Chapter Eleven: Backwards

After Valka's name was casted, there was a minute of silence in which all the eyes landed on Hiccup.

This is not real; this can't be real… He thought. But the more that he looked down, hoping that when he looked back up, no one would be looking at him, the reality would hit him. They said her name. It was over.

From the Gryffindor table, Astrid looked over her shoulder, remorse and fear forming on her features. Jack stood up, slowly, nearly out of breath at the image of a suffering Hiccup only a few meters away from him. He could barely give a step towards his direction before said boy stood up, one hand over his mouth and the other wiping off the tears from his cheeks, before he went out running.

All the eyes that were on Hiccup landed on Jack. With a sickening feeling, he walked out of the Hall.

Hiccup went all the way up to the seventh floor, the tears turning into screams, and when Jack finally found him, the boy was standing near a window, throwing punches after punches on the wall ahead of him, screaming.

"Hiccup." Jack spoke, which Hiccup paid him no mind. "Hiccup, please!" The punches grew harder, and blood was being left on the walls as his skin was ripping from the flesh.

That's when the white haired boy pulled Hiccup to him, forcing him to stop and just held him there, forcefully as now both boys began crying, Hiccup's hands now holding Jack's arms as he turned into the boy, dropping his head on his shoulder, finally allowing himself to just feel it.

Unknowing of both Aster and Astrid also there, who followed Jack after he left, and hence most of the students at the Great Hall, including the very Headmistress, who had her mouth gaped open at the scene as the two boys fell to the ground and just held each other. Crying.

#

'DARK MARK SPREADS PANIC'

'MINISTER FOR MAGIC DEMANDS PATIENCE FROM THE WIZARDING COMMUNITY'

'We can guarantee the safety of the students' – Headmistress McGonagall announces.'

'THIRD WIZARDING WAR?'

#

No fearful glances headed Hiccup's way after that night. Mostly, they were pitiful now. Which was even worse.

The following morning, most students took the train home. The classes were cancelled until the following Wednesday, which not everyone was sure they would come back. Astrid was the first one to write to her home announcing she wouldn't be back. In the other hand, Aster would head back to Australia immediately. Jack would never leave Hogwarts if he had a say in the matter, so he got to stay.

But Hiccup had his trunk ready to get back at Berk.

Both boys were at the Hogsmead train station, most students around them heading inside the red train, nothing but a blur to them.

"Are you sure you are ready to see your dad, Hic?" Jack asked, worried.

"Not ready, but… I guess I have to." Hiccup replied. Ever since that night, his voice got quieter, his energy somewhat lower, but ironically, the feeling of constant anger seemed to nearly disappear.

"Just making sure you're okay." Jack said, looking down and gulping at his own words. How could Hiccup ever be okay with that?

"To be honest, I don't even know how I am anymore." The green eyes met the blue again. Hiccup didn't seem sad, or overly emotional. "It's just… like you said once, perhaps hoping that she'd be still alive. Now there's nothing to hope for, right?"

That shattered Jack's heart, right there. He swallowed again, staring at his shoes and searching for the right words before the locomotive blasted its warning toot before it would leave.

Without another word, Hiccup embraced Jack, longer than a friendly goodbye. Pressing his head further against the other boy's chest, and closing his eyes, just feeling the closeness as Jack's hand tangled in his hair, his fingers drawing calming patterns on the base of his neck. They remained that way until the last toot forced them to step away, giving each other awkward glances before Hiccup jumped in the train, shutting the door a second before the train started moving.

Jack only stared for a while, until the train made its curve and disappeared behind the trees. The boy had his mind fuzzing with every little though that his brain could gather, and it gave him nothing but headaches. He took a deep breath as he started walking back towards the castle.

He thought about the Dark Mark, the warnings and the sights. And he thought about Hiccup. How much he just wanted the other boy next to him, to hug him and somehow protect him from the world.

His steps brought him all the way back to Hogwarts' gates, where two aurors awaited, wands ready and eyes alert. Jack stopped, offered his wand and raised his arms as the two wizards checked him, rolling his eyes until they declared him clear.

Hagrid's hut was still there even after all these years. The Guardian of the keys and grounds of Hogwarts was still the teacher of Care of Magical Creatures, which Jack skipped as many classes as he could to avoid dealing with Fire Crabs.

At the Clock Courtyard though, he had his first surprise as Astrid Hofferson stood near the stone fountain, arms crossed and a moody expression.

"Hey." He said, walking towards the girl.

"Hey." She said back, looking down at her own shoes. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" Jack asked.

"Hiccup."

The boy breathed in, deeply, forefeeling the obnoxiousness that this talk would bring.

"Listen, we already agreed not to discuss any of-"

"I know we agreed, this is not what I want to talk about." She said, suddenly seemingly lost. "I wanted to apologise." Jack twisted his features, puzzled. "I was so rude to him that night, and then we just find out that…"

Jack only looked down.

"Look, I really think you should be apologising to Hiccup, not me." He made to leave when she spoke again.

"I know." She said. "It's just… I am not going to say that I like him, because I still don't." Jack rolled his eyes. "It's just… I know how much he means to you."

The boy only stared at his friend, seemingly puzzled and annoyed at the same time.

"He's my best friend." He said.

"You've only talked to him for a month." She muttered, and Jack sent her a half smile, completely not a fan of that talk. "When are you going to tell him?"

Jack stared at her, and he could see that she meant exactly what she said. And she didn't have a single drop of sarcasm or playfulness. That was Astrid being dead serious, right then. No point on lying now.

"I don't know. Probably never." He turned on his heels, walking into the Clock Tower, leaving Astrid behind, both still stormed with their thoughts.

#

Hiccup didn't wander much through the trains wagons, soon he found an empty compartment where he placed his trunk. And then just sat down, staring at the fields outside as they grew each time darker and greener. He hated to admit it, but he already missed Jack. He kept thinking about that one hug they just shared, and somehow imagined himself as still hugging him.

The door of his compartment slid open, where Aster stood, a careful expression on his strong and somehow beautiful features. Hiccup never noticed, but Aster was quite a handsome young man.

"Hi." Aster said. "Mind if I join you?"

Hiccup shook his head, and Aster closed the doors behind himself.

"Astrid didn't come along?" Hiccup asked, to which Aster only replied with a head shake.

"She felt Hogwarts is still safer than bein' outside." He mentioned.

"She's probably right."

The boys only stared at nothing for a while, until Hiccup looked back at the window, and Aster looked at him.

"I'm really sorry about your mom." Hiccup looked at him. Not saying a word. "This whole mess is just getting' worse, ain't it?"

"You tell me." Hiccup replied. "One terror attack and everyone's going home, suddenly."

"It wasn't just one attack; the whole bloody world seems to be goin' to shit." Aster said, now looking outside the window. "Attacks like these wouldn't happen for nearly twenty years, and now all the sudden we're right back to facin' a war."

"Do you really think it's going to break out in war, Aster?"

"Oh, yes." He said, but unlike everyone else, Aster did not seem afraid of what it meant. If anything, it sounded just like any regular news. "If we don't do anythin' about it soon, they might as well just let them kill us all."

"So you'd go all-out war by yourself?" Hiccup asked.

"Not me, but," Aster seemed ready to get his wand out of his pocket and start duelling right there. "We can't just let it slide, know what I mean?"

Hiccup nodded. Suddenly, the doors to their compartment were open, and with a loud tap, the boy that probably still had that dungbomb stench stuck on his clothes. He had his brows furrowed in anger, and it was aimed at Hiccup. "Ya think you're real funny now, don't ya Haddock?!"

"Get lost, Stonem, we've got nothin' for ya." Aster spoke, taking his wand as the menacing boy stepped inside their compartment.

"You shut it, aussie," Stonem retorted, which was a mistake. Hiccup's hand was twice as faster and immensely smarter:

"Expeliarmus!" The boy stood up, steady on his feet as Stonem's wand was pulled out of the boy's hand, and with blind luck, Hiccup snagged it with his right hand, and now pointed both wands at Stonem.

"Give it back!" Stonem screamed, anger now drowned in fear.

"Leave." Hiccup said. "Before I make you."

"I'm warning you, Haddock-"

"Expulso!" Aster swung his own wand, and Stonem flew backwards so harshly that he collapsed against the opposite wall with a loud thump.

Hiccup looked down at the two wands on his hands, and a warm feeling went through his right hand as he wield Stonem's wand, now sensing its very loyalty changing. Hiccup smirked. That wand would never be used against him again.

"Good luck with it now." Hiccup said, and smirked before throwing the thin piece of wood and magic near Stonem's goggled expression, daft with had just happened to him. With another flick of his wand, the doors to their compartment swung back shut, and with a final click, he heard the commotion on the corridor forming. Aster gave a look to Hiccup, both dark and stunned at the same time. "Nice shot you gave." He said.

"You too," Hiccup replied as he sat down. They fell back into silence, and the same happened outside in the corridor. "You know, my mother was a Muggle born." The short boy said. "No wonder why they took her for so long."

"Yeah, that really sucks." Aster looked down. "My parents are muggles, you know." Hiccup cocked his eyebrows.

"I didn't know that." He said, his mouth now staying open.

"Yeah… Which means that if we do nothin', soon enough it could be my body beneath the Dark Mark."

Hiccup looked at Aster, who was looking right back at him, this feeling of mutual understanding crossing through each other's eyes. Outside the window, a lightning announced the incoming storm.