Care of Magical Creatures was a larger class compared to other electives. Other than it being the class most students chose, Care of Magical Creatures—like all electives—had all houses together like Astronomy.

The Monday class began at 10:30am. For Hiccup, it was after Charms and Transfiguration. His first class, Charms, was with Slytherin, where he and Merida observed their classmates. Dagur was there to their luck, and whenever Mansnoozie wasn't requiring their attention, Dagur was seen conversing with Xander and Yang.

Merida had told Hiccup she'd talk to Yang to see what her point of view was. It'll be tough for her to find an opportunity to speak with Yang one on one, considering a lot of their free periods didn't meet. If it was lunch, where all students were free, Yang would most likely be with Xander. She didn't mind if Yang was around John and Lily though. That was only if they weren't in on Xander's twisted scheme.

The class had barely started. Hiccup was next to Merida against a tree, just at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He had spotted Dagur directly across the crowd of students, lounging about with Xander and Yang. Oliver, Holly, and Heather were nearby too, but it wasn't surprising given that they were interested in learning about dragons in this class, which Hiccup wasn't too keen about.

Gobber was running late, and after his late arrival, had just ventured deeper into the forest to bring out a few creatures for this class. Unfortunately, not many animals were being showcased. After last year's curse, many creatures had fled or were affected by Corruption.

In front of the class was a lone young wolf. Many students were appreciating it, nearly worshipping its presence. The grey pup was as small as a domestic dog, and many were hoping to be able to touch it, but Gobber discouraged it.

"This over here is Ground Chomper—or what Moonhaven prefers to call: Comet. She was found two months ago, a survivor of the curse. Her parents weren't around when Moonhaven and I found her, but we believe they were taken by the Creatures of Corruption."

A hand rose above the crowd during Gobber's explanation. He was much taller than he was last year, easily spotted in the group.

"Yes, you there… William." Gobber called, pretending not to have glanced at a piece of parchment with every face and name of the class.

"So did Comet's parents get infected by the Black Sand?" he asked.

Gobber shook his head and also had a dissatisfied expression when he heard William call the wolf Comet. "Most likely no. Only Fearlings have that ability, who are created by the person with Corruption as their Semblance. Given that the witch responsible was stopped by Professor Black last year, Ground Chomper's parents were most likely killed by another creature that got infected."

"So the Forbidden Forest is still crawling with them?" asked William.

"Aye. We've heard from Dunbroch that there are many of them at large. Professor Black and Mansnoozie had been in the forest to search for Fearlings, but none have been spotted, but it's still possible they're around. That's why Lunar made a big deal during the feast that the Dark Forest was out of bounds unless accompanied by me."

Comet hid behind Gobber after hearing the students nearby. They could hear the whine from the pup, desperately wanting to be safe from danger.

"It's… blind…" Kristoff from Hufflepuff noted.

"Correct," replied Gobber. "It may not look like it, but Ground Chomper was heavily injured when we found her. I'll spare the details, but magic did a good job of restoring what she had lost. Sadly, her vision never returned to her, so we're looking for an animal or human companion to take care of her."

"You mean we can keep her?" asked Anna with bliss in her eyes.

"That's what Moonhaven had planned, yes. We're showing this wolf to all the classes, but we're not going to just hand her out to whoever wants it. Ground Chomper is picky, and we'll only give her to whoever gains her trust. That's one of the important steps of befriending a creature."

"Is this the part when you tell us it'll grow ten times that size?" asked Hiccup.

Gobber shook his head. "No trick to this. Just a regular wolf."

Gobber encouraged Comet to move around near the students as he watched. She was wary of most of the students as they approached her one by one. Whenever a student was rejected, Gobber would ask them to make some distance between them and the dog. If they were lucky, Comet wouldn't mind being around them.

"How's this wolf gonna choose if she can't see?" Christopher commented.

"It's not always about vision to know what's right. Like most animals, Ground Chomper can feel our aura, and whichever one she likes, she'll pick." Gobber answered.

"Pfft, that's stupid," argued Christopher, "and Ground Chomper is a stupid name. Just call her Comet like the rest of us"

"That's my wolf you're insulting." Gobber took Comet away from the Gryffindor. He did not need the list for this particular one. "You're not Christopher Salcedo… are you?"

"I bet all the professors have warned you about me," he commented.

Gobber nodded. "They say you have a habit of arguing. Well, that's not a problem for me. There are many creatures I'll show the class throughout the year, and I need the toughest students to handle the dangerous ones, especially the dragons."

"I thought these guys over here would handle the dragons for you." Christopher pointed at the Berkians and Berserkers. "They're basically trained for all that."

"Won't be very fair to let only them do that, don't you think? I'd prefer the inexperienced ones to try getting near a dragon. After all, that's what this class is about."

Christopher nodded, which shocked many of the students. They were anticipating a heated debate, which normally annoyed the Gryffindors because it led to the deduction of house points.

Comet had already chosen her candidates: Patrick, Kristoff, Tailfire, and Hiccup. Hiccup frowned at this. A life at Berk was not for a wolf, and Hiccup wasn't planning on being the only Viking to own a wolf while the rest had dragons. It might be the only outcome as his fears were still in the way.

Hiccup watched as the wolf stood on her hind legs, searching for Hiccup's hand by sniffing his scent. Comet started licking Hiccup's hand, which he couldn't help but smile.

Gobber had the four students separated from the rest.

"So which one of yous actually want a wolf as a pet? Remember it requires a lot of responsibility for a normal dog. This is a blind wolf we're looking at."

Tailfire was the first to remove herself as a potential owner. She made her way to the rest of the group. "My parents wouldn't want a wolf in the house. I can't just leave her outside either since she's blind. We also live among the Muggles, so walking her everyday… might be a problem."

"Very well. You didn't have to give me reasons why though."

Tailfire began stumbling her way back. "Well—uh, I thought I needed to make it clear, just so we understand each other," she protested.

Kristoff and Hiccup too went off to follow Tailfire. Hiccup knew Kristoff had a reindeer to take care of at Arendelle. Taking care of both was going to be difficult.

"So it looks like Patrick might be an option for this little one," Gobber said while recording Patrick's name and house on a parchment. "I still need to show Com—Ground Chomper… to the other classes. Since we're aiming to hand her to a third year for experience, your odds are looking good."

On Hiccup's way to the students, he noticed Dagur was missing. It wasn't just him. Xander, Yang, Oliver, and Holly were gone too. They must've given the slip when Comet was introduced. Heather was strangely still here, standing near the front with Merida, observing Patrick and Comet. Gobber was going to begin the class.

Hiccup had to leave before he lost Dagur. He couldn't get Merida with him otherwise others would notice them leaving. He had to do it alone.

Hiccup ran through a predictable path, hoping they had chosen the same route. He didn't know how far he was, so he relied on his hearing. Voices were preferable than rustling, as anything could cause the rustling, and a creature infected by Corruption was the worst scenario for Hiccup.

To his luck, voices were heard. There was no helping the racket he made as he got closer to the voices. Hiccup was still not giving up his chance of staying on their tails.

Hiccup then found the black fabrics in the distance, so he sped up until he was sure it was them. He observed carefully and saw Holly and Oliver at the back, asking various questions to Dagur. He proceeded to get closer to them, but he was making too much noise, so he hid behind a tree to make sure he was concealed.

"What's wrong?" asked Oliver.

"Nothing," replied Xander. "You all go on ahead. Yang will find you guys at the destination."

Hiccup was breathing heavily. He covered his mouth to keep it muffled. Slowly, Hiccup moved aside to see the two, standing so calm until Dagur, Oliver, and Holly were gone.

"I know you are hiding, whoever you are. There is no point trying to follow us."

Hiccup was glad they couldn't see him just yet, but something told him this was the best he was going to get, which wasn't a lot to share with Merida and Rapunzel.

"Heather Leifsson, present," said Yang. Hiccup could hear Gobber's voice from Yang's orb.

"Merida Dunbroch, present." There was no point for Hiccup to hide now. He knew his name was going to be called out next, so he made an appearance.

"Hiccup?" questioned Xander with a hint of surprise. "I would not have expected you to be the one snooping in our business. Do you not remember me telling you and your friends to stay out of this?"

Hiccup didn't answer them.

"What we're doing is wrong, I know. Helping the Outcasts and Berserkers invade the Ministry is a gutsy move, but we promise it will help in the end," said Yang.

"How?" asked Hiccup.

"The Ministry has to remember their place. I do not like repeating myself," warned Xander.

"You can still stop all this," argued Hiccup. "The Outcast and Berserker Tribe don't know what they're in for. They attacked my village, and I don't want to see any more people die for this."

"I assure you… they will not kill anyone you know of," said Xander. "I think this conversation is over."

Yang nodded and continued her way to the direction the others went. Xander was behind her, and Hiccup was still planning to follow them, but he knew the two weren't that reckless to allow that.

Xander turned and waved his wand. The view in front of Hiccup began warping as he watched them fade. Hiccup wasn't where he was anymore. An illusion was cast to prevent Hiccup from finding out where they went.

At least the castle was in view, so he wasn't going to be lost.

"How considerate," he muttered sarcastically. The Hufflepuff moved through the shrubs to leave the forest. He then heard something nearby.

Hiccup turned and saw a wisp, gently floating in the distance. He was now afraid to follow them. His friends weren't with him to let him know what was his best choice. He knew Merida was going to follow the wisps without question.

Last year, he went with Merida and that was when the curse began. He wasn't risking another one. He then contemplated the chance of the wisp leading him to Dagur and the others, but he also remembered what Gobber said about the hostile creatures lurking about.

A gust of wind had hit Hiccup. Hiccup was then shrouded in darkness for a split second. Something had flown above him to block out the sun, and Hiccup didn't want to guess what he thought it was. A crash was then heard, followed by a roar, a dragon's roar. It came from the direction of the wisp and it was presumably on the ground right now, searching for prey.

Hiccup turned his back on the wisp, making his way to Hogwarts.

"You left it?!" yelled Merida after hearing Hiccup's recount. She noticed his disappearance but was too intrigued with the class. What shocked her was realising Dagur and the others like Holly were gone only when Hiccup mentioned them.

"I did." Hiccup said while neatly setting down his notes in front of Rapunzel to compare. "I don't want anything to happen this year."

"The wisps aren't to blame for the White Death," argued Merida. "Your fate was at the end of their path, Hiccup. You could have been led to Dagur."

"Or a dragon," replied Hiccup.

Merida and Rapunzel waited for him to elaborate. The Hufflepuff took a deep breath before explaining. "Something flew over me when I saw the wisp. It was big enough to cause wind and block out the sun. It must've been a dragon, and it landed at the direction of the wisps. I could've followed it—I wanted to follow it… but now I think I know what scares me more."

"Merida, why are you so trusting towards the wisps?" asked Rapunzel. She placed Hiccup's homework back on the pile in preparation for their Potions class.

"I told you all that I first saw them back at Dunbroch when I was little, right?" Merida received an obvious nod from the two. "Well when I followed them, they led me back to me mum and dad. If they never helped, I could've been caught by Mor'du."

"What if the wisp led you near Mor'du, and then he followed you to your parents?" asked Hiccup.

"That's impossible," said Merida with no reasonings to support her argument.

"Let's just say the wisps always lead people for a purpose for a moment," said Rapunzel. "Why would it try and lead you to a dragon?"

"To face his fears obviously. Hiccup, you're at the age where you can get your dragon, so I think the wisps were trying to tell you something."

"So what happens if Hiccup never faces his fears? Are there any consequences if you avoid the wisps?" asked Rapunzel.

"How should I know? Heather told us during her first year she and the Berk students saw one but left it. Nothing bad's happened to them since… I think. Fate always has a way of mending itself to make sure everyone follows the right path."

Quidditch tryouts began with cautious eyes surveying every angle of the school. The curse last year had kept the students in panic and resulted in the sport getting cancelled—but not this time.

Nod was the oldest one in his team now that the Chaser older than him left Hogwarts last year. This was natural. All teams had mostly fourth year students and below. Observing the students was difficult, as Nod wanted to critique the students' flaws during their 'audition'. Giving them tough love was not an option because it would cause them to drop out of Quidditch before he could refine their skills. Nod might as well pass them all, but even then, they'd be short by one player. The best Nod could do now was to give the most suitable roles to each player. If lucky, the vacant position would be a Chaser.

Besides Nod, Ray Essa was the only student that stayed at Hogwarts and is continuing to play in the Quidditch matches. The boy was only two years below Nod, but he was filled with a motivating passion that impressed Nod throughout the years. His position of a Keeper was secured.

Nod remained as the captain and Seeker. The good news was the third years, who were the only ones to apply this year. They were all from Berk, so they must have had experience in the air. Astrid Hofferson and Snotlout Jorgenson were the two new Chasers, and the Thorston Twins were the Beaters, which matched their attitudes. Nod hoped this advantage balanced the lack of a third Chaser. He wished Jack Overland didn't leave last year.

For the other teams, Hans was still the Slytherin captain, but MK and Elsa weren't. MK—as she explained last year—wanted to focus her last few years studying for her NEWTs. Elsa was nowhere to be seen these days, so it was assumed her position as captain and Seeker was up for grabs.

Nod was almost tempted to choose to give up Quidditch and follow MK's lead. NEWTs were important and Ronin couldn't stress it enough to him. In order to apply for jobs in the wizarding world, employers were to review an applicant's NEWTs to see how competent they were. To gain a NEWT, one had to gain sufficient marks on their final exam for each subject, so the more NEWTs a person had, the higher the chance for an offer.

The problem for Nod was what he wanted to be in the future. Many jobs were under the Ministry, and they weren't respected around this time. Arendelle and Corona had jobs, but Nod lacked the skills in Potions and wasn't going to learn Dusk anytime soon. That now left his options for the Military Factions. Dunbroch was not for him as they didn't specialise in aerial combat. Moonhaven was his best bet, but even he didn't want to be there forever. It was exactly what Ronin wanted him to do.

If it were up to Nod, he'd be a professional Quidditch player, but even the worldwide event stopped after Year X. Nod would do anything to start his own Quidditch World Cup.

It was Friday, almost the end of the first week. Hiccup was going to brag in front of Merida since nothing bad had happened to him yet. She had constantly bothered him about being careful as she became more paranoid for Hiccup than Hiccup himself.

The Hufflepuff went to class for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Merida, Kristoff, and MacGuffin were just trailing behind him. This was another class where Dagur, Xander, Yang, and Holly were together, so he had to keep his eyes peeled in case they left again. So far, nothing new had happened during the week, except that Heather wasn't going to be part of the conspiracy.

Professor Mansnoozie stood in front of the class while the tables and chairs were moved to the side of the room. The confused students stood in the middle to wait for instructions. The professor was in front of a strange closet that was apparently rocking back and forth. Something was inside.

The sand above Mansnoozie shaped into words and pictures at a faster rate. At this point, everyone was able to understand Mansnoozie's Dreamsand quicker after doing it for two whole years. There was something indeed in the closet, and Mansnoozie warned them to be careful while forming a line. The creature was a Boggart, notable for its shape-shifting appearance. In a way, they were similar to Fearlings, but their closest relatives were the Shifters, which could transform into any living creature. The only rule for Boggarts was only taking on the form of a person's worst fear.

For a few minutes, the students practised saying the incantation used against the Boggarts: Riddikulus. The Dreamsand Mansnoozie conjured up became the closet that opened with a creature coming out. A figure of a student from the sand waved their wand, turning the Boggart into something less scary. It was then shown that laughter made the Boggart weak, so even if it wasn't funny, students were encouraged to laugh at the Boggart to pacify it.

Mansnoozie nods to the person in front of the line, Heather, for good luck. She was already nervous and asked many questions to make sure she wasn't placing herself in danger.

"What if it possesses us like the Fearlings?"

Mansnoozie explained that Boggarts had no abilities like that. They were also not created by humans like Fearlings, so there was nothing to worry about. Without wasting time, the professor waved his wand to open the closet.

Students were wary of the creature. A wrinkly hand grabbed the frame of the closet, weakly pulling itself out. The creature was human, but its skin was rotting. This was a zombie, but the person it was got Heather stirred up. The woman walked with an obvious limp.

"Why did you leave me, Heather?" asked the Boggart.

"Mum…?" Heather took a few steps back to keep her distance from her zombified mother.

The line behind Heather made a half-circle, as the students weren't looking forward to their turn. And they weren't sure if this Boggart was able to have all the qualities of a zombie. If it bit Heather, they'd have to run away.

"The Outcasts came to our island. They killed me and your dad. Where were you, Heather? Did you not want to protect us from this war?"

Heather held her wand up and said the incantation. Professor Mansnoozie had shown them that they had to picture something that was amusing to watch when casting the spell, so Heather had something in mind.

The zombie morphed into a couch with a texture of the zombified skin. Heather sighed in relief. The students cheered and laughed with claps filling the room.

Heather walked back as the students formed the line back, now excited to have their turn.

Xander and Yang were in front. Hiccup was curious to see what they feared the most. The Slytherin watched the couch warp into different shapes until assuming its form for Xander. A vortex of red fire spun and emerged a dark hooded figure. Under it were a pair of yellow eyes and the Boggart made a menacing chuckle.

"Time to come home," said the Boggart.

The figure levitated itself and stretched both arms. A loud screech was released while the entire room shook. The students covered their ears.

Without an incantation, Xander waved his wand at the Boggart and it puffed itself, filling up with air. The inflated figure exploded into smoke and rained confetti.

Now it was Yang's turn. The confetti bunched together and transformed longer than the previous two. The Boggart was taking its time, confusing the students and even the professor. The Boggart then turned to thin air.

Silence had filled the room. Yang was impatiently waiting for the Boggart to show up. Yang then stubbornly used the incantation at the creature, but again, nothing was to be seen.

"I think it's dead," said Yang. Professor Mansnoozie shook his head. He used the Dreamsand to tell them that the Boggart was still there, but as what Yang feared the most: Nothing.

Yang was told to move to the back of the line, which made her throw a tantrum. It wasn't fair that everyone was going to have a fun time while she couldn't. Merida and Flynn had grabbed her and pulled her to the back of the line. Xander had tried to pull her back, but he was nothing compared to the angry Hufflepuff.

Hiccup didn't learn anything new about those two, except for that strange hooded creature from Xander. With Flynn and Merida returning to the front, Hiccup realised the Boggart was now transforming into his worst fear.

The Boggart took on the form of darkness, which all the students were covered in too. This was like the vision Hiccup had at the temple with his friends. A loud screech was heard and the Night Fury dragon sped right past Hiccup, knocking him to the ground. It wasn't just the Night Fury that appeared. Several other dragons like the Whispering Death and Monstrous Nightmare swarmed the dark sky. Hiccup tried the spell, but he always missed the dragons.

This was bad. Hiccup was panicking and the Boggart was getting stronger. Nobody could escape the darkness. Wisps then appeared, surrounding Hiccup. Merida's voice then echoed around the classroom.

Fate always has a way of mending itself to make sure everyone follows the right path.

Hiccup couldn't find himself to cast the spell now. Nothing funny was appearing in his thoughts. Instead, vile emotions and fear plagued his mind. Hiccup could hear a few students behind him laughing, not at the Boggart, but at how pathetic he looked. He was crying before he even realised.

Merida and Flynn were snapping at Dagur and the others laughing. This was not a time to be laughing at someone's personal issues. However, there was nothing for Hiccup to fear anyway, as it was clear that Mansnoozie had all this under control.

The darkness disappeared as the dragons merged into one being, the Night Fury. Mansnoozie had bound the Boggart with Dreamsand and threw it back into the closet. Hiccup was kneeling on the ground, staring into nothingness as the tears fell on the ground. He stood up and quickly left the classroom, hoping nobody would stop him.

Merida and Kristoff left the classroom too. Some of the students then began whispering to each other, which brought the others to disgust. Flynn had confronted Dagur about Hiccup. The class was then silenced by Mansnoozie, who wanted to continue on. Flynn hoped Merida and Kristoff didn't let Hiccup run too far.