Progress was slow, with several ideas thrown out as soon as they were suggested. The first step they all agreed on was the fact that they had to get Jack alone. Regardless of any other ideas they had, if there was another Slytherin nearby they could ruin everything. That would be hard on its own, since they seemed to follow him wherever he went these days. Sitting next to him in class, walking beside him between classes, even going as far walking him to the bathroom like a pair of gossiping girls. The only times anyone has seen him alone is when he deliberately shakes off his tail, only to be found a few minutes later. It was sheer coincidence the two boys were able to say anything to him when they saw him alone once. Finally, Hiccup came up with the first idea not to be objected outright.
"Let's send him a letter. We pretend it's from his mom or sister, in case the other Slytherin's read it as well, and find a way to get him to come to this room. The other Slytherin's don't know about it so even if he's only able to escape for a few minutes, he should have enough time to hide in here before they find him."
"We will need a good reason for him to come. Even on the rare occasion he's on his own, he turns the other way as soon as he sees any of us." Astrid added. The group nodded, falling back into silence as they all tried to come up with a reason Jack would come to the Hogwarts common room.
"You know what, we all know you guys are practically inseparable. There is no way he is staying away on his own. Let's just leave him an anonymous note telling him to come to this room." Gogo complained. Everyone turned to stare at her in shock, all of their eyes widening in surprise as they register what she said.
"True, you guys are an enigma, a group combining all of the houses seamlessly. Ever since that first day of school, you guys seemed to have a connection that no one else could match. Honestly it's almost creepy." Wasabi said, shrugging his shoulders. Rapunzel, Merida and Hiccup looked at each other, uncertain of what the rest were saying. Tadashi was the one to give the finale vote.
"I say we do it." the trio turned to him, surprised at his agreement to the simple plan. "Like Wasabi said, you four have some kind of connection that people search for. The only other friends I have ever heard of having as deep a connection as you was Harry, Ron and Hermione, as crazy as that sounds. I think this plan will work. We don't know exactly what is going on or why Jack is acting like he is so most plans we make will have too many variables. This plan gives him a choice as well, whether he wants to stay with his house or rejoin you guys. And I think he will choose you three."
The plan was put into motion the next day, early in the morning. Honey Lemon convinced Shimmer, another Weasley in Hufflepuff, to help deliver the message and she agreed easily. Like most of the school, she had come to expect the four students together and was as shocked as everyone else at the sudden change in dynamic. She entered the main hall before most of Slytherin, giving a small nod to the three blondes sitting in a row. Rapunzel glanced over at Hiccup and Merida in turn, each of them nodding in return. Now it was a waiting game, until they had finished classes and could quietly head to the Hogwarts common room.
Rapunzel placed her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands as she sighed. She remembered how her parents had reacted when she received her Hogwarts letter. Both of them had gone to Hogwarts, him in Ravenclaw and her in Hufflepuff, so her acceptance created a flurry of excitement from the two of them. They held a huge celebration in Corona, the small kingdom her parents ruled over, and released hundreds of lanterns into the air and filling the sky with light. As always, they went a little overboard but she loved them nonetheless. Even when she told them about her unique friendship to one of each of the other houses they were excited to meet her first friends at the wizarding school. Knowing them, they would throw a huge feast if she ever brought them over. She was still debating whether to subject her friends to her overbearing parents.
She grabbed an apple in front of her and slowly began to eat, still traveling down memory lane. It was only when Kristoff shook her arm that she returned to reality, just in time to rush to her first class. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally landed in a seat, not eager to be late for professor Pitches class. He always made whoever was late write a full report on whatever they covered that day, something she was not eager to repeat after the first few times her hair made her late. Kristoff settled in the seat next to her, the two of them sharing a small smile as the class began.
"Today we will begin our lesson the Gytrash, a nocturnal spirit who is known to be vicious." He began, glaring at two girls in the back as they muttered about how beautiful the creature was on the projector. They quickly quieted down, no one making a sound as he began talking about the origins of the beast. After what felt like an eternity, with some students only being kept awake by their fear of being called out. Rapunzel was one of the few who listened eagerly, always fascinated by the magical creatures that existed. Finally time wound down, the students packing up their parchment and quills as the dark robed professor called out the nights homework.
Rapunzel danced around Merida, who was waiting just outside the door for her own DADA class and sped off to her next class, eager for the end of the day to finally come. She was a naturally cheerful girl, even more so when those around her were happy. The joy she felt when helping others brightened her smile. Kristoff trailed behind her as she skipped to their history class, not even the monotonous voice of Professor Binns could dull the anticipation of finally seeing her Slytherin friend once more. Later, far too late in her opinion, the day came to an end and she met her friends in the common room like every night before. The major difference this time was the addition of a bright red head practicing sparks with Gogo and a skinny brown haired boy pouring over a thick tome on the floor near the fireplace.
"Careful there. You have better control over those fireballs of yours than these red sparks." Hiccup cried out a bright red spark wizzed close to his book. Rapunzel leaned sideways to see the title of the book, not at all surprised to see the same history book he had been reading since the group first discovered the secret common room. He would occasionally swap it out for one of the many spell books lining the shelves only to return to this same leather covered novel, stating it had the most information so far. Though he still couldn't figure out what was taught to these mysterious students or why the history of the castle was changed to exclude Salazar Slytherin.
By now though he was fairly certain their unique abilities had something to do with what those mysterious lessons were. The timing of the four students getting those marks, along with the message from the sorting was too big of a coincidence to ignore. But there was still something more, something he couldn't quite figure out yet, something that he felt was bigger than anything before though he wasn't certain exactly why he thought this. Until then, he continued to search for the answer resting just outside his reach.
Time slowly ticked past, the large room silent as the group waited to see if their friend showed up. Merida finally settled down a bit, her excitement dying as Jack continued his absence. Rapunzel tried to keep herself occupied with her sketch book, over half of it already filled with different plants and animals she had seen around the school, but she would continually glance over at the door as she waited for it to open. Hiccup was less obvious but he often turn his eyes up to the tall clock in the corner with barely a turn of his head.
Gogo was the only older student there, the rest of her mini friend group working hard on an essay for Professor Joy in their own common rooms. Takashi, Glow and Honey Lemon especially had to hang around their own houses equally, helping the younger students and keeping an eye for any mischief along with their other duties as prefects. Wasabi and Fred both promised to join the group once they had finished, though Wasabi would probably take longer due to his need to perfect everything.
Just as Merida heaved a sigh, moving to stand and head for bed, the door slowly creaked open. All of the heads in the room turned so fast you could hear it, eager to see the friend they had been waiting for. Rapunzel's hair swung with her head and hit her shoulders, barely registered in her anticipation. A brown haired boy walked through the door but everyone's shoulders visible fell at the view. Fred looked around the group in confusion only to realize there was still one person missing. He gave the group a soft smile, smaller than his typical full blown grins.
"He still hasn't come yet huh?" he said quietly, barely breaking the silence that had fallen on the room.
Gogo looked around the group, only meeting the gaze of Astrid as the others bowed their heads. They had all expected Jack to come by now, to have escaped his house as soon as classes were done and rush to their secret room just like the rest of them had. The lack of response was all he needed.
He moved to the same couch as Rapunzel and had barely sat down before the sound of the large door opening was heard once more. This time, none of the group even tried to raise they heads, thinking it was just the rest of the older students coming to ask the same question.
"Ummm, hi." came a soft voice, almost as though the person wasn't sure if they should speak. Hiccup's head shot up, immediately recognizing the voice. There Jack stood, hesitating at the doorway as he glanced over his shoulder before creeping in and closing the door softly behind him. Rapunzel gasped and Merida threw herself towards him when the two girls realized it was who they had been waiting for.
"You idiot, you had us worried." Merida said, shaking his shoulders. Gogo finally pulled her away as Rapunzel giggled. A small smile appeared on the older Gryffindor student's face, hearing the sounds she had been missing. Jack gave his own small smile but a frown replaced it almost as quickly.
"Look, I can't stay long. They will be searching for me if they haven't started already." he said, rubbing the back of his head.
"What exactly is going on Jack? Suddenly you stop talking to us, you hang out with the normal Slytherins, ignore us in the hallways. What happened to you?" Hiccup said, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. Jack sighed and sat down on one of the chairs heavily, as though just thinking of it added several pounds. He began explaining how his world changed in a single night.