Chapter Six: Meeting
"Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time. You must prune yours, to keep it healthy… Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest... And in your family, so in the world... we shall cut away the cancer that infects us until only those of the true blood remain..." Whispered the wizard to himself, facing the golden flames of the Snake-like stake. Those words echoed in his mind for years since the rise of the Dark Lord, and now he knew those words were meant to be used again. Rabastan Lestrange turned himself to the wizards surrounding him.
"We hate them because they exist!" He yelled in his black pointy robes. Around him, thirty similarly dressed men stood, listening to his words as the snake crafted in wood burned up in flames. "We do not need a reason to hate them – we hate them because they breathe."
The wizards yelled in approval. Their wands had luminous flashes glowing out to the dark field they all stood in.
"Every magical blood that runs in mudblods is wasted, mixed with the blood of traitors ancestors who wanted us terminated. Extinguished!" The surrounding wizards screamed in approval. The fire burned brighter.
"The Obscurial is waiting for us. He is our leader, don't forget. I have incoming news of squibbed mudbloods who cast their magic on our children of pure blood." Lestrange resumed, his grey skin covered behind the black mask he wore. "And each time, new mudbloods are being born and… invited into our world." The worlds he spoke felt so meaningless to him, as if he was deciding matching colours. "Have we found our lost child yet?"
A small wizard with bony fingers shook his head. "He is in the castle, Lestrange. The Obscurial has been there for long enough." He spoke. "Perhaps it's time to let it out."
"The time is coming, gentlemen." Lestrange spoke again. "May the Obscurial know we are ready."
The fire burned even more, enough for the sparks to explode from the crafted snake, dancing flames and treason.
#
As Hiccup took off his vests for that night, he couldn't help but stare at his skinny frame on the mirror. He hated everything he saw, so as soon as he could, he threw his pyjamas over his head. Throughout the entire day, if he wasn't being targeted before, he was now being downright avoided. It might have amused him seeing how people stumbled upon their feet whenever they saw him, or dodged him on the halls. He was contagious.
Whatever, he thought. Just another year at Hogwarts. As he tucked himself in bed, he made sure to close the dark blue curtains to the outside of his bed, leaving the other side of the window frame uncovered. It was like his private window, where he could look up to and just let himself exist every night.
But not that night.
As soon as he heard the last boy on his room deepening his breathing, Hiccup gingerly paced out of bed, crouching to his trunk, opening it silently and grabbing the Labyrinth. He took a quick look at it, recording the pathways of the castle corridors.
Ever so slowly, he opened the window next to him. It would be cold in the room, but Hiccup made sure to cast a calefactorius spell to solve this problem. Shutting the window, the boy was curved against the outside of the tower, taking one final moment to admire the horizon line before he jumped.
His body fell through the air, descending on a straight line in the mid of the night, falling and falling until he casted his spell, moments before he reached the ground:
"Aresto momentum!" And suddenly, his body turned weightless, inches before the impact, and for a brief moment his body kept hanging over the floor, before collapsing on the grass.
Hiccup immediately jumped to his feet, dusting his vests of the dead leaves and looking all around him before twirling his wand around himself. The Disillusionment Charm crossed his body like cold water pouring on the shower, turning his body as the same texture as the image behind him, and Hiccup had the strange feeling he was a human chameleon.
And then he took off running.
At night, the castle had a different feeling to it. More dangerous, more daring. He headed straight back to the entrance hall, making sure to keep any traces of his presence hidden. His steps were counted, the noise being muffled by his careful steps.
It didn't take long and Hiccup started climbing through the main stairs of the castle, his eyes quickly adapting to the darkness. Besides him, all the portrayed wizards and witches were asleep in their paintings. Hiccup looked at them and envied it – he would not feel the urge to sleep until it was four in the morning.
Eventually, he reached the bottom of the astronomy tower. For the first time on his expedition, he had to light his wand. "Lumus!" Hiccup whispered, and then he was immersed on the white light. Taking another look at the Labyrinth, he made sure that he wasn't in the wrong place. Next to him, there was another roll of spiralling stairs, and he reached the black gates of the tower. One flick of his wand, and the gates opened, quietly.
That is when Hiccup turned his wand back to himself, and hitting the top of his head, he undid the spell that kept him invisible. Seemingly, he was alone at the tower. The antechamber before the observation deck seemed almost like a library, stacks of books pilled in the corners, tables with planetary globes and even the roof seemed stylised to resemble the night sky, with shinning stars and planets. A small set of stairs was on his right, and they led him to the observation floors.
Hiccup pulled the Labyrinth from his vests, opening it one last time and quickly finding his name on the astronomy tower.
And just like he planned, he wasn't alone.
#
The white haired boy could stare at the night view for hours. He thought about the rumours that it had been different since the Battle of Hogwarts years ago, but he could never be sure. Some people said that a whole tower had been missing, but that didn't seem to be the case. It was still beautiful.
Jack loved this place at night. It was like if he could hear the very breathing of the castle, the winds through the forbidden forest, or his own heartbeat. That left him alone with his thoughts. Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he jumped from were he was, sitting at the edge of the tower's observation deck.
He thought about Hiccup and the rumours. He didn't believe in any. Like, there was just no way the auburn haired boy would have joined the Dark Arts. There was a much deeper meaning that no one would be able to understand.
Suddenly, the noise behind him made Jack jump to his feet.
Someone had found him. He was in trouble.
"Who's there?" Jack had no control over his voice as it sounded into the darkness. Mentally, he slapped himself, over and over for his impulse.
The small figure crept out of the shadows, and Jack's heart skipped a beat. Hiccup was standing in front of him, wand cast out on his hand, the illuminating spell erupting out and bathing them into light.
"Sorry I scared you." Hiccup said. "I didn't know there was someone else in here." Hiccup sounded serious, but it was a lie. "I'm just going…"
"No, wait!" Jack hissed, again trying to take over his impulse, "i-it's okay, you can stay if you want."
Jack tried to seem casual, but perhaps he was trying a bit too much, for the way he bit his lips and nodded repeatedly as he spoke.
Hiccup only gave him a lopsided smile. "Okay."
Jack nodded again, and both boys sat down on the edge.
"I'm sorry for earlier, by the way." Hiccup broke the awkward silence that formed.
"It's okay, nothing that Madame Pomfrey couldn't take care of."
Hiccup let out a muffled chuckle. "Sorry anyways, I didn't mean to hit you in the head…"
"How did you do that?" Jack abruptly asked.
"…do what?"
"Stunned me like that." He replied. "And not just me, but what you did to Agnus McCollen too."
Hiccup thought for a moment. "Shacklebolt said we had to feel it, right?"
"Any hard feelings?" Jack asked, again trying to make it sound casual. Hiccup only shook his head.
"Nope." He said. "At least not about you."
Jack chuckled. "Well that's good to know. I guess I wouldn't want to be in your list." Jack tried joking, awkwardly, before silence fell between them again.
Hiccup pondered on those words before he looked straight into Jack's eyes, which were staring at the castle's towers.
"Are you afraid of me?" Hiccup asked. Jack turned back at him, this time seemingly puzzled.
"No." He answered. "I am intrigued, actually."
"About what?"
"…How have you been lately?" Jack said.
And to that question, Hiccup finally felt surprised. Jackson Overland, who hadn't spoken to him in years, talking to him like normal people would. It was heart-warming, something Hiccup hadn't experienced in a long time.
"Okay, all things considered." Hiccup answered.
"What kind of things?" Jack asked, moving closer to the other boy.
"Just some things." Hiccup had an ending tone to his voice, and Jack felt safer not to push it.
"We haven't talked in a while." Jackson stated. "I still remember that day."
"You mean the last time someone actually spoke to me nicely?" Hiccup said, but there was an underlining tone that suggested playfulness. Jack smiled, but it didn't feel honest. He actually felt bad for Hiccup's statement.
"Come on, I'm pretty sure you made some friends in Ravenclaw." Jack said.
"Not really, no." Hiccup said. "I'm surprised you actually know which house I am, to be honest."
Jack made a stunned face for the second time that day. "Wait, no one?"
Hiccup shook his head. "If you don't count the teachers, that is. They all love me." Jack chuckled, and Hiccup smiled to it. "But no, I've got no one."
"Well, I can be your friend." Jack stated, suddenly seeming excited about it. Hiccup only gave him a weird look. "I mean, I know we didn't really stay friends after the first year, but…"
"Okay, you can stop right there before I have to stun you again." Hiccup's harsh voice interrupted Jack's words. "I mean, I get it, you had your new friends in you new house and everything – which is perfectly fine – but you could've at least said something, like 'hi', I don't know."
Staring at the green eyes, and the shaky breath coming out of the angry boy, Jack finally understood how much Hiccup felt. Felt enough to stun him right across the face. Judge him, but Jack felt that instant urge to hex him, hurt him back to dismiss the shock of Hiccup's words, but at the same time, Hiccup was angry. And Jack understood that.
Hiccup turned his looks from Jack and went back to staring the view. Jack moved a bit closer, so their shoulders were only a few inches apart.
"I'm here now." Jack said, and Hiccup looked back at him. Not with an angry stare, but if anything, he just seemed sad. "And if it's not too late, then can we be friends again?"
Hiccup took a deep breath. Jack wanted to be friends, which is already more than he could ask for. Still, he had to be sassy.
"Not going to laugh at my name again, are you?" He said, bringing back the memory from five years ago. Jack laughed.
"Only if you promise not to jinx me in the face." He replied. Hiccup smiled, the scowl on his eyebrows finally disappearing, and for the first time, Jack actually got to see through the anger, and he could not help but think the other boy was beautiful.
"It's a deal." Hiccup said, offering his hand, which Jack stared for a moment before taking it. They shook hands, and then just looked at each other for a moment, before Jack shook his head, laughing.
"I should probably go, before someone realises I'm gone." Said Jack, getting to his feet, which Hiccup realised were bare. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked, hopeful. Hiccup nodded.
"Sure." He said. "We have a few classes together." Hiccup mentioned.
Jack smiled. "Brilliant. I'll see you there, then." With a final grin, he walked away, leaving Hiccup alone with his thoughts.
