Author's note:

I'm well aware that it's been a long time. I've had a lot of shit in my life to deal with. Anyway, I'm proud to say that I pulled through and actually got this chapter done :) Ready for the last part? Here we go:

In another situation, he might have found the silence peaceful. He let his fingers glide over Toothless' head. The Hall was packed with his tribesmen, sitting around the tables, leaning against the walls. He glanced over the crowd. The flickering eyes, the tense jaws, the fidgeting hands. The quiet wasn't peaceful. It was a warning. They were drifting towards storm clouds. Dark and threatening, brewing above the stillness. Jack squeezed his shoulder. Fishlegs gave him a small smile. It was meant to be reassuring, but there was uncertainty buzzing beneath.

The fire pit and the torches glowed bright and hot, yet his hands were cold and stiff. His tribesmen had taken the reigns. More accurately, he had given them the reigns. They were in control of his future. Maybe they deemed him worthy to stay. To build a life with Jack and his tribe and the dragons. Maybe they'd decided it was time for him to go. To let his home and his past dissolve behind him, as he closed the door to Berk forever. The nausea simmered in his stomach. He tried to swallow, but his throat was like cracked bark.

The doors wailed when Gobber pushed them open, followed by Flóki and Bucket. A sea of eyes fixed on them, as they approached the stone podium to tell everyone the result of the vote. Every step they took had Hiccup's heart knocking faster against his chest. Gobber's eyes didn't reveal the truth he now knew but had yet to share. The words were safe inside his throat. Smoking. Bubbling. Waiting to be made reality.

Gobber turned to the crowd. Hiccup filled his lungs and slowly breathed out. Jack found his hand and held it tight. Astrid nodded at him with a smile, but her eyes weren't as confident, as he was used to.

"Fellow Berkians!" Gobber called out.

Hiccup's chest was sore, like his heartbeat left bruises on his skin. He squeezed Jack's hand and kept his eyes on Toothless.

"We have now voted on the future of Berk, and the majority have decided… that Hiccup is still the chief!" Gobber said and threw his arms to the side, like he was inviting everyone in for the biggest group hug in Viking history.

"Hiccup!" Jack said and pulled him into a fierce hug. Toothless warbled and nudged his head against his side. He patted Jack on the back and stroked Toothless' head. "I knew they'd see how great you are," Jack whispered in his ear and kissed the side of his head. His friends came to him one by one. They hugged him, ruffled his hair and patted him on the back. Rapunzel shed a single tear and kissed him on the cheek. Astrid laughed in relief. The nausea in his stomach turned into weak ripples.

Hiccup took in the crowd. Some Berkians got to their feet and clapped at him, others cheered or embraced each other. All the kids he could see had bright smiles on their faces. Some of them did victory dances or hugged their dragons. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh, and it was purifying. But amidst the sea of joy and relief, there were islands of disappointment. Anger. His uncle Spitelout scowled at his tribesmen. Björn and a few other teenagers talked to each other in hushed voices, their foreheads wrinkled and their eyes dark. Harald and Flóki watched the excited people with their lips in a thin line, and their arms crossed, like they had been betrayed.

"Hiccup!" Gobber said and threw his arms around him. Hiccup returned the hug and smiled at Gobber's joy. "Thank you for all the support, Gobber."

"Don't mention it!" Gobber said, "That's what family's for!"

Hiccup wanted to say something, but other Berkians came over to congratulate him and share their joy. Hiccup found himself in a whirl of hugs and handshakes. All around him, there were laughing mouths and proud eyes. The noise was sharp in his ears, but left softness in his chest. Jack and the others let him have his moment, but they kept watching him with relief on their faces.

Gobber jumped onto the stone podium again. "Everyone! Let's bring out the mead and celebrate our chief!"

Roars of agreement went through the crowd. A few men went in search of the alcohol. His tribesmen settled down at the tables, the laughter and chatter spilling into the air, drowning the remnants of tension. Hiccup had barely sat down, before the happy outbursts streamed from his friends' mouths. Their faces, wide-eyed and overjoyed, made his ribcage feel small and tight, like it couldn't contain his swollen heart anymore. Jack told him he was proud of him. The kiss on Hiccup's lips was gentle, almost innocent.

"Uhm, Hiccup?" Flynn said, interrupting Merida's rant about whether him being chief meant that she could get access to Viking weapons.

"Yeah?"

"Look," Flynn said and nodded towards something.

Hiccup watched Björn coming towards them with stiff steps, his Deadly Nadder Snowfoot following behind.

Toothless stepped in front of him. "It's okay, bud," he said and petted his scaly neck. There was doubt in Toothless' eyes, but he abandoned his protective stance. Hiccup went to meet Björn halfway. Vikings cheered all around them, when small carts with mead barrels on them arrived. Gobber and Bucket began opening them, while others hurried to get all the wooden cups out of the cupboards.

In Björn's eyes, he found disappointment. Concern. Anger. They were in an intense bubble in the middle of the celebrating Vikings. He was surprised to suddenly see an extended hand in front of him. Björn's palm was warm and sweaty, when they shook.

"Hiccup. I may not agree with this but… maybe we can find a solution," Björn said.

It was a relief to let go of his hand. Hiccup couldn't help but smile. There was hope yet. "Thank you, Björn. I'm sure we can, if we just work together."

Björn nodded, a tight smile on his lips. Hiccup could tell it was difficult for him to say those things.

The smile faded from Björns mouth. He leaned in, seemingly to tell him something. Hiccup clenched his jaw. Björn's warm breath tickled the skin on his ear. "Hail the chief."

Pressure shot into his chest, crushing his lungs under it. The air shot out of him. He gasped. What- how...?

Toothless' roar rang in his head. Screams and the clangs of metal echoed from another world; blurry and faint. His shirt clung to his skin with a wet, sticky seeped through the fabric and spilled down his leather armor. Not like this. His knees slammed into the stone floor.

Something shiny catching the light was all the warning he got. Jack's breath froze in his throat. He shot up from his seat. Toothless roared and readied himself to fire, but Björn's dragon Snowfoot came charging and blocked Björn from harm. Vikings attacked each other, weapons and fists flying back and forth in a blur. Dragons fired and screeched. Hiccup fell to his knees and onto his back. Blood sprayed from the upper parts of his legs, red splashing onto the stone floors in terrifying amounts.

Jack screamed, his voice foreign to himself. He ran towards Hiccup, swerving around fighting dragons. Flames and claws shot out from all directions. It felt like an eternity between him and Hiccup.

He crouched down next to him. Toothless clawed at Hiccup's arm, his eyes large with desperation. "No!" Jack said and slammed his fist against the floor. He felt no rush of pain. "You told me, you were going to be okay!"

"What do we do!?" Merida said, looking around them, like the solution would suddenly appear.

"The chief is down! Help the chief!" he heard people shout, as Vikings fought their way to get closer to Hiccup. Jack couldn't tell, who were enemies and who weren't. "Toothless! Keep everyone who's fighting away from us, so we can help him!"

Toothless jumped into action, circling them. He unfolded his wings to shield them from view.

Hiccup fought to keep his eyes open, but they slid further and further shut. "Hiccup!" Jack said, digging his nails into Hiccup's arm, "Don't you fucking dare lose consciousness!"

Rapunzel pushed Jack and Merida aside. She stuck her thumbs right into Hiccup's wounds. Squelching. Ripped flesh. Blood smeared skin. Hiccup passed out. He looked sick, no color left on his skin. Memories of the last time blinked in Jack's head. His throat burned with the threat of vomiting.

"What are you doing?!" Mavis said, looking back and forth from Hiccup to Rapunzel. Toothless roared and fired at someone hidden behind his massive, black wings.

Rapunzel's hands were covered with gleaming blood. "I'm trying to stop the bleeding! Give him more time!"

More time. A slippery string of hope. "Can't you do what you did with Mavis!?" Jack said. The collar of his shirt was tight against his skin. Coiling. Choking.

"No!" she said, keeping her bloody fingers pressed into Hiccup's wounds, "That was a much smaller artery! This is too much, I can't do anything except keep my fingers in here to stop it from bleeding more! But he's already lost a lot of blood!"

"Fuck!" Flynn said and looked around them, "What do we do?!"

"He doesn't have much time!" Rapunzel said.

Jack's lungs stuttered. His breaths were sharp. "What is the most powerful healing spell you know!?" he said and took out his wand.

"Spolium Floris, but none of us can-"

"There's no other way!" Flynn said, "He's going to bleed out any minute, if we don't do something!"

"Get the healers! They'll know what to do!" Mavis said.

"They're with the wounded, there's no time for that!" Jack said. He didn't hear the fighting Vikings anymore, only the blood rushing through his head. "This is our only hope!" He stared into Rapunzel's eyes. "Show me how".

"But I have to let go, Jack! None of us can touch him, if we do this! He's going to bleed out in two or three minutes, maybe less!"

"Show me how!" he screamed at her.

Rapunzel took a deep breath. Tears slid down her cheeks. She removed her fingers from the wounds, and the blood sprayed out again like a fountain. "Like this," she said and made the required motion with her wand, "and then the words." Her eyes were glassy. She stuck her fingers back into the wounds, pressing down hard.

"Okay," Jack said and prepared himself.

Merida, Fishlegs, we'll help Toothless keep the enemies away," Flynn said, "Mavis, help Jack with whatever he needs."

Mavis stayed by his side. The others formed a ring around them. Jack swallowed. Rapunzel let go again. The blood splashed out of Hiccup's legs at an alarming speed. He pointed his wand towards Hiccup's wounds. His hand shook. "Spolium Floris", he said and flicked his wand.

Nothing. Fear whipped his heartbeat. His skin was cold, but beads of sweat stuck to his hairline.

"No…" Rapunzel whispered, "No no no..."

"Do it again," Mavis said, "Just keep trying, there's nothing else we can do. Do it again!"

He tried to focus on the magic humming in his blood. "Spolium Floris!"

Nothing. His fingers were numb. A drop of sweat slid down his face. His breaths ached in his throat, short and stinging.

"Shit!" he heard Merida say from somewhere. A crash and a scream followed.

"Keep going!" Rapunzel said, "Jack! Do it!"

"Come on, Jack," Mavis said, her fingers digging into his arm, "You can do it, I know you can do it."

"Like when you protected the kids," Rapunzel said, "You can do this!"

Jack forced himself to look at Hiccup's face. Closed eyes and no expression. Pale lips and cheeks. Like death had already come for him. Sucked all color and life from his body. He felt a weak buzzing in his hand. Images of life without Hiccup tumbled through his mind. Never seeing the happiness twinkle in his eyes. Never hearing his nasal laugh. Never feeling his skin under his fingertips. Never sharing the same air. Hiccup. Cut out of his life in a second. His love and his light gone from the world. Jack couldn't breathe. His mouth dried up. Cracked and suffocating. His pulse ran wildly under his skin. The buzzing in his hand grew stronger. He swung his wand. "SPOLIUM FLORIS!" Green sparks shot out of his wand and into Hiccup.

Hiccup's eyes flew open. His body thrashed in violent spasms, an invisible fire under his skin. Screams tore through his throat. It was like nothing Jack had ever heard, not even in the war. They were not screams from someone, who had been cut or hit. Not screams of fear. They were inhuman. Torture turned into sound.

Jack's breath had been ripped from his lungs. His heart vibrated inside his chest, like a hummingbird in a frantic escape. His mind; a white space. Wiped clean by Hiccup's pain.

"What's happening to him?!" Mavis said. Her voice was far away, barely an echo in his ears.

Toothless hurried to Hiccup's side and watched with panic in his eyes. All his strength and agility was rendered useless. He couldn't protect him from this.

Hiccup tossed back and forth on the stone floors. His screams echoed through the huge Hall like a nightmare that never ended. The sprays from his wounds spattered crimson onto the wall and wooden pillars. There were murmurs in the back of Jack's mind. You're the one hurting him. You're doing this. His fingers twitched. He lowered his wand.

"Don't stop!" Rapunzel shouted. Her voice sounded close to breaking. "No matter what happens, don't stop! If you stop, he'll die!"

Jack raised his wand. His hand trembled. Hiccup's screams drained the strength from his fingers. He struggled to keep them folded.

The streams stopped shooting out of Hiccup's wounds. Hiccup writhed in the crimson pool. Shaking. Jerking. Contracting. Like a sick pulse. His clothes had drunk from the blood. They clung to his body like a sticky peel. Toothless whined and walked back and forth along Hiccup's side, guarding him from anyone who would dare come near.

"Jack, keep going, keep going!" Mavis said, "It's working!"

"Stupefy!", "Petrificus Totalus!", "Confringo!". Jack heard his friends fire spells to keep them safe. Blasts and screams and weapons clanging infused the air. Hiccup's screams overpowered it all.

Hiccup rolled on to his stomach. His body heaved and shook. Desperate wheezing left his throat between his screams. Hiccup's nails slammed into the bloody floors. He tried to pull himself forwards to escape.

The tears stung in Jack's eyes. Hiccup was no longer a human but a blurry shape, a mess of watercolors. "I can't… I can't…" Jack whispered. The cold sweat slithered down his skin.

"Don't stop. You need to do this. You stopped the bleeding, you're helping him," Rapunzel said, trying her best to sound reassuring. Jack could hear the threat of tears in her voice. Mavis' hand curled around his arm in a firm but supportive grip.

Hiccup's blurry form rolled around from stomach to back, arms and legs flailing and twisting. He pounded his fists into the crimson ground. Choked sobs left his mouth among the sharp screams.

Every pained sound and move ripped out a brick in Jack's fragile tower of resolve. Seeing his love like this, his strong, smart, kind, funny, brave love, reduced to the barest of primal instincts, would be carved into the inside of his skull forever. He didn't hear the clash of swords and the sparks of spells anymore. He didn't notice battle cries and his friends fighting around him. Hiccup's screams. Hiccup's writhing. Hiccup's blood. This was all that existed. They were in his lungs like a poisonous dust, scraping at his flesh, choking him from the inside. Jack screamed but it came out as a strangled sob. He had no air. Warm drops flowed down his cheeks. His wand lowered.

"You need to do it!" Rapunzel said. Her hand flew up and wrapped around his wrist, keeping his arm and wand up. "You need to heal him. You're saving him!"

"It hurts now but it will get better," Mavis said, stroking his back, "Hiccup will be all right afterwards." Jack got the feeling, she was not only trying to convince him but herself as well.

Jack's chest hurt, aching from desperately trying to breathe. He blinked away the tears, and poured all his energy into stopping himself from collapsing in a heap of sobs and screams. He tried to steady his breathing, taking deep breaths in and out.

Just as quickly as Hiccup's eyes had flown open, his eyes fell shut. The silence was overwhelming. Hiccup lay still, his limbs floppy and weak. Toothless pawed at him and lowered his head to sniff at him. Jack hurried to his side, but he knew Hiccup was alive from the look on Toothless' face. He found the gashes in Hiccup's trousers, where he had been cut by Björn. The wounds had closed, not leaving a trace behind. The only evidence of what had occurred was Hiccup's blood soaked clothes and exhausted body.

"I-is he okay now?" Mavis said.

"The wounds are gone," Jack said. His voice sounded distant, like he was outside of his own body. He tried to take more deep breaths to calm himself down. The battle noises around him bombarded his brain to fill the sudden gap from Hiccup's silence.

"You did it," Rapunzel said and sighed with relief. "You did it."

"Thank goodness," Mavis said, "He's going to be okay."

Jack wasn't sure about that. He spared a glance around them. Only a few fights were still unsettled. Gobber ended a bald man with a big moustache by hitting him straight in the face with his axe. His friends were finishing off enemies with well-placed spells. Jack didn't even blink. The familiar scent of smoke and burning flesh and blood infected his nose. Dead bodies lay here and there on the ground, blood sprinkled across faces and armor like abstract paintings.

Toothless licked the beads of sweat from Hiccup's forehead. Jack put his hand on Hiccup's cheek. The skin was warm and clammy, but he didn't know if it was one of the aftereffects of the spell. "The wounds are gone but he's really warm," he explained.

"I think that's normal," she said, "But we need to get him somewhere he can rest."

There was an unspoken moment between all of them, where they savored the relief that Hiccup was going to live. Once again, it had been too close, and the realization that, at any moment, life could tear one of their loved ones away was difficult to process.

Toothless lowered his body as a sign of wanting to carry Hiccup. Jack and Flynn gently lifted him up and placed him on Toothless' back. Jack checked again that the wounds were actually gone.

Gobber's panting alerted Jack to his approach. He was exhausted from battle, his breathing strained and his face dripping with sweat. "Is he all right?" Gobber asked, looking over Hiccup with a barely concealed panic.

"Yes," Rapunzel said, "Jack managed to heal him. But now it's really important that he gets some rest." There was a pause, where Rapunzel clearly prepared herself to say the next part. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. "You heard the… screams."

Gobber's fear had evaporated and sadness took its place in his eyes. "Yeah… I hoped I would never hear him sound like that."

The world swam in Jack's eyes. Though Hiccup's pain had stopped, he could still hear his screams.

All the eyes of the remaining tribesmen were on them. "The Chief will be all right!" Gobber called out repeatedly. Jack felt a twinge of gratitude in his heart, when he saw the relief in their eyes. The ones who were left here truly cared for Hiccup.

The days melted together in fragments of consciousness. Moments of warmth and pain. Flashes of joy and relief. Seeing Toothless' happy eyes and hearing Jack whisper "I love you". Feeling a cold cloth on his forehead. Seeing his friends' caring smiles. Feeling Gobber's big hand resting on his shoulder. His bones were weighing him down. Soreness had wrapped around his muscles. His brain refused to let him stay awake for long. He was swimming in and out of reality. His dreams were twisted with weird images of bloody dragons with hollow eyes and tribesmen with smiles full of sharp teeth.

Jack and Toothless were leaning against each other with their eyes closed. Jack slowly stroked Toothless' shoulder. The morning sun covered them in a soft light. Hiccup stirred and Toothless' eyes fixed on him. His best friend came closer, pulling Jack out of his rest.

"Hey," Jack said and leaned down to kiss the top of his head, "How are you?"

"Hey," he said and did his best to pull off a reassuring smile, "I'm okay, I think. Still really sore and tired but… okay."

"Good. Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Some water would be nice."

Jack got the wooden cup on his nightstand and pulled out his wand. With a quick spell, he filled it and handed it to him. Hiccup drank it down greedily and felt stronger afterwards. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Jack said and took his hand. The soft smile on his boyfriend's lips left Hiccup with a pleasant warmth under his skin. A warmth he wished could last. "Let me know if you get tired. You still need rest and you haven't been able to be awake for more than a few minutes at a time so far."

"Yeah… It's pretty hard to have any sense of time right now," he said, hoping his voice didn't reveal his frustration. It was unnerving to not be in control, to not know what was going on in his tribe, except for the few snippets his friends had told him.

"It must be, yeah," Jack agreed, "It's been three days so far, by the way."

"I hope I'll be able to go back to normal soon."

"Yeah, me too, but just take your time. Rapunzel will drag you back to bed, if you try to go anywhere, before you're completely ready," Jack said and gave him one of those crooked smiles.

Hiccup laughed but it came out weak. "Yeah, she definitely would." His smile disappeared, when thoughts of blame pushed into his head.

Jack's smile faded. "Hic, what's wrong? What are you thinking?"

Hiccup found himself in a familiar dilemma: should he deny anything was wrong or open up and share? In the past, he would often have denied anything was wrong. But Jack had changed him. Opening up seemed less frightening now. Less shameful than before. He sighed. "I was naïve… even after everything that's happened before this, I was still too fucking naïve."

Jack found his hand and squeezed it. "Don't blame yourself, Hic. You aren't responsible for Björn's actions. He and the others chose to betray you. It was nothing you did."

Hiccup slid his hand out of Jack's. "But I need to blame myself. I can't make mistakes like this, now that I'm chief. It's not just about me, it's about everyone I'm responsible for now… The people and the dragons. I need to be better. It's not that I think I'm responsible for Björn's actions, but I need to see the dangers, before they come."

Jack hummed. "We'll work on that. But you also can't lose that ability you have to see the good in people. You're one of the most forgiving people, I've ever met. It would be terrible, if you ever lost that trait."

Hiccup grabbed a fistful of blanket. "It's hard to find a balance."

"It is. You're not the only one who needs to find it."

"What do you mean?"

There was an angry spark in Jack's eyes. "I'll never let someone, who disagrees with you get close to you again without having my wand ready."

"I should have been the one who was ready. I knew Björn was angry with me… But I never thought he would go that far." Hiccup shook his head. "We grew up together. We might not have been friends, but we've always been tribesmen, and we've shared a lot of the same experiences. The same home. We knew the same people. I didn't think he would ever be a threat."

"You had no reason to," Jack said and brushed his thumb over Hiccup's fingers.

"I'm not sure, how I can prepare myself for these kinds of things. All the chiefing lessons I had with my dad… We never got to the point of being prepared for threats from within the tribe," he said and bit his lip, "I think my dad would have been heartbroken by this."

"By you blaming yourself?"

"By the tribe going against each other," he explained. His head was heavy and aching, like it had been filled with gravel that scraped against his skull. "My dad was such a great chief. He always managed to keep the tribesmen loyal to each other. I hadn't even been official chief for five minutes, before the tribe turned on each other."

"You can't keep comparing yourself to your dad, Hic. I know it's scary being responsible for a whole tribe. I know you've been in your father's shadow for so many years. I know he was a great chief and that it's hard to live up to," Jack said and scooted closer, "But you are great in other ways. And you will be an amazing chief, if you stop being so hard on yourself all the time."

"You think so?"

"Yes. Look, you have some of the same strengths your dad did. You're brave. You're selfless. You're strong. But you also have strengths, that he didn't have. You think outside the box. You open other people's minds. You push the boundaries of tradition. Those are the things that will make you a great chief, while doing things your own way, not your dad's way."

Hiccup took a deep breath and let go of some of the tension in his body. He put his hands on each side of Jack's face and pulled him closer for a slow, loving kiss. Hopefully, the way he guided his lips so gently and softly over Jack's, could convey his love and his gratitude better than his words ever could. When they pulled away from each other, Jack leaned down and hugged him. Hiccup wrapped his arms around him, and kissed the side of his head. He breathed in the scent of Jack. "Ek ann þér [I love you]", he said.

"Ek ann þér," Jack repeated his words and leaned back. He looked down at him with one of those heart melting smiles that left no doubt.

"How are you always able to make me all weak in the knees?" Hiccup said and savored the feeling of a smile spreading on his lips.

And there was that boyish, crooked smile on Jack's face. The one that warned everyone of a smartass reply coming up. "That's a side effect for everyone who's near me, Hic. I thought you knew that. I mean… My good looks and amazing personality leave everyone swooning."

Hiccup had no energy for banter battles, no matter how satisfying it would be to put Jack in his place. "It sure leaves me swooning."

He could tell Jack wasn't prepared for it. That he had expected sarcasm. There was a moment of surprise in his eyes, before he smiled and placed a quick kiss on his forehead. "Tell that to Merida, Hic… She once said no one could ever swoon around me, unless it was-"

"- Because they passed out from looking at your ugly face," they finished the sentence together. "I remember", Hiccup added with a smile. "How are they all? Are they still okay?"

"They're okay. Still worried about you and all… But they know you're going to be okay. Eventually." Jack's smile vanished. His grip on Hiccup's hand loosened.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Jack shook his head and let go of his hand. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I know I haven't said that before now."

Hiccup frowned at the words. "Sorry for what?"

Jack stared at the foot of the bed. "For what I did to you. I tried to heal you and you were… Screaming and writhing and sobbing… You were in so much pain. Don't you remember?"

Hiccup took a deep breath. "I remember some of it. But you didn't try to heal me. You did heal me."

"I didn't know. I didn't know how much pain, it would put you in."

Hiccup licked his lips. "If you had known… Would you have made another choice?"

Jack curled one of his hands tight around some of the blanket. He was silent for a moment. "I don't know," he said, "I would do anything to save you, you know that… And I need you. Toothless needs you. This world needs you in it. But… I don't know, if I would have been too scared to do it, if I had known. I don't know, if I would have clung to the hope, that we could find another way, so I could spare you the pain… And then you would have ended up dying, because there wasn't one."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about. You saved my life. You're the only reason I'm still breathing."

Jack smiled but it was strained and tired. "But at what cost?" He shook his head. "After McGowan and the others tortured you… You isolated yourself, you didn't sleep or eat. You were destroying yourself. And the whole thing left scars in your mind and on your body," Jack said and glanced at his leg, where the word "CRIPPLE" was etched into his skin underneath the blanket, "that are never going to leave. Whenever you have nightmares about it, or you snap the strap on your satchel to deal with stress, I remember that. And I'm scared this is going to be the same."

Hiccup took Jack's hand and pressed his lips on it. He weaved their fingers together. His limbs were beginning to feel weak, but he fought the tiredness. "When you finally got me to open up about what happened with McGowan and the others… Do you remember what I said was the worst part?"

"The shame."

"Yeah." Hiccup nodded. "This is different. I felt ashamed and weak back then, because someone held me down and tortured me to reach their own sick, selfish goal and there was nothing I could do about it. This is not the same. This was…" He sighed. His eyelids wanted to fall down and turn the world dark. "The pain was unbearable. But it was done by the people I love, because they wanted to save me. It was because of love. And that makes it less painful to deal with. I know none of you wanted to do it, but it was the only way. And that's why it isn't going to make me isolate myself. There's nothing shameful about this."

Jack nodded, seemingly doing it to convince himself. "That helps… That you see it that way. I still feel like shit for doing it, but knowing you feel this way will make it easier."

"Please cut yourself some slack, Snowflake. You had to do something horrible, but it was to save me and I don't hold it against you even for a moment. If it wasn't for you, I would be dead now," he said and couldn't keep a yawn from escaping.

Jack nodded but no more words left his lips.

"I want to keep talking about this, but I'm going to fall asleep soon," he said and gave Jack a sad smile.

"Sleep, Hic," Jack said, "We can talk about it again later."

"You should sleep too," Hiccup said, "I promise I won't pull away from you like the last time."

Jack nodded and smiled. This time his smile looked genuine.

As a few more days passed, Hiccup's strength came back to him. Gradually, Rapunzel allowed him to leave his room more and more, so he could fulfill his duties as chief without endangering his health. The first time he ventured into the village, he was overrun with his tribesmen, who wanted to tell him how happy they were that he was alive. Toothless and Jack followed him everywhere, helping him deal with the things he needed to make decisions on: interrogation strategies for prisoners of war, organizing more upcoming funerals for the wounded who had died, and the tribesmen who betrayed them, communication with their allies, rebuilding the village. War left everything in ruins. They had a long rebuilding process ahead of them, not to mention the psychological healing. His friends assisted with the tasks as much as they could, using their magic to help build homes, heal minor injuries and transport supplies. Hiccup was grateful for their support. Having them, along with Jack and Toothless and Gobber, by his side, made the responsibility on his shoulders more bearable. But there was one thing that hadn't been attended to, and the more time that passed, the more urgent it became to discuss.

The glowing fire pit in his living room splashed golden colors across the wooden walls. The wind whispered against the closed shutters. He and the others ate bowls of steaming soup around the fire. His fingers buzzed with warmth. His friends had sent owls with letters to their parents yesterday to let them know they were alive. They had all received replies today.

"My mom said I need to get my arse home right now," Merida said and took another slurp of the soup with her wooden spoon.

"Well, we can't really blame her," Hiccup said, "She's worried about you. And she has every right to be upset." In fact, he wouldn't blame any of his friends' parents, if they were furious with him for putting their kids in danger.

"Of course, but…" Merida said, "I told her I'm all right and that I'll go back to Hogwarts as soon as possible. But she's still furious."

"You did run away from school to go off to a war," Fishlegs said and put down his bowl of soup, "How did you expect her to react?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Merida said, swinging her spoon about, "Just leave my friends to die?"

"I'm not saying you made the wrong choice. You know that," Fishlegs said, his brief smile filled with warmth, "I'm just saying your mom has clearly been worried sick and that's understandable."

"It's the same with my dad," Mavis said, leaving her spoon in her bowl, "He's threatening to pull me out of school, lock me in my room and homeschool me."

Hiccup's guilt pushed his lips into a sad smile. He felt Jack's hand glide up and down his back in soothing motions.

"Shit…" Flynn said and ran a hand through his hair, "Do you think maybe he just needs to calm down?"

"Maybe…" she said, staring into the fire pit. The flames whirled in her eyes. "I do know one thing though. There's no way I'm going to be homeschooled."

"Does he know about…?" Jack asked.

"My arm?" she said, not taking her eyes off the flames, "Yeah… I figured it was best to tell the whole truth. He would find out sooner or later anyway."

"How did he react?" Jack said.

"As expected," Mavis said and sighed, "He freaked out."

"He'll come around," Flynn said and patted her back.

"I hope so," Mavis said.

"What did your parents say?" Hiccup asked Rapunzel.

"They're just relieved I'm okay," Rapunzel said, "They hadn't slept, since Professor Lunar told them we were missing from Hogwarts."

"Maybe they're so understanding, because they know Hiccup and Fishlegs," Astrid said, "They know they're like brothers to you."

"Yeah, probably," Rapunzel agreed, "They know I'd do anything for them."

Hiccup smiled at her, a familiar, bubbly rush inside him. People didn't give Rapunzel enough credit. She came off as sweet and innocent, but she was also fiercely loyal and strong. In this war, Hiccup had seen sides of her, he had never seen before, but always known was there.

"You haven't told us how your dad took it?" Jack asked Flynn.

Flynn shrugged. "He was scared, obviously. Worried. But he wasn't mad. He said he was proud of me for doing what's right. But he also said that if I ever ran off like that again, without even telling him where I was going, he would dye my favorite satchel pink and cut off my beautiful hair."

Everyone shared smiles and chuckles.

"That's pretty close to what my family wrote to me," Jack said, "Except it was Emma making the threats. Anna and North were more understanding. Still worried sick though. I had to convince them it wasn't a good idea for them to come to Berk."

"They wouldn't be able to find it, even if they wanted to," Hiccup said.

"That wouldn't stop them from trying," Jack said, "Parents and siblings are stubborn like that."

Hiccup didn't fail to notice the hint of sadness in Fishlegs' eyes, despite his efforts to hide it. Hiccup couldn't claim all this talk of family didn't affect him too. Being reminded of what he no longer had. Tears burned in the corners of his eyes. He blinked them away. "Uhm, have you guys thought about when you'll go back to Hogwarts?"

"When you don't need us here anymore, I think," Mavis said. Merida and Flynn nodded.

"It'll be nice to go back to normal. Or at least try to," Flynn said. His voice was more confident than his eyes. Hiccup's protective streak poked at him. His friends hadn't tried this before. Except for Jack, they hadn't gone through a trauma and come out on the other side. They hadn't learned to live with memories shaking in their heads. Memories that eventually turn calmer and lurks in the back of your skull, convincing you they're no longer guiding your decisions. Your way of seeing the world. Hiccup wished he could turn the trauma into peaceful acceptance for his friends. But it was a process they all had to go through. Some of them might never reach that final step.

"Even if it's going to be annoying when everyone starts asking questions," Merida said, her nose wrinkled with disgust, "And we don't even know what to tell them yet."

"I think maybe silence is the way to go," Jack said, "We obviously can't tell them we went to a Viking war. Not only would Professor Lunar get in trouble, but Hiccup's been right all along. It's important to tell people outside the archipelago as little as possible about it."

Hiccup nodded. "I'd really appreciate it, if you could all avoid telling anyone any details about what happened here."

"I think that's a good idea," Astrid said.

"Of course," Mavis agreed. "Whatever you need," Flynn added.

Rapunzel looked at him with hesitance in her eyes. She fiddled with the hem of her school robes. Hiccup sensed a tense subject coming up. "What's wrong?" He said.

Rapunzel bit her lip. "Are you coming back with us?"

That wound inside him, the one born out of guilt and loss and worries, pulsated and oozed its sickening slime in his chest. "I'd like to but…I can't," he said, "Now that I'm chief, I'm responsible for everyone here. I can't just leave, even though I'd love to have that last year at Hogwarts with all of you."

"You're staying here too then," Flynn said to Jack. It wasn't a question.

"Yup," Jack said, putting on that familiar, relaxed expression. The one Hiccup could see right through. The one that poked Hiccup's wound until it oozed more slime. "I'd like to go back to Hogwarts too…" Jack said, "But I go where Hic goes."

And wasn't that just one of the most touching things, Hiccup had ever heard? Despite all the suffering Jack had been through, despite the scars that would never leave, he had no doubts about staying by his side.

Hiccup planted a warm kiss on Jack's cheek and received a fond smile in return. He had no words to convey, how much this meant to him. How much he admired Jack for his strength and bravery. How grateful he was that he wouldn't lose him.

"Hogwarts won't be the same without you two," Mavis said, turning her eyes to the floor.

"Yeah…" Flynn said, "Who's going to help me tease Simba now?"

"Shut up, Rider," Merida said and stuck her tongue out.

"We'll really miss you…" Rapunzel said. Fishlegs nodded and caught his lip between his teeth.

"We'll miss you too," Hiccup said. He had so many good memories of Hogwarts, and not being able to say goodbye to his second home, not being able to finish his education alongside his friends, as they always thought they would, left a hollowness in his chest.

Astrid cleared her throat. "There's another solution, I think we could all live with," she said, her eyes glancing over each of them before settling on him.

"What?" Hiccup said. He thought he had considered all his options, but perhaps Astrid had another perspective, he hadn't even realized.

Astrid put down her empty bowl. "You'll all go back to Hogwarts and finish your education. And I'll stay here and run the village as second in command," she said with that reassuring look in her eyes. The one he had seen so many times by now, when she supported him in a tough situation. "All important decisions will be made by you of course," she said, "I'm just there to keep everything running, until you graduate."

The soft touch of hope tickled inside him. But he had to kill it. "Astrid…" he said, "I couldn't ask you to give up your education for me. There are still so many things you want to do and learn at Hogwarts. And spend more time with your friends there."

"I know," she said, "But it's more important that our chief is as strong and capable as possible. You're a good wizard, Hiccup. But you'll be even better in a year's time, when graduation comes. And we need you to be the best you can be."

Hiccup shook his head. The selfish part of him begged him to take the opportunity. "It wouldn't be right to ask you to do this."

Astrid sighed, but her eyes held a familiar fondness that seemed even fiercer in the glow of the flames. "You're not asking me for anything. I'm volunteering. I'm telling you, I want to do this."

"Hic," Jack said. He had one of those rare serious looks in his eyes, "I think Astrid's right. It's not ideal that she'll give up the rest of her time at Hogwarts but you trust her to run the village, right? Probably more than you would trust anyone else with it?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said, "She'd probably be much better at it than I would," he said and smiled at Astrid. She rolled her eyes at his hint of self-deprecation.

"Then it's the best solution, we could hope for," Jack said and put his arm around him, "Astrid can stay here and take care of Berk, while we're gone. She'll be great at it. And when we come back, you'll take over, and we'll both know so much more magic than we do now. Magic that can help us defend Berk in the future too. And each other."

Hiccup twirled one of his braids between his fingers. "I know you're both right. I just can't help feeling like this is wrong."

"That'll blow over," Astrid said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Don't worry so much, Haddock. I promise, I've thought a lot about this."

Hiccup nodded. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure," she said with no hints of doubt in her eyes.

Hiccup breathed out slowly. "Okay. We'll do it that way then. Thank you so much Astrid," he said and scooted over to her to put his arms around her. She hugged him back and mumbled "You're very welcome" into his hair.

"Yeah, thank you Astrid," Jack said from behind him, "I think I can safely say we all really appreciate this."

Hums of agreement went through their friends.

Hiccup broke the hug and scooted back to sit next to Jack.

"We'll miss having you around though," Rapunzel said.

"Yeah, we will," Hiccup agreed, "It's going to be so strange."

"I know," Astrid said, "I'll miss you guys too. But it's not like we'll never see each other again. And when graduation comes, you guys-" she said and looked at Rapunzel, Flynn, Mavis and Merida, "- can come visit any time you want."

"Yeah, of course," Hiccup agreed.

"We will," Mavis said, "By then we'll be able to apparate."

"Yeah, that will make everything so much easier," Merida said, "We can visit all the time. And you can teach us how to ride dragons!"

Hiccup couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"Of course, we can," Fishlegs said.

"You won't ever get rid of us," Flynn said, his joking smile fading into a soft one, "After everything we've been through, we need to stick together for the rest of our lives."

The sounds of agreement and the nods coming from everyone had Hiccup's heart fluttering with tenderness. A lot of school friends believe they'll never grow apart. That the bond forged in their youth will remain as strong as ever through the years. But time peels off one flake at a time, until the bond no longer has the same grip on their hearts. This was different. They had been through a war together. They had risked their safety and taken lives for each other's sake. They'd lost innocence, limbs, peace of mind. Sacrifices that settled around their bond like a diamond shell. Protective. Unyielding. Never to be broken.

When the Hogwarts castle came into view, it left an unfamiliar sting in Jack's chest. As Toothless' paws landed softly on the grass in the dark forest, the sting dissolved and nausea grew from its remains. They were here now. Back to their second home. To the place where they had frantically chased Hiccup, Fishlegs and Astrid and decided to follow them into a war.

Under the gentle touch of the moon, Hogwarts was still the same. The same majestic towers and beautiful courtyards. The same impressive halls and snug dormitories. But he and his friends were not the same. They had felt the warmth of blood on their skin. They had stopped hearts. It was impossible to go back. He knew they could only adjust.

The tranquility of night had settled in the corridors long ago. In the heavy silence, their footsteps across the stone floors were like thunderclaps. Toothless followed them in his cat form. The old lamps on the walls glowed like yellow moons. The characters in the portraits were fast asleep. He and the others shared no words. For Jack, it confirmed that they felt the same way. Nostalgic but strangely misplaced.

"What are you doing out of bed!?" Professor Bunnymund called out, his loud voice echoing among the stone walls. Jack flinched. Fishlegs and Rapunzel let out squeaks of surprise. Professor Bunnymund hurried towards them with angry steps that would make any student regret breaking curfew. Jack was aware of the exact moment Professor Bunnymund recognized them. He stopped in his tracks and for the first time, Jack saw him being at a loss for words.

"Hello Professor," Hiccup said, grabbing Jack's hand. Around them, their friends were either fidgeting or frozen in place.

Professor Bunnymund's eyes looked them over one by one. When he got to Mavis, he sucked in a breath. Seeing her snapped him out of his silence "Ms. Dracula! Mavis!" He rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. "Do you need help?"

"No, thank you," Mavis said. She tried to seem calm, but Jack could tell she was uncomfortable from the way her gaze darted between Hiccup and Professor Bunnymund. "It's been taken care of."

Professor Bunnymund nodded. His eyes were softer than Jack had ever seen. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Mavis said.

"Come with me," Professor Bunnymund said, "All of you. Headmaster Lunar has been worried." He cleared his throat. "We all have. He insisted he'd be informed as soon as you returned."

"Does the whole school know?" Flynn asked, as they followed the professor through the darkened maze that was Hogwarts' corridors.

"No," Professor Bunnymund said, "Headmaster Lunar told your concerned schoolmates that he couldn't tell them, where you had gone. For now."

"They must be so worried…" Mavis said. Jack thought of all the people he knew at Hogwarts, but especially Jim, Harry and Liam. He would have been worried sick, if they had suddenly disappeared with no explanation.

"Yeah," Merida agreed, "But we didn't exactly have time to leave a note."

"That would probably only have made them more concerned anyway," Jack said.

When the gargoyle by the Headmaster's office swung to the side, they followed Professor Bunnymund up the stone spiral staircase. The Headmaster was by his desk, his head bowed over a thick book. When he looked up, he let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair. Headmaster Lunar looked pale and older than before, like lack of sleep had taken years off his life. Jack had no doubt he had been concerned.

Professor Lunar took his reading glasses off. "Welcome back," he said, "I'm so glad to see you all. Please sit. Where is Ms. Hofferson? Did something happen to her?"

"No, she's back on Berk. She's safe," Hiccup said. Toothless jumped into Hiccup's lap.

"Good," Headmaster Lunar said. His eyes drifted over Mavis. "I'm so sorry," he said. There was something hurt in the way he looked at her. "Do you need medical assistance?"

"No thank you, Headmaster," Mavis said, "I'm okay.

"If there's anything you need, please let me know."

The brief twitch of Mavis' lips seemed grateful. "I will."

Headmaster Lunar reached into an open drawer in his desk, "I have someone here, who will be very happy to see Ms. Corona." He put Pascal down on the desk. Pascal's eyes were slowly opening. He had clearly been sleeping.

"Pascal!" Rapunzel said and flew out of her chair. She took him in her hands and Pascal's eyes grew large. He crawled up on Rapunzel's shoulder and rubbed his head against her neck. "I'm happy to see you too," Rapunzel said and giggled. She petted his scaly back with a finger.

"Pascal here was miserable when you left. For a little while, he stayed in the dormitory with your House mates, but eventually, I found him sleeping in one of my drawers, so I let him stay here with me. I suppose he knew, I would be one of the first people to know, when you came back."

Rapunzel put Pascal in her lap. She petted his head, and he closed his eyes in contentment.

"He's a smart frog," Flynn said.

"Chameleon," Rapunzel said and rolled her eyes.

"I know, Blondie, it was a joke."

"And this…" Headmaster Lunar said, reaching into the drawer again. He pulled out a yellow sock and put it on the table. "Must be yours as well, Ms. Corona. Pascal dragged it down here to sleep in."

"Uhm, yeah, that's mine," Rapunzel said, and hurried to put the sock in her pocket. Jack had to suppress a chuckle.

Professor Lunar folded his hands. In the light of the glowing lamps, his eyes seemed to hold more wisdom than ever before. "Now… I know it must be a long story, but please tell me what happened."

There in the Headmaster's office, among the strange contraptions and moving portraits, they told Headmaster Lunar as much as they could without revealing important information or breaking down. Sometimes their voices trembled and cracked. Sometimes there were moments of intense silence that reminded Jack of ice shards. They all had tears in their eyes by the end.

"Headmaster…" Hiccup said, the first to speak after finishing their story, "What do we do with all of this?"

The smile on Professor Lunar's face was a kind one, a protective one. "We'll figure it out together, Mr. Haddock. I would highly recommend being honest with your family and friends about what's happened, but I understand that there are some things you can't share because of safety. And some things you might not want to share, because you haven't come to terms with them yet. Please, take everything at your own pace."

"Have you talked to our parents?" Rapunzel asked and leaned forward in her chair.

"Yes, many times," Professor Lunar said, "They were mad with worry, when I informed them you were all missing."

"What exactly have you told them?" Mavis said.

"Only what I could. That you asked me to send you to the archipelago to help your friends in their war, and that I refused, since you're my responsibility. And that later, when I came back to my office, you had found the port key and gone anyway. I assume you've all sent a letter to them, and let them know you're okay?"

They all nodded, except Hiccup and Fishlegs. How could such a simple lack of action puncture Jack's lungs with sadness?

"Good," Headmaster Lunar said, "I'm sure they're all relieved to know you're safe now. And I've agreed, that I'd arrange for them to come to Hogwarts and see you as quickly as possible, due to these unusual circumstances."

That was the time Jack realized how different nods could be. Rapunzel's and Flynn's nods were quick and sharp, accompanied by hints of smiles. Those nods spoke of eagerness, longing for comfort and familiarity. Mavis' and Merida's nods were languid and slow, their eyes fixed on the floor. Conflicted between wanting to see their families and not having the energy to deal with scolding and fretting.

"What about you?" Hiccup said and stroked Toothless' fur, "What's going to happen to you now? Do they blame you for this?"

"Some of them did at first," Headmaster Lunar said, "I'm not certain, how they'll feel, now that they know you're safe. And naturally, as other students' parents found out, that eight students were missing, they called my abilities as headmaster into question."

"You're not getting sacked, are you?" Merida said.

"I doubt it," Headmaster Lunar said, "It's a good time to have friends in the ministry. People who trust my leadership here at Hogwarts. But it's been made clear that there will be some sort of punishment for my failure. The Daily Prophet has been running a lot of criticism about me lately. I can't say it's pleasant reading. And the ministry's been getting a lot of letters from angry parents. They're frightened about their children's safety at Hogwarts. I understand that. You eight aren't my children, but I feared for your safety."

"Then why did you let us go?" Merida said with a wrinkle on her forehead.

"Because you had to," Professor Lunar said, "And sometimes we need to let the ones we care about make decisions we aren't happy with. That we wish we could change."

"Not everyone would see it that way," Hiccup said and the barely noticeable smile on his lips, told Jack how much he respected Professor Lunar's decision.

"No," Headmaster Lunar said, "But I've been in a similar situation. Granted, it wasn't a war, but I had the chance to fight beside those I loved. And someone held me back. Made the decision for me. I never forgave them, and now I have to live with it. I didn't want the same thing happening to you, even though I was conflicted. But I can't protect you forever. You're of age now, old enough to make your own decisions and to accept the consequences of them. I only hope you won't regret those decisions."

"What happens now?" Mavis said, "How do we go back to normal?"

"There's no such thing, after what you've been through, Ms. Dracula," Headmaster Lunar said, "But the teachers and I will do our best to help you get back to school and some sense of normalcy, at least. If you need someone to talk to, we have a professional at hand to help. If you need Dreamless Sleep, Madam Whitley has been instructed to provide you with it, no questions asked. If you need some time off before you go back to classes, it's yours, and the teaching staff will make sure you catch up with the rest. In regards to your parents, I will of course encourage them to let you stay at Hogwarts and finish your education, but in the end, it's their decision."

"Thank you, Professor," Hiccup said, "That really means a lot."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, "I expected some kind of punishment. I mean, at least for show."

"No," Headmaster Lunar said, "After what you've all been through, I wouldn't ever punish you. Not even for show. Besides…it's my responsibility as Headmaster to keep my items secure from students and to make sure no students get into my office without permission."

"I'm sure that decision won't be popular," Hiccup said.

"Maybe not," Professor Lunar said, "But I've never been one to worry about what's popular."

Jack shared a look with Hiccup. He could see the same admiration in Hiccup's eyes that he felt inside. Headmaster Lunar was no ordinary Headmaster. He had known that for a long time, but he'd never known how far he was willing to go to do what was right.

"If you all want to stay together tonight, you can use the Room of Requirement to sleep in. I know that Mr. Haddock and Mr. Overland at least know where it is," Headmaster Lunar said with a twitch of his lips.

It took Jack a second to understand that comment. His cheeks heated up. He glanced at Hiccup, who looked ready to gnaw off his other foot just to get out of this situation.

"Yes, thank you, Headmaster," Rapunzel said, saving them from having to reply.

The night in the Room of Requirement was a swirl of comfort and worry. As they sat around the fireplace together and tried to find relief from their thoughts, they discovered none of them knew what to do. This was not the same as when Hiccup's secret about the dragons had come out, or the time where they revealed their relationship to the whole school. This was a secret that hurt. That had the potential to hurt even more, if it was dragged into the light. Who could possibly understand? Who wouldn't end up afraid of them, if they told them they had gone to war, that they had seen mutilated corpses and taken lives? As he listened to his friends talk about their concerns, the glow of the flames reminded him of burning islands and dragon fire. He wondered if he would able to trust Jim, Harry and Liam with this. If his trust stretched that far. He wasn't sure. One thing they agreed on that night, was that they would stick together as much as possible in the coming weeks, until the attention had died down. It was a survival strategy.

Jack couldn't remember the last time, he had a morning without nausea. It had been some time before the war. A lifetime ago. A minute ago. Both. Just stepping foot outside the Room of Requirement left the sickness buzzing in his core. Not even wearing his school uniform and having his backpack slung over one shoulder left him with a sense of normalcy. The others looked just as uncomfortable, with stiff limbs and strained smiles, as the entrance to the room disappeared behind them. Rapunzel's bruises, Fishlegs' scratches, Hiccup's cuts… Everyone's visible injuries had been carefully hidden under a spell. Jack wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, they had agreed it was better to not raise even more questions. On the other hand, it was like burying a secret and planting a rose bush on top to pretend it never happened. And not all secrets are meant to be buried.

They passed a group of young Hufflepuff girls, who gasped and whispered to each other. Their eyes made the hairs on his neck rise. Hiccup snapped the strap on his satchel against his shoulder. Mavis pulled one sleeve of her black cloak further downwards, but it didn't make it look like she had her arm back. Despite wearing her black cloak with wide, long sleeves on top of the mandatory white shirt and sweater, it was impossible to hide it completely. Jack was not prepared for the anger curling into a hot fist in his chest. An anger born out of the need to protect himself and his friends.

The corridors were hostile places, if everyone knew you carried a secret. Every stare. Every whisper. Every comment. They were tests. Poking fingers to determine if your shell was made of paper or stone. If you would crumble and reveal all or stay behind your mental fortress. Jack's shell was not made of paper, but for the first time he understood what Hiccup had gone through, coming back to these places after he lost his leg and after the torture. Now, he knew the feeling of cracks in the stone.

Around the corner, a bunch of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs from their own year waited outside a classroom. Their laughter and talking was at a deafening level, until they spotted them. The silence was overwhelming.

"What's wrong with her arm?", "Is that Hiccup?", "Where have they been?", "They're back?" The whispers shot into the quiet, and not everyone understood that whispers weren't meant to be heard by others.

Flynn sighed and Rapunzel's eyes darted back and forth between the students. Jack gave Hiccup a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, even though he was feeling the pressure himself too. He let out a relieved breath, when they were out of sight from the group of students. The relief didn't last long though. Every turn meant new students to gape and whisper. They were halfway down another corridor, when shouting froze their steps.

"JACK! FLYNN! SHIT! FUCK!", "MAVIS!", "MERIDA!"

Jack had only just turned around, when Liam launched himself into his arms. Harry and Jim started hugging the others.

"Where have you guys been!? No one's told us anything! We were worried sick about you!" Liam said, pulling out of his arms again.

"We…" Jack started, clutching the strap of his rucksack tighter, "It's hard to explain."

Flynn cleared his throat. "W-we're not really ready to talk about it yet. We've been through a lot of shit."

"Ah, okay…" Liam said, "We don't want to pressure you or anything, we've just been so worri-" He gasped.

Jim, Harry and Liam were all staring at where Mavis' arm used to be. It felt like the veins in Jack's chest were tangling and twisting, choking the air out of him.

"What-…" Harry started, his mouth hanging open.

"How did-" Jim said.

"Shit…" Liam said and took a step towards Mavis, "I'm so sorry, Mavis. Whatever happened… I'm so sorry."

Mavis nodded and gave Liam a small smile, but there was uncertainty beneath it.

"We're sorry too," Harry said, "We won't ask you about it. You can tell us when you're ready. If you'll ever be ready."

"Yeah," Jim said, "We're your friends and we care about you."

Jack shared a smile with Hiccup. The veins in his chest turned limp, their attempt to choke him forgotten.

"Thank you, guys," Mavis said. Her smile looked more genuine this time.

"Look…" Harry said and took a step backwards, "We'll give you guys some space, okay? Must be a lot to handle, being back and all. Everyone's going to be crowding you."

"Yeah," Liam agreed, "We'll just go to class now and we'll see you guys around. Whenever you want to hang out again, just…let us know, okay?"

Jack nodded. "We will. Thank you, mates. You're the best."

Harry, Liam and Jim gave them bright smiles, before they hurried off to class, bags slung over their shoulders.

"They're so great," Merida said, her words tainted with guilt.

"Yeah, we're lucky to have friends like that," Flynn said.

Nods and hums of agreement went through their little group. They picked up where they left of, heading towards the busiest corridor in the castle. In the distance, Jack heard shuffling feet and eager chit chat. He wondered how those sounds had become dreadful for him, getting his heart racing instead of beating steadily.

When they turned the corner, the normalcy of every student's morning was broken.

"Jack!", "Flynn!", "Guys!", "Hiccup!", "Mates!", "Merida!", "Hey!", "Mavis!", all their names and random words to get their attention was shouted at them in a deafening choir of mouths, hungry for answers. They tried to move through the crowded corridor, only giving vague replies like "We don't want to talk about it," or "It's private,". Some students backed off with offended frowns on their faces, while others nodded in understanding.

The further down the passageway they got, the more whispers and shocked eyes he saw, as their fellow students noticed Mavis' missing arm. Jack put his arm around her shoulder and kept her close to him. Hiccup walked on the other side of her, guarding her from any contact with others.

"Mavis! Mavis!" a young Ravenclaw boy tried to squeeze through the crowd and come towards them. "Mavis! What happened to your arm?!"

"Fuck off, Luke," Hiccup said with an aggression Jack had only hard on rare occasions. Luke backed away, his face scrunched in annoyance. Jack made a mental note about talking with Hiccup about this later. He realized this must bring back a lot of painful memories.

It was a relief when the entrance to the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom came into view. A sanctuary from all the questions. An island of stability in the middle of a sea of change. They took their seats at the back of the class, and Jack thought about the last time he had been here. When only the possibility of a war loomed over them. Now, he had had more practice with the spells from this class to last him a lifetime. As more people started pouring in, their increasing presence was a burden on Jack's patience. No one had spoken to them here, and yet he found himself thinking irritable thoughts, wishing everyone would just leave.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" someone yelled. Katie and Megan hurried towards them, their faces pale and wide-eyed.

"Uhm, hi, " Hiccup said, curling his fingers tight around one wrist.

"Where's Astrid? Has she come back with you guys?" The words left Megan's mouth so fast, they were almost jumbled.

"No, she's home on Berk," Hiccup said, "She told me to let you guys know she's all right, and that she'll write a letter soon, explaining things to you."

"Oh, thank god she's okay," Katie said and held her hands over her heart.

"We were so worried," Megan said and sighed, "We had no idea, where you guys had gone. Where were you? What happened?"

"I…" Hiccup said, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve, "We don't really want to talk about it."

"Oh…" Katie said, "Okay. Sorry if we made you uncomfortable,"

"No, don't worry about it," Hiccup said, "I understand."

"Thank you, Hiccup," Megan said, "And thank you for telling us Astrid's all right. That is just… Such a relief."

"And we're glad you're all right too," Katie said and glanced at each of them with one of her dimpled smiles.

"Thanks," Hiccup said. Jack gave them a nod and tried his best to smile.

The weeks passed at Hogwarts, tense and awkward under the gaze of their fellow students. Jack had known it was impossible to go back, once they had used the port key and landed in a war. But he had kept a weak ember of hope within him, that perhaps it wouldn't be as difficult to go back, as he feared. The first time he noticed the glimpses of fear and perverse curiosity in other students' eyes, he knew it couldn't be done. You can't dive back into your old environment, when you're not the same and the environment knows it. That didn't mean they didn't try. They did their best to fit in. Went to classes, did their homework, ate meals in the Great Hall. In between those branches of normality, the nightmares and the memories slithered in and out.

The rain slammed against the tall windows, pushed by the furious winds. The Defense against the Dark Arts classroom seemed gloomier than usual, like the heavy wooden desks and cupboards drank the dim light that made it through the clouds. Jack twirled his quill between two fingers. He tried to pay attention to Professor Bunnymund explaining the relation between iguanas and the dark arts, but the splashing rain drops and the wind shaking the massive tree outside the window was a distracting melody. Oh well, I'll just have to read up on it later. Or borrow Hiccup's notes.

"Now, we turn to the subject of Inferi," Professor Bunnymund said and took out some chalk from the drawer in the desk, "An Inferius is a reanimated corpse that have been bewitched to do whatever a witch or wizard wants." Professor Bunnymund wrote some bullet points on the blackboard.

Jack chewed on his lip. His breathing stuttered.

"It's easy to recognize an Inferius. They are thin, skeletal creatures and their eyes are white and cloudy. You'll see no life in them. They are rotting corpses, doing whatever their master orders them to. They have no ability to think for themselves."

Jack chewed harder on his lip, the sharp sting a brief distraction. His heartbeat drummed in his chest like the violent raindrops.

"But," Professor Bunnymund said, "If you turn to page 56, you'll see that there are also differences between Inferi."

The crunchy sound of flapping pages filled the room. When Jack's eyes landed on the page, he had to close his eyes for a moment. His mouth had gone dry. Several drawings of Inferi decorated the page, their lifeless eyes and bony fingers reaching into his mind. He cast a glance to the side. Hiccup's hands were balled into fists on the table. On the other side of him, Flynn tapped his fingers on the desk over and over. Merida wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

"As you see on the drawings, the Inferi can look quite different, despite their skeletal appearance. Since they are corpses that have been reanimated-," Professor Bunnymund explained.

Jack dug his teeth into his lip.

"- they still look like their old selves. Or more accurate… They look like their old selves after dying and beginning to decompose. The Inferi were used by Lord Voldemort in the first Wizarding War. Needless to say, it was disturbing for many to see people they knew as rotting corpses."

A burst of pain shot into Jack's lip. Sharp. Buzzing. A metallic taste covered his tongue. He could feel a warm drop slither down his chin. Hiccup's hand came out of nowhere and turned his head. Their eyes were fixed on each other. Hiccup pulled out a tissue from his bag and dried off the blood. This had become a new ritual. It stung, as Hiccup gently patted his mouth with the tissue. How was it possible to convey so much meaning without speaking a word? He saw it in Hiccup's eyes and felt it in his touch. The comfort. The shared pain.

Hiccup crumbled up the bloody tissue and banished it to the corner of the desk. Professor Bunnymund had turned his back to write some more bullet points about the Inferi on the blackboard. Hiccup leaned in and let their lips touch. It was brief and soft, like a leaf landing in the snow. Jack managed a small smile, when they broke apart. His lips were cracked, bruised and bleeding every day, but Hiccup still wanted to kiss him.

Jack focused on helping himself and the others through the class. He started a game of 'continue the story, where you write a sentence or two and fold the paper, so the next person can only see the last couple of words. Then the next person continues the story and so on. That's how they ended up writing a story about a kleptomaniacal mole that collected marshmallows, made dresses out of sanitary towels and met its untimely doom by a giant pancake being dropped from a plane. It didn't take long, before they were chuckling instead of stressing.

Jack kept his eyes on the old, stone floors, as they made their way towards the dungeons for their Potions class. His hand rested comfortably in Hiccup's, but the silence between them all was something, he had yet to be comfortable with. They used to spend these trips talking and joking around, but since they came back, there was only silence.

Walking among endless black and white uniforms reminded him, that they were misplaced in their once second home. Foreign. Aliens. The memories of the war were infused into the world around them. An invisible barrier that drew fear and fascination from the other students. Some were afraid of choking, if they dared venture into it. If they dared to try to unravel what had happened. Jack saw them shaking their heads. Walking away. Others were willing to take that risk out of sheer curiosity dressed up as concern. They were worse, with their invading questions and thirst for knowing everyone's secrets.

They were distancing themselves from everyone. Withdrawing into their own little universe, where there was an unspoken understanding. He first caught himself doing it, when he spotted Liam, Harry and Jim in one of the corridors and turned around and walked the other way. The guilt prickled in his chest, but he pushed it down. Every day, the chasm between them and everyone else grew larger.

When they turned a corner, his hand slipped out of Hiccup's, and he broke into a run. Mavis was sitting against a stone wall, her arm wrapped around her legs, her face resting on her knees. She was rocking back and forth, shaking, and clearly had trouble breathing. Elsa and Anna sat on each side of her, speaking to her in soft voices.

Jack dropped to his knees next to Mavis. "What happened?" he asked Elsa. The others gathered around them.

"There was an accident in the hallway. Some Hufflepuff guys were messing around with each other, and one of them botched a spell and hit one of the others. There was a small explosion and he just screamed and his face was bleeding," Elsa said, her nose scrunching in what looked like a mix of fear and disgust. She pointed to a spot further down the corridor. The stone floors had been tainted with a small pool of red. "And Mavis just, she started having some kind of panic attack," Elsa continued, "We've tried to calm her down, but it's like she barely even hears us."

Jack scooted closer. "Mav?" he said, studying her body language. She didn't seem to register his words. He reached out his hand, but before touching her, he looked at the others. Hiccup shook his head. Jack let his hand drop to his side. "Mav, is there something we can do to help you?"

When no response came, Hiccup crouched down in front of her. "Mavis, Mav, just focus on your breathing, okay?" Hiccup said, "I'll help you. I'll count to two, then you breathe in. I'll count to two again, and then you breathe out. Nod if you understand."

Mavis made the weakest of nods, face still pressed against her knees.

"Okay," Hiccup said, "Ready? Breathe in. One. Two. Breathe out. One. Two. Breathe in. One. Two. Breathe out. One. Two," Hiccup kept saying. Mavis was still hiding her face in her knees, but Jack could see her back and shoulders lift and go down with every breath. Hiccup eventually increased the count to three, and Mavis followed his instructions, not saying a word. There they stood, in a protective circle around her, watching her breaths slowly even out more and more, her body becoming calmer.

"Okay, now we go to four, Mavis," Hiccup said, "Breathe in. One. Two. Three. Four. Breathe out. One. Two. Three. Four."

Mavis managed to take slow breaths. Her arm was no longer wrapped as tightly around her knees.

"Mavis? Can you do me a favor and look up?" Hiccup said.

Mavis lifted her head. Her eyes were red and puffy. Remnants of tears gleamed on her cheeks.

"There she is," Jack said and smiled. Mavis glanced at him, and her lips almost formed a weak smile.

"Come here Mav, let's get you up," Flynn said and reached his hand down. Mavis grabbed it and Flynn pulled her to her feet. Merida squeezed Mavis' arm as a show of support.

Jack held out his arms, an invitation to a hug. Mavis walked into his embrace and rested her face on his throat. He stroked her back and gently rocked from side to side. "You're okay," he said, "We're here."

"How do you feel now?" Merida asked.

"Better…" Mavis mumbled into Jack's skin, "Tired."

"You should get some rest," Hiccup said.

"You know what we're going to do?" Merida said, "You and I are going to the dormitory, so you can get some sleep. I'll stay with you. I'll even read you one of those books about vampire lore, you love so much, until you fall asleep."

"Thanks Mer," Mavis said, sounding like speaking was getting difficult.

When Merida and Mavis disappeared from view, and Elsa and Anna left them to go to their classes, there was a moment of solemn realization among them.

"It's going to happen to us all at some point, isn't it?" Jack said, the first to break the silence, "Having a break down in the middle of class. Or the corridors. Or the Great Hall. Letting everyone see us fall apart."

"Yeah," Flynn agreed and rubbed his forehad.

"It's just a matter of time, yeah," Hiccup said, "It will happen to all of us. But at least we have each other to lean on."

The summer holiday was a detaching experience. After being back at Hogwarts for a couple of months, they had begun to sink into some kind of normality. It wasn't the same normality as before, but they took what they could get. The familiar routines, the rules and the structure helped them function again at Hogwarts. When summer came, they were ripped from that fragile grip on their new everyday lives. He and Jack spent half the summer on Berk and half with Jack's family. Having Astrid in charge whenever he was gone was a surreal experience, but she made everything run smoothly and efficiently. They had many late night meetings about how to make improvements to Berk, and how to integrate the remnants of the hostile tribes into some of their ally tribes, and what sort of challenges that might bring in the future. In contrast, spending time with Jack's family was relaxing and uncomplicated. The only difficult moments was when he or Jack had nightmares, or when North and Anna wanted to have a serious talk about the dangers of living in the archipelago. They supported Jack's decision to move there after graduation, but they wanted to know exactly what their adoptive son was walking into, and how they could support both Jack and himself in the future.

They stayed in touch with their friends all through the summer. Everyone struggled with the sudden changes in routine. Merida had a shorter fuse with her mom, getting stressed out quicker than before. Rapunzel wanted to write almost every day to make sure everyone was still safe. Flynn had begun to avoid ever talking about anything related to the war. Fishlegs often slept over at his house with him and Jack, because staying in his parents' house was too hard. Mavis had anxiety attacks regularly, her dad's constant fretting and worrying rubbing off on her.

When autumn came around, a part of him was excited about returning to Hogwarts and another part was fearing yet another adjustment to a new everyday life. Merida struggled with accepting that she couldn't play Quidditch due to her injuries from the war. They had taken it upon them as a group to research possibilities to heal her completely, but not even magic could make old damage disappear, once it had healed by itself as best it could. After having been told about Jack's new found powers by Headmaster Lunar, Professor Bunnymund offered him private lessons after school to help him reach his full potential. Hiccup was glad to see Jack have a new focus, a new goal to concentrate on. It helped them both keep their minds occupied. Mavis had gotten a prosthetic arm over the summer and did her best to get used to it. She began wearing black gloves, and when she had her school robes on too, you couldn't tell it was a fake arm and hand, unless you already knew. He and Mavis grew closer than ever before, spending a lot time together to talk about how to adjust to missing a limb and how to get the most use out of your prosthetic. Except for flying, those were the moments Hiccup felt calmest. His trauma and his pain came to good use. He could help a friend through the same pain, lending comfort and giving advice he wished he could have gotten himself. He knew Jack felt the same way, when he had late night talks with him and Fishlegs about losing their parents. Jack was the greatest support he could ask for, when he missed his dad and had to let a tear fall.

The Gryffindor common room had become almost as familiar to him as the Ravenclaw common room. They were different, but each had a unique appeal. The Ravenclaw common room had an ethereal quality; circular and airy, with a starry dome ceiling, and rich blue carpets to match. The private library encouraged the knowledge their House held so dear, while the arched windows with blue and bronze silk curtains and the white marble statues gave the room a refined character. The Gryffindor room was the essence of warmth and coziness. Dark wooden floors were covered with rugs in red and golden hues, and a myriad of big, soft armchairs and a few couches invited students to relax and socialize. Scarlet tapestries of wizards, witches and various animals hung on the walls, and a massive fireplace with a lion motif on the mantle bathed the room in warmth and soft light.

Usually, the place gave Hiccup a snug and comfortable feeling, like eating warm soup when the rain and winds were raging outside. The flames crackled in the fireplace, and the armchairs were as squashy as ever, but they left no relaxation in his body. He shifted in his seat and exchanged a nervous glance with Jack. Flynn stared into the golden flames, but didn't move. The common room was deserted. The stillness of the night was a sharp contrast to the restless energy in his muscles.

"We're worried about you," Jack said, the first to speak.

"There's no need to be," Flynn said without emotion.

"Of course, there is!" Hiccup said, his indignation pushing his voice to be louder than he intended, "You're shutting down. You seem like you don't care about anything anymore."

"You're trying to pretend everything's fine, when it isn't," Jack said.

"I'm okay," Flynn said, "I don't really feel anything right now,"

"That's the problem," Jack said, slapping his hands onto the armrests of his chair.

"You can't just push it down, Flynn," Hiccup said, "You need to deal with it."

"Look…" Flynn said, tapping his fingers on his thigh, "We all saw a lot of shit and did a lot of shit. Things we'll never forget. I try to deal with it as easily as I can."

"You know I'm usually okay with easy solutions," Jack said, "But not in this case. This isn't healthy. This isn't good for you."

"Is it good for me to hurt?" Flynn said. Hiccup thought he sensed a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yes!" Hiccup said, "Okay, that came out wrong… But the point is that you have to hurt to be able to move on."

"Yeah, you can't just skip part of the healing process, it doesn't work like that," Jack said.

"I tried hurting," Flynn said. His face was like the grey skies over Hogwarts earlier in the day. Unreadable. Impossible to tell whether a sudden change would bring sun or storm. "Just like all of you, I had nightmares and anxiety attacks and got stressed," Flynn said, "So, I tried something new. Just packing it all away, so it wouldn't hurt anymore."

"What hurts the most?" Hiccup said and received a confused look from Jack that said 'where are you going with this'?

Flynn was silent. His eyes were fixed on the flames in the fireplace.

"Flynn, come on…" he said and leaned forward in his chair, "What hurts the most? What pushed you into doing this? What is it that kept you awake at night?"

Flynn mumbled something and scratched his hand.

"What?" Jack said.

"Helplessness," Flynn said, a little louder. The scratching became quicker.

Jack took a deep breath and put a hand on Flynn's shoulder. "I get it."

"You do?" Flynn said. His eyes carried hope.

Hiccup bit his lip, as he waited for Jack to explain.

"Yeah," Jack said, "I've been one of your best mates since we were 11. I know you. And I should have realized sooner why you've been acting this way."

Flynn didn't look at them now. He seemed unable to stop scratching an imaginary itch.

Jack squeezed Flynn's shoulder. "You're Flynn Rider. You're a man of action. You always find some clever way out of a tight spot."

Understanding hit him. He breathed out and released some of the tension in his muscles.

"But this time you couldn't," Jack said, "You couldn't get to Mavis before that Viking cut off her arm. Merida pushed you out of the way and took an axe to the stomach." Flynn winced at the mention of that event. "In your mind, you should have been the one to act," Jack said, "There were many people we saved, but also many we couldn't get to in time. And that's not the Flynn Rider you want to be. That's not the one from the book you love so much. The one who always succeeds in his adventures. The one who never fails to protect the ones he cares about."

Flynn kept staring at the floor. The way he bit his lip told Hiccup that Jack had been right.

"But that Flynn Rider isn't real," Hiccup blurted out in his eagerness to reassure Flynn, "And if he was, he wouldn't always succeed in everything he does. I understand wanting to measure up. I probably understand it better than most. But you'll never be able to measure up to a fictional character. Because you're not the Flynn Rider from the book. You're the real one. The human one. And that's much better."

"How's that better?" Flynn mumbled.

Hiccup met Jack's eyes and they smiled at each other. "Because you fight for what you believe in," Jack said, leaning forward to get a better look at Flynn's face, "And everything you accomplish, everything you protect is worth so much more, because of that. You're flawed, just like everyone else. You feel. You think. You doubt yourself. But you always do everything in your power to help those you love and to do what's right. That's what makes you so much more amazing than the Flynn Rider from the book will ever be."

Flynn picked at his nails. The reflection of the flames swirled in his eyes. Hiccup imagined that must be what his mind was like; swaying and swirling, trying to determine if he believed their words and should act on them, or whether he should keep pushing his feelings down.

After a moment of silence, Jack spoke again. "He doesn't have to deal with all the shit that real humans do and overcome it to achieve his victories. But you do and you do it so well. None of us can ever prevent every bad thing that happens, mate. We just can't. Sometimes things get pushed out of our control. Don't blame yourself for that." Jack put a hand on Flynn's arm.

"If you blame yourself for it, you have to blame the rest of us too," Hiccup said, "We couldn't protect and save everyone either. Every one of us wish we could have saved Mavis and Merida from getting damaged for life. Every one of us wish we could have saved every Berkian and every dragon. But what good is it going to do to blame ourselves? All it's going to do is poison our lives and make it that much harder to live," Hiccup said and thought back to the times, he'd seen tribesmen sick with guilt and regret, even from wars fought before he was born. Some never got to let go.

"It's impossible to win all the battles," Jack said and let go of Flynn's arm, "Even for someone as great as you."

Hiccup smiled but Flynn still avoided eye contact. "You have a lot of good traits and a lot of skills, Flynn," he said, "Being superhuman isn't one of them."

Flynn rubbed his forehead. "I know you're right, mates. It's just hard to feel better about everything that happened."

"We understand that," Jack said, "We blame ourselves for some things too. I think that's unavoidable. But the only way we could have done anything differently, is if we'd already known exactly how everything was going to play out. But no one knew that."

"You need to start forgiving yourself," Hiccup said, "I know it's hard. I think it's hard too. But the only thing the guilt does is make our lives miserable."

"No one holds anything against you, Flynn," Jack said, "You've done nothing wrong. Mavis and Merida know we did everything we could."

"Yeah," Flynn said, the word barely audible. His breathing had sped up.

"Now we need to find a way to be happy, despite everything that's happened," Hiccup said, rubbing his arm, "It's much easier said than done, but the first step is to let yourself feel everything. One thing I've learned from watching battle traumatized Berkians is that it's important to let yourself hurt. If you don't, you're not healing. You're keeping the guilt and the regret and the stress inside you. And some day, they'll come bursting out, and they'll be so much stronger, because instead of slowly drowning them, you fed them."

Flynn fidgeted with his hands. The unshed tears in his eyes gleamed, golden and glassy, like the fire was melting his defenses.

"Hic's right," Jack said, "We're all struggling, and we all wish we didn't have to. But we need to do it. That's the only way we can continue our lives."

"Will you please just let us in?" Hiccup asked, "Tell us about the helplessness."

Flynn bit his lip. He blinked repeatedly.

"I promise, no matter what you say, no matter how you feel, we'll be here for you," Jack said, "We love you and we just want to see you get better. None of us are undamaged but at least we're all alive. We're all still together, and we always will be."

The end of Jack's words smashed Flynn's last barriers. Flynn leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. His sharp breaths were loud among the soft crackle of flames.

Jack hurried out of his chair. He tilted Flynn's head up. Tears branched out like shimmering veins on Flynn's cheeks. Jack sat down next to him in the large chair, and pulled him into his arms. Flynn rested his head on Jack's shoulder, facing away from them. Hiccup could feel the vulnerability from his friend, like it was pulsing inside his own brain.

Staying in Jack's arms, avoiding eye contact, Flynn explained which memories and feelings chewed on him with the sharpest teeth. How he felt responsible for Merida's and Mavis' injuries, because he wasn't quick enough to prevent them. How he thought it should have been him to have an axe lodged in his stomach, instead of Merida pushing him out of the way. How he should have been more alert in the moment Mavis was ambushed. He even blamed himself for Jack's near death experience, because he didn't see the archer in time, and Rapunzel getting beaten, because she was the one to go looking for healing items instead of him.

They stayed in the Gryffindor common room until the sun began to rise, spilling it's mild, golden light onto the stone walls, illuminating the scarlet tapestries. They spoke of their regrets and their guilt, of some of the worst things they'd seen, done, and been unable to do. It was a demanding talk. One that wore on his mind like a sharp rock grating on a piece of string. But when they reached a natural end to the sharing, it was like the words he had said were tainted and had needed to leave his body.

When winter came around, and the snow covered the world in its shimmering splendor, the first sense of genuine normalcy found its way back to Hiccup. The way Jack's steps had an extra bounce in them, the way the castle was decorated with lights and shining ornaments, the way the soft dragon scarf Rapunzel had knitted him years ago fit snugly around his neck. There were moments he forgot they were still misplaced here. Fleeting blinks of an eye, where they had never left Hogwarts at all. Snowball fights, sledding on the large hills, competing in who could build the biggest snowman. The childish spark winter brought was enough for them to find some peace among the struggles. Their annual trip to Hogsmeade to buy presents, eat candy and look at the decorations had a soft hope sprouting inside him. A hope that they'd eventually be okay.

The winter holidays and Jól celebrations were hard to get through without his dad. Having all these new responsibilities in arranging the major events on Berk, only reminded him of how great his dad used to be at it and how he wished he was still alive. Astrid, Fishlegs and Jack were a great support, helping him organize everything and comforting him, when the pressure and the longing was overwhelming.

The silence of the abandoned library was a safe cocoon, sheltering them from curious students. The thick stone walls and the fireplaces had a delicate warmth settling in his bones. The hard frost left beautiful markings on the old castle windows, pale whites and blues swirling in flowery patterns. Hiccup's fingers tingled to touch the cold glass. Most people in the castle were at lunch, but their little group spent some time together in the library after a study session. Jim, Harry and Liam ended up joining them, having finished their own homework.

"I imagine him being even more intimidating one on one," Harry said.

"Actually, he's surprisingly laid back," Jack said, lifting his feet out of his shoes. He was wearing those ridiculous socks, red with Viking heads on them, their helmets wrapped with tinsel and holly. Sure, the Viking helmets had horns on them. But Hiccup could overlook that, because he couldn't help but smile every time he saw them. It had been a gift from Emma. Where she had found such a horrible thing, he had no idea.

Jim's eyes turned narrow, when he shot a skeptical look at Jack. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jack said and kicked the shoes under the table. He leaned back on the armchair. "I mean, obviously, he's still wants discipline and wants me to focus, I'm not allowed to take the piss, but… He's more relaxed one on one, and I even got him to smile at a joke I made the other day."

"Wauw," Harry said, "That's impressive. I don't think I've ever seen Professor Bunnymund smile."

"Well… I feel like we've reached an understanding," Jack said, "Which is good timing, since there aren't many months till our final exams."

"Way to charm the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher," Flynn said and waggled his eyebrows. Rapunzel rested her head on his lap. He stroked her hair. "I've seen him smile," Rapunzel said, sitting up, "I've actually made him smile."

"Yeah, that was great," Hiccup said. He felt like Professor Bunnymund had a certain fondness of Rapunzel after that day.

"What?" Merida said, pausing in her mission to kill off a packet of sweets quickly and efficiently.

"How?" Jack and Flynn said in unison.

"We'd done Easter projects in Art class, and I'd made these really detailed glass Easter eggs with painted Spring flowers and plants on them. Anyway, me and Hiccup were heading to our next class, and we saw Professor Bunnymund come towards us". Rapunzel's eyes turned sympathetic from the memory. "He just, he looked like he was having such a bad day, and I felt like I needed to cheer him up. So, I wished him a happy Easter and gave him one of the glass eggs."

"And then he smiled," Hiccup said, "And thanked her."

"That's impressive, Punzie," Jack said, "You made his day."

"Well, how could she not?" Fishlegs said, with a glimpse of pride in his eyes, "Those eggs were beautiful. I got one too."

While Rapunzel and Fishlegs described to the others what the eggs looked like, Hiccup's attention was drawn to Mavis. She shifted in her seat, like she was unable to sit comfortably. She grinded her teeth.

"Phantom sensations?" he said and leaned closer to her. The others stopped their conversation.

"Yeah," she said and pulled her legs up on the chair. She wrapped her arm around them, and let her prosthetic hang by her side.

"Does it hurt?" Jim asked, his voice quiet, like he was almost afraid of asking.

"No," Mavis said. She didn't look at anyone. "It's just very… unnerving. It feels like it's still there and the skin is sort of prickling."

"But when you have them, Hiccup, it hurts a lot, doesn't it?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, but that's different," Hiccup said, "I have phantom pains. Mavis has phantom sensations."

"Oh," Liam said, "I didn't know there was a difference."

"A big one," Hiccup said. He took Mavis' hand and pulled it off her legs. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"That must be horrible… For both of you," Harry said.

"I'm sort of used to it by now," Hiccup said, "I think it's worse for Mavis, because she hasn't had much time to adjust yet."

Harry, Liam and Jim all nodded with understanding in their eyes. Understanding that faded into hurt. The kind that came from being on the other side of a gorge of secrets. The kind you didn't allow to morph into words, because you knew the ones that left you there, the ones holding the secrets, had a pain of their own. A pain greater than yours.

They sank into silence. Hiccup glanced at his friends one by one. Avoidant eyes, lips clenched between teeth, fingers picking at nails or tugging at sleeves. Their hearts were just as conflicted as his. One moment, closeness. Next moment, distance. It was safer to stay on the other side of the gorge, where the distance shielded you. But if they could all be on the same side, if they could bring their friends with them, they could throw the hurt between them away.

Jack cleared his throat. Everyone's careful eyes found him. "Uhm… This is hard but… Maybe it's time. What do you think, guys?"

"I'm okay with them knowing but… I don't want to be the one doing the talking," Mavis said. Her hand slipped out of Hiccup's. She scratched the shoulder her arm used to be attached to.

"Yeah, me too…" Rapunzel said and looked at Pascal resting in her lap. She leaned against Flynn's arm.

"I think… It would be a good idea to tell them," Merida said. Flynn and Fishlegs nodded to show their agreement.

"Hic?" Jack said, "What do you think?"

He pulled on one of his braids. "I know we can trust you," he said, looking at Harry, Jim and Liam, "And… I'm fine with telling you most of what happened. But there are some things we can't tell you. For safety reasons. So…if you're okay with that, and if you're okay with never telling anyone else, once you know, then I think Jack's right. It's time to tell you."

"Of course, we're okay with that," Jim said and the way his voice turned soft almost made Hiccup feel guilty for asking in the first place.

"Yeah. And you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to or can't for some reason," Harry said.

Liam nodded. "We just… We'd like to know what happened to our friends. We're not asking for all the details, just something that can make us understand, why you're struggling. Why Mavis lost her arm. Why you're all having anxiety issues in one way or another. And nightmares."

"I know it can't have been easy for you guys, just watching us all being different and having a hard time, and not knowing why and not being able to help," Flynn said.

"We really appreciate, that you've let us do things at our own pace," Jack said.

"Yeah… Thank you," Mavis said.

"There's no need to thank us for that," Jim said, "It hasn't been easy, no. We've been worried about all of you, but you have clearly gone through something terrible. We didn't want to make you struggle even more."

The appreciation showed in his friends' eyes. Hiccup gave them a hesitant smile. It was never easy to talk about what had happened. But each time left him feeling more at peace.

"I'm not sure where to start…" Jack said, rubbing his neck.

"Maybe you could start by telling us, why you left Hogwarts in the first place?" Liam suggested.

"Yeah, of course..." Jack said and turned to Hiccup and the others, "And if any of you have something to add or want to talk about something specific, please just interrupt me."

Hiccup suspected Jack took it upon himself to be the main story teller, so he could spare the rest of them from it. Always the protector. Despite the intense situation ahead, he smiled. A thought shot into his mind. "Muffliato," he said and cast the spell that would fill any eavesdroppers' ears with a buzzing sound instead of their conversation.

"Good thinking," Flynn said.

"Okay," Jack said and took a deep breath, "It started when Merida and I saw Hiccup and Fishlegs and Rapunzel running towards the forest. Hiccup screamed Astrid's name and she started going after them. I realized there was only one thing, that could make him act like that…"

By the time, Jack and the rest of them had finished telling their story, the sunlight hid behind the dark evening sky. The old lamps on the stone walls cast a rich, yellow light among the packed bookcases and shelves. The library was as empty as when they had started, except for the librarian, whose heels clacked on the wooden floorboards, loud and sharp in the silence.

"And then we came back to Hogwarts," Jack said and cleared his throat.

Harry, Jim and Liam had been silent throughout, giving them all the room they needed to tell the story. It said something about Harry, Jim and Liam; choosing to save the questions and the emotional outbursts until the end. It made it easier to get the words out.

"Shit…" Harry said, shaking his head.

"I can't believe you went through all that," Jim said.

Liam stayed silent, watching the table with unshed tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Harry said. Hiccup wasn't used to seeing pain on Harry's face. He was always grinning and joking around like nothing could hurt him. "I'm sorry this happened to you."

"Me too," Liam said. His voice was hoarse.

Jim nodded. His eyes were conflicted. "I feel like I should say something encouraging… Or something meaningful. But I can't. All I'm thinking is that I wish you didn't have to go through that. And I wish we could have helped somehow."

"You shouldn't blame yourself for anything," Rapunzel said, finishing her words with a sympathetic smile.

"No, don't blame yourselves," Hiccup said. None of them needed more blame. It was like a poison swimming under their skin. "It was our choice to leave, and you weren't even given the choice to come with us."

"What happened, happened," Merida said. She glanced at the packet of sweets on the table, but didn't touch it. "None of us can change it."

"You're right," Harry said, "I guess the only thing we can do, is be there for you guys now."

"Yeah," Liam said, rubbing his eyes, "Please… Let us help you. If there's anything you need, now or later, even if it's just something small, let us know."

Jim nodded. "It would be nice to be able to help with this. Must be a huge burden to bear."

"It is," Jack said, "But it helps a lot to have good friends for support."

"It really does," Hiccup said, "We're going to continue having problems for a long time. Maybe they'll never go away. But it gets easier to deal with, when you have someone to share it with."

"Well, you can share it with us too, now," Harry said, the words falling quickly from his lips.

Hiccup hadn't known Harry, Jim and Liam for as long as Jack, Flynn, Mavis and Merida had. He was unaware of which other secrets they had shared between them, which other hardships they had helped each other through. But he knew their story would be kept safe with them, and that they would do their best to support him and the others.

Leaving a place that has warmed your heart is like floating in a sea, where sadness and excitement swirls together in salty splashes, until you can no longer separate them. Hiccup had made lifelong friends at Hogwarts. He had found love. He had grown and developed his skills. He had found a place, where he belonged, before he even felt like a part of his tribe.

The graduation ceremony and the following feast was surreal in its splendor. The tables were stacked with delicious foods on sparkling silver plates and bowls. The silver shone brightly against the rich table cloths in the House colors. Since this was their last time in the Great Hall, and many students had friends from different Houses, the usual rule of having to sit at your House table had been discarded. Elegant flower arrangements brought a touch of lush green to the tables. The Frog Choir gave a memorable performance, their voices sounding even more beautiful than usual, as they sung about goodbyes and new beginnings. Whether it was because of his nostalgia and sadness, or because they had practiced hard, he didn't know. The Headmaster gave a long speech about how proud he was of all of them, and how they could put their skills to good use in the future. Hiccup would miss Headmaster Lunar and his wisdom.

During the feast, the eager chatter in the Hall buzzed with nervous anticipation. Hiccup imagined it was the fear of losing precious friends that created most of the anxiety among the happiness. What would happen, when people you were used to seeing every day were no longer around you all the time? Was your friendship strong enough to survive, when your lives broke apart, and you had to make an effort to keep each other close? These thoughts occupied his mind, as he stuck his fork in and out of a potato.

"Hic? You okay?" Jack said and nudged his shoulder.

"Hmm?" he said and stopped stabbing the poor, defenseless potato, "Yeah, I'm okay. All of this is just so bittersweet."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jack said and put a hand on his shoulder, "It's going to be sad not coming back here anymore. All the great times we've had here."

"Yeah, this place's been a second home to us," Mavis said and sighed. She still had tears in her eyes from the Headmaster's speech.

"If it wasn't for this place, I never would have met any of you," Flynn said and glanced at each of them. Hiccup realized just how much he appreciated seeing the soft sides of Flynn, the sides that were often buried underneath confidence and humor.

Jack smiled. "I still remember it so clearly… Meeting you and the girls on the Hogwarts Express. We were all so nervous."

"And small," Merida said and grinned.

"And inexperienced," Mavis added.

"It's a good thing we quickly bonded over candy and fart jokes," Flynn said. They all chuckled at that.

"And then Hic and Punzie and Fish," Jack said, "It was only like two years ago. It feels like a lot longer."

"That's because we can't imagine life without them now," Flynn said.

"Aww," Rapunzel said and kissed Flynn on the cheek.

Hiccup took Jack's hand under the table. Jack leaned his head against Hiccup's shoulder. If his secret about the dragons had never come to light, if he and Jack hadn't bumped into each other twice in a few days, maybe all of this would never have happened. Hiccup tightened his grip on Jack's hand.

"Likewise," Fishlegs said, his soft smile showing how touched he was.

"I just hope we don't drift apart," Rapunzel said, the fondness in her eyes melting into concern.

"Come here," Flynn said and wrapped his arms around Rapunzel.

"Don't worry too much," Mavis said, "I know people often say "Oh, we'll definitely be friends forever." But in our case, it's true. Think about all the things we've been through together. There's no way that bond is just going to break, once we leave Hogwarts."

Hiccup nodded. "It won't. But I'm going to miss having you guys around all the time."

Mavis' smile was touched and sad at the same time. Merida rubbed her eyes with a sleeve, probably to conceal that she was tearing up.

"We'll miss you too, Freckles," Flynn said, "But hey, we can all apparate now, so… We can visit each other in the blink of an eye!"

"That's true," Rapunzel said, "We can come to Berk any time we want, and you guys can come over here, whenever you're available."

"That's a comforting thought," Jack said, "And even though I'll miss you all, at least I'll still have Hic and Fish around every day."

"You know…" Fishlegs said, shifting in his seat, "I don't think I ever said this, but I'm really glad you're coming back with us, Jack."

"Don't make my heart melt like that, you charmer," Jack said. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe we should have at least one day a week, where we get together," Merida suggested, "To make sure that life doesn't get in the way all the sudden, and we don't get to see each other, as much as we'd like."

"That's fine with me," Jack said and the rest of them quickly agreed. "What about every Sunday? No excuses. We avoid making plans that day, and unless we're, like, bedridden with the flu or something, we meet up, come Hel or high water."

"It's a deal," Flynn said.

Rapunzel did a small jump in her seat. "That's such a relief."

"Don't worry Rapunzel, you're not getting rid of us," Merida said.

"Thank goodness for that," Rapunzel said, her mouth splitting into a bright smile.

Saying goodbye to their fellow students was a tear inducing experience. People they'd shared laughter and good times with, but weren't close enough to call friends. They were like a kiss; sweet and soft, gone from their lives from one moment to the next, with only a vague memory of the warmth. They'd forever be a reminder of how comforting a home Hogwarts had been.

Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs said goodbye to the House mates they'd talked to during the years. Not seeing them in classes, not hearing their laughter and eager chatting in the common room, it was a strange thought. They would never lay eyes on most of them again. Maybe even all of them. It was a tender moment, every Ravenclaw in their year saying goodbye to each other. Some shed silent tears and shared tender hugs. Others gave awkward handshakes and muttered words of appreciation. Several promised to stay in touch with each other.

The Gryffindors were more expressive in their sorrow. He watched Jack and the others take part in a chaos of fierce hugs, hard pats on the back and loud words of love and sadness. Some Gryffindors were sobbing in their friends' arms. Jack and Liam held each other close. Jim had a firm grip on Flynn's shoulders and made him promise they'd stay in touch. Mavis cried openly, when she embraced some of her Frog Choir friends one by one. Even Merida shed a tear, when she and Harry shared a long, soft hug, and she ruffled his long, blonde hair.

In time, everyone moved on to saying goodbye to everyone they knew from other houses. Hiccup and Liana shared a hug. He told her to stay in touch, if she wanted to. He even shared a soft goodbye with Sam, who told him and Jack to take care of each other.

When the time came to sit in the Hogwarts Express for the final time, there were no words spoken between them. Hiccup rested his head against Jack and stared at the hills and trees swimming past the window like memories. The train rumbled and creaked, a familiar melody that would be missing in his life. Every kilometer they moved further away from Hogwarts severed his connection to his second home. The emptiness in his chest was sharp and unforgiving.

He glanced at his friends from time to time, trying to memorize these last moments. Rapunzel and Flynn holding each other, Pascal sleeping on Rapunzel's shoulder. Merida eating candy from the trolley, but with less eagerness than usual. Fishlegs trying to read a book but failing. He'd been on the same page for the last 20 minutes. Mavis staring out of the window too, the blurring landscapes mirrored in her shining eyes. Hiccup breathed in slowly, like he could inhale the presence of his friends, and keep them in his lungs. They all shed painful tears, when they parted ways at King's Cross station.

The more practice he got with apparating, the less nauseated he felt, when the world spun around him in frantic bursts of color, and every particle in his body was pulled in different directions. The cozy living room with the large fireplace and huge couches full of soft pillows came into view. He blinked and steadied his legs. It felt like his kneecaps were melting. A big shape came charging towards him, and Jack didn't have to get a proper look to know who it was.

"Jack! My boy!" North yelled, his loud, excited voice a welcoming sound in Jack's ears.

"North!" Jack said and threw himself into North's strong embrace.

"So good to see you!" North said, holding him tightly. North's big arms may have been borderline bone crushing, but there was no person that gave more loving and enthusiastic hugs.

Anna and Emma came into the living room. Their smiles were bright, when they spotted him.

"It's good to see you too," Jack said, as North let go of him, "I've missed you all!"

"Especially me, right?" Emma said and winked.

"Who are you?"

Emma punched him in the arm. "Oww!" he said, "Fine, especially you, Kiddo."

Emma nodded with a satisfied smile. Jack lifted her into the air and swung her around. Emma laughed, and the sound was like the trickle of raindrops to a thirsty man. Gods, he had missed her. Anna came over and pulled him into a soft hug. She was all motherly warmth and kisses on top of his head.

"So… You guys ready to go to Berk?" he asked, wiggling his toes out of pure eagerness.

"Yes!" Emma said and jumped up and down, "I can't wait to see Hiccup, and all the dragons!"

"Well, let's go then! No time to waste," Jack said, "Just grab onto me, and we'll be there in a second. You might feel a little nauseated though."

North waved his hand dismissively. "We can handle."

"Okay. Grab on to me," he said, "Ouch, North, please do it without breaking my arm."

"Oops," North said and loosened his death grip.

"Okay. One. Two. Three," Jack counted. The living room turned into fluid stripes of light and color. The tugging sensations pulled at his skin. Anna and Emma squeaked and screamed, while North groaned.

They appeared at the edge of the village, between the last row of houses and the forest. The first thing Emma did on Berk was vomit. Anna didn't look too good either, but she focused on helping Emma, holding her hair back and talking to her in a soft voice.

North wobbled and steadied himself against a big rock. "North?" Jack said and grinned, "Are you okay?"

"Sure, sure," North said, "Takes more than little loop de loop feelings to bring Russian down."

"Of course, it does, dear," Anna said and chuckled.

Emma's nausea was quickly forgotten, when she looked up into the sky, where several Deadly Nadders and Monstrous Nightmares swooshed by with riders on their backs. "Wow!"

"Are you okay now, Em?" Jack said, stroking her back.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," she said, "Just felt a little sick."

"Yeah, that's normal," Jack said, "Even North doesn't feel too good, although he won't admit it."

"Hey!" North said and pointed a large finger at Jack, "I will admit, when there's something to admit."

"So, this is Berk," Anna said and spun around, taking in the rough cliffs and wild pine forests, the clash of waves and fresh ocean breeze, the rustic village ahead with its wooden houses and stone statues.

"Yup," Jack said with a surge of pride, "This is my home."

"It looks wonderful," Anna said. She breathed in deeply. "All the raw nature and fresh air. And… There's something ancient about it."

"I know what you mean," Jack said, looking at the endless woods, allowed to grow wild and free.

When they neared the village, Emma ran towards a big Gronckle sleeping peacefully by one of the wooden houses. It's snoring was so loud, Jack was surprised it wasn't sucking the wooden planks straight off the house.

"Emma!" Anna said and reached out to hold her back. But Emma was too quick.

"It's fine, don't worry," Jack said, "Dragons only harm people, if they're a threat. And the dragons here are great with kids."

"Oh, okay," Anna said, her face turning calmer. Her hands were still fidgeting. Jack couldn't blame her. He was used to dragons. His family wasn't.

"Hi there," Emma said and petted the Gronckle's head carefully. The Gronckle opened its eyes just enough to see, who was disturbing its sleep. Emma scratched it on the neck. The Gronckle let itself fall to its side, exposing its belly. Jack had heard explosions at Hogwarts less noisy.

Emma laughed and scratched its belly. The Gronckle let out low, content sounds. Snot bubbled from its nostrils.

"What a beauty you are, my friend!" North said and patted the Gronckle on the side, "Big and proud! Strong! I bet you could knock over house!"

The pride in the Gronckle's eyes and the goofy smile on its face were unmistakable. Jack laughed.

"What's its name?" Emma said.

"I… Actually, I don't remember. But I know it belongs to Rúna. She's your age."

"Really?" Emma said, large eyes reminding him of a cute animal.

"Yeah, she-"

"Hiccup!" Emma shouted and sprinted past him.

"Okay then," Jack said and laughed, "Nice talking to you, sis."

Anna and North shared his laughter.

"Hi Emma!" Hiccup said and waved. Emma had other plans though. She jumped into his arms, and Hiccup's face turned from surprise to affection in a few seconds. He held on to her and stroked her hair, until he gently let her down on the ground again.

"Hiccup, it's so good to see you! We've missed you," Anna said and pulled Hiccup in for a much gentler hug.

"Thank you, I've missed you all too."

"Hiccup! Come here!" North said and lifted Hiccup into a tight hug. His massive arms enveloping Hiccup was like a pair of pythons strangling their prey. Jack was half expecting a cracking noise

"Hi North," Hiccup wheezed.

"Let the poor boy go," Anna said and shook her head, "You're going to break his spine."

"Nonsense!" North said and laughed. Nonetheless, he let Hiccup go.

Jack would have felt sorrier for Hiccup, if it wasn't because he looked so funny, all large eyes and red cheeks and difficulty breathing.

"So, where did you come from?" Anna said.

"Well, I was just over at the workshop and-"

"WORKSHOP!" North's eyes sparkled and his mouth hung open, resembling a kid who had just been informed Disneyland was around the corner.

Hiccup flinched. "Yeah, it's right over there, if you want to-"

Jack jumped out of the way, when North came surging forwards. It never ceased to surprise him, how fast a man that big could move. North grabbed Hiccup's hand and began dragging him in the direction of the workshop.

"Help, I'm being kidnapped!" Hiccup yelled, his scared expression morphing into a grin.

"Only friendly kidnapping!" North said.

"Sorry, Hic!" Jack yelled, "Can't help you! See you later!"

Hiccup laughed, as North all but shoved him around a corner.

"Well, we're not going to be able to make contact with those two for a while, so… How about I give you guys the rest of the tour?" Jack said.

Anna chuckled. "I think that's a great idea, Sweetie."

"Yeah, let them get all the dorkiness out of their system," Emma said.

"There's no workshop big enough to do that, Sis."

Jack had only lead them a little further through the village, before Fishlegs and Meatlug came into view, Fishlegs carrying a saddle under one arm.

"Anna, Emma. This is Fishlegs," Jack said and gave Fishlegs a bright smile.

"Hello Fishlegs," Anna said and reached out her hand, "Jack's told me so much about you in his letters."

Fishlegs' smile seemed equally happy and embarrassed. He shook her hand. "Well, he's told me a lot about you guys too. It's good to finally meet you."

"You too," Anna said and looked at Meatlug, "Is this your dragon? Meatlug?"

"Yes, this is my little princess!" Fishlegs said and patted Meatlug's head.

"She's adorable!" Emma said and scratched Meatlug's shoulder.

"She is indeed!" Fishlegs agreed.

"Yeah, she's lovely," Anna said, "It's so exciting to see all these dragons! There are so many different kinds!"

"Yes," Fishlegs said, "And we keep discovering new species too."

"That's amazing!" Emma said, "You must have the best job in the whole world! Dragon rider and explorer!"

The sparkle in Fishlegs' eyes was unmistakable. Emma had hit the jackpot of compliments. "Well…" Fishlegs said and suppressed one of his giggles, "I certainly wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world."

"Of course, you wouldn't," Jack said, "Well, we've taken up enough of your time. I know you're heading to Gobber's workshop to get that saddle fixed. Beware though… Hiccup and North are in full geek-mode over there," he said and laughed.

"I'll join them then! Maybe they can fix this saddle right away."

"Yeah, maybe," Jack said, "See you later, Fish."

They strolled through the village, where the Vikings went about their daily business. The scent of freshly baked bread and smoked sausages never failed to make Jack's mouth fill with saliva. Tools clinking and dragons roaring were sounds of home to him. Seeing leather hanging to dry, wool being turned to yarn, Vikings making everything from shoes to tools to dragon gear had become familiar to him in the few months, he had lived here. But for Anna and Emma it was a whole new experience. The rustic, wooden houses with carvings of runes and figures from Norse mythology, and the stone statues of famous Viking gods and heroes particularly fascinated Anna, who kept asking Jack questions about the old myths and legends. Emma was eager to get a closer look at the crafts the different villagers were making, and the Vikings let her ask all the questions she wanted, about what they were doing and how.

"I love it," Anna said, running her hands over a wooden pillar decorated with rune carvings, "It's just all so different! Have you gotten used to living here already, or do you think it will take a little while longer?"

"I've actually gotten used to it pretty quickly," Jack said, glancing around the village. Emma's eyes went large and stared at one of the villagers, who was lifted up by his dragon to work on fixing a rooftop.

"That's great, dear," Anna said, "I'm so happy for you. And for Hiccup too of course."

"Thanks, Anna" Jack said.

"And it's just amazing that he's the leader of this whole island," she said. Her smile faltered. "Such a young age for that kind of responsibility. Is he handling it well? I've been a little worried, since you wrote it in your letter."

"He's doing really well, yeah. Obviously, he misses his dad a lot. And he doubts himself often. But he's doing such a good job, and everyone thinks he's a great leader," Jack said, almost stumbling over the words in his haste to reassure Anna.

"I can tell you're really proud of him."

"I am," he said, his lips threatening to split into a grin.

"Do you miss your Playstation and X-box? And your computer?" Emma said.

"Not really," Jack said, "I mean, I'll admit, the internet would be a really great thing to have out here, but… I don't actually need it."

"Well, you get plenty of excitement in other ways," Anna said, "Being around dragons and Vikings all the time."

"Exactly," he said, "It's rarely boring out here. The only thing I really miss about it is kicking your ass in every game, Sis."

"That's not true!" Emma slapped his arm. "I win sometimes!"

"Sure, you do," Jack said and winked just to provoke her.

"You winked!" Emma protested, stomping a foot into the ground.

"I did no such thing," Jack said.

Emma narrowed her eyes and motioned with her hands that she was keeping an eye on him. He laughed and grabbed her hand, tugging her along.

"There are so many dragons everywhere!" Anna said, her eyes flickering between the many dragons that not only flew above them, but also took up quite a lot of room in the village.

"I hope you'll get your own dragon!" Emma said.

"Me too, Em. Me too," he said, "But you can't rush these things. Hiccup says, that when I meet the dragon, I can form a strong bond with, I'll just know it. So, I'm counting on that."

"Well, Hiccup should know," Anna said.

"Wauw, look at that one!" Emma shouted and pointed towards something.

Grump and Gobber were heading in the direction of the workshop. Grump had piles of logs stacked on his back, and Gobber carried some weapons that needed mending.

Emma ran towards them and stopped abruptly in front of Grump. Gobber smiled at her. "If you want to pet him, he likes to be scratched on the head." Emma didn't need to hear that twice. She launched into a petting attack, scratching Grump's strong scales eagerly.

He and Anna watched in silence for a moment, both with a smile on their face.

"Jack," Anna said, "Now that Emma's busy, I thought I'd ask… How's everything going with the Vikings, who… Attacked Hiccup? The ones who didn't want him to be in charge? The last thing you mentioned was that most of them died in the fight, but there were a few survivors, who had been imprisoned."

Jack sighed. "Yeah. They have been exiled from the archipelago. They're never allowed to return."

"Exiled? Isn't that a very… Mild sentence for trying to kill him?"

He scratched his neck. "That was my first thought too. But Hiccup is almost a pacifist, and there's no way he would agree to execute them. And I wouldn't want that either, but… It was hard to find a solution, because we also couldn't just let them go."

"So, what did it end up with?"

"Hiccup discussed the matter with the tribe, and he suggested that they exiled them. They all agreed on that. And like you, I thought it was a mild sentence at first. But then Hiccup told me more about it. About what it means to be exiled in Viking culture, and how many Vikings actually see it as a punishment worse than death."

The wrinkles on Anna's forehead showed her confusion. "How is that worse than death?"

"You need to understand that honor and community is everything in Viking culture. Your tribe, your family, your ancestors. You gain honor by being brave and skilled and generous. And by being loyal and kind to your tribe and your loved ones. If you're exiled, you lose all your honor, and you're pushed out of the tribe and out of your family. You lose all the protection and the privilege you had."

Anna nodded, biting her lip.

"No one is allowed to help you or support you in any way, and everyone who sees you is permitted to kill you without being punished for it afterwards. So, basically, you become almost everything Vikings loathe: a person with no honor, no kin, no tribe. A coward and weak person. A lot of Vikings would rather die, and at least gain a little honor back by facing their death with courage instead of going through exile."

"I see…" Anna said, "So they're forced to leave the archipelago, because they have no one to turn to, and they'll probably be killed, if they run into anyone?"

"Exactly."

"That's a… Very different mentality than I'm used to,"

"I know," Jack said, "Same here. But that's the way things are done here. And that was the only way Hiccup could spare their lives". Jack thought back to the discussion about the war hostages. How it had also been Hiccup's idea to give the prisoners from the hostile tribes the choice between death and exile, and how he had come up with a plan to let their wives and kids be integrated into Berk's ally tribes, so there wouldn't be a blood feud.

"I understand that," Anna said, "I must admit that I worry. About both of you. Having to deal with such things. You're too young for that."

"Yeah," Jack said, "But that's the way it has to be. We'll handle it."

"You will," Anna agreed, "I'm just concerned, you know? But it's the right thing, you moving here to be with Hiccup. I don't like the danger lurking around here, but I can see how happy you two are together, and that's what I want for you, Sweetie."

"Thank you," Jack said and closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around Anna.

Anna kissed him on the cheek and stroked his back. "I'm relieved you two seem to be doing better and better though," Anna said, "It was a horrible sight, seeing you for the first time after the war. I was so happy and relieved you were both alive, and your friends too of course, but you all looked so... There was something different about your eyes. Like you'd seen things you'd never forget and aged 20 years since I last saw you."

"Yeah, I know," Jack said, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"There's no need to be sorry, Jack," Anna said, holding him tighter, "We're a family. And families aren't just there for each other, when things are easy. We'll always be there for you, no matter what."

No words existed that could properly convey the gratitude he had for being a part of such a wonderful family.

"Jack! Gobber let me give Grump some fish!" Emma said, her voice full of wonder.

Jack broke into a fit of laughter, when he saw Emma. Anna was too surprised to make a sound. Dragon slobber clung to every inch of his sister, her hair and skin gleaming in the sunlight. Her eyes shone with childish glee, not dimmed in the slightest by how difficult it would be to get all the dragon slobber off.

"Nice going, Gobber!" Jack said.

"Hey, the lass had never fed a dragon before, how could I say no?" Gobber said and shrugged.

"Well kid," Jack said to Emma, "You're in for a long cleaning process."

"Aww, man," Emma whined.

"Go to that house over there," Jack said to Anna, "It's the healers' house. They'll have some soap that will help get the dragon slobber off. It's something we brought back from Diagon Alley, much more effective than regular soap. You can use their bath."

"We'll do that right away," Anna said and took Emma's hand, "I'm not walking around with that stinky rascal."

"Hey!" Emma objected.

"See you in a little while," Jack said, "I'll hang around nearby."

"Sure, no problem," Anna said.

"I hope I didn't cause any trouble," Gobber said, when Anna and Emma were out of sight.

"Nah, of course not," Jack said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Wasn't… What's his name… North supposed to come to?"

"Yeah, he and Hiccup are at the workshop. North loves tinkering. Just as much as you do, actually."

"Ah, I see!" Gobber said, "That's great. I might have to put them to work then!"

"You do that!" Jack said and laughed, imagining North repairing weapons with the same childish enthusiasm, as when he mended broken toys.

His eyes burst open. He is burning. Flames under his skin eats him. He flails and rolls. Crawls. His screams rip through the air. Echoes in his brain. The pain erases everything. "What's happening to him?!" The voice is far away. Escape. He needs to escape. He shoves his nails into the ground. Escape. The pain grabs fistfuls of his skin. It peels it off him, his naked flesh bleeding. Burning. Ripping. He begs for it to stop. It tears his hair out. His screams are sharp in his skull. It pulls off his eyelids. "Don't stop!" someone screams from outside the bubble. Invisible fingers slam into his chest and breaks his ribs open. The world turns white.

He gasped for air, claws gripping his wind pipe. His clothes stuck to him, drops of cold sweat like a membrane over his skin. His heartbeat stomped against his ribs. Hard. Urgent.

"Hiccup! Hic! What's wrong?" Jack said.

Wooden walls surrounded him, reminding him that he was home. A vague reminder of sound. Did he scream? Toothless' was at the side of the bed in a second, staring at him with concerned eyes.

"Just… Just a bad dream," he said, balancing on that delicate edge between truth and lie. He petted Toothless' head to calm them both. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"A bad dream?" He could hear the skepticism in Jack's voice. "You're covered in cold sweat. You screamed."

He opened his eyes and let his fingers glide over Toothless' rough scales. They reminded him of the crunchy autumn leaves outside. "A nightmare," he said. He tried to catch his breath, but it was a slow process. "A really bad one,"

"About… The war?"

"Yeah," he said and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "I'm okay, bud," he told Toothless, who lay down next to the bed to stay close.

Jack scooted closer. Hiccup could feel those piercing eyes on his face. Jack could read him better than anyone. Maybe that was why he was avoiding eye contact.

"What part?" Jack said.

He bit his lip, like that would stop the words from escaping. He knew the guilt Jack carried.

"Come on," Jack said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You know it helps to talk about it."

"I don't want to lie to you," he said and finally met Jack's eyes.

"And you shouldn't have to," Jack said. His forehead wrinkled in confusion, but it evened out as he began to realize. "It… It was about what I did to you."

"Yeah," Hiccup said and tore his eyes off him, staring at the bedding. He couldn't bear the sadness that would be in Jack's eyes, and the stab of guilt it would shoot through him.

Jack sighed. "I thought I did the right thing." His voice was fragile, prepared to break into pieces.

The words had Hiccup snap his head to the side. He held Jack's gaze. "You did. You did the right thing. Don't ever question that."

"But I…" Jack began.

"Jack," Hiccup said and grabbed Jack's shoulders, "You did nothing wrong. You saved my life. But it was… Unbearable. And it might show up in my dreams sometimes, it's only been two years since the war ended. But I'll be okay, thanks to you."

Jack nodded, but the sadness in his eyes didn't disappear. That sadness could cut through Hiccup like ice shards.

"As long as I have you and Toothless, I'll be okay," Hiccup said, "You hear? I'll be okay."

"Yeah. I just…"

"What?"

"You don't know what it's like, Hic. To live with this. I know you don't think I did anything wrong, but I can still hear your screams sometimes. I can still see you writhing on the ground and claw your nails into the dirt, trying to escape… From me. I never- … I don't- ... I know, you've forgiven me. But I don't think, I've forgiven myself."

Hiccup moved closer and wrapped his arms around Jack. He stroked his neck and planted soft kisses along his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to do, what you did," he mumbled against Jack's skin, "But it was necessary. Otherwise, I would be gone now."

"Yeah," Jack said and sighed, "I know. I guess it'll just take a while, before I can begin to let it go."

"I understand," Hiccup said and kissed a trail from Jack's shoulder to his cheek. He pulled their faces closer. He needed to make him understand. He could feel Jack's hot breath on his skin. "You're the reason I'm breathing. What you had to do was terrible," he said, "I can't even imagine, how you felt. But we'll get through it together, okay? It might take time, but we'll get there."

"You're right," Jack said, "I guess I'm just impatient."

"Well, patience's never really been your thing, now has it?" Hiccup said and gently placed his lips on Jack's forehead.

"Right, because you're just Mr. Patience, Patiencedrive number 1, Patienceshire."

"Uhm, yeah?" Hiccup said, unable to keep from smiling from the way Jack rolled his eyes, "I've earned that title. I'm in a relationship with you."

Jack's hand came out of nowhere and slapped him on the head. "I think that's enough arrogance, dragon boy."

Hiccup laughed and it sent soothing ripples through his body. "It's not arrogance, it's just the truth."

Jack struggled to keep his lips from parting into a grin. Gods, how he needed to see him smile.

"You and I have very different views of the truth," Jack said.

"I know we do. You still claim you can catch a fly with your eyes closed."

"I can!"

"No. You can't."

"You just don't have enough belief in my ninja skills."

"Jack, I've seen you trip and fall head first into a pile of Zippleback dung."

"Hey, someone planted that right in front of me!"

Hiccup shot him a deadpan look. "Of course, they did."

"You know, I've just about had it with your false sense of superiority," Jack said and sent a scowl his way.

"Oh yeah?" Hiccup said and gave Jack a crooked smile, "And what are you going to do about it?"

Hiccup barely got to finish the sentence, before Jack shot forwards and toppled him over. His back hit the bed. Jack's body landed on top of him in delicious closeness. Hiccup shut his eyes and dove into the sea of heat and moistness, consuming his boyfriend's mouth in slow and deep movements. Jack poked his tongue out, and Hiccup let him slither inside his mouth. Their wet tongues rolled around each other smoothly, sending zaps of excitement through Hiccup's bones and straight to his cock. How could Jack always have that effect on him? That addictive, electrifying effect that left him a giddy, intoxicated fool.

Hiccup weaved his fingers through Jack's hair, his hands as erratic as his heartbeat. He felt Jack's weight shift on top of him and, oh fuck, Jack was rubbing his dick against his. His breaths slipped into Jack's mouth in sharp puffs. The air between them was burning. It was the sweet reassurance they both needed. Despite everything, their love was safe and intact.

There's a difference between official and unofficial power. Hiccup knew that better than most. He carried both kinds. The frost bit into his cheeks, and his steps left crisp imprints in the snow through the village. The chilly air almost burned in his lungs, like inhaling fresh mint. There was something special about winter days, where the sky was a strong blue against the white landscape, and the sun turned the snow into glitter. It gave even a rough place like Berk a fairy tale touch.

His official power was hard to forget, his title giving him the necessary authority to carry out decisions on behalf of the tribe. The unofficial one was easier to take for granted sometimes. How his opinion on dragons and dragon related issues carried the most weight. How everyone looked to him for courage and inspiration in tough times. How the kids in the tribe looked up to him, because he did things differently.

He was not surprised to see Jack talking to a group of kids at the edge of the forest. The kids on Berk had fallen in love with Jack almost immediately. They adored his childish, mischievous spirit. How he was almost never too busy to play with them and make them laugh. They knew he was still a child at heart, more so than other adults, who also kept their inner child alive.

"Jack! Jack!", "Snowball fight!", "Come on, Jack!", "Snowballs!", the kids pleaded.

Hiccup didn't have to hear Jack reply to know what the answer was.

"Okay, it's free for all!" Jack said, running past the kids. He swung his wand and made heaps of snowballs appear among the blue sparks of the spells.

The kids cheered and ran towards the snowballs to grab as many as they could. The air filled with screams of delight and victorious outbursts. The kids' small feet crunched across the snow, running from attackers and hunting for their own targets. Jack's laughter rang out among the shrill children's voices, low and rich. He swerved around the running kids, making snowballs appear here and there. He ducked when one of the kids threw a snowball at him. "Better luck next time!" Jack taunted him.

Hiccup savored the sound of laughter. The pink noses and cheeks. They way Jack ran and dodged, like it was no effort at all. The snow lingered on the kids after each hit, a reminder of their wounded pride. After a while, they looked like they had been dipped in flour. Hiccup decided to approach, not feeling like an intruder now that they'd had some fun.

"Hi Hiccup!" "Hiccup!" "Hello!" the kids said, their eyes bright. The snowball fight ceased, as all their gazes fixed on him.

"Hi everyone. I know you're very busy here," Hiccup said and smiled, "But I need Jack right now."

"Sorry kids," Jack said and raised his chin, "The chief needs me. Very important stuff. He probably wants me to save him from some immensely stupid decision he's made."

"In your dreams, Snowflake."

"No, in my dreams you need me for something else entirely," Jack said and winked at him.

Hiccup laughed despite the warmth in his cheeks. Luckily, the kids seemed confused. Good. No need to traumatize them.

In the safety of their house, Hiccup slumped into a chair by the fire pit. Jack had made a cup of tea, his hands curling around the mug. Hiccup knew Jack had an unusually high tolerance of cold and could keep a snowball fight going for hours, but he still seemed to find comfort in the warmth after being outside.

"So… What is it that you need me for?" Jack said and took a sip of the tea.

"I just had a meeting with Astrid and Fishlegs."

"Yeah?"

"I'd like you to join them."

Jack put the cup down. "Join them? As in… You mean…"

"I'd like you to be my advisor. My second in command, along with Astrid and Fishlegs."

Jack nodded. "Wauw… Thanks, Hic. That's a big responsibility."

"It is," he agreed, "And you can say no, of course. But you're a part of Berk now. And you're my boyfriend. I would like you to be able to make decisions too and to guide me."

Jack licked his lips. Hiccup could see the excitement and the doubts blending together in his eyes. "But do you really think I'm qualified for that?"

"Of course, you are. I trust your judgment," Hiccup said as soon as the words had left Jack's mouth.

"But some of these decisions will be huge and… I don't really know everything about Viking culture yet."

"You know enough," Hiccup said, giving Jack what he hoped was an encouraging smile, "I would actually have asked you right when you moved here, but I wanted to give you some time to adjust to a whole new lifestyle."

Jack nodded. "That was a good idea, you had there."

"It happens sometimes."

"Yeah, on rare occasions."

"Don't get cute with me, Snowball."

Jack laughed. "Well, I'm glad I got some time to get used to everything, before you asked me. I'm still worried I don't know nearly enough to be a good advisor for you."

"That's not what I need you for," Hiccup said, leaning forward in his chair, "Fishlegs and Astrid know about Viking culture. I need you to help me make the best decisions for everyone. Running the village. Dealing with the other tribes. You're going to be in our meetings, and let me know your opinion on things and why. That will help me make the best decisions I can."

"Of course, I'll do that," Jack said, like there had never been another choice, "You know I'd love to help."

Pride sunk into Hiccup's chest.

"So, what happens, if you're away, or you're not able to make a decision somehow?" Jack asked.

"Then you, Astrid and Fishlegs need to make the decision."

Jack nodded. "I'll work hard to be good enough. Berk is my home too now… And I might not know everyone well yet, but I feel like a part of the tribe."

The smile on Hiccup's lips was born from the warmth inside him. "You're always good enough. And you are a part of the tribe, no doubts there. Everyone loves you."

"You think so?" Jack asked with hope in his eyes.

"I know so," Hiccup said, "I've been told by plenty of people here that they're happy you're staying."

Jack's smile was soft and touched. He nodded. "I'll do my best." His smile turned mischievous. "But it better not be hard work and deadlines all the time."

"Of course not," Hiccup said and smiled, "It's work, sure, but there'll be time for snowballs and fun times too."

"Good," Jack said and gave him a stern look, "That's important, you know."

"I know, O Guardian of Fun," Hiccup deadpanned, despite agreeing. It would be a tragedy to lead a life without time for fun and laughter. In Jack's case, it would probably kill him. Death by boredom.

"At least you've learned to use my proper title."

"Your proper title is asshole, and you know it."

"Hey!" Jack objected and pulled Hiccup out of his chair and onto the floor. Hiccup was grateful the tickle attack didn't last long. For the sake of his pride, it was a good thing no one would ever know, how quickly the chief of Berk surrendered to a snow-loving idiot with white hair.

Jack didn't know all the sounds of potential danger yet. He got caught up in excitement, when he and Hiccup went exploring, so he wasn't always paying attention to minor details. Hiccup was his eyes and ears for the most part, warning him about any signs that their safety was compromised. So, when Hiccup told him to be quiet and duck behind a row of thick shrubbery, he did it without asking questions.

Peeking through the leaves, Jack was careful not to make a sound. Hiccup had those creases of concentration on his forehead, he always got when he had to assess something. They didn't know this island, but Hiccup knew much more about life in the archipelago than he did.

Through the leaves, he could see several unknown men loading things onto some small ships. Most of them were bulky and brutal looking, much like the majority of warriors back on Berk. Looks could be deceiving though, and despite trying to work out what was happening, Jack couldn't come to a conclusion about the danger of the situation.

"What are they doing?" he whispered.

"Transporting dragons," Hiccup said, "They're trappers."

"How do you know?"

"I can tell by their weapons, and some of the stuff they loaded onto the ships."

Despite the hostile tribes having been defeated, there were still some rogue dragon trappers here and there in the archipelago. Previously, they'd had back up, when they ran into them. Now, they were on their own.

Toothless growled, low and guttural, a sound that would scare any sane person that didn't know him.

"I know, bud," Hiccup said, "But keep it down. We'll help those dragons somehow."

"You have a plan?" Jack said.

"Not really," Hiccup said.

"Well, improvisation has always been a strength of ours," Jack said, trying to chase away the ropes of fear slithering around him.

"True," Hiccup said, "You'll take the ones on the right, I'll take the ones on the left. Toothless, you'll cover us." There was no fear on Hiccup's face or in his voice, but Jack knew he was always nervous going into a violent conflict. Only an idiot wouldn't be.

Toothless warbled in agreement. His eyes were focused in the direction of the hostiles.

"It's a deal," Jack said and took out his wand. He clutched it tight. "On your count, Hic."

"Okay, but remember-"

"They're armed, I know," Jack said, "And they know how to use those weapons. I need to focus on defending myself, not just attacking. I have to make sure I don't turn my back to any of them, and I need to keep my distance, and use my magic from there."

"I've said that before, huh?"

"Only like every single time we come across trappers."

"Point taken," Hiccup said, "I know you can take care of yourself. I'm just worried."

Jack nodded. "Likewise. But we'll make it through, like we always do."

Hiccup's smile was tight, more out of obligation than sincerity. Jack couldn't blame him. "You ready?" Hiccup said.

"Yup."

"Okay. One… Two… Three!"

They jumped out of the bushes, spells shooting out of their wands at any hostile they could see. Toothless fired plasma blasts to protect them. Hostiles fell to the ground, screaming, or were knocked unconscious. Men yelled to each other, and scrambled to get their weapons out.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Stupefy!"

They took out many of the trappers quickly and easily. Their magic gave them the advantage. One of the trappers pulled out a bow. Arrows shot towards them. "Protego!" he and Jack protected themselves. Toothless jumped away and fired plasma blasts at the archer. The man fell onto the ground with a horrifying scream, his face melting off. Jack ended his suffering by slamming him into a boulder. He and Hiccup had an unspoken agreement, that they did their best not to kill. But sometimes it was unavoidable.

The trappers tried to form a joint attack. They shouted directions to each other and found boulders and trees to hide behind, when a spell came flying through the air. Jack saw Hiccup incinerate a row of trees with a powerful Confringo spell. The trappers hiding behind it screamed and hurried towards the water to put out the flames in their clothes. By the water, Jack took them out, paralyzing them one by one.

Two of the trappers frantically began readying one of the ships furthest away. That was when Jack noticed it. A huge, white dragon roared inside a cage and slammed its front legs against the bars. The cage wobbled, threatening to topple over. One of the Vikings took something from his belt and swung it. The whip slammed against the dragon's eyes. It roared and shook its head in pain.

"Hey!" Jack said and swung his wand, "You leave him alone!" Green sparks shot out of his wand and raced towards the Vikings. They ducked behind the ship's railing.

"Get away from that thing! It's ours!" one of the men yelled.

The anger forced the words out of his mouth. "Dragons are not things!"

"You know nothing!" the Viking shouted

"I know I'll die before you hurt that dragon!" Jack yelled and stepped closer, wand ready.

"Then you'll die!" one of the Vikings shouted. Something came flying at him. He threw himself to the side. The spear slammed into a tree trunk. He sucked in a breath and got to his feet.

"Stupefy!" Hiccup yelled from somewhere. There was a scream. Toothless growled and roared.

Jack went closer to the ship, holding his wand outstretched. The Vikings were nowhere to be seen anymore. He could hear Hiccup firing spells somewhere to the right. He glanced at him to make sure he was all right.

The dragon watched him closely, as he approached. Jack looked into the dragon's eyes for a moment. Clear and blue, they held the fierceness of a winter storm, and the vulnerability of a melting snowflake. It was going to fight for its life, but it was afraid. That brief moment was enough for him to know. They were the same.

One of the Vikings popped up over the railing, holding a bow. Blue and green sparks shot out of Jack's wand. Arrows came upon him, but his protective spells left them bouncing off him, landing softly on the grass. Hiccup took the two men out with sharp paralyzing spells.

And then Jack heard it. Distant yelling. Rustling of leaves. Running footsteps. His eyes flickered around the forest, trying to determine where it came from. Shit. There were more of them.

"We have company!" Hiccup shouted, "Be ready!"

The men coming into view, weapons raised and battle cries spewing from their mouths, chased Jack's breath away. There were too many, at least thirty, and they were spread out among the trees, making it difficult to hit more than one or two at a time.

He took a deep breath. This was it. They were going to die, unless he did this. Hiccup's eyes showed the same realization. They had an understanding. The men came closer and closer, their intent clear in their raging eyes. His wand glowed blue in his hand. The magic vibrated against his skin like a hummingbird's wings. He looked at Hiccup.

"Toothless, here!" Hiccup yelled and Toothless was by his side in a second. Hiccup cast protection around him and Toothless.

With a flick of his wrist, Jack summoned the winter storm. Brutal and unyielding, it ripped screams from the hostiles' mouths, and hid them in a white and blue blur of frost and ice. Jack had his eyes fixed on Hiccup, standing close to the storm in his magic bubble. Jack was ready to stop the spell, even though he knew Hiccup's protective magic was strong. The magic coursed through his body, draining his strength. He forced himself to keep the spell strong, until he heard no more sounds from the storm.

When there was only silence inside the swirls of frost, he stopped the spell. The white and blue powder fell away, revealing heaps of dead men. Jack swallowed, the nausea burning in his esophagus. His knees folded under him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hiccup said, by his side in seconds.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack said, "It just drains me. All of this. It… It never gets easier." He knew he would have nightmares about it. The dead eyes and limp bodies.

"I know, I know," Hiccup said, his voice soft and comforting, "But you defended us. They would have killed us."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, "They would have."

Hiccup put an arm around him for support. Toothless nudged his head against Jack's other side, keeping him steady.

"But at least you know when to use it now," Hiccup said, "Unlike at first, when you used it all the time, without any enemies around, just to prove you could do it. And then you wore yourself out."

Jack chuckled. He appreciated Hiccup's effort to make him feel better. "Yeah… I guess I was a bit too eager about using such a powerful spell. I know it's only for emergencies now."

Hiccup hummed in agreement. He stroked Jack's back. "Now, we have dragons to free."

Jack sighed, a tired smile curving his lips. "Yeah. That will make me feel better."

Hiccup kissed his forehead. "Same here."

"I've only seen one so far though. The one on the ship."

Hiccup looked in the direction the swarm of hostiles had come from. "I think there are a lot more in the forest. They just hadn't transported down here yet."

Jack nodded. "Let's check out the one on the ship first, then we'll find the others."

Hiccup supported Jack with his arm all the way down to the ship. "How did you know the spell wouldn't hurt the dragon?"

"Come on, Hic. I do pay attention, when you talk about dragons. It's a Snow Wraith, of course it can handle a spell like that."

Hiccup nodded and spoke no words, but there was pride in his eyes. Jack drew strength from it.

The ship creaked under their feet. The strong scent of salt water chased away the smell of pine. The cage looked unharmed. Inside, the dragon watched them with wary eyes, backing up to get away from them.

Jack turned to the dragon. "Hi there. We're sorry if we scared you. We just wanted to help you escape from those horrible trappers."

The dragon's expression turned milder, but the suspicion didn't leave.

"If you want, you can come back to Berk with us. There are plenty of other dragons there too. Like Toothless for example," he said and nodded towards Toothless, "On Berk, dragons are treated like family. And if you don't like it there, you're free to leave any time you want."

Toothless warbled something, seemingly communicating with the Snow Wraith. The Snow Wraith grumbled. Its sounds were deeper than Toothless', more guttural. Toothless looked at them with satisfaction in his eyes, and took a few steps back from the cage to give them space.

"It seems like our new friend has decided to come back with us," Hiccup said.

"Great!" Jack said, his joy settling into a grin. His limbs no longer felt weak.

"Okay, please step back a little, okay? I need to get the cage open," Hiccup said.

The dragon backed as far away from the opening, as he could.

"Bombarda!" Hiccup said, swinging his wand. A loud crack and a puff of smoke. The door to the cage creaked and fell to the ground with a shriek. The Snow Wraith hurried out of the cage and stretched out its wings.

Only now did Jack have time to truly study it. He approached it slowly, with his arms by his side. The Snow Wraith kept its eyes on him. It was bigger than Toothless, its scales and wings gleaming white. Its eyes were small compared to other dragons'. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth except for two rounded tusks from its lower jaw. Under the chin, there was a long, white ledge sticking out, and on top of its head, it had a thick, white horn.

When he was in front of it, he held its gaze for a moment. There was uncertainty swirling in those blue depths. It looked curious but skeptical. He could relate to that. He glanced backwards, where Hiccup and Toothless watched him with interest. He slowly lifted his hand towards the Snow Wraith's big snout. It kept its mouth open and its eyes narrowed, leaving Jack to wonder whether this was really a good idea at all. He turned his head to the side, continuing to move his hand closer. His mouth had gone dry. His heartbeat could match the speed of whirling snowflakes. He reached his fingers out blindly, anticipating the rough scales, but fearing the sudden bite of teeth. When his fingertips touched the snout, he breathed out.

He looked up and met the dragon's eyes. They were no longer narrowed, but round and mild. Like Jack had proven his intentions. "When we get back to Berk… Would you maybe consider… Letting me fly on you?" Jack asked.

The Snow Wraith grumbled something that sounded agreeable. Jack stroked the side of its head. "Thank you. You know… I think you and I are going to be great friends."

"Come on you two, we should get back before dark!" Hiccup called out.

"Coming, Chief!" Jack said. He looked over his shoulder a few times to make sure the Snow Wraith was following him.

Hiccup patted him on the back. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks, Hic," he said.

"Now you just need to find a good name for him."

Jack's gaze glided over the Snow Wraith, it's fierce eyes and strong, white scales. "I think I have just the thing."

"Does it still have a few problems?" Hiccup said.

"Yeah, but your last repairs really made a huge difference," Mavis said and bent her artificial arm, "There's actually only one small problem left."

Jack wrapped his soft blanket tighter around himself, sinking back into his chair, into the bubble of warmth he had created, fed by the glowing fire pit and his friends' body heat. His and Hiccup's living room was a toasty, safe haven full of comforting familiarity.

"Okay then," Hiccup said. He took a sip of his mug of tea and glanced at Toothless, who was napping peacefully in one of the corners. "We'll deal with that later in the workshop. But it may have to be enchanted again afterwards then."

Mavis nodded. "No problem. My dad knows someone who can do that."

"So…" Jack said and rubbed his hands together, "Time for the weekly update! How's life? Anything new happen?"

Merida shifted on top of the mountain of pillows she had created. "Well, I got some big news, actually…"

"Really? What?" Rapunzel said. Pascal opened his eyes from his place on her shoulder to see what was happening.

"I've decided to get back into Quidditch. As a coach."

"Wauw, that's great!", "Wicked!", "I'm so happy for you.". They were all so busy congratulating and giving their support that their voices melted together.

"Thanks guys," Merida said, "It's been a while now, since… Well, since everything happened. But I just miss it. I miss it so much."

"We know, Mer," Jack said, "It's great that you're getting back into it."

"How are you going to do it?" Mavis said, "We all know you've wanted to be a professional Quidditch player for years, but… After the war and stuff, we haven't really talked about it."

"Yeah, I know you guys have sort of… tiptoed about the subject, so you wouldn't hurt my feelings," Merida said, "But there's no need to do that anymore."

"We're really happy for you, Curly," Flynn said, his arm around Rapunzel's shoulder.

"Yeah," Fishlegs agreed, "How are you going to do it? Apply for some local teams first?"

"Yeah, that's the plan," Merida said, "I mean, there's no way in Hell I'm going to get responsibility for one of the bigger teams right away, so I'm going to go small first and then see if I have what it takes to work my way up."

"Aw, it'll be wicked, when you become a famous coach!" Jack said, unable to stop a goofy grin from spreading on his face.

"Definitely!" Flynn agreed.

"Calm down, I haven't even landed a job yet," Merida said. Her words were hesitant but her smile was bright.

"Red, you're not known for humility and hesitation, so don't start now," Flynn said.

"Yeah, dream big," Jack said, eager to support Merida. He knew how hard it had been for her, not being able to play Quidditch anymore, because she had chronic pains that were worsened by straining herself.

"I guess, I just…" Merida said, making impatient motions with her hands, like she was looking for the right words.

"What?" Mavis said, "You can tell us."

"I've had a long break from Quidditch. What if I don't have any talent anymore?". Her voice was small and the way she bit her lip reminded Jack of the few times, he had seen her be vulnerable. He had the need to wrap her in blankets and give her all her favorite sweets, but he knew she wouldn't like being treated that way. Like she was fragile.

"You do," Hiccup said, "We've seen you completely engulfed in making strategies. We've seen you analyze the other teams' weaknesses. We've seen you in the library with tons of books on Quidditch history. The only thing you ever used the library for."

They all chuckled at that.

"Once you get into it again, it'll all come back," Hiccup said.

"And get us some free tickets the day your team plays the World Cup, Red," Flynn said.

Merida's eyes had a familiar spark in them. A spark that had been missing for too long. "I'll not only get you free tickets on that day," she said, "I'll get you some of the best tickets in the stadium,"

"That's the spirit," Fishlegs said, his hands clapping together.

"Finally, it'll pay off to be friends with you," Flynn said.

"Shut up, Rider," Merida said and threw a crumpled paper ball at Flynn. It hit him on the forehead and tumbled to the ground.

"So hostile," Flynn said and held his hands on his chest.

"When you get a place on a team, we'll come watch your games as often as possible," Jack said, "And we'll bring flags and face paint!"

"And banners!" Rapunzel said, her eyes going large with the excitement of creating art and supporting Merida all at once.

"Thanks, guys," Merida said, "I really appreciate it." She coughed. "But enough about me now…" She looked at Rapunzel and Flynn. "What about you two? Still haven't found the right house?"

"Not yet," Rapunzel said, the previous excitement on her face fading. She scratched her short, brown hair. "But we'll find it sooner or later."

"Yeah, there's no rush," Flynn said.

Jack nodded and took a sip of his drink, a refreshing pear juice that Rapunzel had brought.

"Of course not," Merida said, leaning back on Pillow Mountain, "I know I'm the last person to say this, but patience is a virtue."

Jack snorted and almost choked on his drink. He coughed. "Did… Did those words just come out of your mouth?"

"Oh, hardy har har, Snow Queen," Merida said, "I can be patient sometimes!"

"Oh, sure," Mavis said, her lips twitching with the threat of laughter, "We'd never think otherwise!"

"Like the time when-" Hiccup said.

"Let's not play that game," Merida said, "So Mav… What's up with you?"

"Actually, me and Jonathan decided yesterday, that we're going to take a trip around the world!" she said, throwing her hands into the air.

"Wow, that sounds great!" Jack said. He knew traveling around the world was one of Mavis' biggest dreams, and after everything she had been through, he was relived and happy that it was possible for her to do it.

"You're going to have so much fun!" Rapunzel said, her feet tapping on the floor.

"And see so many things," Fishlegs said, "So much culture!"

"Yeah," Mavis said, "My dad isn't too thrilled about the idea, but he's starting to realize that I'm not a kid anymore. I want to go out there and see the world."

"Good thing we bought you that camera in our 6th year then," Merida said.

"Yeah, that's definitely going with me. I'm going to take so many pictures, and then I'm going to show them all to you, when I get back."

"It's a plan," Flynn said, pointing at her with the spoon from his mug of tea.

"I want to do that some day too," Rapunzel said, "Go out and see new places. I've never been outside Britain."

"Well, why wait, Blondie?" Flynn said, "I know you've wanted that for a while. So… We'll put the house hunt on hold and travel wherever you want to go. Maybe not around the world right away… But just somewhere new, where you haven't been before."

"I've always wanted to go to France," she said, "And see all the art and culture."

"Then that's what we'll do," Flynn said, "There's always going to be time for settling down later. Do you think it would okay with your work?"

"Yeah, I think so, as long as I'm not gone for months. And besides, I'm an art teacher, so it would be great for me to get new inspiration. Oh Flynn, it's going to be so exciting!"

"Everyone's going places then," Merida said, popping a piece of gum into her mouth, "Buy a camera and take plenty of pictures, like Mavis."

"We're not having any adventures any time soon," Jack said and motioned to him and Hiccup. He pouted and pretended to be upset.

Merida shot him a deadpan look. "Snow Queen, you live on Berk, a place filled with dragons and Vikings, and you and your boyfriend constantly go exploring new islands to find new dragon species."

"Well… When you put it like that," Jack said. He had to admit that he got his fair share of excitement. Hiccup chuckled.

"We should all take a trip together too some day!" Rapunzel said and jumped in her seat.

"Sure!" Fishlegs said, "I'd love to see some more places… I've never been outside Britain and Scandinavia, but… It'd be great to see other places! Think of all the books I'm going to discover!"

"Oh boy…" Rapunzel said.

"It would be great to take a trip together," Hiccup said, "Not around the world though… I can't be away from Berk for that long," he finished and chuckled.

Jack puffed out his chest and put an arm around Hiccup. "My boyfriend. The Chief. The Captain. Numero Uno. The Boss. The Big Man."

Hiccup put his head on Jack's shoulder, and looked up at him in fake adoration. "My boyfriend. The Prankster. The Essence of Mischief. The Guardian of Fun. The Constant Pain in My Ass."

"Oh darling," Jack said and kissed Hiccup's forehead, "You say the sweetest things."

Long meetings with allies were suffocating for both him and Hiccup. But for very different reasons. He greedily sucked in fresh air, as soon as he left the Great Hall. He savored the way the wind weaved fingers through his hair, ghosting over his scalp. Baby Tooth sat on his shoulder, her claws digging into his skin. She was still only a baby Terrible Terror, so it wasn't enough to hurt yet.

"Frostbite, you coming?" he called out. The Snow Wraith interrupted its nap and followed him with sleepy movements.

His headache would disappear by itself soon. Being confined in a room for long periods of time, had always given him headaches and trouble focusing. It was like the air was syrup, clinging to his lungs. Sticky. Suffocating. He knew Hiccup had other reasons. Most of them had to do with being around people he didn't know well. They drained him. Hiccup had once told him that he felt trapped in those situations.

At the end of the stairs, Jack decided to look near the forest. Hiccup definitely wouldn't be inside right now. He needed room and air around him. "Let's go find him," he told the dragons.

He didn't find Hiccup in the forest, but sitting on one of the narrow beaches, looking over the water. Toothless rolled happily in the sand, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. Hiccup laughed, and Jack realized he would never find that sound anything but beautiful.

"There you are!" Jack said, slumping down next to him on the soft sand. Baby Tooth started playing with Toothless, jumping onto his back and crawling around on him.

"Yeah, here I am," Hiccup agreed, "I needed a break after that meeting."

Frostbite collapsed by the water's edge, enjoying the weak waves lap at his scales.

"I don't blame you, it was hard work."

Hiccup cracked his fingers. "Yeah, it was."

Jack stretched his arms out, his muscles sore from sitting down for too long. "And did you notice some of the disapproving looks we got from the older tribe leaders?"

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah… They're our allies, but it doesn't mean they'll approve of everything we do. It's going to take time."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just wish these changes would come quicker."

"Yeah, me too. But we're making progress, and that's the most important part."

"True."

The silence between them was comfortable. Soft. They held hands and listened to the sound of splashing water and happy dragon warbles. For a long time, neither of them spoke. Jack suspected they both needed to clear their heads. Sometimes silence is more healing than words.

It was Hiccup, who eventually spoke again. "Redaxe's son won't come to any meetings in the future by the way."

Jack licked his cracked lips. "Oh, you noticed."

"Of course, I noticed. He didn't take his eyes off you. And he didn't even bother being subtle about it. He was looking at you the same way Toothless looks at an Icelandic cod."

"Yeah…" Jack said, grabbing a handful of sand and letting it escape through his fingers, "He kind of made some comments too."

"What?"

"In the break. When I went outside to get some air. He sort of… Made advances."

"He did what?" Hiccup's voice had become low and each word was spoken slowly.

Jack patted him on the back. "Easy now, Chief. I took care of it."

"How?"

"I might have… Dug my wand into his throat and told him, that if he ever did shit like that again, I'd turn him into a toad."

Hiccup nodded and the tension on his face dimmed. "I can't believe he'd do that. He's here on a diplomatic visit, and he chooses to hit on the chief's boyfriend? Idiot…"

Jack squeezed Hiccup's shoulder. "If it's any comfort, I doubt he'll ever do it again. He seemed ready to shit his trousers."

"Good," Hiccup said, "Otherwise, I'll raise your threat and turn him into a dung beetle."

"We'll do that together," Jack said, "But like I said, I think I scared him shitless."

Hiccup smiled and his annoyance seemed to be washed away. "Well… I'm told you already have a reputation in the entire archipelago as a very powerful wizard. So, I don't think anyone would want to mess with you."

Jack put his hands on his hips. "They better not. I have my powers and the chief of Berk on my side."

"You do," Hiccup said and leaned in to press his lips against his cheek. Jack wondered what Hiccup's secret was, how he was able to express such love and devotion through a brief graze of lips against skin.

"So, what's on the program now, Chief?" he said and leaned back on his palms. The sand was warm underneath his fingers.

"I really need to unwind, so… I was thinking about flying."

"Naturally."

"Want to keep me company?"

"Of course. If you think you can keep up," Jack said and winked.

Hiccup laughed and shook his head. "Did you seriously just say that to me?"

"I did indeed," Jack said, "Me and Frostbite can beat you any time."

"Yeah, in a denial contest, sure. You know there's no one faster than me and Toothless."

"Luck," he mumbled, though he knew that wasn't true.

Hiccup's smile was confident. "Skill."

Among the clouds, they were content to simply glide through the crisp, blue skies, the air currents playing with their hair and clothes. The chill of the wind was a veil wrapping around his skin. Jack had never imagined he would get used to the soft flaps of dragon wings, but it was a soothing and familiar melody. One that spoke of how far away he was from the ground and its problems. Hiccup let himself flop back on Toothless and his fingers reached into the clouds, running through the soft whiteness. When pink and gold weaved into the blue skies, Jack saw a familiar island below.

"Hey, let's go down there and watch the sunset!" he called out and pointed to the island. It was a place he and Hiccup had been many times, when they wanted a break from everyone.

"Sure!" Hiccup said and sat up, grabbing the steering rods.

Frostbite and Toothless landed softly on the moss. Baby Tooth crawled off and stuck her snout into the ground, sniffing for something. Jack grabbed Hiccup's hand and guided him to the edge of the cliffs. The moss was a cushy pillow under their sore muscles. They let their feet dangle freely over the edge. Jack rested his head against Hiccup's shoulder, his cheek squashed against the armor. The scents of leather, pine and salt water were home to him. Hiccup's body heat and steady breathing was home.

"What do you think is out there?" Jack said, his eyes roaming over red and gold seeping and blending across the skies in colorful ropes.

"Adventure, hopefully," Hiccup said.

Jack smiled and it felt as soft as the light, pink clouds dotting the sky. Such a Hiccup answer. "Adventure junkie. But you know I'm up for anything."

"Oh yes," Hiccup said. Jack could hear his amusement. "I remember last winter, when you challenged me to ride down the hills on our bare bums"

"Bare bum sledding! It's going to be a thing, Hic," Jack said and abandoned his resting place on Hiccup's shoulder. He nodded eagerly to underline his point.

"It really won't though," Hiccup said, struggling to suppress a smile.

"Of course, it will. I just have to angle my marketing… I'll make it a challenge of manliness, then all you Vikings are going to jump on board."

"That's ridicu- … Actually, that might work."

"It will work," Jack said with a nod, "I know what makes you Vikings tick by now."

Hiccup nudged his shoulder. "Oh, you've suddenly become a Viking expert then?"

"I prefer the title Viking Master, but sure."

Hiccup let out a laugh, short and sharp. "Always so humble, Snowflake. Just because you're helping me and Fishlegs document the Viking way of life for the archive, doesn't mean you don't still have a lot to learn."

"I know all I need to know," Jack said with a dismissive motion of his hand.

Hiccup shook his head. "Like what?"

"Like," Jack said and leaned in, so close their lips almost brushed, "How to make a Viking chief's heart beat faster."

"Gods, you're so cheesy," Hiccup said, but Jack noticed his irregular breathing. He smiled from the satisfaction it gave him to see Hiccup like that.

"I know. But you love it," he said and molded their lips together. It was a perfect balance of soft and warm, matching the fading sun and feathery clouds.

Jack sighed and licked his cracked lips. He rested his head on Hiccup's shoulder again. "I can't wait for all the adventures we're going to have, Hic."

"Me too."

"I wonder what we're going to see."

"Hopefully, a lot of new dragon species."

"Of course, you'd say that," Jack said and laughed.

"Of course," Hiccup agreed "And new islands. New animals. New plants. There are so many possibilities."

"New conflicts," Jack said, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"That too," Hiccup said, his words quiet, like they were squashed under a layer of worries.

"I hope we can avoid more war," Jack said and took Hiccup's hand. He weaved their fingers together and squeezed. He knew Hiccup did everything he could to maintain the peace between the tribes.

"We'll do everything we can to stay clear of that. There's no telling what's waiting for us out there. Hopefully, wonderful things. Exciting things," Hiccup said, sounding like the worry gave way to hope and anticipation. "There are so many things we're going to see and do together."

Jack was reminded of one of their first talks, underneath an ancient oak tree by the peaceful Hogwarts lake. He had barely known Hiccup then. What he had known, was that he was drawn towards him. That he wanted to be closer to him. That there were walls he had to break down, layers he needed to unwrap. What was hidden underneath had to be beautiful in its complexity. And it was. By the gods, it was. Hiccup. His vulnerability, the soft light of a fragile flame. His strength, the blinding flashes of dragon fire. His unique way of thinking, glowing embers in the dark, spreading warmth in the sharp bite of night.

The saying was clear in Jack's mind. The words that had been a constant in his life, since Hiccup walked in and stayed forever. "There's always more, isn't there?"

The corners of Hiccup's lips curled up, like they did every time Jack said the words back to him. "There's always more, Snowflake," he agreed, "But no matter what happens, we're in it together."

Author's note:

So... This is the end. "There's Always More" is finished. Done. It's been a wild ride. This lengthy beast of a story was my first ever attempt at fiction, and I've learned so much from it. I've also made some great friends along the way. Writing this has been a lot of hard work, time and energy. But I've loved it, and I hope you've loved it too. I'm really going to miss it, and I'm going to miss you wonderful readers too. I would love it if you guys could drop me some reviews as a parting gift :) This has been such a big part of my life for over two years. It's a strange feeling that it's over now.

If you want to read more of my writing, you can follow me on Tumblr, where I'm going to take requests for HiJack one-shots soon (Username: Aliceversuswonderland). I'm also working on a novel, if anyone is interested in that. Also, I'm going to come back once in a while and fix some stuff in the old chapters of this story, for example removing the epithets ("the blonde girl", "the dragon rider", and so on), because it makes the writing better.

Take care of yourselves, dear readers.