That evening debate was only the first of many quarrels between Merida and Jack. They were both stubborn and made everything between them a competition, including who could drive their teachers the craziest. Unfortunately, the two classes they alone shared, History and Charms, were run by two people who never got mad, which took out a lot of the fun in arguing.

Both of them realized, as the first couple of weeks passed, that they weren't alone in their rivalry. Gryffindors and Slytherins always ended up in fights, but while Merida and Jack never went so far as to use magic (mostly because neither of them were particularly good at it yet), during the second week of school, Stuart Macintosh and Brutus Crabbe ended up in the Hospital Wing.

"Stupid, stupid Slytherins." muttered Merida after a row with Jack over who spilled an ink bottle during Charms. The fact that Jack was right in saying it was her infuriated her even more. She flopped down on her bed noisily and Astrid gave her a sympathetic look.

"Don't let them get you down." she said. "At least we only have to deal with them for two classes."

All of that ended when Ruffnut came running into their dorm. "Guess what? We're starting flying lessons next week!"

Astrid wrinkled her nose. "Who'd want to fly? That's what dragons do and I don't want to be anything like a dragon."

Merida wasn't much interested in flying either; she was just eager to start archery, but that wouldn't be until after Quidditch season anyway and it was among schools not houses. "Big deal. We take lessons like three times."

"But guess who we're taking them with!" said Ruffnut. "The Slytherins!"

Astrid and Merida both groaned. "Of course we are." said the blond, looking irritated. "Maybe, when the teacher's not looking, I'll knock Gruella off her broomstick."

"Then can I get Cassiopeia? She always looks at me funny." said Ruffnut.

Merida sniggered a little and was about to say Jack's comment on her looking like a chestnut flew up her nose as a baby and that's why her expression was so awkward, but realized that neither Astrid nor Ruffnut would find that as funny as she had. As much as Jack Frost annoyed her, he was witty like Hiccup, who was another unspeakable.

"Hey! Merida, this'll be your chance to get Frost!" said Astrid. "Trip him and make him fall into his broomstick or something."

"Yeah, he's a Muggle, so he's probably not any good." said Ruffnut casually.

Merida frowned. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well he's never done it before, silly." said Ruffnut after a moment, which made Merida wonder if that was really her reason.

Merida let the comment go and tried to pen a letter to her parents, but the words never seemed quite right. No matter what she wrote, it sounded forcedly cheerful.

Dear Dad and Mum,

I'm doing well. Classes aren't too bad and we're going to start flying lessons soon. I've made a few friends, most in Gryffindor with me. Hope you're doing well.

Merida

Merida nearly ripped it apart but her mum promised to come to Hogwarts herself if they didn't receive a letter every week. Sighing, she put it in an envelope and gave it to Angus.

The day of flying lessons came much sooner than she was ready for, but at least the sky was clear when the first years marched out onto the fields. The only people who looked confident were Tuffnut and Snotlout, who seemed to believe they were invincible gods. Hydrus Nott was telling anyone who'd listen how many times he'd flown and how fantastic he was. Merida snuck a look at Jack who looked a mixture of boredom and understated anxiety.

"Afternoon, boys and girls." The flying instructor, Madam Flora, came out. She was an older witch, leaning on the side of plumpness, and dressed in red robes with a red pointed hat. "Today I'll be teaching you the basics of flying. Please arrange yourselves in two lines. I will place a broomstick beside each one of you, but don't touch it until I give you instructions to do so."

They followed her directions and got into two lines, one Gryffindor and one Slytherin. Merida ended up facing Jack who gave her a half smile. He must have really been nervous not to give her a snarky retort.

Jack was very nervous. He absolutely did not want to make a fool out of himself in front of anyone, especially the Gryffindors. If he fell off, Merida would make fun of him for weeks! But then again, she didn't quite look her cocky self- she kept stuffing her red curls into a ponytail as if to keep her fingers occupied. Even weirder, when he offered a smile, she returned it.

He gave the broom beside him a rather dubious look. Could this thing really fly?

"Now, place your right hand above the broom and say 'Up!' very clearly. Ready?"

"Up!" Jack called, and to his surprise, it shot up into his hand. He looked around and saw that no one's had done it as quickly as his. Merida looked surprised as well- hers had only sort of rolled around a bit. Some people's, like Horace's, hadn't moved at all. But then, eventually, everyone managed to get their broom up.

Madam Flora then proceeded to show them how to mount the broom to avoid sliding off and went around correcting their grips. To Jack, she shifted his hands a lot before frowning. "You look more natural holding like this, but the proper grip is the other way around." she said. "I'll allow you to try both ways."

Jack nodded, unsure of why his hands jumped to that position. He noticed that quite a few people looked quite dumb on the broomstick and felt self-conscious. He hoped he didn't look as silly as Crabbe or even Astrid, whose kept swinging.

"Now that we're all ready, when I say three, kickoff with your foot and hover in the air. Don't use too much force, just in case you topple over. It can be difficult to keep your balance. Ready? On the count of three. One, two, three!"

Almost everyone rose up and almost everyone fell back down again, exceptions being Nott, who evidently had at least flown before, Snotlout, who looked constipated he was concentrating so hard, and Jack.

Jack wasn't sure what he was doing differently than everyone else, but it felt easy, just like sitting normally. Madam Flora looked excited.

"Look at what these three boys are doing, and try to copy. It's all about balancing."

It took everyone a while to even get up in the air without falling, during which time Jack tried to move around until he got the hang of it, which didn't take long.

"How're you doing this?" hissed Merida, whose face was turning the color of her hair in frustration. She had made it to the air, but every move she made cause the broom to jerk violently.

"I dunno," said Jack truthfully. "I just am."

Madam Flora flew over to him. "Have you ever flown before, boy?"

"No ma'am. First time."

She whistled. "That's pretty impressive. Would you and the others who are able to stay afloat like to toss this ball around?"

Jack nodded but Hydrus flew in and took the ball before he could grab it. Hydrus was probably the next best flier, but Jack noticed that his legs were shaking and he had to think about it.

"Catch this!" Hydrus lobbed it at him but Jack shot up and snatched it, tossing it easily in turn to Stuart, who hogged it with the other Gryffindors for a while. Eventually, Hydrus leaned in and grabbed it back, promoting a fiercer game. It didn't take many people to notice that Jack managed to catch every shot thrown at him.

"You're moving around like a ballerina!" called out Hydrus, with a sneer.

Jack grinned. "Least I don't look like I'm about to puke whenever the broom moves too fast."

Hydrus was getting angrier now. He couldn't lose a stupid game of catch with a muggle born, not after bragging so much. He thew the balls with a lot more force and got even more frustrated when Jack caught them started to go higher and higher, ignoring all the other players. Everyone's eyes were on the two Slytherin boys.

Finally, he got so upset he flew straight upwards and threw the ball as hard as he could, much further than either of them had tried.

"There's no way you can get that!" He yelled as Jack followed it with his eyes.

Jack didn't listen and he started to fly; this wasn't just hovering, he was actually flying, and fast too. He shot like a bullet down in a dive, he could hear boys yelling and girls screaming but blocked it out. This was wonderful. He didn't have to think he just let the wind push him at high speed to the tiny ball. It was close to the ground, but Jack wasn't about to let it fall. Five feet away, four, three, two, one, inches, and he had it in his sweaty palm and shot back up, doing a backwards turn while he was at it. He didn't even feel the need to hold on, so he didn't, just throwing all caution to the wind before gliding easily back to the crowd of astounded first years.

"That was..." Madam Flora cleared her throat. "Very reckless of you. But also very, very good."

Jack turned little red as he softly landed. Suddenly, on the ground, he felt a lot heavier and his legs felt shaky. "I just...knew what to do." He said sort of lamely.

Madam Flora chuckled a little. "You certainly did. That actually concludes our lesson for the time being. Mr. Frost? Will you accompany me?"

Gulping, Jack followed her, sneaking a look at Merida who looked flabbergasted, Flynn and Horace who looked impressed, and Hydrus looked like he swallowed a large lemon.

He didn't say anything but just trotted behind the older woman, who was was walking quite quickly with some purpose. He wasn't going to get punished, was he? No, that wouldn't make sense. It had been Nott who threw it so far. Now, thinking back, he couldn't believe he dove for that ball when it was so close to the ground. He could've been killed!

Madam Flora stopped short and Jack nearly ran into her as she rapped a door three times in quick, successive motion.

It opened and Professor Mirage stepped out, look about as puzzled as Jack felt. "Flora?"

"I've found you a Seeker."

Mirage looked confusedly at Jack, back at Flora, and then back at Jack again. "You're kidding." she said. "He's a first year."

"He's got natural talent." said Flora. "Took a fifty foot dive like it was nothing then flipped upside-down and didn't even hold on."

Mirage's eyes widened. "Ababwa is in my class right now, I'm sure he won't mind being pulled out. Wait right here."

She vanished and then reappeared with a muscular teen Jack had seen around Jasmine. "Ali, Madam Flora says she's got you a Seeker."

Ali's expression changed into one of cautious excitement. "Really, Flora?"

"That's Madam Flora, to you." sniffed the flying instructor, but she couldn't hide her smile. "You won't be disappointed. I'll speak to Professor North immediately about allowing us a little flexibility on the rule against first years."

Mirage's eyes glinted and she looked Jack over once more.

"He's got the right build." said Ali, pacing back and forth. "Teach, think he could match Pan?"

"Let's hope so. I don't plan on being defeated this year." said the teacher, almost dangerously.

Jack gulped. Flying was one thing, but he didn't even know what being a "seeker" meant. Ali seemed to anticipate this.

"Can you meet me at the pitch later tonight, right after dinner? I'd like to see you for myself." He suddenly grinned. "I'm the Slytherin Captain, by the way. Resident sports obsessor."

"Let's get back to class." said Mirage pointedly, pulling him away from Jack. Ali didn't look like he minded much.

"See you this evening!"

"Right..." said Jack quietly, and once he was alone he let out the breath he had been holding. Seeker... he didn't even know who to tell. He knew for sure he wanted to avoid the Slytherin Common Room, so he climbed up towards to Owlrey. This was definitely news to write home about.

Hiccup happened to be headed to the same location, although his letter didn't so much as contain good news as sort of mediocre news. He had penned it during lunch and wasn't overly pleased with the result:

Dear Dad,

Enjoying Hogwarts a lot. Know you weren't too pleased I ended up in Ravenclaw, but I'm doing well in all my classes and have high marks. I've made a few friends, one of them named Jack. Even Merida isn't as bad as I thought she would be. Hope you're doing well and that the dragons haven't eaten you yet.

See you in December,

Hiccup

Hiccup knew very well that his dad didn't care about marks or friends or anything other than dragon killing. Still, how could he write in a letter that he was frankly awful at anything that required too much violent passion, which the other Berk kids were stuffed full with?

He sighed as he walked into the Owlrey, looking for a suitable owl to do the job, and another familiar person was in there, presumably doing the same.

"Hey Jack."

"Hiccup!" Jack looked a little windswept. "You'll never guess what just happened."

After telling him the story, Hiccup was properly shocked, probably more than Jack himself. "First years never make the team." He said, eyes round. He had been one of the few in his class to manage to stay afloat as well, but only with enormous concentration.

Jack gestured to the letter he was writing. "I don't really know how to tell my mum that." He said slowly. "I'm afraid she'll just freak out. Rosie'll find it interesting, at least."

"That's your sister, right?"

Jack nodded. "Guess I'd better send it anyway." He addressed it, sealed it, and sent it on its way. He then watched the owl flutter away and had a sudden, intense desire to fly again. It was so strong, Jack wondered if he actually needed a broom, before dismissing that thought as rather silly.

While Jack and Hiccup were in the Owlrey, Rapunzel was writing a letter of her own in the Hufflepuff Common Room.

Dearest Mother,

Nothing much has changed since my letter a few days ago except that I'm growing to love Hogwarts more and more! Almost everyone is very nice, and the people that aren't nice aren't in my house. I really like being a Hufflepuff, even though you called them "The Dumb House" when you last wrote. It's so wonderful to be able to make friends and I've really enjoyed learning new spells, though none of it is as easy as what you taught me.

I can't wait to tell you even more when Christmas time comes around. Maybe I'll get to show you some of the things I've learned!

Love you so much!

Rapunzel

Rapunzel sighed and put it in the envelope, wondering why she even bothered. She didn't understand why her mother was being so mean. Did she really think she belonged at home forever? Hogwarts was where she belonged!

"What're you sighing about?" asked Tooth, smacking her gum loudly. "Don't get down! We've only been here for three weeks; the hard stuff hasn't even started yet."

Rapunzel didn't really know how to explain her relationship with her mother to Tooth, whose own parents got along brilliantly and sent her candies every Friday and were thrilled when she got in Hufflepuff. "Right," sad Rapunzel, staring at the flickering flames in the fireplace, wondering if anyone else was starting to feel more at home at Hogwarts than they ever had before.

OoO

I call this one the "letter" chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed it! To answer a question, Jack's talents will be discussed later on. As far as them all being first years, well, plot convinence I suppose :) Thanks to all who left messages, I really appreciate them. Until next week,

Kay