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!

14. Someone Worth Missing

Author's note:

Hi everyone, I'm back again :) A few remarks on this chapter:

- In my story, the Viking culture in the archipelago has evolved in several ways from the original Viking culture that existed over a thousand years ago in Scandinavia. Culture is not something that just stands still and remains the same forever, even in an isolated place like the archipelago. Even though it's basically a 'time-warp' in this fic, the culture still changes over time and becomes more modern as a result of both development internally among Vikings and externally (when they get input from the outside world, like through traders and through the people that go off to Hogwarts and becomes familiar with the modern muggle world and the wizarding world etc.).

- Vikings never named their children strange or horrible names to scare off trolls and gnomes, that's just an invention of the author of the HTTYD books. In reality, Vikings often named their kids after dead relatives and gods, so in this story the Vikings back on Berk (except the characters we already know from the movies) have real Viking names. I see this as a result of the ways the culture has evolved. In my story, Vikings in the archipelago (but not anywhere else in Scandinavia) DID sometimes name their children strange or horrible names but it's a dying tradition and that's why only some of them have those kinds of names.

- There are more people on Berk than in the movies, including more kids and teens.

- The Vikings celebrated Jól in January.

- Vikings saw it as shameful to be the submissive part in homosexual sex. And homosexual relationships were completely no-go.

---

Jack absolutely adored Hogsmeade at Christmas.

Rows of old stone houses with a thick layer of gleaming snow on the rooftops, shops with old-fashioned display windows in different colors and filled with Christmas decorations and the smell of hot chocolate and sweets in the air from the shops and carts selling the delicious treats. Everywhere you looked there were strings of Christmas lights, holly wreaths, pine branches and Christmas ornaments and the trees in the village were decorated with enchanted candles. In the middle of the town square, a giant Christmas tree stood tall and proud, glowing with hundreds of white candles, baubles in red and gold, its pine needles sprinkled with a delicate layer of white, powdery snow. It was exactly like being inside one of those cheesy, American Christmas films. The ones where everything always works out perfectly in the end. The ones where Santa is real and makes someone believe, where it always snows on Christmas Eve, where broken families get reunited in a flurry of smiles, happy tears and forgotten grudges that would make even a rainbow-pooping, cotton candy eating pink unicorn barf. However, the real thing…like Hogsmeade…was amazing.

His friends were walking next to him, shoes scraping across snow-dusted cobblestone, eager chatter spilling from their lips. A cart was selling cookies in the shapes of owls, snowmen and little Santa Clauses. Delicious smells of the freshly baked treats reached his nostrils. A sigh of contentment.

Hogsmeade always delivered the perfect Christmas atmosphere and Jack found himself thinking how much North would absolutely adore this place. There was just a special kind of joy in the air all around them. It was almost electric. People were walking through the snow, carrying bags with presents, munching on cookies or candy canes or some other treat, throwing snow at each other or talking and laughing. Everyone seemed to be so…happy.

It was snowing just a little, brittle, white flakes drifting down towards the ground from the grey heavens that appeared as if someone had sucked all the color right out of them. They had all bundled up in warm jackets, knitted gloves, scarves and boots to shield them from the cold and the wetness of the winter weather.

First they had been to Gladrags Wizardwear, where Merida had bought some shirts for her brothers with an image of a ghost that actually moved around and laughed mischievously, and Jack, Mavis and Merida had bought a new satchel for Flynn, while Rapunzel kept him distracted. Then they'd gone to Spintwitches, a shop that sold sporting goods, where Flynn had kept Merida occupied with looking at Quidditch brooms, while Jack and Mavis bought a broomstick servicing kit and new leather arm guards as part of Merida's Christmas present. Jack quickly slipped it into his backpack. Then they'd had been to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop that had begun selling tea powder, where Rapunzel had bought some special kinds of tea for her mum and afterwards they'd been in the art shop on the corner, where Jack first had to keep Hiccup busy while Rapunzel and Fishlegs bought some stuff for him and then also keep Rapunzel occupied afterwards. Merida had managed to buy their gift for Mavis, a magical camera, without her noticing.

Now however, they had left the art shop and were discussing where they should go next.

"Let's go to Honeydukes!" Merida said, joy gleaming in blue eyes.

"Of course you want to go somewhere you can stuff your face." Jack told her with a teasing smile.

"Oh please…don't even pretend like you don't want to go there too, Snow Queen." Merida shot back and stuck her tongue out.

"Of course I want to go there!" Jack replied and rolled his eyes. It was pretty obvious, since he loved sweets.

"Then let's go." Hiccup said, as they all kept strolling down the street filled with people in thick, warm clothes with joyful smiles on their faces and snowflakes in their hair.

"Right behind you, Freckles." Flynn told the Viking, who instantly turned his head to look at Flynn.

"Freckles?...Seriously?" Hiccup asked. An eyebrow was raised in amusement.

Jack let his eyes drift across that slight sprinkle of freckles across Hiccup's cheekbones and on the base of his nose. There weren't many but they were there. Tiny specks, like someone had taken one of the Viking's paintbrushes, dipped the bristles just a tad in brown paint and then flicked it at him from a distance.

They were cute…

…and he wished he could count them with his fingertips or kiss everyone single one of them. Lips on warm skin.

"There's plenty more nicknames where that came from, Braids." Flynn grinned.

"Oh gods…" Hiccup said, pinching the bridge of his nose, green eyes closing for a few seconds.

Jack and the others chuckled.

"What's wrong, Hic? Don't like your new nicknames?" he asked with a teasing smile and nudged the Viking boy's shoulder.

"Oh no, they're perfect." Hiccup said, every word laced with that dry sarcasm of his. "Doesn't sound like I have some kind of little girl alter ego at all."

Jack couldn't stop the laughter that escaped his lips then and neither could the rest of their friends.

"Well, you're obviously suppressing that side of yourself, Hiccup. Just braid all of your hair, dance around in the sun to get some more freckles, put on a pink dress and get it over with." Flynn said, lips twitching to one side in a crooked smile.

Jack's grin widened.

"Riiiight…" Hiccup replied with an amused smile, once again wrapping every word in a package of sarcasm. "You just see right through me. Thank you for finally freeing me from this emotional prison, Flynn."

Flynn and Jack both grinned at him while the others chuckled.

God, he loved that razor-sharp sarcasm. Hiccup had turned sarcasm into a fucking art-form.

"You're very welcome, Freckles." Flynn told him, putting his face in earnest folds, as if he was being completely serious.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and then one of those flickers of a smile appeared on his lips before it was gone again.

Jack shoved Hiccup a little on the side of the head in playful gesture, savoring every time he could touch Hiccup in any way. Hiccup met his eyes. Lips parted to show rows of white teeth. Green eyes gleamed with joy.

And Jack's stomach did flips. Man, how unfair was that? It was not okay that Hiccup had that kind of power over him.

He was well aware that even though he could just stare at Hiccup and his smiles all day, it would seem quite strange, so he trained his blue eyes ahead and took in the people walking towards them down the street, while he listened to the conversation being started between his friends about what sort of candy they were craving and planning to buy, when they got to Honeydukes.

Suddenly Jack spotted a familiar Hufflepuff strolling towards them at the other side of the cobblestone street, accompanied by two friends. As soon as Sam came into Jack's line of sight, it was like flicking on a switch inside him. He clenched his jaw. It was an instant trigger of annoyance and jealousy. The irritation coiled in a ball of unpleasant warmth in his gut. A hostile, unwanted burst of energy spread through him.

Jack glanced sideways to look at Hiccup, but he was too busy talking with their friends to notice Sam walking past them. He trained his eyes on Sam and his friends again but it didn't seem like the Hufflepuff had noticed them either. Sam was completely occupied by a conversation with his two friends, who Jack recognized since they were almost always at his side. Kristoff and Tiana were both Hufflepuffs as well…Kristoff was a fairly large guy with slightly long, tousled, blonde hair and a very friendly, good-guy demeanor. The only thing strange Jack had noticed about him was his love of ice cubes. Tiana was a black girl with long black hair and brown eyes and probably one of the most hardworking students Jack had seen in their year. Whenever he spotted her around the castle or in classes, she had her nose in a book or was writing notes or helping someone else with their homework. She clearly had ambitions and was not afraid in the slightest of spending huge amounts of time and energy trying to achieve those ambitions.

When Sam and his two friends had passed them and were out of sight, Jack let out a little sigh. The unwanted, aggressive energy slowly dissipated.

The Hufflepuff had not given up on trying to spend time with Hiccup. Luckily he had only tried one more time to talk to the Viking boy in the last couple of weeks and Jack had been there to cockblock him, although being discreet about it so Hiccup wouldn't suspect anything.

As he moved his focus back to his friends and began listening to the conversation currently taking place between Hiccup and Flynn, where they were teasing each other about what the other's favorite candy said about his personality, he felt the tenseness leave his body.

Jealousy was truly one of those things that brought out the most hostile, most pathetic and ugly sides of a person and Jack didn't like the feeling of it one bit. He also didn't like interfering. But… He definitely couldn't let that Hufflepuff try to make a move on Hiccup either.

---

Light snowflakes brushing his skin with their chilly caresses. Fresh, cold winter air tingling his nose and cheeks. Delicious smells of treats being sold from carts and stores. Warm glow from strings of Christmas lights. Sounds of his friends talking and laughing. Happiness shining in their eyes.

This was one of those days where everything was simply perfect and Hiccup's chest practically swelled with love for his wonderful friends, as he remained quiet for a little while, just being utterly content in their presence.

He couldn't stop the amused smile from appearing on his lips, as he listened to the conversation between Flynn and Jack about who would get the most presents from Santa, if they were still little kids, like it was some kind of competition.

"It would obviously be me, Jackie. I mean…look at me. Then look at you. Then look back at me." Flynn told Jack, mock arrogant attitude perfectly in place.

"Oh please, Rider." Jack replied dismissively. "If I was still a little kid, Santa would shower me with gifts for simply gracing the world with my wonderful presence."

"Like you would ever get any presents from Santa." Hiccup interjected with a tiny, amused smile on his lips. There was almost nothing better than teasing Jack.

Jack turned his head. Perfect blue eyes sparkled. A single dark eyebrow was raised questioningly.

"Am I on the naughty list?" Jack said, voice laced with amusement.

You're definitely on some kind of naughty list Hiccup's mind managed to think, before he found himself blushing and mentally groaning at his traitorous subconscious.

Seriously brain…where are you even going with this?!

Gods how it sucked to be a teenager with a crush. Almost anything could make you think…those kinds of thoughts.

"No, not at all…what would ever make you think that?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sarcasm was great. It was safe. It was something he did really well. Sarcasm was a shield that could cover up awkwardness and hurt feelings. It was a sharp sword that could slash at enemies and leave their ego's bleeding. It was a bow and arrow that could be brought out in friendly banter and make you win a banter-battle by timing it perfectly, like an arrow being released and hitting the target dead in the middle.

"I mean…surely pranks, teasing and destruction of property is guaranteed to land you right on the top of that nice list." Hiccup said.

Jack grinned at him and then pushed him a little to the side, as they kept walking and the touch sent a shiver down Hiccup's spine. Gods…Jack always touched him so often and he didn't mind that one bit but sometimes it really left him craving even more contact.

"You're such a sarcastic tosser, Hic. No wonder we're such good friends…anyway, you're lucky you don't even celebrate Christmas, because you definitely wouldn't make the nice list." Jack told him.

"Well, that's good. Then I can be as much of a sarcastic tosser as I want." Hiccup told him and chuckled. "Besides…who's Santa to decide whether I've been nice? Judgmental bastard."

Jack and Flynn both laughed loudly at that comment.

When Honeydukes came into view, they were all eager to get their hands on some delicious treats.

"I think I'm going to get some Ginger Newts." Fishlegs said happily, as he pushed open the green, wooden door and they all entered the sweets shop.

Inside the shop was green shelf after green shelf filled with glass containers with colorful sweets of all kinds that the students inside the shop eagerly examined. On the floor were barrels here and there with the most ordinary items like Every Flavor Beans as well as organized glass displays with handmade chocolates and different kinds of fudge in all colors of the rainbow and delicious as well as strange flavor combinations. One of the green walls were covered with large bookcases filled with magic kinds of sweets like the peppermint toads that jumped around in your belly or Drooble's Best Blowing Gum that would fill a room with large blue bubbles.

They all instantly began gathering the kinds of sweets they wanted to buy. Hiccup chose to get some Caramel Cobwebs and Chocolate Wands, while Jack bought a packet of Glacial Snow Flakes and Sweet Crystals, naturally…everything about the guy was wintery Hiccup thought to himself in a combination of amusement and adoration. Of course Merida ended up buying a lot more than everyone else but in her defense, she also bought some of it as a part of her brothers' Christmas present. Those mischievous triplets loved the magic candy.

When they left the shop again, Jack was munching on some of the Glacial Snow Flakes, while Hiccup had opened his packet of Caramel Cobwebs. Their friends were all enjoying their sweets as well. As they walked further down the street filled with the old-fashioned, Christmas decorated shops, they spotted several people they knew, like Astrid and her friends and Liam and Harry. Then they all agreed that they should go to Tomes and Scrolls next for more Christmas shopping.

As he, Rapunzel and Fishlegs walked behind their Gryffindor friends, Rapunzel leaned in and whispered to him.

"How's it going with Jack's present?"

"Great. It's almost done actually…I only need a few more hours in the workshop to finish it." he replied with a happy smile. He was really looking forward to finishing it and seeing the final result of all his hard work.

"Is it turning out the way you wanted?" Fishlegs whispered with curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm really satisfied with it actually…and it's fun to make." he told him. He'd had to do research to figure out how to build it but as always, he really enjoyed learning new skills and experimenting.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing it when it's finished." Rapunzel said, her lips curving into a smile.

"Me too. I hope Jack will like it."

"I'm sure he will. Why wouldn't he? It's just his thing." Fishlegs replied.

"It is." Hiccup agreed. "But still…it's always a bit of a gamble when you actually make something for people instead of just buying something."

"Yeah but it's also very special." Rapunzel said with warmth in her green eyes.

"True." he agreed. It was a special gift he was currently crafting for Jack. It was made just for him.

When they entered the large, old bookshop with the dark walls that were covered from ground to ceiling with massive, dark wooden bookcases stacked with all kinds of books, old and new, the smell of parchment reached Hiccup's nose. He and his friends split up in small groups to explore the bookshop as they wished and he went in search of something for Fishlegs, Jack keeping him company. As he looked through several shelves filled with interesting books, he wished he had enough money to buy every book in here. He loved attaining more knowledge and books were one of the best ways to do that. He let his fingers glide across the spines of a long row of books, until he landed on an interesting looking tome on magical creatures that he quickly decided to buy as part of Fishlegs' Christmas present. Surprisingly, Jack chose to buy a book about magical creatures too, for Emma. Apparently she was very interested in all magical animals. He made Jack keep a lookout for their large friend, while Hiccup quickly bought the book and slipped it into his satchel. Then Jack bought the book he had picked out and then the both of them waited for their friends outside the shop together.

"So…have you found out what else you're going to buy for Emma?" Hiccup asked his white-haired friend, who had just finished eating the last of the Glacial Snow Flakes and put the empty packet in one of his pockets.

"Not yet…but I was thinking of going to the toy shop and see if they have any interesting magical toys."

Hiccup nodded. "Good idea."

"Are you all set with the presents for Rapunzel and Fishlegs?" Jack asked him, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Yeah actually…I only needed to buy that book for Fish…besides that, I'm making their gifts myself."

"Really?" Jack asked, his blue eyes filled with interest.

"Yeah…they've both told me they love the presents I make for them and I'm almost done with it actually."

"Well they're right. I mean, bought presents are great as well but when someone has made something themselves and really put a lot of effort and thought into it…that's just really special. They're lucky to get those kinds of presents from you, Hic." Jack told him with a soft smile that made the Terrible Terrors stir in his stomach.

Jack should really stop doing those smiles…it made Hiccup's legs feel like they weren't working anymore and it only reminded him just how much he ached to be more than friends, although that could never happen.

If you only knew, Snowflake…

"Thanks." he replied, a little smile twitching his lips.

That was good. Push those thoughts down and appear normal.

He heard the door open behind him and a few seconds later, their friends were all standing next to them again and they agreed to move on to the next shop.

They did a quick stop at J. Pippin's Potion shop, where he and Fishlegs stocked up on potions and pastes that they'd bring back home, like painkilling potions, burn-healing paste, dragon tonics and essence of dittany. Life in the archipelago was dangerous and having such effective means of healing was very useful.

Afterwards they agreed to go to the toy shop and look for a present for Emma. As Hiccup walked next to Jack, he heard the snow cracking under his footsteps. He observed a couple that walked towards them holding hands and briefly thought about how easy it would be to reach out and grab Jack's hand right now. That was probably the worst thing…how easy it would be. Easy means tempting and temptation could quickly lead to disaster.

When they entered the large toy shop, there were plenty of first and second year students all around, examining toys, talking and laughing. They walked around the bright shop with the yellow walls and endless shelves and bookcases filled with toys of different kinds. Almost all of the toys in the store were magical and small signs put up by each kind of toy specified what their functions were.

While Rapunzel cooed over some adorable stuffed animals and showed them to their friends, he and Jack walked by a shelf stocked with some strange-looking purple plushies. They almost looked like a mix between monkeys and tigers with their very long arms and legs, big hands, tiger stripes and cat-like face. Jack examined one of them and told him that you could write a message and a time, and then the toy would say that message by the time you had chosen. Right after Jack said this, a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. Gods, that mischievous smile was just begging to be wiped off Jack's lips by a deep kiss.

Jack glanced at their friends, who were standing by the shelf next to this one, talking and looking at some other toys. Hiccup knew that look on Jack's face all too well, and he instantly grinned. Jack began to write messages at a fast pace on all the toys on the shelf…and there were at least 15 of them. When he had written on the last one, he quickly stepped a little further away from their friends and waited.

Suddenly the air was filled with messages leaving the magical toys' mouths all at once in an inferno of childish insults. All of their friends' heads instantly snapped towards the sounds, as their ears were attacked by phrases of which they could only pick up fragments because they all overlapped each other.

"I'm Merida DunBroccccchhh and I'm a stupid-head"

"My name is Merida-"

"- want to be Flynn's pretty bride!"

"I am Merida-"

"- I'm a poo-poo-face!"

"- more hair than human!"

" – DunBROOOOOOOCCHCHHHH!"

"My name is Merida-"

"- a delicate flower!"

"I'm Merida-"

"My name is Merida-"

"- fragile little princess who needs to be looked after by a man!"

"Look at me, I'm Merida-"

"- am a frizz-ball"

"- never want to get married, I want to stay single and let my hair flow in the wind!"

As soon as the bombardment of insults ceased, Hiccup and the others all burst into laughter, while Merida narrowed her eyes threateningly at Jack, who was observing her with a huge, teasing grin on his face.

"I hope you've got your affairs in order, Frost…because you're going to die today." the curly-haired girl said as she hit her fist into her palm.

Then the Scot rushed towards Jack, who instantly turned around and ran away. Merida chased Jack around bookcases, display cases, shelves, even people, trying to catch him and get her revenge, while Jack's happy laughter echoed through the air.

Hiccup couldn't stop the goofy smile that spread across his face, as he watched Jack speed around the toyshop, doing sharp turns and changing directions rapidly to escape the horror of a tickle attack, while he was laughing more and more. Jack might 'just' be a human, but he was the bloody guardian of fun to everyone who knew him…and in this moment, Hiccup found himself thinking that there was nothing he found more attractive than this guy. Or more adorable. Or more wonderful. Or…okay, stop it Hiccup. Seriously.

In the end, Merida managed to pin Jack down and give him a tickle attack until he surrendered and admitted defeat, almost not being able to breathe. The others were still laughing, while Hiccup shook his head with a fond smile gracing his lips.

When Merida and Jack had both stopped panting, they continued their search for a present for Emma. When Hiccup spotted a shelf filled with stuffed dragon toys that could actually fly around and roar, he nudged Jack and grinned. Jack followed his line of sight and instantly chuckled.

"Every single thing with you is about dragons, isn't it?" his white-haired friend asked.

"No." he replied with an amused smile, but Rapunzel had said "Yes" at the same time from behind him.

"Traitor." he told her and stuck his tongue out. "Okay…maybe a lot of things with me are about dragons." he then admitted.

"But actually…it's not a bad idea. I think Emma would like those." Jack told him and stepped closer to the shelf, picking up a purple dragon and examining it a little. Then he brought it with him, as he suddenly spotted something else from one of the other shelves nearby.

Hiccup followed Jack and stood next to him, as they both looked at some other toys. It was a line of toys called "The Guardians" which represented different kinds of childhood figures like Santa Claus, the Sandman, The Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and several others.

"Wow…" Jack said as he picked up the Santa Claus and Tooth Fairy ones. "These kind of remind me of Anna and North. I mean, look at Santa…he's huge, has the same kind of beard, hair and eyebrows as North and even his coat looks a lot like North's!" Jack said excitedly. "And look at this Tooth Fairy…her face looks like Anna's and she's all colorful too."

"You should get them for Emma." he told Jack with a smile and examined the back of some of the packages with the figures. Apparently the Santa one could fly around in his sleigh and make it snow in a room, while the Tooth Fairy one could ruffle its feathers, fly with its wings and split into five smaller Tooth Fairies and reassemble itself again.

"Yeah, I'll do that." he said and clutched the toys in his arms. Then he observed the Easter Bunny one that was quite fierce-looking and had boomerangs. Jack chuckled a little. "You know…if Professor Bunnymund was a childhood myth, he would definitely be this version of the Easter Bunny."

"I agree." Hiccup said. In a weird way, it did kind of resemble their Defense against the Dark Arts teacher…and the Sandman one definitely had some similarities to Professor Mansnoozie as well.

"But where is Jack Frost? Psshh…typical toy stores…not even having the most important person of all time." Jack told him.

"Jack Frost…the most important one?" Hiccup asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Jack said and stuck his tongue out and Hiccup just smiled in amusement.

When Jack had bought the toys for Emma and Merida had purchased some toy broomsticks for her three brothers as well as a little thing they had agreed on for Flynn, they left the shop and once again stepped out into the snow-filled streets packed with Christmas-enthused people.

---

Jack was in a more and more Christmassy mood by the minute. Snowflakes gently landed in his white hair. He was carrying the presents he'd bought in his backpack. A little choir was singing Christmas carols by one of the shops. Some small children had started building a snowman nearby. His friends were all bundled up in their warm clothes with smiles on their faces.

"Come on, let's go to Zonko's Joke Shop!" he told his friends excitedly. "That's my favorite shop here."

"No kidding. I would have never guessed that." Hiccup said sarcastically and nudged his shoulder.

"Oh, ha ha." Jack replied sarcastically with a grin. "It's a good thing it ended up re-opening after the wizarding war. Although…it's still not as good as Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"Of course not." Merida said. "No joke shop is as good as Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"I actually talked a little to Ron Weasley in there once a few years ago. He helped me pick out a present for Jackie." Flynn told them with that hint of pride that he always had when he said that.

"Yeah, we know….and I once saw Harry Potter himself there, which is way better." Mavis replied and grinned at him.

"Why do you always have to bring that up, when I tell people about this? Do you like hurting me, Vampire?" Flynn replied and clutched his chest dramatically.

"Yes." Mavis simply said and then stuck her tongue out. The others chuckled and Jack grinned at his two friends.

They quickly made it to the familiar red store-front and entered the joke shop. It was buzzing with students, as it was not just Jack's favorite shop but many others' as well. Jack and his friends pushed through the sea of other people and took in the items on the various shelves. Zonko's Joke Shop was every pranksters dream. They had all kinds of amazing things. Jack quickly picked out a few items that he wanted to buy, while his friends also examined some different objects with interest.

He and Hiccup observed some Dungbombs, and he turned around to joke around a little with him, when someone ran past Hiccup and shoved him directly into Jack, so he was slammed back first into the bookcase and Hiccup directly into his chest.

Hiccup jerked backwards as if he'd been burned and Jack felt his cheeks flush but he covered up his embarrassment by laughing a little and nudging Hiccup's shoulder with his fist.

Of course Hiccup was blushing too. That wasn't surprising though.

Usually, Jack would never blush in these situations but how could he not when his crush was practically thrown into his arms like that?

"Sorry." Hiccup said and the corners of his lips tugged upwards a little into one those shy smiles that he did when he felt awkward. Everything inside Jack fluttered as a pathetic how-can-you-be-so-wonderful-and-make-me-feel-like-this?-response. How the hell did Hiccup manage to do those completely heart-melting smiles without any effort at all? Damn it if it wasn't the most adorable thing he had ever seen and he had to use all of his self-control to hold himself back. His hands were itching to grab Hiccup and lock their lips together right now.

He blinked.

This is dangerous, Jack. Abort! Abort!

Luckily he was pulled out of this moment, when Merida suddenly grabbed his arm and dragged him towards some shelves to help her pick out something for brothers. When he and his red-haired friend had bought the items they wanted, they all went back outside in the refreshing, chilly winter air, which was a lovely contrast to the over-filled, warm joke shop filled with the noise of people.

They all agreed that they were done with their Christmas shopping now and wanted to sit down and just relax a little, so they headed towards the Three Broomsticks. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs walked in front, eagerly talking, while Jack and his three Gryffindor friends walked behind them.

"Have you figured out what you want to get Hiccup?" Merida asked him, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Actually…I have an idea…but it's not something I can get here." he replied, also whispering. Then he turned his head and locked eyes with Mavis. "Does one of your dad's friends still own that shop with rare, magical items?"

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Then I'm going to need your help to pull some strings, Mav." he told her with a little grin.

"No problem." she said with a warm smile.

He was pretty sure that Hiccup would like the present he had in mind, but of course he felt a little nervous about his reaction. After all…they hadn't really agreed on giving each other anything for Christmas but…somehow Jack just really wanted to give him a great gift that would make him happy. Not that that was surprising…he always wanted to make Hiccup happy.

---

He never knew trains could be so depressing. The ride to London was slow and Jack remained quiet for most of the trip, just looking out the window at the landscape gliding by. He was lost in his own thoughts, tuning out his friends' conversation floating through the air in their little compartment. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his friends all shooting worried glances at him once in a while. It was understandable and he appreciated their concern but…there wasn't really anything they could do.

He sighed, as he leaned his head of white hair against the window. The glass was cold, touched by the strong, brisk winter winds but as usual the cold didn't bother him.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

He was conflicted.

He desperately wanted to see his family again…he wanted to hold Emma close, hear her joyful laughter and play with her in the snow, he wanted to feel North's fatherly pats on his back and hear his happy, booming voice and he wanted to see that supportive, loving look in Anna's eyes and receive one of those caring, warm hugs from her.

But Hiccup…

It hadn't even been a few hours and Jack was already miserable.

When the trolley lady came by with the food trolley, he would usually buy some candy for the long trip, but today he didn't feel like eating anything. The emotions…worry…sadness…longing…were churning in his gut. His friends' foreheads instantly wrinkled in concern, when he said he didn't want anything, but it was obvious from the sympathetic looks in their eyes that they knew exactly why. He knew his friends were all concerned but they chose to give him his space right now, which he appreciated.

As endless white, snow-covered hills drifted by under a clear, blue sky, he furrowed his brow. This wonderful weather did not match his mood at all. It would be two whole weeks before he would see those amazing green eyes again. Hear that sarcastic, slightly nasal voice. See those smiles with the little gap between the front teeth. Feel his arm around that shoulder. Watch those teeth bite at the bottom lip in concentration. See a faint pink blush appear on those cheeks.

It was so pathetically needy but he already missed Hiccup and the prospect of being separated from him for fourteen days was horrible. Of course he was really looking forward to seeing his family again…actually, he was longing to see them…but missing Hiccup made all of this so incredibly bittersweet.

When the train arrived at the station, they all quickly gathered their things, went through the exit of the 9 and ¾ platform and headed towards the parking lot, where Jack knew that Emma and North would be waiting to pick them up as usual. Anna would be at home preparing a delicious meal for all of them.

As their shoes scraped across grey asphalt, bags slung over their shoulders, Jack's eyes scanned his surroundings, searching for those two familiar people. He quickly located North (after all…the man was huge. Very difficult to miss) standing by his large red Land Rover talking happily to Emma. He instantly felt a tug of fondness in his heart as he observed his adoptive father and his little sister, while they crossed the parking lot to get to them.

Suddenly Emma and North turned their heads and their faces instantly lit up, as they locked eyes with Jack.

"Jack!" Emma shouted as she ran towards him with wide, happy eyes.

She flung herself at him and he instantly wrapped his arms around her and then lifted her off the ground and swung her around before putting her down again. God he had missed her so much.

"Did you miss me, Kiddo?" he asked as he ruffled her brown hair.

"No, not really." she shrugged, pretending to not be happy to see him.

"Right. Well, I didn't miss you either then." he replied and stuck his tongue out.

"Of course you did!" she protested and punched him playfully on the arm.

"…You're right, I did. A lot actually." he admitted and then pulled her in for another tight hug.

Emma laughed happily into his chest, before he let her go again.

"Hi guys!" she then said to his friends and waved at them with a bright smile.

"Hi Emma." Mavis smiled and Flynn and Merida quickly said hello as well. His friends were all quite fond of Emma and the feeling was definitely mutual. She was always looking forward to having them over and spending time with them.

"Jack! My boy!" he heard North's loud, deep voice shout.

Jack watched the large man approach him and the others, as a grin instantly spread across his face.

"North!" he said happily.

When his adoptive father was by his side, the large Russian man grabbed him and wrapped his huge arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. North laughed joyously, before he let go again.

Then the Russian turned towards his friends. "Flynn! Merida! Mavis!" his booming voice shouted as he extended his arms to signal that they should come and get a hug. Luckily, his friends were used to North's joyful, touchy personality and they didn't mind it one bit.

One by one they all received a tight hug from his huge, white-haired adoptive father.

"It's good to see you all!" North said enthusiastically, joy gleaming in his blue eyes.

"Great to see you too, North." Flynn said with a bright smile and Merida and Mavis quickly agreed.

When they had put all of their bags in the trunk of North's car, they all quickly got in and then the drive to Jack's house began. It took about two hours and both Merida and Flynn fell asleep along the way, each of them leaving a little, charming trail of drool down their chin.

Jack's lips curved into a little smile, when the car stopped in front of that large, white house he called home. They all quickly left the car, grabbed their bags and headed inside, where various smells of delicious foods instantly reached their noses.

Jack made his way towards the kitchen, followed by his friends and Emma and North, and when he entered the fairly large, grey and white kitchen, his adoptive mother was standing in front of the stove, cooking, wearing her usual rainbow-colored apron. As she turned her head and noticed him, her pink lips parted into a bright, toothy smile.

"Jack! Sweetie!" she said as she left the stove and headed straight towards him to throw her arms around him.

"Hi Anna." he said fondly and wrapped her arms around her, squeezing her a little.

As his adoptive mother broke the hug and moved back a few feet, her almost purple-looking eyes watched him with utter motherly love that tugged at Jack's heartstrings.

"It's so good to have you home again." she told him with a soft smile and let one of her slim hands glide through Jack's hair.

"It's good to be home." he told her. It really was…even if he missed Hiccup terribly already.

After Anna had welcomed his friends too, they all went upstairs to put their bags away in Jack's room and one of the guest rooms. While Flynn, Merida and Mavis were in the guest room, Emma had snuck up behind Jack and poked him in the side.

He jumped a little at the contact and then spun around to face his little sister, whose brown eyes were gleaming mischievously. She seriously reminded him of himself sometimes.

"How's Hiccup?" Emma asked him with a tiny, amused smile that he didn't like at all. Where was she going with this?

"What do you mean? He's fine I guess. He's gone home for the holidays." he shrugged.

Emma watched him in silence for a few moments, her eyes seemingly analyzing him. Okay, she definitely knew something…that much was clear.

"You have a crush on him, don't you?" she then asked, as her smile transformed into a grin.

"What?" he asked, furrowing his forehead, pretending to not understand what she was talking about.

"Come on Jack…you write about him in almost every letter you send me. You don't write thatmuch about anyone else." she told him and put her hands on her hips in a stubborn, just-admit-I'm-right sort of way.

He sighed. She had him there.

"Fine…you figured it out, Kiddo. I have a crush on him." he admitted. There was no way he was going to fool Emma anyway. She could see right through him.

"I thought so." she replied with a self-satisfied smile and nodded a little to herself.

"Do North and Anna know?"

"I don't think so…but you should tell them." she said to him, rocking back and forth a little on the balls of her feet.

"I probably should…you know, you're too clever for your own good, sis." he replied and then ruffled her hair.

"I know." she replied with a happy grin, her hair all disheveled now. "Can I meet him sometime?"

"Yeah...if he wants to come over here someday." Jack shrugged. He wasn't sure if that would ever happen though. He once again found himself thinking it would be so much easier if he and Hiccup at least lived in the same country. That way they could visit each other without too much trouble.

And then he could see those green eyes again…

"I hope so…from all the things you've told me about him, he sounds brilliant." she told him.

Jack smiled fondly at his little sister. "He is…now, what do you say we get the others and get some dinner?"

"Yes!" his sister exclaimed happily and ran into the guestroom to get Jack's friends.

---

Hiccup's head was spinning, as he suddenly found himself in the dragon academy back on Berk, those grey, stone walls coming into view. His vision was a little blurry but quickly refocused and after a few deep breaths, he already felt much better. It was always a little nausea-inducing to travel by Portkey and even though Hiccup had done it several times by now, the sudden rush of his body being instantly transported from one physical place to another was still a little overwhelming. Professor Lunar had made the Portkey for him, at the same time the Headmaster agreed to let him have Toothless on Hogwarts' grounds. It was an effective way for Hiccup and Toothless to go home and then back to Hogwarts after the holidays without anyone seeing them. Headmaster Lunar had put up two conditions for granting him the Portkey though. First of all, Hiccup was never allowed to use it except for going home for the holidays and if there was some kind of life or death emergency. All other uses would result in the headmaster taking the Portkey back. The second condition was that he had to keep the item well hidden so no one would accidentally find it.

"Wow…I've never done that before. I'm a little nauseous." Rapunzel said from her place behind him on Toothless' back.

"Yeah, the first time is the worst." Fishlegs told her, sitting behind her.

Hiccup swung his leg over Toothless' back and jumped off his best friend. He landed on the stone floor at little unsurely but quickly steadied himself. Then he reached out his hand and helped Rapunzel get down too, since she was feeling a little queasy. Astrid and Fishlegs both jumped off by themselves.

As soon as they all had their feet on the ground, Hiccup heard a loud, deep voice from behind them.

"Hiccup, my son!" his dad exclaimed happily, as he and Gobber walked through the entrance to the academy and towards them.

"Hi dad." Hiccup said with a warm smile, while his friends waved and smiled at the two large Vikings.

When his father and Gobber were by their sides, his dad pulled him into a tight hug. "It's good to have you home, son." the large red-haired man said with fondness in his voice.

"Thanks dad. It's good to be home." Hiccup told his dad and meant it. Yes, he already missed Jack way too much but it was still comforting to be back again.

"Hiccup!" Gobber then said with joy and also gave him a warm hug. Hiccup wrapped his hands around him.

After his dad and Gobber had welcomed Fishlegs and Astrid back home too, his dad trained his blue eyes on Rapunzel.

"And this must be Rapunzel?" he asked with a genuine smile, motioning to Rapunzel with a large, calloused hand.

"Yes…Rapunzel, this is my dad Stoick…and Gobber."

Obviously Rapunzel already knew his dad's name as well as Gobber's but he still needed to introduce them properly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Rapunzel said with a bright smile to his dad. "And you too, sir." she added and smiled at Gobber too.

"There's no need for formalities. Just call me Stoick. Any friend of Hiccup's is a friend of mine." his father replied.

"Okay. Thank you, Stoick."

"You better not call me sir, either." Gobber said with an amused grin. "Gobber will do just fine."

"I'll remember that." Rapunzel replied, her green eyes bright and happy.

Their conversation was interrupted by a little group of dragons entering the arena. Among them, two very familiar ones. Rapunzel watched the dragons with wide, happy eyes but stayed by Hiccup's side.

"Stormfly!" Astrid exclaimed happily and instantly ran towards the blue and yellow dragon and threw her arms around its head.

"Meatlug! Daddy's little princess!" Fishlegs yelled as he too speeded over to his dragon.

Hiccup just observed his two friends and their happy reunion with their dragons for a little while and it was the most touching thing he had seen in a long time. He felt a tug of fondness in his chest. He could easily imagine the pain of being separated from your dragon, so Astrid and Fishlegs must be overwhelmed with joy at being reunited with them right now.

"Hey Hiccup, Astrid, Fish!" he heard Tuffnut's voice yell, so he turned his head and watched him as well as Ruffnut and Snotlout coming towards them through the gates to the arena.

"Hey guys." Hiccup said happily and waved, and Astrid and Fishlegs quickly said hi as well.

"And who…is this beautiful creature?" Snotlout said in a sickly smooth voice, as he slowly walked towards Rapunzel, who observed him with a certain amusement in her eyes. "I'm Snotlout…the best thing that will ever happen to you."

"No, Snotlout. Rapunzel is off limits." Hiccup said firmly and placed himself next to his friend in a protective manner. Sure, Snotlout was his cousin and everything, but he was not going to put the moves on Rapunzel.

"What, are you afraid that she'll fall for me, Hiccup?" Snotlout asked him, as he stopped in front of Hiccup and Rapunzel and waggled his eyebrows.

Rapunzel lifted an eyebrow and then looked skeptically at Hiccup, who instantly felt a smile tugging at his lips. He knew that look. Rapunzel was practically saying 'does this guy have some kind of medical condition or is he just naturally this delusional?'

"No, I don't really see that as a genuine risk." he told his cousin and suppressed a chuckle.

Snotlout met Rapunzel's eyes and gave her a flirty look that almost made Hiccup a bit nauseous. "You'll see, babe….you won't be able to resist me."

Hiccup could tell that Rapunzel was trying her best not to laugh, as she bit her lip hard. She was too polite to openly laugh in someone's face like that, even if Snotlout deserved it with that arrogant attitude of his.

"Think about it, pretty girl…I have to do some important, manly Viking stuff now but…I'll see you around, babe." Snotlout said, trying his best to sound seductive, before he turned around and walked away from them again, exiting the arena. Hiccup seriously suspected that Snotlout in fact didn't have anything planned but just wanted to make himself seem important as usual.

"Sorry." Hiccup told his friend who instantly giggled.

"Come on Hiccup. It's not your fault you have an obviously delusional cousin."

"Yeah…I think he might have been dropped on the floor as a baby." Hiccup joked and Rapunzel, Astrid and Fishlegs all laughed at that.

"Hey, babies can handle anything!" Tuffnut protested. "They're like uhh…rocks…or…Yaks. You can drop them all you want. Look at us…we were both dropped and we turned out fine!" he then proudly exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Ruffnut quickly agreed and then looked skeptically at her brother. "Well…one of us did."

"Yes, one of us did!" Tuffnut agreed before he narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute…are you talking about me or you? Because I'm definitely more like rocks and Yaks than you are."

As Ruffnut and Tuffnut got into an argument on who was 'the stupid one', Rapunzel suddenly looked down and smiled. Hiccup followed her gaze and watched Pascal crawl out of her brown bag that rested on the ground.

"Hey Pascal." he greeted the lizard who looked up at him and smiled.

Firebreather, one of the other dragons, slowly approached Pascal, clearly curious as to what this small, green creature was. The large, orange dragon lowered his head and sniffed at the little lizard, who was now looking slightly nervous. Hiccup saw Toothless move in his peripheral vision and he turned his head and watched the Night Fury approach Pascal as well.

Firebreather then stuck forward his massive clawed paw and jabbed at Pascal, who let out a whine and rolled over. Rapunzel gasped and Toothless instantly bared his teeth, narrowed his eyes and growled at Firebreather, as he protectively put a foot in front of Pascal to shield him from the other dragon. Firebreather instantly began to back away.

Hiccup bent down and scooped up Pascal from behind Toothless' paw.

"Sorry little guy. The dragons here aren't exactly used to chameleons. I think Firebreather thought you were a new playmate or something." Hiccup told Pascal and stroked him gently a few times before reaching out and placing him on Rapunzel's shoulder. She instantly began to pet her lizard.

"Hiccup, we should take some time to talk." his dad's voice said from behind him. Hiccup knew that his father wanted to update him on everything that had happened lately in the archipelago. After all…as the future chief, he needed to know what was going on in the archipelago and how to handle those different situations.

"Yeah…sure, dad." he said and then turned towards Fishlegs, Astrid and Rapunzel. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay? Show Rapunzel around the island or something? And make sure Snotlout behaves." he told them, as a small smile tugged at his lips. Both Fishlegs and Astrid nodded in response.

"Come on, son." his dad said and motioned with one of his large hands to follow him. Hiccup gave him a nod and began walking after him with Toothless by his side.

As they made their way through the village towards the Great Hall, Hiccup just took in the familiar surroundings. Since he was away from home for most of the year, the first day of being back was always a bit strange. Dragons were everywhere. Flying in the sky. Perching on houses. Playing around with each other. Being petted by Vikings. Gods, how he had missed being around all the dragons.

He let the fresh, cold air fill his lungs as he let his eyes glide across familiar sights. Berk was rows of wooden houses with carved figureheads hanging above the doors, it was ancient, stone statues of the Norse gods, it was the sound of tools being used by hard-working Vikings, it was the smell and sounds of livestock, it was dragons roaring and spreading their wings, it was cold weather and ocean waves crashing against cliffs, it was the smell of metal and wood from the workshops. It was rustic but it was home.

The snow had been cleared from the trail through the village but the white powder rested on every rooftop, every fence, every statue, every tree. Hiccup continued to walk a little behind his father, resting one hand on Toothless' head. Every Viking in sight stopped what they were doing and greeted him happily, smiled at him, shook his hand or gave him a hug. Once in a while he heard someone shout "Hiccup's back!" to some other Vikings who then approached him and welcomed him home.

He was used to receiving those kinds of eager greetings every time he came back to Berk…well, in the last couple of years that is. Now that he was actually considered a hero (as strange as that thought still was to him) as well as the authority on everything dragon-related, everyone seemed to love him and admire him. It didn't exactly lessen the attention either that he was the future tribe leader.

Of course this was all a very nice change from how things had been before but even so…sometimes the attention was quite overwhelming and he didn't always know how to deal with it.

"Hiccup! Hiccup's back!" he suddenly heard Eyja, a small girl about 7 or 8 years old with blonde hair parted in two braids exclaim happily to some other children who were playing nearby. They all instantly ran towards him and greeted him with large, wide eyes filled with excitement. "Hi Hiccup!", "Welcome back Hiccup!", "Hello Hiccup!" and several other phrases spilled from the children's mouths.

"Hi guys." he said to them and gave them a small but genuine smile, as he continued to follow his father towards the Great Hall. It was quite touching that they were so excited to see him again every time he came back home, even if he didn't really have much to do with them.

When he passed the home of Flóki and Inga, he saw their little daughter Freydís play around with a little, yellow Terrible Terror. He smiled softly at the sight. This would have been inconceivable just a few years ago and here this child was, playing with a dragon as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Which it was now. He trained his eyes ahead and continued towards his destination, scratching Toothless a little on top of the head.

"Uhmm…Hiccup?" he suddenly heard the little girl's light voice say uncertainly from behind him.

He stopped in his tracks and spun around to face her. She was standing behind him but keeping her eyes on the ground, her long fringe of brown hair falling into her eyes. Her small cheeks were tinted with pink and she had put her arms behind her back.

"Hi Freydís. Are you okay?" he asked the little girl, who still refused to look at him.

"Yeah…uhmm…I just…uhmm…" Freydís said, now blushing furiously.

Hiccup just waited patiently. Since he was now a 'hero', it wasn't unusual for some of the kids to have a crush on him. He found it quite sweet but also a little awkward.

Freydís suddenly stuck her hand out towards him and opened it. A little wooden dragon figure was lying in her small palm. "Uhmm…this is for you." she told him.

He took the dragon figure out of her hand and looked at it. He could tell that she had made it herself, because it was too crude to be done by an adult but it was really well done for a kid and resembled a Night Fury quite a lot. Not to mention that it was a really touching gesture.

"Thank you. It's beautiful. Did you make it?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

She nodded in response, still not looking at him, the color of her cheeks now almost on tomato-level. Hiccup really felt for her right now. He knew all about feeling awkward and shy.

"ϸokk [Thanks] Freydís." he told her and then crouched down and pulled her into a brief hug. When he stood up again, Freydís grinned. Then she bolted, running away down the road.

Hiccup chuckled a little and then spun around to continue towards the Great Hall, while putting the dragon figure into one of the compartments in his armor. When he reached the base of the very long line of stone steps towards the hall, his dad was waiting for him with an amused smile on his face. Obviously he knew exactly what had happened.

After climbing all of those steps, he entered the large hall along with his dad and Toothless. The Great Hall was completely empty right now and only illuminated by a few lit torches on the walls.

They both placed themselves on a chair each by one of the tables and Toothless quickly laid down on the floor next to Hiccup. His dad grabbed the bottle of mead on the table and poured some of the golden liquid into the two cups also placed on the wooden surface. Hiccup took one of the cups and drank a little bit.

"So, son…tell me. Has anything interesting happened since your last letter?"

You mean except the fact that I have sort of discovered I have feelings for my friend Jack…who is a guy?

"No, not much really." he replied with a small smile.

"How are your friends? You mentioned you'd made more of them? I don't remember their names except…Jack and Flynn, right?"

"Yeah. And Merida and Mavis. They're all great. They've gone back home too for the holidays. They were very excited about that."

Although I already miss Jack as if I haven't seen him in years. Pathetic, I know.

"Good. Good. I'm glad you've made more friends, Hiccup." his dad told him and there was a certain soft shine in his father's eyes that spoke volumes of the sincerity of the words. "Friends and family…honor, love and loyality...is everything."

"Yeah." he agreed softly, instantly thinking of not just Jack but his other friends as well.

Vikings were fiercely loyal. Honor was everything to Vikings and there was no greater honor than being loyal and protective towards your friends and family, as well as your leader. Fighting bravely for those you cared for, never turning away from them or betraying them and always being generous, helpful and hospitable towards them was honorable in Viking culture and something everyone should strive for. It extended beyond friends and family too…The chief did everything to take care of his people, to always show the utmost bravery in battle, be a good example and to make sure that they were safe and happy, and the people in turn would always stay loyal to their chief, fight for him and even die to protect him.

"So…tell me everything's that happened since your last letter. Have you had any conflicts with the hostile tribes?" he asked his dad, hoping the answer was no.

"We haven't had any encounters with them in a few months now." his dad started to explain and then took a sip of his mead. "It might just be because they're focusing on getting through the winter and don't want to use resources on having conflicts with us and other tribes but…we continue to have scouts circling the archipelago keeping an eye on potential trappers and watching for any sign of trouble."

One of the big advantages Berk had over other tribes was the dragons and they made it a lot easier to scout. They had a group of selected dragon riders that took turns in scouting different areas of the archipelago, so Berk could always be one step ahead of potential enemies. They were a peaceful tribe, but everyone here knew that there were enemies who did not like their bond with the dragons.

"That's good…and…even though we can't be certain why, it's a great that you haven't had any conflicts with them for a while now." he told his dad and sighed a little in relief.

"Yes, it is." his dad agreed. "We've also renewed the peace treaties with our allies recently and we have established new trading routes that will sail more often between our islands, increasing prosperity between our tribe and theirs." he told him. Hiccup had known that the renewal of the peace treaties was up, but he hadn't heard about the trading routes before now.

"That's great, dad. Are there any new additions to the peace treaties?"

"Only one. We've added a section that states that if any of us are attacked by any of the three hostile tribes, the others will come to their aid immediately."

"That's a good idea. I mean…it was sort of already agreed on, but it never hurts to have an actual, written agreement."

"Yes, that's exactly what I agreed on with the other chiefs at our meeting. Now we are all bound by a written contract to defend each other from our common enemies." his dad said to him, as one of his large hands grabbed the cup of mead and brought it to his mouth before setting it down again. "Remember, son. A true chief protects his own."

"I know dad." he replied. It was one of those things he dad would often say but there was a certain wisdom in the words. "Have any of the other tribes had conflicts with the hostiles?"

"No. At our meeting we discussed it in detail and brought in all of our scouts to hear their reports. No one has witnessed any trappers or other unusual activity from those tribes in about two months now."

"That's good. I know there's only a slight chance of it, but I hope it means they are done trying to fight us." Hiccup said softly, as he took another sip of mead.

"Me too, son. Me too. However, we need to be prepared if they aren't finished with trying to create more conflict in the archipelago."

"Yes. I understand." Hiccup nodded slowly.

He spent a few hours with his dad in the Great Hall, drinking and discussing everything that had happened on Berk as well as at Hogwarts since they'd last exchanged letters. His dad told him of some of the problems the twins and Snotlout had given him with their mischief and bad judgment, of a storm that had raged through Berk a few weeks ago, wrecking most of the ships in the dock, of how prepared they were for the rest of winter, about the new houses that had to be built because some new Vikings had moved to the island from one of the ally tribes, and about the details of the new trading routes. Hiccup told him about how things were going at Hogwarts and about some of the many new things he had learned. His dad always seemed to be quite impressed when Hiccup told him of new magic skills he had developed. It was no secret to anyone that his dad was proud of him but having three Vikings with magical abilities in the tribe was also a huge advantage. Magic was a rare thing in the archipelago. Everyone knew about it, but many years could pass between the births of wizards and witches.

As the time passed, Hiccup found himself appreciating how much his relationship with his dad had changed in the past couple of years for them to sit like this and discuss different matters that his dad actually wanted to hear his opinion on. However…that also instantly made his mind worry because if his dad knew about his feelings for Jack…about his sexuality…Hiccup wasn't sure at all if he would still be proud of him.

---

There was something very wrong with him.

He had had plenty of fun with his family and his three Gryffindor friends for the past couple of days. They had baked cookies and made sweets, had snowball fights, watched movies, played boardgames, decorated the Christmas tree, wrapped presents and joked around. One day, North had taken them all out into his magnificent, giant workshop and let them try to build toys of different kinds. Needless to say, none of them were particularly talented at it, but they got a lot of laughs out of their attempts and when North assisted them with good cheer, Flynn managed to make a toy tower, Mavis fashioned a vampire doll, Merida created a toy bow and Jack had been able to make a little shepherd's crook with a frost pattern.

When night arrived, bringing all its darkness and silence, Jack was lying in his bed, his body comfortably sunken into the mattress. Still he couldn't sleep. A narrow, pale moonbeam shone through a crack in the curtains and he heard the faint sound of Flynn snoring slightly. He tried his best to just relax and get some rest, but his thoughts were swirling in his head. Thoughts of that Viking boy.

Oh yes. There was definitely something wrong with him.

He hadn't talked to Hiccup in a few days now and it made him feel so weak that it affected him this much. He should be able to spend a few days without communicating with his crush, but apparently he couldn't do that without being all pathetic. It was like having a serious, consuming craving that he couldn't remove. He'd held himself back from writing Hiccup so far, because he really didn't want to seem oddly clingy, but he could feel that he really needed to talk to him.

He sighed to himself as he reached out and flicked the light switch on the cord to the lamp sitting on his nightstand. A yellow glow illuminated the room but it was faint enough to not wake up Flynn. He pulled out the drawer in the nightstand and took out some enchanted paper, his quill and ink. Hiccup had given him the paper as a way for them to communicate over the holidays and he was incredibly grateful to at least have that opportunity. The Viking had enchanted the paper to not only deliver messages back and forth but also to make a low sound, when you got a message. It was sort of like a magical way of texting.

He dipped the quill in the ink and started writing on the parchment.

"Hey Hic, are you awake?" he wrote on the paper and then started to wait impatiently, as the words would appear on Hiccup's piece of paper too. He really hoped that Hiccup was still up, because he just…had to hear from him soon. He twirled his quill between two fingers for a few moments.

When he heard the sound that indicated Hiccup had answered, his heart practically leapt with joy. He fixed his blue eyes on the paper.

"Yeah, I'm still up. What's up Snowcone? Is everything okay?"

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He moved the quill across the paper.

"Yeah, I just can't sleep, so I figured I'd talk to my favourite Viking. How is everything? How did Rapunzel take meeting all the Vikings and dragons?"

He drummed some of his fingers on his pillow and once again waited for him to answer.

He heard the noise again.

"She was so excited. You should have seen her. After I did some catching up with my dad, we showed her around the island, introduced her to everyone and all the dragons and then we went flying together with the others. Everything went great except that Snotlout tried to hit on her, so I'll have to keep an eye on him."

Jack chuckled a little as he read the words. It was adorable how Hiccup was the overprotective big brother with Rapunzel. He once again scraped his quill across the parchment, forming neat letters, and thus a conversation took place between him and Hiccup, which served to lessen his longing just a tiny bit.

"Good idea, Hic. From what you've told me about him, he's not exactly boyfriend material. Were you happy to see your dad again?"

"No, definitely not boyfriend material. Yeah, it's really nice to be around him again…and the other dragon riders and Gobber too…and gods, I really missed being around all the dragons and the other Vikings. Sometimes it's really difficult being away from home for most of the year. What's it like being home again for you?"

Well…it's great seeing my family but I miss you like crazy…

"I'm really happy to be around my family again and we're all having a great time together. North has all kinds of brilliant things planned for me and the others as usual. Tomorrow, we're going sledding, baking cookies and going to a Christmas market. That'll be fun."

And I wish you could be there.

"That sounds great. You know, sometimes I wish I could celebrate Christmas too. It seems like a lot of fun."

"Well, Jól sounds fun too. When is it, by the way? I assume you don't celebrate it the same time as Christmas?"

"No, we don't. It's in the beginning of January."

"Wow, so it's actually right before we go back to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, only a few days before we go back…so luckily there's a little time to get over those horrible hangovers we are going to have."

Jack felt a smile spread across his face.

"I really wish I could see a Jól celebration…all those drunk Vikings partying. It sounds brilliant."

"It really is. Plenty of mead and beer, tons of delicious food, games, music and everyone is in a great mood."

Jack suddenly had a thought. He hesitated but then he chose to ask.

"Do things sometimes…get out of hand. You know…fights, snogging, things like that?"

"Yeah, of course. That's sort of unavoidable when a bunch of drunk Vikings get together…but usually it's not so bad. It's not every Jól that a fight happens and when it does, it's resolved pretty quickly…and snogging…well, I guess that'll be awkward for a few days for some people but then they get over it. Others don't care at all and just find it fun."

God, Jack hoped Hiccup would not be snogging anyone. Not that he expected him to but when you're drunk you let your guard down and do things you wouldn't normally do.

His curiosity got the better of him.

"Ever done anything embarrassing at Jól?"

He once again drummed his fingertips on his bedspread and waited impatiently.

"Not anything too bad…Although I did once throw up on a yak."

Jack couldn't stop the laughter that escaped his lips. He could clearly imagine that.

"I assume it was not too happy about that situation?"

"It sure wasn't…before that, I didn't even know animals could have such absolute loathing in their eyes."

Jack chuckled at that comment and began writing a reply.

He and Hiccup ended up writing back and forth for about an hour telling each other about everything they had done for the past couple of days until they both decided to go to sleep. After a little while of thinking about the conversation he had just had with his crush, Jack actually managed to fall into a deep slumber. The longing inside him had been soothed just a little bit and that was enough. For now.

---

Today Hiccup was conflicted.

As he leaned his back against the headboard of his bed, continuing to move his charcoal pencil across the paper in the sketchbook, he thought about how this day had been a strange mix of happiness, sadness and worries.

He had spent most of the afternoon with his dad, getting those dreaded chiefing lessons. Luckily, Toothless was by his side all the way through for support, although he remained mostly quiet and in the background, because he knew that this was something that shouldn't be interrupted.

Hiccup had assisted his dad in resolving a conflict between Harald and Leifr who were close to fighting each other, since Harald had accused Leifr of stealing some of his weapons, while Leif insisted that Harald had staged the whole thing to put the blame on him.

Afterwards they'd gone to oversee the children who had to start training with weapons and getting in shape. Most Vikings began practicing these things when they were around six years old under the supervision of adults. It included learning how to use swords, shields, axes, bows and spears and not just with one hand but both hands. A Viking also had to be in good shape to be able to fight, run long distances if necessary, row a ship for long periods of time and so on. Therefore, children started training by swimming, running, iceskating, long jumping, wrestling, climbing and doing various balance sports. Everyone was encouraged to be the best they could be, so it was always a competition between the youngsters to the quickest or strongest or most agile. It wasn't just hard training though…most Vikings found it a lot of fun too. Gobber had taken on responsibility for overseeing the children today and it was a lot of fun watching him instruct them and then observe those kids try to do the exercises with the weapons. Hiccup found himself thinking that he was immensely grateful that he could fight and use weapons now because back when he started training at six years old, he was completely hopeless…a trend that pretty much continued until a few years ago.

When his dad was satisfied with how the training was proceeding, they'd been to Toki's and Fríða's house, where Fríða was giving birth. Luckily they didn't have to witness that, but just waited outside the house, listening to the screams and the ritual singing that came from the female members of the family to protect the mother and the child by calling on the help of the goddesses Frigg* and Freyja*. Hiccup had called for one of the women and given her a vial of painkilling potion, so she could give that to Fríða to ease her pain.

After the birth was finished and the baby had been cleaned, they entered, congratulated the new parents and performed a welcoming and naming ritual for the new born. It began by placing the child in the father's arms. As soon as the child was placed there, it became a full member of society with all the rights that belonged to an individual of the tribe. Then his dad continued to the next step which was pouring a little water over its head, then saying the name the parents had chosen and then doing the sign of the hammer with his hands over the child. The hammer was the symbol of Thor.

In Viking societies it was the chief who was responsible for performing all public religious and spiritual rituals but sometimes people called on them to perform private rituals as well, such as this naming and welcoming ritual. Even though Hiccup wasn't really religious, he didn't mind helping to perform rituals. It was a cultural thing and he found a kind of comfort in it, because it was a part of his heritage that he would like to keep in his life.

After naming the child and welcoming him to the tribe, they'd gone to oversee the food storage to make sure that there was still enough food to last the tribe through the winter. On Berk they had a collective system of growing and sharing food so no one would go hungry.

Then they'd gone to the docks, where several of the ships were currently being repaired after a storm had left them damaged. Of course he, Astrid and Fishlegs could have helped them mend the ships faster with their magic, but since magic was so rare in the archipelago, and the three of them could die suddenly, the Vikings never wanted to be too dependent on using magic. When his dad was satisfied that everything was proceeding just fine at the docks as well, he let Hiccup go for the rest of the day. All in all, the chiefing lessons hadn't been as bad as he had expected but it still left him with that unnerving feeling…that one day he alone would be responsible for all of these things…and a lot more.

He and Toothless had gone in search of Fishlegs and Rapunzel and ended up finding them by the small archive that he and Fishlegs had established a few years ago. All books and records were kept here to have a center of knowledge. Vikings weren't often great at writing things down, so to preserve knowledge on customs, language, past events, dragons, and so on for future generations, he and Fishlegs had begun to write such things down and keep them in this archive. Rapunzel told him how much fun she'd had today with Fishlegs, Astrid, the twins and Snotlout. Apparently they'd let her see some of their dragon training at the academy, afterwards her and Fishlegs had flown around the island on Meatlug, then they'd met up with the others again and had lunch with them and since then they'd been in the archive examining scrolls, illustrations and books. By the time he was done with chiefing lessons and had found them it was time for dinner, so they all went to the Great Hall and enjoyed a nice meal together before they spent the rest of the evening in Hiccup's room, just talking and laughing until it was time for Hiccup to take Toothless flying and Fishlegs went home. They practiced a few new maneuvers and unfortunately one of them ended quite badly, so they crash-landed and Hiccup smashed his bad leg against a tree. Rapunzel had been partly concerned and caring when they got back and partly reprimanding him for being reckless.

Now, Rapunzel was sleeping peacefully in the bed next to his, while he had abandoned trying to sleep and had begun to just lie in his bed and sketch, while trying to ignore the dull, throbbing pain in his leg and avoid thoughts of a certain white-haired guy. Of course he failed miserably.

Toothless was clearly dreaming something, as his scaly, best friend let out some low grumbles once in a while and when he lifted his head to observe the Night Fury, Toothless moved all four of his legs back and forth as if he was chasing something. Despite the depressing mood he was in, Hiccup couldn't stop himself from laughing a little.

When the black dragon ceased his movements, Hiccup turned back to his sketch. He gently moved the pencil across the paper for a little while longer. Then he leaned back against the headboard and sighed. He put down his charcoal pencil and looked at the sketch in front of him.

It was a sketch of Jack.

He slid his hands down his face.

He missed him. He missed him…a lot.

It would be another week before he would see him again and right now that felt like an eternity. He wanted to see those mischievous smiles…those caring blue eyes…hear that teasing voice…feel that familiar arm around him…everything. He just wanted to be near him again.

Oh gods…do you know what you're doing right now, Hiccup? You're pining. Stop it.

He sighed to himself.

What was the use? Jack was under his skin…he couldn't stop thinking about him.

He tore his eyes off the sketch and let his gaze drift over Toothless' sleeping form again. His best friend was inhaling and exhaling evenly, his face in peaceful folds. Hiccup really wished he was that peaceful too right now.

He wasn't though. He was restless and frustrated and…fucking longing for that amazing guy he cared so much for. It was like a persistent, annoying itch that crawled over his skin, bubbled in his blood, wreaked havoc in his brain.

He sighed once more and then put his sketch and his pencil away. He rolled around so he was lying on his stomach and then he grabbed the enchanted paper from his nightstand as well as his quill and ink. To Hel with this…he needed to hear from Jack to ease that longing inside him just a little.

He unfolded the paper, took the lid off the ink and dipped his quill in it. Then he moved the quill across the paper and hoped that Jack was still awake.

"Hey Snowcone. Are you still up or are you lying in your bed drooling all over your pillow?"

His heart almost sang with joy, when the enchanted paper let out that familiar sound and words appeared on it.

"I don't drool when I sleep, Hiccy. How's everything in Viking-land?"

He couldn't stop the small smile turning the corners of his lips upwards. He once again let the quill move across the parchment.

"It's not an amusement park, Snowball. Anyway, things are fine, I guess. How are you?"

He twirled the quill a little between two fingers.

"What's wrong, Hic?"

Hiccup stared at the paper for a few moments. Then a small smile graced his lips. How did that snow-loving idiot always manage to somehow know, when dark thoughts was affecting him?

"Wow…Two sentences and you already know something's wrong."

"Of course. I know you. So…spill it."

Hiccup sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Well…I'm in pain and I'm driving myself mad with thoughts of you, because I miss you so much and I just want to be near you again, because you're so amazing and I'm crushing so unbelievably hard on you.

Yeah…those words were going to stay confined in his mind forever.

"I'm in pain and I feel kind of frustrated about that." he ended up writing to his friend. It wasn't a lie. He was in pain…both emotionally and physically.

"Phantom pains?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I might have…accidentally injured myself."

"What?! How?"

"I did an…experimental drill with Toothless and hit my bad leg against a tree."

"Bloody hell, Hic. You should be more careful with those drills."

"I probably should but I can't help it. Toothless and I like to challenge ourselves."

"Still…just be careful, okay?"

"You sound like Rapunzel now. She reprimanded me a lot."

"Good. Someone should, you mental Viking. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Well…at least you're going easier on me than she did. You should have seen her. "Hiccup, one day you're going to be seriously injured", "Hiccup, some of the stuff you do is downright suicidal." Of course I understand that she gets worried but still."

"What? Suicidal? What did she mean by that?"

"Don't overreact but sometimes Toothless and I do some risky drills…like when I jump off him and fall through the sky, while he folds in his wings a little so we drop towards the ground next to each other and then I manage to get in the saddle again and pull us up, before we hit the ground."

"What!?"

Hiccup sighed but then a small, amused smile curved his lips. He had kind of already known that Jack would react like this. After all…his white-haired friend was pretty protective of him.

"You haven't lost the ability to read, have you?"

"Oh ha ha…but seriously…that sounds insanely dangerous."

"There are always risks, but we know what we're doing."

"That doesn't really reassure me that much, Hic…"

"Oh, I know…but you worry too much."

"How can I not worry, when you've just told me that you fall through the sky on a regular basis?"

"Well…I'm still very much alive. That should reassure you."

"Just keep it that way, okay?"

"I promise, Snær Flekkr."

"Good, because…I've kind of gotten used to having you around."

"I like you too, Snowball."

"Pfft. I tolerate you, that's all."

Hiccup couldn't stop the laughter that escaped him then. He was already in a better mood despite the pain, the chiefing lessons and the longing. Not that that really surprised him…Jack had some kind of strange, inexplicable ability to always make him feel better no matter what was bothering him. Somehow…that incredible white-haired guy just knew how to chase the darkness inside him away.

---

The clicking of his fingers hitting the letters on the keyboard, Jack flipping through pages of a comic book and the wind howling outside were the only sounds reaching Flynn's ears. Jack's room was illuminated in a warm glow from the lamps in the ceiling and on his nightstand, and Flynn was sitting on top of the guest bed he slept in that had been placed at the other side of the large, blue room.

Mavis and Merida had both gone to bed, as they were both quite tired after the long day they'd all had filled with brilliant and fun activities. The girls were sleeping in one of the guest rooms, while Flynn stayed with Jack. They had both agreed that they'd wait a little while before going to sleep and Flynn had borrowed Jack's laptop and spent some time just surfing the web. The internet was one of those things you really missed when you were at Hogwarts.

As he lifted his head from the laptop and observed Jack for a few moments, he didn't need to ask what was going on with his friend. Jack was currently sitting on his bed, clutching the piece of paper Hiccup had given him in his hands. He had a warm smile on his face and one of those soft looks in his eyes that were often directed at a certain Viking boy.

Flynn could feel a small smile tugging at his own lips.

He had known for a while now that things weren't quite as Jack claimed. His white-haired friend continued to label his feelings for Hiccup as a 'crush', but Flynn could tell that it went beyond that. He wasn't sure when exactly it had changed, but he clearly recalled the first time he noticed it. It had been a few weeks ago when he and Jack had spent some time with Hiccup by the lake, waiting for the rest of their friends to join them. Hiccup was completely focused on sketching some new design for a bow in his sketchbook, forgetting all about the world around him, while Flynn and Jack both did a little reading, because they were paired up for a Potions assignment. When Flynn lifted his gaze from his book, he saw Jack observing Hiccup. That wasn't unusual in itself, he did that all the time, but there was something new in his eyes…or at least something that Flynn hadn't seen before. Jack looked…completely, hopelessly love-struck. Flynn had never seen him look at anyone like that before.

That was the moment when he had realized that Jack didn't have a crush on Hiccup. He was in love with him…and either Jack hadn't admitted that to himself yet or he wasn't ready to share it with him and Merida and Mavis. Either way…it was something that Jack needed to figure out for himself first.

Jack suddenly chuckled a little, while observing the paper in his hands. Then he grabbed his quill and began writing something back to Hiccup. Flynn continued to just watch his friend for a little while, although being discreet about it, so Jack wouldn't notice.

The realization that Jack was in love with Hiccup made him happy, sad and worried at the same time. He was pleased that his 'little brother' had found love. There was no denying that being around Hiccup made him incredibly happy. That didn't quell the worries inside Flynn though, because this love had a very big risk of ending horribly for Jack. He could have his heart smashed to pieces, if Hiccup didn't return his feelings...and Flynn dreaded seeing Jack suffer like that. Those few days where he was depressed after realizing his feelings for Hiccup had been horrible enough. He feared what would happen if Jack either never confessed his feelings to Hiccup but just suffered in silence, or if he did confess and Hiccup turned him down and broke his heart. He just wanted Jack to be happy and he would obviously be happy with Hiccup…and to be honest, Flynn thought they would be great together. They were very different people but their differences complimented each other so well that they had instantly formed a connection and only grew closer and closer every day.

Jack had put the paper down on the bed and had returned to flipping through the pages of a comic book, while waiting for Hiccup to reply. Flynn sighed a little to himself and scratched the back of his head.

He was desperately hoping that Hiccup would feel the same way about Jack…if not now, then at some point. He had tried to keep an eye on Hiccup to figure out, whether or not he might have feelings for Jack too, but he couldn't be sure at all. It was obvious that Jack was important to him and that he and Jack had a very special bond, but Hiccup was a difficult person to read, because he was so shy and guarded. The fact that he blushed and got awkward on a regular basis made it difficult to determine whether any of it had anything to do with Jack or if it was just a consequence of Hiccup's personality.

He couldn't exactly ask Hiccup either. Sure, they were friends but Hiccup was very private and he was certain that if he did feel something for Jack, he wouldn't be comfortable sharing it with Flynn.

As soon as the enchanted paper made that faint sound, Jack dropped the comic book and picked it up. He laughed a little, but then his smile vanished slowly. He took his quill and wrote something in reply on the piece of parchment.

Flynn briefly wondered why Jack's cheerful demeanor had already faded away, but he figured it out when a reply came back from Hiccup and Jack didn't reach out for his quill to write an answer but simply put the enchanted paper on his nightstand.

"Is Hiccup going to sleep now?" he asked.

"Yeah." Jack just said, not meeting his eyes and trying to hide his disappointment, as he picked up the comic book again.

Flynn's lips twitched in a small, sad smile.

"You miss him, don't you?" he asked his friend gently, as he put the laptop aside on the bed.

Jack didn't react for a few moments but then he lifted his head and met Flynn's eyes.

"Yeah…" he replied softly and his blue eyes revealed the sadness within.

"Sorry, Jackie." he said sympathetically. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Thanks mate…" Jack told him with a small smile curving his lips. "I just feel…completely pathetic right now."

Flynn smiled a little. "That's the way these things work. You think of the person constantly and every time you're away from them, you just want to see them again."

"Yeah…" Jack agreed. "I just haven't ever felt this way about someone before. Somehow, it's…different from the other crushes I've had."

Yeah…because you don't have a crush. You're in love, Jackie.

"Yeah, I know…" he replied quietly and then sighed a little.

"You know?" Jack furrowed his forehead in confusion.

"Of course I know. You're acting differently now than when you've liked people in the past." Flynn shrugged.

Jack sighed and fiddled a little with one of his sleeves. "Yeah…I still have no idea what to do with this."

"I know. It's not exactly simple, when Hiccup is a guy and we don't even know if he likes guys that way."

"He doesn't." Jack told him and his blue eyes conveyed that depressed resignation he obviously felt inside.

"Come on Jack, you don't know that for certain." he said.

Even though Jack was convinced that Hiccup wasn't into guys, Flynn still maintained a flicker of hope. Jack should be with the person he loved and the fact that Hiccup was Flynn's friend too and he thought the Viking was a great person only made matters even better.

"Of course I do. He's never shown any sign of it and everything he's ever told me about romantic experiences has been about girls." Jack replied and ran a hand through his snow-white hair in what appeared to be a frustrated movement.

"So? It's the same thing with you." Flynn argued, although he already knew that Jack wouldn't listen.

"I know but…I just can't gamble with our friendship like that."

Flynn sighed a little. He and Jack had had this discussion many times by now and it always ended the same way. Of course he completely understood Jack's worries…there was a very real risk that he and Hiccup's friendship could be destroyed if he told the Viking about his feelings, because it would make everything awkward between them, so they would start to avoid each other. Somehow though…Flynn just had a hunch. He wasn't certain by a long shot but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a chance that Hiccup might like Jack too. There was just…something about the way they were with each other.

"I just wish things could work out with you and Hiccup. You'd be great together." he told his 'little brother'.

"You think so, huh?" Jack asked him, lips molding into a tiny, amused smile.

"Definitely…you're always there for each other, you protect each other but you're always taking the piss out of each other too…and it would be nice to see you end up with someone who can put you in your place." he finished and then grinned at his white-haired friend.

"He does know how to win an argument with either logic or sarcasm. I've got to give him that." Jack replied and a small, warm smile curved his lips.

Flynn smiled at his friend. It was frustrating that Jack wasn't even planning to do anything about his feelings for Hiccup. He would have to find some way to convince him to take a leap of faith.

---

Pine trees reminded him of Hiccup. His eyes gazed through the window. His knees were pulled up, arms resting on them. His chin weighed down on top of his arms. Outside the window, thousands of white flakes traveled towards the ground. Pine trees stood tall, reaching for grey winter skies, needles dusted with white. Jack could smell it. Even though he wasn't even outside, his mind conjured the fresh, familiar scent of pine. Hiccup always had a faint smell of pine clinging to him. He sighed.

"Jack?" a warm, concerned voice said from behind him.

"Yeah?" he asked, not taking his eyes off snowflakes and pine trees.

Footsteps across carpet. A hand gently resting on his shoulder.

"Sweetie…we know something is wrong. Would you please tell us about it?" Anna's gentle voice spoke. Her slim fingers squeezed his shoulder.

He scooted around to face her and North, still sitting down with his knees pulled up. The large Russian's bushy eyebrows were lowered, wrinkles appearing on his forehead in concern. His colorful adoptive mother's purple-looking eyes were soft and worried.

He sighed and ran a hand through his snow-white hair.

"There's something I need to tell you." he said.

"Who is it?" North asked him, rubbing his chin with two fingers.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"Who is girl you like?" North clarified.

"It's obvious you miss someone, Sweetie." Anna added with a tiny, sad smile.

"Oh…" Jack replied, thinking about how he could explain this to them.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell us. We're just worried about you." Anna told him, obviously not wanting to pressure him.

"No, it's okay. You should know…" he told them and they both gave him a small smile. "It's just…it isn't a…girl." he told them, feeling a little nervousness stir inside him.

A brief moment of silence passed. Understanding appeared on the two familiar faces.

"So…you like boy, eh?" North asked him, placing his huge hands on his hips, a small smile curving his lips.

"Uhmm…yeah…" Jack admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Jack, that's okay. We don't care, we still love you all the same." Anna said and then closed the little distance between them and enveloped him in a warm hug.

When they pulled apart, Jack felt a little smile grace his lips. Of course he already knew his parents would accept him just the way he was, but even so…it was a little scary actually telling them about this.

North gave him a fatherly pat on the back. "Yes, we love you, Jack." the Russian told him. "Boy, girl, eh, doesn't matter." he shrugged.

Jack smiled fondly at his two adoptive parents. Then he hesitated for a brief moment.

"It's Hiccup." he said and wrung his hands a little.

Silence for a few moments. Questions shining in two pairs of eyes.

"Hiccup?" Anna asked. "As in…your friend Hiccup?"

"Yes…"

"Hiccup…boy with dragon?" North said, tilting his head in curiosity. "Viking boy?"

"Yes." Jack confirmed and nodded a little.

Then North laughed joyously and loudly. The sudden sound made Jack jump a little.

"WE MUST MEET THIS BOY!" North exclaimed and threw his arms in the air happily. Anna laughed a little next to him.

"W-what?" Jack blurted out, his eyes a little wide.

Then North's face turned serious.

"Do you even have plan, Jack? What are you going to do to get him?" he said, leaning a little forward, anticipation in his blue eyes, as if he actually thought Jack might have a well thought-out plan.

"Uhm…I wasn't really planning to do anything." he said, feeling his cheeks heat up a little.

"What? That's no good, Jack." North said, shaking his head in protest.

"Well, things are complicated…" Jack tried to explain.

"Oh…you don't know if he likes boys that way?" Anna said, understanding gleaming in her motherly eyes.

"Yeah…I'm actually very sure he doesn't."

"Nonsense!" North exclaimed, doing a dismissive movement with one of his large hands. "If you have not actually asked boy, you cannot know for sure."

"I know, I know. I just…" he trailed off. Then he sighed.

"All you need is moment of courage, Jack. Take chance. Tell boy how you feel…then he could be yours." North told him and squeezed both of his shoulders with his big hands.

God how he wished that was true. He daydreamed so often about telling Hiccup.

"North is right, Sweetie. I know it's really scary to have feelings for someone, especially if you're not sure if they feel the same way but…if you don't try, you'll never know. You'll just spend time wondering what could have been." Anna argued.

Jack sighed again. Of course he knew they were right but it was way easier said than done.

North and Anna both wrapped their arms around him. North kissed him on the top of the head and Anna stroked his arm a little.

And in that moment Jack felt so loved that his heart might burst.

---

Jack had woken to the sound of happy laughter and squealing and small fingers tickling him. Emma had jumped into his bed and was trying to get him to get up. He quickly gave in, sat up and looked at his alarm clock. It told him it was 8 in the morning. That was way too early for him, but when he saw the excitement in his sister's brown eyes, he felt revitalized. He rubbed his eyes a little and let out a yawn, while Emma sprinted out of his room again and downstairs.

His mind was clouded by fatigue so he half expected to see Flynn in the bed next to his but of course he wasn't there. His three Gryffindor friends had gone home yesterday to celebrate Christmas with their families and as always, it was strange when they weren't around, since they were used to seeing each other every single day.

He suddenly heard a tapping sound on his window. It sounded like an owl and he was instantly confused, because he had other ways of communicating with his friends, so they didn't use owls to write each other.

He covered the distance to the window, pulled the dark blue curtains aside and immediately grinned when he spotted the familiar, white and brown/orange owl sitting on the window sill. It was Hiccup's owl Villieldr*. A second after though, he furrowed his brow in confusion. The owl was sitting on top of a large, oblong package wrapped in brown paper. He opened the window and reached out his hand to stroke the bird a few times, feeling its soft feathers against the skin on his fingers. Then Villieldr took flight and ascended into the clear, blue sky. He watched the bird go for a few moments, thinking that he wished he could go back with the owl to visit Hiccup, before he pulled the package inside his room. There was a card attached to it, so he removed it and opened it.

"Merry Christmas, you snow-loving idiot. I hope you like your gift."

He grinned at the message, feeling a burst of happiness inside. Hiccup had actually sent him a present. Well, he had sent Hiccup one too but…he hadn't told the Viking about that beforehand.

He grabbed the package and then sat down on his bed and put the present on his bedspread. Then he began to unwrap it, his fingers eagerly tearing through thick, brown paper. When he had gotten through the first layer, he found out that the present was wrapped in several layers. He smiled a little and then began to work through the second layer and the one after that until his entire bed was covered in brown paper. When a piece of the actual present came to view, he could see a dark blue color. He quickly tore through more of the paper and when he realized what it was, he stopped breathing for a moment. He took the entire item out of the paper and just stared at it for a while with a huge grin on his face.

It was a new Quidditch broom.

But not just any Quidditch broom. It was one that Hiccup had crafted himself.

And it was fucking beautiful.

He let his fingers glide over the long broom handle. The smooth wood had been painted dark blue and then polished so it shined and a subtle but absolutely amazing pattern of snowflakes and swirls had been carved into the wood all along the handle and stood out just a little with their slightly paler color against the dark blue. There was a slight curve in the wood near the end of the handle for sitting more comfortably, and the bristles that formed the 'tail' of the broom were long and smoothed out instead of the traditional 'twigs sticking out everywhere look', and they were all painted dark blue on the top which then faded into a lighter and lighter blue towards the end. Around the top of the bristles there was a metal ring around to keep the bristles in place and attached to this ring were two metal stirrups that were quite large and could pivot, so it was possible to sit as comfortably with your feet as possible. Jack turned the broom to look at the side of the end of the handle, where most makers wrote the name of the broom model and he couldn't stop the bright smile that spread across his face, when he read the word "Blizzard" carved into the handle. It was definitely a suitable name.

He had no idea how long he just looked at the broom…let his fingers touch the handle, the bristles, the patterns, everything. He couldn't believe that Hiccup had done this. He had mentioned to him about a month ago that he was considering getting a new broom, because his current one was getting worn down from years of intense use but…it must have taken ages to make this! And he hadn't even known that Hiccup could actually make a Quidditch broom!

He put the broom down and then quickly located the enchanter paper and his quill.

"Merry Christmas, Hic. Thank you for the present. I LOVE IT! How do you even know how to make a Quidditch broom!?" he wrote on the parchment. He didn't expect a reply right away. After all, Hiccup had told him that he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel would do their own little Christmas celebration this morning, so Rapunzel wouldn't feel like she was missing Christmas by having come to Berk with them.

He folded the paper and put it in the pocket of his blue hoodie. Then he grabbed the broomstick and walked down the stairs to show his family what an amazing gift he had gotten.

When he reached the living-room, Emma and North were sitting on one of the large, dark red couches by the fireplace drinking tea. Next to the couch, their huge Christmas tree stood tall, decorated with plenty of lights, baubles and tinsel all kept in red, gold and green nuances. Anna came through the door from the kitchen with a cup in her hands and smiled at him.

"What's that you have there?" she asked him, causing North and Emma to turn their heads and look at him too.

"It's a present from Hiccup." he told her, unable to keep the goofy smile off his lips. "He made it himself."

As North's eyes saw the broom, they widened in excitement and he quickly got to his feet and approached. North let his large hands glide over the broom and touch various part of it to examine it carefully. Then he let his hands drop to his sides and lifted his head to look at Jack.

"Shostakovich! This is beautiful work." he said enthusiastically. Then he furrowed his brow a little. "I think I have crush on boy now."

Jack couldn't help laughing at that and Emma and Anna chuckled.

"Jack…you never said boy was good at building things?" North asked him and Jack was certain that he could hear some kind of underlying joy at that statement.

"He's very good." he told North, lips parting in a grin.

"I must meet this boy sometime, Jack." North said and he had that determined look in his eyes that Jack knew so well.

"Well, maybe you will…if he wants to come over here someday." he shrugged.

"He better. I could talk with him about building things!" North said excitedly and threw his hands in the air, happiness shining in clear, blue eyes.

"Oh no, North. If Hiccup ever does come over here, you better not hog him all to yourself to talk about building stuff." Jack said with a bright grin.

North really loved to build things. He spent most of his time out in his giant workshop, when he wasn't with the family or at work. He designed most of the toys that his company sold all by himself and almost all of them were thought up out in that workshop.

"What?" North said innocently. "I would not hog boy, just talk." he explained and shrugged casually. Jack knew that wasn't true at all though. North would definitely grab Hiccup, pull him into the workshop and then begin to show him all his projects. Not that Hiccup would mind that…in fact, he would probably love it but…North could be a little overwhelming for strangers sometimes with his enthusiasm.

"Can you not call him 'boy'? He has a name, you know." Jack said with an amused smile.

"Fine, fine. Hiccup."

"It's such a cute name." Anna said enthusiastically, as she also came towards him to see the broom properly. "It sounds like this short, skinny boy with freckles…am I close?"

Jack laughed. "If you had said that a few years ago, then you'd be right but now? No. He's not short or skinny anymore."

He's all tall and a little toned and…hot.

"Still has a few freckles though." he added, while trying to suppress that warmth his thoughts brought into his pale cheeks.

"Well, this Hiccup clearly has talent." his adoptive mother said as she observed the dark blue broomstick in Jack's hands.

"He does." Jack agreed fondly.

"So…are you guys ready to get some breakfast?" Anna asked and looked from him to North to Emma.

"Yes, I'm starving." Jack replied and leaned his new broomstick against the wall, before he walked into the dining-room and took a seat, followed by his family. The table was filled with all kinds of delicious foods and drinks. There were pancakes with syrup, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, bread of different kinds and butter, jams, cheese, mushrooms, waffles, orange juice, tea, coffee and milk. The sight was mouth-watering and his stomach growled at him, ordering him to begin filling it.

Jack and his family spent about an hour eating their breakfast, while they talked and laughed along the way. Since they were so good at staying updated on each other's lives while Jack was a Hogwarts, there weren't many new things to talk about, but he and his family always found something to discuss or laugh about. As he refilled his cup with orange juice and grabbed another pancake onto his plate, while grinning at Anna and North who were teasing each other about one's love of teeth and the other's love of experimenting with building stuff, he realized just how much he had missed his family. It was so difficult to be away from them for most of the year, even if they were all good at keeping in touch.

When their plates were empty and their stomachs full, Anna clapped her hands together once.

"So…are you guys ready to get your presents?" she asked them.

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed happily, quickly left her seat and did a few excited jumps. Jack couldn't help but smile at his wonderful little sister.

"Yeah, I think it's safe to say we're ready." he told Anna with an amused grin.

"Great!" Anna replied and then began to clear the table. Jack, Emma and North all helped and they quickly got everything out in the kitchen.

A few moments after, Jack was sitting in one of the large, red armchairs in the living-room close to the Christmas tree, while North and Emma had slumped down on one of the couches. Anna appeared shortly after with two cups of hot chocolate for him and Emma. It was a sort of tradition of theirs to enjoy a cup of that hot, chocolaty goodness while opening presents.

"Thanks." he said warmly as she passed him the cup. She gave him one of those motherly smiles that always made him feel loved.

Tons of presents were lying underneath the huge Christmas tree. It was a big display of colorful bows and bright wrapping paper in many different patterns and nuances. Jack had to admit that he and Emma were two spoiled children. Luckily though, it hadn't gone to either of their heads. They didn't expect tons of presents but North just loved showering them with gifts.

As usual, he was more than happy with what he received. His two adoptive parents and his sister knew him so well that they always picked out wonderful things that he loved. North always went overboard and showered them all with way too many gifts. From Merida, Flynn and Mavis he got "Quidditch through the ages", a new backpack and a big bag filled with stuff from Zonko's Joke Shop. There was a note attached to the last present that said "I don't even know how the girls convinced me we should give you this, Jackie. It's going to be the death of us all." which made him laugh.

Emma was delighted by his gifts to her and she instantly began to play with the stuffed dragon and the two Guardians, which they all agreed did look like North and Anna.

When Anna had convinced her to leave the toys be for now, Emma picked out a present from under the tree and clutched it tightly in her hands, as she approached him with a smile on her face. It was square, medium sized and wrapped in blue paper with snowflakes on it.

"Merry Christmas, Jack." She told him as she passed him the gift and then sat on the armrest of the chair to watch him open it.

"Thanks, Kiddo." he said, before putting an arm around her and squeezing her.

Then he gently took the wrapping paper off, revealing a book.

He couldn't stop the amused grin that appeared on his face, as he shook his head a little. "Have I really been that obvious?"

"Yep." his little sister replied with a self-satisfied smile.

It was a big, thick book on Vikings and Norse mythology.

"Thanks Em." he said and then placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, I have another one for you and it's the last present under the tree." she then said excitedly and ran towards the huge Christmas tree.

She pulled out a large, square present wrapped in dark blue paper with penguins on it and heaved it into her arms. She wobbled over to him, barely able to hold it in her small arms and he grinned at the sight.

"Here you go." she said as she plopped the present into his lap and then once more took her place on the armrest of the chair.

"Wow. Have you bought me an elephant or something?" he joked.

"Just open it!" she told him impatiently, clearly excited about it.

"Your wish is my command, Kiddo."

He tore the blue wrapping paper off and found a big, brown cardboard box under it. He opened it and his eyes widened a little as he pulled out the item within.

It was a wooden sled. It was fairly large and long enough so you could either sit three people on it, or you could lie down on it. It was dark blue with two handles in the front for holding on to it.

"North helped me make it." she told him, pride gleaming in brown eyes.

"But Emma designed it." North said insistently.

"Wow, thanks Em." he said. "That's really impressive. How did you know I wanted one?"

"You told me that. You said you needed a new one."

"And you remembered that? I said it when I was home during the summer."

"I know that." she told him with a crooked smile. "I remembered."

Jack put the sled down on the carpet, before he wrapped his arms around his little sister, pulling her into a tight hug. She rested her head against his chest and then put her arms around him too.

"You're the greatest little sister ever." he said to her as he lowered his head and kissed her on her hair.

"I know." she told him and he could hear the amused tone in her voice.

Then he let her go and she got to her feet and slumped down on the coach with North and Anna.

"Watch out for that ego, Em. Don't want to get arrogant now, would we?" Jack said and raised an eyebrow.

"You should talk." she shot back and gave him a toothy grin.

"I'm never arrogant. Just honest." he waggled his eyebrows.

"Right." she said sarcastically and crossed her arms.

After the several hours of opening presents, Jack and his family decided to take a little break before they would go outside in the snow to play.

Jack was lying on one of the other couches and texted Merida and Flynn asking them if they were enjoying being home and about the gifts they had received and thanking them for their present to him. Flynn was quite amused that they had not just bought a new satchel and a book about the writer of "The tales of Flynnigan Rider" for him but also a small, toy castle, because when they'd asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he'd looked at Hogwarts and said "Guys…I want a castle".

Jack took out the enchanted paper he used to communicate with Mavis and wrote her a message as well. She was a pure blood, so she didn't have muggle stuff like a mobile phone unfortunately. She told him she was very happy about her gift, a magical camera, and that she'd met a muggle boy named Jonathan who had stumbled onto their grounds on accident and who she was really into, but her dad was too suspicious of muggles to really accept it.

While Jack was in the middle of responding to one of Merida's texts, the paper in his pocket made that distinctive noise and it meant that Hiccup had answered him. He quickly pulled it out, unfolded it and took in the words.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Snowflake. I'm so happy you like it. I wasn't sure if you'd rather just buy one or something. Anyway…to answer your question, I didn't know how to make a broomstick before this but I did some research on it and actually building it wasn't that difficult once I'd found some designs of other brooms for inspiration. The spells on it however, were a bit more complicated. Professor Cooke once told me that he knows someone who works for the Nimbus Racing Broom Company, so I asked him if he could pick their brain a little about what improved spells they had put on their newest models, which he did and then gave that information to me. I could do some of the spells myself pretty easily, like the Cushioning charm, but there were a few advanced ones that Professor Cooke helped me with, just to make sure I didn't accidentally screw it up somehow."

Jack's lips parted in a happy smile, without him even noticing at first. He moved his quill across the paper.

"Of course I love it! It's great. And no, I would never rather want to just buy one…this one is unique and made just for me…what could be better than that? And since I know how talented you are at building stuff, I'm sure it's fast and easy to maneuver as well."

In fact…he had no doubts at all that this broom was probably going to be the best he'd ever used. The care that Hiccup had obviously put into making it was unbelievable.

"It should be. I did my best to design it for speed and maneuverability and like I said, the spells are the same as on the newest Nimbus brooms. Anyway…I'm glad you like it so much."

"I really do…but Hic, why did you go to so much trouble to make me this?"

"I guess it's just my way of showing you how much our friendship means to me…and to thank you."

"For what?" Jack wrote on the paper, feeling quite confused about that statement.

Then he went back to texting his other friends, while waiting for Hiccup to reply. It took a little while, so either he was writing a long message or he was busy with something else. That question was answered, when Hiccup's words appeared on the paper.

"Before you became my friend, the last time I let someone new into my life was when I met Rapunzel over five years ago. I don't trust people easily, as you know. In fact, there are pretty much just two ways of becoming my friend…either I've been confined with a person for a time and is therefore forced to talk to them…that's what happened with me and Fishlegs when we went to Hogwarts together and got sorted into the same House, where we didn't know anyone else at first. Or…you somehow claw your way in and is incredibly patient with me. You are the first person since Rapunzel who managed to do that, and to this day I still have no idea how you broke through my defenses like that…and then I got some wonderful friends in Flynn and Merida and Mavis too. It's just…even though I still don't trust people in general, you've shown me that I can trust someone new and not get used and hurt somehow. So thanks Jack."

Jack read the message three times, just taking in the incredible words written on the paper. He felt his chest swell with fondness and happiness. He was so unbelievably touched by Hiccup's words that he actually felt a few tears in his eyes. He blinked them away and grabbed his quill again.

"Thanks, Hic. To be honest, those words make me really happy…I'm really glad we're friends."

"Me too, Snowflake. Me too. Anyway…me and Fishlegs and Rapunzel are about to open presents now, so I'll write you a little later."

"Okay Hic. Say hello to Fish and Punzie from me."

"I will. Talk to you later, Snowball."

When Jack had finished talking to Flynn, Merida and Mavis as well, he went outside with his family to have fun in the snow. They built snowmen and snow-forts, they had a snowball fight (him and Anna against North and Emma. Of course he and Anna won) and they made snow angels. Jack also entertained his family by doing various snow and ice spells, like conjuring snowballs, making ice sculptures, forming snow figures and making them fly around in the air and shooting rays of frost. It was great that he was now allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts since he was 17, and even though this wasn't the first time his family had seen him do magic, they still all found it fascinating every single time.

---

"Aaaand this is for you." Hiccup told Rapunzel as he handed her two gifts wrapped in red wrapping paper.

The three of them were sitting on the floor in Hiccup's room exchanging presents. He had cracked open a window to let some of the fresh morning air inside and a small Christmas tree was placed in the corner of the room. He and Fishlegs had cut it down and brought it here yesterday for Rapunzel's sake and then she had decorated it with various ornaments she'd made herself at Hogwarts. Their friend was away from home at Christmas for the first time ever, so they wanted to make her happy and get her into the Christmas spirit.

"Thank you." Rapunzel said as she received his presents. "And here are my gifts for you." she told him as she placed the presents on the floor and then took out three gifts wrapped in colorful green and blue paper from her bag and passed them to him.

"Thanks." he said as he placed the gifts in front of him. "Okay. Taking turns as usual?" he asked his two friends who nodded.

He smiled at them. "Okay then. Why don't you start, Rapunzel?"

"Okay." she agreed, her lips twitching in a smile. Then she grabbed one of the presents he had made for her and gently ripped off the wrapping paper, revealing a cardboard box. Her slim hands opened the box and took out the items within.

"Wow…this is beautiful Hiccup!" she exclaimed, observing her gift with genuine happiness in her eyes.

It was a chess-set he'd made himself. Rapunzel had talked for years about wanting to learn chess but she just never got around to it, so this year he had decided that now was the time. The chess-set was carved out of stone with black and white spaces and a small dark grey edge around it. He had carved the chess pieces out of stone as well and in the shape of Disney characters. She loved those movies, so he had taken great care to make each piece resemble the characters as much as possible. For example, the white queen was the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland while the black queen was the evil queen from Snow White.

"This must have taken a long time to do." she told him, as she twirled one of the chess pieces between a few fingers.

"It did…but it was fun too."

"Thank you." she told him and then scooted closer to him and pulled him into a hug.

"You're welcome." he said, slightly muffled, as he had his face in her hair.

Then they pulled away from each other but Rapunzel remained next to him. "Does this mean you'll teach me how to play?"

"Of course I will." he agreed. "But now you have to open your other present."

She nodded with a bright smile and then set to work on the other gift, tearing off the red wrapping paper. Inside it was a brush that he'd also made himself. Rapunzel had complained for the last couple of weeks that she needed a new one but that it was so difficult to find a brush that could manage to actually comb through her incredibly thick, long hair without breaking after a short while. He had tried his best to create a strong one for her that would last longer.

"Thank you, Hiccup. It looks great." she said as she lifted the brush and examined it. "It looks much more durable than the other brushes I've had…and you know I've had a lot of them."

"I know." he smiled.

Then they took turns exchanging the rest of the presents. Fishlegs was incredibly happy to receive the axe Hiccup had made for him, both the handle and the axe-head engraved with battle-related Viking sayings in runes as well as a pattern of various dragons intertwined with flames. He'd also bought his Fishlegs a book on magical creatures that he didn't already own, which made Fishlegs' eyes gleam with excitement. Rapunzel received a book on creative projects, a lot of sewing supplies and a scrapbook from Fishlegs which brought great joy, as Rapunzel had talked about how she needed some new ideas for projects. In turn Rapunzel gave Fishlegs some new pouches for his belt that she had made herself out of light brown leather (which he really needed), as well as a book on plant life and a thick sweater that she'd also made herself.

Hiccup received several pots of some quite special paint from Rapunzel made of sea shells and a very interesting, thick book on healing spells that actually seemed to be quite old and rare. From Fishlegs he got some mead that he'd brewed himself during the summer, a bunch of new sketchbooks, paintbrushes, charcoal pencils and several pots of squid ink, which made him very happy. Apparently Fishlegs had gotten it from trader Johann in the summer because he knew how much Hiccup liked to use squid ink.

After Rapunzel had opened the presents from her parents, Hiccup suddenly heard a tapping on his window. He turned his head and saw Jack's white owl sit outside. That was strange.

He got to his feet and quickly opened the window. His face contorted into a look of confusion as he saw the package the owl had brought him. He grabbed the box and then used his other hand to give the bird a few strokes on the head.

"Thanks, Storm. You can take off now if you want." he told it gently. The bird hooted in response and then immediately spread its wings and took flight.

He turned around and sat back down on the floor with his two friends.

"A present from Jack?" Rapunzel asked.

"Seems like it." he said and then took off the card attached to it. He opened it and took in the words.

"Merry Christmas, dork. Hopefully this gift can help you soothe that busy mind of yours, so you can get some peace once in a while."

Hiccup smiled a little and then put the card down on the floor and started to open the box. Inside it was another box wrapped in blue paper. He began to tear it off, his two friends eagerly watching with curious eyes.

When he had pulled off all the paper and was sitting with the item in his lap, he just looked at it for a few moments, as a bright smile spread across his face. This was unbelievable. He let his fingers glide across the medium-sized dish-like stone object with runes and some strange symbols carved into it.

"Is that…a pensieve?" Fishlegs asked in disbelief.

"It is." Hiccup said and was unable to wipe that smile off his face. He had always wanted one of these, ever since he learned of their existence in his third year at Hogwarts. The object let you take memories out of your mind and put them into it, so you could see them whenever you liked from a third person view. This was definitely a way to help an overwhelmed mind by getting those excess thoughts out of it and then see them later, making it a lot easier to analyze situations and spot potential patterns.

"Those are really expensive." Rapunzel said, as her big, green eyes stared at the magical object.

"Yeah…" he agreed. That was part of the reason why he'd never acquired one. The other reason being that they weren't exactly the most common item, so it wasn't the easiest thing to find in the first place. It wasn't something you could just go into a normal shop in Diagon Alley and buy. He hoped Jack hadn't spent too much money on it.

"Wow…I've always wanted one of those." Fishlegs said.

"Me too, Fish." Hiccup replied, still examining the round, stone object in his lap. "Oh gods, I need to write him and say thanks."

Rapunzel giggled a little at his sudden urgency.

He quickly located the enchanted paper and his quill and began scribbling down a message for Jack:

"Hi Snowflake. I just opened your present. Thanks! I really love it, I've always wanted a pensieve…but they're really expensive aren't they?"

A few minutes later, Jack's reply appeared on the paper.

"I'm glad you like it, Hic…and don't worry…yes, they're expensive, but I got Mavis to pull some strings. One of her dad's friends owns a shop with rare magical objects and he let me get it for a very fair price."

Hiccup was pretty relieved about that. As he wrote down his reply on the paper, he found himself thinking that Jack really knew him too well. He'd never mentioned to him that he'd always wanted a pensieve and yet…Jack had come up with that very idea all by himself. They'd been friends for about four months and yet it felt like they had known each other for years. It was very rare for him to connect with someone like that.

But obviously, Jack was special.

---

The last few days had practically flown by. He didn't have any more chiefing lessons, so he spent his days with Toothless, Rapunzel and Fishlegs, and sometimes the other dragon riders as well. Hiccup was truly enjoying having Toothless by his side all the time, as that was something he really missed when they were at Hogwarts and he could tell that Toothless was very happy about the situation as well. He also really enjoyed spending time with Astrid again. She had told him that she was ready for them to be friends again and he had thrown his arms around her in relief and joy.

They spent their time flying on their dragons, practicing tricks and doing races. He and Fishlegs showed Rapunzel some of the other islands nearby that weren't inhabited by people and watched the wild dragons that lived there, and sometimes they would spend quiet time together where he and Rapunzel painted or sketched, while Fishlegs read a book or petted Meatlug. They ate all their meals together in the Great Hall, where other Vikings also wanted to talk to them and to get to know Rapunzel as well, and they would have long conversations in the evening in his room, where they laughed and discussed so many different things that he had lost count. All in all, he had so much fun that the hours ticked by quickly.

However…there was something missing and even though he was enjoying himself, it was poking in the back of his mind constantly.

He tried his best to push his white-haired friend out of his mind by keeping himself busy, but he just couldn't. Sometimes there were a few brief moments where he got some peace and could just enjoy himself, but a little while after, the thoughts were back again. Everything reminded him of Jack.

It was even worse when he was alone. He had serious trouble sleeping these days, because his mind wouldn't stop its incessant, scattered, almost obsessive thoughts about that guy that meant so much to him and how this whole situation was completely hopeless. Sometimes he just felt like screaming because he couldn't control these emotions and they were so often causing him pain.

When he was back in his room in the evening with Fishlegs and Rapunzel and Toothless was sleeping on his slab of rock, he once again felt that familiar sadness chip away at him. He and his two friends were sitting on the floor on some pillows and had just reminisced about their trip to Hogsmeade with their Gryffindor friends. They had all laughed at the fond memories. His smile slowly vanished though, as he found himself once again thinking about how much he wanted to see Jack right now. He stared into the crackling, orange flames in the small fire they had made and instantly got lost in his thoughts.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" Rapunzel's gentle voice said from in front of him, cutting through his clouded mind.

He turned his head and met her eyes that were gleaming with obvious concern. Next to her, Fishlegs was observing him with a wrinkled forehead.

"Not really…" he told her honestly and briefly considered if he should actually tell his two oldest friends about the things that were gnawing at his mind.

"What's wrong?" Fishlegs asked, tilting his head, as he kept watching him with those attentive eyes of his.

Hiccup hesitated for a few moments and wrung his hands a little. Was he really going to do this? On one hand, it would be really comforting to have someone to talk to about it…on the other hand, it was extremely difficult for him to let someone else in on this…to let them know about this side of him that he had kept hidden for so long…even if it was his oldest friends and he already knew they would accept him.

He sighed a little.

"I need to tell you guys something." he said. He was not at all comfortable with what he was about to do, but he was sick of hiding it from them.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs immediately observed him with frowns on their faces and caring eyes.

"What do you need to tell us?" Rapunzel asked gently, putting her hands in her lap.

"It's…sort of complicated. It's really hard for me to actually say the words…" Hiccup started uncertainly, tugging a little on one of his braids.

"Just take your time" Fishlegs said reassuringly and his lips curved slightly upwards in a small but genuine smile. Rapunzel hummed in agreement and began twirling a blonde lock of hair around one of her fingers, as the two friends patiently waited for Hiccup to collect his thoughts.

He nodded in response and then turned his head and observed the flames in the fireplace for a few moments. By Freyja*, how was he actually going to do this? It was so easy to make the decision in his mind, but now he was actually sitting across from his friends and was about to reveal one of his biggest secrets to them. He felt his heartbeat quicken, as he became more and more nervous the longer he waited and the silence stretched on.

He should just get it over with. Rip off the bandaid.

"It's about something really personal…" he began, as he once again met his friends' eyes.

"Hiccup…no matter what it is…you can trust us." Rapunzel reassured him and her kind words soothed him as usual. Of course he knew that he could trust them but it would still be really difficult actually explaining this situation to them.

"Yeah." Fishlegs quickly agreed. "We would never judge you or tell anyone about something you've told us in private."

"Thanks guys…" he replied softly, looking from Rapunzel to Fishlegs with a small, warm smile appearing on his lips. "I know I can always count on you. It's just difficult to actually say this."

Rapunzel and Fishlegs both remained silent but encouraged him to speak with their attentive eyes. Gods, he was so lucky to have such wonderful, supportive friends. They would never turn away from him.

He sighed a little to himself and then decided to just get it over with.

"I haven't ever told you, but I think it's time you knew, because I'm tired of hiding it and I think you deserve to know." he told his two friends, who both instantly looked even more concerned.

"I'm bisexual." he then finished, deciding to express his thoughts as simply as possible. He broke eye contact with his two friends and looked at his hands, because it made the whole thing a little easier if he wouldn't have to see the confusion and the questions that were sure to be present in their eyes right now.

There were a few moments of silence, and Hiccup could feel the anxiety stirring inside him. He was sure they wouldn't react badly in any way, but it was still unnerving to have let this secret out.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Rapunzel asked quietly, sounding a little disappointed.

"It was hard for me to deal with because it makes everything really complicated, so I wasn't exactly eager to share it with anyone else." Hiccup explained. Now that the silence was broken he forced himself to meet his friends' eyes again.

Rapunzel was watching him with understanding, while Fishlegs seemed to have a knowing look in his eyes that slightly unsettled Hiccup. What was that about? He knew Fishlegs so well and that look could only mean one thing…that he had some suspicions he wasn't sharing at the moment.

"We understand that, but I'm really glad you told us…and we don't care who you're attracted to, we still love you…right?" Rapunzel said and looked at Fishlegs for confirmation.

"Of course" Fishlegs chimed in without hesitation. "Besides…I had my suspicions." he finished with a crooked smile and twiddled his thumbs.

"What?!" Hiccup blurted out in disbelief, his voice a little high-pitched. So that was what Fishlegs had been thinking…but…how could he possibly have known?

"You knew?" Rapunzel asked Fishlegs with a confused look scrunching her features.

"I didn't know for sure, I just suspected it." Fishlegs shrugged, as if it was no big deal. It was though.

"What? How? Why?" Hiccup babbled, completely taken by surprise.

Fishlegs chuckled a little at his confusion.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Fishlegs said. It was strange hearing him say something like that. They were close friends, so he could basically ask him anything. On the other hand, this was a very unusual, sensitive conversation, so maybe he was just trying to be considerate of his feelings.

"Yeah, of course." Hiccup said uncertainly, not sure if he should be dreading what would come next.

Fishlegs seemed to hesitate for a few moments, as his eyes stared at the floor. Hiccup knew he was considering how to ask the question. After a little while, Fishlegs trained his eyes on him once again.

"Do you have a crush on Jack?" he asked in curiosity, tilting his head slightly to the right.

"What?" Hiccup immediately blurted out in a slightly panicked tone of voice, his green eyes widening. How did he know!?

Fishlegs chuckled, while Rapunzel squealed in obvious joy and clapped her hands together once.

"Oh my god, you do!" Rapunzel exclaimed, her green eyes wide with excitement.

Hiccup sighed deeply.

"Fine, you win…I didn't know how to tell you…but I have feelings for Jack." he admitted and broke the eye contact with his friends. He could feel the warmth seep into his cheeks and he was pretty sure that the skin there was now tinted with pink.

"That's so sweet." Rapunzel said, but it only made him groan in response. Of course she would find it sweet and endearing. It wasn't though. It was painful. It was awkward. It was exhausting.

"Are you going to tell him?" Fishlegs asked gently.

"No, of course not!" Hiccup said, widening his eyes a little, as he met his friends' eyes again.

"What do you mean "of course not?" Rapunzel asked him with a frown. "He could feel the same way about you."

"Yeah right." Hiccup said and rolled his eyes. There was no way Jack would ever feel that way about him. Jack wasn't even gay…or bisexual.

"Come on Hiccup, it's not impossible." Rapunzel argued, leaning slightly forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Actually it sort of is." Hiccup replied quietly. It was uncomfortable to focus on the reasons why Jack would never feel the same way about him, but his friends needed to understand his thought process.

"Seriously Hiccup…you can't just keep it to yourself." Rapunzel insisted.

"Well, that's what I'm planning to do…and no one can know."

"Of course not. We won't tell anyone." Fishlegs said and Rapunzel nodded seriously.

"Thanks" Hiccup replied. He knew that he could rely on Fishlegs and Rapunzel, but it was still reassuring to hear them actually confirming it.

"Is there anything we can do?" Rapunzel asked, as her face scrunched a little in concern.

"I don't think so…I'm trying my best to act normal around him, but it's pretty hard sometimes".

"Of course…" Rapunzel said, her voice lowered and soft.

"How did you even know?" he asked Fishlegs in genuine confusion. Fishlegs was so bloody observant, so he probably shouldn't have been surprised but hereally was.

"You're just…a little different with Jack. You've been comfortable with his touches almost from the start, you joke around like you've known each other since childhood, when you look at him you sometimes get that soft look in your eyes. Not to mention that it's obvious you miss him. It's all very…un-like you to be that way with people that you haven't known for years, Hiccup." Fishlegs explained, gesturing with his hands.

"Why didn't I notice any of that?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, I tried my best to hide it." Hiccup replied. "But apparently nothing gets past Sherlock over there." he finished dryly and motioned towards Fishlegs, whose lips twitched in amusement.

"You guys would be really cute together." Rapunzel said almost wistfully.

He immediately felt his blush deepen. He groaned. "Aww, come on…don't say stuff like that."

Rapunzel giggled in response and Fishlegs smiled warmly at Hiccup's embarrassment.

"It's true though!" she insisted. "And you would be good for each other."

"Well, it's not going to happen, so you might as well not think about it." Hiccup replied and then sighed to himself.

"Come on, don't give up already, Hiccup…"

"No, seriously…It's not going to happen."

"But-" she started to argue eagerly.

"Look…" Hiccup said, interrupting her and she instantly closed her mouth and became silent. "Even if Jack was into guys and even if he did feel something for me, even if everything was somehow resolved, I still need to go back home when we graduate, I still need to stay here in the archipelago. I need to take over as chief at some point. I need to protect the dragons. So yeah, even if everything worked out, nothing could ever happen."

"Hiccup…" Fishlegs said. "You can't just bottle it up inside."

"Of course I can. I'm good at that kind of thing." he shrugged like it was no big deal. Of course it was a big deal and they all knew it but…he didn't want to worry his friends even more.

"We know you are but it's not good for you…" Rapunzel said softly as she leaned forward, extended her arm and then squeezed his hand a little before leaning back again and letting go.

"I know that but…I can't ruin my friendship with him."

"Maybe it wouldn't ruin it." Rapunzel replied.

"Of course it would. It would make everything weird between us because Jack is straight…and like I said before, even if he wasn't, we would both still end up heartbroken when we'd graduate from Hogwarts and I'm going back here permanently."

"Maybe Jack could come with you?" Rapunzel asked with a certain hopefulness gleaming in her green eyes.

Oh, how he wished that was actually possible.

"Don't say things like that…" he told her, almost in a pleading sort of way. He didn't want hope of any kind. Hope was dangerous. Hope led to even more hurt. "First of all, I would never put him in a position where he would have to choose between me and his friends and family and move to a dangerous, remote part of the world that he has no connection to. Second of all, I can't be in a relationship with a guy and third, why are we even having this conversation? Jack is straight, so there's no point in discussing it." he insisted.

"Have you told anyone else about it?" Rapunzel then asked.

"Just Toothless…"

"How long have you felt that way about him?" Fishlegs said, tilting his head a little.

"Since right after the fight I had with McGowan and Levin, when Jack cleaned my wounds."

"That was like…over a month and a half ago." Rapunzel said, green eyes a little wide in surprise.

"I'm well aware of that. I've been suffering ever since." Hiccup told them honestly and right now he didn't care that it sounded dramatic, which was very out of character for him.

"I wish you would have told us. We could have at least given you someone to talk to and lean on." Rapunzel said with a little, sad smile appearing on her pink lips.

"I know, I know…I just…needed time to process it all. I've had a lot of trouble accepting it."

"Why?"

"Because I can't ever be with him… and I've grown up in a place where homosexuality isn't considered normal in any sense of the word." Hiccup told his golden-haired friend, unable to keep the sadness out of his voice.

"Do Vikings…look down on LGBT people?" Rapunzel asked and frowned.

Hiccup sighed.

"A lot of Vikings definitely do…others just pretend it doesn't exist. I very rarely hear anyone talk about it but once in a while it's used as an insult."

"Yeah…" Fishlegs agreed. "I can't remember having ever met a Viking who was openly LGBT. It's not exactly common in a culture that worships masculinity as much as Viking culture does."

"Do you think they would shun you, if they knew about it?" Rapunzel asked, her face contorting a little as if the mere thought brought her pain.

"I'm not sure…but I do know one thing. If they knew, I wouldn't have to worry about becoming chief anymore."

"They wouldn't want you as their chief, just because you're bisexual?" Rapunzel frowned.

"I'm fairly certain of that." he shrugged.

"I don't know, Hiccup…" Fishlegs started. "Of course it won't be easy for them to accept and if it was any other person I would say you're right but…except for your dad, you're the most admired and respected person on the whole island. Everyone looks up to you and everyone's grateful for all that you've done for our tribe. I think there might actually be hope that you could be accepted, even though it would probably take a little time for them to get used to."

"I wish I could believe that, Fish." he replied and sighed.

"So what are you going to do?" Fishlegs asked him, his eyes shining with concern.

He rubbed his eyes a little with a fist and then trained them on those crackling, dancing flames in the fireplace.

He let the silence hang in the air for a few moments before he spoke.

"I'll keep doing what I've done so far…push it down and hope my feelings for Jack go away."

---

It was the day of the Jól celebration and the entire village was busy with preparations. Vikings were cooking and baking for the evening feast, bringing out bottles of beer and mead, looking through their things or crafting new things to sacrifice to the gods and decorating the Great Hall with lights.

It was the chief who was responsible for organizing the celebration, so his dad was very occupied with making sure there was enough food and drink for everyone, that the long tables were set, as well as preparing for the blót – the sacrifice to the gods. Jól was one of the most important celebrations for Vikings and the sacrifice needed to go well, if the gods were to grant them another year of great harvests, peace and healthy children. At least that was what was believed among the Viking tribes. His dad had asked him to assist him with the blót, which he had never done before and it was a clear sign that it was not just to prepare him for his future role in the tribe but also that he was proud of him.

He had spent most of the day with Fishlegs and Rapunzel. They had walked around the island together, watching the adult Vikings do the preparations and they had explained to their golden-haired friend what was going to happen tonight, what kind of rituals would be performed, what they meant and how the feast and partying would go. Hiccup didn't want Rapunzel to feel uncomfortable with anything, so if there was something she would rather be left out of, he needed to know about it in advance. Luckily, Rapunzel didn't seem to mind any of the things he told her. The only thing she hesitated with was the animal sacrifice, but after he had assured her that the animals died instantly without any pain and they were actually eaten afterwards and so nothing went to waste, she was okay with being there.

By nightfall, the entire village had gathered by one of the hills in the forest. It was one of the Vé on Berk - an ancient, sacrificial place, where it was believed the connection with the gods was particularly strong. On the hill, several large rocks formed a half circle and in the middle of this half circle a large hörgr, a kind of altar made of a heap of stones, had been placed many years ago along with ancient human-sized crude statues of the most important gods and goddesses. Behind the altar there was an empty space for sacrificing animals or other things.

It was dark and cold, so everyone had wrapped themselves in their warmest clothes, as they were standing in a circle around the ancient sacrificial grounds. Behind the people, everyone's dragons were also placed in a circle, either standing or sitting down. A lot of the other Vikings held torches, illuminating the faces of everyone in a warm light and casting long shadows along the snow-covered ground. Hiccup was standing with Toothless and his dad in front of the hörgr, while Fishlegs and Rapunzel was with some of the others in the circle.

His dad had said a prayer over the mead, so it was blessed and then everyone was handed a horn of the honey alcohol. Drinking was an important part of most celebrations in Viking culture. It wasn't about getting drunk (although they would do that later), it was about honoring the gods by drinking to them.

Then his dad went to three corners of the ritual grounds, calling the gods they sacrificed to at Jól.

"We call on you, Freyr*, field-blesser, rider of the boar! We call on you, Njórðr*, master of the sea, wealth-giver! We call on you, Oðinn, the wanderer, the allfather of all folk!"

Then his father returned to the hörgr, standing next to him.

"Hail the Æsir* and all high holy gods!" his voice boomed. "The days are now becoming lighter. The weather is getting fairer. Soon it will be time to plant our crops and multiply our livestock. It will be time for trading…and it might be time for conflict as well." his dad told them.

It was true. Sure, conflicts would exist in the winter too, but most tribes were too busy with the harsh winters in the archipelago and just getting through them to spend time and resources on fighting or quarrelling with each other.

"These are the reasons we will now, as we have always done, give the gods our sacrifices and in turn receive their gifts. We will maintain our bond with them and with our lost ones and we will look forward to the banishing of the dark days and the cold."

Hiccup put his hand on Toothless' head and stroked his best friend a little. Now that Berk had three people with magical powers who had all turned 17 (and therefore were allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts), they were much better shielded against catastrophes like failed harvests, harsh winters and war, but even so…he, Fishlegs and Astrid could be killed or die some other way and in that case, he knew that the tribe wouldn't like having neglected the connection with the gods. At the same time it was also a way to bond the whole tribe together. This was a tradition, a celebration where they all came together to feast and enjoy themselves.

His dad turned towards Gobber and gave him a nod. Gobber grabbed the large axe leaning against a nearby tree. It was a sacrificial axe, which meant it was much larger than any battle axe, because it needed to be able to swiftly kill the animals being sacrificed so they wouldn't suffer. Cruelty to animals was not acceptable on Berk.

Nine villagers led two yaks, four pigs and six chickens onto the grounds and then to the empty space behind the hörgr. They remained there, keeping the animals calm and in place. Gobber began to approach one of the yaks with his axe.

"Ásáheill! [Æsir's* blessing!]" his father's voice said. "Freyr…Oðinn…Njórðr…we give to you these sacrifices." his dad finished and then nodded to Gobber.

Gobber's giant axe went straight through the yak's neck and severed the head. The yak's body fell to the side with a loud thud, as several Vikings quickly began to collect the blood in large ceramic bowls. The blood was for the gods, while the meat was for the Vikings to eat later at their feast.

Hiccup continued to pet Toothless but glanced at Rapunzel to see her reaction. She appeared at ease with this situation, which was great. Of course he hadn't expected her to freak out or anything…after all, she knew that this was going to happen and she wasn't a delicate flower but even so…having never seen a Viking sacrifice before, she could become uncomfortable. Luckily though, it didn't seem like she was.

The four Vikings continued to crouch by the side of the yak, gathering the blood. Hiccup had often thought about how these sacrifices had a lot to do with why Christians had labeled all Vikings as 'barbarians' back over a thousand years ago, when the Viking age began. The Christians thought that sacrificing to gods was a savage thing to do, even when it was objects and not animals being offered to the gods, because sacrifice was never a part of Christianity.

As he watched the crimson liquid still being collected in the bowls, he figured that it probably had something to do with a culture's relationship with death. In Viking culture, everyone is very familiar with death and it is a natural part of their everyday life. In a battle, the result is determined by the Valkyries that Odin sends out, so all that matters for a Viking warrior's honor is that he fights bravely and if he dies, that he dies with courage. Honor in battle comes from looking death in the eye and embracing it without hesitation to defend yourself, your leader, those you care about or to gain something for the tribe. The certainty that the winner and loser is already decided by the Valkyries brings a certain calm over most Vikings and might give them an mental advantage over opponents who didn't have the same view of death. And with these blood sacrifices…yes they might look a bit scary to an outsider and that was probably why Christians in the old days had been so afraid of it, but it was really no different from when they slaughtered the animals only for food. After all…they made sure the animals being sacrificed weren't in pain and afterwards they ate it.

The four Vikings had now finished gathering the blood. Hiccup watched as his dad nodded at Gobber, who continued on to the next animal to be sacrificed. In the end, two yaks, four pigs and six chickens had been sacrificed and the blood collected in a lot of bowls along the side of the ritual grounds. It was a good thing that the dragons only ate fish, because if they didn't…they would probably be very tempted by all of this.

Hiccup knew what came next, so he stopped petting Toothless and let his arm drop to his side. His dad nodded to him, so they each picked up a bundle of twigs bound together that they had brought there.

He approached one of the bowls with blood and dipped his bundle of twigs in it and his dad did the same in another bowl.

Then they both went to the statue of Odin and splashed some blood on the carved figure with the twigs.

"Heill Oðinn! [Hail Odin!]" his father's booming voice shouted and then he raised his other hand to take a drink from his horn. Hiccup quickly did the same and let the taste of mead coat his taste buds.

"Heill Oðinn!" came the loud response from all the other Vikings, as they all raised the drinking horns and drank.

He and his dad then moved on to the statue of Freyr. They both swung the bloodied twigs towards the idol and crimson droplets stained the dark grey surface.

"Heill Freyr!" [Hail Freyr!]" his dad exclaimed and once again drank. Hiccup did the same.

"Heill Freyr!" everyone else's voices sounded, as all the Vikings put the drinking horns to their mouths again.

Lastly they approached the statue of Njörðr and once more, twigs being thrust forwards caused dark red splashes on a statue.

"Heill Njörðr! [Hail Njörðr!]" his dad proclaimed and took another swig of his mead. Hiccup raised his own drinking horn and once more let the mead fill his mouth.

"Heill Njörðr!" all the Viking's voices echoed through the chilly winter air, before they all drank once more to honor the gods.

Then he and his dad returned to the bowls and dipped the twigs once more, coating the dark brown ends in crimson liquid. They moved in opposite directions of the grounds and began to walk along the circle of villagers, thrusting the bundle of twigs a little towards each person, so everyone got a few drops of blood on them. They tried to avoid the faces and just aim for the chest or the stomach. It was an ancient way of including everyone in the ritual and when someone was sprinkled with the blood, it meant that they were now symbolically joined with the gods and their dead relatives and ancestors. The sacrificial blood was a symbolic connection between Vikings, the gods and the dead.

As he reached Fishlegs and Rapunzel, he gave his golden-haired friend a hesitant look to say 'it's okay if you don't want to do this' but she did a few encouraging nods with a small smile gracing her lips, so he swung the twigs forwards in a quick movement and a tiny splatter of blood stained Rapunzel's shirt on the stomach area. Then he smiled warmly at her to let her know that he appreciated her open mind towards their culture and moved on to Fishlegs, Astrid, the twins and Snotlout. They all gave him a small smile as he included them in the ritual and he felt a tiny smile curve his lips in response. In his past, these blót rituals had always made him feel horrible, because he was never truly a part of the tribe and it only served to remind him of that. For the last couple of years though…he had felt included and accepted in these rituals that bonded everyone together…he even felt respected by the other Vikings and that tugged at his heart strings. The fact that his dad wanted him to assist in the sacrifice this year only strengthened that feeling.

When everyone had received some drops of blood on them, he and his dad went back to the hörgr. His dad nodded to Gobber who signaled to some other Vikings to assist him in moving the dead animals to the side to create some space for the material sacrifices. They quickly got the job done without much difficulty.

"Anyone who has brought something for the gods may place it now." his dad told everyone.

The word "anyone" was perhaps unnecessary, because everyone always brought something for the gods. It didn't have to be anything large or expensive, since they had all participated in the animal sacrifice, so it was up to the individual Viking to decide what they could spare.

Everyone approached the space behind the hörgr in quiet order, the snow cracking under their feet. No one spoke, but just put down whatever they had brought and then returned to their position in the circle.

Hiccup approached and watched all the various items lying on the ground for a brief moment. There were weapons, jewelry, coins, grain, mead, helmets and many other things. He turned his head and observed the child who was suddenly standing next to him. It was Gróa, a small girl about seven years old with long, blonde hair and plenty of freckles. Her gentle face was bathed in a warm glow from the torches and she was clutching a small wooden sword in her hands. She crouched down and put it on the white earth among all the other objects. Then she stood up straight, met his eyes and grinned at him and he smiled warmly at her in response. It was such a touching gesture somehow…that she was giving up one of her toys to maintain their connection to the gods and grant the gods strength…that despite her young age she was already doing her part to secure the future of the tribe…at least from most Vikings' perspective.

What most outsiders probably didn't know was that sacrificing wasn't about being granted forgiveness for perceived 'sins' in any way and it wasn't only the Vikings who were getting something out of it. The gods gained nourishment from receiving sacrifices and this made them more likely to grant the wishes of those who sacrificed to them. In Norse culture, the relationship with the gods was always based on a "something for something" mentality, where humans gave the gods sacrifices to get favors in return. The gods however, would be wise to actually grant these favors quite often, because if they didn't…they would be perceived as weak gods and Vikings would slowly begin to turn away from them. It wasn't like in Christianity and many other religions, where no matter how ignored you were by your god or gods, you stuck by them because they had some kind of power over your afterlife and you would be judged there based on how well you had lived by the god's or gods' rules. Norse gods cared very little about what humans got up to, as long as the humans remained humble and didn't insult them. There was no set of 'rules' that Vikings had to live by from the gods' perspective or else they would be punished in the afterlife. That was all up to the Vikings themselves.

Hiccup bent down and placed an axe he had made in the summer on the snow-covered ground. Weapons, armor and animals were considered some of the greatest sacrifices and even though he wasn't really religious, he still kind of liked participating in the rituals. It was familiar. It was a part of him. When he had put down the weapon, he glanced to his side and saw Fishlegs and Rapunzel both approach. They both smiled at him and he returned the gesture. Then Fishleg put down a sword on the ground, while Rapunzel took something out of one of her pockets. Hiccup couldn't help the perplexed look he knew was currently scrunching his face. He hadn't really expected Rapunzel to sacrifice anything. After all, these weren't her gods religiously or culturally. However, Rapunzel took out a dagger and crouched down to carefully put it in the snow next to Hiccup's axe and Fishlegs' sword. Where did she get a dagger from? He'd have to ask her later. Right now they needed to finish the ritual.

Rapunzel's lips twitched in a smile before she turned around and walked back to her place in the circle with Fishlegs trailing behind her. Hiccup returned to his dad's side and watched the last ones place their sacrifices on the ground before returning to their previous positions.

"Freyr. Njorðr. Oðinn. We offer you these sacrifices and wish for you to accept them and grant us your favor in return." his father said, chasing the silence away with his loud, authoritative voice.

"Freyr…field-blesser, rider of the boar! The days are becoming lighter and spring will be here soon. We ask of you to bless our crops and grant us fair weather so we will be given bountiful harvests! Njorðr…master of the sea, wealth-giver! We ask of you to bless our catches in the sea, oversee our travels and trade on the ocean and thus grant us wealth and prosperity! Oðinn…the wanderer, the Allfather of all folk! We ask of you to bestow strength upon us in battle and grant us victory against any enemies who may wish us harm!"

Hiccup knew that later on, all of these items would be thrown in the ocean, as that was the traditional way of delivering objects to the gods.

"Now has come the time for the individual toasts. May all who wish to do so take a drink of the horn and send their own prayer to the gods." his dad said and then took a very large drinking horn and filled it with mead from a nearby bottle. After a quick prayer to bless the mead, he reached out his hand and gave the horn to Gobber, who took a swig of it and closed his eyes in prayer for a moment, before he passed it on to the next Viking in the circle.

The silence filled the air and the only sounds reaching Hiccup's ears were the crackling from the torches, and the gentle swaying of the winter wind through the trees of the forest. Most of the Vikings in the circle took turns to drink out of the horn, close their eyes and send their own prayer to the gods, while a few just passed the horn on to the next Viking, if they for one reason or another didn't feel the need for a private prayer.

When the horn reached Fishlegs, friend's eyes shut and he clutched the horn in his hands until he opened his eyes once more and then took a drink of the mead. Then he passed it on to Rapunzel and whispered something to her. Hiccup suspected that he was telling her to just pass it on if she didn't want to participate in this part.

Rapunzel however, smiled fondly at Fishlegs and then closed her eyes for a few moments before letting her lips touch the drinking horn and the mead spill into her mouth. Afterwards, she passed the horn along to the twins.

Hiccup once more smiled at his amazing friend. Rapunzel was just so supportive and openminded regarding their culture and it was obvious that she was taking the chance now to fully participate in it. He wasn't sure if it was because of respect, curiosity or maybe a bit of both, but he truly appreciated it.

When Snotlout walked towards him with the drinking horn and then passed it to him with a small smile, he closed his fingers around it and gave his cousin a nod in response. He closed his eyes, taking in the darkness. He didn't have much to ask the gods for, but he did send a prayer to Odin to grant his friends and family the wisdom and strength to overcome any threats that might potentially harm them. Sure, he wasn't really religious, it was a cultural thing, but he also recognized that no one had the actual answers to whether or not gods existed, so it didn't hurt to send them a prayer once in a while during these rituals. He briefly thought about Jack and how he wished that his white-haired friend would always be in his life in some way or another, but that wasn't something to ask these three gods for. None of them were related to friendship or romance.

He opened his eyes and lifted the horn. The golden liquid within reached his lips and he savored the taste of the mead as it coated his tongue. Then he passed the horn to his father, who gave him a warm smile and a nod, closing his big hands around the horn. His dad was the last one to drink and therefore to finish this ritual.

The silence stretched on until his dad cleared his throat and proclaimed that this was the end of the blót and he gave Hiccup a nod. Hiccup turned to face Toothless.

"Go on, bud." He said and Toothless let out a loud roar. The other dragons around the sacrificial grounds roared in response and then they all lifted their heads upwards and spewed massive pillars of fire into the air. The fire was like a burst of warmth and orange light and for a moment their surroundings were completely bathed in a warm glow. Then the dragons stopped and lowered their heads again. Hiccup covered the few feet between him and Toothless and scratched the dragon under the chin.

It had been Hiccup's idea to involve the dragons in their religious rituals, because even though dragons obviously were not religious, they were still a part of the tribe now. Everyone viewed them as friends or family members, so why shouldn't they be a part of their customs too?

Everyone took one last drink out of their drinking horns as a closure to the ritual and then they all began to move towards the Great Hall. Some of the Vikings lifted the dead animals and began carrying them towards the Great Hall to prepare the meat. They left the blood behind in the bowls for the gods.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs approached him and then they walked together to their destination, along with Toothless and Meatlug. Rapunzel linked her arm with his and gave him a bright smile.

"So…you've been a part of a real Viking blót. You're like an honorary Viking now." he told her with a grin.

"I know, I'm kind of proud of that." she told him with an amused smile.

"How was it? You seemed to be okay."

"It was fine, Hiccup. No problem. I was a bit nervous about watching the animals being killed, because…well, I know it's sort of hypocritical because I eat animals, but I didn't know how I would react to actually watching one get killed like that, but it was actually okay. I mean…like you said, they didn't suffer, they died right on the spot without any pain. So yeah…it was fine." she told him and he felt quite relieved at that. The last thing he wanted was to make Rapunzel uncomfortable with any of their Viking customs.

"I'm glad to hear that." he told her honestly and then squeezed her arm a little. "Where did you get that dagger from?"

"I bought it from Sveinn." she told him.

"Okay. I hadn't expected you to sacrifice anything."

"I know, I know, but I wanted to participate."

"I really appreciate that."

Her lips twitched in a warm smile. "So now we eat and drink the night away?"

"Basically." Fishlegs said. "The food is going to be prepared now, so while we wait for that, there'll be some games and competitions that people can do if they want…and drinking of course. There's also going to be a few more prayers…and then we eat and drink like there's no tomorrow!"

"Great!" Rapunzel replied.

As they entered the Great Hall, several large fires had been prepared in the cooking area and the tables scattered throughout the Hall were set with plates, cutlery, cups and plenty of bottles of mead and beer. Some Vikings had already taken a seat along the tables and were talking eagerly and drinking together, while others had already began to play drinking games or board games. Between the large, stone pillars and the walls, ropes were hung across with lit lanterns on them.

Toothless and all the other dragons remained outside, as there wasn't really room in the Great Hall for all the Vikings and all the dragons all at once, unless they wanted to be in extremely close quarters. Not that the dragons seemed to mind…they had been supplied with plenty of fish to munch on and afterwards they would probably play around with each other as usual, keeping themselves entertained.

He, Fishlegs and Rapunzel sat with Astrid, the twins and Snotlout for a few hours, drinking mead and talking and laughing. Fishlegs and Astrid told the others more about the things they'd experienced and learned at Hogwarts for the last four months and the twins regaled them with all the mischief they'd caused and all the "amazing" tricks they'd taught Barf and Belch, while Snotlout bragged about how many things he and Hookfang had "annihilated" and how he'd seduced some girl from another tribe (Hiccup strongly suspected that this girl didn't actually exist). When the food had finally been prepared and was brought in and placed along some empty tables at the end of the hall, his father stood up from a table nearby and proclaimed the beginning of the blót feast. Everyone got to their feet.

"Let us drink Jól to honor our bond with the gods and our ancestors!" his dad exclaimed, his voice echoing through the hall. Everyone immediately lifted their cups and drank whatever alcohol was in it.

His father turned his head and looked at him.

"Til árs ok fríðar! [To a good year and peace!]" Hiccup exclaimed to the other Vikings.

"Til árs ok fríðar!" came the loud, excited response from the crowd, before they all raised their cups and took a swig of the mead or beer in it.

It was a tradition to say that particular sentence and drink to it. Harvest and peace were very closely linked in Viking culture, since abundance meant less reason to quarrel with other tribes or with each other. If everyone was content because they had enough, it was easier to have peace.

After everyone had toasted for the upcoming year to be a good one, Hiccup spoke again

"Now it's time to honor our ancestors and lost ones."

Everyone became silent and observed him and his dad. As usual, so many people watching him made him feel self-conscious, but he had learned to hide it pretty well among his fellow Vikings. He lifted his cup of mead and let his voice fill the air.

"Deyr fé [Cattle die]

deyja frændr [Kinsmen die]

deyr sjálfr et sama [The self dies]

ek veit einn [I know of one thing]

at aldri deyr [That never dies]

dómr um dauðan hvern [The judgment of a dead man's life]" he said, quoting a verse from the Hávámal.

People who weren't Vikings might mistakenly believe that the last sentence had something to do with the judgment of the gods. It didn't though. It had to do with how you were remembered by your fellow Vikings…your family, your friends, your leaders. As such, it was an appropriate verse to use before they all took a few moments to think about whoever they had lost, however they might have passed away.

"Let us remember our lost ones." his dad said to all the other Vikings and Hiccup recognized that soft tone of voice. It was how his father always sounded whenever he thought about Hiccup's mother or mentioned her in any way.

Everyone bowed their heads and remained silent for a few minutes, remembering their dead relatives and ancestors. Hiccup thought of his mother, who was taken by a dragon in a dragon attack on Berk. He wished he could remember her…that he could have had her in his life. Then he thought about various Vikings he had known who had died either from illness or in conflicts with dragons or other tribes. Luckily, he had never lost someone he was very close to, but he still missed them nonetheless and liked to remember them at each blót. That way they were never truly gone.

"Our bond with our lost ones and our gods have been strengthened today. Let the feast begin!" his dad exclaimed happily and every Viking in the room roared excitedly in return, a deafening wall of voice hitting Hiccup's ears all at once. Then everyone went towards the large tables filled with food, eagerly wanting to taste the delicious dishes.

Hiccup once again sat with Rapunzel, Fishlegs, Astrid, Snotlout and the twins. They all enjoyed the scrumptious food, the mead and beer and the company of each other. The Great Hall was filled with a warm light from the fires, lanterns and candles, and everywhere the noise of loud, eager conversation, happy laughter and drunk singing filled the air.

As the hours ticked by, they all became drunker and drunker and Hiccup got a stomach ache from laughing so much. Rapunzel seemed to have a great time as well, as she also began to laugh more and more and she eagerly asked the twins and Snotlout questions to get to know them better. Despite being drunk, Hiccup made sure to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't drink too much, because she wasn't really used to mead. But despite how much fun he was having, he still couldn't push Jack out of his mind.

Snotlout and Tuffnut suddenly decided to challenge each other to a drinking match, where the loser had to run around the hall naked. Then they eagerly began pouring cup after cup of beer and mead, drinking it down quickly and watching the other do the same. Hiccup and the other's watched them in amusement, as the two Vikings quickly became a lot drunker than the rest of them. He found himself thinking that if the loser actually followed through on running around naked, he would definitely be averting his eyes. He did not need to see that.

He turned his head and observed his dad and Gobber a little. They were drinking with several of the other men of the village, all singing songs, roaring toasts and laughing when they reminisced about battles they'd fought together or other experiences they'd shared through the years. Other Vikings in the hall played board games, talked, drank, danced, played instruments or sung their own songs. In one of the corners he spotted Eydís and Heðinn, two other teens – a tall, blonde guy and a fairly short girl with brown curls, snogging each other. Wow, that was going to be awkward tomorrow. They didn't usually have anything to do with each other, but right now they were sticking their tongues down each other's throats.

Suddenly he heard a thud followed by laughter. Apparently Tuffnut had fallen off the bench due to his drunkenness, much to the others' amusement. Snotlout instantly threw his hands in the air.

"I win…I wiiin. S-serves you right, Nufftut, uhh…Nuffnut…uhm…Tuffnuuuut." he slurred, his eyes half-lidded, his head starting to droop. Then he leaned in over the table and began to take a nap, while Tuffnut stayed down on the floor and Astrid, Fishlegs and Rapunzel began a conversation about some of the boardgames the other Vikings were playing, since Rapunzel wanted to know more about it.

After a while, the noise and warmth and all the people suddenly became too much for him and he decided that he needed a break. He told his friends that he'd go outside for some fresh air. Rapunzel and Fishlegs offered to keep him company, but he told them to just stay there and have fun.

He quickly left the Great Hall through the massive, wooden doors and descended some of the steps on the very long, stone staircase that led down towards the village. Then he sat down on one of the steps and just inhaled some of the cool, night air. It was pleasant to be outside in the cold and get a break from all the noise and warmth inside of the hall.

He just sat there for a while and observed the beautiful, dark blue night sky. The moon was full and glowed with a soft, gentle light and thousands of stars were scattered across the dark heavens.

The mead had made his entire body tingle and his mind was clouded by the alcohol, making his usual defense mechanisms fade a little and his thoughts fairly scattered.

As he observed the snow-covered village below, where every rooftop and tree was sprinkled with the white, shimmering powder, his mind instantly managed to focus on one single thing though.

He sighed a little and lifted his head to watch the moon and its breathtaking light. He was having a really good time with his family and friends but…Jack was constantly lurking in the back of his mind, reminding him that there was a hole in his heart. He was aching from the hurt of being separated from him. He was longing to see him again…it was almost like a restless, impatient itch throughout his entire being.

He sighed again and watched his breath form pale mist in the chilly, night air.

He was pathetic. He was weak. He was hurting but there was nothing bleeding or bruised. Nothing you could sew shut or bandage.

There was no doubt about it...

Jack was his weakness.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there on the cold, stone steps watching the night sky and the snow that seemed to almost glow in the pale light of the moon, but even though sad thoughts were swirling in his mind, he liked this little break where he could have a few moments just to himself.

Behind him, he heard the massive doors to the hall creak as they opened and he assumed that another Viking was probably in need of fresh air…or maybe a piss.

"Hiccup?" he suddenly heard Fishlegs' voice say.

He turned his head and watched his friend approach him. Fishlegs slumped down next to him on the steps. He gave him a tiny smile, before turning back to watching the moon and the stars.

"You've been gone for quite a while. We were getting worried." Fishlegs told him.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "Sorry but…I'm okay."

"No, you're not." his friend insisted and there was a hint of defiance in his tone.

Hiccup just remained silent.

"Hiccup…it's obvious that you're in pain and it's because of Jack." his friend told him softly.

"So? There isn't anything I can do about it." he shrugged.

"Of course there is. You can tell him."

He sighed and turned his head to meet Fishlegs' eyes.

"And then what? Ruin our friendship because everything will be so awkward between us that we can't stand to be around each other anymore?"

"You don't know if that will happen."

"And you don't know that it won't."

"Of course not but…look, there's just something about the bond you have with Jack. I wouldn't rule out that he might feel something for you too." Fishlegs told him and Hiccup could see the concern shining in his friend's eyes.

"Don't be naïve, Fish." Hiccup told him with a small sigh. He knew both Fishlegs and Rapunzel meant well, but he really didn't want them to keep trying to give him hope. Hope only made heartache worse.

"Don't be stubborn, Hiccup. Remember your own saying, will you?" Fishlegs told him and then a tiny smile appeared on the Viking's lips. "There's always more. You don't know everything about Jack."

"No, of course I don't but…why would he have feelings for me? I've never seen any sign of that and he's only been with girls in the past, so if that doesn't say he's straight, what does? And even if he did have feelings for me, we can't be together anyway."

Fishlegs sighed. "Just…think about it, okay?"

"Okay." he agreed.

Fishlegs gave him a hesitant smile and then got to his feet. "Come in again soon, okay?" Fishlegs told him, before he squeezed his shoulder and then began to climb the stairs again towards the Great Hall.

Hiccup sat for a while longer on the stone steps, just taking in the beautiful, peaceful surroundings. The wind was gently dancing through the trees and across the rooftops, blowing away wisps of snow. Even though he wasn't wearing a jacket, he didn't feel cold because of that warm feeling inside that the alcohol had provided. He was in that stage where you were drunk enough that your inhibitions had been lowered and you were feeling relaxed and tingling, but not so drunk that you weren't aware of what you were doing or that you did things you wouldn't normally do.

He turned his head and watched some snowflakes swirl around in the winter wind.

"I miss you, Jack." he said softly to himself.

Then he made a decision and pulled out the enchanted paper from one of his pockets.

---

The sound of the clock ticking and the wind rustling through the trees outside was almost driving him insane. Usually that sort of thing wouldn't bother him, but he had been tossing and turning in his bed for hours, trying desperately to just go to sleep. No matter how he placed himself, he couldn't get comfortable…no matter how much or how little of his blanket was covering his body, he couldn't reach the right temperature…no matter how many times he fluffed his pillow, it just didn't feel right.

The thoughts were whirling incessantly in his mind and he couldn't stop them even though he tried his best. He attempted to think about anything else…anything...but no matter what, his mind still pictured green eyes, brown hair, braids, freckles, scars…

As he rolled onto his other side for the thousandth time that night, he once again wondered what Hiccup was doing. Well, obviously he knew that Hiccup was celebrating with the other Vikings and Rapunzel but…what was he doing right now? Was he drunk? Was he having fun? Was everything going the way he hoped they would?

He desperately wanted to talk to him, but he didn't want to interfere when Hiccup was in the middle of a celebration. That would be really selfish of him.

He sighed to himself.

Then he suddenly heard a faint noise.

Great…now his mind was imagining things, he thought, before he realized what the sound was.

Then he instantly sat up, pulled out the drawer in his nightstand and took out the enchanted paper. His blue eyes quickly took in the written words on it and he chuckled when he saw that Hiccup's usually neat handwriting was all uneven and squiggly. He was clearly drunk.

"Snowcone…still up?"

At least he actually managed to spell the words correctly.

"Yeah, Hic. I'm awake…and you're clearly drunk. Having fun?"

"Yeah, having fun. Would be great if you were here too."

Yeah it definitely would…

"Thrown up on a yak yet?" he wrote and grinned a little to himself.

"No. Quite proud."

Jack chuckled at that answer. Even though Hiccup could still actually spell correctly it was clear from the messy handwriting and from the short sentences that he was affected by the (probably) large amounts of alcohol he'd had. It was very unusual for him to write like that…if Hiccup actually had a mobile phone, he would be one of those people who never abbreviated anything and always made sure that everything in their text was spelled correctly and with correct grammar before they sent it.

"You should be. It's a big achievement. So…any fighting or snogging happen yet?"

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

At least say no to the snogging.

"No fighting. Some snogging. But not me."

Thank whatever god might exist. Jack wasn't sure at all that he could handle another person kissing Hiccup, like the time Astrid had done it. Even if he wouldn't actually see it this time, it would still make him hurt so much.

"So Fishlegs scored, huh?" Jack wrote jokingly. Of course it was a possibility but Fishlegs was shy, so he doubted it.

"Hah. No. Was people you don't know. And some tried to hit on Rapunzel. Got them to back off."

"Wow…how did she take it?"

"Found it funny."

"And you clearly didn't….overprotective big brother."

"Drunk Vikings…not for Rapunzel."

Jack smiled to himself.

"No kidding. So…why are you writing me right now? Not that I mind, you know I always want to talk to you, Hic. I was just wondering…you know, because you should be celebrating."

"Went outside. Noise and people became too much. Been around them all day. Needed break."

Jack smiled a little in understanding. He knew that even though Hiccup loved being around the people he cared about, he needed some quiet time in between. If he didn't, his mind got overwhelmed, which stressed him out. Classic introvert.

"Ah, okay. So...how drunk are you?"

"Quiiite drunk."

Jack chuckled a little and couldn't help thinking that he really wanted to be with Hiccup right now and see him be drunk. He imagined that he was incredibly adorable, when alcohol melted away his defenses.

"Well, be careful you don't throw up on any animals or get in a fight with someone or snog someone where you'll regret it in the morning."

In fact, don't snog anyone.

"Of course not. Would rather not be all awkward tomorrow."

Jack was satisfied with that answer.

"Good plan. How did all the…sacrifice stuff go?"

He found the whole thought of doing animal sacrifices quite strange but not really in a bad way. Hiccup had told him quite a lot about it, and since the animals didn't suffer and the Vikings actually ate the meat afterwards, Jack couldn't really see a problem with it. He was sure that some people would probably find the idea repulsive, but at the same time go down to the supermarket and buy meat for their next dinner. As long as they hadn't seen the animal being killed they could push it out of their minds and pretend like it didn't actually happen.

"Fine. No problems. Rapunzel sacrificed too."

"Really? What?"

"A dagger. Strange to see her with a weapon."

"Wow…Punzie being armed? Watch out world."

"He he. True. She bought it from one of the other Vikings apparently."

"Apparently?"

"Yeah. Didn't know about it until the sacrifice."

"Oh. Well, it's nice that she participates in your culture."

"It really is…she's great."

He and Hiccup continued to write each other for a little while. Jack asked plenty of questions about their Jól celebration and in return Hiccup asked him what he had been doing with his family today. Unfortunately their conversation wasn't that long and when Hiccup wrote that he needed to go back to the celebration, Jack couldn't help feeling disappointed. On the other hand…at least he got to talk to Hiccup just a little. That was better than nothing.

---

As Hiccup entered the Great Hall again, he was hit by a wall of noise and warmth emanating from all the drunk Vikings in the large building. Everywhere people were enjoying themselves. Eyes filled with joy. Loud laughter spilling from mouths. Instruments being played. Drops of mead caught in beards. Backs being patted eagerly. Board game pieces being moved. Feet dancing swiftly.

Suddenly Tuffnut ran naked past him, having apparently woken up from his drunken coma, and he didn't even have time to look the other way, so he saw things that he definitely didn't want to see.

Cannot…unsee…

He quickly found his way back to Fishlegs, Rapunzel, Astrid and Ruffnut and they spent several hours just talking, drinking and laughing. Snotlout had disappeared to challenge another Viking to a boardgame and after a little while Tuffnut joined them (with clothes on now). Rapunzel got to know the twins better, as they started telling her more about Barf and Belch, about how they had to share everything (much to their annoyance) and about their high tolerance of pain. Well…Ruffnut did most of the talking, since Tuffnut was still extremely drunk.

The good times didn't last long though. Snotlout was playing a game with Björn, another guy their age, which was a drinking game at the same time. Suddenly angry voices reached Hiccup's ears and he turned his head to look at his cousin and Björn sitting at a table nearby with a few other Vikings.

"You're cheating!" Snotlout yelled angrily and slammed his fist on the table.

Oh gods no…this was going to end badly.

Accusing another Viking of cheating was a serious insult and could easily lead to a fight. Being called a cheat was basically the same as calling someone dishonorable. It was not something that any Viking would take lightly.

"What?!" Björn shouted, as he got to his feet and clenched his fists.

"I saw what you did! You moved two pieces in one turn, when you thought I wasn't looking!" Snotlout snarled.

"Don't be stupid, Snotlout!" Björn exclaimed in irritation, furrowing his forehead.

Hiccup got up from his seat and approached his cousin and the other Vikings by that table. Sure, he was drunk but not as drunk as Snotlout and Björn, who both clearly needed to calm down right now.

"You're a fucking bacraut [asshole] and a cheat!" Snotlout sneered and narrowed his eyes.

Hiccup had reached the table and stood close to Björn, while Snotlout was still sitting down on the other side.

"Guys, calm down. It's Jól. Just…put your differences aside." he told them.

"I can't do that Hiccup. This asshole is trying to trick me!" Snotlout insisted and motioned with a hand to Björn.

"I didn't do shit, Snotlout." Björn sneered in response.

"Yes, you did! You're a liar!" Snotlout shouted and Hiccup could sense that this was moving quickly towards a fight.

"Rassragr." Björn then spat with disgust and Hiccup's blood boiled instantly.

Snotlout shot up from his seat to attack Björn, but Thorsteinn and Úlfr held him back.

Hiccup grabbed Björn's shoulders and slammed his back against one of the nearby stone pillars.

"Don't ever use that word again." Hiccup hissed angrily and narrowed his eyes. He could hear Snotlout yelling curses at Björn from somewhere behind him.

"What's the matter with you, Hiccup?" Björn said, scrunching his face in annoyance.

"Just don't use that word." he replied in a low tone that left no room for discussion.

"Why do you care?" Björn said.

"I care because it's wrong."

"Pffff. It's not wrong. Us Vikings have been using that word for ages." Björn told him, his tone sharp and annoyed.

"Yes…and hundreds of years ago us Vikings used to have slaves and until just a few years ago we believed that dragons were bloodthirsty beasts so we used to kill hundreds of them… things change, Björn." he told him, trying his best to keep his voice steady and not too affected by the rage he was feeling inside.

"Don't be stupid, Hiccup. It's disgusting, so I'll use it as an insult whenever I want."

"You're the one who's being stupid. I don't ever want to hear you say that word again."

Björn scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You can't tell me what to do. You're not my chief."

"Yet." Fishlegs said from somewhere next to him.

Hiccup just remained silent and glared at Björn. Fishlegs knew Hiccup would never bring up the fact that he was the future leader to win a conflict, but Fishlegs didn't mind doing just that if it made someone back down.

Hiccup could see the doubt and hesitation in Björn's blue eyes, although they were still narrowed in annoyance.

Then Björn scoffed. "Whatever."

Hiccup let go of his shoulders and Björn quickly stormed off, clearly still very pissed off.

Hiccup sighed. He glanced around him and saw several other Vikings observing him but they all quickly went back to their drinking and celebrating. Getting into heated arguments was not uncommon when people had had something to drink, although it was pretty unusual that someone slung out that particular insult he had just heard.

"Son?" he heard his dad's voice say from behind him.

He turned around and met his father's blue eyes. "Yeah, dad?"

"What was that all about?"

"Oh…Snotlout accused Björn of cheating in a game and then they began to yell at each other and Björn used a particular…word…that you shouldn't ever call another Viking." he explained. "Rassragr."

"I see." his dad said and his face turned serious. Then he took a few steps closer to him and placed his large hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, son. A real Viking always stands up for his family and friends. You did the right thing." his father told him with a soft shine in his eyes.

"Thanks dad." Hiccup replied with a tiny smile tugging at his lips. He wondered if his dad would still be proud of him, if he knew the whole truth about him and his sexuality. Probably not…

His dad nodded at him with a small smile, before he turned around and went back towards Gobber and some of the other men to continue celebrating.

Hiccup turned his head and looked at Fishlegs who had come closer.

"I'm going to bed now." he told Fishlegs, who nodded in response.

Hiccup quickly covered the distance to the table where Rapunzel, Astrid and the twins were still sitting, having observed the whole thing.

"Are you okay, Hiccup?" Astrid asked him with concern in her blue eyes.

"I'm fine. I just got angry." he told her and she nodded in understanding.

"I'm going to bed, Rapunzel. Do you want to stay here some more or do you want to go to sleep too?" he asked his golden-haired friend.

"I'll go to sleep too." she told him with a small smile and he nodded.

Then the both of them said good night to the others and made their way out of the Great Hall. As they exited through the massive, wooden doors, the cold air made his skin tingle.

"Hiccup." he heard Gobber's voice say from behind them. He spun around to face him.

"Yeah, Gobber?"

"Rapunzel, could you give us a moment?" Gobber asked.

"Of course." she nodded and began to walk down the steps towards the village.

"Are you okay…after that whole thing with Björn?" Gobber said, concern appearing in his blue eyes.

"Yeah, it's just…sometimes I really wish Vikings in general were more open-minded." he replied and then shrugged.

Gobber nodded. "Hey, I agree with you."

"You do?" Hiccup asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Yeah. That word…and all the similar ones…they shouldn't be used anymore."

"Yeah…it would be nice if all other Vikings saw it that way too."

"Yes…but those things take time." Gobber told him with a soft smile.

"I know, I know..." he replied and then sighed a little.

"You did the right thing by putting Björn in his place, Hiccup."

"Thanks Gobber." he said and gave the large Viking a small smile.

"Get some sleep now." Gobber then told him and spun around to enter the Great Hall again.

Hiccup descended the stairs and he and Rapunzel began walking towards his house. Hiccup watched some of the dragons play in the distance. He quickly spotted his best friend, who seemed to be communicating with Stormfly.

"Bud, we're going to bed! Want to come along or stay here?" he yelled to the Night Fury, who immediately lifted his head and looked towards him and Rapunzel.

Then the dragon bounded towards them happily and Hiccup couldn't help but smile.

He, Rapunzel and Toothless quickly made it to the house and up the stairs to his room.

A few moments later, as Toothless had made himself comfortable on his slab of rock, Hiccup left the room to give Rapunzel some privacy to change into her sleeping clothes, while he did the same in the livingroom.

When they had both changed they got in their separate beds and was lying there in silence for a few moments. Hiccup's mind was full of thoughts and he really couldn't shut it off. Usually it would help a lot that he was still quite drunk, because alcohol helped to calm his thoughts, but right now it didn't help at all.

"Hiccup?" he heard Rapunzel's light voice say from the bed next to his.

He rolled to his side and looked at her. Even though it was dark, he could still make out her face from the light from the fireplace on the other side of the room. She looked worried.

"Yeah?"

"I don't really understand why some Vikings seem to be against other sexualities... could you maybe explain it to me?" she asked hesitantly, as if it might upset him. It didn't.

"Yeah, sure…" he said and then collected his thoughts for a few moments. "I've told you a lot about Viking culture through the years. Do you remember what the most important things are to a Viking?"

"Yeah…honor and loved ones."

"Yes and often those two are linked…but what you have to understand about Viking culture is that it's completely focused on being strong, independent and self-reliant. Of course our culture has evolved in several ways since the Viking age a thousand years ago and thank the gods for that, but there are still a lot of remnants from the old ways, so I kind of have to explain to you how it was back then for to you fully understand the situation now." he explained.

His friend nodded silently, encouraging him to continue.

"Back a thousand years ago, there was even more focus on strength and independence and honor was everything. You could get honor in a lot of different ways: being brave in battle, being protective and loyal to your loved ones and your leader, being generous, hospitable, hard-working, clever and always prepared to voice your opinion. But if you lost your honor in some way then you weren't a real Viking. Being without honor was the worst thing to be, because then you were worthless in the eyes of other Vikings. If anyone implied that you were homosexual or submissive in any way, it was a very serious insult, because that meant you had no honor. It was never about the sex part, but about making the person you insult look weak. The weird thing is though…the Vikings back then didn't actually mind homosexual sex as long as you were the dominant one. Being the submissive one was extremely shameful. Letting another man do that to you was basically viewed as a failure to be a real man and stand up for yourself, because other Vikings were convinced you would also be submissive in other aspects of your life. So if you were the submissive part in homosexual sex, you were weak, cowardly and feminine, no better than a slave really and not deserving any respect, and an actual relationship between two guys was completely out of the question. Sure, our culture has softened in many ways, like women aren't seen as inferior anymore, thank the gods, but Vikings still don't seem to believe that someone could be something other than straight and still be strong and honorable and masculine. They see it as a weakness."

There were a few moments of silence between them in the dark and Hiccup knew it was because Rapunzel was thinking about all that he had just told her.

"That's…I mean…I knew it was a masculine culture from all you and Fishlegs have told me, but I never knew just how deep it really went."

"Yeah…like I said…we've softened up in some ways but there's still a stigma attached to it."

There was a brief pause before Rapunzel spoke again.

"Hiccup…?" his friend asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"That word Björn called Snotlout…what does it mean?"

Hiccup sighed a little. He had expected her to ask about that.

"Because being submissive was so shameful and still is, there are a lot of Old Norse insults connected with this. The one Björn called Snotlout was rassragr… It's basically an extremely offensive way of saying that someone plays the unmanly, cowardly part in sex and lets another man fuck them in the ass." he said and saw Rapunzel wince a little in the dark. She wasn't used to hearing him say things like that, but she had asked what it meant and he wasn't going to sugarcoat it.

"Back a thousand years ago…if someone called you rassragr or any other word that meant the same thing, you were allowed to challenge that Viking to a fight and kill him without getting punished at all by society. That's how serious it was…of course that's not allowed here anymore but it's still…very very offensive."

"Yeah…I could tell by your reaction that it had to be something really bad."

"Yeah. I just…whenever I hear one of those words, my blood boils. It's not okay to judge people based on their sexuality. We should have moved on from that but unfortunately…Vikings can sometimes be quite stubborn." Hiccup told his friend and instantly thought of how much their relationship with the dragons had transformed. He hoped the same thing could one day happen with this…that it would become accepted.

"I know…." Rapunzel said softly.

The silence once again hung in the air between them for a little while. He looked at Rapunzel, who was currently biting her lip a little in the dark, obviously concerned.

"I'm so sorry, Hiccup. This must affect you a lot." his friend then said and trained her caring, green eyes on him.

"It does." he admitted.

He had always been seen as a worthless Viking until a few years ago, so he knew exactly how hurtful and brutal that could be.

"I wish there was something I could do…" Rapunzel told him.

"Me too…but there isn't really anything either of us can do."

"I hope…" Rapunzel began, sounding slightly hesitant. "I know you're not looking forward to becoming chief but…maybe when you're the leader you can help open the other Vikings' minds…work on removing some of those prejudices."

"Maybe." Hiccup replied quietly as he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

He and Rapunzel didn't speak anymore after that and Hiccup retreated into his own mind, while Rapunzel got some much needed sleep after being up for so long. As he was just lying in his bed and let his eyes drift across the wooden beams in his ceiling, he briefly wondered if Rapunzel was right. Maybe he could help gain acceptance for LGBT people once he was the chief, so maybe one day his fellow Vikings would open their eyes and realize that being something other than straight wasn't the bad thing they were making it out to be.

After all…he had opened their eyes regarding the dragons.

---

The train ride back to Hogwarts was different from the one they'd had two weeks ago, when they'd left the magical castle to go to Jack's house. As he sat in one of the compartments on the train with his three Gryffindor friends, Jack was in a great mood. He had trouble sitting still and he was talking and joking eagerly with his friends. Mavis told them that she and Jonathan were now dating, which made them all feel delighted. Apparently, her dad had finally accepted him, when he realized that Jonathan made his daughter happy. When the trolley came by, he bought some cauldron cakes and a pumpkin pasty and his friends all seemed relieved that his appetite wasn't gone like it was on the ride two weeks ago. The knowing looks they gave him clearly showed that they knew exactly why he was happy right now.

He couldn't wait to see Hiccup again and he wished that the train could just go faster. His friends teased him about his crush several times throughout the trip, but he didn't mind at all, because he was finally going to see Hiccup after two long weeks. Of course he had absolutely loved being around his family again, because he had really missed them a lot, but it had also been so incredibly hard to be away from Hiccup.

When Jack and the others entered the old, magical castle that was like a second home, they walked among a sea of other students towards the Great Hall.

Familiar stone corridors, now absent of Christmas decorations. Black and white school robes everywhere. Joyful laughter echoing through the air. Heads of hair in all colors and lengths. Happy eyes shining. Bubbly energy bursting through the crowd.

Jack's blue eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for a familiar person.

When the large entrance to the Great Hall came into view, three familiar people entered his vision.

Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs were talking and laughing together by the entrance, obviously waiting for Jack and the others.

Jack felt his heartbeat speed up and he wished he could move faster towards them, but it was too crowded to get past all the students in front of him.

When his three Ravenclaw friends spotted them among all the other students and all turned their heads, Hiccup's face lit up in a bright smile and he waved at Jack and the others.

A flood of strong emotions washed over Jack in that moment. Pure, unrestrained adoration hummed contently in his veins and an unstoppable bubbly joy tickled in his stomach and chest like piles of soft feathers against skin, just by seeing that beautiful Viking boy again. He couldn't hold back the goofy smile that appeared on his lips, as his eyes took in Hiccup and how happy he looked.

Okay…

That was it.

He had made a realization about his feelings for Hiccup that day when Astrid kissed him and today he made another one.

He didn't have a crush on that amazing guy. He couldn't claim to simply "have feelings" for him or "fancy" him.

There was no way to suppress that adoration inside. No way to ignore how it felt like something vital to his life was missing when Hiccup wasn't around. No way to deny how desperately he wanted Hiccup to be his and only his.

He didn't have a crush.

He was hopelessly in love.

Author's note:

- Villieldr: The name of Hiccup's owl. Means "wild-fire" in Old Norse. He named it this based on the orange feathers on the bird's head, back and wings.

- Frigg: The wife of Odin. Is said to be just as wise as her husband. Is associated with marriage and birth and is called on during birth to protect the mother and the child. Could also be called upon to protect sons who went to war.

- Freyja: Probably the most important goddess in Norse mythology. Goddess of love and fertility, but also associated with magic (she is a powerful sorceress), wealth and death (half of the warriors who die bravely in battle go to her place Folkvangr, half goes to Odin's Valhalla).

- Æsir: The gods in Norse mythology are divided in two different kinds or "clans": the Æsir and the Vanir. The Æsir are gods like Odin, Thor, Týr. They were the first gods to exist, since Odin and his two brothers were the first gods ever. Of course there are some overlap between what sort of powers/aspects the Æsir and the Vanir are associated with, but in general the Vanir are cultivation and fertility gods, while the Æsir are associated with power and war. The Vanir and the Æsir were at war with each other until they managed to come to a peace agreement by exchanging hostages (Freyr and Freyja are both Vanir who are brought to live with the Æsir) and since then the two clans have lived in peace, basically merging into one clan.

- Njórdr: The father of Freyr and Freyja. Associated with the ocean (ocean travel, trade, wealth, fishing and the winds). Is a fertility and wealth god.

- Freyr: Son of Njórdr. One of the most important gods in Norse mythology and the most important god to sacrifice to at Jól, because he's associated with farming and crops. Also associated with fertility and wealth. Rides the large boar Gullinbursti (means golden mane/bristles) that the dwarves gifted him with. The boar has (as the name implies) a golden mane that glowed so bright it could illuminate Freyr's surroundings at night and it could run (and fly) faster than any horse – even faster than Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir.

- The rituals Vikings did at Jól could vary a little from place to place (like if they performed them outside or inside, how exactly they called on the gods and so on) but they sacrificed- and prayed to the gods in one way or another and then most of them had a big feast afterwards where they drank plenty of alcohol, ate a lot of food and just had fun together.