I feel like I'm falling into the same pattern over and over again... I take yet another eternity since I've last posted a chapter, then I apologize for doing so, and then I say I hope you enjoy. Meh. Whatever works, right? Here goes...
It's been forever since I've last posted, sorry, enjoy!
Merida POV
I lay on the large blue couch in the Ravenclaw common room, Hiccup laying on the floor directly underneath me. We had been talking for a while in easy camaraderie. Hiccup had insisted he was perfectly fine on the ground, telling me he had slept in much worse places before. I had offered him a place beside me, but he had blushed profusely and declined.
The fire had died out, and we lay in the muted darkness of the night. A small chill crept through the room and I shivered slightly.
"Do you want me to light the fire again?" Hiccup mumbled from the floor.
I grinned to myself.
"I'm fine." I whispered back. "Just a little chilly. We've had a lot worse in Scotland."
Hiccup gave out a small chuckle and the fire roared to life. I had to admit, wandless magic was really cool. Maybe I could convince him to teach me one day...
"You've obviously never experienced a Berk winter before."
I smiled.
"Hiccup?" I asked.
"Yes?" He asked, if somewhat reluctantly.
"Tell me something about Berk. What's it like there?" I asked.
He remained silent for a few moments. He sighed and rolled over to lay on his back, arms behind his head, staring up at the intricate ceiling.
"It snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three." He droned sarcastically. "It's twelve days north of Hopeless, a few degrees south of Freezing to Death, and is located solidly on the Meridian of Misery."
I let out a quiet laugh. I cast a look over the edge of the couch to see Hiccup grinning as well, though his eyes remained distant and lost.
"Any food that grows there is bland and tasteless, the people even more so." He continued with his act of dry sarcasm, knowing I found it amusing. "The only down side is the pests. While some places have mice or rats, we have..."
"Dragons." We whispered together.
He nodded silently.
"How's Toothless?" I asked, knowing the Tournament had probably been occupying the majority of his time, therefore taking away any flying time they had together.
"He's not loving the fact that I'm back at school, but he doesn't mind. As long as he gets fed, he's content."
"We should go flying again." I said. "I'll ride Toothless, and you can fly beside us in your beastie form."
"What makes you think you're allowed to ride my dragon?" Hiccup asked, his tone mock-accusing.
"Can I ride you, then?" I asked.
"Wha-? Uh, no, no you can not ride me." He spluttered, absolutely set against the idea of me riding him.
"Why not? We could do cool flips in the air, or fly really fast." I said.
"Yeah, right." He said. Even though I couldn't see his face, I swear I could picture him rolling his eyes. "We'd have to make a saddle, I guess, so you wouldn't fall off-"
"So you're considering it?" I asked.
"No." He said stubbornly.
I sighed, and silence filled the room.
"It's past midnight." Hiccup stated.
"I've noticed." I drawled.
"You should probably sleep." He said.
"What about you?" It seemed like he never slept, and I wondered how he managed to survive classes during the day.
Hiccup hesitated. "There was...a shadow earlier, in the forest." He said quietly.
"Oh." I said. I guessed the energy he absorbed from these...shadow creatures fueled him. It was kind of creepy, to be honest, not having to sleep or eat to be able to function.
We sat for a few moments in uncomfortable silence.
"Sleep, Merida." He said finally.
Too tired to really argue, I mumbled some half-hearted excuse and rolled over.
"You have to wake me up before dawn." I told him. If the other students woke up to find me sleeping on the couch, I didn't know what I would do. Probably punch the first one that mocked me.
"Fine. Go to sleep, Merida. You need it." He prompted gently.
"Alright, alright. Calm down, Viking." I flashed a quick grin.
"Go to sleep, Princess." He continued.
"Goodnight, Fishbone."
"Goodnight, Highness." He said quietly.
I closed my eyes, a smile gently making it's way onto my face as I thought of what had happened the past hour. I was happy, something I had not been for a long time. With a small spark of recognition, I realized that Hiccup was the reason I was happy.
Rapunzel POV
I was sitting in Gryffindor common room, having waited more than 10 minutes for Jack to descend the stairs so we could head to breakfast and meet up with Hiccup and Merida. He always seemed to wait until the last moment before getting anywhere. I didn't mind though, as long as we weren't late.
"Hey Punz." He said. He took the steps two at a time, his cloak swirling about his shoulders as he flew down the staircase.
"You're late, Jack." I said.
"Being late is my specialty." He quipped.
"I thought your specialty was causing mischief." I said.
"I am a master of many things." He winked at me and I grinned back.
We walked side by side as we made our way to the Great Hall. When we finally reached the large oak doors, we shared a final laugh and made our way over to Gryffindor table to find Merida and Hiccup.
Jack swung a leg over the bench, sitting across from our two friends. I slid in beside him.
"Woah, Merida. You look like you did't sleep at all." Jack said.
"Jack!" I exclaimed. "That's not very nice."
He just shrugged.
"That's cause I was woken up at dawn." Merida grumbled.
"You asked me to wake you up early." Hiccup defended.
"It would have been nice to get a few hours of sleep." Merida continued.
"Sleep's over rated." Hiccup gave a lopsided grin.
"Oh, Shut it Viking." Merida muttered.
"With pleasure, Princess." Hiccup gave a cheeky grin.
I smiled. Early mornings were the best for conversations. Just as I was about to comment on the current situation, a group of noisy 4th years walked by, cutting us off as we tried to continue speaking above their voices.
"Congrats, Haddock." One of them called out as they passed by. The others cheered their approval.
Hiccup looked slightly uncomfortable and nodded his head in acknowledgement. I could barely hear him mutter something, more than likely a thanks. He hung his head slightly, seeming suddenly interested in a knot in the wood. He scratched at it with his fingernail.
"Looks like Hiccup's a celebrity now." Jack said in a sing-song voice.
"I'm not a celebrity." Hiccup mumbled. "All I did was put a dragon to sleep."
"Hiccup, you're the victor of the first task, that's a big deal." I encouraged him.
Hiccup sighed and leaned back on the bench, staring mutely at the table.
I looked over to Merida, who seemed half asleep as she mutely ate her breakfast.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty, you awake?" Jack teased, prodding her gently with his fork.
Merida shot him a glare and swatted the utensil away.
"You're so bloody hilarious, Frost." She grumbled.
Jack laughed, finding enjoyment in her reaction.
It seemed that there was a lull of silence across the Great Hall, like a wave of quiet had passed over our heads. We all shared confused glances. Why was everyone quiet so suddenly? I looked up to the front of the room. No one stood at the speakers podium.
Jack frowned and made a move to stand up so he could see better. I placed a hand on his arm and shook my head. I pointed to the large oak doors leading into the Great Hall. Everyone's heads swiveled towards the back of the room.
There, about a dozen ministry officials stood. They appeared very professional in their uniforms and freshly pressed cloaks. The teachers all stood, and Prof. North addressed the newcomers.
"What is purpose for visit?" He asked them, his deep voice and rough accent cutting through the silence.
"We would like to have a private conversation with you and your head professors." An old man with a British accent stated. He appeared to be the leader of this strange group of officials.
"What is reason?" Prof. North asked.
"We would prefer to discuss it in... private quarters." The man said, casting a disapproving glance around the room.
North frowned, but nodded his approval.
"We can use office. Come." He said.
The Guardians all stood and made their way towards the large wooden doors, all of them exchanging curious glances with one another.
"Students have rest of morning off." Pro. North called out.
There were a few whispered words exchanged among the students, and Jack grinned like a maniac.
"No potions!" He said, sounding like Christmas had come early this year.
I frowned slightly. The hall gradually grew louder with noise, as students stood and began making their way out of the room. Eventually, we were one of the very few left.
"No potions! This is great! What do you guys want to do?" Jack asked.
An idea struck me.
"Hiccup, is Toothless here?" I asked the green-eyed teen.
"Uh, what? I wasn't... listening. Sorry." Hiccup replied. He appeared distant. I figured he was deep in though at the moment. Merida nudged him and he seemed to finally awaken from his stupor.
"Uh, yes. Toothless is here. Well, not here, but... here." Hiccup stammered.
"Can we visit him?" I asked.
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Hiccup gave a small lopsided grin.
"We should bring the poor beastie some fish." Merida suggested as she stood. "He's probably all lonely in that creepy forest."
"We went hunting this morning." Hiccup said. "Any more fish and he'll become too fat to fly."
"This morning?" I asked. He would have had to be awake at a very early hour to slip away unnoticed.
"Do you ever sleep?" Jack asked, his words echoing what I had been thinking.
"Not often." Hiccup shrugged.
"How do you make it through classes without dying from exhaustion?" Jack asked. "I barely manage and I sleep the majority of the day."
"I actually work on my assignments." Hiccup deadpanned. "You should try it, it might actually get you somewhere."
Jack waved a hand, dismissing the idea.
"Work's no fun." He told us. "I should know, I am the Guardian of Fun."
Merida stood and scoffed.
"Whatever you say, Guardian of Fun." She told him. "Now let's go have some actual fun and visit the poor beastie in the forest."