"Oh, you've made plenty of marks, all in the wrong places."
"It's not so much what you look like, it's what's inside that he can't stand."
"Oh great, who let her in?"
"Can I transfer to the class with the cool Vikings?"
"What did she do wrong in training?"
"The Hiccup showed up."
"Don't worry. You're small and you're weak. That will make you less of a target! They'll see you as sick or insane, and go after the more Viking-like ones instead."
"Is this some kind of joke to you? Our parent's war is about to become ours. Pick what side you're on."
"When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us, you talk like us, you think like us. No more of…this."
"I've never seen anyone mess up that badly."
"Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you!"
"You need to stop all…this."
"You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking. You're not my child."
Hillevi gulped in a heavy breath, staring up at the shadows overhead as her heart splintered for the fifth time in as many days.
Cool feathers brushed against her arm, and the Valhallan let out that breath as Cloudjumper curled around, face buried in her neck.
Mama is safe…The Latias projected, voice steadier now. No one is gonna hurt you, mama…
Toothless vibrated over her heart, like a warning growl to anyone who would dare try, as Sharpshot pet her bangs back with a careful paw, eyes flashing in the dimmed glow of her tail-flame.
Her Dragons pressed closer, this low purr of comfort, nuzzling her cheeks and palms and belly as if to press their feelings under the skin, and Hillevi bit back a sob, hiding her tears in Cloudjumper's belly.
Even here, surrounded by friends and far away from what had happened, nearly three years stronger…
And it still hurt.
"I should have known."
"Dad-"
"We had a deal!"
"It's all so messed up…"
"A trick? A lie?"
"I screwed up. I should have told you before now. Take this out on me, be mad at me, but please…just don't hurt them."
"The Dragons? That's what you're worried about? Not the people you almost killed?!"
"They were just protecting me!"
"They've killed hundreds of us!"
"And we've killed thousands of them!"
"You've been to the nest."
"For once in your life, would you please just listen to me?!"
"Levi?"
Yanked from her thoughts, Hillevi blinked slowly as reality reasserted itself, looking up to spot Ginny's worried face.
"Are you okay?" The youngest Weasley wondered, unsure.
"I'm fine." She assured, managing a lop-sided smile. "Just got lost in thought."
Stormfly ruffled her feathers at that, and Cloudjumper ducked her head as Hermione shifted closer.
"You've been acting strangely since the Honor Battle…"
"Honestly, I'm fine." Hillevi repeated, pointedly taking a deep bite of honeyed toast.
"Then what's with the bags under your eyes?" Ron prodded, handing Cubchoo another banana to slobber over.
"Maybe I haven't been sleeping well." The Valhallan hedged, reaching up to smooth Cloudjumper's feathers while Brightclaw slithered up to hang around her neck. "But it'll pass."
"You know you can talk to us." Harry voiced, fingers curled in Eevee's fluffy ruff. "About anything."
This time, her smile was not a shield.
"Yeah…I know."
"It's a mess…You must feel horrible. You've lost everything…"
"You need to stop all…this."
"Yes, that's it! Stop being all of you!"
"You're not my child."
"Enough!"
Hillevi jerked back, blinking stars from her eyes, as Sharpshot growled and Cloudjumper rippled into invisibility.
The entire Potions classroom was dead silent, staring, and it made the voices echo louder in her mind.
"Are you trying to kill us all? Or are you too busy daydreaming?" Professor Snape demanded, purposely looming, and that brought up too many memories for her not to shake, throat closing in a painful knot. "Stop all of…this, before you send us all to an early grave."
Neville's eyes widened as Hillevi crumbled, and Sharpshot yipped in distress when the tears came, almost burning poor Flora with her tail-flame.
"I'm sorry." She choked out around the stabbing, tightening pain in her heart, scrambling up to run for the door, half-blinded by tears.
"LEVI!"
James appeared at the door, Andi chattering worriedly on one shoulder and Sting curled tight around the other ear, when Sharpshot roared at the startled Potions Professor, flames sparking a furious blue before she took off after the Valhallan.
Falling apart at the seams as she was, Hillevi barely managed to find a little alcove to hide in before the first sob tore free of her chest, curling into the farthest, darkest corner as more followed.
Cloudjumper cooed, draping herself over the girl in a hug, as flashes of light broke the darkness.
Brightclaw hummed, curling up around the reddish-brunette's neck, while Stormfly and Drumfire twittered and cooed, drying her tears with fur and cottony wings.
Skullcrusher, Lockjaw, Blackstar and Gemtrail cuddled from the front, chuffing and purring and growling, as the black-red-yellow Poke Ball vibrated and Dexter pulled himself free of her pocket, buzzing.
"Levi?" The Pokedex worried, voice tinged in static. "Are you injured? Should I be contacting Nurse Poppy? Hermione is calling, should I answer? There's so many messages-"
Sniffling back a giggle, Hillevi pulled the poor Rotom Dex into the group hug, unable to form words as what oxygen came in went to crying.
"It's alright to cry."
Almost jumping out of her skin, she looked up to find Luna sitting just inside the alcove's opening, Mickey clamped onto one sleeve of her pink-dyed jacket and Linus the Pumpkaboo balanced on her hair like a hat.
"Luna?" She managed, trying to rub the tears away as Stormfly and Drumfire fussed. "How did you…?"
Answering her unfinished question, Sharpshot appeared at the First Year's side, letting out a low, mournful clicking sound.
"I was looking for the troll stealing my socks." The half-Veela said, fixing her with those wide, dreamy eyes. "They always steal the left ones."
Unable to keep from laughing, even if the sound was a touch watery, Hillevi offered up a wavering smile.
"I know, right? What's up with that?"
Smiling in return, Luna pulled herself further inside, bumping shoulders as Sharpshot found her own spot pressed against her trainer's other side.
Lockjaw and Mickey butted snouts as silence fell between the girls, only Hillevi's diminishing sniffles heard over the low sounds of her Pokemon.
"…They called me Hiccup."
Luna stayed quiet at this soft admission, fingers curling around Mickey.
"I was born premature, you know? Always smaller than the others kids, and clumsy, and weird…Didn't deserve to be called by my name, 'cause I wasn't strong enough."
Sharpshot growled, wrapping an arm around the quartet of upset young Dragons on their girls' lap.
"Hiccup the Useless, Hiccup the Worthless…Even my…my dad called me Hiccup, thought I was the worst Viking ever…"
Stormfly cooed, dabbing at a fresh tear, and Hillevi brushed gentle fingertips over the Swablu's head in thanks.
"I tried to forgive and forget, you know, after…Things got better, and I thought I was over it, but…"
She shrugged, as if encompassing the entire situation with that one gesture.
"They were wrong."
The statement was so matter-of-fact that Hillevi startled, looking at Luna with wide, wet eyes.
"Did they climb the most perilous peak in all of Valhalla? Did they face down Rayquaza and earn his respect? Did they face down Kyogre and Groudon in their rage? No!"
Luna jumped up onto her knees, finger pointed skyward, nearly unseating Linus as Mickey latched back onto her sleeve.
"You proved every last one of them wrong! You are Hillevi Horrendous Haddock the Third, the Dragon of Gryffindor! Champion of Rayquaza! Tamer of Dragons!"
The half-Veela turned to her then, conviction tempered by sadness and gaze focused.
"You…are my friend. And I never thought you were a hiccup."
With a shuddery breath, Hillevi pulled the younger girl into a hug, surrounded by both of their Pokemon.
"Oh, Luna…I never thought you were, either."
