So, since the Triwizard tournament is happening, the next two chapters will be in Hiccup's POV, for obvious reasons. So, enjoy this chapter! I worked extra hard on it ;)

Hiccup POV

My mind couldn't focus on anything, not even the mundane questions Mrs. Bonner was busy asking me at the moment. All throughout the interview, I had been answering questions wrong, making up answers, and was pretty sure I hadn't even answered half of them. To be honest, I didn't really care.

My mind kept replaying that moment over and over. Being pulled out of the tent, Merida, being pushed back in. It had all happened so quickly, I didn't even know how to react. I think the reason I was having trouble answering Mrs. Bonner's questions was because I had too many of my own.

"Alrighty then." I heard Mrs. Bonner huff. "We can continue the interviews after the first task. Good luck contestants." She sounded miffed by my failed interview, and forced herself to sound annoyingly bubbly. She stood and made her way to the back of the tent, taking long, stiff strides.

I stood from my uncomfortable chair and went to stand with the other contestants. Sean seemed very nervous, while Amélie appeared aloof and withdrawn, like she didn't want to associate herself with us. We all stood silently, watching the tent flap for when Minister Nomad would enter and inform us about the final task.

"Time to begin soon." Nomad announced as he strode into the tent. He appeared rushed, ready to begin the first task. He gestured for us to come in closer and we reluctantly stepped forward.

I cleared my mind of all thoughts of Merida, which had become increasingly difficult over the past few minutes. Now was the time to focus. The tournament has begun.

"I will now explain the first task, so listen close." He said. "Out on the quidditch pitch, is an object unique to you. You must go out there, one at a time to retrieve that item by any means necessary. Understand so far?" He asked.

We all nodded mutely, not trusting ourselves to speak at the moment.

"However, this is the triwizard tournament, so nothing is that easy. There will be a creature out there as well, each one chosen specifically to frighten you, or give you the most difficulty in retrieving your item. You have to defeat that creature and capture your item. Each one contains a clue for the next task, so I would treat it with care." He paused and looked around at us. "I wish you the best of luck, each one of you."

He straightened up and adjusted the black cap adorning his head. "You will be choosing numbers from a hat to determine who goes first. Good luck out there." He said. Then, he turned and left the tent without a second glance back at us.

Prof. Toothiana pushed her way into the tent just as the minister left, holding a hat with small pieces of paper in them.

"Hello, champions!" She said. "Are you excited?"

We remained silent.

"Okay then. Time to choose numbers." She said. She held the hat out to Amélie first, who took a slip of paper identical to the others without hesitation. Sean stuck his hand into the hat and pulled out a slip, leaving me with no options but to choose the last remaining piece of parchment.

"Try your best out there." Prof. Toothiana said. "I'm proud of all of you."

She looked at me pointedly, and I was taken aback slightly. Was she bluffing with me? Could she sincerely be proud of me, even when I was the one of the prophecy, a threat to the Guardians? My head spun. It was too much all at once, I was struggling to wrap my mind around all of it.

"I'm first." Sean said beside me. He set his jaw and turned to face the back entrance of the tent. I opened my own paper and looked up at Amélie.

"I am second." She said. She straightened and crumpled her piece of paper.

"I guess I'm last then." I muttered. I didn't crumple my paper, or throw it away. Instead, I smoothed it out and placed it in my pocket, whether for safe keeping or some other reason, I don't know.

"Please welcome first contestant to arena!" I heard Prof. North's voice ring out across the stadium, only slightly muffled by the thick cloth of the tent.

Sean took a deep breath a pushed aside the flap that covered the entrance to the stadium. The crowd exploded with cheers, everyone anxious to begin the first task.

Everyone but me.

More cheering could be heard from outside of the tent, the crowd encouraging Amélie as she faced a danger unknown to me. I sat alone in the tent, with nothing to occupy me but my thoughts.

I tapped my fingers against my thigh relentlessly, too worried to care about much else other than the first task. What was waiting for me beyond this tent? A basilisk? Dementor? Acromantula? The possibilities were endless, and so were the dangers.

"Time for final contestant." North's voice rang out over the loud stadium, still cheering after Amélie's performance.

I stood slowly and swallowed, taking my time to reach the exit of the tent. It was time for the first task. I grasped the rough fabric beneath my fingertips and pulled it aside, revealing a huge crowd seated in the quidditch stands, and a blazing sun covering everything in golden light.

Noise exploded around me as cheers rang out across the quidditch pitch. I dropped the edge of fabric from my grasp and faced a large door, seemingly conjured out of nowhere for the purposes of this task. My eyes did a quick scan of the crowd, and I could quickly pick out my friends among them. Rapunzel waved small flags in the air while Jack and Merida settled for cheering with the rest of the school.

I looked up to the teachers box and saw the Ministry officials, as well as Noman sitting with North, who gazed down sternly from his chair. I took a deep breath once more and scanned my surroundings. There. Something was gleaming in the sunlight, something round and polished. I took a few steps closer to the object, sure it was meant for me, when a loud clanging of metal could be heard.

My head snapped up to the large door as it slowly opened. I prepared myself for whatever was about to come through those doors. I raised my sword and extended it, setting the blade aflame. I took a deep breath as the doors finally opened all the way to reveal a...

"Dragon." I said. I stood up straighter. "A dragon."

The large Monstrous Nightmare burst forward, setting itself aflame and roaring loudly amidst the screams and startled gasps of the crowd. It was a fiery red, brighter than most on Berk, speckled with dark brown and yellow spots. It's large hooked maw opened wide as it roared yet again.

I almost grinned. It was a dragon. I could do dragons.

I retracted the blade of my sword and extinguished the blade. I began waving my arms above my head to get the dragons attention. It saw me and lowered it's head closer to the ground, growling loudly. I heard the crowd gasp and I lowered my hands. I took a few cautious steps forward.

I held the hilt of my sword out in front of me, and made a point of throwing it aside, showing the dragon I meant no harm. It stopped growling, though it's pupils were still dilated. I took another deep breath and continued walking forward, holding a single hand out in front of me.

"Hey, it's alright." I said quietly. "Let's not freak out, okay? I'd like to make it out of this alive. Easy now."

I stepped closer and stopped, allowing the dragon to approach me in it's own time. It began walking forward, eyeing me carefully. Eventually, it stood only a few steps in front of me, so close I could hear it breathing. I lowered my head and closed my eyes.

This was the moment of truth, whether it would choose to trust me or not. I felt as though we stood there for minutes, even though it was mere seconds. I tensed up, knowing that if this lasted any longer it would have to come to a fight.

I heard a faint rustling and felt warm, rough scales press against my hand. I sighed in relief. I looked up and met the dragons eyes. The crowd was silent, as was the dragon.

"Good job." I told it. I began scratching it, and could see it relax instantly, loving the feeling of warm hands scratching at it's itchy scales. I reached further back until finally, I found the small pressure plate behind it's jaw bone. Right...there.

With a single scratch, the dragon was out like a light, collapsed in a giant, scaly pile of pure bliss on the ground.

I smiled and looked over to the object I had seen glinting on the ground in the far right corner of the stadium. I cast a final look at the dragon and walked over to it. When I finally got close enough to make out the object, I was reluctant to pick it up.

It was a shield. A Viking shield, painted with Berk's crest.

Homesickness twisted through my chest and I grimaced, like it physically hurt me. I was reminded of everything I had ever gone through on that island, my life before and after Hogwarts. I couldn't help but feel slightly guilty, if not frightened by what this meant. I took a deep breath.

I looked up to the teachers box, and met the bright blue eyes of North. He had put this shield here purposefully, I knew it. Showing him I was not to be intimidated by a mere shield, I picked it up and strapped it to my arm. I walked careful, measured steps to the center of the arena, where the Monstrous Nightmare had begun to stir.

It stood slowly and I scratched it absentmindedly.

"That is end of first task." North announced to the crowd. "Final tally of scores will be now."

The other two victors emerged from a separate entrance to the arena, and I vaguely wondered how many the quidditch pitch actually had. They froze upon seeing the dragon but I gestured them forwards, while keeping a steadying hand on the Nightmare.

As I suspected, Amélie came first, with Sean lagging behind. She walked as close as she dared and even then, it was more than 20 meters away. The ends of her hair looked singed, and I wondered what the creature she had had to face was.

She clasped a silver dagger in her hands, and I was curious as to what it meant to her. Sean looked to be in better shape, though there were several scratches on his hands. He held a staff, not as large as Jack's, but made of a light brown wood, carved with swirling designs.

"3rd place" North said, his voice amplified by magic. "Is..." The crowd fell silent. "Sean Trelliem!"

Cheers went up among the crowd, most of the noise coming from the Hufflepuffs.

"And 2nd place winner is..." North paused for suspense. "Amélie Declan Dupoint!"

I froze. That couldn't be true. No. Surely Amélie had done better than me, I did nothing. All I did was calm down a dragon. That wasn't anything special, I had done it so many times before-

"Our winner is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III!" He announced. I couldn't tell whether his enthusiasm was real or forced.

My mind was reeling. I had won? I had won!

I grinned, and searched the many faces for my friends. I spotted them instantly, remembering where they sat among the crowd. The noise was deafening. Never before had I been cheered on like this.

I looked over to Amélie and Sean. Amélie looked slightly angry, and Sean just looked disappointed.

I looked at the dragon, who was being led away calmly by someone with red hair and a bright blue uniform. I think these were the dragon trainers from Romania, though I wasn't sure. As long as they didn't hurt the dragon...

I looked over to the other competitors again, still trying to wrap my mind around what exactly had happened today. I saw Noman, ushering us towards the back door of the arena. With a final glance towards the still cheering crowd, I was whisked away to once again be interviewed, though this time as the victor of the first task.