The famous French scientist Marie Curie who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in 1911 had 2 daughters Irene and Eve. Irene went on work alongside her mother and eventually won a Nobel Prize herself in 1935 for Chemistry. I VERY loosely base Aurore after this Irene, once again VERY loosely base.

Happy reading and I own nothing.

But you can sky rocket away from me,

and never come back,

if you find another galaxy,

with more room to fly,

just leave me your stardust,

to remember you by

~Birds and Boats by Gregory and the Hawk

Ernest "Gobber" Drake glances up from the paper on his deck to watch a bird crash into the window. He grumbles something as he turns back to the packet in his hands he was in the middle of grading. Astrid Hofferson was drawn across the top in neat cursive. The application process was technically rigged now since Aurore's discovery Astrid was getting the internship no matter the outcome of the scores, but somehow actually taking the time out of his busy day to tediously grade all twenty packets made it all seem more legitimate. He rolls his eyes as the bird crashes into the window again.

He sets down the final packet on top of the pile and begins to write the congratulatory letter to Astrid and her family. Gobber grimaces slightly as the bird crashes a third time. Followed by the sound of the window opening. Ernest looks up to see a dove hopping onto Aurore's arm, her glaring at him profusely. Would it kill you to let him in?

Gobber stares blankly as the dove transforms into a lion, grips the edge of the desk with its front paws and roars in his face. "Yes."

Aurore rolls her eyes staring at up the ceiling shaking her head. She then stares in anger at her pet. The massive lion whimpers pricking its large claws from the wood. It turns into a puppy and rubs up against her ankles hoping for sympathy. She merely continues to glare at it as she picks him up, frowning at its attempt to lick her face. Gobber grins a little, signing his signature at the bottom of the piece of paper.

All finished? Aurore pens on her chalkboard I'll take that into town if you'd like I have some errands to run as well this afternoon. Ernest eyes her innocent smile wearily. "All right mother spider," he says handing her the parchment. He had other grading, the spring term papers for his international students had all arrived and he was severely behind on them. She rolls eye eyes again as she exits the room, a badger following after.

Aurore wore her hair pinned up in a bun with stunted ringlets falling out the back, paired with plainer clothing. Her hopes not to frighten off Astrid's mother, who from eavesdropping in town she'd learned was quite a hot head, into thinking that she was a snobbish aristocrat who expected her to bow down before her because of her bloodline, hair neat to hopefully invoke a sense of seriousness. Yes, it would have been dare to be said simpler to leave the letter in the mail box and hope for the best, but that was leaving things far too much to chance for Aurore's taste.

She knocks on the door and takes a step back from the stoop onto the stony walk way. She holds up her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. A tall middle aged woman opens the front door, her silvery blonde hair tied in a neat braid draped over her shoulder. The sun is swallowed in her irises and her mouth is pulled into a tight frown. "Hello, how my I help you?" She says whipping off her hands on the edge of her apron. Aurore holds up her chalkboard smiling. I have a letter for Astrid from Professor Drake.

The woman eyes her wearily. "Well then, why don't you come in while I go fetch her," she replies stepping out of the way of the door frame.

Astrid's mother shadow appears over her where she'd been picking tomatoes in the garden; the older woman looked exhausted. "A woman from Professor Drake is here to see you," she tells her. Astrid wipes her hands on her apron and picks up the basket holding the tomatoes. Astrid stands to meet her mother's gaze. "Oh God, you're filthy you'll have to have you wash up in the kitchen before you meet her in the parlor." Astrid merely glares, roughly handing her mother the basket as she trudges out of the garden.

When Astrid enters the parlor the woman is standing in front of the small front window, the light pours over her as she smiles warmly. She gestures to the flowers in the vase. "American flowers, hydrangeas, they're from my mother's bush on the side of the house. The woman nods and hands her the letter. She carefully breaks the seal, her damp skin sticking slightly to the paper. She smiles modestly, unfolding it.

Dear Astrid Hofferson:

Based on your exemplary scores on your examination and Mrs. Steffensen's recommendation I would like to offer you a summer internship working under Aurore. She will teach you skills needed to firmly study any of the sciences at university.

Sincerely,

Dr. Drake

Only as Astrid's eyes drifted over the signature did she notice her mother's shadow looming over her again.

"Who is Aurore?" Her mother asks.

That would be me.

"So that's eh? My daughter out does everyone immensely so you people have to give it to her, but because she's a girl he won't teach her himself," Her mother huffs. "Damn Bastards," she says marching back into the kitchen, "sending a half rate dumb mute in here to push my daughter off on. My daughter is as good as any of those boys in that fucking school."

Astrid face palms. "MOTHER," She says her voice rising, "I'm almost positive it's not like that." She glances over at Aurore, her lips pursed, eyes calm but rage shimmers in them like water in a pot. "Give me a second to deal with her." The woman shakes her head, walking forward to approach the beast in its den. A surprised Astrid follows close behind. Her mother opens a set of cupboards doors while yelling incoherent curses. She slams them shut and moves onto a drawers as though looking for something. Astrid furrows her brow. "Mother, stop it." Astrid shouts. Her mother's overpowering form shoves a finger in her daughter's face, the other hand grabbing her collar. "Don't you dare back talk to me I am your mother." Her eyes are like water droplets thrown into a skillet. But before Astrid can say anything, Aurore using her chalkboard wedges her way between Astrid and her mother. The water in the pot has come to a full boil. She holds the black surface firmly within inches of the towering woman's face.

What makes you think I am unqualified to teach your offspring? Aurore does not give her time to answer writing quickly. My mother is currently the only woman to be an owner of a Nobel Prize and I have been privately tutored in science and mathematics since I was a child and have managed to graduate college with a degree in chemistry and philology, despite being female and unable to speak.

As Mrs. Hofferson reads the words her mouth draws into a thin line and she moves to stand in front of the much smaller woman.

So possibly just possibly Professor Drake might have considered it beneficial for Astrid to work alongside someone who had managed to conquer the same hurdles as she will.

Mrs. Hofferson nostrils flare. Despite her mother being nearly a foot taller than her Aurore doesn't budge. Her mother glances up at Astrid, who merely returns her glare with matched intensity. Her mother knows she is out argued; all that is left to do now is waiting for her to stand down.

"Fine," Mrs. Hofferson says through gritted teeth directly into the smaller woman's face. The widowed Hofferson throws up her hands and turns toward the sink. "I was only looking out for you."

Aurore smiles slyly.

She has stood up against the dragon and won. Astrid crosses her arms firmly impressed; she peers on with respect as Aurore turns to leave. See you the day after school lets out at 9 o'clock sharp. With that the warm sly smiling woman waves goodbye. Astrid waves in return, smiling as well. Apparently even dragons are afraid of spiders.

Stoick sat down at the kitchen table. He leans his elbows on the blue checkered board pattern. He squints unhappily at the flowers in the vase. The petals a very particular deep shade of blue that formed in a star formation. They'd been mocking him for the past 2 days. That and the twinkling doll-like eyes of the pregnant woman.

Still couldn't put his finger on where he remembered her from. He sighs, standing up, he needed a drink. He'd go into town for a bottle of wine, and probably some ice-cream or something for Hiccup. The maid already had dinner cooking in the oven.

He pauses on the way to the door to yell up notice to Hiccup in his room; he hears a vague murmur of reply. The man lumbers the rest of the way to the front door, his conscious eclipsed in thought. His hand swiftly yanks open the door. Aurore stands on the stoop hand raised ready to knock. Startled, she steps back. She reaches into the wicker basket and holds up a muffin to him. Lemon blue berry muffins, a basket of lemon blue berry muffins. As mayor he was used to the town ladies bringing him baking to hope and win his favor.

But these in particular were the same kind his mother had had him run over to the Drake castle along with the stack of papers his father, the current mayor, needed taken over to the Drake estate. They were a gift for the repellent the late Mrs. Drake who'd shown her the trick for keeping rabbits out of the rosebushes.

The kind of muffin a little girl with braids in her hair begged for before running back to hide behind her mother skirts. Who was the brunette woman from France, who hated lemon, and gave her muffin to a large dog, which happily gobbled it up making the girl with the braids giggle, crumbs falling in her lap, a dog that was curled up at the feet of the new chemist, a young woman with fiery red hair, who rolled her stunning green eyes at the dog and then smiled at him. She politely asked for a muffin in thick London accent and then slightly dumbfounded he handed her one. Then the late Mrs. Drake came into the room, who was overjoyed at the sight of him and the basket, who took it from him and whisked him away to the professor's office asking him questions about how his mother was. In a single glance back he sees the young woman pouring the contents of one test tube into another and of the little girl, who was the daughter of the French woman, peering over the counter, nibbling on a muffin. The little girl who would have known how much she loved the star shaped petals of those flowers. And how after a trip to America, she gave bulbs to all the people she loved.

Stoick blinks slightly embarrassed knowing his thoughts drifted off for a second there. Aurore only reaction is a toothy grin. She hands him the basket with a tiny note.

~A gift celebrating Hiccup's apprentice's ship with the Professor.

"Ah how fitting, why thank you these look delicious?"

Aurore nods. Will we be seeing Hiccup Monday morning then? She jots on a notepad.

Stoick looks at contents in his hands for a moment, "If I can manage to pry him out of bed." With that she smiles even wider. This makes her resemble her child self even more. She turns and waves as she walks down the narrow path to the street where her automobile is waiting. Stoick waves back warmly as he closes the door.

Aurore had been there at the beginning when it had all went to hell. He will be in good enough hands if he goes then. Stoick thinks to himself as he turns from the door. And he does have to grow up sometime.

"Who was that," Hiccup asks from the stairs.

"Aurore, she brought by some muffins." He tosses him one, "You start Monday morning."

"Does that mean yes, then." Hiccup asks curiously.

"As long as you promise not to set anything on fire or get yourself killed, boy."

Little did Stoick know that was going to be a lot more difficult than he thought.

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Please review I love you all. Critiques are also welcomed. Next we see the pupils begin training.

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