Yet again, I feel like I've been neglecting my updating duties of once weekly. It's been over 7 days (winces), and I feel bad, so instead of posting two separate chapters I've just turned it into on big one. Please keep in mind that I've been fighting insane writers block, and with nothing to fuel my creativity this chapter isn't as good as I thought it would be. Still, I think it's decent enough to hopefully tie you guys over for a while. Hope you enjoy!

Jack POV

"Why are you always so suspicious of Hiccup?" Punzie asked me.

I sighed and gripped my staff tighter. Punzie and I were walking back to the school together, our soft voices breaking the silence of the night.

"I'm not always suspicious of him." I told her. "Only when he does suspicious things."

I looked down at Rapunzel, who couldn't help but smile a little. The moon illuminated her eyes, and her hair glinted in the pale light. I had to tear my eyes away from her face before she caught me staring.

"Why won't you give him a chance?" She asked quietly. "He's already forgiven you completely, why can't you trust him?"

"I want to. I really do, it's just...everything the Guardians have me doing right now is against that." I paused and shrunk my staff back into it's wand form.

"No trusting Haddock boy." I mocked Norths thick russian accent. "Keep away from that troublemaker, mate." I said, this time taking on Bunny's rich Australian accent.

Rapunzel giggled, and I grinned.

"Will you please try to change their minds? Just get them to ease off of him a bit." She asked.

My smile slowly faded. "Punzie, that's-"

"Please, Jack?" She asked me. I looked at her and knew that was my first mistake. She had won the instant my eyes had travelled to her face.

"I'll try, Punz." I told her. "But no promises."

"Thank you, Jack. You won't regret it." She said, looking satisfied with my answer. We walked a few steps in silence, before Rapunzel spoke again.

"What do you want to do now?" She asked. "It's past curfew, so I guess we should head back to our dorms..."

I paused before another grin lit up my face. "Want to sneak into the Great Hall and prank Pitch?"

Rapunzel smiled.

Merida POV

"It's not that funny Merida." Hiccup told me. He climbed to his feet slowly after having changed back from his animagus form.

I continued laughing. It had been a hysterical sight, seeing a ginormous dragon being launched over my head onto the ground. Hiccup had been very ungraceful and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Seriously, it's not that funny." He said again, groaning as he stretched out his back.

I slowly stopped laughing, and settled for a smile on my face.

"You should have seen how far it launched you!" I told him. "Way up into the air! It was incredible."

"Didn't feel that incredible." He muttered. He took shaky steps towards me and I considered the fact that it could have hurt him.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, finally concerned.

"I think so." He said as he reached my side. "I'm not dead."

"Did it really hurt that much?" I asked.

"Hurt more than last time." He said. I suspected he was still a bit bitter towards the boundary line, as it prevented him from flying. And his freedom.

"The charm is a lot stronger than when I tried to pass through earlier." He said. He stared past the hill that marked the boundaries of the school, a slight frown creasing his forhead.

I looked up at the night sky, now fully realising how late it was. I wondered how close to morning it was, and what the new day would bring.

"The tournament starts tomorrow." I said, sneaking a glance at him.

"I know." He said quietly, not taking his eyes off the horizon.

"Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." He tore his gaze from the starry sky and looked over to the large dent made in the earth from his landing. "We should probably clean this up. In case someone finds it in the morning."

I pursed my lips. He was trying to change the subject, avoid the topic of the tournament.

"Are you worried?" I asked him, ignoring his statement about the dent in the ground.

"About the hole?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No. About the tournament."

Hiccup sighed. "I...yes. Yeah, I am."

"Why? I'm almost certain you won't die." I teased, trying to ease some of the tension.

Hiccup gave a short laugh, but his smile faded quickly.

"It's not dying I'm afraid of, I've come close to that far too many times." He looked down at his foot, as though it were a reminder of what he had already been through. "It's the scroll, and the tournament and the secrets. I'm just-I'm afraid-"

"That it's all too much." I finished for him. He nodded.

We stayed silent for a few minutes. We enjoyed each others quiet company as we stared out into the open night, lost in a world of words and thoughts.

"Do you know where you have to be for the tournament?" I asked him.

Hiccup started a bit, before turning to face me. "Oh, uh, yes. We're meeting in a tent, in front of the quidditch pitch."

"We'll visit you before you go." I told him, referring to Jack, Punzie and I.

"I don't actually think that's allowed." He said, frowning slightly.

"Then we'll break the rules." I smirked.

"Breaking rules is what you and Jack do best." He considered.

I grinned, taking it as a compliment.

"You're not too bad at it either." I looked out across the field, to the castle. "It's past curfew, we better head inside."

Hiccup nodded. "First we have to fix this hole."

We both turned to look at the large hole in front of our feet.

"Any ideas?" I asked him.

"Nope."

Punzie POV

"So what do we do now?" I asked Jack.

He had just finished booby trapping Prof. Pitch's chair in the Great Hall while I kept watch. It had been exhilarating and the thrill of potentially being caught made it all the more fun.

"We hide until breakfast, then wait and enjoy." He grinned mischievously.

I grinned back at him, and cast one last look out the door into the dark hallways, illuminated only by the torches lining the walls.

"The coast is clear." I said to him. "Let's go!"

"Alright." Jack stood up and brushed his hands off, clearly proud of his work. "Let's find Merida and Hiccup."

He joined me in the doorway and we silently exited the Great Hall, creeping along the corridors silent as the ghosts that roamed these hallways. I looked left and right, not stopping as we silently made our way to Ravenclaw common room. As we neared the entrance, I heard the faint sound of muffled voices. Fearing a Professor could be patrolling the corridors, I held up a hand to Jack, telling him to stop.

Both of us stood still, eyes searching the hallway and ears straining for the slightest noise.

"But how could it hurt when you landed?" I could make out a feminine voice with a strong accent speaking. I sagged in relief. It was just Merida.

"I'm not invincible." I heard Hiccup say.

"What's the point then? Turning into a giant-"

"There's someone here." Hiccup shushed Merida. They fell silent and I gestured to Jack that the coast was clear. We both stepped out from behind the wall we were hiding behind and out into the torchlight of the castles hallways.

"Caught you." I heard Jack say behind me.

Merida spun around with a startled look on her face, while Hiccup was already looking at the spot where we were hiding.

"Why were you two hiding?" Hiccup asked.

I blushed slightly. "We were playing another prank."

"More pranks?" Merida asked. "I'm starting to think Jack's corrupting our Punzie."

"I wouldn't say corrupting." Jack said, walking casually towards the common room door. "I'm suggestively influencing her, through various fun activities."

"Making other people miserable through immature juvenile pranks. Doesn't that just scream fun?" Hiccup deadpanned.

We all walked up to the common room entrance and waited for the riddle to enter.

"A certain five letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it. What is the word?" The portrait asked.

I drew a complete blank. When two letters are added to a word, it becomes larger, so how could a word possibly become shorter? I looked to Merida and Jack who both looked as confused as I was. Barely a minute had passed when Hiccup spoke up.

"Short." He said. The woman in the portrait smiled kindly and nodded her head. The door swung open and we all walked in.

"Short?" I asked.

"It's five letters. Add an e and an r, two letters, and it becomes short-er." He explained.

I slowly nodded my head, fully understanding what Hiccup was saying. I had heard that riddle before, how could I have possibly forgotten the answer? It must have been because I was tired.

"That's confusing." Jack said.

"You're telling me." Merida scoffed. "Alright, how much longer until daybreak?"

Hiccup looked to the window and I looked at the old grandfather clock sitting in a dusty corner of the room.

"Four hours." Hiccup and I said at the same time. We both grinned and looked at each other, surprised.

"We should probably get some sleep." I said, feeling bone-tired myself.

"Well, I'm off." Jack said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"I'll come with you. Gotta head back to our dorms. " Merida said. "Good luck tomorrow, Chief. Don't die." She grinned.

"I'll try." Hiccup said. He attempted to keep his tone light, but was still staring out the common rooms window.

Merida and I exchanged a look. Jack looked slightly confused at the silent communication going on between Merida and I. Eventually, they bid farewell and I was left alone in the common room, barely standing on my feet, but not waning to leave Hiccup alone to mull over his thoughts.

"You don't have to stay up with me, Rapunzel." He said gently.

"But you need to sleep." I protested.

"You need it more than I do." He grinned. "I'll be fine. Get some rest."

Too tired to protest, I nodded my consent and climbed the flight of stairs into the girls dormitories. I lay down in my bed without changing into my nightgown and fell asleep. I dreaedt of a snowy winter day in hogsmeade, a distant memory that brought a smile to my lips as I slept peacefully through the night.