Chapter LIII: The Goblet of Fire

True Fury, I can't really respond to you unless you get an account!

Hiccup was to spend the rest of his summer in Scotland with Merida, now that they were betrothed. He expressed clearly with his friends, with Merida's presence, that while they were betrothed their relationship would remain as friends until they win the hearts of each other or if they fall for another, then the engagement would break. So, despite their ties, they were still free to seek out true love. So there would be no weddings in the very near future.

Stoick left Hiccup to return to Berk, but sent a ship of his things so his stay was comfortable. Although things felt pretty awkward for him to be staying in Merida's castle. On the upside, Merida got her wish; no more did Elinor train her to be a proper princess, she was free to be who she was, however, Elinor took it upon herself to be sure that Merida was fit to be a noblewoman among the Vikings. She and Hiccup teamed together to teach her about the Viking Archipelago and the kingdoms they traded with and the tribes they were allied with; she also learned about Berk's culture and history, also she learned how to sail, and she got to practice her sword fighting and her archery too. So things worked out quite nicely for her.

During their free time, they went horseback riding and paid visits to Braveheart, and Hiccup would fly alongside the Monstrous Nightmare as a Night Fury.

As for Hiccup's growing relationship to Queen Elinor and King Fergus, both of them had earned a fondness for him. Fergus liked hearing Hiccup's tales of dragon attacks as well as from school. He also enjoyed watching him practice fencing and archery with Merida. Elinor simply liked the fact that Hiccup proved that he wasn't as barbaric as she had believed Vikings to be, and the fact that, unlike Merida, he didn't turn his nose up against haggis. In fact he always gave new foods a chance before he decided whether or not he liked it. If he didn't, he politely told the Queen that it wasn't to his taste.

Before they knew it, summer came to a close, they rejoined their friends to do some shopping in Diagon Alley, and they didn't see each other until it was time to go to school

The trip there wasn't too exciting, but there was a surprise in store for them when they arrived at the school…

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Sitting down at their House tables, Hiccup was quite startled to see his mother sitting at the staff table, and he couldn't explain to his friends why she was there. There was also a large monument standing by the podium Headmaster Lunar stood t to make his announcements. Things were a big mystery to them until Headmaster Lunar and Headmistress Helga Hufflepuff II stood up to make a rather intriguing announcement:

"This year, Hogwarts will play host to the Triwizard Tournament, a grand trial of strength and wits carrying out through three tasks, three very dangerous tasks. Therefore, for those below their fourth year will not be allowed to participate." Helga Hufflepuff announced.

"That is correct, and for this year, we have two visiting schools to join us! Please welcome the lovely daughters of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and their Headmistress Regina Bathory!" Headmaster Lunar declared. The doors to the Great Hall opened and in came the fair ladies dressed in elegant slate blue dress uniforms being led by a rather severe looking woman who held her head high with authority, she strode with the grace of a queen, and her cape was clasped with a broach shaped as an apple. They all curtsied to the staff and to the students of Hogwarts when they made their approach to Lunar and Hufflepuff, before they sat down on a guest table.

"Now, let us welcome the proud sons of Durmstrang, and their Headmaster Draco Longhorn!" Helga announced. In came proud wizards marching in, being led by a tall, lean, rugged man with acid green eyes, and long wild hair of dark red.

They bowed to the staff and students respectfully before taking their seats.

"Let us make an effort to make our special guests feel at home, and now, some of you may be wondering how we're supposed to select our champions." Headmaster Lunar spoke. He raised his wand to the monument, and it shrank down to reveal a goblet containing a blue fire.

"Upon a piece of parchment, a champion will write his or her name, put it into the Goblet of Fire, and it will choose our champions, one from each school. You may start putting your names in tomorrow morning, and the Goblet of Fire will not take anymore until after three days." Headmaster Lunar told them.

"Hmm, I wonder if Merida will be putting their names in." Elsa spoke.

"I'm planning on it." Hiccup told her.

"What? Why? Headmaster said that these tasks are dangerous!" Elsa exclaimed.

"And battling a Red Death, fighting Professor Pan for the Dragonstone, and rescuing my mother and Jenny from Pitch Black wasn't?" Hiccup asked. Then he told her firmly: "I want to participate in this, even though there is a small chance that I'd get picked anyway. Still, I want to do this for myself."

"You're right mad." Rapunzel told him.

"To be honest, sanity rarely sides with Vikings." He replied.

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In the Ravenclaw boys' dorm, Hiccup was laying on his bed stroking his owl, Hulda, when Ivan VonGrimm entered the room. The two boys had gotten to be pretty good friends since they rescued Jenny and Valka, and after he broke his arm and ribs, Hiccup took it upon himself to help him out. Sometimes he carried books, and since it's tough washing your hair with one hand… yeah it was a bit awkward but they pulled through.

"Hey, Hiccup, how was your summer?" Ivan asked.

"It was pretty interesting, I got engaged, and my fiancée accidentally turned her mother into a bear." He replied. All the boys in the dorm were now looking over to him attentively.

"You're going to have to go into detail on that." A boy by the name of Kay Black told him.

"Yeah, who's the lucky girl for one?" Ivan asked.

"You all know her as Princess Merida of DunBroch, and her mother didn't like the fact that a Viking won the right to her daughter's hand. It even came to the point where she actively tried to break it up. So Merida ran out, met another witch, and brought back something that turned her into a bear. She only turned back when she finally accepted the engagement." Hiccup replied.

"Hold on, I had the feeling that you liked Elsa of Arendelle." Ivan stated.

"It's complicated. Merida and I may have our ties right now, but it's not like I'm marrying her come this summer. We both want to wed for love rather than politics. The only reason I did this was so that she wouldn't sabotage the event and so that the Queen wouldn't do it again. We still have the right to break it off in our own time." Hiccup told them.

"Ok then, it's stories like these that make me grateful that I'm not a prince." Kay Black stated.

"Since when do you really talk to us?" Ivan asked. Kay black was a pale, lean, green-blue eyed, copper haired, loner, who didn't seem to show any fancy for a particular class, all that there was to know about him was that he kept to himself and preferred to keep his nose in his books, although it wasn't unusual for the other boys to see him work on his rather impressive sketches.

"Since our favorite Seeker gets engaged apparently." Kay Black replied.

"So, what do you guys think of this whole Triwizard Tournament business?" Ivan asked, changing the subject.

"I was thinking of putting my name in." Hiccup stated.

"Then best of luck to you." Kay told him. With that, he pulled out his sketchbook and started scribbling away.

"Is there a particular reason why you want to do this?" Ivan questioned Hiccup.

"Let's just say there's a reason I've kept my secrets. This is one of those secrets." He replied.

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The next morning, before he went to breakfast, Hiccup placed his name in the Goblet of Fire.

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So it begins, the year I've been so eager to write!