Jack rested on the hills outside of Hogwarts with Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel. Their weekend had reached a midway point now that it was Saturday afternoon. The frost was setting in as Jack felt the grass brushing against his fingertips, melting to his touch.
"I didn't think Hogwarts would be this cold. I bet it'll snow before Christmas comes," said Merida. She was drawing her bow and shooting the trunk of a tree at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Even though Merida was preoccupied talking to her friends, she did not miss the tree.
"It's true we go back home for Christmas, right?" asked Jack.
"It is, Jack. But there are some students who stay because they want to be with their friends or they want to study or because they have no one to go back to, sadly." Merida answered.
"If that's the case then I guess I have to go home then. I promised Mother that I'd return home if given the chance."
"Rapunzel, everyone has the chance of leaving Hogwarts," said Merida.
"You know what I mean." Rapunzel happened to take promises seriously. Receiving them from her would be rare.
"What about you Hiccup?" asked Jack.
"I have to. They're probably running out of weapons while me and Gobber are gone."
"You and Gobber make the weapons?" asked Merida.
"Yeah, whenever Gobber returns from Hogwarts, he would work his butt off creating enough weapons. If the supplies do run out however, I would be the one making sure that it doesn't happen by making more—though I can't make them as fast as Gobber."
"You know how to use a sword?" asked Merida.
"Depends on what kind of sword. Most of the ones I forge are too heavy for me."
"Well that's a shame. I was thinking you and me could duel."
"Where do you think I can get all necessary tools to make a sword here?" questioned Hiccup.
"Remember those older students walking down that path?" asked Merida, pointing at the twisted path that snaked all the way around the lake. Before reaching the lake, the path actually led to a village nearby.
"They went to Hogsmeade. And yes, I do remember those students," said Hiccup.
"Well even further is a new zone called New Hogsmeade. That area is more industrial and they are bound to have the stuff you'd need, Hiccup," said Merida.
"Wasn't Hogsmeade a station?" asked Rapunzel.
"No, that was Hogsmeade Station, which is part of Hogsmeade. The distance from Hogsmeade to the station is just as far as Hogsmeade is to Hogwarts." Merida corrected, releasing the bowstring.
"Why did they expand? And is it true that according to Nod, we're not allowed at Hogsmeade?" asked Jack.
"They only let third years and up go to Hogsmeade. There are many shops there and the only exception for us to go to Hogsmeade is to deliver letters, but you'd know that, Jack," said Merida.
Jack had been to Hogsmeade almost two months ago, before his flying accident. The place had many adults and there were a few stores that caught his attention; it was just like walking around Diagon Alley. It felt like a taunt to Jack, having to go with Nod because Jack wasn't permitted on his own. Jack felt that he was old enough to complete a simple task. How hard was going to the Hogsmeade Post Office to send a letter to his family?
It was a rather long wait for Jack to receive his family's reply. Apparently the letters took longer depending on how far the location was. The main thing his parents emphasised on the letter was how much Emma missed him, so he had a better reason to go back home.
"And New Hogsmeade?" Jack asked again.
"I'm not sure about that place. It wasn't there when my mother and father went to Hogwarts. You should probably ask Anna about that since the Arendelle Corp owns that plot of land. New Hogsmeade is related to Dusk, which sparked a large riot before the construction commenced."
The conversation redirected to the upcoming Quidditch match.
"So are all of you going to see the Quidditch match tomorrow? Nod told me he'd be in it with his friends," said Jack.
"Of course I'll be there. I wouldn't want to miss the first match with Slytherin against Ravenclaw," said Merida.
"How is Quidditch played?" asked Rapunzel.
"Well, I can explain since my friends from Berk played imitations of the game when I was little. So each team has two Beaters, three Chasers, one Keeper, and one Seeker. The Chasers have to score goals by throwing a ball called a Quaffle into the goal hoops on the opponent's side. Beaters use bats to hit smaller balls called Bludgers that can injure people. Keepers protect their hoops from the Quaffle, and Seekers are on their own searching for the Golden Snitch. The game ends when the Golden Snitch is caught, or if a team forfeits."
"That's it? It sounds as easy as the games at Hawthorne," said Jack, not understanding where all the excitement about Quidditch came from.
"I forgot to mention that all players are on broomsticks," said Hiccup.
"Well that makes everything different, doesn't it? You have all the things to play Quidditch at Berk? Doesn't magic not work?" asked Jack.
"I said we played imitations. At Berk, we did it on the ground, using rocks as Bludgers and a sheep as a Quaffle. We used Fireworm dragons as the Golden Snitch—even though Snotlout sometimes snuck in a second Fireworm—because they're living and have unpredictable movements. Of course, I didn't play with them since I'd only make them lose, always running away from the Fireworm no matter what position I am on the team."
"Aren't there only six of you from Berk?" asked Rapunzel.
"There's more younger than us. We're not sure if they possess magic like we do, but it's likely. There's no teenager older than us, meaning that we're the first of the generation to go to Hogwarts after a long time." Hiccup was watching some students return from Hogsmeade. They weren't in uniform, so their clothing was vividly coloured compared to the black uniform of Hogwarts.
"Maybe you can join the Quidditch team. The Golden Snitch isn't a dragon and you can prove to everyone on Berk that you're what you want to be." Rapunzel suggested.
"It's too late anyway, tryouts are over and first years aren't allowed to join. Besides, my performance in Flying is still mediocre. I always get nervous when flying in the air now," said Hiccup.
"But it's true that you enjoyed it before you thought about riding dragons?" asked Jack.
"Yeah…" admitted Hiccup.
In the giant field above Hogwarts, there was the Quidditch pitch, a stadium for the students to practice and play. The Slytherins were the last to practice before the first Quidditch match of the year. Their captain, Hans, was leading them with many students observing from the seats that ringed around the entire pitch.
MK and Nod were watching Hans coordinate his team along with some of the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor team members.
"You think we'll stop Quidditch next year when we become prefects?" asked MK.
Nod hesitated to answer because he'd never talk about his insecurities to many people. He decided to play it cool and to try convincing her that things would stay the same.
"Nah, I don't see how a title would affect our time. We just have to persist and try our hardest."
Nod's closest friends were Hans, Elsa, and MK. He had Quidditch to thank for that. It's uncommon for people from different houses to be friends, let alone having one from each house. Having a Ravenclaw, a Slytherin, and a Hufflepuff friend made Nod a better person overall. Their different perspectives helped him lead his Quidditch team after having difficulties being a young captain.
"Then what about OWLs? That would affect our academic results, wouldn't it?" said MK. OWLs was a test that had to be taken seriously. All fifth year students were expected to do this test if they wanted to continue specific subjects in the future. Depending on how many subjects the student studied affected the number of OWLs they had to take.
Nod didn't answer. He felt defeated. One of his Gryffindor friends left him last year, which showed him how delicate friendships were. He wanted to do whatever it took to keep his remaining friends together. Without them, he'd have no support in Hogwarts. If they were to all stop Quidditch, then he'd have no reason to talk with his closest friends.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of the future. Relax, Nod. We'll see what Elsa and Hans have to say about it then." MK leaned on Nod and placed her hand on his shoulder for reassurance. She was laughing as if it was a joke, but she didn't know how Nod was feeling, how badly he didn't want things to change.
Nod saw three students approaching them, first years most likely.
"Is this the Hufflepuff captain? I'd like to join the Quidditch team." The boy spoke with pride. It was Macintosh and his two friends.
"If it's not a bother," added MacGuffin, trying to cancel out Macintosh's abrupt request.
"It's not a bother. The only problem is that first years can't join. But I'll make sure to keep an eye out for you next year," said MK, sitting up from Nod's shoulder.
"I wasn't talking to you, sweetie. I want the captain of Hufflepuff to answer," said Macintosh.
It was the first time somebody didn't expect MK to be the Hufflepuff captain. To be fair, it was probably because her and Nod weren't wearing their school uniform.
"I am the captain. Nod over here is in Gryffindor."
"Well it doesn't matter. What matters is that you're going to need my skills to be able to win future matches." The Quidditch players around MK began laughing at the first year. Was he even hearing himself?
MacGuffin left Macintosh because of all the humiliation. But Dingwall stayed with Macintosh, perhaps more oblivious of the situation than Macintosh was.
"Your friend embarrassed you?" called a voice before MacGuffin left the pitch.
It was the Princess of Arendelle, Anna. She was with a few other students he could recognise from Slytherin and Gryffindor.
"A little." MacGuffin answered carefully.
"Well, if you ever feel the need to hide from embarrassment, you could always stay with us."
MacGuffin looked at the other students. The Slytherin was Flynn Rider, and the two Gryffindors were Astrid and Snotlout.
"Thank you but I think I want to go to my common room for now," said MacGuffin. His words were difficult to understand, but they got the idea.
"That's fine, but just remember the offer next time you decide to hide." Anna suggested.
MacGuffin smiled and left quickly. The faces that stared at him gave him the creeps. It wasn't scopophobia; it was just because he didn't enjoy the attention. Being with Macintosh didn't help making him invisible, but being on his own did.
"Strange kid," said Astrid. She became friends with Flynn because Snotlout introduced him to the Berk students. After that, Flynn became friends with Anna, and now here they were.
"So Anna, where was I? That's right, the loser of the bet tomorrow will have to go into the Forbidden Forest. Merida from my house said that the blue light could lead people to their destiny, and my destiny is being rich!" yelled Flynn.
"What if your destiny was actually dying in the forest?" asked Anna.
"I'll try not to think that way. Just don't come crying to me when you find out that I became richer than you. There's really no downside to whichever team loses for me because I would either gain your respect, or become rich."
"What do you think, Astrid? Snotlout?" Anna waited for their opinions on the matter.
"I'm staying out of this. With the twins in detention and pulling pranks most of the time, I kind of miss their fights. I guess this fight is a good substitute," said Astrid, blowing her blonde hair off her left eye.
"I'm with you, babe," said Snotlout. Astrid rolled her eyes.
"You know what? I think I'm going to practice my axe throwing near Gobber's Hut." Astrid left her friends. She normally did this to escape Snotlout. He once followed her but learnt that he shouldn't be near Astrid whenever she wielded a battle-axe.
The next day, Elsa and Hans waited in different tents with their team, ready for their match. Not only were they captains, but they were also Seekers like Nod and MK. The rivalry had kept them together for a while now.
"Kick his butt. I'll do the same with Nod when my match arrives." It was MK, who would always support Elsa; unless they were against each other, then Hans would've supported Elsa. MK had both the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor scarves around her neck; Nod would be wearing the same too.
"Okay, everyone! Before the match begins, I would like to give an honourable mention to our new member from second year beginning her first match." The Ravenclaw team clapped for the new girl. She was athletic and wanted to join since her first year.
"Our strategy: Destroy the Slytherins and show who really dominates in Quidditch." The team roared before leaving the tents. Elsa also had to do her best and remain calm for several reasons, one of them being that this was the first match with her younger sister watching.
They were all on their broomsticks, forming a circle with the opposing team. Below them, in the centre of the circle, was Frondman. He was going to begin the match and act as the umpire.
Elsa scouted the seats to see if she could find Anna, but it was impossible because nearly everyone wore blue and green.
The Golden Snitch and the Bludgers scattered in the air, disappearing from Elsa's sight. When the Quaffle was thrown by Frondman, the game began.
Elsa ignored her teammates and aimed for the Golden Snitch—wherever it was. She constantly shifted her view from the sky to Hans, just to see if he spotted the Snitch before she did.
Elsa heard the crowd cheer as Slytherin scored a goal. She headed down and ignored the Golden Snitch for now, giving tips and advice for her teammates. She then followed the rookie and guided her for a few more minutes, hoping that she didn't waste time letting Hans find the Snitch.
Elsa peeked into the sky and saw Hans flying at high speeds, creating strange movements. Elsa ascended towards Hans. He was chasing the Snitch. The real match started.
Jack, Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel made it before the match began. The tall stands had professors and some students in them. Most students were on the seats that were between the stands, enclosing the field. Jack noticed that the students were divided by the four houses, meaning wherever him and his friends sat, three of them wouldn't fit in.
"Let's just find an empty spot," said Jack.
"Hey, how about over there?" Jack, Hiccup, and Rapunzel were trying to make out what Merida was looking at, but none succeeded.
"Where are you pointing? Merida?" asked Jack.
"There's an area of seats with less students. I can see some students from different houses," said Merida. The three were impressed with how far Merida could see. Maybe that's what helped with her archery.
"How do you know since most are wearing blue and green?" asked Rapunzel.
"I can see Anna and Flynn."
At the seats with some of their friends, Jack watched the match and didn't know where to focus. Elsa and Hans were speeding through the air and the rest of the team were scoring goals.
"It is good to see more people from different houses all together," came a voice that caught Jack off guard. Jack and his friends looked back and saw Xander and Yang.
"Why's that?" asked Jack.
"Sometimes the divisions between houses create unnecessary conflict," said Xander.
Merida turned to face Xander directly. Her face changed from content to confused.
"Unnecessary? What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that the Dark Weapon are among us, and what most people in this school worry about are the status of their blood, their fears, and their family." Xander's eyes slowly squinted. Yang was watching the conversation sternly.
"You can't be serious. Do you really believe in stories that are meant to scare children?" asked Merida, laughing because someone like Xander believed in such rumours.
"Xander's right, but why should we waste our time trying to convince you guys?" said Yang.
"They are not stories. They are facts." Xander left the seat with Yang. Something about their departure made Merida think that they were focussed on her and her friends, not the match.
"Do you believe this guy?" asked Merida, but there was no reply from her friends. "You guys believe him, don't you?"
"Take into account that Jack and Rapunzel haven't been in the wizarding world as long as we have," said Hiccup.
"But we've told them everything we know and they should know that nothing has happened for a hundred years," hissed Merida.
"To tell the truth, guys, I'm with Merida on this. But I wouldn't laugh or blame any of you two if you did believe that the Dark Weapon are still active," said Hiccup. The Dark Weapon was one of the things on his list that didn't scare him. The things he worried about the most were the Outcasts, currently a threat to Berk as opposed to the Dark Weapon.
"I was always taught by North to keep on believing, especially ones taught to children," said Jack. "So I think I'll keep my head up in case something does unfold.
Did Jack really want to believe in something like that? Xander spoke as if it was fact, not because he believed in things the same way Jack did.
The conversation was broken when the crowd began cheering louder than ever. They then started to chant for the Ravenclaw team.
"What just happened?" asked Jack.
"Well by the looks of it, Ravenclaw has won," answered Merida. They could see Elsa flying around with a golden object in her hand, the Snitch. Anna was screaming loudly in front of Jack.
Rapunzel woke in the middle of the night from Anna's voice. The entire year was getting prepared for Astronomy now that Professor Lunar had returned to Hogwarts.
The only student that was already awake before Anna's excitement was Ursa Michel, who loved studying the sky before joining Hogwarts. Ursa was from Greece, where light pollution was less compared to other countries where electricity was used frequently.
Rapunzel decided to leave Pascal. Usually she'd take Pascal with her, but she figured he'd rather have sleep than spending time with her in another class.
The class was interesting to some students, Rapunzel included because of her ambition of seeing floating lights that appeared once a year at Corona. Professor Lunar was short and had a round head; he resembled Mansnoozie a little, but the difference was that he only had strands of hair from the very tip of his head. Another obvious difference was that Lunar wasn't made of sand, and he wore puffy clothing.
When class ended, Professor Lunar went to wake up a few students who had dozed off.
Rapunzel got back to her common room and noticed that Pascal was missing.
"What's wrong?" asked Anna, seeing Rapunzel distressed and looking around every inch of the room.
"I can't find him. Pascal, he's missing," said Rapunzel, looking behind the cupboards.
"Hey, it's okay. I know someone who can help. In the meantime, you should get some sleep," said Anna.
Anna took Rapunzel to the common room and began whispering out loud. "Mavis, are you there?" A bat emerged from the ceiling and startled Rapunzel.
The bat transformed into a girl Rapunzel recognised. Mavis was usually quiet during class. She had the palest skin and darkest lips like a gothic person. The only thing that showed Rapunzel otherwise was Mavis' lovely smile.
"What do you need, Anna?"
"I'm sure you've met Rapunzel during class, right? Except for Flying since you can't be out in the sun," said Anna.
An Animagus is a person who has the ability to transform into another animal.
"You're an Animagus," said Rapunzel.
"That's right! My dad taught me a long time ago. We're vampires to be precise," said Mavis.
Rapunzel was surprised that this girl standing before her was a vampire. She was very open about it too. Whenever Rapunzel's mother told her about the cruel world, she'd mention vampires at least once. It would appear that her mother was wrong about them after all.
"Well, Rapunzel's chameleon is not in the dormitory, so is it okay that you look for him?" asked Anna.
"Sure, there's literally nothing left to do since everyone is asleep at this time." Mavis' form shrunk and the bat flew outside the common room.
"When does she sleep? Does she drink… you know?" asked Rapunzel.
"She sleeps immediately after classes. That's probably why you never see her during free time. Mavis does drink human blood, but only from donors. Drinking without permission is against the rules for vampires. Did you know that she's around one hundred-years-old? Chronologically of course, but she's biologically close to our age." The two stared at the window. The moon was full and glowing with a lot of vibrancy. "As for you, Rapunzel, it's extremely late and it would be careless to not go to sleep now."
Rapunzel thought about the diversity of the school, having vampires, princesses, and Vikings. She then realised that there would've been more people if magic worked all over the world, but that wouldn't be right since there would be other schools for them to spare the travel. The rumour of students getting kidnapped by the Dark Weapon because they wanted their enemies contained in one area was crazy. John and Jack were not from Europe, so that rumour was false.
"Dark Weapon…" Rapunzel laughed quietly. "What a joke."
Merida opened her eyes when morning arrived. She was dreadful; she didn't sleep much after Astronomy. Whenever Merida was woken up—by her mother or the strange noises—in the middle of the night, getting back to sleep would almost be impossible.
"You look… fine, Merida," said Hiccup, unsure of how to word it out.
"Oh shut it will you," said Merida, hiding her face in her arms.
"To think the school would have a potion to solve sleep deprivation," said Jack.
"There is a potion like that, but the time it takes to create it isn't worth it for today. Even getting a premade potion from Black won't be possible. Och, he's like a child who doesn't share food!"
Jack thought about Lily's collection. According to North, he left rumours of ancient scrolls scattered around the different towers of Hogwarts, which would keep the twins away from the dungeons. So if Lily's potions were not protected with North's spells, then nabbing one potion for Merida wouldn't be a hassle. The issue was he didn't know which potion was going to help Merida. He also didn't want to recreate the Halloween hailstorm last month.
"I wish I could help, Merida. But rules are rules." Jack held both his hands up to show there was nothing he could do.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Merida.
"It's been a while now, so I assume Lily might've cooked up a potion that would help you, but that would require me stealing," said Jack.
"No thanks, Jack. I'd rather serve detention than let some kind of potion explode in my gut when I drink it."
Merida was now at Defence Against the Dark Arts and she could not keep her eyes open. There were no voices to keep her awake since Professor Mansnoozie did not speak; instead, he used the Dreamsand as if the whole class was playing a game of charades.
The class took out their wands and began practicing the hand motion for a spell Merida couldn't remember.
"Did princess still not get enough beauty sleep?" whispered Jack.
"Very funny, Jack. Tease me about my lack of sleep again and I'll lock you in a room where nobody will find you." Merida threatened.
Merida continued waving her wand slowly as her eyes grew heavy. When she waved harder, a spark erupted from her wand, setting the table on fire.
Merida was wide awake as she and Jack backed away from the table. She heard a mixture of laughing, screaming, and muttering as Mansnoozie used a spell to extinguish the flames.
When class finished, Merida avoided everyone's eyes. The walk to exit the classroom felt like a walk of shame as she figured that everyone would've been staring at her. But in reality, most forgot she existed.
Merida felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned, expecting someone like Dagur to mock her. It was Mansnoozie and he stood significantly shorter than Merida; it was the first time she stood right in front of him.
Professor Mansnoozie created a set of images and Merida understood what he meant.
Moon. Tower. Clock. A barrage of letter Zs. Mansnoozie knew that Merida didn't have enough sleep because of Astronomy.
"Yes, that's true." Merida said, lowering her head as if she suspected a punishment.
Sand. Head. Sleep. Thumbs up. Mansnoozie's sand was something that could make her sleep easier, or at least that's what she thought he meant.
The professor floated to his desk and took out a pouch and filled it with his Dreamsand. The sand coming from his hands were pretty, sparkling at the right angle. He handed the bag to Merida but she didn't know if she understood his message correctly.
"For me?" Mansnoozie nodded and she took it from his tiny hands.
"Thank you, Professor." Mansnoozie conjured a fedora on his head and lifted it as a way of saying 'you're welcome'.
