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!

15. Love is Watching Someone Die

Author's note:

Hi everyone :) This is a quicker update than usual, because I'd already written part of the chapter a loooong time ago, when I was having a sudden fit of inspiration :) A few remarks:

- WARNING: Even though this is an M-rated fic, I'll still give you guys a little heads up: There will be some dark stuff in this chapter (angst and graphic violence). There. Now no one can say I didn't warn them.

---

Hiccup had almost forgotten how much he disliked the noise in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

Almost.

Sharp sounds of cutlery. Scraping noises from plates, bowls and trays across tables. Bubbly chatter. Laughter. Shoes gliding across stone floor. Ruffling of cloaks. Liquids pouring from pitchers. Food being chewed.

The first feast after any kind of holidays was always the same. It was excited story telling. It was hushed conversations. It was friendly teasing and loud laughter. It was first year students eager to see if the new friendships they'd made were still intact after the first separation. It was older students reuniting with friends whose bond with them they never doubted.

He felt a headache approaching.

As he grabbed a pitcher of juice and poured some of the yellow fluid into his cup, he thought of Berk. It was so peaceful back there compared to here. Sure, Berk had dragon roars, tools clinking, waves crashing against rock, bleating livestock and a myriad of other sounds but…that was home. It was familiar and more importantly…it wasn't a swarm of noise all at once…a swarm he associated with something he also disliked: crowds.

He put the pitcher down on the table with a soft thud. In front of him Fishlegs was stuffing his face with roast potatoes, steamed vegetables and some kind of meat, while Rapunzel was cutting out a piece of chicken with her knife and fork.

He missed the quietness and nature of Berk. Not to mention the dragons and the other Vikings. Would he wish he was back there? Yes and no. He missed home whenever he was at Hogwarts. He missed Hogwarts whenever he was home.

Right now though…he was more than happy to be back at his magical school. He wouldn't want to be anywhere else in this moment.

Why?

Because Jack was here.

He turned his head a little and looked towards the Gryffindor table, where Jack and their friends were talking and laughing, while eating their dinner. Flynn and Jack seemed to be teasing each other relentlessly much to the amusement of Mavis and Merida. Flynn said something that caused the two girls to laugh and Jack to nudge his shoulder playfully, before Flynn ruffled his snow-white hair.

Gods, he had missed him so much. Dinner could not end soon enough, because he and his friends had all agreed to spend time together afterwards. Curfew had been extended for the older students since this was their first day back and everyone was excited to see their friends again and they'd agreed to take advantage of that. After all…they had plenty of things to tell each other about their holidays and it had been two weeks since they'd all been together.

He, Rapunzel and Fishlegs kept themselves busy throughout dinner with talking about resuming their classes and Fishlegs went on several rants about things he'd read in the book on magical creatures Hiccup had given him for Christmas, as well as things from the book on plant life Rapunzel had bought for him. Rapunzel told both of them about the latest letter from her parents, how they were and how Christmas had been for them.

When the three of them had finished their meals, they got to their feet, took their jackets with them and made their way towards the massive doors to the Hall. Their Gryffindor friends were already gone from their seats. Hiccup slung his satchel over one shoulder, the straps digging into the skin from the weight of the items inside the bag.

The four Gryffindors were waiting outside the Great Hall for them, keeping themselves occupied with conversation. They were laughing at something Mavis had said, when they all spotted them, turned their heads and gave them happy smiles and greetings.

"So…where do you guys want to go?" Flynn asked them, adjusting the strap on his satchel on his shoulder.

"Well actually…we were thinking we should all go to the lake tonight…make a small fire and drink some mead." Hiccup told them, the corners of his lips curving upwards in a smile.

"What? You have more mead?" Jack asked, instantly seeming excited about that. Not that that surprised him. He clearly remembered how much Jack liked mead.

"Yeah, we brought some back with us." he explained, his smile widening at white-haired friend's joy.

"Wicked. I've never tried mead." Merida said and Mavis and Flynn told them that they hadn't either.

"It's great!" Jack said, grinning at all of them.

"Yeah, just don't get a hangover again, Snowcone." he told Jack.

"Psshh. That will never happen. Now I'm obviously immune to it!" Jack said happily and did a dismissive motion with one of his hands.

"Yeah…that's not how alcohol works." Hiccup replied dryly.

"As usual, you're just talking without actually knowing anything, Hic." Jack told him teasingly.

"Riiiight…I had forgotten you were the undisputed master of alcohol."

"I'm glad you finally remembered that, Hiccy." Jack retorted and Hiccup shook his head in amusement.

"Well…I want to try some mead now…let's go get drunk." Flynn told them, excitement evident in his brown eyes, before he spun around and walked towards one of the exits of the castle.

They all quickly followed Hiccup, their busy feet treading across the stone floor. The incessant, irritating noise from the Great Hall slowly faded as they put more distance between themselves and the army of students still busy eating their dinner and catching up with their friends.

Jack walked beside him and then slung his arm around his shoulder without a word, while shooting him a happy grin, which he returned.

Gods, he had missed that little ritual. It was familiar and comforting and…wonderful. He sighed in contentment and savored the closeness and warmth between him and Jack, as they both trailed behind their friends towards the lake. It felt like it had been months since they'd last been around each other, even though it was only two weeks.

When they all stepped out into the brisk night air, they quickly put on their jackets and continued on their way across the snow-covered ground. Jack once again put his arm around him, and their friends pulled out their wands and illuminated their surroundings with Lumos spells, so they wouldn't stumble over something in the dark.

Hiccup lifted his head and watched the night sky for a few moments, as he and Jack walked shoulder to shoulder, their footsteps making imprints in the white snow. It was a beautiful, clear night. The dark heavens were devoid of any clouds, stars gleaming in contrast against the blackness. Shining its gentle beams across the landscape, the full moon was surrounded by a bright halo of light.

When they reached the frozen lake, they found their usual spot and unfolded the blankets Merida and Jack had brought in their backpacks. He and Fishlegs quickly located some wood nearby and sucked the moisture out of it with a quick spell, so it could be used to make a small fire to keep them warm and give them light as well. They stacked the pieces of wood in the middle of their little spot and Hiccup shot a spark out of his wand to light it. Small flames quickly began burning through the wood, emitting that familiar smell of smoke.

They all sat down in a circle around the small fire on the blankets. He, Jack and Rapunzel sat close together on one blanket, while Merida and Flynn slumped down next to each other on another and Fishlegs and Mavis took the last one.

Fishlegs pulled out the bottles of mead and the cups they'd brought and handed a bottle and a cup to each of them. Of course not all of them would even be able to drink a whole bottle, but this way they could all give themselves refills whenever they wanted.

Merida and Flynn wasted no time in taking the cork out of the bottle and pouring the golden liquid into their cups. They clinked the cups together in a little toast and then took a sip.

"Wow, this is great!" Flynn said as he took another drink of the cup.

"Yeah, it's delicious." Merida agreed.

"We're glad you like it." Hiccup told them with a small smile and Fishlegs nodded.

The rest of them poured mead in their cups and also began to drink the alcohol made from honey. Even though he had just been on Berk for two weeks, it was still somewhat comforting to have some mead. It was a taste of home and since he wouldn't be back on Berk for a while, he welcomed that.

They all quickly became engulfed in conversation about what they had done during the holidays. Of course he and Jack had written each other a lot, so they knew most of the stuff, but the others hadn't stayed quite as updated with each other, so they exchanged stories around the small fire. Merida told them all about her Christmas with her parents and three brothers and how her parents had jokingly discussed disowning her for buying stuff from Zonko's Joke Shop for the three red-headed rascals, since they'd pretty much wreaked havoc in the house and in the neighborhood. Mavis told them about her Christmas with her dad and his tons of strange friends from the wizarding world who spent every holiday with them and then explained how she met Jonathan, told them about the conflicts between her and her dad about her new relationship and then about how her father had finally accepted it. Flynn explained how he and his dad had celebrated Christmas with the rest of their little family and how he'd met his dad's new girlfriend who actually seemed to be a really nice person. All four Gryffindors also spent quite some time talking about all the fun things they'd done at Jack's house like building toys in North's workshop, having snowball fights and going to Christmas markets.

In turn, he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel told them about the things they'd done on Berk (leaving out any information about Hiccup being the chief's son and getting chiefing lessons), like dragon racing, the sacrifice and the Jól feast and about how Rapunzel had experienced everything. All the while, they all drank more and more mead and quickly became a little buzzed. Hiccup felt his fingertips tingling and his mind relaxing, defenses and rationality being forced into submission by the alcohol.

Grey smoke from the little bonfire drifted upwards into the night sky, the familiar smell of smoke staying in his nostrils. The sounds of pouring liquid into cups and happy talking and laughing floated through the air. There was a special kind of joy in the atmosphere…the kind that only came from reuniting with friends you hadn't seen in a while. It almost felt like he would actually be able to reach out and touch it if he tried…like invisible wisps of bubbly energy in the air.

"Man, I wish I could see all the dragons and Vikings someday." Flynn said in response to Rapunzel's story of witnessing one of the dragon races on Berk. Flynn took another swig of his mead.

"Yeah, me too. That would be wicked! An entire island populated by dragon-riding Vikings? Count me in!" Merida agreed excitedly.

Hiccup and Fishlegs both chuckled a little.

"Well…maybe someday you can visit." Hiccup told them with a crooked smile. He definitely wouldn't mind that at all.

"Really? Can we?" Mavis asked, hope shining in those blue eyes.

"Yeah, of course. You're our friends. You'd be more than welcome." Hiccup said and all four Gryffindors beamed at him in response.

"Oh, we are so doing that some day!" Jack exclaimed happily, gesturing wildly with his hands. Hiccup could feel a grin spread across his face. Jack's happiness was contagious as always…and the thought of his pale friend coming to Berk with them made his stomach bubble joyously. He would like to show Jack his home someday…show him all the dragons…let him meet the other Vikings…let him get a sense of his culture…

"Yeah, maybe we could get a ride on a dragon!" Mavis said and trained her blue eyes on him and then Fishlegs.

"Sure." Fishlegs agreed and Hiccup nodded, before taking another sip from his cup, letting the mead coat his taste buds with the strong, yet sweet taste.

"Well, some of us have already done that." Jack told them and puffed out his chest in mock arrogance.

"Don't be such a show off, Snow Queen." Merida stuck her tongue out.

"Can't help it, Mer. I'm in an exclusive club now." Jack told her teasingly.

Merida grumbled something inaudible in response and Jack laughed.

"Hiccup…?" he heard Flynn's voice say hesitantly, which was very out of character for him.

He turned his head a little and trained his eyes on his brunet friend, who was watching him with those brown eyes, that were currently conveying a little insecurity. He instantly felt confused. He'd never seen Flynn be hesitant about something before.

"Yeah?" he asked, furrowing his forehead a little. He wasn't really sure what to expect from this.

Flynn hesitated for a few moments, just watching him.

"I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, I completely understand if you say no but…do you think…maybe…it would be all right if we met Toothless someday here and watched you guys fly?" Flynn asked him.

All the other teens immediately looked at him, awaiting his response. It was a delicate matter, they all knew that, and that explained why Flynn had been so hesitant about it.

Hiccup hummed in thought. He bit his lip a little.

Would that be okay? Well…he trusted Jack completely and over time he had come to trust Flynn, Merida and Mavis as well so…maybe it was time.

"Yeah…I guess that would be okay." he said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips.

The Gryffindors all looked surprised for a few seconds before they grinned at him in response, eyes gleaming with happiness. They had probably expected him to say no due to his guarded nature but…he found that he actually wanted to open up even more to them. He already felt quite close to all of them but of course his bond with Jack was the strongest one and he had shared a lot with him that he hadn't shared with Flynn, Mavis and Merida yet but…perhaps it would be good to try and let them in more.

"Oh that is going to be so wicked!" Merida said and did a little jump while still sitting down, massive mane of curls bouncing a little.

"I can't wait to see Toothless again." Jack told him with happiness in his blue eyes and the Terrible Terrors inside Hiccup sprang to life.

"Well…I think Toothless will be happy to see you too." he replied softly, unable to keep a fond smile off his lips. He clearly remembered the feeling of soft affection inside him, when he saw Toothless and Jack interact with each other. It meant a lot to him that his best friend and the guy he had feelings for got along so well.

Although the next time Jack met Toothless, his scaly best friend better not try to play matchmaker again. Hiccup wasn't at all sure if he could handle that. It was difficult enough as it was to keep his feelings for his white-haired friend hidden. He really didn't need a meddling Night Fury thrown into the mix.

---

The flames crackled eagerly in the small fire in front of him. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Mavis were in the middle of a philosophical discussion, flames reflected in their eyes, their soft voices reaching his ears. He took another swig of the golden liquid in his cup. The alcohol was making his whole body relax and a pleasant warmth ran through every vein inside him. He felt fuzzy and snug and just…completely content.

Somewhere along the way while Jack was discussing Quidditch with Merida and Flynn, Rapunzel had moved and was now sitting between Hiccup's legs, resting her back and her head on his chest, while she held a cup of mead casually in one of her hands and Pascal was curled up on her stomach. Hiccup was playing with some of Rapunzel's incredibly long golden hair, wrapping it around fingers or twirling locks of it, while they were talking.

If it had been Astrid or some other girl, Jack would definitely feel that sharp sting of jealousy, but since it was Rapunzel he was perfectly fine with the situation. He knew that she and Hiccup had a sibling-like relationship. There was definitely nothing romantic going on between them.

While Merida and Flynn kept discussing who was the best professional Quidditch chaser, Jack turned his attention to his three friends and their discussion, listening with interest while taking sips of his mead.

"…so I don't really believe in an afterlife." Rapunzel told Mavis and Hiccup, who both nodded. Rapunzel spoke more softly than usual, the mead seemingly making her content but very relaxed.

"Do you believe in Valhalla, Hiccup?" Mavis asked their Viking friend.

"Not really. I mean…the thought of Valhalla is comforting but...I'm well aware that it's very unlikely to actually exist." Hiccup replied, locks of golden hair wrapped around one of his hands.

Jack found that it was quite amusing to discover what kind of drunks his three Ravenclaw friends were. Of course he already knew how Mavis, Flynn and Merida reacted to alcohol, since they'd been drunk together before. Mavis was the philosophical drunk…the kind who enjoyed having deep conversations about the big topics in life like death and love and morality, although she could also easily have a lot of fun. Flynn was the affectionate and sentimental drunk who told everyone how much they meant to him, often giving out hugs as well. Merida was definitely the reckless drunk…the one who usually got injured somehow and came up with crazy ideas like drunk cartwheeling.

It came as absolutely no surprise to him that Hiccup and Rapunzel were both philosophical drunks as well. The two Ravenclaws were not only intelligent but they both also preferred deeper subjects over small talk any day. He had expected Fishlegs to be the philosophical drunk as well, but the large Viking surprised him by being the kind of drunk who is entertained by almost anything, sometimes erupting into fits of giggles for no apparent reason.

"Yeah…if some kind of afterlife exist…I doubt it would be anything like any religion portrays it." Mavis replied, the warm glow from the fire almost making her pale skin shine.

"I agree." Hiccup said. "It's thought-provoking though…that all religions are so certain they have the one 'true' answer and yet…no one actually knows if gods exist or if they are just a human invention to comfort us because we need some kind of reassurance that there's more to life than just this."

"Exactly…and besides…most religions overlap each other not just on similarities between the gods but also in the values that are being preached. Like forgiveness and love. Most religions are incredibly similar when it comes to the basic rules and values." Rapunzel said and Mavis hummed in agreement.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said. "Which just makes it that much more ironic that humans have killed and tortured each other for religious reasons for thousands of years." he told them, freeing one of his hands from the mass of golden hair.

Flynn and Merida had apparently finished their conversation on Quidditch since it was suddenly quiet next to him. He glanced to his right and noticed that Flynn was observing Hiccup wrapping and unwrapping fingers in golden hair.

Huh. Strange.

A fit of giggles suddenly escaped Fishlegs and they all looked at him and laughed. Their friend was quite drunk by now and had serious trouble keeping his random laughter in.

As the hours ticked by, they all got more and more drunk. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Mavis finished their discussion on religion and the afterlife and joined him and the others in lighter topics, like which of their professors would make a good couple (everyone almost choked on their own laughter, when Rapunzel jokingly said Professor Bunnymund and Professor Mansnoozie), whether a team of lemurs or a team of raccoons would make the better team in a Quidditch match and who had the funniest experience with an animal (Fishlegs won hands down when he told them a crab once shot a missile of shit straight into his eye, when he was holding it in his hand, examining a bunch of the small animals that he had caught for eating).

"I love that story." Hiccup said, breathless from laughing and Jack's face split into a huge, beaming grin from the Viking's amusement.

"I know you do." Fishlegs said and then lost control, as another fit of giggles escaped him. It was amazing that he had actually managed to tell them the story without breaking down.

"It doesn't matter how many times we've heard it. It's still hilarious." Rapunzel said, leaned her head forward and drank some more mead, before leaning back against Hiccup's chest again. Jack found himself briefly thinking that he would like to be sitting there, leaning against Hiccup…being close to him…feeling his warmth…hearing his heartbeat…having his hands play with his hair instead of Rapunzel's.

"Must have stung like hell though." Flynn said, grinning, pulling Jack out of his thoughts.

He blinked.

"It did." Fishlegs said, having trouble breathing because he was still giggling and a grin spread across Jack's face. Fishlegs' giggling was seriously infectious. It was so…contradictory to his size and his Viking background to hear him giggle like a schoolgirl.

"Yeah…I had to listen to him moan about it for the rest of the day." Hiccup told them. "He's been injured in fighting practice and weapons training and sometimes when we've defended Berk against enemies but…that time where that crab shat him in the eye is the only time I've heard him actually whine about something painful."

They all chuckled in response to that.

"Hey, it stung!" Fishlegs protested.

"I know it did, you wouldn't shut up about it." Hiccup said with a huge, bright grin.

"Maybe you should try it before you judge me, Hiccup." Fishlegs said, lips parting into a wide, amused smile.

"No thanks, Fish…I prefer to keep excrement out of my eyes." Hiccup retorted dryly.

"You're such a bore, Hic. Be a little adventurous, will you?" Jack interjected teasingly and leaned to the left and nudged Hiccup's shoulder. He heard Flynn and Merida chuckle.

"Riiight…" Hiccup drawled. "I don't know what kind of adventures you like, Snowflake, but I prefer the ones that don't end up with getting shat in the eye."

They all laughed at that comment, Fishlegs' high-pitched giggles standing out among their laughs.

"Hey, I was just saying what we were all thinking." he retorted and shrugged casually.

"I was not thinkn' that." Merida interjected, slurring just a little bit.

"Yeah, right. Like you wouldn't love going on a, quite literally, shitty adventure." Jack said and winked cheekily at her.

"I agree with Jackie. You're always fighting with your mum about cleanliness, because you go out and get all dirty, Simba." Flynn told her.

"Yeah, by dirt not shit." Merida retorted.

"Nuance." Flynn said and held out a fist towards Jack who instantly bumped it with his own fist. They both loved teasing Merida and especially when they could gang up on her.

"Not a nuance." Merida protested.

"Pssh, you're drunk, Mer. We can't trust anything you say." Jack told her and heard his friends all chuckle.

"Hey, you're drunk too!"

"So? I'm a wise drunk. Alcohol brings out my massive intellect." he said and glanced at Hiccup, who grinned at him and lifted his eyebrows in amusement.

"You're so not wise, Snow Queen." Merida told him with a dismissive wave of a hand.

"Oh, don't even pretend you don't love me."

"Pfft…I despise you." his red-haired friend said but her blue eyes were gleaming with amusement.

"That's just not true. We all know you're hopelessly in love with me." Jack shot back and waggled his eyebrows.

"Now wait just a minute, Jackie. Curly is clearly in love with me." Flynn said, motioning to himself.

"No, mate. She's in love with me…she's drawn to your enormous sexual energy and wants to rip your clothes off, remember?"

"Oh right, that's how it is." Flynn agreed, as a grin spread across his face.

"You two should be in a bloody mental hospital." Merida muttered before she got to her feet and wobbled, clearly affected by the alcohol.

"You can't run from our love!" Jack yelled dramatically, his loud voice echoing through the air and all his friends burst out laughing at that. Merida gave him the finger with a huge grin on her face, before she continued to walk on unsteady legs into a part of the forest. Jack assumed she had to pee.

He felt something crawl across his trousers, so he instantly looked down and saw Pascal walking across one of his legs. He kept his eye on the small lizard for a few moments, as he crawled over to Flynn and curled up on his thigh. Flynn smiled at the small reptile and stroked him gently a few times before looking up and exchanging a grin with Rapunzel. Jack had noticed that Pascal seemed to be growing fonder and fonder of Flynn. It wasn't unusual these days that the lizard initiated some kind of contact between them.

Jack smiled softly to himself at that thought. It was just another sign of how close they had all grown in their little group of friends.

---

The warmth from the fire heated his cheeks and nose and kept his body shielded from the brisk cold of the dark winter night. The orange glow from the flames illuminated their surroundings, bathing his friends' happy faces in a gentle light.

Mavis and Flynn sat closely together, Mavis now resting her head on Flynn's shoulder, while Rapunzel had moved from her previous position against his chest to sitting next to Fishlegs with an arm around him. Merida rested her back against the large oak tree behind her, while Jack still sat next to him, now having moved a bit closer since Rapunzel left.

Hiccup sighed to himself, letting his breath escape him in the form of white mist. There was a soft contentment washing over him, as he sat here by the fire with his amazing friends, drinking alcohol, talking and laughing. He was definitely drunk now…that familiar, warm sensation was flowing through him, his usually busy mind was unwinding and he had a tingling feeling in his stomach. Not to mention that everything just seemed funnier than usual and he had a stomach ache from laughing so much at his friends' jokes and stories.

He chuckled a little, as he observed Flynn and Jack talking to each other by the fire. They had all just finished a conversation about Mavis' new boyfriend where they had basically thrown all kinds of curious and embarrassing questions at her, much to all of their amusement. They were all eager to learn more about the boy who was now dating their friend and Mavis mostly answered their questions with a grin on her face, but a few times she blushed when Jack, Flynn and Merida teased her.

Now Jack and Flynn were talking fondly with each other and it was incredibly amusing to watch them, because they were being really sentimental. They had already hugged each other several times and told each other how they would be "brothers forever", how much they loved each other, how "I'll always be there for you, mate" and so on. It was unbelievably adorable as well. It didn't really surprise him though. Both Jack and Flynn got affectionate and sentimental when they were drunk and they had a long, brotherly friendship behind them, so it made sense that they got a little emotional with each other.

"H-hey Hiccup!" he heard Merida's voice say suddenly, so he turned his head to train his eyes on her.

"Yeah?" he asked, tilting his head a little.

"We should totally s-shoot arrows right n-now!" Merida said, grinning widely at him, her speech clearly affected by the mead.

"Oh no, we definitely shouldn't." he said, shaking his head. "We're both drunk."

"Yeah, so it would be really funny!" the Scot insisted.

"No no no, Merida. I've seen people do that on Berk…trust me, it never ends well."

It had surprised him that Merida could actually be even louder than usual when she was drunk and she became extremely reckless, as she tried to persuade the others to do all sorts of crazy activities…like shooting arrows drunk. A few hours ago, she had insisted that she could do perfect forward rolls while drunk, which Jack had challenged her to prove. It ended up with Merida tumbling to the side, smacking her face into the snow-covered grass, much to everyone's amusement.

His red-haired friend scoffed dismissively. "I could totally s-shoot arrows right now."

Hiccup shook his head to himself. "You definitely couldn't."

"Don't go there, Hic." Jack said, having apparently finished being all sentimental with Flynn. "You'll just make her want to do it even more."

"Pssh…it's a good idea!" Merida protested with a grin.

"It really isn't." Hiccup said dryly.

"I think Hic would appreciate it if you could stop suggesting things that will get you both killed, Mer." Jack told the red-head.

"Definitely…what sane person wouldn't appreciate that?" Hiccup replied.

"Like you could ever pass for 'sane'." Jack told him, amusement gleaming in his blue eyes.

"Hmm…point taken." Hiccup agreed. "It's good I don't have to pretend to be normal around you then."

"Yeah. Normal is overrated anyway." Jack shrugged.

"I completely agree." he told his pale friend with a fond smile, which Jack returned.

"Uhh…I think we should get back guys…curfew is soon." Mavis told them suddenly.

They all quickly agreed to that. After all, no one wanted detention.

They began packing up the blankets, the bottles and the cups, all on very unsteady feet. He and Fishlegs quickly put out the fire with some water spells.

Then Hiccup went over to a nearby tree where he had left his satchel, while the others were stuffing blankets into backpacks.

When he had bent down, picked up his satchel and slung it over one shoulder, someone grabbed his arm and spun him around.

He came face to face with Jack.

His pale friend pulled him towards him and before Hiccup knew it, he was enveloped in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around Jack, letting his fingertips dig into the back of his friend's black jacket and resting his chin on top of Jack's head of white hair. He breathed in that familiar faint smell of peppermint.

Being drunk was a really good excuse to be overly affectionate and he was taking advantage of that right now.

Jack didn't seem to mind in the slightest though. His white-haired friend tightened the grip around him and squeezed him, as if he was afraid Hiccup might disappear any moment.

"You're the best, Hic…" he heard Jack say and even though he was mumbling, the words were packed with fondness.

Oh gods…that was just…seriously heartwarming and adorable. Hiccup really had to hold himself back, because right now he was itching to kiss the top of Jack's head in response. Just…press his lips against that soft, snow-white hair to express how much Jack meant to him…

Of course he knew that Jack was probably saying this because he was being incredibly sentimental and affectionate due to the alcohol. Still though…hearing the guy he cared so much for say something like that…it made him feel warmer and fuzzier inside than alcohol ever could.

"You're the best too." he said softly, his chin still against that white hair.

They just stood there for a few moments, as their friends packed the rest of the stuff. Jack didn't let his tight grip loosen at all. Not that that bothered Hiccup. He felt completely content just like this. His brain was telling him that this was really dangerous because his inhibitions were lowered by the alcohol, so he might end up doing something stupid…but his heart just couldn't allow him to let go.

Jack was in his arms. He could feel their chests pressed together. He could smell warm skin and peppermint. He could feel Jack's jacket against his fingertips. He was tickled by that soft hair against his skin. It was addictive.

"Hey you two, let's go." he heard Flynn's voice say.

Jack pulled away and smiled at him, before he turned around and began walking across the snow to join their friends. Hiccup quickly followed and actually felt slightly sad that that little moment between them was over.

He really wished he could have more of those moments…although that also made him conflicted because…those moments were risky. He craved them so much but they also fueled his feelings towards Jack and that was just…stupid and reckless. He had to accept the fact that they were never going to be together and just be content to be Jack's friend.

As the seven teens walked back towards the castle, every single one of them was pretty unsure on their feet. They were talking and laughing eagerly, shoving or hitting each other playfully, teasing each other and just goofing around in general. The pale light of their wands shone in the darkness and their happy voices were ringing through the silence of the night.

He and Jack trailed behind the others and Jack suddenly put his arm around him. Hiccup turned his head and looked into those familiar blue eyes. His drunk pale friend smiled brightly at him and he couldn't stop the warm smile that spread across his own face. Those tiny Terrible Terrors in his stomach spread their wings and soared and he was savoring having more close contact with Jack. It also didn't hurt that Jack was incredibly adorable right now…his drunkenness made his cheeks pink, his eyes sparkle and his entire face look like he was practically ready to burst with joy.

As their footsteps made the snow underneath crack, he let his eyes take in pale skin, blue eyes, snow-white hair…just drinking in the beautiful boy next to him. When Jack trained his eyes on him again a soft, fond smile tugged at the Gryffindor's lips, and he tightened his grip on Hiccup's arm and squeezed him, before leaning in a little and letting his head rest on Hiccup's shoulder for a few moments.

It was in that moment that Hiccup could feel the most delicate adoration bubble in his blood, as his heart skipped a beat and he stopped breathing for a few seconds.

It was then he made another realization…one that would have made a chilling fear creep up his spine, if it wasn't because his rationality was being subdued by the alcohol.

He had never felt this way before but he knew exactly what it was. He was in love. He loved that amazing, funny, attractive, caring, unique, snow-loving idiot…and there was no way he could push it down. Jack had slipped past his defense mechanisms and broken down his walls quicker than anyone ever had, he had showed him it was okay to let someone new in and he had brought him joy and happiness every day he had known him.

Now he felt the result of that.

Love.

---

"This is going to be so wicked!" Merida exclaimed, unable to conceal her giddiness, as she grinned widely and did a little jump.

The four of them were standing next to one of the entrances to the Quidditch pitch. It had been dark when they had made their way from the castle to the large wooden structure, but now the sun was slowly ascending from the horizon, letting its warm, orange glow gradually bathe the earth in light and illuminate the skies in beautiful golden and pink hues.

"Yeah, we're actually going to see a dragon….a real life dragon!" Flynn agreed, brown eyes shining with anticipation.

"He's not wary of strangers, right?" Mavis asked Jack in reasonable concern, but he shook his head quickly.

"Nah. As long as Hiccup says you're all right, he's perfectly friendly" Jack explained and then yawned and stretched his arms.

He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten out of bed this early. It was quite impressive that Hiccup managed to do that every day and still be able to fly Toothless at night too and keep up with school as well.

"Oh. So we better not piss Hiccup off then?" Flynn chuckled, and the rest of the teens grinned widely.

"Hell no. That dragon is even more protective of him than Astrid." Jack said causing the others to chuckle.

"He definitely is." Hiccup's familiar voice interrupted their conversation and the four teens snapped their heads towards the sound.

Hiccup was standing still, watching them with an amused smile on his face, Rapunzel and Fishlegs each on one side of him. That wasn't what made all of their jaws drop though.

Hiccup looked very different right now, than what the four Gryffindors were used to.

Dark metal body armor was protecting the upper half of his torso as well as his shoulders, the right one being extra shielded with a black shoulder pad with a red motif on it. He had a brown leather inner suit on that could be seen on the lower half of his torso, and there were two thick black leather straps around him near his stomach that were held in place with metal buckles. His legs were covered with green pants, and brown leather leg guards that shielded the side of both his legs down to his feet and were kept on with leather straps. His arms were protected by thick black and brown leather arm guards with more straps on them, and they seemed to have several small compartments for storing things, including a dagger. The Viking was holding a helmet in dark metal and brown leather to match the rest of the armor under one of his arms. It had three rows of slightly rounded spikes on top of it, which gave it a sort of dragon-like quality.

Wow. Just…wow…

Jack had to blink a few times, as his mind took a little while to register this very unexpected change. For a few moments all that went through his mind was the word "hot".

Hiccup was always attractive, but looking like this was practically just throwing it in his face…it was just…evil. Now he looked every bit the dragon rider and the Viking that he was on the inside.

Then his eyes drifted towards Hiccup's left leg, where he could now clearly see Hiccup's prosthesis for the first time ever.

It wasn't at all like he had imagined. It didn't look similar to a foot at all but more like some kind of tool. It appeared fairly intricate, as if it had several functions. Jack smiled to himself. It probably did, knowing Hiccup.

"Yup, that's my prosthetic foot." Hiccup confirmed, as he had clearly noticed Jack and the others looking at it.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to stare." Jack quickly said, feeling slightly embarrassed at being caught looking at it. "It's just that we've never seen it before".

Hiccup just shrugged. "It's okay. I know it's pretty unusual".

That was an understatement…but in a good way. Hiccup's prosthesis looked like it had been carefully constructed to fit several needs and not just being a tool of walking.

Jack was incredibly relieved to find that he didn't flinch or mind looking at the artificial limb at all. He really didn't want to be uncomfortable with it or make Hiccup nervous. He was sure Hiccup already felt a little vulnerable about showing them his artificial limb, and Hiccup definitely didn't need more bruises to his ego…but luckily Jack didn't have a problem with looking at it whatsoever.

"It's a good thing the girls inside the castle aren't here with us." Mavis said as she looked Hiccup up and down, causing Hiccup to shift the weight of his legs a little.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked uncertainly, furrowing his brow, obviously not liking where this was going.

"Well…" she started with an amused grin. "You look like a proper dragon rider now with that armor and everything on….and the girls would like that. A lot." she said, raising her eyebrows suggestively to tease Hiccup.

Hiccup groaned, sliding his hands down his face in frustration, and Jack and his fellow Gryffindors laughed at his obvious discomfort, while Rapunzel and Fishlegs observed the Viking boy with amusement evident in their eyes. As Hiccup removed his hands from his face, Jack noticed that he was now blushing, a faint pink color marking the smooth skin on his cheeks.

"Aww come on, do you guys always have to tease me about that?" Hiccup asked them, rolling his eyes.

"Yes." all six teens replied in unison, causing them to erupt into a fit of giggles afterwards.

"You guys suck." the Viking pouted as his friends' laughter subsided and Jack couldn't help but smile warmly. Hiccup was a brave dragon rider and a Viking, and yet he also possessed the ability of looking incredibly cute…something that still kept surprising Jack to this day because Vikings and cuteness just weren't things you usually associated with each other.

"You know you love us." Rapunzel said with a teasing smile, nudging Hiccup's shoulder.

"Fine fine." Hiccup said dismissively. "But you should still give me a break just once in a while".

"Never!" Jack said defiantly, causing the others to chuckle and Hiccup to shake his head.

"Your armor looks really wicked, Hiccup." Merida then said happily, causing Hiccup to flash her a bright grin.

"Thanks, I made it myself." he said with a hint of pride in his voice. Jack always liked when Hiccup sounded proud of something or confident. It was a nice change from his usual humble, slightly insecure demeanor, especially because he had plenty of things to be proud of…he just couldn't see it.

"Of course you did." Jack said softly.

Hiccup gave him a questioning look.

"You make everything yourself." he clarified and Hiccup smiled amused in understanding.

"Why do you need all that armor on anyway?" Flynn suddenly asked, observing the armor with interest.

"Well…it's sort of a combination of reasons. The archipelago isn't exactly the safest place to live. There are plenty of wild dragons and many other tribes and even though we usually live in peace, there are sometimes conflicts, so it doesn't hurt to be prepared for anything. Other than that, it's also a good idea to be protected when you're flying and practicing tricks, since something could go wrong." Hiccup explained. Jack didn't like the sound of that "something could go wrong", although he knew Hiccup was just being realistic.

"Well that makes sense." Flynn said, content with the Viking's answer.

Merida approached Hiccup and seemed to study his intricate armor.

"Is that a knife?" she asked, pointing at one of Hiccup's arm guards.

"Yeah." he said, unsheathing the sharp dagger from its compartment and showing it quickly to Merida, before putting it back. "I know we're not allowed to bring weapons here, but I had actually forgotten to take this one out."

"What's that?" the red-head then asked and pointed at another compartment.

"Compass." Hiccup clarified.

"And that?"

"Notebook, extra parchment and charcoal."

"What would you need that for?"

"Toothless and I are mapping out the archipelago, so I need it to sketch all the islands we come across. Also, sometimes we find a new dragon species, and then I need to draw it and write down all the information I can observe".

Merida nodded in understanding. "What's this for?" she pointed to a strap down by Hiccup's lower right leg that appeared to be empty of what was usually stored there.

"I usually keep Inferno there, but as you already know, I can't bring it to Hogwarts."

The other teens nodded. Hiccup had told them about Inferno…his flame-weapon that he mostly used for bonding with wild dragons because it was coated in Monstrous Nightmare saliva and it unleashed gas from the Hideous Zippleback dragon and set it on fire with an ignition-function, so the fire smelled like dragon fire and that made the dragons see Hiccup as one of their own.

"So…Are you guys ready to go?" Hiccup asked Jack and his three friends, giving them a little smile. They all hummed in agreement or nodded.

Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel began walking towards the little piece of forest, where Toothless would be waiting in the cave. Jack and the others followed quickly behind them, feet sinking slightly into the white powder covering the ground. He let the fresh, chilly air fill his lungs and exhaled slowly.

Flynn suddenly nudged his shoulder and shot him a teasing look, as he motioned towards Hiccup. Jack felt himself blush, causing Flynn to flash him a wide smile exposing his teeth. Why did Flynn have to rub it in his face? And why couldn't he keep these blushes under control? He had never blushed around anyone he found attractive before, except when he had his first kiss at 12 years old. Now however, he was finding it impossible to stop.

They walked in silence though the woods, twigs snapping and snow making noises of complaint beneath their feet. The gentle morning rays made the white snow shimmer beautifully in the warm light.

When they had walked in silence for a little while, Jack watched the familiar cave come into view. He smiled to himself. Now he would get to see Toothless again. That would be wicked.

Hiccup motioned for them to stop, so they all did, and awaited his instructions.

"Stay there." he told them, and Merida, Flynn and Mavis nodded in understanding, while Rapunzel and Fishlegs remained quiet, being very familiar with what was about to happen, as they saw Toothless on a regular basis.

Hiccup turned away and began walking closer to the cave. Jack found himself looking at the boy's prosthesis and sort of admired that Hiccup didn't seem affected by it. His movements weren't constricted or stiff in any way, which would be more difficult to hide now, than when the artificial limb was hidden beneath trousers and a shoe.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called out with obvious affection lacing his voice. "Come out, bud, I've brought some friends to see you!"

It only took a few seconds before the massive black shape of the Night Fury quickly came into view, as it exited the cave and ran towards Hiccup. Toothless knocked Hiccup over and put his large black paws on his chest.

Jack heard some of his friends gasp, but Rapunzel quickly said "It's okay, they do that all the time." to reassure them that nothing dangerous was going on.

"Hi bud, I missed you too." Hiccup cooed and smiled warmly at the black dragon, whose eyes were wide with joy and fondness. Jack couldn't stop the affectionate smile growing on his face and the familiar warmth spreading through his body.

The dragon nudged Hiccup's face, and he laughed and began to scratch Toothless under his chin. Toothless instantly visibly relaxed and made low purr-like noises in contentment. Then Hiccup stopped scratching and the Night Fury removed its paws from the Viking's chest.

Hiccup quickly got to his feet again.

"Big tough dragon pinning a Viking down, huh?" Hiccup then said in a mock challenging way. "Well, try this on!" Hiccup continued and then threw his arms around Toothless' neck, obviously trying to start a play-fight between them.

Toothless just stood completely still, not affected in the slightest by the Viking hanging around his neck.

Hiccup then released his grip on the Night Fury and started play-hitting Toothless on the neck. "Vikings and dragons, enemies again!" Hiccup yelled, before the dragon lifted one of his paws and began jabbing at Hiccup, also for fun. It kind of looked like a play boxing match.

"Have you had enough of this brutal Vikingness, huh? Do you give up Toothless?" Hiccup asked the dragon before he once again threw himself at the Night Fury and locked his arms around Toothless' neck.

"Don't try to resist, Toothless! You can't win this fight!" Hiccup shouted and Jack and the others laughed at Hiccup's and the Night Fury's playfulness. Jack loved it when Hiccup was playing around. It was so heartwarming to see him unleash his childish side.

Toothless lifted his body off the ground, walking on two legs a few feet forward with Hiccup dangling in the air, arms clutched around his neck.

Then the Night Fury instantly slumped down on the ground, its giant head putting weight on Hiccup's chest.

Hiccup groaned a little. "Okay, you win." the Viking said breathlessly, being pinned down by the weight of the dragon.

Toothless lifted himself off Hiccup and Hiccup quickly got to his feet.

Toothless instantly let out low rumbling noises and it sounded a lot like laughter. Jack was unable to keep himself from chuckling and so were the rest of their friends.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, bud." Hiccup said, unable to keep a bright grin off his face. Then the Viking looked at them and then back to Toothless.

"Well…Do you want to say hello to some people?" Hiccup asked the dragon gently, and Toothless made a warbling sound in reply. The Viking moved towards Jack and the other teens with Toothless following closely behind, the dragon's movements swift and smooth, large paws pushing snow aside.

Jack glanced at his friends, who were all looking slightly nervous now.

"It's fine guys, nothing bad is going to happen." he said confidently to reassure them and they seemed to relax a little at his words.

They may be Gryffindors and Gryffindors were supposed be brave but anyone would be a little nervous about meeting a real dragon.

Hiccup stopped in front of the other teens, and Toothless followed suit. The Night Fury observed the people in front of him with curious and slightly guarded green eyes, but there was no malice or threat in them.

Toothless left his gaze drift across them one by one.

Jack saw recognition spark in those huge keen eyes, as the reptile met his own blue orbs. Toothless obviously remembered him, and he felt quite happy about that. Not that he had expected otherwise really…

"You already know Rapunzel, Fishlegs and Jack, bud." Hiccup said and the dragon warbled once again, obviously in agreement. Jack briefly wondered if Hiccup could actually understand what Toothless was saying most of the time. He'd have to ask him that sometime.

"Hi Toothless." Fishlegs and Rapunzel both greeted the dragon happily.

"Hey Toothless. Nice to see you again." Jack told the large, black Night Fury and gave him a small wave and a friendly smile.

Toothless rumbled something in reply that sounded quite joyful.

"This is Flynn, Mavis and Merida." Hiccup said as he motioned to each of the three teens while saying their names. "They're friends so be nice to them, bud." he told the dragon, and Jack found himself shaking his head in amusement. He knew Toothless could be mischievous sometimes…much like himself.

Toothless observed Jack's friends with intelligent eyes brimming with curiosity but he kept from trying to interact with them. They were probably pretty relieved about that Jack thought to himself.

"You can stroke him if you want." Hiccup said casually, but Flynn, Merida and Mavis looked anything but casual. Their eyes were filled with hesitance.

"Uhh…" Flynn said uncertainly, watching the large, black dragon in front of him with apprehension.

"Come on guys. I'll show you. Toothless already knows me." Jack said and approached the dragon who was still standing next to Hiccup, not intending to leave the Viking's side. Even though he had only met Toothless once, he definitely wasn't worried at all. Toothless had made it clear when they met that he liked him and also…he was Hiccup's best friend and Hiccup had told the Night Fury that all of them were friends, so there was no way Toothless would hurt any of them.

Jack reached out his hand and began stroking the top of the dragons head, feeling the rough scaly surface against his fingertips. Toothless seemed to relax at his touch, as the dragons eyes closed and he made some low noises.

Jack quickly looked at Hiccup who was smiling warmly at him.

"That means he likes it." the Viking confirmed and Jack flashed him a bright grin, causing Hiccup to grin as well.

He looked as his friends and motioned with his head that they should come and join him. Flynn was the first to approach Toothless and hesitantly reached out his hands to touch the dragon. Jack was still stroking the Night Fury's head, and Flynn began scratching the dragon's neck gently. Jack kept an eye on his friend, who was clearly in awe of the massive creature in front of him, who could end his life in seconds if it wished to do so.

Flynn's eyes lit up like Christmas lights as Toothless continued to relax and enjoy the attention. Mavis and Merida both came closer, and put their hands on the Night Fury as well, although very slowly. Suddenly they were all petting the dragon with wide grins on their faces and joy in their eyes.

"This is amazing…" Mavis said as she let her pale hands glide across the black scales.

"I know right?" Jack told her.

"Toothless is…incredible." Flynn said, still scratching the Night Fury's neck.

"Yeah…we're actually touching a dragon right now." Merida said, blue eyes shining with excitement.

"And not just any dragon. A Night Fury." Jack replied and grinned at his three friends.

They all stood like that for a while, scratching and petting Toothless who seemed to savor it. Rapunzel and Fishlegs joined them at some point, also wanting to stroke Toothless a little.

Then Hiccup suddenly cleared his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we should get going while there's still enough time." Hiccup told them with a small smile.

"You want to go flying now, bud?" Hiccup then asked Toothless and the dragon's eyes flew open and it jerked away from the other teens who took a few steps back in surprise.

Toothless bounded around Hiccup in obvious excitement and let out loud, happy warbles. Jack and the others laughed at the playful Night Fury. Sometimes he almost seemed like some kind of pet and not a massive, fire-breathing reptile.

"Okay, let's go then." Hiccup said happily and Toothless lowered his body, so Hiccup could climb on his back. A few easy, flowing movements landed the Viking in the saddle, and it clearly showed how many times he had done this. Hiccup rotated the side of the top of his prosthesis, causing the bottom metal part to swing up and a different looking one to come down and replace it. Jack stared at the Viking, and when he looked towards his friends, they were doing exactly the same thing.

"Wow, you can actually switch them?" Flynn said, sounding very impressed. Rapunzel and Fishlegs were smiling softly, obviously being used to Hiccup's interchangeable artificial limb.

"Yeah. I need this one to operate the tailfin properly, and the other one is comfortable for walking. I have a few others too." Hiccup said.

"Is it possible to make a tailfin that Toothless can use without you?" Jack asked in curiosity.

Hiccup's face split into a huge, beaming grin, and Jack was instantly surprised, but couldn't keep his own lips from twitching. What was so amusing about that? he thought with laughter in his mind. Not that he minded seeing that look of utter happiness on Hiccup's face.

Hiccup leaned slightly to the side from his sitting position on Toothless' back to stroke the Night Fury a few times.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs chuckled at his question.

"Oh no." Fishlegs said. "Not unless you want to piss Toothless off." he told him and then laughed.

Jack and the others looked at the boy in utter confusion.

"What do you mean?" Flynn said, voicing the very question Jack was about to ask.

"Well…" Hiccup started. "I did build a tailfin for him once that he could use by himself. He flew away for three days to find a helmet I'd lost, and when he came back he tore the tailfin up and pulled out his old one." Hiccup said, his eyes softening affectionately from the memory.

"Wauw…He's really devoted to you." Mavis said in awe.

"Yeah…" Hiccup agreed warmly. "So we agreed on a compromise and I made this one that's connected to this lever here." Hiccup continued and pointed at a metal lever that was linked to the metal contraption that he clicked his prosthesis into to operate the tailfin. "So, if I need Toothless to fly without me, I can adjust it to that…but he generally doesn't want to fly alone."

The others watched Hiccup in silence, as he then began to check the straps and buckles of his and Toothless' gear to make sure that nothing would suddenly snap, while they were in the air. Then the Viking strapped a harness around himself.

"Okay, we're just going to practice some drills now. Usually we don't stick around the castle grounds because we don't want to be seen but we'll do that today, so you can watch. It's still too early for anyone to be up yet anyway." Hiccup explained, and the other teens nodded in understanding. "And don't worry about me, nothing is going to go wrong." he said, meeting Jack's blue eyes, as if the statement was mostly meant for him.

"You know we can't help it Hiccup." Rapunzel said, and the Viking nodded, his lips twitching.

"Well, we're off." he said to them all and quickly put on his helmet. "Let's go bud!" he told Toothless and the dragon crouched down and instantly shot upwards through the air at massive speed. A strong gust of air from the sudden movement ruffled Jack's hair.

He instantly lifted his head and trained his eyes on the Viking and the dragon again. They were already climbing upwards into the sky almost vertically.

After a few moments they leveled out, soaring gently in the sky with the wind beneath the Night Fury's large, black wings. They were far away, but he and the others could still see what they were doing.

Hiccup made Toothless turn around and they came back towards Jack and the others at massive speed high up in the sky. Toothless folded in his wings and he and Hiccup began diving straight down towards the ground.

Just before they hit the treetops, Toothless opened his wings and they flew horizontally just above the branches. Hiccup was suddenly standing up on Toothless' back and spread his arms to the side, as they swooshed past Jack and the others making every branch nearby shake from the gusts of air. Then Hiccup sat back down as they ascended vertically into the air and did a large loop, before diving down once more towards the ground, pulling up just over the treetops again.

Oh man…he would have to make Hiccup take him on another flight…one where he and Toothless didn't hold back. It looked like so much fun.

Hiccup and Toothless flew further into the heavens and then turned around, coming rushing towards them once more. Jack wrinkled his forehead, as he saw them fly straight towards a massive pine that towered over the surrounding trees nearby.

He couldn't see what Hiccup was doing but suddenly he was crouching on top of Toothless and then he quickly got to his feet, so he was standing on the dragon's back once more, while they were still heading right for the tree.

"What are they doing?" Flynn asked, sounding just as confused as Jack felt right now. He didn't look at his friends though, but kept watching the Viking and the Night Fury.

"Just wait and see." he heard Fishlegs' voice say knowingly, which made him relax more. At least one of them knew what was going on here.

Just as they were about to hit the top of the massive pine tree, Hiccup bended his knees and jumped off into the air over the treetop, while Toothless quickly swerved around it. The Viking traveled through the air over the tree and then landed in the saddle again perfectly and clicked his prosthesis in place again.

Then he and Toothless turned around and circled the massive pine tree several times at incredible speed before they shot straight up into the air, creating more and more distance between themselves and the ground, reaching for the heavens.

"Bloody hell, that was brilliant!" he heard Merida say excitedly from somewhere next to him

"Yeah, that was amazing!" Mavis quickly agreed. "They make it look so effortless."

"That's because they've done it so many times." Fishlegs said, as they all continued to watch the Viking and the dragon ascend further into the cloudy skies.

Suddenly Hiccup and Toothless stopped vertically in mid-air and just let themselves fall backwards through the sky for a few moments, shooting towards the ground upside down. Then Toothless spun around and unfolded his massive, black wings and they leveled out, gliding through the air once again.

As he and the others continued to observe Hiccup and Toothless, Jack found himself smiling, laughing, chuckling and listening to his friends' various joyful outbursts. The Viking and the dragon continued to do all kinds of maneuvers and sudden changes in direction and altitude and Jack found himself thinking how impressive a sight it was to see Hiccup and Toothless fly like this…without holding back at all. They did all sorts of different moves. They climbed into the sky, they let themselves fall before once again gaining control, they did amazing loops, they dived straight down towards the ground and then pulled up, they spun around almost in a blur, they navigated effectively around obstacles despite their incredible speed.

They acted as one.

"Hey, they're coming back this way." he suddenly heard Flynn's voice say.

Toothless was flying in their direction and as the Viking and the reptile came closer, the Night Fury spun his entire body around over and over in fast, elegant movements as they flew above the treetops, blowing wisps of snow off the branches. The dragon and the rider swooshed past him and the others in a blur of black scales and large wings, spinning rapidly.

"Barrel roll." Fishlegs explained to them.

Hiccup and Toothless then ceased the spinning and the black dragon's massive, leathery wings began to carry him and his rider towards the clouds.

It was amazing to just…look up into the sky and see a large dragon flying majestically through the air, black wings and scales against blue skies and white clouds.

Jack had trouble determining how he felt, as he watched Hiccup and Toothless almost reach the barrier of clouds above them, now appearing like a black shape in the distance.

He was…happy to watch Hiccup be happy…excited to finally see Hiccup's and Toothless' skills in the air…a tiny bit worried that something could go suddenly wrong…

If someone had told him before this school year that Hiccup Haddock was an adrenaline junkie, he would have laughed in their face and told them they were insane.

Hiccup's gentle, quiet, intelligent disposition was so misleading to anyone, who didn't know him very well. He had a whole other side to him, Jack had discovered throughout their friendship….a side that enjoyed the thrill of speed and risk and adventure.

'There's always more.'

Now…standing here on the ground, watching Hiccup fly and do amazing acrobatic tricks in the air with his best friend, who just so happened to be a dragon…it was unbelievable and yet it was happening.

Toothless and Hiccup continued to climb through the air, and for a little while they couldn't spot the Viking properly as he was too high up…higher up than he had previously been today…which made Jack wonder what he had up his sleeve.

"Uh oh." Fishlegs said. "You're not going to be happy now, Rapunzel."

"What?" Jack and Rapunzel said in unison, both immediately concerned.

"He's going to jump off." Fishlegs explained.

"Oh, he better not!" Rapunzel exclaimed.

Jack suddenly felt Mavis' gentle hand on his arm. She obviously knew that he was a little bit concerned. He didn't look at her but kept his eyes on Hiccup and Toothless far up in the sky.

Of course he knew it was stupid to be worried. Hiccup was an experienced dragon rider. He and Toothless trusted each other with their lives. Still…he couldn't help that tiny knot of worry in his stomach.

They all kept their eyes locked on the black form in the sky. Suddenly another shape separated from the Night Fury. Hiccup was plummeting towards the ground at massive speed.

Despite being prepared for it, Jack's held his breath. He heard some of his friends gasp around him.

Time seemed to stand still.

Hiccup had his arms along his sides and fell head first through the sky. Toothless dove after him, flapping his wings to gain on the Viking. When the Night Fury had caught up, he folded his wings in a little and shot through the air like a bullet next to Hiccup.

"Don't worry. He knows what he's doing." Fishlegs said reassuringly, having apparently sensed that they were all a little bit concerned right now.

That really didn't quell Jack's unease though. He knew that Hiccup knew what he was doing. He knew the Viking took precautions, that he was clever about this but still…when Hiccup did something like this, something could go wrong.

Jack saw Hiccup reach out a hand and touch Toothless on the snout, as they continued to dive towards the ground. The Night Fury extended one of its massive paws and jabbed gently at Hiccup, causing him to begin spinning around. Toothless mirrored his rider's movements and began to spin around too as they continued to fall towards the snow-covered grass below.

Then Hiccup suddenly spread his arms wide. He immediately leveled out, flying horizontally above them. Jack could see fabric stretched between Hiccup's hands and his legs, functioning as homemade wings. Toothless unfolded his black wings and swooshed majestically through the air a little distance behind his rider.

"WOOOOOOOOO! YEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHH!" Jack heard Hiccup's voice practically scream in the skies above.

Toothless fired a plasma blast into the air and roared loudly in excitement, which was rewarded with another bubbling outburst from Hiccup.

Jack couldn't keep a happy grin from spreading across his face. His heart felt warm and fuzzy from Hiccup's cries of pure and unrestrained joy. This was obviously what Hiccup enjoyed more than anything in the world. The wind against his face, the freedom of the skies, the presence of his best friend. This was clearly his home.

"Show off." Rapunzel said fondly, causing Fishlegs to chuckle.

"That is so wicked!" Merida shouted in excitement and did a little jump.

"It's not just wicked, it's bloody unbelievable!" Flynn said and Mavis quickly agreed.

Jack kept quiet because he was too busy focusing on Hiccup, but he silently agreed with his friends. This was just…just…amazing.

They kept their eyes trained on the Viking and the dragon, as Hiccup continued to soar through the sky with the help of his artificial wingspan. Toothless began to fire plasma blasts underneath Hiccup and at first Jack didn't understand why, but then it became obvious. The warm air from the plasma blasts drifted upwards, helping to carry Hiccup through the air and not lose altitude.

"That's really clever." Mavis said and they all quickly agreed to that.

"It's a way for Hiccup to fly almost for as long as he wants, if Toothless just keeps firing those plasma blasts." Fishlegs told them.

The Night Fury unleashed a couple of plasma blasts right after each other, these ones in front of Hiccup though slightly lower in altitude, forming a curve from left to right and Hiccup seemed to turn his wingspan to the right simultaneously. Using the hot air from the plasma blasts and the fabric between his hands and feet, Hiccup managed to turn right and continue to fly but in the other direction now. Toothless aided him with more plasma blasts, these ones being fired under the Viking once again to keep him from descending.

"That is incredible!" Jack told his friends, unable to keep his thoughts confined to his head any longer.

Incredible didn't seem to be enough to describe this though. When he had flown with Hiccup and Toothless they had gently glided through the air most of the time but now…they were doing all these amazing tricks and maneuvers that were not just incredible to watch but also fast and dangerous and inventive.

"Yeah it is…" Flynn quietly agreed, while none of them took their eyes off the Viking and the Night Fury.

Toothless began to let himself drop a little in altitude, so he could fly underneath Hiccup. Then Hiccup folded his arms to his sides and dropped a few feet, landing gently on the Night Fury's back once more.

Jack felt a smile tugging at his lips. All of this was just so…Hiccup.

He shook his head a little to himself, as he continued to keep his eyes on the Viking and the dragon.

He watched Hiccup and Toothless change direction, so they were flying towards him and the others again. The Viking and the dragon began to slowly descend through the air towards the ground, coming closer and closer.

Soon they reached the treetops and then shortly after the massive black dragon landed elegantly on the snow-covered grass with a thud, folding his black wings along his body, his large green eyes gleaming with the excitement of the flight.

Hiccup unstrapped the harness and jumped off Toothless' back with ease. He took off his helmet, put it under one arm and ruffled his brown hair a little with the other. When he met the eyes of the other teens, he had a look of pure contentment on his gentle features, and Jack felt a tug of affection in his heart. He remembered how Hiccup had told him before that whenever he was grounded and unable to fly for days, he became frustrated and restless. He shared the need for flying with his scaly dragon best friend now and sometimes Jack found himself thinking that it was definitely true what he had told Hiccup the day they discovered Hiccup's Patronus was a dragon…Hiccup was part dragon.

And being a dragon rider…being one with Toothless…it was who he was meant to be. Seeing him like this, overjoyed and free, left no doubts about that.

The Viking quickly began to walk towards them, Toothless trailing behind him casually.

"That was so cool!" Flynn exclaimed happily and almost giddy, as Hiccup was once again standing before them.

"Yeah, that was just…just…WICKED!" Merida agreed, throwing her hands in the air.

"You two have skills. That was really impressive!" Mavis told him with a bright grin.

"Thanks!" Hiccup replied with enthusiasm and slightly out of breath, his green eyes filled with joy and excitement. He obviously hadn't calmed down yet from that fall through the sky. Hiccup patted Toothless a few times.

"Must take a while to calm down again after something like that." Flynn said, voicing Jack's thoughts, having also noticed Hiccup's enthused behavior.

"Oh yeah." the Viking confirmed with a huge grin and dilated pupils. "Right now, the adrenaline's still surging through me." he explained happily and gestured wildly as he spoke, as if it was truly the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Jack shook his head in amusement and chuckled lightly. Hiccup seemed so carefree and joyful right now, it was truly heartwarming to watch. Sure, Jack had seen him happy and excited many times, but this was different. This was pure, raw, exposed emotion that was expressed without any kind of restraint.

"You're a junkie Hiccup, just admit it." Rapunzel said before laughing, clearly affected by Hiccup's happiness.

"Fine fine, I admit it." Hiccup replied, holding his hands up in defeat, but a bright smile still lighting up his features. "Adrenaline is seriously addictive. You don't know what you're missing!"

Jack found himself laughing a little, along with Merida, Mavis and Flynn. Fishlegs just shook his head with a knowing smile.

"Do you do that kind of thing on Meatlug too?" Flynn asked Fishlegs curiously.

"Oh gods no!" Fishlegs exclaimed with eyes wide. "Other Vikings practice tricks too but Hiccup and Toothless are the only ones who do stuff like that. Others don't love crashing to their deaths as much as they do." he finished, while pointing a thumb at Hiccup and Toothless.

Hiccup rolled his eyes but a flicker of a smile appeared on his lips. "Don't be so dramatic, Fish. We can pull it off."

"Luck." Rapunzel scoffed in a teasing manner, crossing her arms.

"Skill." Hiccup corrected her with a self-satisfied smile. "Right, bud?" he asked the black dragon, and Toothless roared in agreement.

"See?" he told her with his eyebrows raised in an I-was-right-you-were-wrong sort of way, and none of the other teens could stop themselves from laughing at that.

It was seriously amusing and adorable to watch the interactions between Hiccup and Toothless. It was obvious to anyone that their bond was indeed unbreakable and that they understood each other on a deeper level.

Jack flashed Hiccup an affectionate smile, and Hiccup's green eyes softened in response, while a smile turned the corners of his lips upwards. Instantly those damn stubborn butterflies came to life with their incessant flapping against his stomach walls. He wished they would just give it rest once in a while. They didn't have to come alive and stretch their wings every time Hiccup gave him one of those crooked smiles or every time his eyes softened in that fond way. God, he wished he had some magical emotional bug spray right now.

"Does Toothless always understand what you're saying to him?" Mavis asked, tilting her head slightly to the right and pulling Jack out of his thoughts. He had wondered about that a few times himself.

"Definitely." Hiccup replied. He seemed a little calmer now, so maybe the adrenaline was slowly wearing off.

"Of course he doesn't understand any human concepts that I haven't explained to him." the Viking continued. "Like…Christmas…or weddings…but he definitely understands everything I say to him. He always does exactly what I ask him to do. There's never any guesswork involved and there never has been…and when I talk to him he reacts accordingly, like when I tell him about things that annoy me, he huffs and rolls his eyes to show me that he shares my annoyance. There's no other way to explain these things, except that he understands me perfectly." Hiccup explained to the other teens, a fond smile appearing on his lips.

Toothless let out a warbling sound as if confirming Hiccup's explanation and Hiccup took a few steps around the dragon to stand face to face with Toothless. Hiccup leaned in towards the Night Fury and bumped their foreheads gently together, while holding both his palms under the dragon's chin.

"Ek ann þér, broðir."Hiccup whispered softly to the dragon, as he pulled away just enough for them to look each other in the eyes. Toothless rumbled happily in his throat and then bumped their foreheads together again softly, almost resembling a pet trying to express its affection for its owner. Jack knew that Toothless was in no way a pet though. To Hiccup he was family and there was no doubt that the massive dragon felt the same way about his rider.

This moment between Hiccup and Toothless seemed incredibly soft and caring, and Jack could tell that Hiccup had said some words of affection to his scaly best friend. What exactly, he had no idea.

He looked at Rapunzel with a questioning look, but she just shook her head slowly to indicate that she didn't know what the words meant. He turned his attention to Fishlegs, who was watching Hiccup and Toothless with affection evident on his face. Obviously, he knew exactly what had been said, but he kept quiet and just observed his friend and the Night Fury.

"We should probably begin heading back now, Hiccup…before everyone wakes up." Fishlegs then said, chasing the silence away.

"Yeah, sure." the Viking replied as he looked at Fishlegs and then trained his eyes back on Toothless.

"I'm going to go now bud, but I'll see you tonight, okay?" he said to the dragon and scratched the top of that massive, black head. Toothless let out some happy sounds and seemed to be smiling. "Good boy, bud." Hiccup cooed, as he began walking in the direction of the castle, closely followed by the rest of the teens. "See you later, Toothless!" Hiccup yelled over his shoulder and the dragon roared in reply.

The walk back to the castle consisted mostly of Flynn, Merida and Mavis talking excitedly to each other about how great it had been to actually meet a real life dragon. Hiccup had chuckled or smiled fondly once in a while at their comments but other than that he didn't say much on the trip back, probably because he was a little tired now, as the adrenaline was wearing off.

Jack kept an eye on him and he liked to see that relaxed contentment that had seemed to wash over Hiccup after the flight. He seemed more at ease now than Jack had ever seen him before.

When he suddenly found himself walking next to Fishlegs, after the large Viking and Rapunzel had finished a conversation about a new trick Fishlegs was trying to teach Meatlug, Jack finally let his curiosity get the best of him.

"Hey Fish…" he whispered and nudged Fishlegs' shoulder gently. Fishlegs turned his head as they kept walking towards the castle and focused his eyes on Jack.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"What was Hiccup saying to Toothless?" he asked, hoping it didn't seem intrusive.

Fishlegs' eyes softened considerably as soon as the question had left Jack's mouth. He seemed to hesitate for a few moments, as if deciding whether to tell him or not.

Jack felt his heart bubble with gentle affection, when he heard the answer that escaped Fishlegs' mouth.

"I love you, brother."

---

"That was probably the wickedest thing I have ever experienced! We met a dragon! A real dragon! How many people can say that!?" Merida exclaimed and threw her hands in the air, her happy voice echoing through the empty corridors. Their Ravenclaw friends had gone back to their common room and now he and his fellow Gryffindors were doing the same thing, since there were still a few hours left before breakfast and then classes.

"I know right!?" Mavis told her with blue eyes wide in excitement. Flynn laughed happily at both of their reactions.

Jack was unable to keep a bright grin off his face. His friends' enthusiasm was contagious.

"And Toothless is so much different than what I'd imagined" Mavis told them, gesturing eagerly with her hands, as if she had too much excitement in her body right now and needed to get it out. "He and Hiccup…they're more like family than a dragon and a rider."

"Yeah, they really are." Jack agreed, feeling that fondness bubble inside him again at the thought of the close bond between Hiccup and Toothless. "He relates more to Toothless than most people." he added and chuckled a little.

"I think you're right." Flynn said. "You could tell how happy he was being around Toothless."

"Yeah…" Mavis began. "It's still…a bit surreal to me that we actually have friends who have dragons." she finished, a fond smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah, me too." Merida agreed with a happy grin. "We have to visit them on Berk someday."

"That would be wicked." Flynn agreed. "Dragons and Vikings all on one island."

"Yeah...I'd really like to see Berk..." Jack told them. "We should definitely go there sometime."

"Yeah…I'd really like to see them both in the air on their dragons being all happy…like Hiccup was today." Mavis said and Jack once again found himself appreciating Mavis' caring nature.

He briefly imagined that look of utter contentment and joy on Hiccup's face and found himself thinking that he definitely wouldn't mind seeing that again.

Flynn hummed in agreement, as they began to ascend several moving staircases to get to the Gryffindor common room. "He was practically bursting with joy…and…he didn't look bad at all in his armor, right Jack?" he then added teasingly and gave Jack a crooked smile.

"Aww, come on." Jack whined in response. "Don't do that".

As much as he tried to fight it, a blush emerged on his cheeks and he felt the warmth spread across his face. Seriously…his friends were only saying things like that to get a blush from him, he was sure of it.

"We have no choice. You know the rule." Merida said gravely, her features in sad folds, as if she was truly upset that the rule existed. Jack snorted mentally. She was loving this.

He did know the rule though.

"Rule number 1: Teasing is mandatory. Everything shall be used against you at all times." he recited the first rule of that list of rules for their friendship they had made back when they were 12 years old in their second year at Hogwarts. The rule seemed fitting as the first one on the list as relentless teasing was definitely an essential part of their close bond. Right now however, he found himself wishing that they had added some sort of exception to the rule, like "unless you have feelings for someone, in which case no one can ever utter a single word or perform any gestures that could potentially cause you to be uncomfortable in your own skin".

…but what can you do? 12 year olds don't think about falling in love with brainy sarcastic dragon riders and that was coming back to bite him in the ass now.

"Exactly. It's not our fault you got it bad." Flynn said and waggled his eyebrows, as they shifted staircases and the painting of the fat lady came into view in the distance.

Well, Jack couldn't really argue with that.

He sighed in response but didn't say anything.

"Aww, you're not even denying it." Mavis cooed at him.

"Why should I? You guys know me better than anyone, so you'd see right through that anyway." he shrugged.

"That's true. We know you better than you know yourself." Merida said teasingly and nudged his shoulder. He rolled his eyes in response but was unable to keep a smile away.

As they entered the warm, familiar common room in the Gryffindor Tower, they all slumped down on soft, comfortable red couches around a large oak table in front of the empty fireplace. It was still early, as there was two hours until the first classes of the day began, so it was no surprise that the room was completely deserted.

Gryffindors were not ones to get up early. Well…unless they had to see a dragon and an attractive Ravenclaw perform daring tricks in the sky of course.

Jack let out a massive yawn, and Flynn and Merida quickly followed suit. He was already feeling tired but there was a full day ahead of him. How in the world did Hiccup manage to fly Toothless at dawn, have a full day of classes and homework and then fly again late at night? It seemed impossible to keep up with that.

Jack chose to take a nap on the comfortable couch for the remainder of the two hours, while Mavis sat on another couch and studied. Merida decided to go to bed again and Flynn, in a surprising move that was very out of character for him, chose to catch up with a Herbology assignment he was behind on.

Jack certainly wasn't one to do homework at this ungodly hour. It was going to be a long day, so he needed to get more sleep. Luckily the couch was so soft and comfortable that he was already drifting away from reality, giving him at least an hour and a half before this new day began. Well…began again.

---

He dusted off the wooden surface of his workstation to get the last remnants of sawdust away. Tiny, almost invisible wooden flakes danced in the air, made noticeable by the sunbeam streaming through one of the large arch windows in the workshop.

He had stayed behind in the workshop after class for a while, after the other students and Professor Cooke had left. He had had an hour to spare before his next class, since Herbology had been cancelled today, and he had wanted to make a few adjustments to the new steering rods he had fashioned for him and Toothless. After about half an hour he was satisfied with his work and packed the rods gently into his satchel. He would test them later, when he went flying with his scaly best friend.

He finished cleaning up the workstation, putting away supplies and removing the last remains of wood, glue and metal stemming from both his work in class and his project afterwards. Then he quickly put the tools away in their correct places, before exiting the workshop through the large, creaking doors.

His footsteps echoed through the deserted corridor. He was heading towards Ravenclaw tower to spend the remaining free time catching up on homework before his next class but he chose to walk slowly towards his destination. He had always kind of liked being in the corridors when they were empty. The silence…the cool air...the solitude. It was such a massive contrast to when they were crowded and he found himself breathing warm, thick air, being attacked by noise and subjected to curious eyes.

He let one of his hands glide across the cool surface of the stone wall to his left, as he kept moving his feet down the corridor. His fingertips found scratches and cracks, evidence of the age of these ancient walls and once in a while, he let his hand brush over one of the large, stone pillars protruding from the walls.

He was a little tired from this morning's flight but that was to be expected. He smiled softly to himself as he thought about his friends' reactions to his best friend. He had really enjoyed letting them meet Toothless and he was pleased to see that Toothless seemed to like them. Naturally, he had had a few reservations about the whole thing but he had decided to take a leap of faith. After all, they were his friends now and they had all kept the things he had told them about Toothless and the other dragons a secret, so they had shown him that he could trust them. To his own surprise, he had also found that he wanted to show them the dragon that was such a huge part of his life, just like he had done with Jack.

His smile widened as he began to think of the white-haired mischievous Gryffindor, who had become so close to him. Somehow, it didn't scare him that he was in love with Jack. He had expected that he would freak out once he sobered up and began to think rationally about his emotions but…for some strange reason, he just didn't. Even though it made him sad that he could never be with him, Jack made him feel happy and content just being in his presence and his upbeat carefree spirit was infectious to be around and soothing to his worries. Jack brought him joy and fun but it was more than that. Jack was protective, caring and loyal too…Hiccup knew he could always count on him if he ever needed anything, that Jack would always be there for him and that was just…something he treasured beyond words.

His thoughts were suddenly and brutally interrupted as he was slammed hard into a wall by an unseen force.

The air was knocked out of his lungs. A sharp pain shot through his chest. His prosthesis twisted painfully against his stump from the impact. An agonizing burning sensation spread through his bad leg.

He fell onto the cold, stone floor head first.

Head throbbing. Blurry vision. Heart pounding.

He rolled over. He could see some blurry shapes in front of him, so he quickly tried to regain his composure.

He was once again thrown through the air by some spell and into one of the stone walls. His chest and head knocked against the hard surface. He slumped down onto the floor. He rolled onto his side and tried to get his vision to focus.

His body was shooting adrenaline through his veins as a defensive strategy. His heart beat faster and his whole body had a sudden burst of energy. He grabbed into his pocket to find his wand, but it was gone.

Great. Now he was almost defenseless.

He quickly got to his feet although his movements were stiff and painful. He wobbled a little.

As his vision returned to normal, he found three guys grinning widely in front of him and he knew instantly that this was going to end badly.

He recognized McGowan and Levin immediately, as well as Zamora - a Slytherin with smooth, black hair and pale skin who was friends with the two large boys.

"Looking for this?" Levin said amused, holding up his dark brown wand.

Well, wasn't this just going perfectly? Not only was he already injured but now a sociopath had his wand. What were they even doing here? He and McGowan were supposed to be expelled…

"Well, yeah actually." Hiccup said casually, shifting the weight from one leg to the other completely subconsciously, and in doing so a stab of pain went through his leg. He winced at the unwanted sensation.

"What's up Haddock? Problems with your fake leg?" McGowan asked in a sickly sweet voice that was thick with underlying malice.

The other boys snickered mockingly.

"Yeah well, that happens sometimes." Hiccup managed to say, his voice steady. He didn't want to escalate this situation, so he would try his best to just remain calm and hope that these boys weren't looking for an actual fight. If they were…well, then he was screwed. They were three against one of him, he was already injured and they had wands…he didn't. There was no way he could take them all down by himself in this situation.

McGowan was glaring daggers at him and then apparently decided to break the tense silence that hung in the air between them.

"You got us expelled…and you fucking humiliated us in front of everyone. We're not too happy about that." he said in a chilling tone.

Hiccup exhaled.

So this was revenge…he should probably have seen that coming. Guys like these were definitely ones to hold a grudge. He was screwed then...there was no way out of this.

He tried to mentally prepare himself for the physical pain he was going to have to endure and his body became even tenser than it already was. He still felt the adrenaline rush through his blood, causing his senses to become hyper-aware and his heart to beat rapidly in his chest.

"You sort of attacked me, so I didn't really have a choice." Hiccup said matter-of-factly. "And Sarah talked to me, not the other way around."

He was trying to reason with them, even though he already knew it wouldn't work. Stalling was never a bad idea though.

"Shut up, Haddock." Zamora snapped and gave him an icy glare.

Hiccup found himself wondering what he had ever done to this Slytherin…if the guy just despised him because his friends did. He couldn't remember having ever interacted much with him.

He chose to keep quiet for now and let the boys in front of him take the lead, so he wouldn't rile them up more. This situation was…unpredictable.

"If you had just backed down and done what we'd told you...we wouldn't be in this shitty situation…and this…" Levin said, as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal angry, black and purple bruises. "...is because of you. I have them thanks to you." he finished icily and clenched one of his fists.

Zamora's eyes were hard and filled with a chilling contempt. McGowan crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him.

"What?" was the only thing Hiccup managed to say, his voice laced with confusion. What had happened to him? How was that his fault?

"Thomas' father had to punish him for getting expelled." Zamora explained calmly, but his blue eyes conveyed the loathing within.

Okay. Well, this was it. This was hate. There wasn't going to be a way out, so…do whatever you can and then push down the pain, he thought to himself.

He watched Levin bend his knees a little and he knew what was coming.

Levin charged forward and lunged at him.

Hiccup quickly jumped aside.

His leg protested. A shot of pain.

Adrenaline made his body focus on speed, reflexes, energy… anything that could help him in this situation.

Levin spun around furiously and went for him again. Hiccup sidestepped the large boy.

Leg throbbing. Heart pounding.

Out of his peripheral vision he spotted Zamora lift his wand.

He ducked down. A red spark flew over his head. Must be a stunning spell. He wrenched himself upright.

Levin swung his fist towards him.

Hiccup ducked. He instantly stood up again. He kicked Levin hard in the stomach with his prosthesis.

The large boy groaned and crashed down on the stone floor.

Pain in his bad leg from the impact.

Zamora immediately came at him, face contorted in anger.

The Slytherin lifted his arm.

Don't let him punch first.

Hiccup planted a fist right in the boy's face. Zamora shrieked in pain and staggered back, a hand on his nose.

Pain spreading through his knuckles. Short, sharp breaths.

Suddenly he was flung through the air and then slammed across the hard floor.

Ripples of pain through his body. Vision swimming.

Get up. You need to get up.

He rolled to his side and pulled himself onto his knees.

A sharp pain rushed through his back, knocking the air out of his lungs. A foot had connected with his back. He groaned and fell a little forwards.

If he could just get up again…

He sat upright and attempted to get to his feet.

Zamora suddenly appeared in his blurry vision. He swung his leg out. A kick landed in Hiccup's chest.

He fell to his side, hard stone surface against skin and clothes.

His enemies wasted no time.

They kicked him. In the back. In the stomach. In the chest. He couldn't tell the boys apart anymore. Angry kicks formed waves of pain crashing over him.

Chest constricting. Trouble breathing.

You need to block out the pain.

More kicks launched at his back and chest. He curled up in the fetal position to protect his torso and held his arms over his head to keep it safe from damage. He closed his eyes. He focused his mind. The pain kept rushing through his skin and bones but he could take it.

Suddenly the kicks ceased. Hiccup's entire body was throbbing. His breathing was strained.

He slowly opened his eyes. His vision was no longer blurry.

The three boys were looking down on him, eyes narrowed in contempt.

McGowan crouched down and grabbed his wrists. The angry Gryffindor was much larger and stronger than Hiccup and he was so weakened by the pain shooting through him that he didn't have a chance.

The large boy stood up again, still holding on to Hiccup's wrists. Then he walked towards the entrance to the workshop, dragging Hiccup along the stone floor.

His back scraping across the hard floor. Sounds of shoes and limbs being pulled against stone.

As much as he hated it, he couldn't stop the pained groan that escaped his lips. He really hadn't wanted to let them see or hear his pain, but he was unable to hold it back.

He was dragged into the workshop, away from the hallways. He couldn't fight it.

Smells of paint and wood and metal. Familiar.

McGowan let go of his arms and let them drop to the floor. He rolled to his side to at least try to get up, but Levin moved in.

The Gryffindor kicked his stump brutally hard over and over

Pain. White, hot, blinding pain.

Don't scream. Don't…scream.

Teeth biting down on lip. Metallic taste of blood. Fists clenching.

Blows of burning pain.

Levin stopped kicking him and stepped back for a moment.

"You can scream, Haddock. We came prepared. There's silencing charms all around us, so no one's going to hear you…and we all know that no one ever comes down here unless they have to take that stupid class." he heard Zamora's voice say.

Levin took out his wand from one of his pockets and sat down by his side. The large boy began to roll up Hiccup's trousers on his good leg to expose the skin.

Hiccup had no energy left in his body to actually be able to do anything. His entire being was tired and aching. He would have to somehow take the pain as best he could.

"Haddock's apparently too tough to scream…We can't have that." he heard Levin's voice say and he tried to brace himself for whatever was about to happen. "We promised them he would suffer."

Promised who?

It couldn't be…

The tip of Levin's wand glowed a faint red and the large Gryffindor then reached towards the skin on his leg. Hiccup realized what he was going to do and his eyes widened a little.

Nausea churned in his stomach.

He saw Levin raise his arm and then jab his wand hard into his leg and tore it through skin.

His mind went blank.

A scream.

Nothing but pain.

Searing, blinding pain. Skin and flesh burning. Excruciating agony.

Levin began to cut deep into the skin with his wand.

Wood splitting flesh. Blood seeping.

Body writhing violently.

Tight grips around his wrists and legs, holding him down.

A warm trickle of blood trailing down his leg. Scalding pain inflaming the limb.

Screams echoing against stone walls.

The pressure was removed from his leg. Pain slowly fading to a throbbing.

Breathe. Just breathe.

Screams stopped escaping his lips.

He inhaled and exhaled deeply.

His mind began working again.

You can live through this…just breathe. Just…focus. Breathe like when you have phantom pains.

He didn't look at Levin or his leg. That would only make things worse…He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

Then the large Gryffindor resumed carving into his skin with the burning tip.

Searing pain rippling through body.

Green eyes shut tight. Fists clenched.

Entire body shaking, trying to handle the pain.

He opened his dull green eyes again, just as Levin lifted his wand. The piece of wood shot through the air and stabbed him hard in the leg.

A pained scream. The sound of wood splintering.

Stabbing rushing through skin and flesh.

Then the torment stopped for a few moments.

The echoes of his screams faded. Faint relief from the pain.

Hiccup managed to pull himself back to reality again. His breathing had become erratic and the sharp intakes of air made his lungs hurt. His entire body ached horribly as stinging, burning pain washed over him.

Warm trickle of blood from wounds, red liquid soaking his trousers. Fabric wet and clingy. Blood pooling around him.

McGowan and Levin grabbed him and flipped him over, so he was on his stomach.

Stump smacked against hard floor. Jolts of pain through his leg. Pressure on the deep cuts on his good leg. Warm wetness drenching his shirt from pool of red fluid.

Cheek against cold stone floor. Green eyes half-lidded.

So tired…so much pain…

The ruffling of paper. Someone crouching down.

"You know, Haddock…" McGowan's voice said. "We're not the only ones who can't stand you. You've pissed off some serious people. They're willing to pay a lot of money to get you out of the way." he said and then turned the paper to show it to him.

As Hiccup's dull green eyes took in the familiar markings on the paper, he knew one thing for sure. He would never see Jack or Toothless or anyone else he loved ever again.

He sighed deeply, as the pain kept on rippling through his entire body and he continued trembling in response to it.

McGowan folded the paper again and then stuffed it in one of Hiccup's pockets.

"Wait, what?" Zamora's voice said. "You never said we were going to kill him!?"

He sounded panicked. Maybe there was a little hope of getting away from this.

He tried his best to listen to the conversation, attempting to ignore his sharp, short breaths that were like the sound of the ocean in his ears and the distraction of the pain coursing through him.

"What did you think we were going to do?" Levin sneered.

"I thought we were just going to…hurt him."

"And then what?" Levin asked. "Let him go, so he can tell everyone and we'll end up in Azkaban for torture? Idiot."

"You said you had a plan! I never agreed to kill anyone..." Zamora told his two friends.

The sound of brisk footsteps across stone floor.

"You…are going to do what we say. You're in this just as much as we are." McGowan hissed.

"Why do we need to kill him?" Zamora asked. There was a strange pleading quality to his voice.

"Because it's necessary." McGowan said. "I don't like risking going to Azkaban either, but we need to do this. He got us expelled and robbed us of our futures, but if we get all that money then we can do anything….we can all get away…we can start a new life. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Hiccup's mind was having trouble processing what he was hearing. His breathing was still erratic and the hard stone floor dug into his wounded skin.

"Yes, but…" Zamora trailed off.

"Don't worry about him." Levin said. "He's a wanted guy back where he's from. They told us he's trying to force everyone to leave the dragons alone, to give up their livelihood and stop defending themselves just to keep those beasts alive…and that if he stays alive, someday he'll have power over all the dragons and be able to force people to do whatever he wants…even over here and not just in that caveman place he's from. He's not worth feeling guilty over, Andrew."

Hiccup wanted to protest to that but he stayed quiet. Maybe…maybe there was still a flicker of hope that Zamora would get cold feet.

Silence.

"Andrew, if we don't kill him, they will. He will die at some point, because he's done bad things, that has pissed people off. So we might as well do it and secure our futures, because it's going to happen no matter what." he heard McGowan's voice say.

A sigh reached Hiccup's ears. It might as well have been an "okay".

That was it. There was no flicker of hope anymore.

Small spasms still echoed through his body. His muscles tensed at the prospect of even more pain.

"Tell you what…we'll leave the final choice up to Haddock himself." McGowan said.

He heard shoes walking across stone. Someone approached him and sat down next to him.

"Let's play a game, Haddock...we hurt you and all you have to do when you want it to stop is say 'when'…and then you won't be in pain anymore." McGowan explained, sounding oddly neutral, as if this was just the rules of an ordinary board game.

Hiccup didn't respond but stared blankly ahead with half-lidded eyes. He was trying his best to deal with the constant pain signals being sent through him.

He was still on his stomach, his head resting against the floor. He was too weak to move in any way. His entire body felt spent and hurt.

"Crucio!" someone shouted.

Scorching, stabbing pain. Blood boiling. Skin and bones melting. Spine flaming in red-hot agony.

He writhed. He screamed. His grip on reality was sliding.

There was nothing.

Nothing but pain.

He had no identity. No name. No memory. All he knew was pain. He was nothing but a primitive being in need of escape.

"Just say 'when', Haddock." he heard a voice say. He couldn't even tell the voices apart anymore. They were like faint, ghosts of sound.

The spell was broken. The feeling of his body burning and being stabbed all at once slowly faded.

Short, sharp desperate intakes of air. Remnants of scalding, cutting pain in his entire being. Heart pounding against ribcage. Bones heavy inside him. Trembling.

Green eyes closed.

Darkness.

Inhaling. Exhaling.

His mind refocused. His identity came back. He was no longer the primitive being. He was Hiccup.

Raspy breaths. Chest heaving. Body against cold, stone surface.

Tired. So tired.

Pain. Pain in every bone…every muscle…every vein…

He tried to take a few deep breaths but failed. His body was shaking too much from the distress it was being put through.

Even in his current state, he knew what they were doing. He knew that saying 'when' wasn't a way to get them to stop. It was a death sentence. They were trying to break him and as soon as he gave them what they wanted…they would kill him.

Don't say 'when'. No matter what…don't say it…

Hold out. Hold on.

But it was so difficult…

Shaky breaths. Muscle spasms. Warm blood seeping from wounds.

So tired…so much pain…

Just want to let go and sleep…

No. NO! Just hold on. Just…hold on.

Images began to flash through his mind.

He saw Toothless…Rapunzel and Fishlegs…his dad…Gobber…Astrid…Flynn, Merida and Mavis…the twins and Snotlout…and Jack…

Jack…

With his beautiful blue eyes and caring nature. With his mischievous spirit and bright smiles.

He would never see him again.

Someone kneeled by his side.

When the person broke the silence, his voice was low and hostile.

"Prepare yourself, Haddock. You're going to die today."

---

What was it about these school uniforms? He wasn't sure at all. He had worn them almost every day for five and a half years and yet…he still didn't feel fully comfortable in them. He couldn't help adjusting his tie, fiddle with the sleeves of his cloak or tug at the collar of the white shirt. His school robes weren't itchy. They weren't too tight or unpleasant in some other way and still…he just couldn't be completely comfortable wearing them, like he was when he had one of his hoodies on.

The corridors were brimming with eager students on their way to classes, the sounds of shuffling feet, laughter and friendly chatter enveloping the surroundings in an overwhelming noise.

Jack was heading towards his Arithmancy class where Mavis was probably already waiting for him. The amount of people walking in close quarters was quite overwhelming right now, so even if it was Arithmancy, he was sort of looking forward to getting to class and away from the busy hallways and all the noise.

"JACK!"

Flynn's roar echoed through the crowd, overpowering all conversation and he instantly froze in his tracks. His stomach dropped and he snapped his head around frantically to find that familiar face among all the other students.

He had never heard Flynn shout like that. His voice was desperate and full of alarm. It was the voice of an emergency.

When he spotted him, Jack met his friend's brown eyes and even though Flynn was a lot farther down the busy corridor, he could see that his features were marred by fear. Students all around them had stopped whatever they were doing to stare at Flynn, who seemed to be in so much panic.

"JACK! COME ON! IT'S HICCUP!" Flynn practically screamed and motioned with his hand for Jack to follow him, before he turned around and darted through the corridor away from him.

Nausea. Panic. Fear.

He threw his bag to the floor and took off like a gunshot down the corridor, navigating frantically around students and sometimes pushing them aside to get ahead faster. Hiccup was in some kind of trouble and from the panic in Flynn's voice it was serious.

It felt like he couldn't breathe, his chest tightened in pure, unrestrained fear. He forced his legs to move him forward faster and faster, adrenaline shooting through his veins. He could see Flynn up ahead waiting impatiently for him by a corner. He sprinted towards him faster than he had ever run before.

As he closed the distance between him and Flynn, his brown-haired friend began running again, this time down a new corridor, and Jack immediately ran after him. He caught up to Flynn and they both darted through corridors side by side, stone floors in a blur below their feet.

"What's going on!?" he shouted breathlessly as he kept up the high speed he was running at and watched stone wall after stone wall fly by.

"No time to explain!" Flynn said and Jack didn't argue. They needed to get to Hiccup. They needed to help him with whatever had happened.

His heart pounded so hard it felt like it could break right through his ribcage.

As they turned yet another corner, the corridors became more and more deserted. The sounds of their running footsteps bounced off the stone walls and students turned their heads to look at them until suddenly the corridors were completely empty.

"Take out your wand and be ready." Flynn said out of breath, as they ran around another corner. Flynn pulled out his own wand from a pocket.

Jack quickly grabbed his wand and gripped it tightly as they continued to make their way through the passageways, black school shoes slapping down hard on stone floor.

He tried his best to mentally prepare himself for anything that might happen. He needed to be ready, needed to be able to help Hiccup, to keep him safe, no matter what they were walking into.

They turned down another corridor and as they ran to the end of it, Jack recognized the entrance to the workshop. What the hell was going on?

They stopped for a few seconds just outside the big doors.

"Now." Flynn warned him and then he slammed open the doors and Jack held out his wand. He quickly scanned his blue eyes across the scene unfolding in front of them and everything inside him exploded in rage and fear.

Two guys who Jack immediately recognized were standing around Hiccup, while another was crouching beside him. Hiccup's lifeless form was lying in a crimson pool of blood and he continued to bleed profusely through his clothes, the bright red fluid trailing down the cold stone floor in the most horrifying tendrils Jack had ever seen.

"Stupefy!" Jack roared and Zamora was instantly slammed into a wall and fell unconscious to the floor, while Flynn had sent Levin tumbling through the air with a spell of his own, leaving the large brute unmoving.

McGowan was reaching for his own wand, but Jack and Flynn had both already covered the distance to him.

Jack dug his wand hard into the skin under McGowan's chin. He held him tightly in place by the collar of his shirt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" he screamed in the guy's face with pure rage and disgust. He wanted to strangle the boy to death right then and there.

Flynn snatched McGowan's wand, took Hiccup's wand from the floor and then instantly rushed to Hiccup's side. Jack continued to keep his own wand trained on the guy in front of him, doing everything he could to hold himself back from maiming him.

Hiccup's red blood soaked through the knees of Flynn's black trousers, as he knelt in the red puddle.

"Tell me he's alive." Jack said in a low voice brimming with a quiet but deadly desperation. If Hiccup was not alive…if they had snuffed out the life of the most amazing person Jack had ever known, the person he loved so much, then he would not be able to restrain himself. He would make them hurt, he thought darkly to himself, as the grip around his wand tightened.

McGowan's eyes were narrowed but he stayed in place. If he so much as moved an inch, Jack wouldn't hesitate to injure him.

In his peripheral vision he saw Flynn check Hiccup's pulse, as more bright red liquid leaked from Hiccup's body, marring the stone floor around him. Jack didn't want to look directly at Hiccup until he knew if he was breathing.

"He's alive." Flynn confirmed with a relieved sigh.

Jack let out the breath he had been holding.

"You'll regret this." he told McGowan in a deadly voice. Then he sent him flying into a wall with several stunning spells in a row, causing the boy to be smashed into the stone repeatedly before he dropped to the floor, unconscious, one leg twitching.

He immediately turned and rushed over to Hiccup. Flynn had picked up the unconscious Viking in his arms, blood soaking through his white Gryffindor shirt and striped tie.

Hiccup was completely lifeless in Flynn's arms, his skin deadly pale, his green eyes closed, blood drenching his clothes and a little of the red fluid smeared on one of his cheeks.

Jack's eyes widened and he felt the nausea and chilling fear creep into his entire being.

No no no no no…

No!

Hiccup already looked dead and Jack knew he was losing too much blood way too fast.

"We need to get to the hospital wing, now!" Flynn yelled urgently and Jack nodded.

They instantly took off down the corridor. Flynn was running as fast as he could while still making sure not to drop Hiccup and cause him even more damage. He was holding Hiccup tightly in his arms, Hiccup's head pressed against his chest to keep him as steady as possible.

As they ran through the passageways in utter panic, Jack's heart was beating so fast it felt like he was going to have a heart attack. His fists were clammy and clenched in desperation and the nausea that bubbled in his stomach was threatening to make him throw up right here in the corridors.

Everything was surreal…as if this wasn't really happening. It couldn't be…Hiccup couldn't just die.

"MOVE!" Jack screamed, the sound echoing through the hallway, as he and Flynn began sprinting through corridors with more students walking through. "MOVE!"

People were jumping to the side and staring at Hiccup in Flynn's arms in shock, but nothing mattered right now to Jack but getting Hiccup to that hospital wing.

A boy was walking with his back to them and Jack pushed him out of the way. The boy went tumbling into the stone wall. There was no time to be nice or orderly. This was a matter of life and death, and Jack didn't care if he might cause someone a bruise or a scrape, as long as Hiccup got help as soon as possible.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" he heard Flynn scream, his voice bouncing off the walls of the castle, and the sea of students in this new, overcrowded passageway parted to the sides to let them through.

Jack briefly registered wide eyes, loud gaps and hushed voices, but he couldn't focus on anything but Hiccup right now.

He was going to survive. He had to. Jack sure as hell wasn't going to let him die.

When they turned a corner and that familiar entrance to the hospital wing came into view, Jack felt like crying in relief.

Finally.

They hadn't run for more than a few minutes but it had felt like an eternity to him. A slow, agonizing eternity, where every second could determine whether Hiccup lived or died.

As they rushed through the entrance, madam Whitley jumped at their sudden appearance and quickly came running towards them, her eyes wide in shock as she took in Hiccup's lifeless form in Flynn's arms.

"Put him there!" she said urgently and pointed to a bed nearby, and then ran towards a cupboard, flung it open and took some vials filled with potions of different kinds. Flynn quickly but gently placed Hiccup on the bed and Jack didn't know what to do with himself now.

Hiccup's robes were completely drenched in blood, the fabric heavy and clingy on his body. The blood slowly began seeping into the sheets of the bed, staining them with the precious liquid. Hiccup's skin was white as if it was drained of any life and that thought scared Jack more than anything he could have ever imagined.

He so desperately wanted to do something, anything to help, but there was nothing he could do…nothing.

He clenched his fists. His blue eyes stared at Hiccup and he felt even sicker to his stomach. What if he didn't survive this? What if he lost him?

Madam Whitley put a screen in front of the bed, cutting off their view of the bleeding Ravenclaw. Jack knew that he didn't really want to see the extent of the damage, but he also felt desperate to keep an eye on Hiccup.

Flynn grabbed his arm gently and Jack forced himself to meet his friend's concerned brown eyes.

He felt hollow at the prospect of losing Hiccup. He felt desperate for any kind of hope. He felt useless for not being able to heal him just a little to increase his chance of survival…and most of all he felt like he had failed to keep him safe.

He broke eye contact with Flynn as tears began to blur his vision and stung in his eyes. He let a single droplet trail down his cheek, feeling the slow, warm sensation of the tiny tear, before wiping both his eyes angrily with a sleeve.

Suddenly madam Simmons, madam Whitley's assistant, a young, blonde witch, entered the hospital wing and she immediately ran towards madam Whitley, behind the screen. They spoke in hushed voices, before beginning to roll Hiccup's bed into the next room.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Jack asked in panic, his blue eyes wide.

"We need some privacy to do this, Mr. Overland." madam Whitley said, and Jack couldn't do anything but nod mutely. They closed the door with a soft click, and now he truly had no way of keeping an eye on Hiccup.

Time was standing still from then on.

Jack couldn't tell if it had been minutes or hours, but every second was excruciating pain. He was pacing back and forth in the same place over and over, trying to occupy himself with something as they waited for the medi-witch to tell them, whether or not Hiccup was going to make it.

Flynn was sitting in a chair nearby, resting his chin on his knuckles and staring blankly into the air. Jack knew his friend well enough to know that this had shocked him and he was somehow trying to deal with it by organizing his thoughts.

This whole situation was surreal. One moment everything had been fine and he was on his way to class and the next moment his world came crashing down and Hiccup was dying.

He slammed a fist against one of the stone walls in raw frustration and desperation and didn't even flinch when the shot of pain quickly followed, spreading through his knuckles. He didn't care about pain…all he cared about was seeing Hiccup again…he couldn't lose him. He just couldn't.

Suddenly his attention turned to the entrance, as Rapunzel, Fishlegs and Astrid came rushing through the doors, their eyes wild in desperation and shock.

"Where is he?" Astrid said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, causing them to gleam in the bright light of the hospital wing.

"They're trying to save him…" Flynn said quietly from his spot in the chair, his voice sounding empty and hopeless.

The three teens' eyes widened in shock as they took in the blood on Flynn's clothes.

Astrid met Jack's eyes, and he saw the same raw desperation and sorrow in her eyes that he felt swirling inside himself. The Viking girl who was usually so fiery, confident and strong was now broken.

She slid down against the closest stone wall in shock and sat quietly on the floor, not moving a muscle.

Rapunzel had begun crying softly into Fishlegs' shirt, as Fishlegs held her close in a gentle embrace, while a few tears trailed down his own cheeks and he stared blankly into nothing with dull eyes.

"Hiccup…" Jack heard Rapunzel choke out with a longing in her voice that matched his own need to see the Viking again. The need to see Hiccup's vibrant green eyes shine with mirth and gleam with intelligence, to hear his sharp sarcastic retorts that could put anyone in their place, to feel his soft brown hair against his fingertips, to see his eyes soften with the love of his friends, to watch him blush adorably at compliments and friendly teasing, to see him be completely free and happy in the air on Toothless.

Jack needed him to come back to him. He needed it more than he had ever needed anything in his life.

The universe was not doing this to him again! He had already lost his parents…he was not losing yet another person he loved!

The sound of running feet across the stone floor reached his ears, as Mavis and Merida came through the doors, breathless and their eyes wide with concern.

"What's happening? We were told Hiccup was seriously hurt." Mavis said with panic in her voice and her blue eyes darting back and forth between the five other teens in the room. Merida took in the solemn mood and her eyes shone with sadness and worry. Clearly she had already figured out that Hiccup's life was hanging in the balance.

"They're…" Jack's voice croaked. "They're working on him". That was all he managed to say. Mavis met his eyes, and he let her see that he was broken.

She flung herself at him, wrapping her gentle arms around his neck and pulled him in for a tight hug. He appreciated the gesture, but he couldn't feel anything except horror and anger and desperation right now. When she pulled away, she had tears streaming down her cheeks.

While Mavis sat down next to Flynn, fidgeting with her hands, tears still slowly leaving her eyes, Merida joined Jack in his relentless pacing back and forth around the room.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and he stopped walking and turned around. Flynn was standing in front of him, watching him with brown eyes filled with sadness. Then he reached his arm out and handed something to him. Jack looked down and saw Hiccup's wand lying in Flynn's hand and he took the familiar piece of wood. Flynn must be thinking it would be better for Jack to keep it safe since…since he was so close to Hiccup.

He observed the dark brown cherry wood wand in his own hand, and now he was unable to keep a few warm tears from trailing down his pale cheeks. If Hiccup died…this was all he had left of him. He tucked the wand into one of his pockets and then nodded mutely at Flynn before wiping the tears away with his sleeves and resuming his pacing.

As he continued to walk back and forth and back and forth over and over, he was praying to every deity he had ever heard of that Hiccup would be okay. He even sent a prayer to the fucking Norse gods, which spoke volumes of his desperation. It was all he could do to not go insane right then and there.

The thought that he could lose Hiccup right now put everything into perspective and he made a decision, as he kept pacing and pacing.

If Hiccup lived…he would find some way of telling him how he felt about him… despite how much it terrified him. He would tell him.

He couldn't be happy without him. He realized that now. He just couldn't…and…he knew that even if Hiccup lived…when they were done with school here at Hogwarts, Hiccup would go back home and they would be ripped apart. Jack couldn't let that happen without knowing that he at least tried…

He had no idea how much time passed, but the pacing and the praying were the only things that kept him occupied enough not to scream and rip his hair out and break down completely. He was on the edge…he was close to losing his mind.

If Hiccup was ripped away from him…ripped away from this world now…and like this…it would break him.

Mavis, Flynn and Astrid suddenly flew to their feet and Rapunzel and Fishlegs ran towards them, as madam Whitley opened the door from the other room and approached him and Merida, who were standing closest to her.

Jack held his breath subconsciously and the anxiety and anticipation streamed through every vein in his body. He felt like he might throw up. This was it. He would know now if Hiccup was dead or if he was going to make it.

"Mr. Haddock is going to live." the medi-witch said with a kind voice and gave them all a small smile.

Everyone breathed a sigh of pure, unrestrained relief. "Thank the gods." he heard Astrid whisper.

Jack's heart leapt with joy and he took a deep breath. The nausea and panic inside him began to slowly subside. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, letting the good news wash over him, soothe him.

"But…he's very injured and not even magic can heal everything right away. He's going to be in pain for a while." madam Whitley finished, while observing them with her sympathetic blue eyes.

"When can we see him?" Rapunzel asked hopefully, wiping her green eyes with one of her sleeves, trying to chase away the tears.

"Not for a few hours at least. He's still unconscious and his body needs to rest." she told them and they all nodded eagerly in response. Jack was feeling an intense longing spread inside him. He knew that Hiccup needed rest after all of this, but he so desperately wanted to see him.

Madam Whitley waited for a few moments before speaking again, seeming hesitant to tell them something.

The nausea instantly resurfaced inside him. What wasn't she telling them? Why was she holding back? There was obviously something very wrong…oh god, what else could there be to all of this?

"Is everyone here a close friend of Mr. Haddock?" she asked tentatively and looked from each person to the next for confirmation.

"Yeah, we're all his friends." Rapunzel said and the medi-witch nodded in understanding.

"As his friends…you should know that he was tortured." she said, her voice concerned and almost a whisper, in case someone should enter the room as she was speaking. "I'm not allowed to tell you the details without Mr. Haddock's permission, but he will most likely have some emotional damage as well, that you will need to help him get through."

Jack stopped breathing and he heard gasps and cursing erupt all around him from his friends.

"Oh no…" Rapunzel whispered.

Of course Jack knew that they had hurt him…beat him up to the point where he almost died…but he hadn't seen or known exactly what had happened.

He clenched his fists, as he felt a primitive, raw rage fuming inside him. They had tortured Hiccup…they had made the person Jack loved so much suffer horribly…

He took a few deep breaths and suppressed his rage as much as he could though…He needed to focus right now. He needed to be there for Hiccup, when he woke up, no matter how much the anger was making him feel like choking those boys to death with his bare hands for having done this to Hiccup.

Once again they all nodded at the medi-witch, all ready to help Hiccup with whatever he might need once he regained consciousness.

"I'll let you know, when he wakes up." madam Whitley said with kindness and gave them a warm smile before she walked back towards the room where Hiccup was and closed the door softly behind her.

Hugs and smiles and happy tears were exchanged as all of the teens celebrated that Hiccup was going to live.

Jack couldn't stop a few tears of pure relief streaming down his cheeks and Mavis gently brushed them away with a soft hand, as she smiled fondly at him. Flynn and Merida both pulled him into a tight hug, and Flynn stroked his snow-white hair a little in a reassuring gesture. Afterwards they exchanged hugs with Fishlegs and Rapunzel too.

After everyone had calmed down and managed to absorb the news, there was a heavy silence hanging in the air between the teens for a moment.

Yes, Hiccup was going to live and everyone was so incredibly relieved about that…but…he had been tortured and none of them knew what kind of state he would be in when he woke up…if he would be emotionally traumatized by the experience or have some kind of permanent physical damage.

"What happened? Who did this to him?" Astrid asked Jack, breaking the silence. Her voice was calm and steady, but her blue eyes conveyed the rage she was currently suppressing, just like he was.

"Levin, McGowan and Zamora." Jack said with venom in his voice. "They…there was blood everywhere…we managed to knock them out with some spells and get Hiccup here."

It was the most words he had said since breakfast and he struggled to get them out. Speaking felt foreign right now because of the overwhelming emotions he was experiencing.

"I'll kill them." Astrid gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

"I'll help you." Jack said. Astrid sent him a small appreciative smile. They shared the suppressed rage…

"Do you know…what they did to him?" Fishlegs asked hesitantly, his blue eyes brimming with concern for his friend.

"No…we only saw them standing around him while he was bleeding…" Jack explained quietly.

"Who was with you?" Astrid asked.

"Flynn."

"How did you find him?" Rapunzel asked, barely audible, before sniffling.

That was a question Jack didn't even know the answer to himself. Flynn had found him and led him to Hiccup, but how had Flynn known? Jack looked at his friend for answers.

"Hiccup had been in class at the workshop and that part of the castle is almost always deserted. Apparently they attacked him when he was leaving but Liana Hayes saw them drag him into the workshop, so she went to find any one of us or a professor…whoever she found first." Flynn explained. "I knew I couldn't take them down alone, so I got Jack on my way there".

A few moments of silence passed, as they all processed the information.

"Thank you." Astrid said softly in a rare moment of raw emotion before she threw her arms around Jack first, and then moved on to do the same to Flynn. They were both slightly stunned, but they accepted the gesture with small smiles nonetheless.

"Someone needs to go tell Headmaster Lunar and get the bastards that did this. I assume they're still unconscious?" Merida said to Jack and Flynn.

"They should be." Flynn replied. "When Liana found me, I told her to get Headmaster Lunar but I don't know if they've made it down there yet…I should go to his office and find out what's going on." he added, shooting Jack a knowing look that he immediately understood. Flynn knew that Jack wouldn't want to leave, so even though his brunet friend was clearly also worried about Hiccup, he volunteered to go find their Headmaster and find out what was currently happening with this situation.

"Good idea." Mavis told him, and Flynn gave them all a quick nod before disappearing out the door.

"So…now we wait." Fishlegs said sadly, clearly impatient to see Hiccup. Jack could definitely relate, and he was certain that everyone in the room were resisting the urge to just slam open that door and go sit by Hiccup's side.

They sat in the hospital wing for five hours before Hiccup woke up. The time was passing more tolerably now that they all knew he was going to survive, but it was still difficult not to be impatient. Everyone wanted to see him for themselves, to say some comforting, soothing words, to let him know how much he meant to them all.

Jack went back to pacing back and forth, this time at least clinging to the good news that Hiccup was going to make it. His mind was still infected with angry, violent thoughts though…those bastards had actually tortured Hiccup and Jack couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that anyone wanted to hurt someone so gentle and kind.

Flynn had made it back to the hospital wing after about two hours, having been by Headmaster Lunar's office and then by the dormitory to change out of his blood-soaked clothes. He informed the others that Headmaster Lunar had immediately expelled Zamora and called the authorities to get them here and arrest the three boys, so an investigation could begin. Currently the boys were apparently being detained by some of the professors, while they waited for the authorities to arrive. They would need witness statements, so Flynn, Jack and Liana, as well as Hiccup and madam Whitley had to speak to them at some point and tell them what had happened.

Naturally, they were all relieved that Hiccup's tormentors would be punished.

Jack however, also felt slightly cheated. Somehow it just…didn't seem like enough that they would probably be thrown in Azkaban. They had tortured Hiccup and in his heart, Jack knew that no matter what punishment they would receive it would never seem like enough for him.

The remaining time passed mostly in silence. A few words were exchanged here and there, but no one really felt like having a conversation. The anticipation of seeing Hiccup again made the air heavy with impatience and restlessness.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, madam Whitley appeared once again from behind the door and approached them. Everyone flew to their feet and gathered around the medi-witch.

"He's awake now, and he's given me permission to let you see him." she told them, lips curving slightly upwards as she was giving them the good news. "He's very tired and in pain, so make sure he doesn't strain himself." she told them and they all nodded in understanding.

"We will." Rapunzel confirmed and the medi-witch gave them a small nod.

Jack rushed towards the door, with everyone else at his heel. He pushed it open and quickly entered the room followed by the remaining six teens. The room wasn't a large one but there was plenty of space for a few patients, and three single beds were lined up as well as cupboards full of medical supplies. He immediately spotted Hiccup lying in one of the beds, and he hurried over to him, standing at the right side of the hospital bed. Everyone else gathered around the bed a few seconds later, all taking in the damaged Ravenclaw with concerned eyes.

Hiccup's face and neck were marred by angry purple and blue bruises, but the rest of his body was concealed under a blanket, so none of them truly knew how extensive the damage was. Jack resisted the urge to fling himself at Hiccup and hold him close to him, taking in Hiccup's familiar comforting warmth and just…bask in the relief that he was alive…but Hiccup was in too much pain for that. He was certain several of the others had the same thought.

Everyone said warm greetings to Hiccup, who observed them with tired green eyes.

"Hey." Hiccup replied weakly through pale lips and it ached in Jack's heart to hear and see him so fragile. It was an uncomfortable contrast to how Hiccup usually was: strong and capable. His deep green eyes were robbed of any energy or light and exhaustion was evident on his face.

"How are you feeling?" Jack quickly asked. He desperately needed to know.

"Like…I've been crushed by a dragon" Hiccup said faintly and then closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

"How much do you remember?" Rapunzel asked gently, leaning in and brushing a lock of brown hair away from the Viking's forehead. Jack could tell that she was restraining herself just like he was.

Fishlegs was standing next to her, and he gave Hiccup's hand a quick squeeze and then smiled fondly as his way of giving Hiccup some comfort.

"Hmm…" Hiccup said in contemplation. His forehead wrinkled a little. "Almost everything I think…except how I got here and how they healed me."

Jack frowned. The ache in his heart grew stronger. He had hoped Hiccup had passed out sooner, so he wouldn't have had to endure so much pain.

"Well those bastards who did this to you will go to Azkaban." Astrid said reassuringly but with a trace of that uncontrollable rage she was feeling. Several of the others hummed in agreement.

Hiccup just gave them a tiny, barely visible smile but otherwise he didn't react to the news. Then he sighed deeply. Jack wondered what he was thinking. He desperately hoped that Hiccup wasn't too damaged emotionally by this. It would kill him to see those green eyes filled with depression.

"Who…found me?" Hiccup asked them, almost a whisper.

"Jack and Flynn. They brought you here." Rapunzel replied softly.

Hiccup nodded weakly but didn't say anything.

"Hiccup…you almost died." Fishlegs said, his voice almost breaking and letting his emotions show through his moist eyes. The somber mood quickly spread to the remaining teens, who all watched Hiccup with concerned expressions.

"I know." Hiccup replied quietly but with a certain acceptance in his eyes.

"How do you know that?" Astrid asked him hesitantly, as if she was worried she might upset him.

"Because the last thing I thought before I passed out was "I'm dying." he explained softly, his usually vibrant green eyes seeming even more exhausted now.

Jack let out a sigh. None of this should have happened to Hiccup.

"Oh Hiccup…" Rapunzel said, unshed tears in her green eyes. She reached out her hand and stroked the Viking's cheek gently. Hiccup didn't really seem to respond to it.

Jack desperately wanted to reach out and touch Hiccup as well, but he held himself back.

"Do you think…they meant to kill you?" Fishlegs asked tentatively, almost seeming regretful for even asking.

Jack immediately trained his eyes on Hiccup's face, wanting to decode his reaction. Hiccup didn't reveal much though, except letting out a small sigh.

"I know they did." he answered simply, observing Fishlegs.

"What? How?" Jack blurted out, unable to stop himself.

They had actually wanted to kill Hiccup? Hiccup had been close to dying but none of them knew exactly what had happened between him and those three bastards who had hurt him so much.

"Because they told me." Hiccup replied, way too calmly for Jack's nerves right now.

Why the hell wasn't he more upset about this? Why wasn't he crying or screaming or yelling? Was he still in shock? Maybe it hadn't truly sunk in yet what had actually happened? Or maybe he was just too exhausted to react right now?

His jaw clenched. Those bastards had actually told Hiccup that they were going to kill him? What had been going through Hiccup's mind?

"They told you?" Astrid asked in part disbelief and part repressed rage. She clenched both of her fists.

"But…" Fishlegs started, sounding nervous, his eyes darting back and forth from Hiccup to Rapunzel. "Why would they try to kill you?"

Hiccup remained silent for a few moments. It was clear that it was actually difficult for him to speak right now due to exhaustion and pain.

"Where are…my school robes?" Hiccup asked, dull green eyes looking at Rapunzel.

"Over there on the chair." Rapunzel replied and pointed towards a chair by the opposite wall.

"Can you…grab the parchment in one of the pockets?" Hiccup said.

"Yeah, sure…" Rapunzel told him and instantly spun around. She quickly grabbed Hiccup's bloodied school robes and rummaged through the pockets, before locating a piece of parchment.

When Rapunzel was back by the side of the bed, she unfolded the paper. Some of it was stained with blood.

She furrowed her forehead.

"I don't…understand this. It's in runes." she said, looking at Hiccup with questioning eyes.

Fishlegs took the paper out of her hands and let his gaze glide over the written markings. Then his eyes widened.

Astrid instantly walked to Fishlegs' side and also looked at the parchment.

"Oh no…" she said and then looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup…this is…"

"I know." Hiccup said, almost a whisper, his eyes exhausted but otherwise devoid of emotion.

"What?" Jack asked the three Vikings. "What is it?"

He really didn't like the sound of this and it was only worrying him more and more that he didn't know what was going on. The nausea swirled in his stomach instantly.

A few moments of tense silence passed.

"The paper says…."Death awaits, Dragon Conqueror." Fishlegs said quietly. "Only…only the hostile tribes call Hiccup the Dragon Conqueror."

Jack's stomach dropped.

He instantly looked back at Hiccup, who still looked exhausted and in pain, but otherwise not really reacting to the situation.

"Does this mean…?" he asked quietly, looking to Astrid and Fishlegs for answers.

"Yes." Astrid said and then sighed. "They're no longer content trying to kill Hiccup in the archipelago…now they're trying here too."

Heavy, almost unbearable silence filled the room.

Jack was having trouble handling the flood of horrible emotions that was wreaking havoc in his body.

Rage. Fear. Worries. Sadness. Protectiveness.

It was all flowing through his veins, making his body tense, making him feel sick and angry and panicked.

He took a few deep breaths. He needed to keep it together for Hiccup's sake.

"But…how did they even come into contact with McGowan and Levin and Zamora? And…how did McGowan and Levin get into the castle? It's protected…" Rapunzel said quietly, thinking out loud.

Everyone looked to Hiccup.

"I don't know…" he told them, eyes half-lidded, voice weak. It was becoming obvious that Hiccup struggled to stay awake now. Just being conscious and in pain for this short amount of time was completely draining him.

"Hiccup, you should get some more sleep." Astrid said softly.

"But…I need…" Hiccup began.

"What do you need?" Jack asked him. If it was even remotely within the realm of possibility, he would give Hiccup anything he wanted right now.

"I need…Toothless." Hiccup told them. "I have to…explain to him…why we can't fly..."

"We'll take care of that." Rapunzel told him reassuringly.

"Won't work." Hiccup said.

"What? Why?"

"He'll…come looking for me. To protect me…"

"So what do you suggest we do?"

Hiccup furrowed his forehead in thought but his eyes were dull with exhaustion. "Shrink him…or…transfigure him…bring him here."

"What?" Rapunzel asked skeptically.

"We can do that." Jack agreed.

Everyone looked at him questioningly.

"What?" he asked. "Is it better that Toothless comes crashing through the castle to find Hiccup?"

"No, you're right." Astrid agreed with him. "We'll find a way to get him here."

Then she turned to Hiccup.

"Sleep now, Hiccup. You really need the rest…"

Jack wanted to protest…he wanted more answers…he wanted to be around Hiccup more…he wanted to discuss this new, terrifying situation.

But he knew Astrid was right…

Hiccup nodded, green eyes clouded by fatigue.

They all took turns saying goodbye to him and promised him that one of them would always either be in the room or in the room next to this one. Words of love and friendship were spoken, reassuring Hiccup of how much he meant to all of them, how happy they were that he was alive and how they would all be there to help him get through it.

Jack was the last one to approach Hiccup, as the others exited the door, Rapunzel and Fishlegs having just told the Viking they loved him.

He leaned in and very carefully put his arms around Hiccup's neck and hugged him.

"You scared the shit out of me, Hic…" he said softly, while continuing to hug him, letting the familiar warmth and scent of pine comfort him a little. Soft, brown hair tickled the skin on his nose.

"Sorry." Hiccup mumbled.

Jack reluctantly let go of his hold on Hiccup and stood up straight again, looking down at the damaged Ravenclaw.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. I'm just…so relieved you survived…" he spoke softly and sighed. "You mean a lot to me. Don't ever doubt that." he told Hiccup with a small, sad smile.

"I never did." Hiccup said, almost a whisper.

"Good…" Jack replied with a tiny smile tugging at his lips. "Get some sleep, Hic….I'll be back soon."

---

"What the hell are we going to do?"

Astrid's voice was stressed and frustrated. She was pacing around the hospital wing, wringing her hands.

The rest of them were standing still, but everyone was fidgeting in one way or another, unable to keep the stress and worries of the situation out of their body language.

Jack put his hand in his pocket and closed his fingers around Hiccup's wand.

"I don't know…" Fishlegs said, eyes darting around the room in obvious stress.

"Well, something has to be done…" Merida said in a sharp tone of voice that didn't leave room for discussion. "You said the hostile tribes are behind this."

"They are…or at least some of them must be." Astrid said, still pacing around, shoes slamming against stone floor in frustration.

"Must be?" Jack said. "You said they were."

"Yeah well…it's pretty difficult to know if it's all of them or some of them or maybe even just a small, independent group in one of them…they were clever enough to not sign their names or anything else that could identify them." Astrid explained, gesturing with her hands.

"Can't your tribe do something…anything?" Flynn asked Astrid and Fishlegs hopefully.

"Not without knowing more..." Fishlegs said, rubbing one hand over the knuckles of the other, his eyes still red from earlier tears. "We can't really…do anything, when we don't know exactly who has done this to Hiccup."

Jack felt the anger from this whole awful situation bubble in his stomach.

"What do you mean you can't do anything?" Jack asked him, unable to keep the hopelessness out of his voice.

Astrid turned around, stopped pacing and looked at him. "We can't start a war when we don't know if all of the hostile tribes are behind this or if it's one of them acting on their own or if it might even be someone pretending to be the hostile tribes to start a conflict in the archipelago."

Jack scratched his arm. Hard. Passiveness was not an acceptable answer to this situation. Hiccup had been hurt…tortured. He had suffered.

…And Jack was overwhelmingly furious about that.

Of course Astrid was right but…they couldn't just do nothing! They couldn't just…wait for someone to attack Hiccup again. Maybe the next time they would be successful…maybe the next time, Jack would lose him for good.

No. He couldn't allow that to happen.

He clenched his fists.

"But…" Fishlegs started. "We should inform our chief about this and encourage him to call the hostile tribes to a meeting."

"They'll never admit to it, Fish, you know that." Astrid argued, making frustrated gestures with her hands. "It would be unbelievably stupid for them to admit it…that would start a war where Berk and its allies would unite against them, because they've made an open attack on us."

"Yeah, I know that Astrid but maybe it would be possible to get a read on them…try to somehow get an idea of whether they were truly behind this or whether someone is acting on their own or trying to frame them." Fishlegs replied.

Astrid sighed. "Well no matter what, we need to tell the chief about it."

"Yeah…" Fishlegs agreed and nodded. "I'll send a letter to him later."

Astrid nodded as well in reply, her eyes downcast.

"And then what?" Jack asked them, his forehead furrowed. He really tried his best to keep his voice steady and calm, but he knew that he was failing.

He needed to know what was going to happen here. He had no idea how Vikings would handle this sort of thing.

"Then…our chief decides what will be done." Fishlegs told him softly.

"Well, he better do something." Merida said, her blue eyes narrowing a little. "Hiccup was almost killed."

"I don't think anyone has forgotten that, Merida." Astrid said, shooting Merida a stern look. "But what we are going to do here is in the hands of our chief. He's our leader…only he can decide this."

Jack sighed and wrung his hands a little. He didn't know their chief…none of his Viking friends had ever really talked about him, so he didn't know what kind of guy he was but…he better be prepared to take action somehow. Jack knew that Hiccup was very important to his tribe, so maybe the other Vikings would take this attack on him as a personal insult and be ready to find the people who were responsible.

Jack bit his lip.

Something just wasn't right about this. There were still unanswered questions. How did McGowan and Levin even come into contact with the hostile tribes? How did they get into the castle? Zamora couldn't have let them in all by himself, no students knew the weak parts of the castle's defenses…

"We're forgetting something here." Jack told his friends, interrupting Astrid who was arguing with Merida about what should be done about all of this.

"What?" Flynn asked him, as they all turned their heads and observed him.

"Like Rapunzel said before…how did the tribes even get to McGowan and Levin and Zamora? And how did McGowan and Levin get in here? There's just…I can only see one explanation for this." he said and bit his lip once more.

"What?" Astrid asked, forehead furrowed.

"There has to be someone inside the castle who helped them…someone who knows the castle well, knows potential holes in its defenses or secret entrances or something like that. Someone who also has some kind of connection to the archipelago…there's no other way. McGowan and Levin and Zamora wouldn't be clever enough to do this on their own and there has to be some kind of link between them and the tribes…someone who knew that Hiccup had made enemies here at the castle that they could use to get to him." Jack explained, gesturing with his hands to do something non-destructive to express all the frustration that was swirling inside him.

Astrid nodded, her eyebrows lowered and her lips a thin line. "I think you're right, Jack. It's the only thing that makes sense… I just…have no idea who."

"Me neither." he replied, almost a whisper. Then he clenched his fists. "But we need to protect Hiccup. He should never be alone until we know who's behind this." he told them with no room for discussion.

His friends all nodded or hummed in agreement right away with determination shining in their eyes. They were clearly all on the same page.

"Why would the hostile tribes even begin to attack Hiccup here?" Mavis asked Astrid and Fishlegs.

Astrid sighed and let her hands grip onto the blonde braid that was resting on one of her shoulders.

"They believe that Hiccup is a threat to them." she began to explain. "He knows more about training dragons than anyone else, he rides the rarest and most feared dragon species and he's the one who brought peace between Vikings and dragons and turned almost everyone on Berk into a dragon rider. Because we have our dragons we have a serious advantage over other tribes, so those who disagree with us and wants to keep killing the dragons and selling off their parts…they feel threatened by that…so to weaken us, they want to take out Hiccup…his and Toothless' friendship is a symbol to everyone in the archipelago that Vikings can co-exist with dragons and everyone knows who they are. If they destroy that symbol…it will make us more vulnerable, because we wouldn't just lose the person with the most knowledge about training dragons but also the person who made everything possible in the first place…it will make our tribe hurt and it might even strain our relationship with our allies because Hiccup was the one who convinced them that they should stop killing the dragons…They've tried to get to Hiccup several times back home but he's always either with Toothless or with other Vikings, he's never really alone in the archipelago outside of Berk…but here…he's alone here. I thought he would always be safe here because the castle's protected but…I was wrong." Astrid finished explaining, speaking softly at the end of the sentence, her blue eyes gleaming with regret.

Jack could tell she was blaming herself for this, just like he was. Of course he knew that it wasn't any of their faults…they couldn't have known this would happen but still…Jack wanted to protect Hiccup and he felt like he had failed at that.

Hiccup wasn't some kid who needed to be watched over or rescued, he was strong and resilient but even so…Jack just felt that protective instinct bubble inside him. He wanted to shield Hiccup from anything that could potentially hurt him, even though he knew that was impossible.

"It wasn't your fault, Astrid." Rapunzel said softly as she moved to Astrid's side and stroked one of her arms gently.

"I know…" Astrid said, almost inaudibly, before meeting Rapunzel's eyes and giving her a tiny smile. "I just wish I could have done something."

"We all do…" Rapunzel replied, as a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. Her green eyes were still puffy from crying. "But this is no one's fault but those monsters who did this to Hiccup."

"We need to tell Headmaster Lunar…" Flynn started to say. "About the things Hiccup's told us...and about the possibility that someone inside the castle helped them. He'll need to know."

"Yeah." Jack said and everyone else nodded in reply. "And there's something else we need to discuss too…" he told them.

"What do you mean?" Rapunzel asked and trained her red, puffy eyes on him.

"What the hell we are going to do to help Hiccup deal with this." he said softly.

---

Cupboards full of medical supplies, potions and salves. Small privacy screens in that sickening green color. Three hospital beds with sterile, white bedspread and charts hanging in front. Small tables by the end of the beds for visitors to leave cards and candy and other expressions of caring and well-wishing.

What do you give to someone who's been tortured? A fucking card or a teddy bear isn't going to make anything better.

The small room was dark except for one small lamp on the nightstand, bathing the sleeping dragon rider's face in a soft, faint light.

Jack sat on a chair next to Hiccup's bed, observing the sleeping brunet. Their friends had all gone to bed, exhausted by the day's traumatic events. He'd offered to stay by Hiccup's side throughout the night, while the others got some sleep. No one truly wanted to leave Hiccup but none of them were super humans…they would all need sleep and food at some point.

Despite being incredibly tired from all the emotional distress today, Jack would not be able to sleep even if he went to bed. He didn't want to leave the guy he loved right now…even if one of their friends would be here instead of him. He just…needed to watch over Hiccup. Make sure that he was safe and sound. That nothing else would hurt him.

Astrid and Rapunzel had gotten Toothless after they were finished discussing everything with him and the others. They had chosen the option of transfiguring him into a black cat and brought him to Hiccup's room. Toothless had instantly meowed in concern when he had seen his damaged friend and then he had curled up next to Hiccup's face, obviously guarding him while he was sleeping. Since then, the cat had not moved. He continued to just stay next to Hiccup, watching over him just like Jack was doing.

He glanced around the small room. At least Hiccup could be in a room for himself and not in one of the beds in the main room, where other students could be admitted and invade his privacy. But on the other hand…Hiccup was so seriously injured that he needed all the peace and quiet and rest he could get, so it was an obvious decision to let him have his own room.

As Jack once again rested his eyes on the large cupboard in the corner filled with medical supplies, he found himself thinking how much he loathed hospitals and everything related to it. Most people saw it as a place of healing. He saw it as a place of death. A place of grief and suffering.

…and today had been too close. A few minutes later and Hiccup could have died. Jack could have lost yet another person he loved and he wasn't sure at all if he could have dealt with that or if he would have crumbled completely.

Jack clenched his jaw, as he turned his head and trained his blue eyes on Hiccup's sleeping form.

Those fucking bastards…they had hurt Hiccup in god knows what horrific ways…Jack still didn't know exactly what they'd done to him but…worst case scenarios were going through his mind, making the nausea churn horribly inside him.

God, he hoped that Hiccup wouldn't sink into depression from this.

He knew that Hiccup would make it through it eventually…that he would be okay at some point but…when? How long would it take? How much suffering would he have to go through? Would he try to push his friends away?

Hiccup wasn't a victim. On the contrary…he never wanted pity or attention to his problems and right now…that meant Jack was worrying that he might try to go through all of this alone, even though his friends were all ready to help with all the support in the world. The calmness he had seen in Hiccup's eyes when they had talked to him when he woke up…Jack found it eerie. Of course he knew that Hiccup was exhausted and in pain but…somehow it still wasn't the reaction he had expected.

Hiccup suddenly turned in his sleep and Jack furrowed his forehead, watching him intently for any shift in Hiccup's expressions. Toothless lifted his black head and observed Hiccup for a little while. Hiccup continued sleeping peacefully though, so Jack relaxed a little again and Toothless rested his head on the mattress once more.

He knew that Hiccup would get as much time off from school as he needed to heal both physically and emotionally. At least that was something...

Headmaster Lunar had made a brief appearance in the hospital wing later that evening, when Jack and the others had moved on to discussing how they could support Hiccup.

Their headmaster had given them all a week off from classes with the option of getting more time off if they needed it, seeing as how serious this situation was and what kind of emotional damage it could leave on all of them. They explained their thoughts to their headmaster and he had agreed with their theory that someone with extensive knowledge of the castle had to have helped McGowan and Levin get in. Professor Lunar gave them his word that he would get to the bottom of it and that the person or persons responsible would be brought to justice. It was clear to Jack that their Headmaster took it as a personal offense that someone had hurt one of his students, which only made Jack's opinion of the tall, pale, white-haired man even better than it already was.

Jack sighed to himself and let his palms slide down his face. He trained his blue eyes on Hiccup once again.

Hiccup seemed calm right now. His face was relaxed and he inhaled and exhaled evenly, lips slightly parted.

That was good.

Jack had been here for hours just watching him sleep. He didn't know what time it was but he knew it was in the middle of the night. Once in a while, Hiccup would squirm in his sleep and mumble words or make pained sounds. Then Jack would place himself on the side of the bed and whisper soothing words and stroke Hiccup's hair gently until Hiccup was calm again.

He couldn't stand hearing those pained noises…seeing Hiccup's face contort in distress…hearing him saying words, mostly in Old Norse, that were clearly an expression of experiencing something horrible.

He sighed once more.

All he wanted was to make Hiccup's pain go away…to help him…to soothe his mind…to hold him and let him know that everything would be okay…that he would always be there for him no matter what.

He loved him so much it almost hurt.

…and he would let him know that. Soon. The time of keeping his feelings inside was over. Once Hiccup had had a little time to heal, he would tell him how much he meant to him.

He would put his heart in Hiccup's hands…and desperately hope that Hiccup wouldn't smash it to pieces.

Author's note:

- I know that Hiccup didn't invent his wing-suit until HTTYD 2 but in this fic he's invented it earlier than that…just because I felt like putting in some extra awesomeness.

- And I know that what happened to Hiccup (AND Jack and their friends too for that matter) was horrible but in life, sometimes horrible things happen to good people and I don't want to write a story that's all sunshine and rainbows, because life isn't a fairy tale.

- The name of the chapter is a line from the song "What Sarah Said" by Death Cab for Cutie.