(-INSERT DISCLAIMER HERE-
This chapter's gone pretty long, I hope you guys don't mind, I didn't want to cut a quarter off it and put it in the next chapter. Things are going smoother in my life as graduation nears, and so, I get more time to write-except at bedtime where I read to my little sister, I'm reading a chapter off Harry Potter each night, trying to get her to read (the brother's better, he's showing off by reading the Hobbit).
I have already uploaded this chapter before I got to read some of the reader's questions in the reviews, so the answers and explanations will have to be answered in the next update.
Anyway, I know there are shippers reading this (I don't know who you are, but I will find you-and I will ship you…), and I just wanted to know what ship sails with the most "passengers" on it. Jackunzels here? Anyone? How about Mericup? Merijack, people? I don't know what other ships are sailing here, but please post your favorite ship at the comments, thank you! I think I pissed off a few Merijacks for some reason...
Also, the italic error in the last chapter has been fixed, it meant nothing, it was no dream or flashback, it was a scene, I hope that's the end of it.
So, here you go, enjoy and don't forget to floss!)
Hiccup walked across the Entrance Courtyard, huffing. The first period class of that morning had already begun and students were hustling and bustling about the surrounding corridors. Sunlight kissed the stone paved floors of the courtyard, the morning mists already gone though it was still sort of chilly. The Forbidden Forest sure was too far from the castle to run to and fro everyday.
"At least he won't be hungry for a while..." Hiccup sighed tiredly, entering the Entrance Hall. Toothless' situation was...delicate. Not only because he's a freaking dragon hidden in the schools grounds but because...
"Yeah, that..." Hiccup groaned.
"YEAH! WAY TO GO, 'LIL!"
A group of Gryffindors bounded into the Great Hall wearing disheveled quidditch robes, hooting like a band of baboons.
"Yeah, we got ourselves a new Chaser!"
"Chaser...?" Hiccup said and followed them inside.
The Great Hall was scattered with students having late breakfasts, most of them Gryffindors.
"Hey, Hiccup, where have you been?"
Hugo ran up beside him, punching him playfully on the shoulder, his face freckly from the cold, hair rumpled, "You missed the try-outs!"
Hiccup's eyes widened, "Th-that was today!?"
He clutched his head on either side frantically.
"Yeah, we told you yesterday," Hugo said.
"Oh, no, I forgot! This is bad, this is really bad..."
"It's okay, man, we managed."
"Wait-did you say Lily got into the team?" Hiccup said, letting his arms fall to his sides.
"Well, yeah," Hugo said, "She beat Merida by one shot."
Hiccup quickly broke away from the conversation and ran along the Gryffindor table, looking for her. How could he have forgotten!?
"This is terrible..." he panted, spotting Merida's bright red hair up above the table. She sat there beside Rapunzel, still wearing quidditch robes, her still messier than ever, looking bleak, propping her cheek up with her hand, staring sleepily down on her cup of tea.
"...it's okay, you'll get in next year-Al said you're already a back up, after all..." Rapunzel reassured her, patting her friend's back.
"...yeah, Merida, you're at least a step closer." Jack added from across the table, dropping his staff down on the table with a clatter beside Merida's bow, "...you were great!"
"M-Merida...?"
All three of them turned to see Hiccup approaching them, fiddling with his fingers nervously.
"Where were you?" Merida said sharply, narrowing her clear blue eyes up on him.
"I'm sorry, I-I was..." Hiccup tried to reason.
"Yeh promised!" Merida slid out of her chair.
Rapunzel grabbed her crutch and got to her feet, holding back Merida's arm as the Scot stepped up to Hiccup.
"I know I did, but I ahd to-oh, this is all messed up..." Hiccup said, running his hands through his hair agitatedly.
Merida's face was twisted in dislike, gritting her teeth, "Does everything have to be a trick to you!? A lie!?" she jabbed Hiccup's chest with a finger.
"Merida!" Rapunzel said, pulling her back.
Jack rose to his feet and got his staff, "Guys! Calm down!"
"I screwed up! I should have remembered before now!" Hiccup admitted, holding up his hands. There were onlookers now, but he didn't care.
She kept his secret, but he...
"I'm sorry, Merida." Hiccup said.
She didn't say anything. Merida just stood, her hand balled into a fist in front of her, ready to punch Hiccup's face. He almost wished she would, take out her anger at him, beat him senseless-but just not ignore him again. Or worse...
Merida eased down and lowered her fist, her plae face still scrunched up in frustration.
"Merida...?" Rapunzel said.
She pulled away from Rapunzel's hold and looked away from Hiccup, grabbing her bow off the table. Stomping off to the door-walking past him without a word, without a glance.
Silence followed her footsteps, everyone looked on.
Hiccup stood there, rooted to the spot, breathless as Merida's footfalls faded behind him.
Rapunzel looked to him uneasily, troubled, then limped away after Merida, holding on to her crutch, ehr long golden braid trailing after her.
"You should have been there," Jack said. Hiccup looked at him. Though Jack's blue-grey eyes held no judgement in them, they still felt rather cold, "You can't keep letting her down, Hiccup."
He slung his staff over his shoulder and walked away.
The onlookers turned away, murmuring among themselves.
Hiccup let out a heavy breath and buried his face in his palms.
"Damn it, Hiccup..." he told himself, "You always screw up, don't you?"
"H-Hey."
He turned around to see prefect Rose there, a broom in hand, the rest of the Gryffindor team watching him from the tables. The Weasleys and Potters (which practically made up the team) had watched the whole scene unfold. Lily sat there, biting her lip, thinking that she was partly the reason the quarrel began.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah..." Hiccup lied and blinked, turning to Al sitting beside his sister by the table, his quidditch goggles set over his tousled black hair, "Actually...I need to talk to you, Captain Potter."
Toothiana sat behind her tall desk in her office right above the Transfiguration classroom. Sunlight streamed through the tall ornate windows of the circular room, setting the floor alight in colors of rose and gold, the stained glass glistening along the upper arches of the window-frames.
She scribbled fervently with her colorful peacock quill, humming in a tuneful voice.
"...'Exceeds Expectations', that seems about right, now what about this missing homework..."
There were many owls hooting on the rafters of her office, hooting peacefully, flapping their wings while a viridian green quick quotes quill jotted down zealously on the students' report card lying face up on the writing table by the window, marking down by Professor Toothiana's voice.
There was a sudden rap at the door, but she barely looked up from her work.
"...give that boy an 'Outstanding'," she continued on, the quick quotes quill noting that down.
"Tooth!"
"...no, no, I don't think she deserves a 'Troll', make that a-"
"Toothy! Can't you hear we are trying to get in!?" the headmaster's voice boomed outside, the door slamming open. The owls screeched up form the rafters, some flew out in surprise, sending a few feathers down on the floor.
"Oh, sorry!" Tooth snapped up with a sheepish smile and flitted out from her desk, dropping her peacock quill, the quick quotes quill dropping dead as well on top of the report cards.
Professor North strode in, wearing his usual red robes line with dark fur, his beard illuminated in the brightness of the room, Bunnymund following behind him.
"You should really work on your hearing, mate," Bunnymund told her.
"I was working on students' grades," she grinned with a nervous laugh, folding her arms across her stomach, fluttering in the air, her iridescent blue-green robes gleaming in the sunlight of the airy room.
"Giving those blokes higher grades than they worked for, eh?" Bunnymund chuckled, keeping away from the large windows looking down on the great heights below.
"Bunny, not now," North reminded and faced Tooth, "Sandy found something."
"He did? What did he find?" Tooth asked anxiously.
"The staircase accident was no accident, at all." Bunny cut in.
Tooth gasped, clapping herhand to her mouth, her lavender eyes wide, "But who? Why would anyone do it on purpose?"
"Something is going on around here, I feel it!" North said, pacing about, and patted his stomach, "In my belly!"
"Do you think this has somethin' to do with that curse, mate?" Bunnymund asked, arms crossed.
"I don't know..." North said, "But we need to find out soon-did Jack say anything?"
"Well, no," Tooth said, "He didn't say anything, at all."
"He's getting too preoccupied," Bunny said.
"No, let him be," North told them, "But if this has something to do with that curse, then this has everythng to do with our mission and we are definitely looking for someone."
"A student?"
"Perhaps." North replied, with hands behind his back, looking solemn.
"But-a student couldn't have caused that! That staircase is..." Tooth said, though didn't finish her sentence, "Look, MiM told us to help whoever has that curse, right?"
"Yeah. But seems like whoever he is," Bunnymund said and stepped up, unsheathing his boomerang, "He's not so keen on keeping the people around him safe."
"I've had it with 'im!" Merida seethed, stomping across the common room, yanking the leather quidditch armor off. A few students who were sitting by the window playing with Chocolate Frog cards blinked as she stormed in and decided to leave as Merida tossed her bow on their table as she passed.
"Look, he just forgot," Rapunzel said, limping after her, "I'm sure he-"
"Oh, I'm pretty sure he has a good reason!" Merida whirled around, dropping the leather chestplate on the couch, "He's too busy with tha'-!"
"With that what?" Rapunzel asked as Jack came in through the portrait hole.
Merida stood there and turned away, "Nothin'."
She turned to her heels in a flurry of her bushy red hair and disappeared up the spiral staircase to the girls' dormitory.
"They're really hitting it off great," Jack sighed and slumped on the sofa.
"They're usually like that, but not like..this." Rapunzel said and shifted her crutch.
"They just made up and fought again, well that's quite a friendship they got there." Jack smirked.
"Yeah..."
"How did you end up with them, anyway?"
Rapunzel slowly settled herself on the opposite couch, wincing a bit on the strain on her leg, "Well, we met on the first day, they became my best friends ever since..." she explained with a small smile, "I've never had friends before them."
"Well, it looks like you don't have to worry about that anymore," Jack laughed, pointing his staff over to the banner one of the housemates carelessly left on the coffeetable that read: WELCOME BACK RAPUNZEL.
"Everyone likes you, you know," he added, turning to her, "You never fail to get noticed."
"Yeah, well, you're doing pretty much the same," she laughed, "Girls can't stop staring at you wherever you are at school."
"Heh," Jack scoffed with a grin, "Anyway, how's your leg?"
"Uh..." Rapunzel said, casting a quick downwards glance at her bare feet, "Better-I think."
"Well, your arm's better," Jack pointed out, "Couldn't be that long, right?"
"Right," she agreed, lowering her eyes. She heard a familiar squeak and saw Pascal by the tea table, giving her a sympathetic look. She gave him a small smile and stared back downon her bandaged foot.
It was never going to heal...
But for the moment, Rapunzel didn't think it was worth mentioning to anyone.
Besides...everyone else seemed pretty busy.
"Yeah, anytime now..." she said.
"...these are thestrals," Professor Bunnymund said, gesturing to the dark, horse-like creatures in the clearin at the edge of the Dark Forest. They were larger than ordinary horses, and seemed...dead. Skeletal, their dark skin hung to their bones, dark bat-like wings folded at their sides, coudy white eyes staring at the students as they stepped back to the edge of the clearing.
Sunlight diffused through the trees, but it was brighter than other parts of the forest. Morning mist still hung on to the moss-covered roots of the trees, the Dark Forest still hung on to the chilly air.
"Oh, good heavens!" Lily gasped, stepping back in shock.
"What? There's nothing there!" Rapunzel said with a chuckle.
Only a few of the class saw whatever creatures Professor Bunnymund wanted them to see.
"You can't see 'em 'cause you haven't seen death," the professor said, moving over to a large female champing down on an apple he threw to the ground, patting its side.
"Well tha's just grand..." Merida said from the middle of the throng beside Rapunzel, crossing her arms, grimacing a bit, "I don' see nothin', and I've seen a lot of animals die-some of 'em not very pretty ends, a'tually."
Professor Bunnymund turned to them, hands behind his back as he explained, "The deaths have to be set in-it has to be something you won't forget," he moved along the line of students, "A parent, a sibling..."
Jack rolled his eyes from the front of the class and just leaned on his staff as the professor passed by him and said, "...a friend..."
"Now how many of you here can see them?" the teacher asked, his long rabbit ears turning in almost every direction at eqach sound made by the class.
"Yeah, here," Lily said and lifted up her hand, she had made her ability to see them quite clear since they got to the place. Others hesitated.
"Me."
Jack raised a pale hand up in the air. Everyone turned to him.
Then others slowly held up theirs.
"Good, don't be scared that you've seen death, that only makes you stronger, mates, remember tha'," the professor told them, "Now, would anyone like to volunteer to feed one...?"
"Hey," Hiccup whispered as the class talked on excitedly as Professor Bunnymund encouraged a Slytherin boy to step up towards the thestrals.
Merida glanced back and quickly turned away when she saw him.
"I'd try if I can see them!" Rapunzel chimed in as the Slytherin kept refusing to step forward, scared as a little girl. The thestrals just ignored them and snorted like horses.
"Merida," Hiccup insisted, tugging at her robe sleeves.
"Wha' do yeh want, Lowlander?" she hissed, pulling her arm away.
Hiccup glanced left and right, everyone was too preoccupied, "...come with me!"
"It's the middle o' class, yeh eejit!" she scolded, turning back to the Slytherin scampering back to his friends, terribly afraid of the thestrals.
"Come on, please?" Hiccup said, "I've got to talk to you."
She just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, adjusting her bag strap across her shoulder.
"...alright, you try," Professor Bunnymund said and took Rapunzel's hand, leading her to the thestrals she could not see, helping her as she limped on her crutch, "Careful not to step on them..."
"Still can't see them..." she chuckled.
"Just this once, please," Hiccup urged her on.
"Then will yeh stop botherin' me?" Merida sighed.
"Yes, I promise,"
"Not the first time yeh made a promise," she groaned and looked to and fro at the class, "Alright, let's go..."
Hiccup took her hand (though she would have none of it) and lead her into the side of the slowly moved back and ran into the trees, disappearing within only a few steps into the brush.
"Where are we going!?" Merida said in outrage.
"You'll see!"
"Man, look at that thing!" Jack chuckled, watching one of the thestrals made a sort of purring sound as Rapunzel stroked its leathery skull. It must be weird to be able to touch something and not see it.
"I'm doing it!" Rapunzel mouthed to her friends, thrilled at her feat. In the Care for Magical Creatures class, not a lot of students dare approach the creatures they are confronted with.
"I wanna try!" Lily's hand shot up into the air, seeing that the creatures really were peaceful despite their scary forms and the dark superstitions surrounding them.
Jack tilted his head, seeing the amusement on Rapunzel's face.
"Professor, this is really weird!" she laughed. She could surely feel the leathery skin of the thestrals under her palms, but there was nothing to be seen. It was like being able to touch the wind and finding out it had dragon skin.
"I know, lass, better actually if you don't see them, eh?" Bunnymund said.
Jack looked away to say something to Merida when he noticed she wasn't there at the back of the class where she stood.
"Hey, where's...?" he began and saw that Hiccup wasn't there, either.
"Where are they?" he wondered, turning to his heels, staring at the dark labyrinth of trees, chilly mist still visible over the mossy ground.
Then a twinkle of blue light...
"...see you tomorrow, Professor!" called back a little girl as she ran out of the classroom to join her friends outside in the Charms corridor. The cheerful noise from the hallways outside emanated in the walls of the nearly empty Charms classroom as sunlight rayed in from the high windows.
Professor ManSnoozie waved back with a bright smile from his desk, closing a large book.
He stepped down from his high chair and flicked his wand in the air, the for long tables on either side of the room realigned themselves from the careless positions the students left them in, the fallen textbooks and parchments setting themselves neatly on top of the tables.
The corridor and courtyard outside was soon empty, all the students in their next classes, and silence fell all over.
Satisfied with the tidiness of the room, Sandy turned to leave, thinking brightly of a prospect trip to the kitchens in thebasement hallways for a goblet of eggnog, or probably a stroll to the Black Lake to see the mermaids before his next class. But something stopped him as he was at the door.
He glanced back at the room, the bright sunbeams slanting in the air.
Professor ManSnoozie scanned the corners of the room. Though it was bright, the light could only so far as to keep the darkness away.
Shadows streaked all about...they almost seemed to move.
There definitely was something in his classroom, and he was sure it wasn't a student for remedial Charms class.
He took out his wand again, it sprouted a long golden whip charm at its tip, glowing bright.
With a firm expression on his face, the professor stepped back in, wary.
Yes, there was definitely something there...
He stood in the middle of the room, no sound broke the air, and so he waited with wand in hand.
Then suddenly...a faint flickering hiss.
With speed surprising for the usually sleepy and slow-paced teacher, he casted his whip charm at one of the corners of the high ceiling, the golden whip let out a loud crack as it hit the stone wall.
Something dark darted out of nowhere and swept down the wall, Professor ManSnoozie kept striking at it with the whip hex, but whether it got hit or not, the shadow was pretty agile as it whizzed down to the floor.
Sandy's whip disintegrated as he casted down a shower of yellow sparks wherever the shadow went, plunging the classroom in blinding light whenever he did.
But quicker than lighting, it dashed across the stone floor, hiding under the tables as it went, and out the door.
Professor ManSnoozie leapt after it, hurling a blast of light at the doorway, shattering in a flash of gold.
There seemed to be a screech but it soon disappeared, drowned by another.
A bloodcurling scream echoed through the Charms corridor.
With a soundless gasp, Professor ManSnoozie ran outside.
And there, in the darkened hallways ahead, he saw the shadow slinking away into the corner and out of sight, he would have kept pursuit of it if there had not been something in its wake.
A student, a young Ravenclaw boy, one of the pupils he just finished a class with, lay on the floor, in his own pool of blood.
"Look, just tell me where we're goin', arigh!?" Merida yelled as she followed Hiccup through the woods, trudging over fallen treetrunks and moss-covered stones. The Forbidden Forest was getting darker as they went deeper into the woods, even in the day.
"I have to show you something," Hiccup explained, glancing over his shoulder back at her as he ducked under an overhanging branch.
"Yeh said we were just gonna talk!" she complained, swatting the branch aside angrily, only to be backlashed by it in the face, "Ow! Mother of-can't I just get back ter class!?"
"Wow, that hurt, usually you'd be itching to get away from lessons," Hiccup said, stopping, and looking at her, "Look, I'm really sorry I missed your try-outs today, I-I was looking after Toothless."
"Yeh think I haven' figured that out?" she grumbled, touching the her sore forehead.
"All I'm saying is-I should ahve been there, I know, I'm sorry, but you have to understand that I'm in a pretty complicated situation right now and I..." he said breathlessly, his brown eyes almost pleading, "...I really don't know what to do, Merida."
Merida pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowed as she walked over a rock and over to him, "Yeh think I was mad because you weren't there?" she said, emphasizing every word coldly, her blue gaze sharp on him, that Hiccup stepped back, expecting her to suddenly grab his collar and beat him to a pulp, "No, Hiccup..."
But there was no malevolence in her expression.
"I was upset because yeh promised you would be."
"I-I..." Hiccup stammered, as he always did, rubbing the side of his arm, looking everywhere but at her.
"Now yeh can quit explaining about yer dragon," Merida said, "I won't be tellin' anyone-now if yeh wanna keep a dangerous pet in school, do what you want!" she tossed her hands up.
"It's more than that..." Hiccup tried to explain, "That's why you have to see for youself."
"Wait a minute..." she said, looking about, she recognized the path, "You were bringing me ter tha' thing!?"
Merida clutched her bushy red hair, almost in panic, "Are ye serious!?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"That's it! I'm goin' back ter class!" she turned to her heels and began to stomp off.
"Merida, wait!" Hiccup grabbed her hand.
She turned to him, taken aback, her eyes darting from her hand in his then back up to Hiccup's face.
"Please, Merida." he said, "Please, I know I've been a total jerk, and I can't blame anyone for that, but Toothless is my friend! He's not here because he wants to!"
Merida's eyebrows furrowed, "What are ye sayin'...?"
"He's here because he has to!" Hiccup said breathlessly.
Merida stood there, rooted to the spot. What did Hiccup mean by that...?
Why was Toothless...
"Guys, aren't you straying a little too far?" came a familiar voice.
They both turned behind them, shocked, to see Jack there.
"Whoa..!" Jack said, his gaze moving down to their connected hands, blinking uncertainly, "...okay...?"
Merida's eyes widened, yanking away her hand, "It's not what ye think!" she spat, a deep red shade rising up to her face. She daren't think of what thought Jack had in mind.
"It's not-well..." Hiccup chimed in, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well whatever it is, seems like you two made up," Jack grinned mischievously, leaning on his staff, "What are you guys doing here? It's the Forbidden Forest, remember?"
"Well-!" Merida began, "W-We could ask you the same thing!"
"Uh, yeah." Hiccup agreed.
"I saw you guys were missing," Jack stated, "Anyway, we should get back before Cotton Tail notices or else he'd be taking out your points..."
"What do you mean our points, what about you?" Hiccup pointed out.
"Oh, me?" Jack chuckled, "He wouldn't dare."
Merida opened her mouth to speak, cheeks still rather red, but the trees sudenly crackled, their tops bowing to a sudden gust, sending the three of them ducking down, the ferns on the ground flattened by the sudden wind. Merida's bright red hair flew about wildly.
They looked up to see a dark shadow dart overhead, like a huge bat, flying in a whirl of thundering screeches.
Hiccup's heart skipped a beat.
"Dragon!" Jack yelled as the silhouette of the flying reptile flew past, a trail of bluish flames left in the air to dissipate as if it had been on a fiery rampage earlier on.
"Oh, Good Lord," Merida breathed, clapping her hands to her mouth. She did not feel much fear, most of her emotions were bent on pity, actually, as she turned to Hiccup, a blank look on his face as he stared up at the now empty sky, mouthing the word...
"...Toothless..."
The sounds of screams were heard at the edge of the forest, mixed with the din of flapping wings and panicked cry of thestrals, Professor Bunnymund's voice rose in the air faintly.
"...ALL STUDENTS! BACK TO THE CASTLE! ALL OF YOU! GET OUT OF THE FOREST AND HELP WITH THAT FIRE...!"
"Fire!?" Merida gasped, turning to both of them, "Again!?"
Fire...the quidditch pitch. Could that have been Toothless' work? Merida felt the suspicion set in. It must have shown in her face because Hiccup looked back at her tentatively.
Hiccup's mouth quivered, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, he shook his head uncertainly.
"...he would never..." Hiccup said.
It was like he was afraid, himself.
"Come on, let's go!" Jack told them, but both seemed rooted to the spot, "Hiccup! Merida! Let's go!"
He yanked at them both and they all went off running.
"Ghosts! Call capable students here!" the headmaster boomed from the balcony off the seventh floor, looking down on the open passageway of the East Wing on the sixth floor flicker with light from the inside. Flicker with fire. Black smoke belched out of the doorway.
"Yes, sir! Right away!" the Fat Friar said, his ghostly monk's robe flying behind him as he flew through the walls like the other spectres of the castle to call for help, even the aloof Grey Lady disappeared in a hurry up to the Ravenclaw Tower. Professor Binns, the only ghost teacher in the school was most intent on fetching aid (he, himself, died in a school fire). Students were running down the steps in fits of panic, though there were some who were fighting their way up.
"...step aside!" a furious Scorpius Malfoy yelled over the heads of the first years as he ran up one of the side staircases with wand out, his silver-blonde hair ruffled, making his way to the East Wing like most of the prefects present there.
The portraits did no do much to improve the mood as they ran through eachother's frames, trying to get away from the fires raging on the sixth floor.
"...my frame! My canvas!" a man in a ruff cried as he ran across the painting of a savannah from his own residence in the East Wing.
"-teheheh! Yeh little runts running, eh!?" Peeves the Poltergeist taunted, bounding throught the stampede of students, knocking a few over.
"PEEVES!" Professor North bellowed.
The little imp suddenly snapped up in fear in hearing the voice of the only figure he respected in the school (except the Bloody Baron).
"GET THOSE PAINTINGS OUT OF 'ZHE EAST WING!"
"B-But, Professor, surely-!"
"GET 'ZHEM OUT OF THERE, NOW!"
"Yes, sir, Headmaster, sir!" Peeves replied and bounded into the burning East Wing.
"Where are my teachers!?" North yelled, making his way down.
"I-I'm here, sir!" Professor Longbottom called out from the bottom of the stairs, fighting the current of the sea of students.
"Shoo! All of you, GET DOWNSTAIRS!" the headmaster told the the panic-stricken students and portraits.
"Go on, Neville!" Professor North called out from above.
"Yes, sir!"
"Students! Stop pushing eachother!" Professor Tooth's voice rose in the air as she flew into the scene.
"Toothy! The East Wing!" North directed as he jumped down from the top of the stairs directly to the East Wing balcony below.
"AGUAMENTI MAXIMA!"
Jets of water were cast at the fires, but, not strangely enough, they were the same unquenchable flames that had nearly destroyed the quidditch pitch.
"Aguamenti!" the headmaster roared, drenching the ceiling of the passageway as Peeves the Poltergeist came scampering out, carrying a pile of canvases under his arm as he ran screeching in a flurry of smoke.
The students have vacated the upper floors and the teachers and prefects were left to do their jobs. The passage leading into the main hall of the East Wing (one of the largest in the castle) was alight, the tapestries on the walls were burning, and without a doubt, the main hall, itself. Whenever water touched the fires, they always seemed to leap back.
It was no ordinary fire.
"SANDY!" North called out gratefully, coughing, as he saw the Charms teacher run up the grand staircase to join them, looking astonished as the rest of them.
Sand images popped above his head, disappearing before they even made sense.
"No time to chat, Sandy! Help us out with 'zhe fire!" North replied and rejoined the others, the floors already wet but the flames still lapping up the walls.
Sandy waved his hands over his head, trying to catch attention to something urgent.
"Not now, Sandy!" North repeated.
Sand let out a frustrated huff and flicked out his wand, sending a stream of water into the passage, dousing the tongues of fire in a hiss of steam and smoke.
"Get in there before it comes back!" Al yelled as the passage was cleared of fire, his face already blemished with soot, though they could see nothing in the black haze of smoke.
"Ventus!" Professor Tooth hollered, pointing her wand at the passage, a gust of wind erupting from its tip, sending the smoke into the hall ahead.
The prefects and teachers ran into the East Wing, fighting back the fire, not giving it a chance to reclaim the ground it lost. Suits of armor clattered to the ground, the fireplace was burning, the windows shattered and the hangings and tapestries of the four houses set ablaze. The searing heat scorched their skin even when they were far from the actual flames.
Professor Toothiana fluttered to the floor, coughing, her head in a whirl. Her thin iridescent wings seemed to whither near the flames.
"Professor!" Rose yelled.
"Get her out of here!" the headmaster ordered. Rose ran to her and slung the animagus teacher's arm over her shoulders.
"Hang in there, Professor Tooth..." Rose said, dragging her out of the burning room, through the smoke-filled passage..
The professor was panting, her lavender eyes fluttering close, she squinted her eyes as they reached the end of the passage, her wings fluttered weakly on her back, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" she huffed.
Rose made her lean against the wall outside, checking for burns. Smoke kept pouring from the inside of the room.
"I'm okay, " Tooth reassured, sitting up to get to her feet, fluttering her wings only to fall back down.
"Professor, your wing!" Rose gasped.
Tooth glanced over her shoulder in horror to see the tip of her left wing was crumpled and singed. Once iridescent and beautifully transparent, now withered and cloudy.
"Oh no..." she breathed, her eyes widening in horror.
"It's okay, it's okay-the school matron will fix you up, professor!" Rose reassured.
"Tooth!"
Bunnymund came bounding up the stairs, "Tooth-oh, crikey!" his eyes widened as he saw her wing. Students came running up behind him and into the passage to help.
"Professor!" Rapunzel gasped as she limped up the stairs, aided by Merida and Hiccup.
They froze there in horror.
"Tooth..." Jack breathed as he appeared behind them.
"Get her into the hospital wing!" Bunnymund ordered them and grabbed Jack's arm, "You, come with me!" he said and nearly dragged Jack into the doorway, he kept glancing back hesitantly.
"Alright, professor, come on..." Merida comforted as she took a hold of the teacher's arm.
"Here, use this, she needs it more than me," Rapunzel offered her crutch.
The flames kept raging on insde the East Wing.
"Guys! We need to hit it all at once!" Hiccup said as he followed Jack in.
"No time for that!" Bunnymund said and let go of Jacka s they eached the hall, "Go on, mate, hit it!"
"What?" Hiccup said, puzzled as he took out his wand to help, watching Jack anxiously.
The snow-haired boy gritted his teeth as he saw the commotion. The teachers and prefects fought stubbornly no matter how many times the fire lapped up the walls they had just drenched with water. He raised his staff in the air and struck the stone floor with such force.
Hiccup gasped as the floor frosted over with ice as the end of the wooden staff hit it, a sudden cold wind erupted from where Jack stood, casting aside all the scorching heat emanated by the flames, putting out the fires like a cold breath killing the flame on a candle.
Everyone's cloaks flew widly, some got knocked over by the sudden wind.
The ice underfoot spread like winter. The ice slithered across the floor in fern-like patterns.
The room was suddenly cold, like there had been no fire at all, the walls were blackened, yet frosted over, the shattered and sooted windows looked like they had been through the worst winter.
Hiccup stared at Jack, gaping.
He stood there in the middle of the room, eyes turning from one person to another, looking like someone who really shouldn't be there.
The prefects looked at him, but did not say anything.
The headmaster let out a tired sigh, planting his large hands on his waist, "Well done, Jack, well done..."
"How did you do that!?" he said, waving his arms wildly as everyone turned to Jack.
"Well done, mate," Bunnymund said, clapping him on the back.
"Everyone, please proceed to the Great Hall, thank you," the headmaster said to all of them.
The prefects and Head students beagn to leave hesitantly.
"That was wicked, Jack!" Al patter him on the shoulder as he passed.
"Yeah, that was great," Rose added.
Jack nodded to them but did not say anything.
"Hey, Frost!"
Hiccup ran up to him, "How did you-?"
"I-It was nothing," Jack shrugged it off.
Everyone receded from the room, leaving the two behind, as the headmaster ushered everyone out insistently.
"We'd have t discuss this later, mate." the pooka said, disappearing down the stairs.
"Yes, yes, BUT FIRST!-tell ze elves to prepare ice cream! Haha!" North announced, much to the hoots of the prefects.
"That was you during the quidditch fire, weren't you?" Hiccup said silently as they followed behind.
Jack just grinned and shrugged.
Professor Toothiana had been brought into the hospital wing and was never seen by the school for the rest of the day, yet again, the school has suffered a fire all in the span of a week.
Jack and Hiccup found Merida and Rapunzel waiting for them at the Gryffindor table as they arrived, everyone was relieved to find out that the fire had been put out, but all to their dismay that their Transfiguration teacher had been injured. Still, everyone was quite stirred up by the excitement of that afternoon that the Hall was filled to the ceiling with chatter.
But there was yet more to trouble Headmaster Nicholas St. North as Professor ManSnoozie pulled him aside after all the students have been gathered in the Great Hall and the classes cancelled. That there was still something going about the school, attacking students.
The Ravenclaw boy lying in the hospital wing was proof of that.
But as the students gathered, they had no idea what had occured in the other side of the castle while the fire raged. Everyone was too preoccupied with the bowls of ice cream prepare by the kitchen elves.