There's Always More

by AlicevsWonderland

Hogwarts AU. When Hiccup's secret of being the first to train a dragon is revealed, he struggles to handle his new popularity among the other students. Jack decides not to bother him like many of the others, even though he is also curious about the whole story. Despite this, an unlikely friendship blooms between the two boys and eventually turns into something more. Rated M!

4. Appearances

Hiccup woke up at dawn, as he attempted to do every day. A slim ray of sunshine made its way through a gap in the curtain on the window next to his bed, creating a shimmering beam through the dark room. He sighed happily and sat up in his bed, pulling the thick, soft blanket away. The cold of the brisk morning caused goosebumps to form in thousands of little dots on his skin, and he craved the warmth and comfort of his warm, cozy bed once more.

He picked up his prosthetic that was lying next to his bed and strapped it on. It had taken him a long time and many attempts to perfect the prosthetic and now it had become a part of him. He still felt pain by the prosthetic sometimes, especially late at night, when he had worn it all day, and that was something he wished he could be without.

Kneeling next to his bed, he pulled out the familiar, brown chest containing his armor. He kept his armor in that chest, so other students wouldn't accidentally see it. If they did, it would certainly raise a lot of questions.

In the bed next to his, Fishlegs was snoring loudly and mumbling something that Hiccup couldn't hear.

After putting his armor on, he slipped on his black cloak, so no one would notice his armor, if he happened to meet someone on the way. Not that that was very likely. He never met anyone, when he was up this early. He slung his bag over his right shoulder, and began walking slowly and quietly towards the door.

"Wait," Fishlegs said, and Hiccup froze in his tracks, hoping Fishlegs wouldn't wake any of the others with that sudden outburst. He remained still for a few seconds, listening for any signs of someone waking up. He breathed a short sigh of relief, when he didn't hear anyone stirring.

"What's up, Fish?" he asked, only to realize that Fishlegs was still asleep. He shook his head and smiled to himself. He should have known.

Fishlegs talked in his sleep a lot. Sometimes he could actually have conversations with him, but his absurd answers always made Hiccup laugh. Fishlegs would suddenly sit up in bed and say something like "What's that?" in a disturbed tone and Hiccup would ask "What's what?", to which Fishlegs would spit out: "That's none of your business!" or some other angry comment before his head hit the pillow again and he was snoring loudly.

"The, the… the unicorn's coming straight at me," Fishlegs muttered, his nose crinkled in distress.

"Just get Meatlug to chase it away," Hiccup said and chuckled.

Fishlegs turned in his sleep. "Right, right…" he said, sounding much more calm now. "Come here, girl. Come here, Meatlug."

The stairs to the common room were old and always whined, no matter how carefully he walked. It was especially difficult to be quiet on creaking wood with a prosthetic, but he never woke anyone regardless.

The Ravenclaw common room had a high dome ceiling painted like the stars, comfy blue sofas and armchairs, a huge stone fireplace and Ravenclaw banners on the walls. It was bathed in the orange and pink glow from the sunrise, the gentle beams making it through the top windows that were not covered by curtains.

As he walked past the table where he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel had sat last night, talking and studying, he found that Rapunzel had forgotten to take her sketchbook with her, when she went to bed. He and Rapunzel were both artistic souls at the core, and he was glad that he had someone to share that hobby with. No one back at Berk cared too much about drawing and painting.

He flipped the sketchbook open to the sketch she was working on last night and grinned, when he saw the drawing of Pascal in a hot air balloon, wearing a top hat. He had told her last night that she was insane and he stuck by it, but they both knew he said it with love.

He made his way to the castle kitchens and received a fish from the kitchen staff, who were luckily sworn to secrecy.

He walked around the Quidditch pitch and went east for about five minutes until he came to a small forest. It was much smaller than the Forbidden Forest, but it didn't have any dark creatures, so that was a definite plus in his book.

Twigs and leaves cracked and snapped under his feet, and the early sunlight of dawn streamed lazily through the gaps in the treetops, bathing the small forest in a nice, calming radiance. He hummed a melody that he couldn't remember where he'd heard, as he continued to make his way through the old, tall trees, the distinct scent of pine reaching his nostrils.

He found his thoughts wandering to a certain Gryffindor. He had to admit that Jack had taken him by surprise at the library. He hadn't expected him to be so easy to talk to. On the other hand, Jack was obviously a social butterfly, so perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. He was one of those easy going people, who could talk to popular kids and outcasts alike, spreading cheer wherever he went. A true extrovert, where Hiccup was a classic introvert. Even so, he had really enjoyed their friendly banter and Jacks intrigue towards his Viking heritage. He rarely connected with anyone at Hogwarts except Fishlegs, Rapunzel and Astrid and one of the last people he had expected to form a bond with was Jack.

But as Hiccup often reminded himself: There's always more. People aren't their assigned House, they aren't their friends, their family, their looks or their hobbies.

There's always more. Always something more underneath the surface which can shake people's entire idea of who that person really is. Hiccup knew this better than most. Back home everyone had dismissed him as weak and useless, before he saved the others from the Red Death and made peace between the dragons and the Vikings. At Hogwarts, he was fairly certain that he had been regarded as just a sarcastic bookworm. But there was much more to him than that.

It would probably shock most people at Hogwarts to learn that he was an adrenaline junkie, who loved doing dangerous, inventive drills with Toothless that no other dragon rider would experiment with. But it was human to think you know someone because of shallow observations, and Hiccup himself was guilty of that just like everyone else. It was this kind of thinking that had caused him to be surprised that he and Jack actually had things in common.

He reached the small clearing, where the entrance of the familiar cave lay nearby. He smiled to himself and plopped his black satchel down on the grass.

A huge black mass came bounding out of the cave in a blur and toppled him over. He landed on his back on the cold, wet grass. Large green eyes with round pupils observed him with pure joy, and big black paws pinned him down by the chest, the massive weight causing his breathing to become strained.

"Hey Bud, did you miss me?" he said, his heart bubbling with warmth at the loving look in his dragon's eyes.

Toothless always missed him, no matter if he was gone for minutes or hours, and he felt the same way. Any time away from Toothless was unnatural to him, so being at Hogwarts was difficult for both of them, as they had to be separated for most of the day.

Toothless replied by licking his face, covering him in Night Fury saliva, the sticky substance drenching his hair and face.

"Eww, Toothless!" he said.

Toothless made a low warbling sound that Hiccup had come to know as laughter. That sound always made his chest warm, even when Toothless was being a brat.

"Well, I'm glad you're so amused by my misery, you useless reptile," he said and rolled his eyes.

Toothless gave him a smile in return, and he couldn't hold back a grin.

Hiccup chuckled. "I missed you too, Bud," he said and scratched right under the Night Fury's chin, making the dragon purr in contentment.

They had seen each other last night, as Hiccup tried his best to spend time with Toothless in the early morning and late night every day, but it still wasn't the same as being around each other all day, like they were on Berk. Hiccup wished that Toothless could be by his side all the time, but that just wasn't possible right now.

Toothless approached the bag on the grass and sniffed at it.

"Oh right. You must be hungry," Hiccup said. He took the gleaming silver fish out of the bag and put it on the ground. He pointed his wand towards it. "Geminio" he said and the fish began to duplicate.

Toothless licked his snout, and his pupils dilated, as the fish kept on duplicating. He was clearly eager to get some breakfast. When there was about 30 fish lying in the grass, Hiccup stopped the duplication with a flick of his wand. The fish scales gleamed in the sunlight like a bundle of silver.

"There you go, Bud, dig in," he said, and Toothless didn't need to hear that twice. He stuck his whole face in the pile of fish and began eating, a blissful smile curving his mouth each time he looked up from his meal.

Hiccup chuckled. He watched Toothless eat, and for a while the dragons slurping and chewing were the only sounds reaching his ears.

When Toothless was done eating, the dragon came closer once again, and began nudging his arms. Hiccup rubbed Toothless on the top of his head, and scratched him underneath his chin. Toothless made low purring noises, lowered his ear plates and almost closed his eyes at the touch. When Hiccup stopped, Toothless huffed.

Hiccup smiled at the offended Night Fury. "Come on, Toothless. We can't stand around here all day. We have to go fly before everyone wakes up."

At the mention of flying, Toothless forgot his dissatisfaction and bounded around Hiccup, his green eyes wide with joy, eager warbling sounds escaping his mouth.

Hiccup smiled at his friend's eagerness and began inspecting their gear, making sure that everything was in order. A strap that was too loose or too tight could affect their mobility and speed, while straps or buckles that were worn down were a major safety risk, as they could snap and throw Hiccup out of the saddle or affect his ability to control the tailfin. For that reason he often took the time to do a safety check before they went flying.

Among the golden clouds, the familiar awe and excitement of flying whirled in his head. Sometimes he still couldn't believe how lucky he was, having formed this kind of bond with a dragon.

"Want to practice some drills?" Hiccup asked, and Toothless roared happily in reply.

"Okay, Toothless. Straight dive!" he said. Toothless folded his wings in, and let them drop head first straight through the air. Hiccup folded in the tailfin with a swift click of his prosthetic. He leaned forwards in the saddle, holding his body as close to Toothless as possible to make them more aerodynamic, and they gained more and more speed, shooting through the sky like a bullet.

The adrenaline coursed through Hiccup's veins, and he couldn't stop himself from letting out an unrestrained cry of pure happiness. There was no feeling like this in the world.

The massive lake came into view on the ground below, and the blue water came closer and closer until Hiccup unfolded the left tailfin. Toothless spread out his massive black wings, and they leveled out and flew gently just above the water. Toothless' claws glided along the lake's surface as they flew, refreshing sprays of water hitting Hiccup's skin.

"Okay, Bud, let's go a little higher," Hiccup said, shifting the position of the tailfin.

They soared higher above the water mass, the lake becoming smaller and smaller again. They flew peacefully just underneath the stretch of soft white clouds for a little while, before Hiccup had another suggestion.

"Okay Toothless, let's do a split dive!" Hiccup yelled to his dragon, who warbled in return. They had done this drill so many times through the last couple of years, but they needed regular practice. It was probably their most dangerous drill.

He clicked off the harness that kept him attached to the saddle and pulled the lever that adjusted Toothless' tailfin, so he could fly without needing Hiccup to operate it.

Hiccup needed to unfold his wing suit before he let himself drop, so he snapped the two hoops on each side of his feet and his prosthetic and pulled out the homemade wingspan up towards his hands. As it needed to line up against his side to function properly as wings, he put the two metal hoops around his wrists, keeping the leathery wings in place between his lower legs and his wrists.

"Ready, Toothless?" he asked, and the dragon warbled his answer. Hiccup leaned to the right and let himself drop from Toothless' back, his arms down by his side and his legs together.

He fell through the air at massive speed. The raging wind against his face and body making deafening noise in his ears and the chill on his skin was almost burning. Another massive shot of adrenaline traveled through his body and the pure thrill caused every nerve in his body to feel like it was going to burst. Toothless quickly caught up, both falling head first next to each other.

Toothless looked at him to make sure that he was all right, and Hiccup let out a shout of bubbly excitement. Toothless gave him a huge toothless grin and Hiccup reached out and closed the distance between them, as he touched the dragon's snout, while they were both still dropping straight through the sky.

He spread his arms out wide, letting the air travel underneath and over his homemade leather wingspan, and let the homemade dorsal fin on his back stand up with a simple click on the unfolding switch on his armor. He leveled out and flew through the air horizontally. Toothless quickly appeared by his side and the dragon let out a small fireball and roared happily at their successful drill.

Hiccup laughed, as he enjoyed the pure freedom of the skies and the company of his best friend. He observed the view of the snow-topped mountains below him, and felt a tug of gratefulness that he got to experience things like this.

No matter what troubles he had weighing down on him, the freedom of flying always managed to soothe them, lifting his spirits and making his heart feel lighter.

Toothless slowly began maneuvering himself underneath Hiccup, flying straight under him now, and Hiccup put his arms down by his side, unfolding his homemade wingspan, making him gently land on Toothless' back again.

"Yeah! That was awesome!" he shouted, throwing both of his hands in the air.

The adrenaline still made his stomach flutter, as he clicked his prosthetic into position again. He leaned forwards in the saddle and petted his best friend on the side of his black, scaly head.

This was the life. He could happily do this every day for an eternity. He would never tire of the adrenaline rush, the wind on his face, touching the elusive clouds, watching the earth disappear beneath him, feeling the comfort and love of his best friend as they acted as one.

Even with all the uncertainties of life, Hiccup knew one thing for sure. He was a dragon rider in his heart and he always would be. The sky and Toothless was his true home.

---

Hiccup's sneaking back and forth to the castle in the early morning and late night had its price. He didn't get nearly as much sleep as he wanted to, especially on the nights where he got so caught up in flying that he forgot all about keeping track of time.

This mornings' flight with Toothless had been great and just what he needed, but now the strain of having a late night flight the night before and getting up early today caught up with him.

He let out a massive yawn, covering his mouth with his hand and reached out for a pitcher of juice at the Ravenclaw table.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel chuckled in response, their eyes gleaming with amusement at his lack of energy. They both looked too well-rested in his opinion.

"Late night yesterday"? Fishlegs asked him, making sure to keep it vague in case anyone was listening in.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel both knew about Toothless, but others didn't. Hiccup truly appreciated that he could trust his two friends that much. Not everyone would be able to keep such a big secret to themselves.

"Yeah…and early morning today," he said and smacked his face down on the table with a loud thump, making his two friends laugh. In some strange way, the lack of light from having his face pressed against the table was comforting in his tired state.

"Well, don't be too tired. We have art class soon, and we're working together on that painting, remember?" Rapunzel said and sounded way too energetic at this time in the morning.

Hiccup was not a morning person, and especially not when he had to balance his time between classes, homework, friends and Toothless. There just weren't enough hours in a day.

"What painting?" Fishlegs asked and took a sip from his cup.

While Hiccup and Rapunzel were both artistic and enjoyed expressing that side of themselves, Fishlegs didn't care much about that sort of thing. He always enjoyed seeing their sketches and paintings though.

"We're working in pairs today and for the next couple of classes, where we have to do a painting together! It's going to be great!" she said in that bubbly voice of hers that threatened to drown everyone around her in kittens and sunshine. Hiccup often found that if he'd had an annoying day, he just needed to talk to Rapunzel. Her upbeat and caring personality was usually enough to improve his mood.

Hiccup lifted his face from the table again, the light of the Great Hall reaching his tired eyes, making him squint. "I promise to try not to fall asleep," he said and yawned again, earning him a very unconvinced look from Rapunzel, who narrowed her green eyes.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, you're going to go to that art class with me, be your usual sarcastic self and we're going to make the best painting in the whole class," she said, trying her best to sound stern but failing miserably, when she couldn't hold back a warm smile and that optimistic tone in her voice.

Hiccup groaned at the use of his full name before he smiled at her attempt to reprimand him. Rapunzel was such a close friend that she could get away with trying to act like a mother sometimes. She really should stop using his full name though, he really didn't like hearing it.

"Fine, I'll be a good submissive Viking and obey you," Hiccup said and rolled his eyes.

Rapunzel gave him a bright smile in response. "Good, you obviously know what's good for you," she said, grabbing another piece of toast from a tray and dumping it on her plate.

Hiccup scoffed. "Right… Following the orders of the personification of rainbows and butterflies. What has my life become?"

"Oh, you drama queen," Rapunzel said, doing a dismissive wave with one of her hands. "Besides… I'm not that sweet and innocent," she said and took a bite of her toast.

"Yes, you are," Hiccup and Fishlegs said in unison.

It was great that he could always count on Fishlegs to back him up in crucial moments like this. Rapunzel should not get away with an obviously untrue statement like that. She was so open, accepting and caring towards others that it almost seemed unrealistic. She thought the best about people and while that was admirable, Hiccup didn't share that character trait, having been exposed to his fair share of verbal and physical abuse through the years. Sure, people could be great, but everyone had a dark side, and some people didn't even hesitate to let it out. You shouldn't let your guard down for just anyone.

Rapunzel sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine, maybe I am, but I still know what's good for you," she said, holding up a pointed finger like she was lecturing a small child.

Hiccup scoffed again and was about to reply, when he spotted Jack and Merida walking casually next to the Ravenclaw table on their way to the Gryffindor table.

"Hey Hiccup," Jack said, giving him a small wave, a bright grin on his face.

"Hi Jack," Hiccup said with a small smile.

He watched the two of them sit down and start talking eagerly with Flynn Rider and Mavis Dracula. Jack was a part of a very popular crowd.

"Since when are you two on a first name basis?" Fishlegs said, his observant eyes telling Hiccup, he was already trying to analyze this short encounter.

While he loved and admired Fishlegs' uncanny ability to understand the motivations of other people's interactions, he really should give it a rest just once in a while. He didn't feel like having his every move and word dissected right now.

"Well, I sort of ran into him last night at the library, and we talked a bit," Hiccup said, gesturing with his hands.

He wasn't sure if the encounter would seem strange to his friends. It probably would. He wasn't usually the social type except with his close friends. When he did talk with other students, it was usually during class or a few quick words to other Ravenclaws in the common room.

Fishlegs' lips curved into a confident smile.

Crap. Now he was going to make some kind of observation that made even the most innocent interactions seem suspect. He just knew it.

"Hiccup willingly associating with popular Gryffindor guys? That's a bit… out of the ordinary," Fishlegs mused out loud, twiddling his thumbs.

Aaaand there it was. Why couldn't he just be a little less observant once in a while? Yes, his encounter with Jack had been very unusual, but they'd just talked a little and joked around. No big deal. It wasn't like they'd suddenly become friends or anything.

Hiccup shrugged, trying to brush off Fishlegs' questions. "He seemed nice and he didn't ask me anything about dragons, so that was a pleasant change from all the people, who have suddenly decided that I'm interesting."

Fishlegs and Rapunzel watched him with empathy in their eyes. They knew he didn't like all the attention. He'd already shared his frustrations several times about strangers approaching him and wanting something from him, whether it was information about dragons or a date.

He smiled at them. He was grateful he had Fishlegs and Rapunzel to support him through all of this. If he didn't have any friends at all, like the first 11 years of his life, it would have been even more difficult to handle this.

Most people wouldn't be able to comprehend just how uncomfortable Hiccup was with this kind of attention, but Fishlegs and Rapunzel knew his background, knew his insecurities, knew his demons. They were aware of how his ego was still bruised from all the years of being an outcast, and they were mindful of how that had also made him suspicious to certain people's intentions.

"Well, that's something…" Fishlegs said, sounding optimistic. "Just watch out for his pranks. Remember that time, when he'd put a Cornish pixie in Professor Bunnymund's desk? I think he had detention for like four weeks."

"Yeah, that pixie was not happy" Hiccup said with a grin. "It wanted blood."

He remembered it vividly, and even though he had felt slightly sorry for Professor Bunnymund, as he struggled to get the little angry creature off him, its small blue face completely contorted in a fit of pure rage, he still had to use all of his self-control to not break down laughing. He wasn't going to get detention because of Jack's stupid prank.

"I've never seen Professor Bunnymund actually scared, but that time definitely came close," Rapunzel said, her eyes bright.

Hiccup and Fishlegs nodded and they all smiled at the memory. He had to hand it to Jack. The guy really knew how to entertain his fellow students.

"By the way, you forgot to take your sketchbook with you, when you went to bed, so I picked it up on my way out to sketching," Hiccup said, using the codename they had invented for Hiccup's time with Toothless.

He reached into his bag and pulled out the square purple sketchbook and handed it to his friend.

"Thanks, Hiccup. I'd wondered where I left it," she said, flipping the book open to a sketch Hiccup hadn't seen before.

He leaned over, looked at the drawing and shook his head. He probably loved his friend even more now, if that was possible.

"Pascal… waterskiing. Seriously?" he said with a grin.

Fishlegs chuckled, leaning over the table to get a better look at the drawing.

Rapunzel really did have the strangest ideas sometimes, especially for her sketches, but Hiccup just found it endearing. It also provided endless amusement for him and Fishlegs.

"What's wrong with that?" she asked with a questioning look in her big green eyes.

"There just seems to be a bit of a pattern developing over the last five years… You know, the same themes. Pascal, Pascal and Pascal," Hiccup said and lifted his eyebrows.

"Says the person whose sketchbook is full of dragons," she said with a gleam in her eyes and crossed her arms in victory.

Shit. She had him there. Well, he also drew other things, but it was true that most of his sketches and drawings were of the creatures that had become such an important part of his life.

"Touché," Hiccup said with a nod. "But at least they're not baking cookies or going to the zoo in my sketches."

"They should be!" Rapunzel said with sudden excitement in her green eyes. "That would be some great sketches!"

Hiccup and Fishlegs both laughed at their friend. Her mood swings were another quirk that Hiccup loved about her. She could turn from serious to overly excited in less than a second. It was really quite fascinating to watch sometimes, as he didn't have that ability and sometimes struggled to understand how it was even possible to change mental states so quickly.

"Well… I guess I should get going," Fishlegs said, suddenly sounding deflated. He slowly picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "I have Ancient Runes in ten minutes."

Hiccup understood why his friend's face fell and he got a jab of frustration in his chest. "Right… with McGowan?"

Fishlegs nodded and tightened his grip on the strap of his satchel.

"Don't worry, Fishlegs, just ignore him. He's a stupid bully, but he won't hurt you," Hiccup said, trying his best to sound reassuring.

He honestly didn't think McGowan would try anything, because first of all, Fishlegs was freakishly strong despite his sensitive nature, and second of all, the risk of getting expelled was too great. But you could never be completely sure with bullies.

Bullying was a primitive action, a remnant of a survival skill. In these days it had no place, and Hiccup was always frustrated by bullies. They inflated their own ego by stomping on others. He knew better than most what cruel words and violent actions could do to someone's self-esteem.

"Right…" Fishlegs said and took a deep breath, like he was trying to reassure himself. "Right". He turned around and walked in the direction of the classroom.

Hiccup clenched his jaw. It wasn't right that Fishlegs had to be nervous to go to class, just because McGowan didn't have the brains to succeed in class by himself. He wished he could go with Fishlegs to keep an eye on him, but that wasn't possible. He had his own class to get to, and even if he didn't, they wouldn't allow him to stay in a class where he didn't belong. There was no way for him to protect Fishlegs right now.

He heard Rapunzel sigh deeply next to him. "I really don't like it, when people pick on you guys."

It affected Rapunzel a lot, when people said bad things to him and Fishlegs, or when they were shoved into walls or bothered doing class, refusing to be pressured into helping unintelligent twats. The incident with McGowan in Potions had been the first case of that in a long time though.

"I know… but it almost never happens anymore," he said, trying his best to sound gentle and give her reassurance.

"But still… Fishlegs shouldn't have to worry about going to a class, just because some mean brute is there," she spat and narrowed her eyes.

He stared at her for a moment, just observing the anger on her face. It was very unusual for Rapunzel to be aggressive, but if there was one thing that could make her blood boil, it was when someone hurt the people she loved. Hiccup felt frustrated himself right now, but decided it was better to try to lessen her worries.

"I know, I know, but he'll be all right, okay? The worst they can do is make some stupid comments, and Fishlegs is pretty good at just shaking those of," he said, giving Rapunzel a soft smile. "They won't risk beating someone up and getting expelled for it."

"Except for those times, when they beat you up," she said and broke eye contact, staring at her empty plate.

Hiccup was speechless for a moment. She didn't like talking about those times. Once Hiccup had been healed back then, the three of them never spoke of it again. Well, Fishlegs and him had talked about it a few times over the years, but only when Rapunzel wasn't present. It'd been very difficult for her to see him like that, and he didn't want to cause her any more distress.

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I was short and scrawny, and I pissed them off with my amazingly clever wit," Hiccup said with a small smile, trying to joke about it. "Fishlegs keeps to himself and doesn't make sarcastic comments, so he'll be fine. Besides, those times happened in secluded places, and Fishlegs never walks anywhere completely alone, so really… Don't worry about it," he said, giving her a gently squeeze on the shoulder. He was hoping that his words were getting through to her. He wanted to see that familiar bright smile return to her face.

She smiled fondly at him and gave his shoulder a little squeeze too. "Thanks, Hiccup. I feel better now. And hey, I know you don't like your new popularity, but maybe it'll make people see Fishlegs in a different light too."

"Maybe," he said, even though he seriously doubted it. It would be nice though, if people could see all of Fishlegs' great qualities. He was intelligent, funny, and he cared deeply about his friends. He hated conflict, so he always tried to get people to get along. He was very observant, better at reading other people's tiny changes in body language and tone than most, but he kept his deepest observations to himself or waited to talk about it till he was alone with the person. It's a shame people didn't see all those things.

---

Art class had been quite successful, seeing that Hiccup actually managed to stay awake, and he and Rapunzel began working on their painting for Fishlegs. They quickly agreed the painting should contain dragons, because of Fishlegs' connection to them and because they both knew he missed Meatlug a lot. Unfortunately headmaster Lunar was not interested in having more dragons on the grounds.

After they had agreed on painting something with dragons though, they disagreed on the use of funny everyday situations. Rapunzel wanted a painting of Fishlegs and Meatlug eating popcorn and watching a movie or rollerblading, since normal portraits were "too boring", so Hiccup had to talk her out of it. They had resolved their little conflict with a compromise that they could both accept.

Fishlegs joined them outside the art room after class was finished and they made their way through the corridors together among the noise and the invasive presence of the other students.

"Everything okay?" Hiccup said and tightened the grip on the strap of his satchel.

"Yeah," Fishlegs said with an eager nod. "McGowan didn't even look at me."

"Great," Rapunzel said, the relief seeping into her huge smile.

"Yeah, that's great, Fish," he said and tried his best to give him a supportive smile, even though it was tainted with bitterness, because Fishlegs shouldn't even have to worry about these things in the first place.

He took a deep breath and tried to will the negative emotions away. He had to admit that he'd been a bit worried despite the low risk. McGowan was a classic brute, always putting others down to feel better about himself, and that also made him slightly unpredictable in the situations, where he didn't get what he wanted.

Trips through the corridors had become a strained experience because of his new found popularity. People shot looks at him, waved at him and greeted him like they'd known him for years. It left his skin burning and his muscles clenching. They ignored Rapunzel and Fishlegs completely, which only made the whole thing worse.

When the corridor split into two, he waved goodbye to Rapunzel and Fishlegs, who had Magical History next, while Hiccup was heading towards Defense Against the Dark Arts.

---

When Jack, Flynn and Merida entered the large classroom, there were three seats available next to Hiccup. They didn't usually sit with him in any classes, but now that they were on a first name basis, it made perfect sense to slump down in the seat next to Hiccup, who turned his head and looked at him with those seemingly friendly eyes that were also guarded at the same time.

Hiccup gave him a crooked smile and a quick "Good morning", while Merida and Flynn sat down next to Jack.

"Morning, Hic," Jack said with a warm smile, feeling less tired now.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Hic?" he asked incredulously.

Jack grinned in response. The guy had a certain way with tone of voice and facial expressions that could convey a whole bunch of amusing feelings.

"Yeah, I decided that you should have a nickname," he said and beamed like this was the greatest thing to ever happen to Hiccup. Which it clearly was.

"Oh joy," Hiccup deadpanned. "Aren't I the lucky one?"

Jack smiled in amusement at Hiccup's sarcasm. That tosser and his sharp retorts.

"You sure are. Not everyone gets bestowed their very own nickname by me. You're in an exclusive club now," Jack said, although there was an element of truth in it. He knew a lot of people at their school, but he wasn't the type to give anyone a nickname. That was usually reserved for his friends. Except in this case. He and Hiccup weren't friends, but he had just felt like giving him a nickname for some reason. And Jack usually did whatever his gut told him.

"Yeah, make sure to get out as quickly as possible," Merida said, making Hiccup chuckle.

Jack was glad to see that the two of them got along, but they'd better not make it a habit to both shoot him down. Oh, who was he kidding? He would love that, it was too much fun to pass up. It gave him a chance to get back at them with some clever comments of his own. For now however, he decided that the best strategy would be to gain some pity.

"Awww… That was low, DunBroch," he whined, closing his eyes for a few seconds to seem hurt.

"I'm just saying that it's too late for the rest of us, but Haddock can still be saved," she said, earning her a scowl from him and an appreciative smile from Hiccup.

Damn that crumb-spitting Scot. She wasn't going to win this round.

Jack huffed. "No, he can't. I'll make sure of that," he said, narrowing his eyes at Hiccup, who sighed dramatically and put his face in his hands for a few seconds.

"The gods are cruel…" Hiccup said, removing his face from their resting place. His eyes were shining with amusement.

"Gods?" Flynn asked, deciding to take part in their conversation.

"The Norse gods… Thor, Odin, Loki, all of those guys," Jack said, gesturing with his hands, as he listed some of the gods.

Flynn nodded in understanding. "Not every day you meet someone who believes in that sort of thing," Flynn said and followed it up with a friendly smile, probably to reassure Hiccup.

Hiccup just shrugged, which Jack found curious. The gesture seemed very… non-committed for someone like Hiccup, who gave the impression of always being very dedicated to whatever he was doing. So, why was he just shrugging off his connection to his religion?

Hiccup interrupted Jacks thoughts, as he let out a huge yawn, covering his mouth with his hand.

"My, my, are we tired today, Haddock?" Flynn asked in a teasing tone and waggled his eyebrows.

"Yeah… Had a late night," Hiccup said and rubbed the back of his head.

Jacks interest immediately heightened. What had kept Hiccup up?

"Ooh, what's her name?" Merida chimed in with a teasing grin.

"Not that kind of late night," Hiccup said with a tired smile.

Jack had thought as much, but it was somehow nice to hear him confirm it. He was obviously uncomfortable with his newfound fame, and he seemed like the type of person, who would be paranoid enough to not want to interact with any girls for a while because of that. Not that he had done so before, as far as Jack knew.

Jack lowered his voice, so Flynn and Merida wouldn't hear him. "Trouble sleeping?" he said.

He felt a tug of concern towards Hiccup. After all, Hiccup didn't have it easy at the moment, so maybe it affected his sleep, and Jack knew how difficult that could be. He had spent his fair share of sleepless nights worrying about his sister, feeling the familiar knot of guilt form in his gut at the thought of his parents and questioning his direction in life.

"No," Hiccup said and shook his head slowly with a small smile. "I just stayed up too late. I'm not good at keeping track of time," he said, looking down at his textbook that was resting on the table in front of him, like he was somehow blaming it for his current predicament.

"Except when you have to get to class," Jack corrected him. Hiccup was never late, apparently prioritizing school above a few moments extra fun like a true Ravenclaw.

"Well…" Hiccup said. "That's a bit more important".

Jack frowned immediately, not even aware of it at first. Had Hiccup really just said that?

He looked at him in disbelief. "Class… more important than sleep? What's wrong with you, Hic?" he said.

Sleep was way more important than classes, everyone knew that. Even Ravenclaws had to admit that they couldn't keep up their perpetual obsessive-compulsive quest of gathering knowledge, if their bodies protested too much from lack of rest.

"I wouldn't even know where to start with that one," Hiccup deadpanned, giving him a friendly smile and meeting his eyes for a few moments before training them on the textbook once again.

Underneath the humor, Jack definitely sensed some kind of truth in Hiccup's words. He shook his head. This guy seriously needed more confidence. But why was that? He was a dragon trainer for crying out loud!

"You're right, you're a bit of a trainwreck," Jack said with a teasing smile. He decided that the best course of action was to cheer Hiccup up, making him forget about whatever worries he had at the moment. And if there was one thing Jack was good it, it was bringing smiles and laughter to other people.

"Don't you have some snowballs to make, Icicle?" Hiccup said, while a faint ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, tugging the corners upwards ever so slightly. Well, Hiccup's fighting spirit was back as quickly as it had left. That was good. Phew.

"Nope, not right now. I'm spending some quality time with a Viking, you know," Jack said and grinned, giving Hiccup a pat on the back. The brief and gentle touch nestled on his fingertips for a while.

"Really? A Viking? They're pretty cool," Hiccup said with mock intrigue, raising his eyebrows.

"Eh, they're all right. A bit dumb if you ask me, but hey," Jack said with as much sass as he could muster. He really wanted to push Hiccup's buttons now and prolong the banter.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Hiccup objected, gesturing wildly with his hands, making Jack grin.

He heard Flynn and Merida chuckle at Hiccup's protest.

"Vikings are not dumb," Hiccup said.

"Really?... Well, granted, I don't know many of them… but the one I recently met is definitely not the brightest Lumos in the room."

"What?!" Hiccup said in a high-pitched voice

Jack couldn't help but laugh. It was incredibly amusing to rile him up like this.

"Watch those comments, Snowflake. If you unleash the wrath of a Viking, there will be consequences!" Hiccup said, one fist raised in a mock threat.

"Pssh, as if you could possibly hurt me. I'm way too powerful and good-looking to succumb to a mere Viking," Jack shot back, rolling his eyes. He was totally baiting him right now.

"Oh, really? Because I seem to remember a class last year, where you got your ass kicked by this very Viking with some perfectly executed stunning spells," Hiccup said with a self-satisfied smile and crossed his arms.

Crap. He was hoping Hiccup wouldn't bring that up. That totally ruined the air of superiority he had going for him right now.

Jack was one of the best at Defense Against the Dark Arts, probably even better than Hiccup. So, that ass-kicking had stung. Now he needed to consider his next move carefully. Humiliating ammunition had been brought out now and when that happened in the heat of a banter battle, there was only one move that could challenge it: Denial.

"I was obviously just handing you a small victory. You looked like you could use it," he said, keeping the pretentious and smug façade in place.

Jack heard Merida and Flynn snicker, and he could imagine them rolling their eyes at his arrogant teasing. They were used to it by now though. Hiccup wasn't, but Jack was absolutely sure he would get it. After all, sarcasm and sharp witty comments was pretty much Hiccup's specialty.

Hiccup scoffed. "Right… Because I'm such a useless student that I need people to give me pity victories."

"Well, I wasn't going to say it, but now that you brought it up yourself… But don't worry, I'll take you under my wing, teach you all the wisdom and experience I've obtained throughout my many years on this earth. You can be my lowly apprentice," Jack said and put as much enthusiasm into the words as he possibly could to underline just how good an offer this was.

Hiccup didn't have time to retort though.

"Ruuuun… Ruuuun…" Merida whispered to Hiccup, her eyes round in mock fear.

Hiccup grinned at her.

Jack nudged his shoulder against Merida's in protest. She was interfering with his bloody air of superiority, damn it.

At that moment Professor Bunnymund walked into the classroom with the usual authority and calm emanating from him. The students instantly went silent, as they noticed their professor's arrival. If there was one professor in the magical school, who could command respect and discipline, it was the tall, muscular Australian Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Professor Bunnymund walked slowly towards the desk at the end of the room, and when he reached it, he turned around and faced the class with a stern look. Well, nothing new there.

"We're going to continue with non-verbal spells today. I hope you've been practicing. Open your books to page 56 and practice the spells listed there. You'll be paired up with someone, who you'll be dueling. At first you must take turns using the spells on each other to become familiar with them, and afterwards you will practice defending yourself from the other's attacks. No other spells than the ones on page 56 are permitted. If I see anyone using their wand for anything else, it's three weeks detention," the Professor finished, emphasizing the last three words.

Jack winced. Ouch. Well, there goes his plan of distracting Flynn by firing silent stinging spells at his butt.

"Now…" Professor Bunnymund said and looked around the class, taking in the students. "Pair up with the person sitting next to you and feel free to begin."

Jack looked at Hiccup and smiled triumphantly. Hiccup kept his neutral expression in place.

"Are you ready to get your ass kicked, Viking Boy?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

Hiccup huffed. "As if you could possibly beat all of this," he said and gestured to himself.

They quickly left their seats, as did everyone else, and the sound of chairs scraping across the old stone floor and the rustling of bags and hushed conversation became almost overwhelming for a few minutes.

Professor Bunnymund stacked the chairs and tables at the end of the room with a flick of his wand, creating an open space for the students to duel each other. The Australian professor was someone who believed in a practical approach to learning, so it wasn't uncommon for them to practice less damaging spells on each other. Despite Jack's slightly strained relationship with the professor, he definitely agreed on the practical approach.

Jack and Hiccup faced each other, making sure to leave enough room between them and Flynn and Merida, so none of them would accidentally hit each other or be thrown into someone.

"Ready?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow and his usual calm demeanor, as he removed his wand from a pocket in his robes.

"I was born ready!" Jack said confidently, making Hiccup shake his head.

Professor Bunnymund had magically padded the hard, unforgiving stone walls with soft material that could break their falls. After all, it wouldn't do to have students break their bones. Jack was secretly grateful for that. Once, he had broken an arm in a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff and the pain had been very unpleasant. He didn't want to go through something like that again, if he could avoid it.

With a quick flick of his wand, Hiccup attempted to cast the silent spell but nothing happened. A frown settled on Hiccup's face.

"What's the matter, Oh Terrible Viking?" Jack said and grinned.

Hiccup glared at him but it was obvious that it was all in good fun.

After a deep breath, Hiccup did a quick motion with his wand.

Jack flew through the air. He slammed into the padded wall, getting the air knocked out of him. A jolt of mild pain went through his back. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.

He took a few seconds to collect himself and get over the sudden surprise, before getting to his feet.

"Good work, Mr. Haddock," he heard Professor Bunnymund's authoritative voice say from somewhere.

He watched Hiccup smile at him in triumph. Oh, he was going to get it now.

"Oh, it's on!" Jack yelled to him, earning him an amused smile from Hiccup. He remained silent, challenging Jack with his eyes.

Jack quickly walked back towards him. He lifted his wand and made a quick movement with his wrist, silently thinking of the spell he wanted to cast. When nothing happened, he tried again.

"Bollocks," he cursed, watching Hiccup's smile transform into a bright grin that lit up his entire face. Oh, great. Just hand over another load of ammunition to the most sarcastic guy in school.

He cast a quick glance at Merida and Flynn, who were throwing insults at each other, while trying to get the spells to work.

He pulled himself together and took a few deep breaths. Then he pointed his wand at Hiccup, who did not look threatened at all.

He moved his wand while thinking hard on the spell and suddenly Hiccup went flying into the wall and fell to the ground, sprawled on the stone floor.

"Yes!" Jack shouted in triumph, holding up both of his arms. Now Hiccup had learned his lesson and he had redeemed himself.

When Hiccup managed to get up and get back to his spot, he had a warm smile on his face.

"Good job, Jack" he said and Jack appreciated the sincere words. Not everyone took the time to compliment each other in classes.

"Thanks!" he said, unable to stop the happy smile on his face.

The two of them just stood there for a while, grinning warmly at each other.

"Overland! Haddock! Get on with it!" Professor Bunnymund's voice sliced through the noise of students talking and bodies slamming into walls.

The rest of the class went flying by, as the two of them exchanged condescending comments, trying to psyche the other one out and winning their little competition. In the end, Jack secured a very narrow victory and didn't fail to do a little dance. Hiccup pretended to be annoyed but Jack easily noticed the twitch of his lips.

With 10 minutes left of class, Professor Bunnymund placed the tables and chairs back in their original position and told them to take their seats.

"Okay, I have a new assignment for you. Two weeks from now you have to hand in 20 pages on either the basilisk or the acromantula. I expect a thorough report containing the discovery of the species, characteristics, habitats, abilities and how to defend yourself from one. I'll be dividing you into pairs on this," Professor Bunnymund said, his eyes scanning the rows of students.

"O'Donnell with Mutten," he began pairing them.

"Rider and Lewis."

Jack could hear Flynn groan. He didn't like Lewis. The guy was nice, but he was so unbelievably clingy and had no sense of people's personal space.

"DunBroch and White."

Jack looked at Merida who just shrugged. She seemed okay with her partner, Stephanie White. And yeah, it could have been a lot worse, Jack had to agree on that. Stephanie might not be the best in this class, but she was nice and willing to do her part of the work in group projects.

"Hofferson and Lake."

Jack snorted. There was a challenge for Astrid's patience. Lake was fairly slow and lazy, not bothering to do much during classes. Either Astrid would end up ripping out her own hair in frustration or she would end up tearing him apart with her bare hands.

"Overland and Haddock."

Jack looked at Hiccup, who rolled his eyes but smiled afterwards.

Jack grinned. He was more than happy to be paired up with Hiccup. He was both intelligent and fun to be around. He had also been looking for an excuse to spend more time with him. Well, not that he really needed an excuse, but Hiccup was a private, guarded person, and Jack didn't want to be intrusive. Hiccup's sarcasm was definitely not only used in friendly banter but also as a shield against the world, that much was clear.

Jack took out a piece of parchment from his bag, while Professor Bunnymund continued to pair up students for the assignment. He scribbled a quick message on the crumbled paper with his quill and passed it to Hiccup.

This is great. More quality time with my favorite Viking.

Hiccup wrinkled his nose but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. He wrote something and passed the note back, keeping an eye on the professor, so he wouldn't notice them.

Do you even know any other Vikings, Snow Cone?

Jack smiled at the cheeky nickname.

Only Astrid, but she doesn't count. You're still my favourite.

Well, that's a pretty empty compliment then.

Take it or leave it, Dragon Boy.

Jack observed Hiccup reading the note, instantly worrying that he shouldn't have written that. Hiccup seemed incredibly tense every time dragons were brought up. He bit his lip. Bloody hell, when had he become so anxious all of the sudden? It was just a note.

When Hiccup simply smiled and began to write his reply on the note, Jack could breathe easier again.

Good. So, he didn't mind the little nickname.

Hiccup didn't have time to write his reply though, as Professor Bunnymund dismissed the class.

Jack pursed his lips. Great timing. Right in the middle of some awesome friendly banter. Of course, class had to end right then and there.

He glanced at Hiccup, who had begun to plop his book, quill and other supplies back into his black leather satchel.

He quickly made his own stuff disappear into his bag, eager to talk to Hiccup before he left to go to his next class.

Flynn and Merida had finished packing their things and picking up their bags, standing a few feet away.

"Just a minute, guys," Jack said, motioning to Hiccup.

They both nodded in understanding and walked away to wait by the door.

"So… Uh… Maybe we should meet up later to start working on the project then?" he asked Hiccup in what he was hoping was a casual and confident tone of voice. He wasn't sure why he wasn't those things all of the sudden. Suddenly, he felt a little awkward and he didn't like it one bit. Why on earth should he be feeling self-conscious? He was just asking a classmate to work on a project. There was nothing strange about that… Right?

Hiccup met his gaze and smiled a crooked smile. Jack found himself looking at the guy's front teeth again, focusing on the slight gap between them.

"Sure, that would probably be a good idea. When?" Hiccup said with such ease that Jack immediately envied him for it. Apparently this sudden awkwardness was only affecting him. And Hiccup was supposed to be the awkward one. Great.

He focused all his energy on pulling himself together. He needed to get that confidence and carefree attitude back. Life was too short to worriedly analyze the awkwardness experienced in front of sarcastic Vikings with artificial limbs.

"I'm done with classes around 4?" he said, relieved that he sounded more like himself this time.

Hiccup nodded. "That's fine. Let's meet up at 4 then. Where?"

"Hmm… I like working outside, if that's okay with you?" Jack said and tilted his head. Working inside for hours became claustrophobic and gave him a headache from the suffocating warmth of the other students in the room draining it of clean fresh air. And the sounds of hushed voices and quills scraping on parchment, textbooks ruffling in and out of bags was distracting.

"No, that's fine. I like working outside too. How about down by the lake?" Hiccup said and swung his satchel over one shoulder in a move that seemed strangely graceful.

"Deal. See you at 4," he said with a friendly smile. He was looking forward to spending more time with Hiccup. Maybe they had other things in common besides the sarcastic banter they both seemed to really enjoy.

"See you," Hiccup said with a small wave.

Jack smiled and walked towards the door, where Flynn and Merida were waiting for him.

Hiccup seemed to be a fan of doing those small waves as a way of saying hello and goodbye. Another one of the little quirks that Jack was beginning to notice, the more time he spent with him.

"Don't you guys have to arrange some kind of study time with your partners?" Jack said, since neither Flynn nor Merida had talked to their project partners yet.

Merida shrugged. "It can wait. There's plenty of time."

Jack wasn't surprised. Merida rarely did any kind of homework in good time. She often waited until the last minute actually. Not that he was much better, but in group projects he always wanted to finish it early. He didn't want to stress anyone else out, so it was only his projects with Flynn that were finished at the last minute, since they were friends and could handle being freaked out together.

Flynn quickly agreed with Merida. "Yeah. I'll talk to Lewis next time."

"Okay. Let's go," Jack said to his two friends and motioned them to follow him.

The three of them walked in comfortable silence down the old stone corridors for a while.

"Well, I'm this way," Merida said and pointed to the right. She had Earth Magic as an elective as the only one in their group. She had confused the rest of them, when she had chosen it, but she explained that the class taught ancient magic that stemmed from Scotland and Scandinavia. Merida had a deep connection with her Scottish heritage, and she was interested in anything even remotely related to her home country.

"Right," Jack said. "We'll see you at lunch."

She nodded and walked away from them in the direction of her classroom.

Jack and Flynn continued on their way to Care of Magical Creatures. Jack had always liked that subject, so it was a no brainer to choose it again this year. He had always had an affinity for animals. They were uncomplicated and fun-loving, unlike a lot of people.

Flynn was also very interested in the class. Like him, he liked animals a lot and always had. He told Jack once that he had had a dog, when he was younger. He had been very attached to it, and they went everywhere together. The dog walked him to school and picked him up again, slept in his bed, let him read stories to it and played with him in their garden. Flynn had been crushed when the dog died of old age and it took him a long time to recover.

Jack clearly remembered when Flynn had told him this story. They had been alone in their dormitory, skipping dinner in the Great Hall as they were full from eating candy all day. They were both sitting on their own bed, talking and laughing, sharing stories about their lives before Hogwarts. Somehow the conversation turned to animals, and Flynn had shared the story of his beloved pet. It was their second year at Hogwarts, and it had been the first time Jack had seen the sensitive, emotional side of him. Their friendship had definitely evolved that day, and even though Jack had more experiences with Flynn's sensitive side in the years to come, he would never forget that night.

It had been a fairly standard class of Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Lucero had done a decent job of keeping the class not only informative but also entertaining, something that Jack greatly appreciated when professors tried to do. He was still slightly disappointed that Professor Brown wasn't teaching the class this year, as he had always liked the big, gruff man with the booming voice and the obvious love of animals. Professor Lucero wasn't half bad though. He was mild mannered, patient and eager to spill out random fun facts about the creatures they were dealing with, and Jack decided that he was a decent temporary replacement for his favorite professor.

He and Flynn had fun learning about the Chinchoo's – the small furry creatures they were dealing with in today's class that resembled some kind of rodent. They were the size of a rabbit, had soft white fur, big round black eyes, a long fluffy tail that curled upwards on their backs and big, upright, rounded ears that seemed to hear everything. They weren't just cute and cuddly though, as Flynn had found out when he decided to try and pet one of them, before learning how to approach them properly.

Professor Lucero had strictly told the class to leave the animals be, until he returned a moment later, having gathered some equipment to handle the creatures. As Flynn had tried to pet one of the furry animals, the little Chinchoo had narrowed its huge eyes in suspicion and spat green acid out of its mouth, making a large round hole in the right sleeve of Flynns school uniform. Jack had laughed so hard at his friend's face of horror. He had seen Fishlegs and Rapunzel chuckling at Flynn's dramatic encounter too.

After class Flynn had gone back to the dormitory to get some new robes on. Apparently a Chinchoo's acid had magical capabilities that made it more complicated to fix than what a simple "repairo" spell could do.

They had split up, Flynn heading back for new robes and Jack walking towards the Charms classroom, as that was his and Flynn's next class, as well as Merida's and Mavis'. It was nice to have some classes that all four of them shared.

---

Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel had decided to find a table out in one of the courtyards and study a bit before their next class. They all had homework and like true representatives of their House, they wanted to get it done early.

The weather was mild, only a gentle breeze rustling through the treetops in the courtyard, and the sun was shining, only a few clouds dotting the blue sky. They found an empty table with benches on each side, relatively secluded from the other students, which was nice as they wanted peace and quiet.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel discussed their homework in their Magical History class. Pascal had been sleeping in Rapunzel's bag during class, but now he was resting comfortably on her shoulder, nuzzling against her golden hair. Hiccup had become quite fond of Pascal through the years. The little chameleon was quite protective of Rapunzel, and it reminded Hiccup of Toothless, although there were obviously some differences in their ability to defend their humans.

Hiccup pulled out his textbook from his black satchel and began reading up on his homework in Building, Managing and Reparing Magical Objects. It was a class that had only started two years ago. He felt quite lucky that this class was introduced while he was still here at school, because it was a rare occasion that Hogwarts introduced new classes. It was definitely one of his favourites, because he could let out his inner inventor. It also didn't hurt that he could use some of the equipment to fix his and Toothless' gear, the next time it needed a quick repair.

The peaceful studying didn't last long though.

Hiccup was suddenly hit in the back of the head with something cold and wet that slid down his hair and onto his neck, leaving a chilly trail of drops in its wake. He touched his neck and felt… snow? In September? He jerked his head around and saw Jack standing a short distance away with a huge grin on his face, DunBroch next to him.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel laughed.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes, as he felt the coldness of the melting snow on the back of his head. That bastard had actually conjured a snowball just to throw it at him?

"Great, it's Frosty the Snowman," he said, a small smile on his lips. He was actually happy to see Jack again, although he would stick his hand in a hungry Gronckle's mouth before admitting that.

Jack narrowed his own eyes and slowly stepped towards them in a mock threatening manner. "What did you call me?"

Hiccup could tell he was just joking though, and he decided to try and beat him at his own game. This mischievous Snow Cone was not going to win.

"Oh nothing, nothing… Snowflake," Hiccup said with innocent eyes. Jacks unusual hair colour was an almost endless supply of ammunition in a banter duel. Hiccup briefly wondered if it was natural, though he doubted it.

"Oh, come on… We both know you worship me, so let's skip the whole defensive sarcastic strategy and tear down some emotional walls shall we?" Jack said, gesturing wildly with his hands and giving Hiccup a teasing smile.

Jack ruffled his hair, and Hiccup felt a strange warmth. He wasn't used to people touching him except for the ones closest to him, so the action took him by surprise, and he took a few moments to register that yes, that just happened. Yes, he'd just had his personal space invaded by Jack.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs smiled widely at Jack's comment that they all knew had actually been spot on regarding the sarcasm and emotional walls. Hiccup wasn't about to admit that though.

"No thanks. I like my walls. I'm actually considering expanding them and adding a moat," he said.

"Then I just have to find some ingenious way to bust in. That's one of my specialties after all," Jack said, smiling mischievously. Those blue eyes shone with laughter, and he put his hands on his hips in an obvious challenge.

Oh, it was a challenge he wanted? Well, Hiccup was not going to let him get away with that.

"Oh joy… I get to be stalked by the school prankster with the inflated ego," Hiccup shot back, wrapping every word in sharp sarcasm.

"Inflated ego? Please..." Jack said and waved his hands in dismissive motions. "My amazingly good looks and superhuman cunning astounds anyone who meets me."

"Yeah…" Hiccup deadpanned. "It's fun to make stuff up, isn't it?"

DunBroch burst out laughing at this, while Jack gave him a scowl.

He had definitely won this round and he smiled in self-satisfaction.

"Traitor," Jack muttered to his friend, glaring at her and nudging her shoulder in protest.

"I like your style, Haddock. Frosty needs some bumps in his ego once in a while," DunBroch said, while nudging Jacks shoulder back, almost breathless from her laughter fit.

"It's Hiccup. But thanks," he said and smiled. He had never been a fan of calling people by their surnames, as was tradition at Hogwarts with acquaintances.

She nodded and gave him a friendly smile. "Then you can call me Merida."

"I will," Hiccup said. "Oh… and this is Rapunzel and Fishlegs," he introduced his friends, gesturing to each of them. They'd never actually talked to Merida before, though they knew who she was.

Merida nodded at them, and his friends both did a little wave as a greeting.

"So… If you're done trying to bruise my confidence… What are you reading?" Jack asked, plopping down casually on the bench next to him.

"No one could ever bruise your confidence, Jack," Hiccup said. "And I'm studying for Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects."

"Wauw, someone actually takes that class?" Jack said with surprise in his eyes.

"Of course, you wouldn't like it. You only like to break stuff," he said.

Jack chuckled at that.

It was partially true though. Jack was well-known for breaking stuff, and he had landed in detention more than once because of that. Hiccup was personally more into creating and mending things. He was at peace when he was working on a project and the feeling of satisfaction that followed successfully building or mending something always brought a smile to his face.

"Hiccup's somewhat of an inventor," Rapunzel said and beamed at him.

He smiled, touched by her proud words. But there was a hint of awkwardness. He still wasn't used to people being proud of him, since he'd had his ego deflated so many times in the past.

"Really?" Jack said and tilted his head to one side. "What have you invented?"

"Lots of things…" Hiccup said, a little self-conscious now. He wasn't sure how this would sound to someone who didn't know much about his background. "During the holidays I invented a shield that can turn into a crossbow."

"What!? That's awesome!" Jack said, wide-eyed and with a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, I had no idea you could make weapons!" Merida said, sounding impressed and smiling warmly at him.

Huh. She was interested in weapons? Then they had plenty to talk about.

Jack chuckled. "You've just found the way to Merida's heart: Violence."

Merida glared at him and punched him on the arm. So, Hiccup's thoughts had been confirmed. Merida was interested in weapons and apparently violence as well. In that moment she reminded him a little of Astrid.

"Ouch," Jack said and rubbed his arm. "You just proved my point, Mer."

"Yeah, Hiccup's inventions are great… the ones that work and don't hurt anyone," Fishlegs said and sent a teasing smile his way. Oh, great. Fishlegs had chosen this moment to tease him in front of two people they didn't really know.

"Thanks, Fishlegs," Hiccup said sarcastically. He was well-aware of all the errors he had made inventing stuff, but that was inevitable. No inventor could just invent things that worked instantly every time, and he actually liked the whole process of building something, adjusting it, testing it, adjusting it again and so on until it finally worked perfectly for its intended purpose.

"What do you mean?" Jack said, and Hiccup couldn't shake the feeling that he sensed some good stories here. And more ammunition for their banter.

Hiccup sighed. "I might have made a catapult once that ended up breaking my cousin's arm, when it malfunctioned… and a net-trapper that accidentally trapped my dad in a net for hours. He was not happy."

It was a long time ago, but Hiccup could still clearly recall the livid face of his dad and the bruises Snotlout had given him.

Jack and Merida both burst out laughing, while Rapunzel and Fishlegs smiled at the well-known stories. They knew all about his inventions and the accidents they sometimes caused. But they also knew that his working inventions were very useful.

"No way!" Jack said and beamed.

Merida was trying to catch her breath and stop her laughing.

"And remember that time, when you made that self-filling feeder for the sheep, but it couldn't stop filling in food, so suddenly all the sheep were fat?" Fishlegs said.

"Yes, Fishlegs, thank you," Hiccup deadpanned.

"And the time where you tried to-"

"Thank you, Fishlegs," Hiccup said.

Fishlegs took the hint and stopped talking, but he still had that amused smile on his face.

Jack and Merida both chuckled.

"When you invent things there's always going to be trial and error," he said and rubbed his neck. He wasn't sure if other people really understood the kind of process it took to actually invent something.

"How did you even learn to build stuff?" Merida said. "It's pretty unusual to meet someone who can build catapults and crossbows."

"I worked as a blacksmith's apprentice since I was little. He taught me how to work with metals and leather and lots of other materials, and how to make and repair weapons and every day objects. From there I just started to try and improve things or get ideas for new things on my own," he said and wondered if they would find that background strange. They probably would. Life in the archipelago was very different from life anywhere else.

"What? What kind of kid works at a blacksmith's?" Jack said with disbelief.

"Jack, we're from The Barbaric Archipelago. We learn to handle weapons as soon as we're old enough to lift them, we have snow and hail most of the year, we used to have lots of dragon attacks, and we're mostly isolated from other societies except the other islands, so we have to learn how to survive. The place is like a timewarp. There's no electricity or any other modern commodities," he said.

Jack seemed to understand because he nodded and smiled, flashing those incredibly white teeth. Hiccup couldn't help smiling back.

"Yeah, and the only place Hiccup could stay out of trouble was at Gobber's workshop," Fishlegs said with a sly smile on his face.

Oh gods… not this again.

"Once again, Fishlegs…. Thanks," he said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Fishlegs would never reveal anything truly personal about him to others, but he liked to make vague comments and references to things that had gone wrong. Hiccup knew it was only friendly teasing though, so he never felt bad about it. That didn't mean that Fishlegs was just going to get away with it though.

"What? You were a troublemaker? Doesn't seem like you, Haddock," Merida said with an amused smile.

Hiccup shrugged. He really didn't want to explain Fishlegs' vague comment, since it was kind of personal how he had always messed things up and been a huge disappointment until a few years ago. Not really something you just tell people you barely know.

"Anyway…" Hiccup said, trying to change the subject. "We learn a lot of skills that others don't."

"Sounds like it," Jack said, seeming interested. He tilted his head. "But how is this place even kept secret from the muggles? It's obviously a huge area filled with islands, and there are Vikings AND dragons for Merlin's sake."

Hiccup smiled at Jack's curiosity. Jack genuinely seemed interested in Vikings and their ways, and he appreciated that. Fishlegs obviously shared his interest in their culture, and Rapunzel would ask questions once in a while, trying to understand her friends' backgrounds better, but other than that he didn't talk about it much at Hogwarts, because not many people knew about it.

"Well, although magic is rare back home, there are some witches and wizards there to shield the place from the muggles, so they won't accidentally discover it. And somehow the dragons know to keep themselves within the archipelago," he said.

He had wondered about this many times, but he didn't know if the dragons just stuck to the islands where they fed and lay eggs, and therefore had no need to leave, or if it was something else. He hoped that the dragons would always remain within the boundaries of the archipelago. It would be a disaster if they suddenly left and was discovered by muggles, who thought they were just a myth.

"It just seems almost impossible to keep such a place secret," Jack said, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table.

"It's easier than keeping a whole wizarding world concealed right next to the muggles. Diagon Alley, The Hogwarts Express, The Ministry of Magic, all of those things are in London, right under the muggles' noses," Hiccup said.

"Hmm, good point," Jack said, seeming to be contemplating something.

This only lasted about ten seconds though.

Jack suddenly flew out of his seat on the bench and jumped up in the air.

"Yes!" he said, making everyone look at him with confused expressions. What in Odin's name was he doing?

"Did you see that? I just caught that mosquito midair! I'm a bloody super ninja!" Jack said and laughed, delighted with his accomplishment.

Hiccup couldn't stop himself from chuckling at Jack's enthusiasm after a few seconds of complete confusion. Jack really did seem like a child in many ways, but Hiccup found that he didn't think that was bad thing. Usually people grew up way too fast, letting go of their childish ways as soon as they could. That was a shame in his opinion.

"Is he always like that?" he asked Merida with a crooked smile.

"Oh yeah," she said and rolled her eyes. She had a faint smile on her lips that told Hiccup she was actually very fond of her friend's strange ideas. It reminded him of how he often reacted to Rapunzel's bizarre sketches.

"Hey, come on, that was pretty cool right?" Jack asked the others, still excited. "I obviously have superhuman reflexes. So, if you need help with anything that's too fast for your slow human senses, you know who to call!"

"Well, we could've used you last night with that moth," Fishlegs said, a smile on his face.

Hiccup shook his head. Fishlegs wasn't scared of bugs, but he strongly disliked them, which could be quite entertaining. Last night he had insisted that they didn't go to sleep, before that moth was out of the room. Even though Hiccup didn't care at all about whether some bug was flying around, he did his best to chase down the little bugger to keep Fishlegs happy.

"Shhh, Fish, don't encourage… that!" he said, pointing at Jack.

In all honesty, he didn't mind Jack's jokes and mischief at all, no matter what form it came in, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. He had a banter thing going with Jack, and central to that banter was pretending they didn't like each other.

"A moth?" Jack said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "I should have been there to save you from certain death!" he said and slammed his fist down on the table.

"Riiiight… Our hero," Hiccup drawled and crossed his arms. "Saving us from the annoying insect that invaded our dormitory."

"Oh, moths are not mere insects, my young padawan," Jack said, lowering his voice almost to a whisper. "They're elusive, cunning and master manipulators. They want you to think they're just innocent harmless bugs and then… when you least expect it… they bite you right in the throat, ripping out your soft flesh and killing you on the spot. They have no morals, no honor, no soul," he said and looked around him, like he was revealing some terrible secret and checking that no one else heard him.

Hiccup laughed at the idea of moths as secretive master assassins, and Fishlegs, Rapunzel and Merida all joined in. He suddenly stopped his laughter, when a realization came to him. Oh, that tosser.

"Wait… Did you just call me your padawan?" he said and wrinkled his nose.

"Sure I did. After all, you have a lot to learn about life, and who better to teach you than a jedi master?" Jack said, like it made perfect sense.

Hiccup snorted. "You are not a jedi master."

"Of course, I am. How else could I be this wise, brave and good-looking with superhuman skills?"

"And what am I? Some sort of inexperienced, unknowledgeable apprentice who needs someone to look up to?"

"Well, you said that. I was just hinting at it," Jack said with a teasing smile.

He gave Jack a deadly glare to keep up the act. "Despite what you might think, I'm not that inexperienced in life."

He was pleased to see that his comment temporarily shut Jack up. He was trying to find some sort of retort but failing. Serves him right. Hiccup was not a little kid anymore. Like he was ever going to be someone's padawan. No thank you.

"Well, if you two are done discussing who's the padawan, we really should take some time to study," Rapunzel said, sounding a bit disappointed.

She wasn't wrong. They did have a lot of homework, so it was best to get started on some of it.

"Yeah, you're right," Hiccup said, although he'd rather continue the conversation. He was having fun with Jack and Merida. Well… especially Jack, but Merida was already growing on him as well.

"Well, we'll leave you to it, bookworms. I guess I'll see you guys in class then," Jack said, as he picked up his grey backpack and slung it over one shoulder. Merida got up from the bench and did the same thing with her own bag, before giving them a small wave.

"Sure. Bye, Jack. Bye, Merida," Hiccup said warmly, and Fishlegs and Rapunzel added their goodbyes as well.

As Jack and Merida walked away, their retreating forms becoming smaller and smaller, Fishlegs smiled at him.

"They seem nice," he simply said.

Hiccup smiled. Fishlegs was a bit shy and sensitive, but he was always open to getting to know other people, and he would never reject anyone. He always tried to be understanding of others, which was one of his best qualities.

"Yeah. I don't really know them yet, but… they seem okay," he said. If he was honest with himself, Jack and Merida seemed more than okay.

"Definitely," Rapunzel said, her voice bubbly. "I hope we can be friends with them. They were fun!"

Hiccup smiled fondly. Rapunzel was always so upbeat and open when it came to others. It was one of the things he liked most about her. It was a good quality to have and he secretly wished that he still had it too, but over the years he had experienced his fair share of jerks and manipulative people.

While Rapunzel and Fishlegs began studying for Magical History, Hiccup kept staring at his textbook, his thoughts turning to Jack. He couldn't quite figure him out. They had shared classes for years and once in a while exchanged some words when they'd been paired up for groupwork, but other than that they really hadn't had anything to do with each other.

Sure, he had noticed that Jack and his friends seemed to find his sarcastic comments entertaining, but that didn't explain why Jack had begun to suddenly approach him and talk to him out of the blue.

He liked Jack, even though they didn't know each other well yet. He was funny and clever and Hiccup enjoyed their banter. But he couldn't let his guard down around him.

He caught himself hoping Jack wasn't just another student who wanted to get to know him simply because of the dragons.

He would have to wait and see about that.

He would give Jack a chance. For now.

---

Hiccup enjoyed the outdoors, so he had been pleased when Jack had suggested they work on their project outside. His Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects class had gone by quickly as usual, and he had even had some time at the end of class to briefly work on a stronger, thicker metal rod for Toothless' tailfin.

He sat on the ground by the shimmering lake, resting his back against a thick tree trunk. The cool breeze kissed his face and ruffled his hair. He had his textbook open in his lap but his thoughts kept drifting to Toothless.

Even though he had seen Toothless on their usual morning flight, he already found that he missed him. He felt the familiar tug of guilt inside, because Toothless had to be by himself for a big chunk of the day. But Toothless never complained and he seemed happy. Maybe Hiccup was being too hard on himself as usual. After all, he did make sure to visit Toothless twice a day and make time for a long flight and a talk with his best friend.

He tapped his textbook with his fingers. When Toothless wasn't around, Hiccup had that strange feeling that something vital was missing. He was lucky that Headmaster Lunar had agreed to let Toothless stay in the small forest for the remaining years of his education. After his recovery following the battle with the Red Death, Hiccup had refused to return to Hogwarts unless Toothless could come. He would not be separated from his best friend. His soulmate.

They had a bond that only they fully understood, and they needed to be around each other. Luckily the headmaster had agreed on the condition that Professor Brown would be able to meet Toothless and pick Hiccup's brain regarding dragon knowledge and that it was kept secret from the other students for their own safety.

"Hey, Hic!" An enthusiastic voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

A little smile graced his lips. That voice could only belong to a certain Gryffindor.

He turned his head and watched as Jack came closer and sat down in front of him on the ground, legs crossed.

"Hi, Jack," He said, giving him a friendly smile.

Jack observed him for a few moments and Hiccup wondered why he was looking at him in that analyzing way. He found himself becoming a little self-conscious, but luckily Jack's scrutiny didn't last long.

"Aren't you cold?" Jack said and gestured to him, pointing out his lack of warm clothes. He was only wearing his school uniform and a green scarf Rapunzel had made for him.

He couldn't stop the laughter that escaped his lips, and Jack's brow furrowed in obvious confusion, which only made him laugh harder.

"Did I say something funny?" Jack said with an amused smile.

"It's just… I'm from Berk, where it's freezing cold most of the time. I'm not bothered by some chilly autumn wind," he explained.

"Oh… Yeah, that makes sense, I guess," Jack said and shrugged, not dropping his smile.

"What about you? You're not wearing a jacket or anything either?" Hiccup asked him and looked him over for a few seconds. He didn't appear to be cold at all. He actually looked strangely comfortable.

"I'm never really cold… except when getting up in the morning," Jack said and pulled his bag up next to him, fishing out their Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, a massive black leatherbound tome.

Very high tolerance of cold that apparently matched Hiccup's own? Definitely a quirk.

"Wauw…" Hiccup deadpanned, causing Jack to shoot him a questioning look.

"You really are Jack Frost, aren't you?" he said sarcastically.

"Sure am! The harbinger of winter himself," Jack said and held out his arms in a triumphant gesture.

"Too bad that haircolour isn't natural then. That would make it much more authentic."

"What? This is totally natural," Jack said indignantly, gesturing to his white hair.

"Right… So, you come from a family filled with white-haired people?" Hiccup said, wondering if Jack's hair was the result of some sort of mutated gene. He briefly thought of Jack as some kind of winter mutant, which amused him.

"Actually, I'm adopted," Jack said and shrugged.

Hiccup felt the heat creep into his cheeks. Nice going. Way to make your new acquaintance feel uncomfortable.

He had accidentally stumbled upon a sensitive fact and when talking to someone you didn't know very well, that created a certain awkwardness.

"You are?" he found himself asking, unsure of what else to say. How did you respond to something like that being flung out in the middle of a conversation?

"Yeah. Me and my sister lost our parents, when we were young. Luckily, we were adopted together," Jack said and flipped open his textbook, like the whole thing was no big deal.

It was though. Hiccup had lost his mother when he was young, so he could relate in some way to what Jack was telling him, although it wasn't completely the same thing.

"Well, that was… lucky… Look Jack, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Hiccup said, eager to explain, but was quickly interrupted by Jack, who held a hand up to stop him.

He immediately shut up.

"No problem. You didn't know. And besides, it was a long time ago," Jack said and shrugged, sounding calm and collected about it. Well, at least that was something.

"How old is your sister?" Hiccup said, wanting to steer the conversation away from the social faux pas he had just made. Or at least, that he believed he had made. Jack didn't seem to be affected by it at all, which was a relief.

"She's 11 now. Her name's Emma," Jack said with warmth in his blue eyes.

"And… she's not a witch?" Hiccup asked hesitantly, still cautious not to pry into any sensitive topics.

His hand fiddled with one of his two small braids, a gesture he knew he did too much when he felt awkward. It was a comfort to him though, a familiar feeling that gave him something to do to remove some focus from his thoughts.

"Unfortunately, no. It would be nice having her around here," Jack said and Hiccup thought he heard longing in Jack's voice.

He didn't have any siblings and would never experience that bond, but he considered Toothless his brother and Fishlegs and Rapunzel were like siblings to him too. If Jack had a bond with his sister that even remotely resembled the closeness Hiccup felt with the three of them, it must be very difficult being away from her. Hiccup couldn't imagine being separated from them for so long.

"Yeah, I'm sure you miss her, being away for most of the year?" he asked with a sympathetic smile.

He would never know exactly how painful it must be to be away from your siblings and parents for most of the year. Fishlegs was the same way. He was an only child too, and their Viking culture made them accustomed to being away from people they cared about for periods of time, like when the older Vikings had responsibilities that took them away from Berk. Rapunzel was an only child as well. She had a close bond with her parents and missed them, but she didn't show it much. She wrote them and received letters from them several times a week. She also got care packages, often with pictures of her parents and what they had experienced, freshly baked cookies and gifts like new sketchbooks and paint or homemade mittens and scarves.

"Yeah, I miss her a lot… but we write each other every few days, so we stay updated on what's going on with each other," Jack said, his eyes softening.

"That's nice," he said and meant it. It must be a comforting feeling, having a sibling you can talk to, someone who had always been close to you, ever since you were little. "Do you write your parents that often too?"

Jack shook his head. "Nah. I write them about once a week, so it's often, but not as often as Emma," he said. "They would probably love it if I wrote them every day, but that would be a bit much, especially during busy times like midterms and exams."

"Yeah, I get that," Hiccup said. "They sound nice." They were clearly interested in Jack's life and wanted to stay updated on how he was doing. That seemed like a couple of caring parents to Hiccup at least.

Jack nodded eagerly. "They're the best. Really. North is a huge tall Russian guy with a thick accent, a long white beard and tattoos, which make him look very intimidating but he's seriously the nicest guy on earth. And Anna, she probably seems eccentric to some with her colorful clothes and hair and makeup, but she's brilliant and she always has time for me and Emma, and she always wants to know what's going on with us, and what we think about everything. They're very supportive and I know I can always come to them, if I need help with anything," Jack said, his voice soft and his eyes full of affection.

Hiccup had a stab of sadness in his chest. He knew he could never experience that kind of family life. He quickly pushed the thought away though. There was no use in feeling down about things he could never change. He loved his dad after all, even if he wasn't always that understanding, and Vikings weren't always great at showing obvious affection.

He gave Jack a small smile and rubbed his hands. "It sounds like your family consists of some pretty colourful individuals."

"Oh yes," Jack said and chuckled. "We're quite the team. You should see us around Christmas… That's where it gets really busy in our house!" he said, beaming with enthusiasm.

Jack's happiness was infectious and Hiccup found his own lips twitching.

"Really? What's it like?" he said. He knew a lot about Christmas by now, having experienced some of it at Hogwarts every year for the past five years, and having heard a lot about the traditions from Rapunzel as well, but he was sure that every family did their own twist on the traditions.

"Well, North goes into full on Christmas mode, which means that he's constantly humming Christmas songs, baking cookies, decorating the house inside and out, buying presents, taking us sledding, and all kinds of other fun stuff. He never ever gets enough of Christmas. For him, it's the best time of the year. My friends are all absolutely certain that he's actually Santa Claus," Jack said, laughing. "It doesn't help that he likes to wear red, has a sleigh and takes advice from his belly."

Hiccup laughed at this, imagining it quite vividly. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Wait…" he said, furrowing his forehead. "So… You're Jack Frost and your adoptive dad is Santa Claus? That's quite a family," he said and grinned.

"Yeah. At night, when everyone's sleeping, North picks me up in his sleigh and we go fight evil super villains," Jack said with glee in his eyes. Those blue eyes were seriously intense to look at sometimes.

"Sure, because candy canes and snowballs are always effective against dark forces, right?" he said, making Jack grin.

Hiccup broke eye contact and looked at the peaceful blue lake next to him, shining in the faint autumn sun. A few moments of silence passed.

"Do you write your family?" Jack asked in a voice that sounded both curious and hesitant. Jack probably thought the subject might be sensitive. Which it was a bit… but not so much that he needed to keep it hidden.

"Well… I only really have my dad left. And an annoying cousin and uncle, who I don't talk to much. I write my dad once in a while, but not that often," Hiccup said, fiddling with the hem of his shirt to keep his hands busy.

"I'm sorry about your mum." Jack's voice was calm and soothing, and Hiccup's lips crept into a small smile.

"It was a long time ago," he said. "I was too young to really remember it. Anyway… You and your sister are close?" he said, trying to move the conversation in another direction again. He didn't want so much focus on himself and his own somewhat dysfunctional family life.

Jack immediately grinned, revealing those incredibly white teeth and Hiccup couldn't help grinning back at him from seeing the obvious happiness on his face. He had once overheard a girl say that Jack's teeth were as white as freshly fallen snow, and in this moment, he agreed with her.

"Very!" Jack said. "We tell each other almost everything, and when I'm home for the holidays, we spend all our time playing and talking, catching up on everything we're missing, when I'm back here."

"That sounds great. Do you play pranks on her too?" he said with a teasing smile, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Of course I do! Just because we're family doesn't mean she gets to miss out on my devious and hilarious strokes of genius. Duh!" Jack said and rolled his eyes like Hiccup's question had been completely absurd.

Hiccup chuckled. He had already gotten used to that fake superiority that Jack liked to use during banter, and he found it very amusing. Besides making him laugh, it also provided some great openings to shoot the guy down. Now was one of those times.

"Hasn't the poor girl suffered enough being related to you?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"What!?" Jack said in a high-pitched tone, which Hiccup found incredibly funny. "Anyone would be thrilled to be related to me," he said and crossed his arms.

"Right… Being biologically connected for life with a white-haired prankster with an unnatural obsession with snowball fights must be a pure thrill," Hiccup said, keeping his voice monotone and his face completely emotionless.

"Says the nerdy, sarcastic bookworm with a dragon-obsession and an artificial leg," Jack shot back with a grin.

"Foot," Hiccup corrected him with a smile. "But point taken."

"Did it hurt?" Jack suddenly asked, before something flashed in his blue eyes. It seemed almost like... regret?

He was probably wondering if the question was too personal. Hiccup didn't mind though. It'd been terrible losing a limb, and it'd taken him a while to fully get used to the prosthetic, but now it was just natural to him.

"Yeah it did. A lot," he said, emphasizing the last two words.

Jack winced slightly but maybe he just found the thought a little disturbing. Hiccup knew it was difficult for most people at Hogwarts to fully comprehend that he was missing a limb and the consequences it had in his life. It wasn't normal to be an amputee here, unlike back home on Berk.

A brief moment of silence passed between the two of them, before Hiccup cleared his throat. He really didn't appreciate this sudden air of awkwardness.

"Uh… We should probably get started on this," he said, motioning to the big black textbook lying in his lap.

Jack's face immediately changed from regretful to pained.

"Awww… Do we have to?" he whined and scrunched his face.

Hiccup couldn't keep his lips from twitching at that child-like voice and that hurting expression.

"If you'll be a good boy and do your homework, you can get some sweets afterwards," Hiccup said in a light voice, trying to sound like a mother attempting to get her son to behave.

"Okay, but they better be good!" Jack said, accepting that he was going to have to do some homework.

Hiccup smiled. He knew Jack was a clever guy, he'd seen that in classes over the years, but he obviously didn't like doing assignments. Hiccup on the other hand wasn't too bothered by it. Sure, it could be a bit of a pain, if he had trouble fitting everything into his schedule, but that was the reason he usually got it over with as quickly as possible. Now however, he was paired up with a mischievous Gryffindor, who was intelligent but lacked discipline. Not that it mattered really. He enjoyed spending time with Jack, so if that meant handing in the assignment a bit later than what he was used to, that would be okay with him.

"Fine, fine," Hiccup said dismissively. "Now… Let's get started."

He picked up the massive black tome and flipped through the pages, until he landed on the one he was looking for.

"Okay… Do you think we should write about the basilisk or the acromantula?" he said, getting into study mode, which meant concentration and focus.

At least for him it did.

Jack looked ready to run away.

---

Hiccup's grip on the quill relaxed as he wrote down the last word of the sentence, and watched his neat and orderly handwriting on the parchment with a certain satisfaction.

The cold autumn wind ruffled his hair and crept down his neck. He adjusted his soft green scarf, covering a bit of exposed skin.

"Why aren't you wearing your Ravenclaw scarf?" a curious voice asked him.

He lifted his head and met Jack's eyes.

"Well… Sometimes I like to wear this one instead," he said and raised an eyebrow, wondering why Jack would ask such a strange question. He had the distinct feeling that Jack was somehow analyzing him based on this seemingly unimportant piece of trivia, and it suddenly made him a bit uneasy. He quickly dismissed the thought though. That was ridiculous. What could Jack possible conclude based on his choice of scarf?

"Where did you get it?" Jack asked, tilting his head.

"Rapunzel made it for me. It was a Christmas present from her last year," he said fondly, remembering how happy he had been to receive it that Christmas.

Even though he and Fishlegs didn't actually celebrate Christmas, they liked the decorations and the traditions of it at Hogwarts, and they had agreed with Rapunzel that the three of them would exchange gifts every year.

She had spent a lot of time making the scarf, and he had been truly touched by the gesture. It was a rich green color and had a small and discreet pattern of dragons on it in a darker green. It was also the softest thing Hiccup had ever worn, and it always managed to keep him warm from the cold, harsh winter winds.

"She's got some skills," Jack said, sounding impressed. "It looks pretty complicated to make with the little dragons and everything," he said and looked intently at the scarf like he was trying to decipher some kind of code.

"She's very talented, yes," Hiccup said with a warm smile. Rapunzel really did have a lot of creative skills.

"You two seem like you do a lot of creative stuff. You have art class with Mavis, right?" Jack asked.

They did have art class with Mavis, and Hiccup had admired her paintings several times, although her style was very different from his own. Where Hiccup usually painted and sketched dragons and landscapes and other surroundings, Mavis seemed to focus on painting everyday situations like students eating in the Great Hall or sitting by the lake.

"Yeah… We both like to paint and sketch a lot, but Rapunzel is talented in more areas than me. She also does sculptures and plays several instruments… and knits, as you can see," he said and motioned to the green scarf around his neck. "But painting and sketching is definitely something we both enjoy a lot."

"That's really cool. I wish I had some creative talent, but I can only draw stick figures," Jack said and shrugged.

Hiccup smiled at him and then trained his eyes on the parchment in his lap again. The paper rested on top of a book, so he could easily write on it without making the letters all wobbly and uneven. He bit his lip as he considered if they should add more on the discovery of the basilisk, when something small hit him on his cheek. He looked down in confusion and saw a small paper ball lying in his lap.

He whipped his head up and caught the mischievous spark in Jack's eyes. Jack was grinning, while his hands were focused on creating more of those annoying paper balls.

"Jack," he said and groaned. "We need to focus on this." Somehow, he already knew it would be in vain. Jack wasn't the type to stay focused for long periods of time.

"Awww, come on, Hic," Jack whined and pouted. "Can't we just take a break for a while? We've been at it for an hour and a half now. My brain needs to rest."

Hiccup chuckled at Jacks child-like demeanor. Maybe it was time for a break. They had progressed quite nicely on the assignment, managing to write five pages already, so it wouldn't hurt to relax a bit. Jack had been quite attentive and focused, much to Hiccup's surprise, but it seemed that he had reached his limit now.

"If you put away those paper balls, we can take a break," Hiccup negotiated, holding a hand up as a warning. He did not feel like being attacked by a playful Gryffindor with parchment ammunition.

Jack smiled but it quickly turned into a pout. "Fine," he said and sighed, putting the crumbled paper ball down with the others in a small pile.

"Want to play truth or dare?" Jack asked, raising a challenging eyebrow.

"By Odin, no!" Hiccup said with wide eyes. No, there was no way in Hel* he would ever do that. What were they, first years? He hated that game already and the last person he would play it with was Jack, who could probably come up with the most embarrassing questions and dares in existence. There was no way he was going to fall into that gronckle trap.

Jack seemed amused by his desperate refusal. He beamed at Hiccup in some kind of evil triumph, and Hiccup dreaded what was coming next.

"Oh, really? Why not?" Jack said, sounding overly innocent, like he couldn't possibly imagine what Hiccup's reasons could be. He knew though… That devious snowball knew. Hiccup chuckled on the inside. Well, two could play that game.

"Let's see…" Hiccup rubbed his chin, casting his eyes upwards to the sky, like he was in deep contemplation. "Maybe because you're the personification of evil?" he said, dropping his hand down and training his eyes on Jack again.

"Ouch. You really know how to break a man's heart, Hic," Jack said with mock hurt, clutching his chest for dramatic effect.

"Yes, I'm a real heartbreaker," he said, drenching the words in sarcasm. He fiddled with the corner of the parchment in his lap, slightly bending it back and forth. It had a calming effect on him.

"Well, you are now, actually," Jack said, and Hiccup tore his eyes away from the parchment to focus on Jack, who was watching him with amusement.

Hiccup shrugged and looked down at the paper again. "It doesn't matter," he said to quickly dismiss the subject. As Jack probably knew by now, he didn't like all the attention and adoration he had suddenly become the object of. None of these people cared about him before, but now that he was a dragon trainer, everyone wanted a piece of him.

Hiccup understood that it was a natural human response to be drawn towards people, who had achieved something interesting, but it still didn't quell that hint of annoyance he felt, whenever some strange girl who would have never given him the time of day before handed him a flirty note or some boy wanted to ask him about the dragons. He always made sure to be polite in his refusals, but these strangers were regularly invading his personal bubble and he wasn't fond of it.

"If you say so," Jack said and shrugged, and Hiccup was relieved that he dropped the subject without discussion. He didn't really feel like talking about this, especially not with someone he barely knew.

"So… Can I ask you something about the whole… Viking thing?" Jack said and scratched the back of his head.

"Sure?" Hiccup said. As long as Jack didn't ask about the dragons, he didn't mind telling him a little about his culture and his home.

"What's it like? Where you're from?"

"Well… It's an island called Berk. Like I told you yesterday, it's in The Barbaric Archipelago in Scandinavia. It's not the biggest island there, but there's plenty of beautiful nature. Rocky hills, waterwalls, steep cliffs, a few beaches, large forests. It's cold most of the year and winter is brutal with freezing storms and huge amounts of snow. You'd probably love that," he said and pointed at Jack, who smiled in confirmation.

"Everyone lives in the main village except for a few, who like to stay somewhere more remote on the island. All buildings are made of wood and besides the houses, there's the Great Hall where people hang out at night and get something to eat and drink, unless they prefer to do that in their own home, Gobber's forge, the docks, the academy, all the shops and the healer's house. Like I told you, it's pretty much a timewarp," Hiccup said, having deliberately left out that the academy was a dragon training academy. There was no way in Hel he would be sharing that kind of information.

"Yeah, but that's pretty fascinating, actually. And besides… the wizarding community is also very old fashioned. I mean, wizards don't use the internet or any other modern technology, that's strictly a muggle thing. I kind of miss the internet when I'm here," Jack said and got a longing look in his eyes.

"Yeah… I guess it's sort of the reversed situation for the two of us. To you, the wizarding world is old fashioned. To me, it's actually more modern than where I come from."

"True… I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. You guys live completely isolated from everyone else?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty much. The only real connection with the world outside the other tribes in the archipelago is the trading with the wizarding community."

"Trading?" Jack asked, wrinkling his forehead.

"Mostly certain herbs, insects and other ingredients that are used for potions and wands and such," Hiccup said, gesturing with his hands.

"Makes sense… But what do you for fun then? There can't be a whole lot to do?" Jack asked, and Hiccup caught himself thinking that naturally he would ask about that.

A faint smile spread across his lips. "Oh, there's plenty to do," he said vaguely, and he could tell that Jack was confused by his statement, as his eyes seemed to be analyzing him. He wasn't about to elaborate on it though, which Jack seemed to accept after a few seconds of silence.

"I'll take your word for it," Jack said and shrugged. "What are the other Vikings like? I imagine them being more like Astrid than you and Fishlegs?"

"You'd be right in that assumption. Me and Fishlegs are both pretty atypical Vikings in our own ways. Most of the Vikings back home are not just huge, but incredibly tough and fierce. They feel things strongly, but they rarely show their emotions openly. They're probably the most resilient people in the world though… Able to adapt to pretty much anything: Harsh climate, war with other tribes, dragon attacks and now peace," Hiccup said, as images of the other Vikings on Berk flashed in his mind.

He was grateful that they had been so eager to live in peace with the dragons after his battle with the Red Death. It showed him a whole new side of many of the toughest Vikings. They were still the stubborn, tenacious warriors they had always been, but caring for a dragon left a soft spot in all of them, and he had seen several Vikings show a deep kindness and affection towards their dragon that he hadn't even seen them show to people. The dragons had changed everything back home for the better.

"I'm sorry if it's too personal, but have you ever experienced a war?" Jack said and observed him with genuine curiosity. He tapped a little with his pale fingers on the massive black book lying next to him, while Hiccup took a few seconds to get over his surprise at being asked that question.

"No. Luckily, I haven't" he said, his voice quiet.

A moment of silence descended between them, and Hiccup decided that break time was over.

"Let's get on with this," he told Jack with a polite smile and motioned to the parchment resting on his legs.

Jack nodded in acceptance and shot him a little smile of his own, before the two of them once again focused on their assignment.

---

Jack remembered Hiccup's words, as he looked at the guy's left foot. Well, it wasn't an actual foot anymore but some kind of prosthetic limb, although he had never seen it, as it was always covered by trousers and a shoe. Hiccup was still busy scribbling down the last of their workload for today and didn't notice anything.

Jack bit his lip. Hiccup didn't seem affected by it on an everyday basis, and Jack couldn't remember having ever seen him limp or seem pained in any way. There must be some pain once in a while though. It was impossible to lose a limb and not experience any discomfort at all, right?

"Jack, why are you staring at my foot?" a familiar nasal voice suddenly said. It didn't sound annoyed or distressed, but Jack immediately cringed. He hadn't even heard that Hiccup had stopped writing, and now he had been caught staring at his missing leg. Well, this was pretty embarrassing. An amputee probably didn't appreciate it, when people observed their lack of limbs, as if it was something to be studied. Now he needed to reassure Hiccup that he wasn't some kind of insensitive wanker.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare or anything," Jack quickly said, feeling like he had just made a huge mistake. He was hoping Hiccup wouldn't be upset about it.

He slowly lifted his head and met Hiccup's eyes. He didn't look uncomfortable or angry with him in any way. That was a relief. But Hiccup was observing him again silently with those analyzing green eyes, like he could somehow read Jack's mind, and that made him uneasy.

Jack didn't like the silence that was passing between them, and he was about to open his mouth again, when Hiccup beat him to it.

"It's fine, Jack. Don't worry about it," Hiccup said with a dismissive wave of a hand, not sounding the least bit irritated or nervous.

Jack searched those observant eyes briefly, but saw nothing in them that pointed to the contrary, so he accepted that Hiccup wasn't affected by his staring. He still felt like a jerk though.

"I was just… wondering if it still hurts sometimes?" Jack asked in a quiet and careful way that he knew was out of character for him. He wanted to approach this subject gently though. He didn't know Hiccup very well yet, and there was no telling, whether he would be reluctant to tell him more about his missing foot.

A look of surprise flashed across Hiccups features, before his face was once again seemingly neutral. He appeared to consider his answer for a few moments, eyes looking over the shimmering surface of the lake, before turning back to meet Jack's gaze again.

"It still hurts sometimes, yes," Hiccup confirmed in a calm voice, tapping with two fingers on the place where the prosthetic was hidden beneath his black trousers. "There are good days and bad days. For the most part, it's okay during the day, but it sometimes hurts in the evening, when I've worn the prosthetic all day."

Jack got a sympathetic pang in his chest. It must be difficult losing a limb in the first place, but also having to live with pain for the rest of your life… That must be frustrating. He felt renewed admiration for the guy sitting in front of him. Hiccup had not only lost his foot and managed to accept that and move past it, but he also managed to live with the pain. Granted, Jack had no idea how bad the pain was or how often it happened, but it was still pretty impressive.

"I'm sorry, Hic," Jack said and meant it. It hardly seemed fair that Hiccup lost something that precious.

Hiccup gave him a quick smile and shook his head. Jack kept his eye on those two small braids among the brown hair for a few seconds.

"It's fine," he said and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. Jack wondered if that was Hiccup's usual response to all his troubles. Just accepting it and moving on like it was no big deal.

"Well, it's not really… You're in pain?" Jack said and watched Hiccup for any changes in his expression.

Hiccup shrugged. "I can live with pain."

Jack was surprised that Hiccup seemed so accepting of this. It appeared almost… dismissive. Like his pain and the trauma he'd been through wasn't really worth discussing.

"Huh," Jack said in a surprised tone. He had a flashback to Hiccup saying that very word, when he found out Jack was interested in mythology.

"What?" Hiccup asked, keeping his analyzing eyes trained on Jack, his face in perfectly neutral folds.

"It's just… surprising. That you can accept pain just like that, as a natural part of your life. I've never even seen the slightest sign that you've been in pain," Jack said and ran a hand through his white hair in one swift movement.

"There's always more," Hiccup said, his voice quiet and his eyes soft.

Jack frowned. What on earth did he mean by that? Was Jack supposed to understand it? Something about Hiccup's tone of voice and the gentle but careful look in his eyes indicated that the words were filled with hidden meaning, and Jack wanted to understand that meaning.

"What do you mean by that?" Jack said.

Hiccup seemed to hesitate for a few moments, maybe considering whether or not he wanted to elaborate.

"There's always more" Hiccupp repeated softly. "There's always more to people underneath that first layer that everyone sees. The one that's made of looks, body language, friends, family, hobbies, even which House you're in. Those things that create first impressions, prejudice, rumors. The things that make people think they know who you are, even if they don't know you at all," Hiccup said and turned his eyes to the lake.

"All Ravenclaws are clever bookworms. All Gryffindors are brave and impulsive. All Hufflepuffs are hard-working and friendly. All Slytherins are cunning and self-serving," Hiccup said, his hands flying around to underline his words. "Those are some of the ideas that are mindlessly repeated, because it's comfortable and safe to sort people into neat little boxes, so we don't have to worry about actually figuring them out. The problem is that people are complex… They don't fit into categories as neatly as our minds want them to. Not everyone in Hufflepuff is a nice person. Not everyone in Slytherin is a manipulative git. There's always more to someone underneath the surface and it can shake people's entire view of them. I'm well aware that other students have always thought they knew exactly what kind of person I was, but there's plenty of things they don't know and won't ever know."

Jack listened intently and found himself agreeing with Hiccup's words. Now his surprise regarding Hiccup's tolerance of pain seemed a little shallow. Of course, Jack knew that there was more to people than what meets the eye, but as Hiccup had reminded him with his calm, collected words, it was human to categorize others, to see them as simple beings that you believed you understood, even though you hadn't even scratched the surface. There was definitely a lot more to the guy in front of him than what everyone had previously thought, and Jack wondered what other surprises would spill out, if he got to know Hiccup better.

"You're right… and trust me, not all Gryffindors are brave," Jack said with a smile, making Hiccup smile hesitantly back at him. There were definitely some scaredy cats in Jack's own House despite its reputation of being the nest of the courageous. And unfortunately, there were also a few tossers.

"That was pretty insightful, Hiccup," he said, letting a warm smile take over his lips.

"I have my moments" Hiccup said casually, leaning back on the oak tree he was sitting in front of. He watched Hiccup as he looked up into the sky and seemed to be contemplating something. The sun was beginning to slowly retreat, the surroundings bathed in a mild glow.

"You sure do," Jack said. He could have easily shot a cheeky comment back at Hiccup, but right now, he wanted to let him know that he had actually given him something to think about.

Hiccup's lips twitched and he seemed somewhat entertained by Jacks comment, although he didn't reply but just kept watching the sky.

Jack studied him for a little while. He really had grown up in the last two years. This tall, mature guy in front of him was a stark contrast to the small, scrawny Hiccup of the past. He watched those brown locks being ruffled by the mild breeze, and the two small braids swaying gently.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted, when Hiccup quickly got to his feet and packed his parchment, quill and the textbook into his black satchel. He met Jack's gaze and gave him a small smile.

"Well, Jack, it's getting late. Dinner is starting soon," Hiccup said, and Jack thought of how quickly the time had passed.

"You're right. We should get back," he said and quickly stood up, one of his feet mildly numb from sitting in the same position for a long time. He gathered his own things and threw them into his grey backpack, not at all as careful with his stuff was Hiccup apparently was. He slung the backpack over one shoulder.

"Is that your usual way of packing stuff?" Hiccup said, eyebrows raised.

"Well, yeah. It's very time-efficient," Jack said with a grin.

"I can see that," Hiccup said with that hint of amusement in his voice.

They walked together side by side towards the Great Hall. The sun was setting, darkness creeping into the sky. The silence between them was comfortable. When they reached the doors of the Great Hall, Jack turned to Hiccup.

"So, when are we going to meet up again?" he said.

Hiccup chewed on his lip for a brief moment. "Hmm… I'm done with classes at 4 tomorrow?" he suggested.

"Great, so am I. Wait, that's not so weird actually, we have our last class of the day together," Jack thought out loud and shot Hiccup a small smile.

"Oh, right, I forgot," Hiccup said, smacking his forehead with one hand.

Jack grinned at the gesture. "Okay, so let's just get together after class?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow then, Jack," Hiccup said and gave him a small wave, before he began walking towards the Ravenclaw table to join Fishlegs and Rapunzel, who were already sitting there, engaged in conversation.

"See you," Jack called out, before he went to his own House table. He spotted his three best friends and slumped down on the bench next to Mavis.

Dinner was essentially uneventful, although Jack always enjoyed being among his friends. They told each other about their day, they exchanged complaints about homework and they made each other laugh with comfortable and familiar banter.

Once in a while Jack glanced at Hiccup sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Fishlegs and Rapunzel. He seemed so comfortable around them. He was deeply engulfed in conversation with them, laughing genuinely and unrestrained at their witty remarks, like all his defense mechanisms simply melted away and they got to see everything underneath.

Jack felt that he had seen a sliver of that Hiccup today, and he was secretly hoping that he would get to see more of that person in time. There was definitely something about Hiccup that was anything but ordinary, and Jack found himself being pulled in.

---

After his nightly flying trip with Toothless, Hiccup had once again made it back unseen to the Ravenclaw common room. It had been a long day of classes, talking, studying with Jack and flying, and now he felt his eyelids begin to droop and his legs become heavier. He was definitely ready to get some sleep.

He walked upstairs slowly on the old, creaking staircase and approached his bed. He very carefully began to remove his leather and metal armor, piece by piece and placing it in the small chest that he kept under the bed.

As usual he didn't wake any of the others and thank Thor for that. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain standing in the dormitory in the middle of the night wearing armor. Fishlegs, Rapunzel, Astrid and the professors were the only ones at the castle who knew that Toothless was here, and he definitely wanted to keep it that way.

When he had silently removed all his armor, he changed into an oversized t-shirt and some pajama bottoms, and folded his other clothes on the chair next to his bed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed his satchel sitting on the floor next to his nightstand. It had a note pinned to it.

He certainly hadn't noticed that, when he had thrown it there. He approached it, looking at the note. When he removed the small piece of paper from the satchel and unfolded it, a message was scrambled down with very uneven, red letters that almost looked like they were written in blood.

I'm coming for you.
- Moth

Hiccup laughed, but quickly tried to get himself under control, so he wouldn't wake the others.

He shook his head in equal amounts of amusement and disbelief.

Jack was truly one insane individual.