A Penchant for Mischief

by iamlongstockings

Going to Hogwarts was her dream, but raised a squib, it had always remained firmly out of reach until an owl lands on the windowsill carrying a letter with her name on it. Thrust into a world she's only read about, Rapunzel is more alone than ever when she meets Hiccup, Merida & Jack, three students as lonely as she is, who share her knack for finding trouble. Big Four at Hogwarts.

3. Hogwarts Homecoming

Updated November 29, 2021.

Content warning for depictions of gaslighting and emotional abuse.

---

By the time shades of violet and orange began to spill upwards from the line where the sky met the horizon, turning the inky darkness into a vibrant spectrum of colour, Rapunzel had been awake for more than an hour. She'd polished her wand thrice since sunset the previous day, and had unpacked and re-packed all of her school things at least as many times too, just to make sure she had everything. She'd even quadruple-checked her bag, drawing out her ticket for the Hogwarts Express from the safety of the inner pocket and looking it over for the thousandth time that summer, checking the clock and the calendar too for good measure, reassuring herself that it really was the first of September and yes, this was all really happening.

She was going to Hogwarts.

She'd never been so excited for anything in her life.

Carefully tucking the ticket back into the safety of her small leather purse and zipping it up so that it'd be secure, Rapunzel turned her attention to her hair. Brushing the tangles from her long golden locks, she carefully twisted the strands into a thick plait, her fingers still nimble even though her hands had been trembling all morning.

Her freckled face illuminated by a radiant smile, she dressed in her two favourite items of clothing: a plum-purple maxi dress that she'd decorated with hundreds of painted golden suns, and a long bright green cardigan that she'd embroidered with tiny pink and white flowers. Snuggling into the woolly cardigan as she pulled it around herself, she felt that familiar fizzy feeling bubble up inside her chest again, and she giggled, ready to face any challenge Hogwarts could throw at her.

Today was the day her life would begin.

Dipping into the kitchen, she set to work on cooking breakfast for Mother, a carefully prepared meal that consisted of a fried egg, hazelnuts and chanterelles, garnished with fresh garlic and blackberries, a proper farewell meal if ever there was one.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she glanced at the clock for what had to have been the hundredth time that morning. The Hogwarts Express was set to depart from King's Cross Station at 11AM sharp.

By 10:07AM, Rapunzel was standing outside Mother's bedroom door, wringing her hands.

Mother did not like to be woken up.

But, Rapunzel reasoned, today was a very important day. Arguably the most important day of Rapunzel's entire life. Mother's beauty sleep was undoubtedly important too – but Hogwarts would be expecting her, and Rapunzel simply couldn't let them down.

On her shoulder, Pascal squeaked and patted her with one of his tiny hands. Rapunzel stroked him under the chin and smiled when her familiar climbed onto her hand. "You're right, Pascal."

Relocating Pascal to the safety of her cardigan pocket, Rapunzel smoothed her braid and with a deep breath, raised her hand to the thick mahogany door and rapped thrice against the familiar wood, wincing at the sound.

Seconds seemed to tick by in slow motion as Rapunzel waited for Mother to answer, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that her body practically shook with each beat. Trying to swallow the lump that had risen in her throat, Rapunzel smoothed her dress and plait again.

After knocking a second, and then a third time, Rapunzel took a deep breath and twisted the aged handle. As light spilled into the room from the hallway onto Mother's deep red coloured bedsheets, the older woman sat up, looking especially dishevelled as she peeled back the wine-coloured sleep mask that matched her silk nightgown. A rosy flush in her cheeks, the woman blinked irritably.

Rapunzel dipped her head. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, Mother, but it's almost time for the Hogwarts Express."

Rolling her eyes, the older woman threw back the covers, swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded to the luxurious walnut and white marble vanity by the window. Settling onto the plush white velvet cushioned seat of the matching stool, she glanced at an ornately carved golden pocket watch, frowning incredulously, then turned her attention to her reflection in the three-paned mirror. "Rapunzel, it's not even noon yet. We have more than enough time."

"The train leaves at 11AM. It's already past ten o'clock-"

"No, no, no, can't be. I distinctly remember you telling me that your train leaves at 1PM."

A wave of panic welled up inside of her. She was certain she'd checked the time on her ticket when she'd double-, triple- and quadruple-checked that it was safely in her bag. Had she woken Mother for no reason at all? Frantically reaching into her small crossbody purse, she withdrew the ticket in question. And there, in simple black font, it read 'London to Hogwarts, Departure 11AM'.

"Oh, really, Rapunzel? 11AM? That's nowhere near enough time to get ready."

"I-" Seeing the disappointment in Mother's frown, she wilted.

"I just don't know how you're going to survive at Hogwarts. Honestly, Rapunzel, leaving it until less than an hour before your train departs to wake me," Mother tsk-tsked, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a small bottled potion from her vanity. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Mother. I promise I'll be more careful."

"Yes, well, it really is a bit late for that now, isn't it? They'll eat you alive at Hogwarts," Mother tapped the rim of the bottle with the tip of her wand and drew out a long thread of translucent silvery-gold liquid. Glancing at Rapunzel in the three-paned vanity mirror she paused, her lip curling. "Is that really what you're going to wear?"

Rapunzel glanced down, her fingers subconsciously pulling her impossibly long braid over her shoulder and smoothing it. "Do you like it?"

"It's a little much, don't you think?"

"...Much?"

"All I want is to keep you safe and sound, dear. I simply can't bear the thought of your new classmates treating you poorly or Morgana forbid, bullying you because of the way you look or dress. Don't you think you should go for something a bit more, hm, quiet?"

"Yes, Mother."

"I'm just trying to protect you – I'd be devastated if anything ever happened to you." Turning on her stool, Mother reached out and lifted Rapunzel's chin. "You know I love you very much."

Rapunzel slowly lowered her hands, releasing her blonde locks and finally met Mother's gaze. "I love you more."

"And I love you most." Standing up, the woman gently gave the girl a quick peck on the forehead before moving past her towards the ornately carved walnut dressing screen in the corner. Pulling open the drawers of the matching armoire, she waved the girl away. "Now, run along and make sure everything is packed and ready. You haven't left us with much time."

---

As the outdated spring green Volkswagen Rabbit pulled into a parking space outside of King's Cross Station, Jack breathed a small sigh of relief, thankful the long, awkward car ride was finally over. Aster was still angry with him for the morning flurries incident in July and continued to maintain the silent treatment nearly six weeks later. Even with Roo chattering excitedly about Quidditch from his seat up front between Mr. and Mrs. Mund, Aster's frostiness had made for a chilly car ride, even by Jack's standards.

Stepping out of the antiquated vehicle, which he suspected had suffered through most of the '80s and perhaps some of the '70s too, Jack stowed his wand in the pocket of his hoodie and made his way to the back of the car. With one hand, he popped open the boot, which had been enchanted with an undetectable extension charm. Reaching for the trunk on the left-hand side, he ran his fingers over the small engraved lettering on the scratched name plaque that read 'Jack Frost', before grasping the well worn wooden handle.

The trunk held everything he owned and had been with him through thick and thin, as he bounced across what felt like the entirety of the United Kingdom. The Munds were the tenth foster family he'd stayed with since he had started at Hogwarts school, six years prior, and even though he was thankful to finally be living with a non-muggle foster family, taking him in didn't make him part of the family. That was one lesson he'd learned well before coming to Hogwarts.

He'd been with the Mund family for longer than he'd been with most foster families, but even though they'd opened their home to him, Jack wasn't sure he'd ever be able to call it his home.

Hogwarts was his home.

Because despite his constant shifting from one family to another over the years, only one thing had remained constant, and that was Hogwarts. Whether he was in York or Coventry, Sheffield or Cardiff, Aberdeen or Belfast, Hogwarts would always find him. And on the first day of September each year, Hogwarts would always welcome him home.

Or at least, it would this year, for the seventh and final time.

Jack hauled the large wooden chest out of the car and set it on the asphalt.

On the other side of the Volkswagen's boot, the end of Aster's trunk balanced precariously on the bumper, and Jack instinctively reached out to steady it.

"Oi, what d'you think you're doin'?" Aster snarled over his luggage, grabbing the other handle before Jack had a chance.

"Just trying to be helpful," Jack said, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Yeah, right." Aster snorted, heaving the trunk out of the car all at once.

Shrugging, Jack leaned back into the trunk of the car to reach his only possession – save for the clothes on his back and the wand in his pocket – that wasn't packed into his trunk at present.

His new broomstick.

He'd spent the last three summers scooping ice cream in the back of a food truck to save up for it, but it was well worth every sickle, penny and pence he'd saved to buy it.

Built by an independent new broomstick manufacturer based out of America who embraced imperfect boughs for the handles of their broomsticks, the Flurryduster was a one-of-a-kind broom with its gnarled and crooked shepherd's-staff head.

Originally, he'd intended to buy the latest Cloudsdale or WingMaiden broom – whichever was supposed to be fastest – but after seeing the Flurryduster in The Goal Post's window, he'd found his mind wandering back to it day after day. Initially unsure about the broom because he'd never heard of the company that made it, Jack soon found the Flurryduster consuming his every thought until he'd finally taken the plunge and gone for a test flight. He'd known it had to be his from the moment his feet left the ground.

Jack grabbed the gnarled handle and set the broom atop his worn trunk.

"Go faster, mum!" Roo's high-pitched voice called out, and Jack turned to find his foster parents, Warren and Kanga Mund, had arrived with their trolleys, Roo perched on one of them and leaning so far forward that Jack suspected magic was the only thing keeping him from falling off.

Roo only surrendered his seat long enough for Aster to set his trunk on the trolley, before clambering back onto it as Aster stepped up to the helm.

"When I go to Hogwarts, I'm going to be the best chaser ever! Flying all over the pitch! Zoom, zoom, whoosh!" Roo exclaimed, swinging his arms and nearly capsizing his brother's trunk as they made their way out of the carpark and into the station.

"Careful, ya little ankle-biter," Aster said, narrowly avoiding clipping an old lady's handbag.

"Sorry," Roo cast a sheepish grin over his shoulder.

Several turns and one familiar brick wall later, they stood on Platform 9¾, where numerous families had already gathered to see off those who were enrolled in Hogwarts for the term.

Jack ran a hand through his unkempt brown hair as he set his luggage with the rest, and turned to find Aster bidding farewell to his father and step-brother. Catching Warren's eye, Jack gave him a nod and headed towards the train. But his swift departure did not go unnoticed by the Mund family matriarch, who stood closest to the train.

"Uh, thanks for letting me stay with you," Jack said, nodding awkwardly to Kanga and Warren.

"Anytime, Jack, it really was such a pleasure to have you," Kanga said with a smile; she had one of the kindest, warmest smiles Jack had ever seen, and he couldn't help giving her a small smile in return, even in spite of Aster's derisive snort. "I hope you'll join us for Yuletide again this year."

"Thanks," Jack said with a nod. "I'll keep that in mind."

As a general rule, Jack had always chosen to stay at Hogwarts for the winter holidays, and if it hadn't been for his social worker's interference, he'd have stayed at Hogwarts last year as well.

Jack turned to the youngest member of the Mund family. "Bye, Sport. Don't forget to keep practicing that move I taught you. You'll get it eventually."

"I will!" Roo assured him, before turning to his family, his hands clasped together in pleading. "Can't I go, too? Please?"

"You're not old enough, Champ," Aster said, crouching down to the younger boy's eye level, his hand on Roo's shoulder. "But you'll be on your way to Hogwarts before you know it."

"But I wanna go now," Roo insisted, pouting. "With you and Jack."

Aster gave a lopsided grin and ruffled his brother's dark hair. "But tell you what, I'll ask the professors to send you all of my homework, so it'll be just like you're already there."

"No!" Roo cried out with a giggle as Aster swept him up in a bear hug and tossed him in the air.

Jack, grateful for the distraction, took the opportunity to climb the remaining stairs, boarding the train to Hogwarts for the very last time.

---

Leaning her forehead against the window of her family's Austen Maxi, her blue eyes flicked side to side as they drove down narrow streets lined by red brick buildings. Merida couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. While far from perfect, Hogwarts offered ten whole months of freedom from her mother's eagle-eyed scrutiny and constant micromanagement, and afforded her at least some peace and quiet, although it seemed less and less each year.

Narrowing her eyes, it dawned on her that the back seat had become very, very quiet. Frowning, she leaned forward and held out her hand. "Give it here,"

Hamish, Hubert and Harris only smiled and blinked politely at her. But she knew them better than that. While still years away from attending Hogwarts School themselves, they managed to get into more mischief than almost anyone else she knew. Certainly, more mischief than she had ever been allowed. A small part of her wished that she was closer to their age so that she could see what havoc they'd wreak once they were old enough to attend Hogwarts. Of course, the more sensible side of her was relieved that she'd be long gone, because the castle wouldn't know what hit it when her brothers started their schooling.

"Boys," She held her hand out further.

Blue eyes wide, the rascals exchanged a look between the three of them. Now she was certain that they were up to something; the boys were never this well behaved, ever.

"Give it here," She said firmly. "Now."

Flexing her hand, she raised an eyebrow as the trio stared at her from across the back seat, the picture of well-mannered children.

"A know ye have it."

It was so subtle that anyone else might've missed it, but she saw it. And they knew she'd seen it too because when she lunged across them to get it back from them, it had already been passed across the three of them and was held just out of her reach.

"Wee devils!"

"What in Morgana's name is going on back there?" Elinor turned in the passenger seat, fixing her four children with a stern frown they were all more than acquainted with. "Merida, what are you doing to your brothers? You are supposed to be the example."

"They have my wand!" Merida said, groaning as her mother launched into a lecture on how, as the eldest, she was supposed to be on her best behaviour, acting as a role model for her three younger brothers.

"Don't roll your eyes," Elinor's frown deepened. "You should know better; you're nearly seventeen; practically an adult, and it's high time you started acting like one."

They had been on increasingly shaky ground for weeks, the smallest disagreements blowing up into massive arguments, especially since the Suitor's Ball earlier that summer. Such an open display of outrage at the Matchmaker's comments had been positively mortifying for her mother, as had her decision to run off like a spoiled child, as Elinor had reiterated several times over during the three hour lecture Merida had received the next morning.

Groaning, the redhead cast a glare at her brothers, crossing her arms over her chest as she slumped in her seat in the car. They could get away with murder, while she'd be lectured for so much as using the wrong fork at dinner. It just wasn't fair.

On the other side of the car from her, Hamish, who had her wand, blew a raspberry at her as he began to tap Hubert repeatedly on the head, spraying blue and orange sparks across the back seat of the vehicle.

Why they all had to come and see her off, she didn't know. Her Da could have taken her via apparition right into King's Cross Station and seen her onto the train. But instead, her mother had insisted that they take the car so that they could all come to see her off for her last year at school. And so, she'd spent nearly nine hours in the car over the last two days with her Mum, Da and the boys.

While she usually enjoyed spending time with her Da and the boys, spending nine hours trapped in a car with them and her mother was practically torture.

She didn't blame her brothers for misbehaving. She was nearly as restless and agitated as they were. None of them enjoyed being cooped up, and Merida especially was itching to get out and stretch her legs. But they were getting close. She shifted position in an attempt to shake the tingling numbness in her feet from their long journey, thankful they'd only done the shorter leg of the journey, the three-hour drive from Sheffield, that morning.

So when they finally pulled into a parking space at King's Cross Station, Merida was out of the car before the vehicle had even been put in park.

As her mother scoffed in the front seat, Merida's brothers struggled free from their booster seats and seatbelts, and climbed out of the far side door, glancing over their shoulders to keep an eye on their older sister all the while.

"I'll take that," Merida said, snatching her wand out of her brothers' grasp the second their feet hit the pavement, biting her lip to stifle a laugh at their affronted expressions. "Pains in the arse, the three of ye."

"Merida!" Elinor scolded, turning to her daughter with a frown as the girl stowed her wand away safely in her robes. "That is highly inappropriate language for a lady of your station. You are a highborn lady, and shouldn't be using that sort of language, period, let alone in front of your brothers."

"But Mum, they are pains in the arse." the redhead groaned, rolling her eyes and making her way to the boot of the car, where her trunk was packed. As she pulled it free, her father joined her to help her lift it out and set it on the pavement.

Her wild red hair wrangled in an especially voluminous high ponytail, Merida turned to find her mother giving her a once-over, her frown lines deepening when her eyes reached the redhead's well-loved combat boots. Last year, her mother had unpacked them from her school trunk at least three times in the hopes Merida would forget them at home and she'd be able to get rid of them without her noticing. But they were Merida's favourite boots, and she'd have lived in them if she'd been allowed to.

It didn't take long to unload all of Merida's school things from the Maxi's boot, and soon she was pushing her trolley through King's Cross Station, weaving around groups of commuters dramatically as her three wee brothers sat astride her trunk.

Merida rounded a corner, skidding the back wheels as she swung the trolley around to the side and nearly crashed headlong into an especially miserable-looking security guard, who glared at her as she barely managed to avoid running over his toes as they passed.

"Sorry!" Merida called over her shoulder, biting her lip to keep from laughing as the man glowered after them.

When her parents finally stepped through the magical barrier onto Platform 9¾, Merida was in the midst of pulling her brothers off of her trolley one by one. Merida threw her arms around her dad and wrinkled her nose as his whiskers brushed her forehead when he planted a kiss atop her mane of wild ginger curls, which were already spilling free from her ponytail.

"No ye don't," Merida said, pulling away from her father to scoop up one of the triplets as they tried to sneak onto the train behind them. Eyes narrowed, she frowned at two of her brothers. "Where's Harris?"

Hamish and Hubert grinned angelically. Merida blew a breath out through her nose and climbed onto the train, rubbing her temples.

The boys were too clever for their own good, and outnumbered her three to one, but they were only three years old and she knew them better than most anyone else. Almost immediately, she spotted Harris, scurrying into an empty cabin about halfway down the train.

"Jings, crivens, help ma boab."

When she let herself into the cabin, Harris was already halfway into the overhead compartment, his legs dangling above the familiar seats.

"And jus' where do you think yer goin'?" She asked, as Harris scrambled to pull his legs up after him, but his sister plucked him from the overhead bin before he could vanish into the magically extended compartment.

Holding the boy horizontally against one hip as easily as she might a quaffle, she made her way back down onto the platform, and planted the boy next to their father, whose face was especially ruddy with poorly hidden amusement.

"Enough o' that, ye hooligan." Merida said, tapping Harris on the nose with her index finger, the corners of her mouth quirking upwards into a smile before she gave him a quick peck on the top of the head. Turning to Hamish, she ruffled the second boy's hair and bent down to give him a quick kiss on the forehead too. For Hubert, she gave him a wink, then they both kissed their fingers and gave each other a high five.

And then, bracing herself for further scrutiny, the girl turned to her mother.

Elinor gave her daughter a visual once-over with a critical eye, and sighed, her expression softening. "Merida,"

Brows knitting together, Merida raised her eyes to meet her mother's gaze, uncertainty written across her features. "Mum?"

Just as suddenly, Elinor seemed to remember herself and drew herself back up to her usual queenly visage, any trace of softness vanishing behind a well-practiced regal smile. She stepped forward to take her daughters's hand, drawing a deep breath as though preparing herself for a difficult conversation. Merida groaned inwardly and waited to be told what she'd done wrong now.

"Merida, I want you to know that I agree with you," Elinor said softly, patting the girl's hand gently. "That Ai's comments about your appearance during the Suitor's Ball were completely inappropriate. We've dismissed her."

Mouth agape, Merida couldn't help but look to her father for confirmation that her ears were working properly. "You've dismissed her?"

"We've dismissed her." Elinor repeated, nodding firmly.

Fergus nodded, and Merida couldn't help but smile – the first time she'd genuinely smiled in her mother's presence since the arranged marriage topic had first been broached at the end of her sixth year.

"Of course, the matter of your betrothal still stands, and a selection will need to be made by the end of this year, but your father and I have decided that we will be selecting your suitors ourselves, rather than using an agency to connect with potential candidates."

Roughly jerking free from her mother's grasp, Merida shook her head and took a step back. "You say that like it's a better option!"

Elinor frowned. "It is a better option, Merida. I'm looking out for your best interests-"

"Oh, aye?" She challenged, glaring. "Because it sounds like you're still just tryin' ta sell me off ta the highest bidder!"

Positively fuming, Merida turned on her heel and clambered up the iron steps onto the train. Not even sparing her family a farewell glance, she pulled the elastic from her hair and disappeared into the crowd of students already milling about on board.

---

It was 10:56AM by the time Erzsebet Gothel, dressed in a dark red twist-front wrap dress with heeled back ankle boots, finally deemed them ready to leave. Her dark hair expertly styled in waves that framed her face and her make-up flawless, her Mother looked extraordinarily beautiful as she glanced at the clock and began tapping her foot impatiently.

Rapunzel, whose hair was now unbraided and free-flowing, flicked her long locks over her shoulder and dragged the large wooden trunk containing what seemed like nearly all of her worldly possessions into the front room of their cottage. Mother had insisted that Rapunzel leave her favourite purple dress with the painted suns and her green floral cardigan at home, so Rapunzel had changed into a simple grey collared dress with an oversized brown sweater that Mother had approved of. They were less loud, she'd said, even if Rapunzel did look hopelessly frumpy.

As the girl reached the front entranceway where Erzsebet waited, Rapunzel lifted her hand from the trunk and up to her shoulder, her pet chameleon changing colour from brown to beige as he climbed into her hand.

"Hang on tight, Pascal." She whispered, giving him a quick nuzzle before she transferred him safely to the pocket of her dress, his tail turning grey to match her dress as he disappeared into her pocket, unnoticed by Erzsebet.

"I'm going to miss you so much now that you're going off and leaving me all by myself. Are you really sure you want to go off to Hogwarts, my flower?" Erzsebet asked, her perfectly shaped brows knitted together and her wine-coloured lips puckered as though she was holding back tears. "You know it's not too late, you can still change your mind and stay here at home with me. You don't have to go. Here, we can write to Hogwarts right now and tell them-"

Rapunzel took a shaky breath, but shook her head. "I have to do this, Mother."

"Suit yourself." Erzsebet said, setting her plump lips in a thin line. Any trace of warmth instantly vanishing into cool aloofness, she held out her elbow, and Rapunzel flinched, knowing she'd upset her Mother.

Holding her trunk with one hand, Rapunzel rested the other in the crook of Erzsebet's elbow and drew a deep breath. Suddenly, the air was forced from her lungs with a loud CRACK! The colours around her shifted and warped, and a wave of intense nausea washed over her as what felt like her entire body was pushed through a small rubber tube.

And then, just as suddenly, they were standing in a small dark room. Gasping for breath and trying not to retch up her breakfast, Rapunzel blinked away tears as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. From the shapes she could make out from the sliver of light under the door, they seemed to be in some sort of broom closet or sanitation room.

"Alohomora." Erzsebet whispered, and there was a small click.

Erzsebet pushed open the door, her lip curling in disgust at her surroundings as she stepped out of the closet into the main section of the station. Rapunzel followed, her heart thumping in her chest and her green eyes wide as she took in all the sights and sounds of King's Cross Station.

She'd never seen so many people in one place before and she couldn't help feeling a bit overwhelmed as her eyes darted around, almost wishing that she had twelve more eyes to take in every detail at once. From the sleek trains that sat on the evenly numbered tracks, to the vaulted ceilings with intricate criss-cross designs, to the strange fashions of the many people crowded around the station.

They were fortunate enough to find an abandoned luggage trolley a few feet from the broom closet they'd apparated into and by 10:58AM Rapunzel's trunk had been loaded onto the trolley and she stood at the helm as they attempted to navigate the train station.

Her heart hammering, Rapunzel's initial instinct had been to sprint, but Mother had insisted on not being rushed – she'd been a Hogwarts student herself once upon a time and so knew her way around King's Cross Station like the back of her hand. Rapunzel would surely get lost and miss her train without her. But as the seconds ticked by too quickly to the click-clack of Mother's high heeled boots against the marble floor, Rapunzel worried her heart might stop beating altogether. When she'd tried to hasten Mother along, the older witch had hissed that she was behaving like a child and embarrassing her in public, so Rapunzel was trying her very hardest to hurry without rushing Mother.

As they wove their way through muggles, Rapunzel tried not to get distracted by the ginormous, colourful posters on the dividers between each platform, some with life-sized muggle photos on them, others with numbers and symbols that she suspected indicated muggle currency, and others still with large blocks of teeny tiny text at the bottom. Muggles, she'd decided, had peculiar taste in art.

Halting her trolley by two stark white signs with plain black lettering on either side of a curiously poster-free wall between two platforms, Rapunzel felt a tingle of excitement run down her spine. She'd arrived.

But her excitement turned to ice in her veins when she caught sight of a clock across from the platform that read 11:02AM. Her breath caught in her throat and tears pricked at her eyes.

Before her stood the gateway she'd been dreaming about for years.

Platform 9¾.

And they were too late.

For a split second, she hesitated, apprehensive about what awaited her beyond the wall, which she was terrified to think might be an empty platform.

But she couldn't just turn back now. She had to try. Just as quickly as her fear had taken hold of her, she pushed it aside and forged ahead, angling her trolley towards the red brick wall and stepping through the barrier before Mother could say a word.

"Excuse me," Rapunzel said, desperately weaving her trolley around several clusters of muggle and magical families that stood on the platform, waving to those family members who were off to Hogwarts this school-year. Her breath caught in her throat and her vision blurred by tears, she pushed her way through the crowd, afraid of what she might find on the other side.

Releasing the breath she'd been holding, Rapunzel nearly burst into tears when she saw that the bright scarlet steam engine was still standing proudly on the tracks, a thin trail of smoke rising from the stout black chimney at the front of the locomotive. On the platform, a tall older man with white hair was loading a trunk very similar to hers onto the train – it looked to be the very last one. Hurriedly, she made her way over to the man.

"Do you have room for one more?" Rapunzel called out as her trolley came to a stop next to the train.

"Certainly," The man said, hopping down from the train and giving Rapunzel a once-over. "Ticket, please."

Nodding, she opened her small brown purse and unzipped the pocket she'd stashed her ticket in. And her stomach dropped as though the floor had fallen away from under her.

The pocket was empty.

Her breath hitching in her throat, she tried to take a deep breath but found her breath was restricted by what felt like a large rubber band around her chest. Her vision blurring from tears and her hands beginning to tremble once again, she dug through the purse, going through every pocket.

But her ticket was nowhere to be found.

"Honestly, Rapunzel," Erzsebet tsk-tsked, shaking her head. "Maybe this is for the best. I honestly don't know how you'll manage at Hogwarts if you can't even keep track of a ticket – you had it less than an hour ago."

Panic welling up in her chest, she tugged at the sleeves of her sweater, suddenly feeling very, very warm. All at once, she was too aware of every seam of her dress and couldn't fathom how she'd worn it for so long without noticing how itchy it was. Had it always been that itchy? And she couldn't help wondering how she'd managed to even fit into it that morning, because somehow it now seemed six sizes too small, and as though it might cut off her circulation.

Pulling at her collar, which was suddenly threatening to choke her, she grabbed at her hair and began twisting it, and running her hands over it while she tried to calm her shaky breathing.

"Hey, hey, hey," The older man said, his brows knitted together. Lowering his voice, he offered her a kind smile. "Tell you what, kiddo, I won't tell if you don't."

It took a moment for his words to sink in and another few moments for Rapunzel to catch her breath. Lip still quavering, although this time with gratitude instead of panic, she nodded.

"Thank you, Mister-"

"Name's Orville," He said jovially, hefting her trunk into the air and carrying it aboard the train.

"Thank you, Mister Orville,"

"Oh, no, it's just Orville."

"Oh. Well, thank you, Orville." Rapunzel said, swallowing the lump that had risen in her throat.

"Best hop aboard, miss. We're set to leave-" Orville said cheerfully, his elbows flapping like wings as he bounced down the stairs. Sticking a hand in the pocket of his grey waistcoat, Orville drew out a pocket watch and flipped it open. His shaggy white brows knitting together, Orville shook the watch, then tapped the glass screen. His clean-shaven chin bobbing, he looked up at the large clock on the platform, and his eyes went so wide Rapunzel worried they might pop right out of their sockets. "Five minutes ago! Best board right away, Miss."

Nodding, Rapunzel turned to Erzsebet, who was frowning as she looked on.

"I'm going to miss you so much! I'll write to you as soon as I get to Hogwarts!" The blonde promised as she stepped towards the older witch, holding out her hands to Erzsebet, who did not reach back. Rapunzel halted, her brows knitting together. "Mother?"

"I won't be there to hold your hand and help you while you're away at school. I'd get used to it now if I were you." Erzsebet said, casting a disdainful look in the direction of the train. "Well, go on then,"

"Oh," Rapunzel said softly.

She hadn't thought about that.

Behind her, the train whistled loudly, and Rapunzel heard Orville sound the final boarding call for Hogwarts. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked up and met Erzsebet's cool silver gaze once more, her heart aching.

"Goodbye, Mother. I love you."

Erzsebet did not respond.

Tears pricking at her eyes, Rapunzel took a deep breath and began the four-step ascent aboard the Hogwarts Express.

Her throat tightening as the train began to move of the station, Rapunzel watched Erzsebet turn away and disappear into the crowd of smiling, waving families well before the last train car had even reached the end of the platform.

And as Kings Cross Station blurred and grew smaller in the distance, and her journey to Hogwarts School truly began, Rapunzel worried her dream would not be everything she had hoped it would be.

---

As Hiccup made his way down the corridor of the train, he couldn't help his relief that this would be his last year at Hogwarts School and therefore the last time he'd ever have to do this. Every year it seemed to get tougher to find somewhere to sit, and this year was no different, but thankfully his annual search for a cabin that had free seats and friendly or friendly-ish faces was finally drawing to an end.

Although, at least he wasn't totally alone this year. Raising a hand to his shoulder, he gave the massive black tomcat that perched there a gentle scratch under the chin, still feeling guilty that he hadn't been able to save the latter half of the cat's tail. He'd spent the rest of his summer nursing the tomcat back to health and doing everything he could to atone for his awful experimental spell.

But the cat, who he'd decided to name Toothless, despite the fact that he was most certainly not toothless, as the scars on Hiccup's arms could attest, had eventually forgiven him for his injuries and had since become his constant companion.

Hiccup supposed it shouldn't have been that surprising.

In the six years he'd been attending Hogwarts School, the closest thing he had to a human friend was Professor North, who taught Care of Magical Creatures, Hiccup's favourite class. North always smiled and offered him biscuits whenever he came to visit Hogwarts' herd of caribou between classes and sometimes would even ask for his help providing additional care for some of the other magical beasts that lived on or near Hogwarts' campus.

He'd always gotten along much better with beasts than his peers. No matter what he said or did, he'd never quite managed to fit in with his classmates. But animals didn't judge him in the same ways that his peers did – they didn't disregard him when he said the wrong thing or when he made a mistake in class or couldn't cast a spell correctly. They never went out of their way to make him feel unwelcome or like he didn't belong, as many of his peers had done.

He'd been young and optimistic once upon a time, eager to prove that he was going to be somebody, but if there was one thing that six years of Hogwarts had taught him, it was that he was nothing, nobody of worth – to humans, anyway.

Yet something brought his feet to an abrupt halt when he caught a glimpse of some familiar faces in one of the cabins. Astrid and the other upper year students who had spent their summers interning at Berkworks, working alongside Hiccup's father, were sitting together.

Backing up out of their line of sight before they saw him, he took a deep breath, trying to ignore how desperately he wanted to join them.

But he knew better than that. They didn't want anything to do with him. He was weak and clumsy and weird. He spent too much time wading waist-deep in the Black Lake or tinkering with magic and mechanics and not enough time studying the spells they were supposed to be learning. But even though he knew he wasn't welcome in their compartment, it didn't stop him from wanting to be there.

To hear all about their internships at his father's company. To tell them about his summer job. For once, to be something or someone other than Hiccup the Useless.

But as he turned to make his way down the corridor, the compartment door slid open and he nearly collided face-first with Astrid Hofferson, who frowned the moment she laid eyes on him.

"Oh, hey Astrid." Hiccup said, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair. "F-fancy meeting you here."

Astrid rolled her eyes and shook her head, looking through him as though he wasn't even there. And as she shouldered her way past him and away from the raucous laughter of her friends, he was almost certain he heard her mutter the phrase 'eavesdropping creep'.

---

Her freckled cheeks still flushed red with temper and a fiery glint in her eyes, the redhead strode down the corridor, barely sparing a glance at the compartments as she passed them. Not that there'd be any empty compartments left now anyway, and she certainly wasn't fit for human company at present.

In front of her, a door slid open and Snovita stopped short, her radiant smile vanishing.

"Oh, Meri! We've missed you," Snovita said hopefully. "Come sit with us."

"Traitors."

Merida didn't even break stride.

She hadn't spoken to Snovita or Aurora since the incident at the Suitor's Ball earlier that summer. They'd both written her several times, presumably to apologize, but Merida hadn't even bothered to read the letters. But despite receiving all their letters back, unopened, with 'return to sender' scrawled across it in Merida's untidy handwriting, it hadn't dissuaded them from tea parties with Elinor.

When she'd come downstairs for breakfast one morning to find Snovita in the parlour, drinking tea and discussing suitors with her mother as though she hadn't stabbed her in the back only a few weeks prior, Merida had just walked out, and not come back until nearly midnight. Elinor had been furious. Merida thought her mother should have just been grateful that she'd come back at all.

She still couldn't believe they'd chosen her mother over her. What had she ever done to deserve that?

She'd been their friend since before they'd started Hogwarts, for as long as any of them could remember.

And yet they'd turned against her without hesitation.

They'd discorded her as easily as throwing away a month old copy of the Prophet.

So maybe they'd never actually been her friends in the first place.

Maybe they'd always seen her as some kind of proxy for her mother.

It all made sense, of course. Snovita idolized Elinor, had always idolized Elinor, was pretty much obsessed with gaining Elinor's approval. It had always been annoying, but it had deflected at least some of the focus off of her for a bit.

It had been in front of her the entire time, how had she missed it?

Reaching the end of the train, she opened the door and stepped out onto the small balcony at the back of the train, her red curls whipping in the breeze as London faded into rolling fields, forests and farmland. Her knuckles white as she leaned over the railing, she screamed until her lungs ran out of air, finally releasing the frustration and anger that had been bubbling up inside of her all summer.

Why didn't anyone ever listen to her? She'd never asked for any of this – the etiquette lessons, the suitors and ballgowns, the arranged marriage. It wasn't her. She wasn't some refined lady like her mother wanted her to be, like everyone seemed to want her to be. But no matter how she said it, now matter what she did, nobody ever listened to her. Nobody ever heard what she had to say.

Her throat felt hoarse by the time she stopped. Panting as she finally drew a breath, she sank to the floor, scooting into the corner and pressing her back up against the balcony's metal railing. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin on her forearms, blinking back the tears that blurred her vision.

Biting her lip, she pressed her forehead against her kneecaps to hide her face and with shoulders trembling, she gave in to the flood.

---

It wasn't until Rapunzel reached the end of the train's very, very long corridor that she finally found a compartment with space for her. Nearly every cabin she'd passed was filled with students and nary a free seat in sight save for the very last one, which she found only occupied by two boys, roughly around her own age, as well as a large black cat perched next to one of them.

Reaching one hand into her pocket, Rapunzel found Pascal's tiny form burrowed deep into the wool, and ran a finger gently over his scales, before taking a deep breath and opening the compartment door.

Both boys looked up at her as she entered and Rapunzel halted.

"Hello," Rapunzel gave them a smile and tried to ignore the echoes of Mother's many warnings in her brain. She pointed towards the empty bench between the cat and the window. "Do you mind? Everywhere else is full."

They only shrugged at her, and the one next to the cat immediately turned his attention back to his book.

Sighing with relief, she settled into the seat next to the window and turned her attention to the surprisingly large black cat to her left.

Grinning at the boy with the book, she gestured towards the creature next to him. "Your cat is lovely."

Blinking in surprise, the boy ran a hand through his hair. "Er – thank you."

"May I?"

"Uh, he might not-" But he stopped short when the cat padded over to her. "Uh, sure, I guess."

Rapunzel offered her hand to the tomcat. "What a good kitty,"

The tomcat reached out his nose towards Rapunzel's offered hand, his whiskers tickling her skin as he sniffed her. And then, deciding she was a friend, the tomcat chirped and nuzzled her hand.

"Oh," Rapunzel beamed. "Such a handsome kitty,"

"So much for you being feral, huh?" The boy said incredulously, running a hand along the tomcat's back as Rapunzel scratched under his chin. "This is Toothless,"

"Hello, Toothless," She said, leaning closer to the cat. "What a good kitty,"

"And I'm-" The boy paused for a moment, as though unsure. Then, flatly, "Hiccup."

"Hiccup and Toothless," Rapunzel repeated, nodding. "My name is Rapunzel,"

The boy across from her opened his mouth as though wanting to say something, but instead shrugged and retreated into the depths of his bright blue hooded sweater.

As she continued to scratch behind the cat's large, triangular ears, she couldn't help but grin. Perhaps Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all – so far, neither of these boys seemed to be especially mean.

Relaxing into her window seat as Toothless curled up next to Hiccup, Rapunzel had barely glanced out the window when the door slid open, revealing a plump older witch with silver-white hair and a kind smile.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?"

The boys both got to their feet, and Rapunzel followed their lead.

The white-haired witch stood next to a trolley that was stacked to the brim with baked goods. A small wooden stand had several rows of what looked like red wands sticking out of it, and next to it stood a pair of multi-tiered trays, one stacked high with all sorts of sandwiches and pies, while the other featured a variety of cakes and tarts – some filled with thick, almost-black jams, others with a dark orange paste, some stacked high with whipping cream or drizzled with lines of caramel and dark chocolate and even still more dusted with powdered sugar or cinnamon or something else entirely. A row of muffin-sized orange pumpkins sat next to several rows of small boxes, some blue and gold, some red and white, still others featuring what looked like every colour she'd ever seen.

Rapunzel's mouth was watering, and as she stared at the vast collection of sweets, she couldn't decide what she wanted to try first.

Slightly overwhelmed by options, she glanced towards her two cabin companions to see what they were getting and saw both of them handing round silver and copper pieces to the trolley witch before she handed them back their pastries.

Money, she realized.

Her heart fell.

Her Hogwarts letter hadn't mentioned money, and she couldn't remember the shopping list that Mother had taken with her to Diagon Alley mentioning money either, so it had never occurred to Rapunzel that she might need to bring any with her to school. Not that they had any to spare – Mother had mentioned several times just how expensive all of her school things had been. So expensive, in fact, that now, Mother said, they'd both have to make sacrifices. Rapunzel supposed this was one of those sacrifices.

The trolley witch turned her attention to Rapunzel. "And for you, dear?"

Rapunzel stepped back and shook her head. "Oh, um, nothing for me. Thank you."

"Well, if you're sure," The trolley witch said, nodding and sliding closed the compartment door.

Rapunzel settled back into her window seat and turned her attention back to the open fields and rolling hills as they flashed past, the occasional tree dotting the vast landscape.

It could hardly have been more than a few minutes when the click of the compartment door drew her attention once more, announcing the arrival of a girl with the curliest, reddest hair that Rapunzel had ever seen, so curly that even Mother's hair seemed barely wavy in comparison.

She held several of the blue and gold boxes in her hands as she dropped into the seat across from Hiccup with all the grace of a sack of stones and dumped her armful of boxes onto the seat next to her.

"Hello," Rapunzel smiled warmly.

Looking up with a start, the girl blinked as though realizing that there were other people present, but only glared in response. Her face was red and blotchy as though she'd been crying, and she looked about ready to tear someone limb from limb as she pulled her legs up onto the seat and tore open one of her boxes.

Thwack!

A large brown frog landed on the table, and Rapunzel realized it had come from one of the girl's blue and gold boxes. Before Rapunzel could say anything on the matter, the redhead snatched the frog off the table and bit into it.

Rapunzel's heart nearly stopped.

Suddenly feeling very ill, Rapunzel shrank back into her corner, very much regretting having answered her invitation to Hogwarts School.

Her breath hitching in her throat as nausea and dread washed over her, it occurred to her that neither of their cabin-mates had even blinked an eye at the girl's choice of snack. Worse still, the blue and gold frog boxes were the same ones she'd seen on the white-haired witch's snack trolley.

If living frogs were a common enough snack at Hogwarts for them to sell them on the train, she couldn't help but worry about whether she, too, would be expected to bite the heads off of frogs or other small animals when she got to Hogwarts.

Slipping her hand into her pocket to run her fingers over Pascal's scales, she wondered if it had been a mistake to bring him with her. Had she just endangered her very best friend in the whole world?

---

As the setting sun began painting the green fields with shades of pink and gold, Rapunzel shivered and pulled her bulky brown sweater tighter around her body. She was just starting to wonder if she'd imagined the sudden chill in the air when she felt Pascal snuggle against her palm for warmth.

She shifted her gaze back to the window to watch the golds and pinks fade into purples and blues, but was promptly interrupted when the compartment door slid open again. For a second, Rapunzel was worried that the white-haired lady had returned with her trolley full of strange sweets to give the redheaded girl more frogs to eat.

Part of her wished that Mother had given her money to buy something for herself from the snack trolley. She hadn't brought any lunch with her – she hadn't expected the train ride to be so very long, and she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, which felt like days ago. But another part of her worried that something still alive might jump out of a pumpkin cake or be swimming in one of those pies, and the thought alone made her sick to her stomach.

Instead of the snack trolley lady, a pale, freckled girl with tightly pinned white-blonde hair stood in the doorway of their compartment, her gloved hands gripping the doorframe as though she expected to fall off the train.

Her blue eyes widened with alarm as her peers turned their attention to her, and for a moment she looked as though she wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction. Rapunzel could hardly blame her, she had half a mind to run away herself. Perhaps the pale girl was also a new student.

Drawing in a breath, the pale girl made an expression that was more grimace than smile, and released the doorframe, clasping her hands together in front of her abdomen. "We're almost at Hogwarts. I suggest you all change into your robes."

"Thanks Elsa," Hiccup said softly, before nodding to a mustard yellow shield-shaped badge pinned to her chest that read 'HEAD GIRL' in bold black lettering across a gold banner. "Hey, congratulations."

"Oh," Elsa replied, her brows knitted together in a mixture of alarm and bewilderment, as though she wasn't expecting the boy to speak to her and perhaps wished he hadn't. After a moment, she nodded stiffly. "Thank you."

Before any of them could attempt to converse any further, Elsa backed out of the compartment, shutting the door with a decisive click before continuing on down the hall. Rapunzel glanced around at her cabinmates, beginning to fidget with her hair as fear coiled in her belly. Elsa had seemed so afraid of her peers, Rapunzel couldn't help but wonder if her cabin-mates were meaner than they seemed. Admittedly, the girl with the red hair certainly didn't appear friendly in the slightest, but the two boys hadn't seemed so bad. Were these three ruffians and thugs like the ones Mother had warned her about?

Trying to quell the wave of panic that rose up inside her, she shrank back into her corner by the window, half-hoping that she'd somehow be able to disappear and they'd forget she was there. Her brows furrowed, she focused her attention on the window as the other three rose and gathered their robes from the overhead compartments.

"Is this yer idea of a joke, Frost?"

Rapunzel's heart nearly jumped right out of her chest at the sharp edge in the redhead's tone as she pulled at the door, which didn't budge.

"I'm flattered that you think I'm so clever, DunBroch." The messy-haired boy across from her – Frost – said drily, rolling his eyes. "Locking a door. Genius. I can only hope that one day my jokes will be that sophisticated."

"Hey, hey, hey," Hiccup scrambled to his feet and drew his wand from the folds of his robes, and Rapunzel felt a jolt of panic surge through her – were they going to duel? She didn't know any spells to protect herself. But before Rapunzel could descend wholly into a panic attack, Hiccup held up his wand in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "Unlocking a door is an easy fix."

"Aye, a locked door is. But what about a door that's been frozen shut?" DunBroch asked, casting a glare at Frost as she stepped aside to let Hiccup take a look at the door. "Obviously it was him."

"Frozen shut?" Hiccup repeated as he crouched down to take a closer look at the door, before dipping his head in assent. "Okay, yeah, that's definitely frozen shut."

"Thanks, Sherlock." Dunbroch said, rolling her eyes and turning back to Frost. "Yer a real prick, ye know that, Frost?"

Frost pulled his feet up onto the seat and leaned back, the picture of nonchalance as he stared DunBroch in the eye. "It's funny – you're not the first person to tell me that today."

"How am I not surprised," DunBroch muttered, before drawing herself up to her full height, although she still stood nearly a head shorter than both of the boys. "Unfreeze it. Now."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because I said so, you bloody useless bastard."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa-" Hiccup began, but Frost continued as though the other boy hadn't spoken.

"Got a problem, DunBroch?"

"C'mon guys-"

"Yeah, you, ye good fer nothing jackass. I'm surprised they even let ye come back this year after all the stuff ye pulled last year."

"Let's not do this-"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?"

"Okay, whatever." Hiccup rolled his eyes and sat back down, muttering about how nobody ever listened to him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" DunBroch demanded, clenching her fists.

"I think you know exactly what I mean, Princess."

The redhead made a sound like she was choking. "HOW DARE YOU-"

DunBroch, whose freckled face had flushed even redder than it had been when she'd come into the compartment, reached into her pocket, her blue eyes blazing. Rapunzel saw Jack's hand dart for the pocket of his hoodie as well, as he leaped to his feet as he too drew his wand.

Before her brain had time to process the situation, she'd darted to her feet and placed herself between Frost and DunBroch, her hands held up between them and her heart pounding in terror. "STOP!"

Frost and DunBroch stared, incredulous.

"Take it easy," Rapunzel glanced from DunBroch to Frost and back again, her heart hammering in her chest. "We're so close to school."

It was DunBroch who moved first. Stuffing her wand back into her pocket, she rolled her eyes. "Bloody useless bastard isn't even worth hexing anyway."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rapunzel lowered her hands. "Well, okay."

DunBroch turned her attention to Rapunzel, her ginger brows knitting together and her eyes narrowed. She was sizing her up, Rapunzel realized, her heart skipping a beat as a fresh wave of terror flooded through her.

"Who even are you, anyway?"

"I'm Rapunzel. I'm a new student."

"Like a transfer from another school or something?" Frost asked.

Rapunzel's breath caught in her throat, Mother's warnings echoing in her mind once more.

Mother had warned her that her classmates mightn't see her as a witch at all, because of how late her magic had developed. Wizards and witches were well-known for their intense dislike of squibs, and if they saw Rapunzel as one, certainly something positively dreadful would happen. She'd be seen as nothing less the vermin, Mother had told her so before she'd become too overcome with emotion to tell her the rest.

Rapunzel's breath hitched in her throat.

She could never let them know the truth.

"Something like that," Rapunzel shrugged, before her jaw dropped and in an instant, she'd forgotten what she'd been about to say as she stared, wide-eyed, out the window. In the distance, rising above the tree line, was a vaguely familiar silhouette. "Is that Hogwarts Castle?"

Before anyone could answer, there was a small BANG! and suddenly their cabin was filled with foul-smelling smoke. Hiccup stood by the compartment door, his wand in his left hand and his right fanning smoke away from his face. The door's latching mechanism was warped and smoking violently.

"Jings crivens, help ma boab," DunBroch muttered, coughing as she pulled her turtleneck up to cover her nose and mouth. "What did you do, Haddock?"

Rapunzel covered her mouth with her hands, trying not to gag on the thick grey smoke.

"I, uh, managed to get rid of the ice." Hiccup shrugged sheepishly as he tugged on the window frame. The door slid open with a sickly squelch, the liquified latching mechanism separating like melted cheese, and continuing to dripping down both the door and frame. "Hey, got the door open."

"Idiot," DunBroch snapped as she shouldered past him and out into the hallway, snatching her robes off the seat as she went.

"You're welcome," Hiccup said drily as he grabbed his robes and fled the cabin with Toothless in tow. Frost was close behind him, the collar of his baggy blue hoodie still pulled up over his nose and mouth.

As the putrid smoke filtered out into the hallway, Rapunzel grabbed her new school robes from the overhead compartment and stepped out into the corridor too. She could still see Hiccup, with his big black tomcat now perched on his shoulder as he made his way towards the other end of the train. Following her peers' example, Rapunzel headed towards down the corridor with her robes, guessing that her former cabin mates were looking for somewhere private to change.

At the front of the train, Rapunzel reached a cabin full of change-rooms and as quickly as she could, changed into her new uniform.

All of her school-things were second-hand because Mother couldn't afford to buy new robes for her, but new or not, they were still new to her, and she loved them. And even if the long grey socks felt a bit too long in the foot, but too tight around her calves, they were still hers.

Wiggling her toes inside the socks to feel the peculiar sensation of the material against her skin, she couldn't help but grin. As much as she preferred to go barefoot, she was overjoyed that she was finally going to don a Hogwarts uniform. She was finally a Hogwarts student, robes and all.

And at last, pulling the flat back robes over her shoulders, she spun around and couldn't help a giggle of delight at the way the loose black fabric moved with her. With an approving nod, she decided that now she felt like a proper Hogwarts student.

As she picked up her brown sweater and grey dress and relocated Pascal to her shoulder, she noticed a stray strip of black fabric with a Hogwarts crest on it still on the bench. Puzzled, she glanced down at her uniform, wondering where the forgotten fabric was supposed to go.

Running the fabric between her hands, she turned to face the mirror on the back of the door. Looking herself over, she smoothed her robes absentmindedly, then brightened and tied the strip of black fabric around her waist like a belt. She glanced at Pascal, who had both of his large round eyes fixed on her, then back at herself in the mirror.

Frowning, she shook her head. "No, you're right. I don't think this is how it's supposed to look."

Untying the fabric, she held it up next to her, and studied the peculiar shape – one end was thin and even, but the other end of the fabric was wider and had a triangular point at the end. Realization dawning on her, she smiled.

"Oh! Of course!" Winding the black fabric around the back of her head, she tied it with a large, loopy bow on the top. Studying her new headband, she nodded to herself, pleased even when one of the loops fell in front of her eyes. Pushing the loop from her face, she stood up tall.

She was ready.

Gathering up her sweater and dress, she stepped back out into the corridor, which was now deserted save for a few attendants in the midst of unloading luggage. A strong sense of dread settling in her gut, she made her way down the aisle and realized that all of the compartments seemed to be empty.

Trying desperately to swallow her panic, she stuffed her sweater and dress into the pockets of her robe and hurried down the steps off the train, where she found the platform almost entirely deserted as well. Instinctively grabbing a stray lock of hair, Rapunzel plaited and smoothed it as she wandered, trying to spot some kind of signage or indication of which direction she should take.

Her panic mounting, she turned and froze at the sight of a familiar silhouette rising high above the treeline to the north – Hogwarts Castle. As Pascal squeaked from his perch on her shoulder, Rapunzel smiled at the comforting sight of the same peaks and eaves that she'd spent hours painting on her bedroom walls, framed by the very same battlements.

"Oh, Pascal, it's even more magnificent in person."

As she set off in the direction of the castle, she barely dared to blink, lest she miss a single detail. She desperately wished she had a paintbrush or a sketchbook or something to capture the glorious sights before her.

To her left, the sky above the treetops was illuminated with a breathtaking array of colours. Wide, wispy clouds were streaked with nearly every shade of orange and pink imaginable in what was quite possibly the most brilliant sunset she'd ever seen. A large oak tree near the front boasted a radiant golden aura and its' blue-grey shadow stretched across the grey stone pathway, reaching out to the trees across the way.

To the east, the first hints of stars were beginning to twinkle against the darkening shades of the sky, as a handful of cotton candy pink clouds drifted by. At the edge of her vision, she caught a glimpse of something silver-white moving through the tall cedars, eyes widening as it dawned on her that she was looking at a unicorn. She'd never realized how large or how elegant they were, as the steed vanished further into the treeline.

To the south, there was even something special about the view of the Hogsmeade Train Station – as the train's attendants unloaded the last of the students' trunks with the impressive scarlet steam engine serving as their backdrop. One side of the sky was all pale blues and dimming purples, while the other side was a blazing shade orange from the setting sun. Arcing over the top of the Hogwarts Express, a pair of tawny owls flew in her direction and she stared in awe as they swooped overhead.

She couldn't wait to paint it all.

Quite possibly the most marvellous view of them all was the one to the north, where the ominous depths of the Black Lake stretched out like glass, with Hogwarts Castle's southernmost point perched on the edge of the lake.

And all at once, she felt an intense sense of something almost like déja vu.

Almost like she was coming home.

She was so busy trying to look at everything at once that she didn't even notice the enormous man with the massive white beard until she collided with him and very nearly screamed.

"Ah, I am so, so sorry," Rapunzel said, brushing her hair out of her eyes as her face flushed hot.

"Is no problem," The bearded man said, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her, and giving her a wide grin with the most cheerful eyes she'd ever seen. "I am thinking, Miss, that you are in wrong place."

Struggling with his strange speech pattern, it took her a moment to process his words before she shook her head. "Oh, no – I-I'm new. This is my first year."

Suddenly, he laughed and threw open his arms with a grand flourish. "Then you are most welcome!"

Rapunzel smiled. "Thank you."

Pausing a moment to consider her, he began to stroke his beard. Her brows knitting together, she shifted uneasily under the weight of the man's gaze and took a step back. It seemed like forever before he finally spoke. "You are looking very familiar to me."

"Oh." She frowned for a moment, wondering how he could have seen her before. Had he somehow found their home – seen her in the garden – watched her in the windows – Mother had warned her about people like that. She felt a shiver of terror race down her spine as though she'd been dunked headfirst into ice-water.

"Your parents – they came to Hogwarts, too, yes?"

Relieved, she nodded. "Oh! Yes – my mother –"

"Then I am thinking you look very much like your mother."

Blushing at the bearded man's high praise, she ducked her head. Mother was extraordinarily beautiful – and if this man thought she looked like Mother, then perhaps that meant she was beautiful too.

Hooking his thumbs into his wide diamond-pattern belt, he turned and surveyed the rest of the students, who were whispering amongst themselves and casting odd looks at the newcomer.

"Alright, attention! Attention!" The bearded man clapped his hands. Almost immediately, everyone stopped to wait for his instruction. "Four to a boat, please."

Gesturing towards the fleet of small wooden boats on the shoreline, the man strode towards the water's edge, round grey pebbles crunching under his black boots with each step. As the students surged forward like a wave, Rapunzel realized that she was the tallest of the group aside from the bearded man.

Climbing into the nearest available boat, Rapunzel moved to sit in the prow of the old wooden vessel. Shortly after, she was joined by the bearded man, who flourished his arms and set their boats gliding across the lake. Leaning her elbows against the frontmost point of the boat, Rapunzel stared in awe.

Years of reading and research could not possibly have prepared her for that moment.

She could have stayed out on the water all night, just watching the flicker of torchlight in the windows, the rising moon casting an eerie silver glow over the entire castle and the empty darkness of the lake below that somehow didn't even reflect the starlight. Dark specs crisscrossed against the cosmos to and from a tower she was almost certain was the owlery and she found herself longing to climb the stairs up to the top of the Astronomy tower – she couldn't even imagine how incredible the view would be from up there.

As they approached a fantastic wall of ivy that dipped down just to the edge of the water, Rapunzel cast a nervous glance over her shoulder at the bearded man, wondering if he was going to crash them right into the large rock wall from which the ivy was growing. Grinning, the bearded man gave her a wink and nodded towards the vines. Rapunzel turned back, bracing herself for a crash when the ivy curtain parted, revealing a tunnel in the cliff face.

Once the boats had glided past the threshold, they lined up on both sides of the underground harbour and halted next to a floating wooden dock that lined the water level in the middle of the U-shaped boathouse. They followed the bearded man up a set of stone steps up onto the main platform overlooking the docks, then across the grounds and into a long stone passageway lit by torches that ignited as they approached.

Pulling her lumpy robes tighter around herself, Rapunzel shivered with excitement.

As she fell into step next to the tall bearded man, they began their ascent up the stairs in rows of two. Smiling, the big bearded man gestured towards her hair tie. "Interesting way to wear necktie. I like it! But am thinking that Deputy Headmaster may not be so fond."

"Necktie?" Rapunzel repeated, her face flushing scarlet as she reached up to pull the tie free from her hair. Casting a glance over her shoulder at the younger students behind her, she wondered how they'd all managed to tie the material to make it look as it did, with a nice folded triangular knot at the base of their throats.

Holding up the necktie as they made their way into a torchlit side entrance to the main part of the school, Rapunzel turned back to their guide, who had come to a stop next to a stout older man with a handlebar moustache and a large scroll of parchment, whose cobalt blue robe was a vibrant a shade as their guide's red robes. The man with the moustache glanced at her with a frown as he exchanged hushed words with the bearded man.

"Much obliged, North." The man with the moustache said finally, nodding at the other man.

Their bearded guide – North – turned to them with a grin, and waved. "Good luck!"

With a flourish of his bright red robes, he vanished through the stone archway at the end of the hall, leaving them with the man with the scroll.

The man cleared his throat and took a step forward to address them. "Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor Grimm and I am the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts."

He stopped abruptly as his eyes landed on Rapunzel, her necktie still in hand.

"Put that on properly." Professor Grimm said sharply, his green eyes narrowed.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Well?" Professor Grimm's frown deepened at her lack of a response. "Out with it, girl, we don't have all night."

"I-I don't know how." Rapunzel stammered. "To tie it."

"You don't know how to tie it." He repeated in disbelief.

A horrible thought occurred to her. What if they wouldn't let her into school because she didn't know how to properly tie a tie? Professor Grimm drew his wand, still glowering and the girl felt a jolt of panic go through her. Was he going to punish her, curse her for not knowing?

Shrinking back, she felt a sharp tug as the material was yanked out of her fingers with a flick of Professor Grimm's wand. Snaking through the air, the material darted behind her and draped over her shoulders, the two ends sliding against the shoulders of her robe as they magically adjusted themselves.

"Tie." Professor Grimm said and the fabric instantly knotted itself. Nodding curtly and giving his wand a quarter rotation, Professor Grimm watched appraisingly as the tie tightened and slipped into place under the collar of her white blouse. "Have one of the prefects show you how to tie it yourself; if I see it tied improperly again, I will deduct house points – do I make myself clear?"

She nodded. "Y-yes."

"Yes, sir." Professor Grimm corrected sharply.

"Yes, sir." She repeated immediately.

Satisfied, Professor Grimm nodded and turned his attention back to the rest of the group. "Now, as I was saying – I am the Deputy Headmaster. You will follow me in single file. When I call your name, you will come to the front of the hall, where the Sorting Hat will be placed on your head. It will assign you to a house and you will join your classmates. Is that clear?"

Rapunzel had several questions, but Professor Grimm didn't wait for confirmation of any sort before moving on.

"Very good, now follow me."

Professor Grimm lead them through the same stone archway that North had gone through.

Rapunzel gasped as they stepped into the Great Hall, gawking openly at the assortment of white candles floating above them where the ceiling should have been, but instead the room opened up to the entire cosmos, the stars seeming even more vibrant from the Great Hall than they'd been from the lake.

It was simply magnificent.

Professor Grimm made them wait by the back wall as he made his way up to the front of the Hall and moved to stand next to a wooden stool where a centuries-old and appropriately patchy witch's hat sat. She'd read in one of her Hogwarts history books that the sorting hat had been Godric Gryffindor's hat, once upon a time. But then it had been enchanted and become an integral part of Hogwarts' School.

Rapunzel stood on her toes to get a better look.

From one of the folds in the hat, it shifted, all on its' own, and the crease began to look like a mouth as the Sorting Hat began to sing.

'Once upon a Hogwarts school,
When I was still brand-new,
The Founders Four did roam these halls,
Their friendship strong and true.
But while their goal was clearly shared
Among the four to start,
Soon conflicts of opinion
Began to tear their bond apart.
Keen Ravenclaw, she craved those
With love for wit and learning;
To shape the brightest minds
Was her lifelong greatest yearning.
Bold Gryffindor preferred those with nerve
That set them above the rest,
For those with courage and chivalry
Would always be the best.
Fair Hufflepuff, she said it was
Perseverance and grit she sought
But despite their values, she believed
All wixen deserved to be taught.
Sharp Slytherin, wanted those he lead
to be resourceful and with great ambition
But to him, only those with the purest blood
Were worthy of admission.
And so, though their goal was shared at first,
They soon began to quarrel
And what had begun as friendly halls,
Brings us to our moral.
Although the tapestry they wove
Was torn apart by pride,
Bonds of friendship may yet mend
With respect and understanding applied.
For though shaping minds within these walls
Was what once made the four united,
The legacy that they did build,
has left us quite divided.
There are four, but there need not be.
For we used to stand as one,
Through the bad times and the good,
And our stories are yet young.
For though they lost sight of what it was
That drew them all together
Every day is another chance,
I know we can do better
For each and every one of us
Is more than the sum of what you see,
All we need is just one chance,
Why look at a frayed old hat like me.
So come and take a seat right here
And let me test your mettle
And I will tell you just where it is
That I think you should settle.
To uphold the tradition of our founders four,
As it has always been,
For I am Hogwarts' Sorting Hat,
Now let the sorting begin.'

Once the hat had finished its' song, the entire hall broke into a round of applause. Professor Grimm unfurled the long scroll of parchment he'd be carrying since they'd met him in the other corridor, cleared his throat and began to call names from his list.

And one moment, it felt like an age away, and then the next thing she knew, it was suddenly her turn.

"Gothel, Rapunzel."

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of her name. For a fraction of a second, she hesitated. This was the biggest moment of her entire life. Going to Hogwarts had been her dream for as long as she could remember, and now she was finally here. What if it wasn't everything she'd dreamed it would be? Or what if it was – what then?

Students craned their necks, their whispers swelling to a low roar as she passed. It had seemed so quiet at the back of the hall, except during the appropriate times to applaud – had the other students always been so loud? How had she not noticed?

Rapunzel took a seat on the indicated three-legged stool and Professor Grimm set the Sorting Hat on her head.

'Well now, what have we got here?' The hat's voice said in her ear.

'My, my. You're going to be a tricky one, I think. Very tricky indeed. A healthy curiosity for knowledge, and a flair for creativity, no doubt. But is Ravenclaw the best place for you? You'd do well in Hufflepuff too, with your loyalty, kind heart and unwavering determination to reach your goals. And certainly courageous, aren't you? Perhaps a little more than you ought to be – you remind me a little of Godric, in that.But you're resourceful and good at thinking on your feet too – Salazar himself would have been proud."

Rapunzel's face flushed hot with pride. When she'd considered what house she might be sorted into, she'd never been able to decide – but it'd been because she wasn't certain any of the houses would even want her. She'd spent so much time wondering if she'd fit into even one of the four that it had never once occurred to her that she might fit into all of them.

"Now, now, don't be so modest. I haven't had a good hatstall in ages, and you, my dear, are a delightful conundrum. You very nearly exemplify the traits of each of the four houses, which isn't something I see often. Between your sense of chivalry, your hope forjustice, your artistic vision and your leadership potential, you could do well in any of them,but which will push you to reachyour potential?Hmmm, I think I know-'

'Gryffindor!'

The hall burst into applause with the students seated under the red and gold Gryffindor banners whooping and cheering the loudest. Professor Grimm plucked the Sorting Hat off her head and waved her away to sit with her house as he called the name of the next student on his list.

The section of Gryffindor table closest to the front of the room was nearly empty, save for the few students who had been sorted into Gryffindor house ahead of her that evening. Tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear, Rapunzel settled onto the Gryffindor bench and found that several of her housemates were openly gawking at her.

"There's no way you'reeleven." Said a wary looking boy with dark hair and blue eyes from across the table. "No freaking way."

A girl with a long face and even longer pale blond hair squinted at her from beside the dark-haired boy. "How old are you really?"

"Oh, uh, I just turned seventeen this summer," Rapunzel said.

"Then why haven't we seen you before?" The boy with the dark hair asked.

"Who says we haven't seen her before now. Maybe some of us have. You don't know. You don't know me. You don't know my life." Said another voice from a few seats down, and Rapunzel did a double-take at the speaker, who was nearly identical to the blonde with the long face, save for his pale hair, which had been left unbraided.

Rapunzel's heart nearly stopped.

"Have you seen her before?" The boy with the dark hair asked pointedly, frowning.

"Yeah. On the train. Man, keep up here, Snorri." The pale blond without braids said, rolling his eyes. "Got a real genius over here."

"Shut up, you idiot, that doesn't count." Snorri rolled his eyes and threw a balled-up napkin at the boy's head before turning his attention back to Rapunzel, whose attention had come to settle on the two lookalikes.

"You're twins, aren't you?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yeah, but I'm older." The blonde with braids said, nodding.

"Only by five minutes."

"Still older."

"I've never met twins before," Rapunzel said, awestruck. "It must be so nice to have a – a brother or a sister. Like a best friend you're born with."

The twins exchanged a glance, then shrugged in unison. The braided-haired twin spoke first. "He's okay, I guess."

"Okay!" The second twin scoffed, making a face at his sister. "I only wish my twin was as good as your twin."

Snorri was studying her with narrowed eyes. "How have you not seen twins before? Do you live under a rock or something?"

"Oh, uh, no, I just don't go out much."

"Why? Are you some kind of weird hermit or something?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that." Rapunzel said, breath hitching in her throat, and desperately trying to come up with a reasonable excuse that didn't involve her lack of magic.

But Snorri had already moved on. "So why weren't you sorted until now?"

"I'm new."

"Oooh, did you transfer here from one of the other wizarding schools?" A heavyset blonde boy asked, leaning forward with interest.

Rapunzel felt a twinge of panic in her gut as Mother's warnings echoed in her mind. Was this a trap?

If they found out she was practically a squib, that her magic had only just come in, she'd be putting them both in danger. Most wixen would prefer to see squibs and their ilk snuffed out, Mother had told her so. They could never know the truth.

"Well, no-"

"You get kicked out of your old school or something?"

"No, nothing like that-"

"So, what, are you like, homeschooled?" Snorri asked, cutting her off.

"Something like that," Tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she nodded, staring down at the table to avoid making eye contact. As food began to appear in front of them, Rapunzel sighed inwardly, glad for a distraction. Her stomach growled loudly as she reached for the nearest dish, which smelled delightful, then pulled back. "Hey, uh, these don't have any live frogs in them, do they?"

"No," The heavyset boy shook his head.

"Why? Do you want them to?" Snorri drew his wand from the pocket of his robes. "I can make that happen for you."

"No!" Rapunzel shouted, before catching herself. "Uh, no, thank you. Just – uh – checking."

The twin without braids stared at her, awed. "Man, can you be my twin instead of Ruffina? Live frogs in food? She's never come up with anything that good before."

"I come up with better stuff than you, Tufford," Ruffina retorted, firing a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her brothers' face.

"Hey!" Tufford grabbed a handful of spoons from a cutlery dish in the centre of the table, preparing to fire back when another voice called from across the room, drawing everyone's attention to the front of the room.

"Good news everyone!"

Rapunzel breathed a sigh of relief.

A podium stood in front of what Rapunzel assumed was the Professors' table, and behind the podium was a bald, wrinkly old wizard in the thickest glasses Rapunzel had ever seen.

"Tch," Rapunzel heard Snorri scoff and saw him roll his eyes. "'Good news', yeah right. What do you think it is this time?"

"New boar pit?" Ruffina next to Snorri suggested.

"To throw all the first years into! Genius, sis!" Tufford agreed before his expression fell and he wiped away a tear. "No, I shouldn't get my hopes up. It's never as good as he promises."

"Maybe they're cancelling quidditch?" The heavyset blonde boy suggested jokingly.

The other three immediately fell silent and glared at him.

"That's stupid, Fishel," Snorri said. "Don't even say stuff like that."

"Oh, come on. They'd never cancel quidditch-" Fishel pointed out reasonably.

"Quidditch is cancelled!" The bespectacled Professor announced jovially and all the air went out of the room.

And then a swell of displeased murmurs promptly rose in its' place to fill the silence.

"-without a good reason." Fishel finished quietly.

"Way to go, Fishface," Snorri said. "You jinxed it."

"I didn't-" Fishel insisted, but the twin next to him cut him off.

"Why did you have to take everything from me?" Tufford cried out, before bursting into loud, dramatic wails.

"Now look what you've done to Tufford." Ruffina snarled at Fishel, looking equally teary-eyed as she gestured to her twin. "WHY, FISHEL, WHY?"

"Are you happy now?" Snorri asked.

"What, you think I wanted them to cancel quidditch?" Fishel rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, maybe," Snorri retorted. "How do I know you're not just trying to sabotage my team?"

"Snorri, we're on the same team." Fishel sighed deeply through his nose.

"Instead," The Professor with the thick glasses continued, still jovial. "We're reviving a highly controversial ancient tournament-"

"See," Fishel pointed out. "I knew they wouldn't cancel Quidditch without a good reason."

"-that was originally discontinued due to excessive amounts of student death! Enjoy!"

As a wave of terror rose within her, Rapunzel glanced down at the table and realized that she was no longer very hungry.

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Character Cameos:
Warren Mund - Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh. Aster's father, Roo's stepfather and Jack's foster father.
Kanga Mund - Kanga from Winnie the Pooh. Roo's mother, Aster's stepmother and Jack's foster mother.
Ai Zheng - Matchmaker from Mulan.
Orville - Orville from the Rescuers.
Professor Grimm - Headmaster Grimm from Ever After High. Disney Snow White's father in this AU.
Professor Farnsworth - Professor Farnsworth from Futurama. Headmaster of Hogwarts.

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Also, please come check out my sideblog for this fic, into-the-potterverse, to see the awesome illustration my friend did of Rapunzel's arrival at school.