Chapter Nineteen
Merida-
Merida grudgingly pulled herself out of her bed and stumbled into some shoes. Yawning tiredly she shuffled past the sleeping Gryffindor girls and into the common room. Rapunzel had messaged her from the notebook saying she had found something important and they all needed to come to the stairway 'RIGHT NOW!'
When she reached the stairway Jack was sitting on the ground with his head leaned against the wall and his eyes closed. Hiccup was standing next to him, his dark auburn hair ruffled from sleep, and he was yawning. Rapunzel was bouncing around excitedly.
"Merida," she squealed. "You're finally here."Jack opened his eyes. Sighing he got to his feet and stood next to them.
"So why did you drag us out of bed?" Hiccup asked. He had on brown pajamas and fuzzy slippers. Jack was in blue plaid pajama pants with a white T-shirt. Merida herself was wearing short brown soffies with a green T-shirt and slippers. Rapunzel was still in her uniform, she obviously hadn't been in bed yet. Her blond hair was in the normal braid she put it in ever since it grew.
"I found it!" she exclaimed. They gave each other confused looks. "The room Mary ran into," Rapunzel explained.
"Oh," Merida said slowly, her voice muzzy from fatigue. Rapunzel rolled her eyes.
"Don't you want to see it?" she asked.
"Can't this wait till morning?" Jack asked. "I mean if the 'shadow' is in there again I want to face it when I'm awake," he added before Rapunzel could argue. She sighed.
"Fine. But we have to do it right after classes are over," she said. They nodded. "Goodnight," Rapunzel whirled around and stalked off to the Hufflepuff dormitories. The others glanced at each other sleepily.
"Night," Jack yawned, stumbling away.
"Well, I guess it's goodnight," Hiccup muttered awkwardly.
"Yea, I guess," Merida said. Hiccup shuffled his feet for a moment and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, um goodnight then," he said.
"Goodnight," Merida repeated, her words breaking off in a large yawn. Hiccup grinned and Merida found herself blushing in embarrassment. "Shut-up," she tugged her hair in front of her face to hide the redness in her cheeks. Hiccup chuckled softly then headed for the Ravenclaw dormitories.
After he was gone Merida headed back the way she had come from. "Where have you been?" Dorian asked when Merida returned to the room. Her blond hair was tussled and frizzy and her eyes were half closed like she had just woken up.
"Out," Merida whispered. She kicked off her slippers and flopped into her bed.
"I realized that," Dorian snorted. Merida glanced at her, but didn't give her any clues as to where she had been. "Fine then. Don't tell me," Dorian snapped, turning over in her bed so her back was facing Merida. Sighing Merida collapsed into bed and fell back asleep.
Hiccup-
Hiccup waited impatiently by the stair case for his friends to arrive. After leaving last night he had gotten some more sleep then went to classes. As the day wore on he began to get more and more excited about the room.
It could be loaded with information about the 'shadow' and the master. The 'shadow' might even be there! Hiccup gulped nervously, his excitement fading slightly. He still wasn't sure he was ready to face it yet.
"Hey Hiccup," Rapunzel and Merida rushed towards him. Jack walked up from a different way. They had all returned to their dormitories after classes to gather a few things and now they were meeting to find the room.
"Is every one ready?" Merida checked. They nodded. "Lead on Rapunzel." Rapunzel nodded excitedly, her green eyes wide. She hurried up one of the staircases and they followed her. Just as they reached the middle of it the staircase slowly began to move away from the wall.
"Look out," Hiccup warned as Merida stumbled slightly. He grabbed her arm to help her balance. "You ok?" he asked.
"Of course I'm ok," she snapped. Her blue eyes twinkled with embarrassment and her cheeks were bright red. There was a nervousness hidden behind her anger and embarrassment that was very unlike her. Before Hiccup could dwell on it the stairs reached the other wall.
"Come on you two," Jack smirked. He and Rapunzel were sprinting up the remaining stairs. Merida hurried after them without a second glance at Hiccup. He shrugged and followed them.
"So do you still know how to get there now that the stairs have changed?" Hiccup asked.
"The stairs changing is how I found it," Rapunzel answered. "I was trying to get back to the Hufflepuff dormitories but the stairs kept changing. I got tired of them and just got off. When I went walking down the hallway I got the strange feeling I was being followed so I kept glancing behind me. Since I wasn't looking a tripped over something and fell down. When I stood up I was in the room."
"There must be some kind of lever or something to a trap door and that's what everyone keeps tripping over," Hiccup mused.
"Do you think you'll be able to find the switch again?" Merida asked Rapunzel.
"Yea, I think so. Even if we don't we'll probably trip over it," she added.
"Good one Punzie," Jack chuckled.
"Thanks, now come on," she ushered them forward. Rolling his eyes Hiccup and the others headed back up the stairs. As soon as they got off it started to move again.
"That was good timing," Jack commented. Rapunzel grabbed his hand and dragged him away before he could say anything else. Hiccup laughed and looked at Merida expecting her to share his bemused look. To his surprise she still wasn't making eye contact with him. What's up with her? he wondered. Choosing to ignore it he hurried after Jack and Rapunzel's retreating forms.
"Why are you in such a rush? It's not like the room is gonna get up and leave," Jack panted as Rapunzel dragged him along.
"It's a room in a magic building, it could disappear," she pointed out. Jack tried to roll his eyes as Hiccup, but Rapunzel jerked him away, causing his eyes to jerk back to her. Hiccup snorted and ran after them.
Rapunzel lead them up a few more flights of stairs then up a tower that Hiccup didn't even know was there. At the top of the tower was a short hallway. They all stopped at the entrance to the hallway.
"Here we are," Rapunzel said. She started down it and they followed her. Hiccup kept his eyes on the ground, searching for any lever or switch or oddly placed stone that could trigger a trap door.
At the end of the hallway they found a statue of a gargoyle. "I haven't seen any switch," Merida said. Her blue eyes were staring at the gargoyle and Hiccup studied it too. He leaned forward, marveling at the detail etched into its stony face.
He let out a startled cry and fell backwards when it blinked. Two grey eyes closed then opened again and stared sightlessly ahead. The others hurried over.
"What?" Jack asked.
"The gargoyle blinked," Merida replied. She must have seen it too, Hiccup thought.
Rapunzel stepped forward and stared at the gargoyle. "I don't remember seeing it when I came up here," she said.
"So are we lost?" Hiccup asked. He brushed off his clothes and looked back at the gargoyle to make sure it wouldn't do anything else.
"No. I remember being here, just not the gargoyle," Rapunzel stated determinedly. Her gaze traveled down and landed on the gargoyle's feet which were sticking out at rather odd angles. "There," she squealed, pointing at its feet.
"What?" Merida asked. She stared wearily at the gargoyle.
"I must have tripped over its feet. The gargoyle must open the door," she said excitedly. Her green eyes twinkled with triumph.
"Well someone trip over it then," Jack said. "I nominate Hiccup," he added. Hiccup glared at him. Jack smirked and flipped his hair out of his eyes.
"Move over, I'll do it," Merida shoved them out of the way. Rapunzel stepped back and allowed the curly haired ginger to take over. She kicked the gargoyle's feet and shoved its shoulder. At first nothing happened then the gargoyle slowly moved out of the way and revealed the entrance to a room.
"Well done Gryffindor," Jack nodded. Merida smiled her own smirk at Jack then stomped inside the room. Jack and Rapunzel followed her.
"Come on Hiccup," Jack glanced over his shoulder when Hiccup didn't move. Hiccup took a deep breath then followed them.
Jack Frost-
Jack let his gaze travel over the dimly lit room. There were over turned chairs and papers scattered everywhere. One table was torn apart and the parts were thrown around the room. One of the legs was stabbed through a nearby chair. Jack shuttered, imagining someone driving it through his chest.
Broken glass littered the floor. The sun reflected off of the glass making it sparkle like thousands of water droplets in the morning. They crunched under Jack's feet and echoed through the room.
His foot landed on something soft and he glanced down. A tattered and worn piece of parchment was lying underneath him. Jack leaned over and picked it up with one hand. It was completely bare of any writing or pictures.
Jack knitted his eyebrows together in curiosity. There was something more to this paper, but he wasn't sure what. "Hey look. It's Albus Dumbledor," Hiccup's voice brought Jack out of his thoughts. He tucked the parchment into his robes then glanced at the picture Hiccup was pointing to.
A simple golden frame hung on one of the walls. The paint was chipped off in places and it looked like it was about to fall apart. The picture that it held was of an older man with a long white beard. His silver hair cascaded over his shoulders and tangled in his beard. Half-moon spectacles rested on his nose and covered sleeping eyes. Soft wrinkled skin looked pale in the light and the silver-blue robes moved up and down as he breathed.
"He was one of the Headmasters before Nicholas," Hiccup said. "He was here the same time as Harry Potter. Apparently they were very close," his voice was full of awe as he stared up at the sleeping man.
Merida and Rapunzel were the first to look away from the picture. They traveled over the room, occasionally picking up an item and examining it before putting it back down. Jack returned to examining the room.
Something red was sticking up from under a cushion that must have fallen from some long forgotten chair. Getting down on his knees he pulled it out from under the cushion. It was a red feather tipped with gold and orange.
"I wonder who this is," Rapunzel said thoughtfully. Jack glanced up and saw her holding a picture frame.
He picked himself off of the floor and wandered over to her. The feather lay forgotten on the ground. Rapunzel returned the picture frame to its place on a table. It was a wooden frame that was splintered and cracked. The glass over it was shattered and the picture was ripped.
The women in the photo had curly brown hair that fell around her shoulders in a silky waterfall. Her bright blue eyes stared out with a gentle warmness. She waved at Jack and laughed, exposing pearly white teeth. Jack's heart hammered in his chest.
He fumbled through his pockets until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a small picture with torn corners and wrinkled sides. Smiling up at him was the same women from the picture.
"Jack," Rapunzel breathed. Her green gaze traveled from the picture in his hands to the one of the table and back again.
"What's happening?" Merida asked. She and Hiccup made their way to them then froze in silent shock, their eyes fixed on the two pictures.
"This picture was the only thing I had when they found me outside the orphanage," Jack whispered. He flipped it over to reveal the five words written on the back. I love you Jack -Mum "Why is there a picture of my mum in here?" he asked.
Unknown emotions surged through him. They pounded through his veins and filled his heart. Each beat resounded with them. He turned on his friends. Rapunzel's eyes were wide with fear and sympathy. Merida looked stunned, for once unable to find a stinging remark. Hiccup's face was unreadable.
"Why is there a picture of my mum here?" he asked again. His voice was cold and drained of all emotion. They glanced at each other, but once again they didn't answer him.
For a moment they stood in silence, each unsure of what to say. Then two doors on the far side of the room opened up and revealed the thing from his dream. It looked even more like a birdbath in real life.
After an unspoken agreement they moved forward and circled around the thing. It held a pool of silvery liquid that twisted and shimmered like a shoal of fish. Silver lines beckoned them closer and without thinking Jack leaned forward.
Soon all four of them had their head hovering above the strange liquid. Taking a deep breath Jack plunged into the water.
Rapunzel-
Rapunzel felt the rush of water around then there was nothing. Her eyes shot open and she found herself falling back into the room with the odd looking birdbath thing. She landed on her feet in the middle of the room.
Her heart beat slowed down as she calmed herself and looked around. The room was organized and clean unlike the last time she had been in it. All the tables and chairs were put back together and were placed in their rightful spots.
The picture frames of the other Headmasters were bright and shiny with fresh coats of paint. The windows were put back together so the floor was derived of glass. Everything looked well taken care of and cheerful.
Confused she glanced around for her friends. "Jack?" she called out. "Merida, Hiccup?" they were nowhere to be seen. A shadow was hunched over in the corner and Rapunzel approached it cautiously.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"Nicholas," the secret entrance behind the gargoyle opened and Professor Starling walked in. She looked the same as always and Rapunzel hurried towards her.
"Professor. I don't know what happened but-," she cut off as Professor Starling walked right through her. Rapunzel gasped and stumbled back, clutching herself.
"Nicholas are you sure about this?" Professor Starling asked the hunched over figure. It stirred and Nicholas Jurntry's face appeared. He looked younger, but much sadder. His eyes were red from crying and he had bags under his eyes.
"Yes," he answered her.
"But the child will be orphaned. He'll have no family, no friends, nobody to rely on. That is no way to grow up," Professor Starling argued.
"I said YES," Nicholas shouted. Professor Starling closed her mouth. "If it wasn't for him Melanie would still be alive. She was supposed to be alive! I couldn't bear to live with that, that monster!" he exclaimed. Rapunzel was getting a sinking feeling in her chest.
"He will attend this school when he turns eleven you know," Professor Starling said quietly.
"Perhaps not. He might be a muggle. Or perhaps he'll get into trouble so I can expel him," Nicholas said. Professor Starling glared at him.
"I can't believe you are doing this. Melanie would be ashamed," she said. Nicholas narrowed his eyes.
"Leave," he ordered. She turned on her heel and started towards the door. "Wait," Nicholas called before she could leave. Professor Starling turned around to face him. He handed her the picture that Jack had. "His name is Jack," he pointed to the writing on the back. Professor Starling took the picture.
"This is your last chance Nicholas. It says right here that Melanie loved him. Do you really want to give him away?" she asked, her voice soft. Nicholas gave her a defeated look. When he answered his voice was sad instead of angry.
"I would, I really would, but I just can't," he shook his head and collapsed in one of the chairs.
"He has her eyes," Professor Starling said before disappearing out the door. Nicholas closed his eyes as silver tears streaked down his cheeks. Rapunzel reached out her hand, wanting to comfort him. Before she could do anything she felt herself being pulled away.
The furniture began to turn into black smoke, next was the room, lastly Nicholas himself disappeared in a black cloud. Rapunzel pulled her head out of the water and took a deep breath.
Hiccup and Merida were on either side of her, their eyes were wide with shock. Jack's hands gripped the side of the bowl and his head was bowed over it. "Jack?" she reached out hesitantly. His head shot up to face her.
"NO!" he shouted. Turning around he ran out of room. Rapunzel stared after him.
A/N:
Ok so that wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but it could have been worse so yeah. Now we finally know who Jack's father is. I bet none of you guessed Nicholas did ya? I can imagine all of you sitting there with your mouth hanging open and your eyes bulging out of your heads, all like 'WHAT?' Hehehe I like choosing the most unlikely things to happen. It keeps it interesting. So what do you think that parchment was? It was in the Harry Potter books and the movies so you should be able to guess it. Also next week I'm gonna be at camp so I'm not going to be updating all next week. Anyways, thanks to bug349, Thinking Without Speaking, Seororo, FloralrmaTylee, 4EverETRNL, AlexJohnD, ROTBTD FANGIRL, Slightly Crazy Author, and . .i' for reviewing. Thanks for reading and please review!