyes, her cheek brushing his ear. She still didn't know what the problem was, and she had no idea what he was thinking or feeling, so she could only imagine. Was he afraid? Was he sad? He needed someone, obviously, and if he'd settle for her right now then that was ok with her.

She inhaled sharply when she felt his shoulders start shaking. It was almost imperceptible, and she figured he wouldn't want her to know that he was crying. She'd never seen him cry before, not even when he had broken his leg in their second year. She'd helped Hiccup carry him back to the castle, and he had sucked in through his teeth in pain, but he hadn't cried. If he was crying now, then he must be in real pain, whether that was emotional or physical. Her heart ached for him.

Then a quiet chuckle brushed past her ear.

Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back, staring down at him incredulously.

"Are you…are you laughing?" But even as she asked his quiet chuckle was getting stronger, his nose scrunching up like it always did. She wanted to punch him. She had thought they were having a serious moment, and here was the moron, laughing it off. "What the hell, Frost?" She sat up angrily, smacking his shoulder.

He quickly followed, taking the fabric at her waist in a fist so she couldn't go too far. He said between laughter, "Wait, wait, I'm sorry, don't leave."

Her cheeks were burning, and it wasn't just because of her run here. She was embarrassed for being so emotional only to have him laugh at her, and she definitely didn't feel like she deserved that. He glanced at her face, which caused another breathy chuckle to escape him. She must've been pouting, a stupid habit her mother always pointed out but that she couldn't help.

His face became more serious and he leaned towards her to say more softly, "I'm sorry for laughing." But he still didn't have the brokenhearted face she had been expecting, which sort of made her feel better and sort of annoyed her. He reached up with his free hand and pushed back a loose curl that had fallen from her ponytail. She continued glaring at him and he looked like he might laugh again, but he choked it down and asked, "What did you hear outside the infirmary?"

That sobered her up quickly. Her eyes dropped away from his and caught on the Prefect pin on his sweater. She straightened it. "They were talking about you and how you're…doing worse. And something about a potion that's not helping, and Elsa, who's doing better but you're not and…that there's not really anything they can do."

"Ah," he responded.

She was nervous to see his expression, but she had to look. His lips were pursed and he was looking off to the side, thinking. He must have felt her eyes on him because he turned back and another chuckle escaped him.

"What a face you're making!" he said, his smile a strange mixture of teasing and affection. She flinched in surprise when both his hands came up to cup her cheeks. His fingers were cool against her skin, and she felt chills on the back of her neck. "It's ok, Merida, I'm not terminal or anything. I'm going to live, it's not that sort of problem."

She let out a breath she didn't know was holding. Her eyes closed and her shoulders slumped. "Crivens, thank Merlin and his seven wives. Then what—"

Then, her brain must have completely fritzed out or exploded, or maybe she actually got hit by a bludger on the field and this was a dream. Whatever the reason, it couldn't actually be that Jack Frost, infamous git, Slytherin Prefect, had just leaned forward and put his lips on hers.

Her brain clicked back on after a few seconds. Her eyes were open, although she didn't remember opening them. His hands had fallen from her face to rest lightly on her elbows. Her lips were definitely still tingling. He was smirking.

"If you want," he said in a light tone, as though he were offering her a glass of pumpkin juice and not discussing his secrets, "I'll tell you everything."


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