Chapter 24: Rapunzel's POV

Where Rapunzel finds out that making plans for the day does not mean the day will follow them.

A/N:

AND DONE

AFTER OVER A YEAR IT'S FINALLY DONE

The beast is slain. The battle is won. I'm honestly still reeling from the fact that I've made it this far.

Writing this story has been such a journey. In the time I've spent on this, my writing skills have grown dramatically, and I've made friends and connections that I never knew I would. I'd like to especially thank Longstockingz and elocin the lost who've stuck with me for so long, and who are genuinely some of the closest friends I've made yet, both in fandom and online. I can't honestly say that this story wouldn't have gotten written without them but the journey here definitely wouldn't have been anywhere near as sweet and filled with sunshine without their constant, loving presence. You guys really mean a lot to me, and I hope I've been at least half a good a friend as you two have been to me.

I'd also like to give a big thank you to elocin the lost for making the first fan art that someone has ever made for this series. (link to it in the ao3 version of this story) It's one of the most touching birthday presents I've ever gotten, and at this point I haven't gone a day without gazing adoringly at it at least once.

And now, on to the chapter!

On the last day of her first school year, Rapunzel discovered that there was something especially fascinating about being a new soul in a well-worn place. Of standing in a home that was someone else's first. One that was now hers.

Her mother had written to her. She'd said that she could not go to pick Rapunzel up at the school, so Rapunzel had to take the Hogwarts Express and ride with the other children and her mother would receive her at the station. It was all Rapunzel could do to sit and finish her last exam and not go running out of the exam hall singing from the news.

She made many plans in the last few days that followed. Who she'd sit with, what they'd talk about, what games they'd play. Half her time went into baking and crafting and making so many plans that she forgot to tell to anyone about them. The other half was spent out in the sun with her roommates and visiting as many friends as she could. The weather was so good that she didn't even have to take her weekly visit to the greenhouses, and Rapunzel reveled in a freedom and joy so strange and new to her.

If the rest of her life could just stay like that forever, then Rapunzel could die happy. She knew she could.

But time moved onwards, and it carried her with it. And after what felt like hours of hustle and bustle, of getting all her things sorted, boarding the train, settling into her compartments, Rapunzel could finally sit in a place and breathe.

In the time it took for the train to dive fully into the country, her roommates had each made themselves comfortable in their own way. Within the first few minutes of leaving, Nancy had disappeared, off to find friends she'd promised to visit. An hour in and Meena dozed, her book near falling off of her lap, curled up against Rebecca who wrote in her diary. It left Rapunzel free to gaze out of the open window.

The passing scenery unfolded in an endless wave of vibrant green, fading into smoky blue in the distance. Rapunzel perched as close as she could to the wide, glorious world without outright sticking her head out to the wind, arms folded on the window ledge and chin nestled on top. She could not truly claim that the breeze that met her face was the reason for the tears that brimmed in her eyes.

She was just so happy. She'd never felt more aware of being alive and present and real, of being a part of a world that she had never truly felt like she belonged to. Everything was right in her life, and she didn't know what else to do but dwell in the feelings that coursed through her like the tide.

Eventually, she remembered what else she had to be happy about. Slowly but surely, Rapunzel drifted out of her musings, her mind returning to earth with the tapping against her cheek.

She turned her head. Pascal dark, beady eyes stared back. He bumped his nose against hers, then scurried from her shoulder and onto the heavy cloth bag that sat beside her. Before she'd left, Rapunzel had filled it to brimming with treats, games, and presents. The treats and games were for anyone she shared them with, but the presents- they were for her friends.

It wasn't as if she really had to give them anything. No one expected it of her. But she wanted to, to celebrate the end of their first year, because it was the start of summer and they wouldn't see each other until after the holidays, because they were her friends, and simply because she loved them and she could.

She'd already given her presents to her roommates, but there was still more to give. Bag slung over her shoulder and Pascal riding on her head, Rapunzel strode out of the compartment. She was going to find her friends!

The corridor was nowhere near as busy as it had been during boarding, so Rapunzel navigated it easily. Her wanderings led her to a Slytherin compartment.

"Do you know where Merida is?" Rapunzel asked.

One of the girls, brown haired and tawny skinned, shook her head. "She went to go get some air. It might be a while before she comes back."

Rapunzel's heart fell. Another girl who sat opposite seemed to notice. "Would you like to sit with us and wait? She's our roommate, so chances are she'll come here first." She smiled kindly, her face framed by rivers of long, tightly curled hair.

"You're her roommates?" Rapunzel opened her bag, pulling out little, paper- wrapped parcels filled with biscuits. "Please take these. I want you to have them."

They took them. Then they insisted that she ate some as well, so Rapunzel sat and listened as they told her stories and shared some of her own. Pascal made some kind of connection with the first girl who'd spoken, who grinned when he wandered from Rapunzel's hand to her shoulder. Rapunzel was utterly delighted when a third roommate spoke through glowing golden shapes that she spun with her hands, and shocked her and the other two girls when she managed to do the same, even when her gestures held no meaning aside from whatever magic arose from them. It made the visit longer, but still no Merida appeared. Rapunzel bid them goodbye and left, saying she might find her friend somewhere outside.

She found what was apparently a Hufflepuff cabin next. The door to the cabin had been flung open. It was covered wall- to- wall with students, several of whom belonged to different Houses entirely. Rapunzel poked her head in to be greeted by a chorus of excited hollering from a bunch of Gryffindors as one of their own fell off the baggage rack.

"Excuse me! Hello?" Rapunzel asked, but no one noticed her, so she tried again. "Excuse me!"

The yelling abruptly cut off. All eyes turned to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel blushed. She hadn't meant to be that loud. Her hand fussed with her bag's strap, though she tried not to fidget too much. "Have… has anyone here seen Jackson Overland? First year? From Gryffindor?"

One of the Gryffindor boys raised an eyebrow. "…You mean Jack? He was here earlier, but then he took off somewhere."

The boy next to him sighed. "Probably getting up to trouble, I bet." He gave Rapunzel a questioning look. "What do you need him for anyways?"

Pascal huddled against her neck, likely camouflaged, and Rapunzel gripped her bag. "I wanted to give him something…"

"What for? What are you, his girlfriend?"

She tilted her head. "His girl… friend? Does that have something to do with- oh! Oh, you mean- like a paramour? Oh, no no no!" Rapunzel giggled. "He's, um, he's just- he's my friend. Really, he is, I promise." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a wad of homemade candy. "I wanted to share some snacks I made. Would any of you like some?"

"What kind of snacks?" A student near her took one of the sweets. "Oh. Toffee." The girl twisted the wax paper open and popped it in her mouth. "It's good."

Rapunzel was quickly ushered into the middle of the compartment, from where she gave out more of her candy. When her hands were left empty, she simply brought out more candy. Someone must have gone out and told about it, or else someone might have wandered past and heard, because more and more students came in, asking her for candy, which she was more than happy to give.

Something in the room changed. Perhaps it was nothing, or just because of free candy, but the air felt lighter, happier. A boy swallowed his candy and hiccupped, and a spark of magic zig- zagged up his hair, making it puff out over his ears. The girl next to him giggled, her face tinged pink.

"What did you put in these? They're really good." A Hufflepuff boy asked her. For some reason, something about his features reminded her of Merida's roommate, the petite one with the curly hair.

Rapunzel took a moment to get some of the chewy toffee off of her teeth. "Honey, maple syrup, vanilla." She recited. "And also love." She paused, examined the taste on the back of her tongue, and nodded to herself. Yes, she'd definitely added love.

Pascal, who at some point had become comfortable enough to make his appearance, gave a chirrup. He nodded to the boy's yellow tie, and Rapunzel remembered something important. "Do you know someone named Hiccup? Have you seen where he is? Did he come here?"

He stared at her owlishly. "A who?"

"Hiccup. Hiccup Haddock."

He blinked again. Then his eyes widened. "Oh. You mean- oh, right. Haddock." The boy shook his head. "No, no, he's- he's not going to come here. It's too crowded. Trust me, I know. I'm his roommate."

Rapunzel could've melted into her seat from the disappointment. "Do you know where he could be?"

He shrugged. "Maybe in the back? Near the luggage compartment, you know? He's a quiet one."

He was, and that certainly sounded like him. But that didn't stop Rapunzel from pouting any less. Dejectedly, she took out a parcel from her bag. "Would you like some biscuits? I made them for my friend's roommates."

"Really? Um, are you sure?" He accepted the parcel she put in his hands, looking bewildered.

"I am. These are for you. Oh, and," Rapunzel took out two other parcels and gave them to him as well, "these are for your other roommates. If you find them, could you give these to them, please?"

"O-kay? I mean, sure, if you want." He frowned at her. "…Are you alright?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm fine, just… I really want to see my friend."

"Do you want me to help you look for him?" She waved the offer away, so he shrugged and stood. "Alright, then. Good luck. And thanks again."

"'welcome…" Rapunzel mumbled after him.

She sat there long enough that eventually she talked to someone else who introduced himself as Jack's roommate, but even he didn't know where Jack was. It was enough to make Rapunzel leave his and his other roommates' share of the biscuits with him and wriggle her way out of the crowded compartment.

Something that bridged between annoyance and anger curdled inside of her. Rapunzel marched the rest of the way to the end of the train, right before the section that held the luggage. If she saw what she thought she would…

Stomach sinking, Rapunzel flung open the door.

The sight that met her was one she hadn't expected at all.

Huddled in the compartment were people she'd barely met and one boy from her own House. Said boy she knew as Luca Ramirez, and he ducked under his fringe the moment her eyes landed on him. Next to him were Jane, the girl from Slytherin, Sanjay, from Gryffindor, a Gryffindor girl Rapunzel didn't know, and a Hufflepuff boy.

Between all of them, it was Jane who reacted first. She turned to Sanjay. "'No need to lock the door,' he said, 'It's not like anyone will come all the way down here,' he said. Wow, look at you, already making prophecies." She put her hands on her hips, even as Sanjay grinned at her.

"Alright, alright, I'll admit it. You were right. Though, to be fair, it did last us a few hours." The only response he got for that was an eyeroll.

Before Rapunzel could so much as excuse herself, Sanjay addressed her. "You're Jack's friend, aren't you? Were you looking for him?" At Rapunzel's hesitant nod, he said, "Jack's probably at the front of the train. I'll go get him for you, if you want."

Rapunzel nodded eagerly. "I do! If you would, please and thank you!"

As Sanjay stood up, the girl next to him leaned forward, her golden ringlets swaying. She regarded Rapunzel with a suspicious squint. "Are you really Jack's friend? I don't remember seeing you."

Sanjay raised an eyebrow. Then he grinned again. "Oi, Luca," he said, as all eyes turned to the boy, "want to introduce your Housemate to the rest of the class?"

Luca made some grumbling noises under his breath, but eventually let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Whatever. Everyone, meet Rapunzel Lockewood. She was the one involved with the candy floss incident, hence how Jack and Sanjay know her, and how Jack's apparently best friends with her. Lockewood," he addressed Rapunzel, making her jump. Luca spread his hands, "this right here is the Detention Club." He pointed out each of them. "That's Jane, that's Sanjay, but you already know them. Then there's me. And over here is Sasha Koshkin," he pointed to the blonde-haired girl, "and that's Joao Costa." The Hufflepuff boy gave her a tentative wave, and Rapunzel returned it.

Sasha gave a dainty sniff. "Well, that explains that. Anyways, I think we're done here." She stood up and patted down her skirt. "Bye, Sanjay. I'm off to find Jack and bully him about his new girlfriend." Without a second glance at Rapunzel, she flounced out the door.

Rapunzel's eyes wandered after her, then went back to the rest of the room. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

Jane shook her head. "No, no, you didn't. We were just finishing up." She got up, helping Luca as well. "You can stay here if you want."

Rapunzel stepped aside, letting them pass through. "Are you sure? I don't mind going somewhere else…"

Sanjay waved her off. "It's fine. Just wait here, I'll come find you."

He and Joao walked past her. Before he left, Joao offered a smile. "See you around, Rapunzel. Until next time."

And then they were gone. Rapunzel stepped into the empty compartment, not really knowing what to do with herself. Except for a few lumpy bags cobbled together on the overhead luggage rack, there wasn't anything to show that people had been there.

Rapunzel sighed. "Oh, Pascal, what do I do? I spend a year finding friends without meaning to, and now I can't find them when I want to." Pascal patted her cheek, but it didn't do much to comfort her.

She sat down and pulled her feet up, crossing them under her. Her arms wrapped around her bag, and the smaller size of it reminded her that the time she'd spent up until then hadn't been a complete waste. She'd made some people happy. She'd had fun. It wasn't as if she'd spent the whole day miserable. But that didn't really help how much her plans had gone off of the tracks she'd set them on, and until something happened the only thing she could do was sit there and sulk about it.

A sharp trill came from above. Rapunzel looked up. Pascal clung to one of the overhead bags, poking his nose at it.

Rapunzel sat up. "What is it?" Pascal made a series of chirps at her, along with gestures. "You… smell something?" Pascal nodded. He tugged at the bag he sat on. "Is it in there? Do you want me to open it?" Pascal nodded again.

With wobbly legs, Rapunzel stood on the seat. She just managed to reach the zipper, tugging it open and waiting as Pascal disappeared inside. A moment later, he came out with something in his mouth, which he held onto as he scurried down Rapunzel's arm.

"What is it? What did you find?" Rapunzel slid down into a half- crouch, her knees coming up as she cupped her hands. Pascal dropped his discovery into them.

It was a gray stone. Hard and rounded smooth, it fit snuggly into her palms. The light from the window revealed faint etching that crisscrossed its surface in spidery lines, and the air was suddenly filled with the strong smell of lavender.

In her excitement, Rapunzel hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. But something about the stone gave the feeling that even a full night's rest wouldn't have done much good in making it any less effective. All at once, the lavender flooded into her head and swept throughout her body.

It was like being submerged in a warm, milk bath. A heavy blanket lay over her thoughts, wrapping them safe and made everything outside of them feel oddly floaty.

Rapunzel opened her eyes without knowing she'd ever closed them.

A sharp sound issued next to her and she groaned, tucking her head back into whatever was draped over her. Then her eyes popped open and Rapunzel bolted up.

The light outside was slanted and yellow from the sunset, momentarily blinding her. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her world slowly coming into focus. The material that pooled around her was a brown cloak, looking almost burgundy in that lighting, and outside her door came the distant sounds of hurrying and chatter.

And outside, she could almost swear the view outside looked like…

Rapunzel's heart thudded. They'd returned to England. She'd slept through the rest of the train ride.

They were almost back and Rapunzel hadn't found any of her friends at all. How could she run out and look for them now when they'd be at the station soon? There was no more time left.

She could've cried from the shame. It wasn't fair! She'd made her presents, she'd made her plans, she'd done everything she could, and still nothing had gone right! What good was she as a friend, as a person, if she just up and left for a summer without even saying goodbye? They'd forget all about her, and she'd deserve it.

Pascal chirped behind her and Rapunzel spun around. "What?" she croaked, her voice brimming with tears.

Pascal patted her bag, chirping insistently. And then Rapunzel actually looked.

On top of her bag there lay a small bundle. Tugging the cloak away from it, she picked them up. One was a wooden hand mirror, its edges carved in curling designs. The other was an envelope.

Rapunzel flipped the envelope over. Her eyes went over the words, and a smile grew on her face. Scribbled out in black ink was Jack's address, and based on the weight of it there was already a letter or even something more inside. On the back of a mirror was stuck a thin, folded scrap of paper that simply read: From Merida (open when you're alone)

The cloak, she found, had several pockets, some of them placed in such a way so as to be hidden. It was a very old cloak, if the frayed edges were anything to go by, but when Rapunzel pressed it to her face, something about the smell of it reminded her of Hiccup.

They'd found her. Somehow they'd found her, and for some reason they'd left presents of their own. Which reminded her-

Rapunzel dove for her bag. A quick search showed that her presents to her friends were still there, but that did nothing to wipe the smile off of her face. If anything, she smiled even wider, hugging her gifts to her chest.

So long as she had her gifts then that would mean she'd have to give them away. And if that meant she'd give them when she returned to school, then that's what she'd do. She'd find her them, and they'd find her, and they would still be her friends and all would be well.

The train began to whistle. Outside, the voices grew louder, students crowding into the corridors, likely with their carry-ons in tow. But the only thing Rapunzel could think of was the next year of school, and all it would bring.

Her second year at Hogwarts. She couldn't wait.

Cast List:

Meenakshi "Meena" Hargrove (Ravenclaw) : my OC

Rebecca Sweet (Ravenclaw) : original child of Charlotte LaBouff, The Princess and the Frog

Luca (Ravenclaw) : The Book of Life

Jane (Slytherin) : The Book of Life

Sanjay (Gryffindor) : The Book of Life

Sasha (Gryffindor) : The Book of Life

Joao (Hufflepuff) : The Book of Life

A/N:

- The toffee that Rapunzel gave out is based off of the ones made by Quincy from Quincy's tavern. You can find him on tiktok, and the tiktok I'm referring to can also be found on youtube. (link to the video in question in the ao3 version of this story)

And that concludes Book 1. Due to the fact that I'll have to spend a lot more time with college work starting now, I'd say that the next installment for this series should go up around late 2022 and stay on a regular posting schedule after that, since I plan on writing the entire thing out first. There are a few other projects I want to complete between now and then, but those will be much smaller than this. In the meantime take care, stay safe, and I hope to see you all again soon!