Professor Toothiana was busy working in her office, finishing off some paperwork before the winter break began. She heard a knock on the door and saw Professor Bunnymund.

"What brings you here, Bunny?" asked Toothiana.

"I was wondering if you were leaving Hogwarts for the break, but seeing you working your butt off, I guess I know the answer, Tooth."

"Well, not all of us have duties once a year," said Tooth. "We've been through this already. My fairies are managing by themselves at the palace but they need me every now and then."

Bunny was walking around in Tooth's office while she filed away the papers. He was looking at her desk and found a tiny box neatly wrapped up.

"What do we have here? Must be from a first year, right? It's always the first years that give you the prezzies," said Bunny.

"You're right, a Gryffindor, though. Usually it's the Ravenclaws but this year is different," said Tooth.

There was a letter attached to the box and Bunny read it out loud.

Dear Lovely Angel

When I first saw you, I knew we were a match made in Valhalla. My gift for you not only symbolises my love, but also your wonderful sense of humour. Take a look.

Snotlout Jorgenson
The One and Only

"Well, well, well, looks like a hoon has fallen in love with you," said Bunnymund.

"He's not a 'hoon'. You should see his friends, the twins," said Tooth, getting ready to file some books away at the top shelf. Tooth sprouted a pair of iridescent wings from her back and hovered to the top.

"Believe me, I've had a handful with the Thorston Twins."

Tooth got back down and her wings disappeared, curious with the student's gift.

"Let's see what's inside." Tooth picked up the box and opened it. She gasped and collapsed, getting caught by Bunny before landing on the ground.

"Tooth? Tooth!" Snotlout's gift was scattered all over the ground and it took a few moments for Bunny to realise why she had fainted.

My gift for you not only symbolises my love for you, but also your wonderful sense of humour.

"Bloody hoons."

The daily meeting took place at the Slytherin table with Jack and his friends. All students had finished their classes before getting ready for the day after tomorrow, where students got the opportunity to spend the winter break with their family.

Jack got to the table after Hiccup and Rapunzel. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first years had no classes on the seventh period, whereas the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years had Flying.

When Merida returned, which was surprisingly long, Rapunzel noticed that Merida wasn't feeling her very best. There was a sign of perspiration developing on the bridge of her nose.

"Everything all right, Merida?" asked Rapunzel. Merida appeared as if she lost all the energy in her life. She was also resting her head on her hand, breathing in and out forcefully.

"Almost. I got this letter from my mum and it was full of it," said Merida.

"Full of what?" asked Jack. Merida took the letter out of her pocket and showed it to them. The three leaned in to read the letter; they were now involved in Merida's personal business.

Dear Merida

It's been a while since we have heard from you, dear.
We heard from Maudie that you got into Slytherin house.
Honestly it caught the both of us off guard, but what's done is done.
We will await your return to London for the Christmas party being held at home.
If you have any trouble with the Slytherins, make sure you report it to a professor or prefect. You'd have no idea how helpful they are, even if they get in your hair most of the time.
These days are getting very cold, so wear warm clothing before getting back home.
A princess always has to act graceful wherever they are, so keep your chin up and walk gracefully like how I taught you.

Don't get yourself into trouble a lot like your father.
Don't skip classes because they will affect your scores in the exams.
Don't start any funny business with anyone. We don't want to hear that you got into a kerfuffle.

We really miss you and we cannot wait to share the surprise when you come back.

Mum and Dad

"A surprise?" asked Rapunzel.

"Believe me, it's probably related to something pointless, like always."

"Well isn't this letter… sweet." Jack said and Merida rolled her eyes at him.

"Sweet? Were you even reading it? It has my mum's name written all over it. I don't think my dad had the chance to write, let alone read the letter. I'm just worried what my mum would think if she found out that I wasn't going back for Christmas," said Merida.

"That's what you're worried about? You feel guilty about not going back, don't you?" asked Jack.

"Aye, but I would do anything to not have another lecture. I just need another half a year to recharge," said Merida, taking the letter back.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll understand. Just stick to what you intended and write a letter to tell them," suggested Rapunzel.

"Who's staying anyway?" asked Hiccup.

"Tailfire is leaving because it's a tad warmer south. Heather, Dagur, Bryan, Holly, and Vanessa are leaving too," said Merida.

"I don't think I know half of those names. I know most of Ravenclaw are leaving except for Mavis. She said something about making the most of her time away from her home. It was similar to your excuse, Merida," said Rapunzel.

"Who's Mavis? Should I know her? Because it sounds like we'll bond really well." Merida said while Jack and Hiccup were also interested to know.

"Mavis is a vampire. She's in our year level but you guys have probably only seen her during class. She's the one with pale skin and short black hair." Rapunzel explained.

"A vampire?! How has there not been an attack?" asked Jack.

"It's fine. Mavis drinks blood from people who donate it. She told me that she had to request it as a special dietary requirement to Professor Toothiana. It turns out that you can ask for whatever meal you want and you'll end up seeing it on the menu the next day."

"What about the myth about vampires not being able to be in the sun?" asked Merida.

"Mavis can't be in the sun. She goes to all her classes except for Flying and she sees the Quidditch matches under the shade. After her classes, she sleeps straight away in the afternoon and skips dinner. She's also about a hundred-years-old."

"No kidding," said Merida. "You think Xander is going to stay? Because if he is, then I can do some investigating on my own. But if he leaves, I'd be the only first year Slytherin."

"We'll see, Merida," said Hiccup. "Anyway, should we get started?"

"Not until Pascal gets back," said Rapunzel.

"Well where is he?" asked Merida.

"Exploring. I told him to come back soon."

"Your chameleon understands human speech?" asked Jack.

Rapunzel nodded.

Hiccup tore the wrapping off of his gift from Jack. They were all giving out presents early since they wouldn't be together for Christmas. Hiccup saw that it was a plain green hoodie, but he could already see that it was slightly too big for him.

"Yeah, sorry about the size. My parents couldn't find anything smaller for you," said Jack, leaving his hands on the three presents from Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida.

"That's okay, Jack. I'm sure I'll be able to wear it when I grow," said Hiccup.

"Just a heads up, it's the same for all you guys, just different colours."

Hiccup opened Rapunzel's present next and it was a box of chocolate. The packaging was a beige colour and the label said 'Chocolate Cauldron: For Young Wizards'.

"Oh, thanks, Rapunzel."

"Sorry I couldn't find something that lasts forever. Mother is the type to not help, so I got Anna's help. Elsa went to the candy store at Hogsmeade and bought as much as she could for you all. The original Chocolate Cauldrons contained alcohol and since Elsa was underaged, they only sold the non-alcohol ones to her. That's why it says 'For Young Wizards'." Rapunzel explained.

"My present, Hiccup," said Merida, tapping onto the gift. Hiccup held the gift and already suspected it to be a book. He unwrapped it and held the black book in his hands.

"It's a blank book… for drawing?" asked Hiccup.

"Anything you want. The thing about this book is that it's charmed to never run out of pages, so you can record anything from school, or for something like… I don't know, but you get what I mean."

"Thanks, Merida. I love it."

Rapunzel thought about Hiccup's book. It would've been very helpful to use with Xander's book.

"So I guess it's my turn?" asked Merida. "I wonder what's in here." Merida joked. They all knew it was another hoodie from Jack.

Merida tore the wrapping and unfolded the aqua hoodie. "Aw, Jack. You didn't have to."

"So she gets to have a smaller size?" complained Hiccup.

"You want to trade, Hiccup?" asked Merida, flashing the aqua hoodie in front of Hiccup's face.

"Um, no thanks."

Merida then got started with Rapunzel's present. It was a box of Empire Biscuits, regular biscuits with a layer of jam in the middle. The top was decorated with white icing with a red Jelly Tot in the centre.

"Thanks, Rapunzel."

Merida got Hiccup's present and was suspicious because it was rectangular and flat. "If this is the same gift I gave you, Hiccup, I swear I'll—"

"No, Merida, it isn't. Just open it and get it over and done with."

Merida opened the present and saw that it was a spellbook.

"'Spells that are helpful in the Muggle world, especially the ones for chores and for pulling pranks on Muggles'. Thank you, Hiccup. I'll make the most of it." Merida flicked through the pages to look for one that would help her the most. "Your turn, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel opened Jack's gift and it was a pink hoodie, as she expected. She had told Jack that lavender was her favourite colour.

Hiccup's present was also another book, but there was more to it. Hiccup placed a wooden box in front of Rapunzel and she opened it. It contained a set of new paint and some art equipment.

"The art club was generous enough to hand these things for me. I heard that you were very interested in art," said Hiccup. Hiccup took the time to visit the art club but never considered joining. Maybe if Rapunzel or someone else who was his friend joined, then he'd be glad being part of the club.

"Who told you that?" asked Rapunzel.

"You draw all the time in your books when we have Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms," explained Hiccup.

"Is that so? Well thank you, Hiccup!" She hugged Hiccup and the rest were clearing their throats.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I was a little excited." Rapunzel then hugged Jack and Merida.

"You haven't even opened my present yet. Why are you hugging me?" joked Merida. Rapunzel sat back down and opened Merida's. It was a chart that labelled all the stars visible in the sky; it would be useful for tracking them in the future.

"That thing you told me about the floating lights. Perhaps this chart might be useful." Merida started to put on the hoodie Jack gave her.

"Thank you, Merida!" Rapunzel hugged Merida the second time. "You look great in that hoodie."

It was Jack's turn and Rapunzel was excited for this one. She may have given candy to the others, but Jack's gift was not a consumable. She knew this one was special for Jack.

"Let's see, small and crinkly, like a wrapper." Jack opened the present and it was a bag of sour candy. "Thanks, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel was staring back at Jack blankly. "That's not from me."

Jack looked at Hiccup, who was shocked because Jack assumed it was from Rapunzel. To be fair, Rapunzel gave the others candy.

"Thanks, Hiccup, I think," said Jack.

"It's fine, Jack. I did my best looking for that spell you were looking for, but so far no luck."

Jack got up to Merida's present and it was a necklace. It had a silver snowflake symbol on it.

"No way. Merida, how much was this?" asked Jack, thinking that they should've set a budget limit.

"It's fine, Jack. It's not that expensive, so you shouldn't feel so down," said Merida.

"Coming from a princess. Define expensive." Merida ignored Jack and encouraged him to open Rapunzel's present, which was a Christmas cracker.

"There isn't candy inside?" asked Jack. Rapunzel nodded, excited to see his reaction.

Jack grabbed the Christmas cracker and pulled it apart. The cracker made a loud noise and an interesting show of tiny snowflake explosions. After the explosions, a small scroll fell out and Jack unrolled it. Jack, Hiccup, and Merida were shocked, looking back at Rapunzel.

"How did you get this?!" Jack questioned, not believing what he was looking at.

"Well, remember that investigation we did around two weeks ago?" The others nodded and Rapunzel continued. "Flynn found Xander's spellbook and brought it to whoever he could find, which was me and Anna. We looked through and found that spell, so we copied it. I know I should've told you guys about our findings, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"Thank you, Rapunzel." Jack smiled and read the scroll. Maybe he'd have a chance to cast it before going back home.

"There's more that I should tell you guys. We copied two spells from that spellbook before returning it. We found the Snow Charm and also the spell that creates Core Magic."

Jack, Merida, and Hiccup's mouths were opened wide.

"Maybe you should've told us you found the spellbook without mentioning the Snow Charm," said Hiccup.

"I know, but don't worry. Anna and other Ravenclaws are studying the Core Magic Spell. So far none have been capable of casting it."

"Why not? They have the incantation and hand movement, right?" asked Merida.

"Of course they do, but there were a few notes Xander wrote too. It said that the spell depends on the age of the caster, and once the spell is casted, it'll be easier to cast it again," explained Rapunzel.

"But it's fine for us, right? If Xander is in our year then that means our age is fine to cast it," said Merida.

"What was the incantation anyway?" asked Jack.

"Energius Reducto. It explains why it only drained the energy from Dagur, instead of injuring him," said Rapunzel.

"So Flynn returned the book? Any chance we'll see more spells on it?" asked Jack.

"I don't think so. After that day, Flynn couldn't find the book anymore. It's almost as if Xander knew people had found it."

Snotlout spent detention at Gobber's hut for taking his prank too far. He was sure Professor Toothiana would've laughed it off. It didn't matter since he heard she was centuries old, unlike Astrid or Heather or Lily or Rapunzel or Merida etc.

"Okay, Snotlout, your job is to clean the dragon stable. Don't even make me find a single smudge on the door handles. I want everything pristine," ordered Gobber.

"All right, all right, I got it," replied Snotlout.

While Snotlout swept the floor, Gobber was feeding the dragons.

"So did you really think Tooth would've wanted a box of your teeth for Christmas? What's worse is that they were in the state of decay," said Gobber.

"It's my teeth and I can do whatever I want with them! I grew them and pulled them out myself!" yelled Snotlout. It was fine since he usually yelled at everyone on Berk, except for his father and Hiccup's father.

"Oh I remember. You almost cried in front of everyone when you pulled your first tooth. And 'whatever you want'? Then you must've wanted your teeth stolen and taken to the Tooth Palace, did you not?"

"Who cares? They're just a bunch of teeth. It's not like I was gonna use them again." Snotlout stopped sweeping and started polishing all the metals in the stable. "What do you mean Tooth Palace?"

"Oh, the Tooth Fairy's job is to collect teeth from children. All the teeth are stored at her home located in China, where they are kept in golden boxes. She hasn't collected teeth in a while now and seeing your wretched set of teeth were a whole new experience for her." Gobber explained.

Gobber pulled out his golden tooth and gave it to Snotlout to polish. Although it took a while for Snotlout to agree on cleaning that fake tooth, he eventually got around to it by dropping it in a bucket of water, which did the job for Gobber.

"You're so getting it when you get back to Berk," threatened Snotlout.

"Am I now? We'll see, we'll see. Anyway, I'm leaving early. I expect this entire stable in tip-top condition when I get back tomorrow."

Snotlout rolled his eyes after the groundskeeper left, mocking all the things he said.

"'Keep the stables clean, Snotlout, or else all the students will notice that I'm a vulgar Viking like the rest of you Berkians. Blah blah blah—"

A dragon near Snotlout began struggling in its stall, even though it didn't have any restraints except for its mouth. Snotlout thought about taking off the belt around the dragon's snout, but that could result to a burning barn and maybe even the forest if time progressed.

The dragon was a Monstrous Nightmare. A high-class dragon that only experienced tamers could train. They were known for their hot-headed temper and their knack for setting themselves on fire, burning everything they touched. Luckily they could only do that when they were covered in their own saliva, which wasn't possible with its mouth strapped. The stall was larger compared to the other ones that contained smaller dragons and Nightmares came in different colours; this one was red.

"Whoa there, boy, easy." Snotlout was safe from the dragon. The metal bars separated him from potential death.

The sun was down hours ago and the only source of light was the flamed torch hanging inside the stable. Snotlout was too frightened to continue cleaning, but avoiding his duty could result in extra punishments and more nights. How did the twins manage to do this all the time? Maybe it was easier because they had each other.

"Looks like I'm gonna miss out on dinner," thought Snotlout, holding his stomach as it growled.

A sound came from outside the stable. Snotlout was petrified to inspect the source. He expected the twins pulling some kind of joke on him, but he still wouldn't dare to call out to them.

The dragons became distressed and the Monstrous Nightmare began head-butting the iron bars. The hinges broke and Snotlout rushed to head outside the barn.

The entrance was large enough for the dragon to fit through; otherwise, the dragon wouldn't have been in the stable on the first place.

The Monstrous Nightmare lifted Snotlout with its snout and began flying towards the castle.

During dinner, the four had packed away the gifts except for the snacks from Rapunzel.

"So how did we do? Are we able to do it next year?" asked Rapunzel.

"Most likely. But I think it should be one gift per person, and a budget limit," said Jack.

Merida tapped Hiccup on the shoulder. Hiccup looked and saw Merida pointing at the ceiling. A paper plane was heading his way, landing in front of him and his friends.

"I thought magic doesn't work at Berk?" asked Merida.

"We have an elder at Berk who uses the Indago Spell to send letters. She is extremely powerful with magic and can cast it even from there. The range of magic works at England, right? And it gradually becomes weaker further away. Well on Berk it's hard to create magic, but not impossible." Hiccup explained while unfolding the letter.

"Why though?" asked Jack. "Why is it that Hogwarts became the centre point of magic?"

"As you'd know, magic disappeared all over the world after Year X. The Dark Weapon destroyed important structures that were sacred and channelled magic everywhere. I'm guessing the last one is somewhere at Hogwarts," said Merida.

Hiccup read the letter as the others were sharing the Chocolate Cauldrons and the Empire Biscuits. Jack was about to feed Pascal some sour lollies from Hiccup, but Rapunzel insisted that he should only feed her pet with insects or tiny bits of fruit.

"Well? What did he say, Hiccup?" asked Merida.

"Oh, you know, the usual things a Viking would say. He spoke about taking on trolls, but he was obviously joking, or he wasn't aware of the fact that first years cannot take on a troll. He then went on about learning magic and that Berk was still holding up against the Outcasts."

"Your dad seems like he's very busy," said Merida.

"Oh, believe me, he is." Hiccup saw that Jack wasn't paying attention and was busy practicing the Snow Charm. "Jack?" called Hiccup, watching as his friend faced him. "Did you get a letter from your parents?"

Jack shook his head. "I sent them a letter about a week ago, but I guess the reply would arrive when I get back, which is unfortunate. It doesn't matter though, as long as they get my letter before I come back."

"And you, Rapunzel? Your mother send you any letters?" asked Hiccup.

Rapunzel shook her head but told them that she received letters, confusing them all. "I did get letters but Mother would be furious if I showed it to anyone."

Rapunzel's chameleon made a quiet sigh as he rested on Rapunzel's shoulder.

"That's fine, I guess. It's your privacy," said Jack.

"But I don't get why your mum has to be so paranoid," said Merida.

"Believe me, I wish I understood too," admitted Rapunzel. The real reason why she didn't show them the letters was because it was different compared to her friends' letters. Her mother was always mentioning about the promise and it sounded more possessive than loving. The letters she heard today had emotion and showed her something she longed from her mother. It was doubtful that any of them were punished like her.

"Jack, before you leave Hogwarts, tell me how the Hogsmeade Post Office is used," said Merida.

"Well, if you don't know how to cast the spell that makes the letters fly, then you have to use an owl there. Also if you're like me and you live far away from England, then you have to go there to pick up the letters your family send."

"I guess I'll go there to send letters to my parents then."

When the students got ready to head to their common rooms, Jack and his friends got out to the corridors and saw students running the opposite direction from the entrance hall.

"What's happening?" asked Jack, pushing through the crowd and ignoring Merida's warning.

"Jack! Where are you going? Can't you see that danger is that way?"

The three followed behind Jack and luckily all their gifts were safely stored in their dormitories, all except for the consumables.

Jack saw a dragon at the end of the corridors, with Snotlout on its head screaming for help. Jack turned and saw that Hiccup was already gone, bolting with the escaping students. Jack, Merida and Rapunzel were the only students left with a few others hiding behind stone pedestals that held flames on top.

"What do we do? Jack?! We have to get out of the way!" yelled Rapunzel. Outrunning the dragon was impossible and hiding places were all taken.

"Man, if only Hiccup wasn't afraid then he'd know how to stop this one," said Jack. He then had an idea. If this dragon was in a rush then killing him and his friends was unlikely. If it wanted to kill someone then it would've already killed Snotlout.

"Guys, stand very still." Jack ordered. He received stunned expression from both girls.

"You're kidding me right?!" It was too late. All other options weren't available so Merida stood close to Jack and Rapunzel, not moving a muscle. "You're not kidding."

The Nightmare glided over the three first years, causing them to fall backwards from the intense moment. Rapunzel and Jack quickly got up and fired spells at the dragon, hoping that the one they learnt recently would stop the dragon from wreaking havoc.

The red sparks of magic landed on the dragon, but it flickered away as if the dragon was immune.

"What are you guys doing?!" Merida lowered both their wands. "Dragon scales are immune to magic."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" asked Jack.

"How was I supposed to know that you two had the guts to do that?!" she exclaimed.

The dragon stopped to turn but Snotlout was too frightened to jump off. The dragon was still flying and several metres above the ground, causing the flames on the pedestals to wave intensely. The Nightmare glared at the three first years with its intimidating yellow eyes.

"Now you've done it," said Merida. "We need to go! It may be muzzled but it could tear us apart with those talons."

The three ran as quick as they could but the dragon outmatched their speed. They could measure how close it was to them by hearing Snotlout's cry.

Jack tripped against the stone floor and the two girls stopped, helping Jack and watching the dragon dive towards them.

Before the dragon pounced onto the students, time slowed down. Jack looked above after hearing a whistling sound from behind. One of the students who was hiding behind one of the pedestals was waiting for the right moment before firing a bolt of green flames above the three first years, striking the dragon's wing.

The dragon crashed onto the ground directly in front of the three, with Snotlout tumbling down the dragon.

"You okay, Snotlout?" asked Jack.

"I had it under control… mostly," said Snotlout. He was struggling to get up and Jack and Rapunzel helped him. He was hit with fragments of the Core Magic.

They all looked back and saw Xander putting his wand away.

"Core Magic can penetrate through their scales," said Xander.

Students came out of hiding while other came back after running. Professor North and Lunar arrived and watched the aftermath.

"Where were you guys?! We really needed some help here!" yelled Snotlout.

"It would not matter anyway." The group looked back and Xander approached them. "The professors would not have been able to stop the dragon unless they had Professor Black."

Xander walked off and they heard the whispers from the students. What Xander had meant about Professor Black was that potions worked on dragons.

"Jack, Rapunzel, I want you to take Snotlout to the infirmary." North ordered.

"But I'm fine," complained Snotlout, beginning to walk on his own.

"He's right. Being exposed to remnants of Core Magic means the recovery time is quicker," said Rapunzel. With luck, the professors didn't question how she knew that much about the mysterious spell.

"Very well. All students are to head to their dormitories while this matter is resolved." The students moved to Lunar's command, fleeing through the corridors while Gobber arrived to take the dragon back.

"Mr Jorgenson, we still need you for a bit of questioning," said Professor Lunar.