AN: Hello, everyone! This is technically late, but I'm going to pretend it's not because it was only roughly two hours off, and I stayed up late to finish it for y'all! I hope you enjoy it. I personally love how this chapter turned out. It's a lot cuter than I thought it would be.
NOTES: Pride is Petty, Humility is Honored.
REVIEWERS!:
BrawlerGamer: The Frog Choir was mostly because it just fit Franny Robinson so well (considering her Frog Band in her movie) and it made her cameo even better. She does know about the Will o' the Wisps, but that will come later. And, as for the rest, you'll just have to wait and see ;)
HanyouExorcistAlchemist48: Here's a small portion of reactions. There will probably be more to come, this is just the beginning. ;)
Chapter 5: Care of Magical Creatures
Merida tiptoed down the halls, peeking around corners and peeking into doorways before she dared to pass them. She was sneaking towards the library, and would probably get an earful for it later, but Merida simply could not handle another Princess Lesson. She needed some time and space to relax.
The days had been long and slow through the first week of classes, well, at least they had been for Merida. It was only Thursday evening, and she had practically ran out of the classroom to avoid being caught by her mother after classes. Merida had taken an extra half-hour to take the long route to the library, sneaking along quietly in the hopes of meeting up with her friends.
Merida sighed in relief as she finally turned the last corner to see the large doors of the library just a little ways down the hall. She looked around carefully one last time, and was about to waltz right into the library, when something made her pause mid-step altogether, raising her eyebrows and her lips quirking up into a confused half-smile.
There was a chicken in the middle of the hallway. It was just standing there, and then Jack came hurrying out of the library. He snatched the chicken up into his arms and darted back into the library as the chicken balked at him for trying to cover it with his robes.
Utterly confused, Merida followed after her friend and opted to ask Rapunzel or Hiccup about Jack's strange behavior and his new... pet?
Merida entered the library and went up the stairs to their usual spot. Rapunzel sat at the table, her back to Merida as she watched Hiccup and Jack struggling with two chickens and what looked like a makeshift pen that was constructed entirely out of library books.
Merida walked over and stood next to Rapunzel, tilting her head as they watched Hiccup and the brown chicken watch Jack struggling to grab the flailing white chicken that was trying to escape. Jack had managed to grab one of the white chicken's legs, but the chicken proceeded to peck the top of his head while still flailing it's wings all about.
"Uhh... What's going on here?" Merida asked Rapunzel cautiously, not taking her eyes off of Jack and the chicken.
"I don't know why, exactly, but Jack and Hiccup have a bet going on who can keep a chicken in the school longer without getting caught by a professor." Rapunzel told her, also keeping her eyes on the battling Winter Sprite and chicken.
"Okay..." Merida drew out the word as she slid into the seat next to Rapunzel, finally tearing her eyes away long enough to look at the other girl.
"Anyways," Rapunzel said, shaking her head and looking away from the spectacle before them so she could look at Merida. "I'm happy to see you! I thought your mom would want you for your Lessons every afternoon after classes."
"Well..." Merida cringed, avoiding Rapunzel's eyes as she squinted curiously at her.
"Merida? Are you supposed to be with your mom right now?" Rapunzel shot a quick look over her shoulder, as if she were worried someone might over hear, and dropped her voice to a whisper.
"Technically? Yes. But I just couldn't handle another one of her Lessons! I'm exhausted, running around to watch all of the Gathering's competitions and plays and speeches, and having to take classes and Princess Lessons! I haven't been able to see any of you outside of classes and meal times for almost a week now! I just needed some time and space to myself, is all." Merida confided in her friend as one of the chickens let out a particularly loud balk and Jack yelped in pain.
"It does sound pretty tiring." Rapunzel agreed sympathetically. "I just wish I knew of some way to help." She reached out and placed a comforting hand on Merida's shoulder.
"I just wish she would let me grow up in my own time. It's like she expects me to be just like her, but I'm not ready for any of this! And I feel like we never get to see each other anymore." Merida nodded towards the boys. Jack had finally managed to pin down the wings of the white chicken, and Hiccup just looked amused as the brown chicken started to peck it's way towards the stairs again.
"We still see each other in class." Rapunzel pointed out hopefully. "And what about the Hogsmeade trip coming up? We're finally old enough to go!"
"Yeah, if mom will let me," Merida said, slumping back in her chair as a slight scowl crossed her features.
"You know," Jack said, putting the white chicken in the pen with a satisfied nod as he dusted off his hands and then turned to the girls. "It never hurts to ask. You just need to have a good argument planned in advance!"
"Jack's right; you should ask and see if you can convince her. It wasn't exactly easy getting my dad to sign the papers, but he did, once I actually managed to talk to him, that is..." Hiccup scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he looked at the floor, seemingly remembering that moment between him and his dad.
"And if you can't go then... Then neither will I." Rapunzel stated boldly. "Our first trip to Hogsmeade just wouldn't be the same if we aren't all going."
"Rapunzel's right. Besides there will be plenty of Hogsmeade trips this year. They do one almost every other weekend. We'll just have to wait for the one that your mom says yes to." Jack agreed.
"Yeah. Who knows? Maybe by then Jack will have realized that he caught the wrong chicken." Hiccup smirked widely.
Jack picked up the white chicken from the book-pen and his eyes bulged slightly. He threw the chicken over his head and went running for his brown chicken that was, once again, heading straight for the library entrance. The girls laughed and Hiccup caught his falling chicken with ease, placing it back in the pen.
Merida chuckled, happy for her friends' encouragement and care. "Thanks, I really appreciate the thought, but all of you should go to Hogsmeade whether I can go or not. Someone has to bring me back some of that famous candy!"
Her friends didn't look too happy about the idea, but they agreed after a little more convincing, which was enough to make Merida happy. She didn't want her friends to give up a possible adventure just because she couldn't come. No matter how much she wanted to go with them. She just had to hope for the best and that her mother would let her go.
Luckily, their hidden spot in the library was the perfect hiding place. It was like their own secret club where no one, not even Merida's mother, could find them. They spent a good four hours in their own world where it was just the four of them, laughing and doing their homework as Jack battled with his chicken.
However, as it always did, reality caught up to them and the four had to join the rest of the school for dinner. As Merida predicted, her mother was upon her just five minutes after leaving the library and dragged her away to talk with one of the Lords while her friends were left to their own devices.
The next morning Merida made a point of sneaking off so she could sit with the others at breakfast, which lifted her spirits a little because it had been a while since the four of them had been able to eat all together.
Her classes seemed to pass a little faster with how relaxing her morning was, and Merida was incredibly happy when it finally came time for Care of Magical Creatures. The four met in the hallways on their way outside and grinned at each other as they all hurried down the steep hill towards the Grounds Keeper's hut.
By the time they arrived a group of third-years was already forming in front of the hut's front porch where the large Grounds Keeper, Mr. Crood, stood counting heads as more children arrived. The four quickly joined the growing crowd as Mr. Crood grinned and nodded in satisfaction as he saw a few straggling students coming down the hill.
"That's it, gather around!" He called to all of them. "I've got a real treat for your first class!"
Merida couldn't help but notice that all three of the Lords' sons were there as well and she quickly ducked behind her three friends, hoping that the boys wouldn't notice her.
"Now," Mr. Crood said, clapping his hands together and stepping off the porch to stand next to a large crate that was poked with holes. "Since this is only your first class, we're going to start off with something small and relatively friendly." Mr. Crood announced, opening the top of the crate and reaching inside so he could pick up a small, fluffy creature. "This is a Niffler."
The Niffler was incredibly cute. It had black, fluffy fur and a fluffy little tail. It looked like an unusually large mole, except it's snout was much longer and it's big ears that were almost bigger than it's head. The Niffler's little eyes shone happily as it sniffed all over Mr. Crood's large hands.
"Can anyone tell me what Niffler's are most commonly trained for?" Mr. Crood asked, looking around the large group of children as he slowly passed each of them, showing them the cute little creature.
A Hufflepuff, Fishlegs if Merida remembered correctly, raised his hand excitedly. "Their keen sense of smell and their natural attraction to shiny objects makes them excellent treasure hunters. Goblins and Explorers will keep them and train them to find treasure for them deep in the earth."
"That is correct." Mr. Crood nodded.
"Cool." A blonde Gryffindor, Tuffnut, said as he peered over Fishleg's shoulder at the small creature.
"Now, while these little guys are gentle, and even affectionate at times, they can be very destructive to belongings and should never be kept in a house. They live in lairs up to twenty feet below the surface and can produce six to eight young in a litter." Mr. Crood informed them as he finished showing the Niffler to all of the students and then proceeded to place him back in the crate. "Why don't you all become acquainted with them, eh? Don't grab at them, just hold out your hands and they'll come to sniff at you."
Opening a latch, Mr. Crood lifted the side wall of the crate and about twenty Niffler's scuttled out at varying speeds. Some were incredibly curious about that students, and others were a little more wary, lingering inside the crate and peering out at the crowd of children.
Merida knelt down along with her friends and held out her hand. Everyone was whispering and giggling about how cute they were, or hoping that one of them would come to their hand. Merida couldn't help but laugh as the one Mr. Crood had shown to everyone came right over to the four. It sniffed at each of their fingers for a bit before deciding that it liked Hiccup best and climbing up into his hands, forcing Hiccup to hold him.
"Aww, he likes you!" Rapunzel giggled as Hiccup scratched the Niffler's chin.
"He likes to climb, that's for sure." Hiccup mumbled as the Niffler started to crawl it's way up his sleeve to his shoulder. At the same time, another Niffler came over and started sniffing Hiccup's knee.
"Why do animals like you so much? Even the chickens liked you more than me!" Jack exclaimed in mock devastation.
"Maybe because I'm not a sore loser. You lost that bet fair and square, don't blame it on me that you can't sneak a chicken into your common rooms." Hiccup retorted and Jack ruffled Hiccup's hair, causing Hiccup to duck his head down a bit which made the Niffler squeak in indignation.
Eventually, a handful of the Nifflers had managed to wriggle out of the circle and into the garden, prompting a Niffler hunt from the students, which was actually quite a lot of fun. Merida, Jack, Rapunzel, Hiccup, Ruffnut and Tuffnut whom Merida knew from Gryffindor, and a Slytherin boy named Snotlout were searching through the pumpkin patch when Young Macintosh decided to come and interrupt by pulling Merida over next to him by the arm.
"Careful, Princess. You can't trust a Viking, especially when it comes to Royalty." Young Macintosh sniffed, glaring at the Slytherin boy who didn't look too happy about it.
"You got something to say, pretty boy? Why don't you say it to my face like a man? Or are you Scotts just a bunch of cowards?" Snotlout taunted and his loud remarks had grabbed the attention of the twins.
Merida yanked her arm free from Macintosh's grip, intent on apologizing because she knew that the twins came from the same Tribe as Snotlout, and even though she didn't know any of them that well, the twins were part of her Quidditch team and Snotlout had never done anything to her personally.
"Guys, come on. Don't fight, it's not worth it." Hiccup said, now holding a Niffler with both hands while two hung on each of his shoulders and the very first Niffler had moved to sit comfortably on his head.
"Shut up, loser, this is about pride! Something you obviously know nothing about." Snotlout spat.
"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size." Jack growled, ready to jump in and defend Hiccup, but Rapunzel reached out a grabbed his shoulder.
"Not helping, Jack." She muttered, glancing at Snotlout and Macintosh as they glared heatedly at each other. The twins were brandishing their fists as wide grins stretched across their faces.
"Enough!" Merida snapped. Everyone froze and looked at her. Suddenly on the spot, Merida rushed to calm the situation while she had the chance. Her mother's lessons were detention enough, she didn't need anymore because of a fight breaking out in the middle of class. "I don't need your protection, or your stupid comments." She glared at Macintosh. She turned to the Vikings and dipped her head in a respectful bow, but only her head. She was still the crowned princess, which meant she out-ranked them all. "Sorry. That was uncalled for."
Merida jabbed her elbow into Macintosh's gut, making him gasp and clutch at his side. After he took a moment to collect himself, Macintosh growled what sounded like an apology, and the Vikings snorted.
"Whatever." Snotlout muttered, rolling his eyes, but he did give Merida an almost imperceptible nod as he turned and left with the twins.
Merida lead her friends away from Macintosh, back towards Mr. Crood's hut and she was thankful that her friends waited until they were out of hearing range to start talking again.
"Merida, that was incredible!" Rapunzel gushed as soon as they were away from the scene.
"Gotta admit, it was pretty cool." Jack agreed.
"Someone had to stop them, and I'm pretty sure I was the only one any of them were gonna listen to, anyways." Merida shrugged. "Come on, let's give those Nifflers to Mr. Crood and get back to hunting... Somewhere besides the pumpkin patch." She added after a moments thought.
The four made their way over to the teacher who was too distracted helping other students to have noticed the little spat. By the time they were standing in front of him, Hiccup had somehow acquired three more.
One on his head, two on his shoulders, three in his arms, and a rather large, chubby one in his robe's left outside pocket.