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Hiccup Haddock and the Triwizard Tournament - Chapter 01

Summary: Hiccup, Merida, Jack and Rapunzel all arrive back at Hogwarts thinking that their 5th year would be just like any other for them; filled with trouble, mischief, and a need to study for their exams - and OWLs, this time around. However, this year, Hogwarts will instead be hosting the re-instated Triwizard Tournament. With the impending arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, who will be chosen as the school champions? What difference will having the tournament running throughout the year have on our heroes' education? What alterations to the format have the Ministry put into effect? Will there be love in the air? And how many snowball fights can Jack Frost get himself caught up in (see; instigate)?

Chapter/s: 01 of ??

AN: And it's finally ready! Yes, this is what I had been working on on stream.

So, when I started off writing, I ended up in a group called The G.M.A.D. which was born during the height of the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons fandom - I now lead the group, but that's another story. So, let's head back to where it all began.

Now, to nip the obvious bit in the bud right out of the gate, just because I'm doing a HP AU does not mean that I agree with or subscribe to any of JK Rowling's opinions/beliefs. This was simply an idea I had that I really wanted to write. Nothing more. While I'm sure many of you are mature enough to realise that, I just wanted to make sure it's known in case there's some knee-jerk reactions incoming, seeing as some people do have a problem with it.

And, with that out of the way, I think we can probably jump right into the first chapter from here. Or you can go read it on AO3 or FFN if that suits you better. There'll be some other stuff I'll talk about at the end, but for now enjoy!

*****

Chapter 01 – Back To Hogwarts

The Hogwarts Express chugs along the rail tracks, puffing out smoke from its engine as it hurtles onwards. Within one of the carriages, three adolescent wizarding students sit inside the same cabin. Three close friends who have – despite their previous four years together at Hogwarts have been involved in a veritable swarm of misadventures and misfortune the likes of which few witches and wizards would dare dream of encountering within their entire lifetime.

The first of the two witches – Rapunzel – can be easily identified from her incredibly long golden hair cascading down her back. In this case, not only does it flow down her back separating her from the soft sapphire blue cushions behind her, it cascades under her forming an additional cushion for her seat before pooling by her feet in a great heap. Her charcoal grey robes hug to her, with just the fleeting sight of her white tunic beneath the robes poking out at her manubrium. Wrapped around her neck in a tight hug and covering most of her exposed white tunic is her house scarf, the gentle honeyed yellow stripes and soft warm brown tones of Hufflepuff.

The sole male in the carriage – one Jack Frost – has shockingly white hair, white as powdered snow across an empty field with just a hint of darkening sleet grey. His Hogwarts outer robe has been discarded, flung into the empty seat of their carriage, leaving him in his white button up shirt – with the sleeves rolled up just below his armpits and jet black pants. Snaking around his neck – contrasting from his friend's honey-yellow and warm brown stripes – is a tie striped with emerald green and frosted white, the colours of his nominated house of Slytherin.

The third of the students in the carriage – and the second witch – like her fellow witch can be most easily noticed by her hair. A great frizzy mane of scarlet curls can only be attributed to Merida, heiress of the pure-blood DunBroch family. While not completely forsaking the overcoat of her robes like Jack, they do hang much looser than Rapunzel's, leaving more of her white button up exposed. For her, it's all the easier for her to not only shoot her bow, currently slung over her shoulder and handcrafted by her father, but also far more freeing to ride and be herself – accursed memories of her mother stringing up her corset far too tightly and insisting she be dressed as an heiress of her stature should be dressed spring to mind. Like her friends, the scarf bathed in her house colours is slung around her neck, though instead of the honeyed yellow of Hufflepuff and the glinting emerald green of Slytherin, her tie carries the vibrant crimson slash and proud golden stripes of Gryffindor. Also, in a mismatch to her female friend, instead of incorporating the traditional female attire of a long plain skirt to cover her legs, she instead matches Jack with a pair of jet black trousers. Finally, strewn across her chest, bound by a thick strap of leather, is a quiver bound by an undetectable extension charm heavily filled with a variety of hand crafted and fired awry arrows.

The redhead in question lets out a rather audible groan as Jack, chuckling to himself, breathes out a chilly breath from his mouth and ices up their carriage window. Perching up on his toes on the hand rest, he starts to trace different designs into the frosted window, starting with a standard snowflake.

“Havenae you had enough actin' like a feral child?” Merida growls at him.

Jack pauses his tracing and looks over his shoulder, maintaining his squat on the hand rest.

“Oh, like you're one to talk about a feral child. I know what you and your brothers get up to.

“Oh really?” Merida shoots back. “Me and ma brothers?”

“Oh sure. It's not like the Great Bear Chase of '99 will be instantly forgotten,” Jack remarks with a chuckle, ignoring the pointed glare Merida fixes him with. “Not when the entire castle went chasing shadows into the depths of the wine cellar. Remind me, how long was it before your father limped out of there?”

“Not long enough for me tae forget that it was you who suggested that plan to them, ye' little git!”

Merida lunges at Jack, only for the intrinsically talented snow-mage to leap over her charge – making her slam head first into the frosted window with a frustrated and painful groan while the chuckling Jack lands gracefully perched onto another hand rest.

“Hey, guys, maybe you should give it a rest,” Rapunzel suggests, albeit making sure she's safely away from her friend's squabbles. “Besides, we're almost there. And then we can say hello to Hiccup!”

At her excitement, Merida breaks her glare at Jack and sags into her newly acquired seat with a huff, mumbling to herself, “Yeah, while you try hard tae look for the latest Prince Charmin' to give ye' a letter …”

“What was that?”

While Rapunzel herself genuinely seems to be oblivious to Merida's insinuations and asking an innocent question, Pascal – her pet chameleon that she's been sneaking into Hogwarts every year in light of their strict recommendations of magical animal pets – clambers out of Rapunzel's scarf and squints at Merida, jabbing at its eyes to hers,before pounding a small fist into its' hand.

“Nothin'!” Merida chuckles, avoiding her eyes as she takes in Pascal. “Nothin' at all!”

Jack chuckles and back-flips forwards into his new seat, leaning back with his head held in his hands.

“Well, maybe I should take back that feral child bit,” he starts, “when it comes to you, at least.”

With a growl Merida darts forwards, holding her fist right up to the face of the prankster.

“Tell me, does Mister Gobber know ye're the reason his favourite peg leg shattered durin' the Snoggletog holidays?” she presses, raising her eyebrow towards him as her hand inches closer to his jaw. “Snap-frozen, was it?”

“Oh Jack ...” Rapunzel whispers, cupping her hands to her mouth in genuine shock. “You didn't ...”

“Not at all!” he exclaims, before pointing towards Merida. “This psycho-!”

At this, Merida thrusts her fist even closer to his face – to the point it just makes contact with his jaw before the white haired boy flinches back.

“I-I mean, it was a simple accident!” Jack insists, pointing a hand to Merida. “One this one knew better than to instigate.”

“Merida?!” Rapunzel asks in shock, turning her attention to the Scottish heiress.

“Oh for- A' did nothin'!”

“Yep, nothing,” Jack echoes, his voice dripping in sarcasm as his composure appears to quickly return. “Nothing at all.”

“A' swear, Frost-”

“Didn't even mention shattering the poor thing,” he bluntly adds with a smirk.

“Merida!” Rapunzel exclaims, jumping to her feet with her hands on her hips.

Merida backs up at this, throwing her hands up in a surrendering fashion. As she's focused on Rapunzel, she misses Jack's sly look over his shoulder as he slides back down into his seat, making himself comfortable by resting his now noticeably bare feet on the empty seat across from him containing his discarded robes.

“A' didnae tell him to shatter his peg leg!” Merida proclaims, only to have the dramatically long-haired blonde fix her with a look. “A' didn't!”

“No, but you did wonder what his moustache and hook would look like if it had icicles growing from them,” Jack teasingly adds on. “You said so yourself.”

“Just because ye' asked doesnae mean-”

Merida's protests are cut off as Jack hurls a freshly formed snowball from behind his back into her, smacking her dead in the face and flinging her back into the rich blue cushioned rest. Rapunzel snorts back a laugh as Merida sits forward, her frizzy red hair pulled over her face.

“Fine, ye' wanna play, Jack?” Merida growls.

At her friends' antics, Rapunzel rolls her eyes before glancing out of the frosted window, her brow furrowing as she thinks she spies a few recognisable shapes through the chill. “Uh … Guys?”

“Of course I do! I'm always playing!” Jack exclaims, either completely ignoring or missing Rapunzel's words.

It appears that Merida too has missed Rapunzel's words, as she stares down Jack with a glare and taunts, “Then let's play, s'no-balls!”

With that she lunges at Jack, grabbing the white-haired boy by the collar in an attempt to pin him beneath her. At first, it seems like she has him with the firm grip she has on his clean snow-white shirt, until he somehow finds the space to roll through and pin Merida beneath him. Without raising his wand Jack blows from his mouth a very chilly breeze, pushing pack Merida's frizzy hair and freezing her strands back against gravity. Rapunzel has to stifle a laugh back by cradling her beautiful long hair into her hands and cupping it to her mouth while Merida's eyes shoot up to her hairline, teeth chattering from the temperature drop.

“O-Oh,” the Scottish heiress chatters, her teeth clattering together, “th-that i-is i-it!”

She manages to get her centre of gravity up under his frame and lifts the lanky boy up before shoving him off, making him crash into the door frame with a sickening thud. Frost is left on his own to reach back, rubbing and gently prodding the back of his head for any signs of trauma.

“Ow!”

“There's more where that came from, ye' little snowflake!”

Despite having already knocked Jack off his seat onto the ground, Merida leaps from her own chair onto Jack, grabbing his collar and shaking him around as his head bounces off the wooden architecture.

“Hey, guys?” Rapunzel tries again, seemingly ignored by Merida who's got Jack trapped inside her grip, and Jack who's struggling at the very least for his own breath, let alone his own freedom. Regardless, neither of them appear to have heard her, as Merida continues to bobble his head around despite his best efforts to grab at her frizzy hair stuck out everywhere.

“Ye'! Must! Stop! Tryin'! Tae! Play! Pranks!” Merida shouts, shaking his head on each and every forceful word. Only once her last word is spoken and she lets up her skull rattling shakes does Jack have a chance to respond., with an ever-so-subtle glance towards her shoulder.

“Aw, but Pascal loves them so.”

Merida pauses at this just long enough for Pascal – who had invisibly crawled up onto her shoulder – to fire out its tongue into her ear, making her shriek and clamp down on the offending orifice. As she reaches for her ear, the release of weight lets the prankster sit up with a chuckle, only for Pascal to then shoot his tongue out at him. Unfortunately for both, instead of landing his tongue into a less sensitive spot, the tip of Pascal's tongue lands itself into Jack's eye, causing him to lash out with a cry, flinging the offender off somewhere else into the cabin.

“Tha' bloody snake!” Merida shouts with a hand to her ear.

“You know Pascal's a chameleon,” Rapunzel points out.

“A' dinnae care!” Merida exclaims, rubbing her ear. “A'm gonna kill it!”

“And I'm gonna let her!” Jack adds on, his hand rubbing deeply into his eye.

Rapunzel gasps and cups her hands to her chest, with a quivering Pascal suddenly appearing in them.

“You'd never hurt Pascal!”

“Try me!” the Scottish heiress and the snow-touched boy shout simultaneously.

Together they both stand and make a move towards Pascal, with Rapunzel cradling the chameleon ever closer to herself. Suddenly, before the troublemakers can make a move, the loud whistle of the Hogwarts Express thunders overhead

“All students departing for Hogwarts!” Gobber's voice bellows from beyond their carriage. “Hogwarts is our only and final stop!”

Jack and Merida glance towards the carriage aisle as Rapunzel quickly darts her hands containing Pascal behind her back, letting the chameleon latch itself into her unnecessarily long blonde hair. By the time the two turn back to her, Pascal has all but disappeared to their eyes.

“Tha' damn weasel!” Merida exclaims in frustration.

“Don't you mean snake?” Jack interjects.

“The only snake around here is you!”

“Says the woman who wanted to curse Astrid's broom to beat herself over the head just so she could get the Chaser's spot!” Jack points out, although he is met with a growl from the Scottish archer.

“Uh … guys?” Rapunzel tries to jump in, her attention fixed outside their exterior window. However, to her discredit, neither Jack nor Merida appear to hear her, with Merida instead choosing to continue arguing with Jack.

“A' did no such thin'!”

“Though you're not denying you thought about it, eh?” Jack retorts with a smirk.

“Doesnae matter. A' still got ma' spot over that she-devil,” Merida huffs, folding her arms over her chest as she lets loose a puff of air to blow her frizzy hair away from her face. “And before her too.”

“Guys?!” Rapunzel loudly exclaims, fixing them both with a glare.

Both Jack and Merida turn towards their friend as she sheepishly glances out the window, already standing up from her seat and bundling her hair up, threading her hair through a number of hair ties that grow larger and larger with each segment added to each other – gathering five tied sections and folding them over before repeating the process. As the two look out, the train finishes pulling up at Hogwarts Station, there already being a large amount of people wandering around out on the station outside.

“Oh Gods!” Merida exclaims, her hands shooting up and gripping deep within her scarlet curls.

“By the Moon, we're here!” Jack shouts just after her, jumping to his feet in a fit as he glances around for his minuscule belongings.

The two start to quickly try and grab whatever they've got strewn around the cabin, with some of their belongings – and in Jack's case, his shoes – left laying here, there and everywhere. Rapunzel smiles and rolls her eyes in good nature, handing Merida an askew arrow which is swiftly added to her enchanted quiver. Rapunzel gets up and grabs the small satchel she brought along with her, filled with her paints and drawings along with a book or two, before making her way ahead of her two friends, her hair having been bundled up off the ground in a big pendulous mass of hair and hair ties bunched up, folded over, tied again, and so on till it left the ground.

“She really needs a better way o' dealin’ wi' her hair,” Merida pauses from packing up as she glances at Rapunzel leaving, the big mass of hair swinging back and forth with each step.

Jack initially nods at this before his brow furrows, his cool hand reaching across to thread one of Merida's long ginger curls through the digit and holding it in front of her face, his expression screaming, “Like you're one to talk.”

This in turn causes Merida to slap his hand away and free her curl. The two seem ready to get back to arguing, until a reptilian creaking comes from the door. As they glance at the sound – and Rapunzel leaving – Pascal reappears on her shoulder, giving them both the eye and staring them down. The two look to one another before continuing their jostling as they finish packing up their small belongings, still bumping against one another as they step off the train. While to others, it may seem rough, neither of them minded – Merida with her three brothers all raring and willing to mess up everything they possibly can at a moments notice at home, and Jack with his long running and now infamous mischievous streak to rival even the legendary Thorston twins – it was naught but a splash in a puddle to them.

With their items all gathered up, the three made their way off the train and onto the platform, immediately coming face-to-face with the many bustling students crowding along the station. All looking for their way up to school, from the 7th years on the cusp of wizarding adulthood only with only one final year left to grow up, to the many new small first years – fresh faced and lost with no way of knowing where to go. That is, until the off-key hollering of Professor Gobber grabs the wee flagons' attention, the children following his calls towards the one-armed and one-legged teacher.

Despite the heavy throng, the three 5th years manage to manoeuvre their way through the crowd – partially thanks to Merida dragging Jack in the right direction as he dances between students young and elder, even hollering out to a young first-year named Jamie before quickly losing sight of him, until all three came before the fourth member of their frankly infamous quartet. From staring down Gobber's grumpy and otherwise extremely drowsy three-headed dog named Dogmatix, to exonerating Flynn Rider, or Eugene Fitzherbert as Rapunzel alone knew him as, the four of them had quite a reputation.

Notwithstanding the lone reputation already of the boy before them – with only one leg of flesh and bone remaining while the other crafted of metallic springs, latices and other implements that many in the wizarding world would regard as Muggle-tech, and the story of his survival against the dreaded dragon conqueror to which his famed missing phantom limb is associated, one Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. His woollen charcoal sweater hangs loosely over his limber stature, with the slightly askew hem of his white button-up poking out beneath the crimson sweater lining, the collar also poking out at the neck. Wrapped round his neck and with the knot showcased between the shirt collar and sweater fabric is a tie matching the

Upon seeing the skinny brunette, Rapunzel immediately squeals and dashes forwards, her house scarf trailing behind her as she leaps forwards into him and crushes him in a tight hug.

“Hiccup!”

To his credit, his false leg is able to take the brunt of the weight as the long haired blonde wraps her arms around his neck and swings through with a delighted hum, the crafted supporter latching into step as she swings him around. Both Jack and Merida can't help but laugh as they take in Rapunzel's enthusiastic greeting, along with Hiccup's trepidatious reaction.

“Careful, careful …”

Rapunzel lets go at his pained wince, instead bringing her hands to her face. “Ooh, sorry! I wasn't even thinking!”

“It's alright,” Hiccup assures her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don't worry about it.”

That in turn brings forth the Jorgenson heir to interject with an overly hearty laugh. “Yeah, don't worry!”

Snotlout gives a particularly pointed barge into Hiccup from behind as he walks by, grouped along with his normal group of the Thorston twins, Fishlegs and Astrid. “It's not like he'll need that dumb leg this year anyway.”

He chuckles as he walks away, as does the twins, though they seem to be laughing for the sake of it rather than knowing if Snotlout's insinuating anything. As it is, their laughter does turn genuine rather quickly as Astrid quickly elbows him in the gut, making the Slytherin snake double over in pain. Admiring her handiwork with a satisfied smile, Astrid's pink lips swiftly downturn to a frown as she looks over to Merida.

“DunBroch.”

“Hofferson.”

The group of five friends despite being across in different houses – with Snotlout proudly bearing the house tie and scarf of Slytherin, Fishlegs clinging to his deep royal Ravenclaw blue, and Astrid and the twins sharing Merida's scarlet red and golden stripes of Gryffindor, all having grown up in the island village of Berk – begin to walk away from the gathered four. While Astrid walks with a commanding presence, Snotlout continues to gingerly rub his gut with a grumble while the twins continue to cackle over his misfortune, adding some friendly yet forceful slaps to the back of his head and neck. Fishlegs, rounding out the group, gives them a little wave as he shuffles past before following on after the others, putting his head back down into his new thick school textbook – Hiccup noticing the deep crimson cover and surmising it to be one of the new books they would need for the Care of Magical Creatures this year – Weighing the Scales of Dragonology

Merida watches them go with a huff as she glares in their direction, “Guess it was too much tae hope for them tae have grown up at all over the break?”

“To be fair, Fishlegs is harmless, and the twins are good fun.” Jack responds, springing to their aid. At least, until his face sours. “But Snotlout? Yeah, that'd be giving him too much credit.”

With that the frostborn haired human turns to the one legged wizard and flings out a hand to his head. “How's it going, kid?”

“Kid?” Hiccup presses. “I'm only a couple of months younger than you.”

“Yeah, and just as adorable to match,” Jack replies with a smirk, sending out a hand over to Hiccup's head and ruffling his hand from his mop of tousled brown hair that has grown thicker and fuller over the years they have known one another. Hiccup's head is pushed down by Jack's hand before he reaches up and brushes his hand away.

“So, what was that about ye' no' needin' ya' leg this year?” Merida tacks on, jabbing a thumb in the direction of Snotlout's retreating form.

Hiccup glances down at his prosthetic – the one his father initially insisted he take instead of living metal by order of the chief – not that Hiccup wanted it anyway – he far more preferred the intricate nature of his missing metal limb than having to be adorned with a living metal, or deal with people telling him how he should his innate knowledge.

“Ah,” Hiccup spurs, not taking his eyes off of his missing limb. “I'm not entirely sure, though I'd say it's to do with some event happening here this year.”

“Your father didn't tell you anything?” Rapunzel asks, stepping beyond the other two of their friend group. To that, Hiccup can't begin to look any of them in their eye, instead withdrawing within himself as several others stride forwards before even a whisper of what they may have to do is presented before them. All Hiccup can do is gather his own heart and look towards Rapunzel to further press.

“When does my father tell me anything?”

His three friends grimace and look at one another. All three were rather familiar with Stoick's stern streak when it came to running the school – as well as what he thought was the best way to toughen Hiccup up. Apparently keeping his son in the dark about major school events still falls in line with his ideology.

“Though, I assume it must be big,” he continues, his eyes darting in the direction of the retreating Berkians.

“What tells ye' that?” Merida asks, stepping up next to the famous Haddock youth.

“Surely Snotlout's gloating,” Jack scoffs, following Hiccup's glance with a rather cold look. “I'd wager Professor Spitelout knows and made sure his boy does too. Whatever helps get the Jorgenson's an upper hand.”

Indeed, Professor Spitelout Jorgenson has shown a tendency during their schooling years to display not just a great deal of pride for the house he was once a part of, and now the Head of – Slytherin.

Indeed, each of them could recall several occasions during their schooling years of Professor Spitelout Jorgenson showing not just a great deal of pride for the accolades of the students of Slytherin – the house he was once in and now was now Head of – but also shown a tendency to favour said house with an array of points gifted towards his students, whilst also being harsher towards everyone else with points deductions and punishments. And, while older students had informed them that this behaviour wasn't unusual from Spitelout even before they arrived, according to them his bias has only deepened since they had joined.

Of course, many would reasonably believe that this was in no small part to his own son Snotlout becoming enrolled in the school and placed in Slytherin. After all, Snotlout did show and emulate many of the same prideful and ambitious qualities that his father has in spades. However, Hiccup had also overheard whispers that Spitelout could also be rather harsh on his son, showing him less favour and pushing him to prove himself again and again – a tough love streak that may be shared by his own father, Stoick. Although in Stoick's case it could be an even poorer look if the Headmaster showed a great deal of favour to their own child. Hiccup also had a sneaking suspicion that his own arrival at the school played a part in Spitelout's growing favouritism as well, if his own father's complaints had anything to go by.

*****

“Argh, blast that Spitelout! Always trying to challenge my authority! Push his own ideas!” Hiccup could remember Stoick complaining at home during the summer holidays over a flagon of honeyed mead. “Probably thinks he should be Headmaster! I know that look in his eyes!”

He'd drain the remnants of his drink – just filled at that, too – before slamming the vessel down a little too hard on the dining table.

“Acting all high and mighty because Slytherin has won the House Cup the last ten years … bah! He's just sore he could never take the Cup away from us Gryffindor's when we were students!”

Stoick'd beat his fist against his chest proudly at that before turning to face the young Hiccup.

“When you get to Hogwarts, son, you'd best win that House Cup,” he'd said sternly, mayhaps even a little more threateningly than he'd intended. Nevertheless, to a young Hiccup it'd just made him feel all the smaller for it. “Take it away from that boar and wipe that smirk from his face.”

Thankfully, that had finally been achieved last year when Gryffindor snatched the House Cup away from Slytherin, finally breaking their 11 year reign with the trophy. With their first three years Hiccup couldn't help see his father's wish through, with Stoick's scowl sinking deeper and Spitelout's pride growing ever greater. But, during their fourth year, a combination of tinkering on behalf of several of the other Professor's to undo some of Spitelout's bias along with Gryffindor winning the Inter-House Quidditch Cup gave them the points to finally end Slytherin's reign – a victory brought about by not just having both Astrid and Merida in the team instead of just one (not that either of them would admit it) to push their whole squad along, but also made all the sweeter by their final victory being over Slytherin themselves. Not even Spitelout's rather blatant attempts to dock Gryffindor points in the last couple of weeks in the school year could undo Gryffindor's eventual win, with even Stoick himself subtly undoing his work to prevent a rather unjust result.

*****

“That, and my dad's been out of the house a lot, recently,” Hiccup notes as he nods along with Jack's statement. “I've barely seen him around the last two months. And when I did arrive here, Gobber's been avoiding me like the plague.”

Rapunzel hums as her hand comes up to her chin, her finger resting on it thoughtfully. “That doesn't sound like Gobber.”

“Ah, he's probably just tryin' tae avoid spilling the beans,” Merida reasons, dismissing their concern with a wave of her shooting hand. “The man couldnae keep a secret tae save his hand.”

At that, Gobber starts to walk past leading the first years across the station. At the sight of Jack, Merida and Rapunzel, Gobber gives them a wave with his hook. However, when his eyes lock onto Hiccup's, the blacksmith and Care of Magical Creatures professor freezes with a yelp and quickly hides his hook behind his neck. This in turn brings out a pained cry from Stoick's right hooked man as the point jabs into the back of his neck. Rapunzel for her part winces at the sharp jab. Her sincerity isn't quite replicated by the two troublemakers of the group, with a low chuckle spilling from Jack's mouth, while Merida stifles her laugh behind her hands. A few little giggles and laughs add into their noise, with Gobber turning on his heel to find many of the first years amused by his plight – though some do look concerned to their credit. Among the laughing group is the young boy Jamie that Jack had called out earlier to – the prankster shooting out a quick wink to his young friend.

“Come on, you lot!” Gobber grumbles, waving the first years forwards with the offending hook. “Don't want to be late for your first day! Stoick'd never let me hear the end of it ...”

Muttering that last line under his breath, he starts to limp forwards – pointedly avoiding Hiccup's hurt look as he continues along the station in the direction the four knew from their own initiation to Hogwarts met the long winding dirt trail towards the enchanted sailor-less boats. The first years follow on, first at a trickle before the large swath moves together. Jamie shoots a questioning look at Jack as he shuffles past in the crowd. Jack only answers with a nod and a shooing action, leaving Jamie to turn around as the two near-identical looking boys next to him chatter excitedly amongst themselves and to the young boy from Burgess.

“Seems like only yesterday that that was us, eh?” Rapunzel wistfully remarks, watching the first-years with a warm smile.

Jack's brow furrows a little as he glances at her. “Weren't you telling us some kid nearly knocked Pascal overboard when he bounced off your shoulder onto her face?”.

“Pascal didn't mean it!” Rapunzel defensively cries out, reaching up to her shoulders to cradle the chameleon in question in her hands. “Didn't you, boy?”

Pascal pauses for a moment, looking as if trying to recall the moment, before giving a slight shrug. Rapunzel hums softly at that, returning him to her shoulder. As she does, her gaze catches Hiccup as he shuffles his feet, looking down from the direction Gobber hobbled off in with a tightened twinge of hurt in his eyes.

“Oh, Hiccup ...” the girl with extremely long golden hair puts a hand on his shoulder. “You know it's nothing personal, right? Gobber wouldn't do this to hurt you.”

“Yeah, but would he do it because my dad doesn't want me to know?”

Her face hardens a little at his question – as does the grip on his shoulder. Unbeknownst to them both, Merida comes across and gives him a slap across the back, staggering the lithe wizard over from her forceful hit.

“Ow!” Hiccup shouts out as he starts to rub his shoulder near where he was hit. “Ah … Why is it always violence with you?”

“You try livin' wi' three tykes that'll never listen tae ye',” the DunBroch heiress answers with a smirk and a shrug, as if that should explain it. That smirk however quickly drops as she hears the chuckle of the white-haired prankster – one laced with a hint of something beyond amusement.

“And you say that you and Astrid aren't alike,” Jack teases warmly, a finger pointing towards Merida and the direction the Hofferson witch left. “Slapping Hiccup's back, elbowing Snotlout's gut …”

At each example, Jack uses his hands as if to weigh their respective actions, eventually settling them at about even as he watches his friend with a grin. Merida's face grows red at that and she stomps towards Frost, who – in the face of the oncoming storm – tilts his amused grinning head to one side and leans back on his heels, sliding his hands into his pockets with the thumbs resting outside.

Sensing the potential danger their coming together could bring, no doubt reinforced by previous clashes between the two by any number of teasing and pranks that just had to be avenged right then and there, Rapunzel steps away from Hiccup's side to intercept the two of them. With the three of his friend's attention on them and away from himself, the young Haddock's growing blush thankfully went unnoticed. His eyes seem to grow a little distant as the hand that was gingerly rubbing his shoulder slides down to gently brush his forearm, the image of his blossoming crush filling his mind.

“We're no' alike!” Merida shouts, jabbing her finger in Jack's direction as her flustered voice barely breaks through Hiccup's daze. “You take that back!”

She lashes out an arm towards him in an attempt to grab Frost, fully intending to grab him by the scruff of his button-up so he couldn't escape. However, her outstretched hand – quite adept at catching and throwing Quaffles with considerable ease – catches nothing but air as Jack gracefully avoids her with a spin and a charming laugh, darting deeper into the crowd of students.

“Come on!” he shouts back, waving them onwards towards him. “Let's grab our stuff and make for the carriages! If we're lucky, we'll get one to ourselves!”

With another laugh Jack disappears through the crowd, dancing through the bustling bodies as if he was the wind, making no contact with anyone. Merida growls in annoyance and takes off after him, noticeably lacking the grace and ease that Jack possesses with his feet as she jostles up against some students in her hurry – it not taking long for her to accidentally knock one over which causes her to apologise profusely. Rapunzel starts to follow after them before coming to a stop and suddenly spinning round – causing her bundle of hair to swing out wide and softly bounce into a couple of students. She offers them a quick apology and a wave, using her arm to bring the swinging hair back into place behind her and to stop its swaying, before glancing towards who she had been looking for in the first place. Hiccup had yet to move from his spot, still gently rubbing his arm as he stares off into space – not even noticing that two of his friends had gone off. In fact, he was so lost in his head he didn't even notice Rapunzel coming back up to him till her head had dropped directly into his eyeline, her wide green eyes directly staring into his own green eyes.

“Hiccup?”

Hiccup jumps and his head darts around, catching a few odd looks at his behaviour from passing students as he starts to stammer. “What?! I-I'm here! Yo- Wha-?”

As his thoughts return to the here and now, his gaze returns to Rapunzel's and he freezes, her once querying expression having morphed into a knowing look. His face heats up once more as he smacks his palm into his forehead with a groan. “Oh gods ...”

Rapunzel's glossy lips curve into a soft smile as she brings her arm around Hiccup, leading him in the direction their friends ran off in.

“Come on, lover boy,” she teases as they walk together. “Maybe this year will be the one you can tell Astrid how you feel.”

“I-I have n-no idea what you're talking about …” he replies, his voice catching in his throat as he tries to shrug off her arm. She lets him – not having her arm wrapped overly tightly around him – and just hums in response to what she would call his rather obvious lie, with the two continuing to the luggage cabin.

Upon arriving, they luckily find that Merida and Jack have not devolved into more physical violence and snowball fights, as Jack smirks good-naturedly while Merida with a tap of her wand finishes shrinking her handmade bow given to her by her father along with her enchanted quiver down to pack them into her trunk away from obvious sight from any concerned teachers – as while Gobber never bats an eye at students carrying around weapons, some of the others very well do.

“A necessary precaution against trolls,” he'd told them once while riffling through his sock drawer.

Hiccup helps Rapunzel locate her own trunk as they search amongst the many unloaded belongings and students searching just like them – Hiccup having already arrived a week ago has his belongings packed at the castle. By the time Rapunzel has found her trunk, they see that Jack acquired his and slung his case over his shoulder – while Merida has finished hiding her bow and arrows away.

With the three trunks found and being wheeled behind them, the four make their way from the station towards what would appear to be magically self-drawn carriages. That is, to anyone unlucky – or lucky, depending on your point of view – enough to know better. For a marked minority within the student body, they would see the two horse-like creatures hooked up to each carriage. Thestrals, creatures with cold grey skin and large leathery wings currently folded up against their body, visible only to those who've seen death.

Amongst their group, Merida and Rapunzel could not see them there, though both were more than smart enough to believe in their existence. That was also helped by their companions' ability to see the beasts, and their belief in their friend's claims. Hiccup's tale was well known amongst the wizarding community – having been there as a babe when Drago Bludvist attacked his parent's home. While Stoick was able to get baby Hiccup out and fight Drago off, the madman murdered Stoick's father as he protected the child – Hiccup being able to see the thestrals all but proving that for him. And as the inferno of dragon and hell fire consumed their ancestral home, his mother Valka had been consumed within with nary a trace of her remaining. Meanwhile, when they realised Jack could see the thestrals too, his account was that he couldn't fully see the creatures – merely a translucent vision of them. Any further prodding and poking to try and find out more was woefully unsuccessful, and maybe the only thing that Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel knew could truly bring down the spirits of their playful friend.

Nevertheless, the four climbed into the same carriage and – after waiting a moment to make sure no one else would want to get in with them – the other students certainly not being intimidated by Merida's glare and Jack tossing a snowball up and down in his hands at all – the carriage began to pull them up the winding path towards Hogwarts Castle. And only when they were truly alone and away from prying eyes and ears did one of them finally speak again, with Rapunzel turning to ask Hiccup a question.

“Oh, by the way, Hiccup? How is Toothless?”

*****

AN: So, there we are, one chapter down. What did you think?

I'll point out now that this isn't just going to be a straight palette swap with the Goblet of Fire. There are going to be some changes, not just with the format of the tournament but also some extra stuff in and around - though more on that later.

Also, I will try to utilise characters from across the board for the background and side characters. Although, fair warning, there'll be more of an emphasis/inclusion towards the HTTYD characters. Just because that's the franchise I'm most familiar with and have more to pull from.

You may also be interested to know that I had been working on this through some live streams over on my YouTube channel. If you'd like to go looking there to see what it's like, my channel is the same name as here and the writing streams are titled 'Come Write With Me'. Obviously, if you're wanting to do that there may be some spoilers, so if you're hesitant don't watch (I do put the title of whatever work I'm working on in the stream title anyway, so you can pick and choose if you'd like). I also do gaming over there and am looking to so some fantasy writing/what if? style videos there too, so if you're interested, you're more than welcome to look there.

Otherwise, feel free to like/reblog and leave a review. I'm always interested to see what people think of my writing, as well as how things change over time. You can also find me on the aforementioned YouTube, along with AO3 and FFN (all under the same Thorongil82 name).

And with that, I'll take my leave. Until next time!

#my writing #fanfiction #fanfic #rotbtd #rise of the brave tangled dragons #httyd #how to train your dragon #brave #tangled #rise of the guardians #harry potter #harry potter au #hiccup haddock and the triwizard tournament

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