Oops, my hand slipped.

When I first wrote this AU I had no intention of continuing it. It was just me messing around with my HTTYD/HP headcanons. But then I got an idea to write another scene between Hiccup and Astrid because I felt like they have a lot to talk about, and so, a new chapter was born.

I have no idea if I'm going to add more to this AU in the future. This chapter could be the last one, or I can get inspired to write more in a week, a month, a year... who knows. Anyway, all chapters will be posted here because I would like to keep everything from this AU in one place.

This one takes place a few months after the first chapter. Hiccup and Astrid are in the midst of their OWLS.

"Sorry, I just don't get it," Astrid said. "Why name a cat Toothless? As far as I see it, he's got all his teeth right where they should be".

Hiccup smiled a lopsided smile. "Come on, bud, show her your trick," he told the giant, black-as-night cat that was curled in his lap, snoozing in the warm June sun.

Toothless opened one green eye and closed it again with a huff, as if to say, leave me alone, I'm not in the mood to help you impress some pretty girl.

"Don't be rude, Toothless, she's a friend," Hiccup gently scratched the cat under his chin. "I promise that if you do this, I'll bring you a whole salmon from dinner."

The cat's ears perked at the mention of potential dinner. He stretched in Hiccup's lap and released a huge yawn sucking all his teeth into his gums at once.

"Whoa!" Astrid called, shocked. "Retractable teeth?! I didn't even know cats can do that!"

"Not all the cats," Hiccup said, still smiling, and patted Toothless who settled back into his napping position. "In fact, the guy at the pet store told me that Toothless was the only cat he ever saw doing that, and I thought it was pretty cool. Apparently nobody wanted to take him because of his missing tail..." he pointed to the short tuft of fur at Toothless's behind, "So, you know, I couldn't just leave him there."

"How did he lose it?" Astrid reached out her hand and tickled Toothless behind the ears. Toothless purred in delight, his eyes still shut.

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know. They said they found him like this. Probably got into a fight with alley dogs or something. He likes to think he's a tough guy."

"I'm sure he is," Astrid smiled. She stretched her arms behind her back, sighing in content. "It's not like I have anything against cats, but I was always more of a bird person." Hiccup wasn't surprised at all - Astrid had the most beautiful owl in school, a giant, proud creature with blue and yellow feathers. Every time it entered the Hall to drop a letter, everybody turned their heads to see who it was for.

"And how do you call your bird? Can't be a better name than Toothless," Hiccup teased.

Astrid laughed. "Actually, it's Stormfly," she said lightly.

"Okay, that's way cooler than Toothless. You win."

Toothless meowed in protest.

"Yep. Had her since I was little. She's like a part of the family."

Hiccup sighed. "I wish I could say the same thing about Toothless," he said. "I mean, he's my best friend - sleeps in my bed and all - but my Dad still hasn't grown to like him very much. He hates cats. Like, really hates them. He almost didn't let me have him, but luckily it was already after he swore he'd let me pick any pet I wanted - that's how relieved he was when I finally got the letter from Hogwarts."

Astrid wrinkled her forehead. "What do you mean by 'relieved'? Did he honestly think you weren't a true wizard?"

Hiccup bit his lower lip, already regretting his last sentence. He hated talking about this subject, and he sure didn't want to bring that up during a conversation with Astrid - not when they were getting along so well. Over the last couple of months they became friends - actual friends, even though Hiccup still found it extremely hard to believe. He had never made a friend in this school except for Fishlegs, and that was only because Fishlegs was even bigger a nerd than Hiccup was. So suddenly befriending a new person - who was Astrid Hofferson, of all people - was quite overwhelming.

He couldn't stand the thought of ruining it, so he decided to keep his mouth shut about all those Dad issues. It wasn't something that anyone wanted to hear anyway.

"H-how did your exam go?" he blurted, hoping to change the subject.

Astrid shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. I'm a bit worried about the practical part, because my potion turned out forest green instead of emerald green, but I hope it's not too important."

Hiccup snorted. "I'm pretty sure even the examiners can't tell between forest green and emerald green."

"I can tell. Your eyes are forest green, right?"

Hiccup felt his face burning. Even though he no longer felt like fainting every time Astrid talked to him, hearing her commenting on his looks still managed to completely throw him off balance. Was that even a compliment? She just pointed out a fact. Damn it, why do girls have to be so confusing?! "Um - all I'm saying is, you'll probably get an Outstanding," he murmured.

Astrid leaned back to a lie on the grass, closing her eyes. Her golden hair sprawled around her head like a halo, and Hiccup swallowed hard, trying his best not to stare and focus on stroking Toothless instead.

"I hope you're right," Astrid said. "How did you do in there?"

"Eh, I think I did fine, too," Hiccup said. He was actually pretty good at potions - decent, at worst. The only times he screwed up during class were when Astrid was standing too close, since her mere presence was enough to make his entire body feel like jelly. Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures - he was not a complete failure at anything that required him to work with his hands rather than wave his wand, which almost always ended up as a colossal disaster. "I don't know the exact shade of green my potion turned out, but I'm one-hundred percent positive it was green, so I'll probably get a pass." He snorted. "It was better than my Transfiguration exam, that I can say for sure."

Astrid opened one eye. "That bad?"

"You have no idea. Honestly, I just want to get my T and get this over with. I've had enough of this crap in the last five years."

"I could have helped you practice, you know. All you had to do was ask."

"I really appreciate this, Astrid, but trust me - even you couldn't make it happen. We were just not meant to be, me and Switching Spells - or me and any spell, for that matter."

Astrid sat up again and looked at him. "Hiccup, I think you should start thinking more seriously about your future," she said. "I know you love joking about how you suck at magic and all that, but those O. are important. Two years from now you'll no longer be a student. You'll be a grown-up wizard. Do you have some sort of plan?"

Hiccup's shoulders dropped. Not this again. He had this conversation with his Dad more times than he could remember, and he really didn't want to have it with Astrid as well. Does anybody in this world think I'm worth something?

But maybe Astrid will be different from his Dad. After all, she didn't kill him after he crashed into her during Quidditch, so maybe her reaction to what he was about to say won't be so bad. He sighed. "I do have a plan, actually," he said quietly.

Astrid looked at him with anticipation. "Well? Tell me!"

"You're going to say it's dumb."

"No I won't."

"Promise you won't laugh at me."

"I promise."

"I'm serious, Astrid. Swear on Stormfly."

"What - oh, come on! Fine! I swear on Stormfly I won't laugh at you. Now can you please tell what the big secret is?"

Hiccup breathed deeply. "I - I want to train dragons," he blurted and immediately looked sideways, not wanting to see Astrid's expression.

An awkward silence hung between them for a couple of seconds.

"You want to train dragons," Astrid repeated, slowly.

"Yes." Oh, this was a bad idea. "I know, it's stupid. Forget I said anything."

"No, it's not stupid." Astrid stared in front of her for a few seconds, thoughtful, and then a large grin spread on her face. "Hiccup - it's an amazing idea!" she called and punched him hard in the arm, as she sometimes did when she was too excited.

Hiccup nearly fell backwards - he still hasn't got used to her violent acts of affection - but he was mostly taken aback by Astrid's enthusiasm. "Wait, you... you don't think I'm a total freak?" he asked weakly.

"I do think you're a total freak, but in a good way," Astrid said with a wink, and Hiccup couldn't help chuckle. "But seriously, Hiccup, I'm sure you'll do great in dragon training. I mean, you're so good with animals - the best I've seen, actually. Or did you already forget how you convinced a Hippogriff to let you ride him in less than ten minutes?"

Hiccup blushed, trying very hard not to look too pleased with himself. "I don't know... I mean, dragons are not just animals. They're... well, they're dragons. They're different from all the creatures we see in class."

"It doesn't matter. This kind of job is perfect for you, and if that's your dream, you shouldn't be ashamed of it," Astrid said, and Hiccup blushed even harder. "Have you already told your Dad about your plan?"

Hiccup's joyous mood faltered at once. He looked at the ground, his palm resting on Toothless's head. "I highly doubt the Minister of Magic will be happy with his son leaving to chase dragons in eastern Europe. He would probably aim for a more... honorable job."

Astrid thought about it for a moment. "In that case, you can work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I'm sure your Dad can get you in."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I don't want to get a job just because I'm the 'son of'," he said bitterly. "I want people to hire me because of my own skills! And I definitely don't want to work in the same place as Dad. Nope. No thank you. I need to be... out there, with the beasts, okay? The last thing I need is to be locked inside a claustrophobic office with my father constantly breathing down my neck."

He didn't notice he was practically yelling until Toothless meowed angrily and leapt to his feet, deciding that his human's lap was no longer a proper place for a nap. He made sure to smack Hiccup's face with his tail before bolting towards the Forbidden Forest with a hiss, his dark figure disappearing between the trees within seconds.

Hiccup was about to say something about his ungrateful cat when he met Astrid's gaze, which was a mixture of concern and utter shock.

He cringed internally. Way to go, Haddock, you just lost your shit in front of the girl of your dreams. If she thought you were a freak earlier, well, you don't want to know what she's thinking about you now.

"Sorry about all... this," he muttered. "I just... damn, this is so messed up," he sat straight and smoothed his bangs from his face, trying to bring himself together.

It took Astrid a couple of seconds, but finally her shocked expression softened and she gave him a small smile. "Touchy subject?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"Sorry for bringing that up."

Hiccup laughed humorlessly. "Come on, don't apologize. You didn't know."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I... maybe some other time."

"Okay." They remained silent for a minute. Astrid occupied herself with tearing grass off the ground, and Hiccup tried hard to think of a way to liven their conversation. He didn't want her to leave just yet.

"So... what is your plan?" he asked eventually.

"Excuse me?"

"You asked me about my plans for the future; it's only fair you'll tell me yours, right?"

Astrid shook her head in amusement. "I guess you're right." She puffed her cheeks and released a long breath. "The thing is, I don't know."

"Don't know what?"

"My plans for the future, genius. I don't know what I want to do after I graduate, okay?"

Hiccup's jaw dropped.

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "You'll catch a fly if you keep your mouth open like that."

"B-but... you just told me I should be thinking more seriously about my future! H-how's that fair?!"

"Only because I wanted you to realize that you actually don't suck at everything!" Astrid said.

"I... don't know how to respond to that."

"A 'thank you' would be a good start, dumbass."

Hiccup tried to keep an offended expression, but found himself smiling like an idiot instead. "Thank you for believing in me, Astrid. You're probably the first ever."

"You're welcome." She reached out and squeezed his arm, and his body was on fire all over again.

"But honestly, you don't have a clue of what you want to do after school? This isn't like you," Hiccup said. "I mean, you always seem so... focused, you know?"

"I am focused," Astrid frowned. "And it's not like I don't have any options in mind. I just keep changing my mind, like, every two days."

"What options?"

"Well, first of all, there's always Quidditch. I'm pretty sure that if I train hard I can make it to the national team in a couple of years. You too, by the way!"

"Meh," Hiccup shook his head. "I love flying, but never thought of making a career out of it. Besides, I wouldn't want to try out for the same team as you. You'll eat me alive."

"Your words, not mine. But yeah, I can see that happening."

"Well, I'd like to keep all my limbs intact, thank you very much."

"I wouldn't count on that. You still have two more years of playing on the same team as the Thorston twins."

"Thanks for reminding me. So, aside from Quidditch, what else?"

"Let's see... well, chasing dark wizards sounds fun as well. I think I'd make a pretty good Auror."

Hiccup nearly fell backwards again. "Fun?! Fighting dangerous, evil maniacs who do horrible things to innocent people and want to take over the world?! I'm sorry, but I don't think you fully understand the definition of 'fun'."

"Says the guy who wants to train the most dangerous beasts on earth for a living!"

"T-this is different!"

"Oh, and how's that?"

"Because dragons are not evil," Hiccup suddenly stood up and gestured wildly in the air, as he often did when he tried to explain things and got a little too enthusiastic. "They're just... being dragons. They're wild and stubborn, but it's their nature. All their actions are of pure survival and - um, Astrid, what are you doing?"

Astrid was bouncing her shoulders and waving her arms awkwardly from the moment he started talking. A shriek of laughter escaped her when she caught him staring at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry," she choked, "I just can't help but wonder whether you lose the ability to speak when your hands are bound."

"What are you..." and then it hit him. His face turned deep scarlet at once. "Oh, come on! Yes - very flattering impersonation, Astrid, honestly, I feel so much better now."

Astrid only bounced her shoulders higher, giggling nonstop.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. "Seriously, when have I ever done this with my shoulders?!"

"You just did!" Astrid called and pointed at him, breathless from laughter.

Hiccup gave up and settled back beside her. "Would you quit it?! We're in the middle of a very important discussion, remember? Our entire future depends on this! Very serious!"

Astrid tilted her head and made such a face that Hiccup couldn't help but join her laughter. "Fine, I get it. I sound ridiculous when I talk."

"No. You look ridiculous when you talk," Astrid corrected him. "But all those things you just said about dragons? It only proves what I said earlier, that you're going to be an amazing dragon trainer."

Hiccup scratched his neck in embarrassment. "You really think so?"

"I know so," Astrid said, looking him straight in the eyes (which made him extremely nervous and sweaty and took all he had not to avert his gaze from those two amazing, sapphire-blue pools). "You may think that school is a complete waste of time for you, Hiccup, but when you talk about dragons, you sound truly passionate. And I know that as long as you feel this passion, you're going to do great things."

Hiccup's head was spinning. Sitting alone with Astrid on this beautiful day, telling her about his dreams and hearing her encouraging him, complimenting him, believing in him - this was all a bit too much for him. He tried to answer, but it seemed as if his mouth forgot how to produce words, so it him took a few choking noises to complete a sentence. "You're the one who's going to do great things," he croaked. "Even... even if you still don't know what you want to be when you grow up."

"'What I want to be when I grow up?' What are you, five years old?" Astrid laughed, and Hiccup blushed against his will. She stretched her arms high above her head, cracked her neck a few times and leapt to her feet in one graceful move. "Come on. Break's over. We have History of Magic in two days."

"Ugh, don't remind me", Hiccup sighed, dragging himself after her. "I swear to God that Fishlegs is the only person in the history of magic who is going to pass an O.W.L in... well, History of Magic."

"He really likes all those trivia facts about weird dudes who lived eight hundred years ago, doesn't he?"

"Yep. Don't ask me why."

"Well, he's very committed, I'll give him that." Astrid turned to look at the direction of the Forbidden Forest. "Is Toothless going to be alright out there?"

"Oh yes, don't worry about him," Hiccup bent to brush the grass from his knees. "He goes there all the time. Sometimes he gets into fights with giant spiders, but they always chase him away."

Astrid smirked. "He wants to fight spiders, you want to train dragons... you two are perfect for each other."

"Err... thanks, I guess?"

"You're welcome. Race you to the castle!"

"What - hey!" but Astrid was already sprinting away, making it impossible for him to even think about catching up. Not that he stood a chance against her to begin with, of course.

Hiccup shook his head in disbelief. Astrid Hofferson was so much different from what he had imagined all those years. Every time he thought he was starting to understand her, he was proven wrong - and that was even more confusing than before, when she never spared him a second look. He has earned her friendship - he was quite sure about that; but will he even earn more than that? He had no idea.

But at least she had faith in him, and for now, it was enough to make life a little bit better and the June sun a little bit brighter.

I'm sorry if the ending is kind of... meh. I honestly had no idea how to finish this. XD

A small note: I know that Stormfly's design in the films is based on a parrot, not an owl. But since I've never heard about anyone in the wizard world who has a parrot as a pet, I decided to make her an owl. I'm sure that a blue-and-yellow owl is not considered too peculiar in this world.

Also, I understand that some people won't agree that Astrid should be in Slytherine. That's okay - to each his own opinion; but I personally believe that Astrid fits Slytherine because of her ambitiousness and competitiveness, and I also don't see a probmlem with her becoming an auror. There are good Slytherines out there! Not everyone is a racist bastard like they are portrayes in the books.

Let me know what you think of this AU! And if anyone has any ideas for future chapters, you can write them in the comments or PM me. I can't promise anything, of course, but it worth a shot. I take every suggestion very seriously even if I don't end up writing it.