Added as of November 23 2016.

Featuring references / cameos from Hotel Transylvania, Snow White, Frozen, Ever After High.

September 1st, 2010

Full of enchanted sweets and enthusiasm, the four children made their way off the Hogwarts Express with wide eyes, eager to take in all the sights and sounds and smells of this incredible new world that they were journeying into together.

And for the first few moments, they just stood, mouths agape as they took everything in. Despite the fact that it was just a train station, it still had a very magical quality about it. It looked as though it had come right out of the pages of a book about steam engines. Even the adults helping to direct the students looked liked they'd walked straight out of the pages of an old book.

"First years!" A familiar voice boomed out across the platform, and Jack couldn't help grinning at the sight of Professor North, standing with a large lantern in his hand. "First years, over here!"

"C'mon," Jack said to his friends, gesturing to North. "This way."

They made their way across the crowded platform, and soon found themselves amongst several other lost-looking children, all watching Professor North with interest. As the older students began to clear off the platform and head towards the carriages that awaited them, North gave Jack a clap on the shoulder.

"Good to see you again, my boy!"

Grinning up at him, Jack nodded. "Likewise, Professor."

"Who's that?" A whisper came from behind him, and he found Rapunzel looking terribly apprehensive as her wide green eyes surveyed Professor North, who towered above all of them.

"He takes care of the magical animals at Hogwarts," Jack explained, glancing at his other two friends, who both looked less intimidated by North's imposing stature. "And he's the one who helped me get my school supplies in Diagon Alley."

Before Jack could ask Rapunzel why she looked so surprised, North clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, and Rapunzel flinched.

"This way to Hogwarts!" North called out, before leading them away from the train station and down to the shores of a massive lake, the glassy surface black and speckled with starlight. "Two to a boat!"

"Hey mister," a girl with raven-black hair and wide blue eyes asked, her red and black striped socks visible under her robes as she tapped North on the forearm to get his attention, lacking the height to reach his shoulder. "What happens when we get to Hogwarts?"

"Oh dear, yes," a dark haired girl with a pale complexion piped up, putting her hands over her mouth as though frightened. "Stepmother said that the sorting test is most unpleasant!"

"Unpleasant?" North repeated, before giving a great, jolly chuckle. "You wear the sorting hat and it tells you what house you belong in."

"What if . . ." A girl began before her voice cracked and she flinched as everyone turned to look at her. Her pale blonde hair tied back in a tight braid, she fidgeted with one of her blue gloves and Jack recognized her as the girl who'd run away after nearly being run over by Merida's trolley. After a moment, she seemed to find the nerve to speak, although her voice was still timid and barely above a whisper. "What if you don't belong anywhere?"

North's face softened for a moment, and he got down on one knee in front of her, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. When she shied away from his touch, he propped his arm on his knee instead. "Every single one of you has something very special inside, and the sorting hat will know it! If you are here, you belong."

Nodding mutely, she seemed satisfied by this answer. And with that, North got to his feet and began directing them into the boats.

"Well, whot're we wait'n for?" Merida said, nudging Jack with her elbow, before grabbing Hiccup's wrist and beginning to tow him down to the water's edge. But whereas Merida's feet found solid footing as they scrambled down to the shore, Hiccup was significantly less steady, and with a splash, he ended up in a soaked heap of robes in the water.

Rapunzel clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked, her brows furrowed with concern.

"Oops. Sorry, Hiccup." Merida said, reaching out to him. "Want a hand?"

"Are you always this accident-prone?" Jack asked Merida, laughing. "Or is it just everyone around you?"

"It's everyone else, Ah swear." Merida said, sticking her tongue out at him and giving him a playful shove that sent him sprawling backwards into the nearest boat.

Still stunned from the impressive view they'd had of the castle from the boats, the first years were whispering excitedly to one another as they made their way up the stairs from the boathouse into Hogwarts School.

A massive castle far more magnificent than any of them had ever imagined, and it looked every bit an esteemed magical fortress. Walking two-by-two as the reached the top of the stairs, their mouths agape as their eyes tried to take in everything at once, Professor North lead them into a room lit by torches that were mounted on the wall.

"I'll take it from here, North." said a stout man with a greying handlebar moustache. Holding a large roll of parchment in his hands, his narrowed eyes surveyed the eleven year olds who were assembled before him, and Jack couldn't help thinking that this professor definitely did not seem as friendly or as welcoming as Professor North had been. As North nodded and continued on through a wooden door on the other side of the room, the new professor cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Good evening Uncle Milton," greeted the girl whose stepmother had told her that the sorting ceremony was unpleasant, giving a cheerful little wave.

"Gwyneira," the man with the handlebar moustache – Uncle Milton – replied with a curt nod, before turning to address the other students. "My name is Professor Grimm, and I am the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts School. You will follow me in single file. When I call your name, you will come to the front of the hall, where the Sorting Hat will be placed on your head. It will call out your house, and you will take your seat among your housemates. Now, if nobody has any questions, follow me."

And with that, Professor Grimm lead them into the great hall, which was even more wondrous and enchanting than they could have imagined. With four long tables stretching lengthwise down the hall, populated with students who were craning their necks to get a look as the long line of first year students followed Professor Grimm to the front of the room. They came to a halt just before the fifth table, which appeared to be on a raised platform overlooking the other four – the teachers table.

Moving to stand next to a small wooden stool with a well-worn and patched witches hat on it, the old hat moved, and then from one of the folds that almost resembled a mouth – began to sing.

'For centuries this has been my station,
to the four houses is my obligation,
to clearly see what lies within
each student, be they foe or friend.
To honour the founders of Hogwarts School,
and maintain the tradition of an ancient rule.
From Gryffindor who took pride in nerve;
the chivalrous and the brave they do preserve.
To Hufflepuff who prized the fair;
to be diligent and loyal, they do take care.
To Ravenclaw whose great mind did soar;
Renown for wit and imagination evermore.
To Slytherin, whose ingenuity merited reward;
where ambition and fraternity are always adored.
To sort each student in a house of four;
A Hogwarts tradition, forevermore.'

After the Sorting Hat's song, Professor Grimm unfurled the scroll of parchment and began to call out names. And as they were sorted one by one, the line-up grew shorter and the house tables grew fuller and more cheerful.

The girl with the blue gloves, "Delle, Elsa", made her way to the front of the room, still fidgeting nervously as she went. Her fears about not being sorted anywhere at all were finally soothed, when after a moment, the hat announced her as a 'Hufflepuff!'

Shortly after came the girl with the red and black striped stockings, "Dracul, Mavis", who became the newest member of 'Gryffindor!'

And then, Professor Grimm called for "DunBroch, Merida."

An abundance of red curls bouncing with each step, she made her way across the great hall and took a seat on the wooden stool, where Grimm placed the sorting hat atop her fiery mane.

'Not Ravenclaw, eh?' An amused voice in her ear gave her a start, and her face flushed red when she realized the hat was talking to her. 'Where should I put you? There's certainly loyalty and determination here – I imagine you'd do quite well in Hufflepuff. But what's this? Raw nerve but also an instinct for self-preservation that's second to none. Very interesting indeed. I know-'

'Slytherin!'

For a moment, disappointment was painted across her face that she hadn't gotten her father's old house, but as the Slytherin table cheered for their newest member, she grinned and joined them – at least she hadn't ended up in her mother's former house.

As he awaited his turn, part of him wondered if his name would be on the list. Not because he doubted that he was a wizard, but because part of him still wondered if Jack Frost was really his name. It certainly didn't seem like a very real name, and he'd been told as much by nearly everyone he'd ever met at his muggle school.

He'd been found when he was about seven or eight, soaking wet and wandering around without shoes in the dead of winter. He couldn't remember where he'd come from or who he was. The only thing he seemed to remember at all was laughter and the name 'Jack Frost', which was precisely what he'd told Children's Protective Services when they'd asked him.

He'd baffled them entirely. Not only had he appeared out of nowhere with no memory, but nobody had ever reported him missing. And perhaps even more baffling than that, was how despite being soaking wet and shoeless in the middle of the biggest snowstorm they'd seen in years, he didn't get so much as a runny nose from the cold.

How did Hogwarts find young wizards and witches, anyway? And how long did they know about them before they sent out their Hogwarts letters? When had he been chosen? Was it before Children's Protective Services found him on that fateful day?

But his Hogwarts letter had read 'Jack Frost', hadn't it?

"Frost, Jack."

Perhaps he'd never had another name. Perhaps he'd always just been Jack Frost.

Taking a seat on the stool, he found Professor Grimm's scrutinizing glare studying him as he place the hat on the boy's head.

'Interesting. Very interesting.' Jack couldn't help grinning as he heard the hat's voice in his ear – magic certainly made life a little more intriguing. 'Ambition, certainly, but also daring. And chivalry. You'd certainly do well in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Independence, yes, but also a craving for fraternity that you would do best to not ignore. Hmmm . . . I think it'd better be-'

'Slytherin!'

And with a grin, he hopped off the wooden stool and handed the hat back to Grimm, before heading over to sit next to Merida.

Professor Grimm's niece, Gwyneira, whose stepmother had told her horrible things about the sorting process, went on to become a 'Hufflepuff!'

"Gudrun, Rapunzel."

"Good luck," Hiccup whispered, giving Rapunzel a nudge with his elbow.

"Thanks," She whispered back, hurrying up to the front of the room.

What if she got the wrong house and mother thought she was in too much danger? What if she had to go home? What if she didn't like the house she got placed into? What if she stayed at Hogwarts and mother was lonely? What if she left Hogwarts and her new friends forgot all about her? What if she got the wrong house and her new friends didn't want to be friends anymore? Was she still supposed to hope for Gryffindor, now that both of her friends were in Slytherin?

She bit her lip and steeled herself for the hat, hands gripping the sides of the wooden stool like her life depended on it.

'Well now, what have we got here?' Rapunzel couldn't help clapping her hands over her mouth to stifle the squeak of surprise when she heard a voice in her ear. She ought to have realized that the hat would talk to her directly; it had sung a song to all of them, after all. 'Gentle, and determined. And a healthy curiosity too. Yes, you'd certainly be at home in either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. But you're quite resourceful too, aren't you? Yes, I think you'll find your ability to think quickly will be most appreciated in-'

'Slytherin!'

Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Rapunzel slipped off the wooden stool and headed over to the Slytherin table.

Still waiting for his name to be called, Hiccup looked out at the four house tables. Gryffindor was certainly the best house – and he was sure that if he got Gryffindor, it would finally make his father proud. Although Hufflepuff couldn't possibly be bad either.

But what if he ended up in Slytherin, like his new friends? Would his father be disappointed in him then? Or what if the hat put him into Ravenclaw? Had there ever been another Ravenclaw from the Isle of Berk? Would his dad be upset if he were the first?

As much as he liked Rapunzel, Jack and Merida, he hardly knew them. And they certainly seemed like the type of people who would still be friends with him either way.

But would his dad be proud of him if he wasn't in Gryffindor?

"Haldor, Hindrick."

Cringing, Hiccup made his way to the front of the room and took a seat.

"Please put me in Gryffindor, please put me in Gryffindor." Hiccup whispered to himself as Grimm place the patchy old hat on his head. Closing his eyes tight as the hat drooped low over his face, Hiccup continued his whispered prayer. "Please be Gryffindor, please be Gryffindor."

'You could be great, you know. It's all right here in your head.' Hiccup froze at the sound of the hat's voice. 'Creativity and wit – that would certainly be appreciated in Ravenclaw.'

"Please be Gryffindor." Hiccup whispered again. "I want to be like my dad."

'Following in the footsteps of one's forebears is not always the best path.' The Sorting Hat said in his ear. 'You have a thirst to prove yourself and a resourceful mind. Although you might have made a fine Gryffindor, I think you'll find that another house may suit you just as well-'

'Slytherin!'

Hiccup's face fell. And as Grimm lifted that hat off of his head and shooed him away to his table, he found himself feeling rather bittersweet – he was happy to be in the same house as all of his new friends, but the hat had as good as told him that he'd never be like his father.

December 20th, 2010

With three thick envelopes in hand, Rapunzel hurried to her mother's workshop in her coziest red flannel pyjamas, taking the stairs two at a time. Unaware of the large smudge of purple paint across her cheek, she hesitated by the doorway, watching her mother as she stood over the bubbling cauldron in the middle of the room.

"Rapunzel, you know how I feel about you lurking." Madam Gudrun said after a moment, only looking up from the cauldron to measure a scoop of beetle eyes, which she promptly stirred into the sludgey brew.

"Sorry, Mother." Rapunzel said, dipping her head apologetically.

"What is it, darling?"

"Well, I-I-"

"Speak up, Rapunzel." Mother said. "I find it very annoying when you mutter."

"Sorry, Mother." Rapunzel said again, before straightening her back and taking a deep breath. "Can you send these? They're letters to my friends – for Christmas."

At that, Madam Gudrun froze. And as her mother turned around to face her, clearly displeased, Rapunzel's hopeful smile faltered.

"Rapunzel, you must never write to your friends while you're here. Give me the letters." Madam Gudrun said, moving to stand in front of her daughter. Surrendering her letters to her mother's expecting hand, Madam Gudrun looked down at the three envelopes. "Rapunzel, you cannot write to them. They must never know where we live – I'm sorry, my pet, but it's for your own safety. The world is a dangerous place. You've got to promise me, Rapunzel, that you'll never write to them again."

"But – I didn't say where-"

"It doesn't matter. It's not safe. Do you understand that, Rapunzel?"

"I – I can't even send them those?" Rapunzel asked, her brow furrowed.

Madam Gudrun studied her for a moment, then her expression softened. "Okay, but this is the only time. And you have to promise that you'll never write to them again. Ever."

"Okay, Mother." Rapunzel said, wrapping her arms around Madam Gudrun. "I promise. I'm sorry."

"Good. Now, go get cleaned up and then off to bed." Madam Gudrun said, stroking her daughter's hair affectionately.

"Okay." And with that, Rapunzel hurried upstairs to her bedroom.

"Rapunzel," Madam Gudrun said, and Rapunzel paused, halfway up the spiral staircase. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you more."

"And I love you most. Now go on. Bed."

As Rapunzel disappeared into the room above, Madam Gudrun's expression hardened again as she regarded the three letters in her hand with a look of pure contempt. Then, in a rustle of skirts, she swept over to the fireplace.

Without even a moment's hesitation, she began tossing Rapunzel's letters into the fire, one by one, watching them burn with narrowed eyes.

And only when all three letters had been reduced to nothing but cinders, did she make her way back to her cauldron, a frown firmly set on her face.

March 17th, 2012

A smirk plastered across his fair face, he cast a glance over his shoulder as he ducked behind a tree, and raised his eyebrows with surprise. His eyes scanned the slope for his partner in crime, but he was nowhere to be seen – until suddenly there came a small thud from nearby, and Jack shook his head.

Despite his clumsiness and accident-magnetism, Hiccup was surprisingly good at keeping hidden.

"Hiccup, over here!" Jack hissed, peeking out from behind his hiding spot to see Hiccup scrambling towards him. "We have to do this fast – Mer said that North was talking to Professor Scuttle about muggle Christmas traditions like ten minutes ago – I don't know how long we've got!"

"I know." Hiccup said, rolling his eyes. "I was there when she told you."

"All the more reason," Jack said, grinning facetiously. "You know we don't have time for you to keep falling on your face."

"Thanks for that."

"Anytime. Now come on – we need to get those firecrabs to the great hall before North catches us."

Glancing down at his own dragonhide gloved hands and then to Hiccup's, he hoped that what he'd read in the Thornberry's Smashing Guide to Marvellous Beasts was everything there was to know about firecrabs, because he wasn't sure how well Hiccup was going to fare if the beasts could do more than just shoot flames out of their rear ends to defend themselves.

And with that, the two of them sprinted towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, hoping that the firecrab pen they'd heard the upper year students mention was not difficult to find.

September 16th, 2012

The four of them making their way into the Slytherin common room, they found a moderately sized crowd gathered around the bulletin board. Curious, they made their way around a long, black leather couch and towards the grey brick wall, dappled with the murky green sunlight that had managed to pierce the surface of the Black Lake and reach the frosted underwater windows looking into the Slytherin common room.

As they approached the bulletin board and the crowd began to thin, one of the upper year boys gave Jack a clap on the shoulder. "Congratulations Johnny!"

"It's Jack, actually," he said, as Merida snorted as she attempted to stifle a laugh.

Eyes studying the large piece of parchment that had been hung up on the board, it was Jack's turn to snort with stifled laughter. "Maybe next year, eh, Mer?"

Her cheeks red with a mixture of humiliation and frustration, she guffawed. "Don't let it go ta yer head, Frost. Yer only th' alternate. And they didn't ev'n get yer name right."

"Well, at least I made the team."

"C'mon guys," Rapunzel said, linking elbows with both Merida and Jack and beginning to lead her bickering friends away from the bulletin board. "Look on the bright side – whether you made the team or not, at least you guys can stay on your brooms."

"Okay, let me be the first to say: ouch." Hiccup said, joining the human chain his friends had become.

"You already did." Rapunzel said, wrinkling her nose at him. "Before we took you to the hospital wing."

Hiccup was not amused. "As much as I love recalling my fond memories of falling fifty feet onto a grass field, I'm interrupting the very important conversation we were having about Jack making the team and Mer being jealous."

"Ah don' know, Hic, that was a pretty impressive fall." Merida said with a smirk, nudging him. "Ah'm surprised the matron didn't end up having ta regrow yer bones after th' way ye landed."

"You both have a point." Jack said. "Which is surprising, considering how hard Hiccup hit the ground."

"Just so you know, you're all horrible people."

"You love us though." Rapunzel said.

And with that, the four of them made their way to the great hall, in the hopes that maybe there would be some pie or cake at dinner with which the four of them could celebrate.

October 29th, 2013

The fire in the hearth roaring and sunlight still making its way through the Black Lake and into the frosted windows in the Slytherin common room, a distant chiming could be heard as the Hogwarts clock tower struck three in the afternoon.

"C'mon Punzie," Merida groaned, flopping backwards into one of the low-backed chairs by the fireplace. "Ah'm hungry."

Rapunzel looked horrified, her voice hushed and desperate. "We can't just break into the kitchens, Merida!"

"It's the middle o' the day." Merida said with an even more dramatic groan. "It's hardly ev'n break'n in. Punzie, Ah was at practice so long tha' Ah missed lunch and Ah'm hungry. Please come wi' me."

"But what if we get caught?" Rapunzel asked, fidgeting with her extraordinarily long braid. "What if we get detention? What if they write to our parents?"

"Ah promise, Ah'll tell'm it was all me."

"I wouldn't let you take the fall for me-"

"Ah'm the one askin' you ta go wi' me. It's only fair."

"But-"

"They'd probably jus' give ye a stern talkin' to, anyhow. 'Don' ev'r do it again' and all that."

"Mother would be so disappointed in me."

"On'y if she found out." Merida said, smirking.

Rapunzel cringed for a moment, then relented. "Fine."

Sitting bolt upright, Merida gave a small squeal and clapped her hands together with excitement. Leaping to her feet, she grabbed Punzie's hand and began to drag her out of the common room and toward the kitchens in search of a pre-dinner snack.

Okay, so in case anyone wants to get upset that they're all in Slytherin, because Slytherin's for bad guys and none of our heroes are bad guys – all four have strong traits that justify them being all four houses.

However, Slytherin values resourcefulness, cunning and ambition. Self-preservation and fraternity (brotherhood). They also share the values of determination with Hufflepuff and cleverness with Ravenclaw.

Merida is predominantly self-preservation, because she turned her mother into a bear to get out of doing something she didn't want to do. She does have a recklessness about her that would make her do well in Gryffindor, and determination for Hufflepuff (considering she got her bow when she was a wee baby and practiced for years until she became a superstar archer).

Jack is normally sorted into Slytherin, but personally, I consider him the least Slytherin-y of the bunch. I think he's very much a Gryffindor. He craves acknowledgement though, which could be attributed in part to ambition and in part to his craving for fraternity. He doesn't join the Guardians at first, but not because he's not interested in their cause. He quickly becomes very protective over Tooth's fairies and when given the opportunity to join Pitch and get the acknowledgement he's always wanted, he isn't interested because although it would give him what he wants in a way, he refuses to settle.

Rapunzel is honestly the most Slytherin of the bunch. Although it's a trait that Ravenclaw appreciates as well, Rapunzel is exceptionally good at thinking on her feet. Although Gothel is definitely not a good mother in any way, Rapunzel still manipulates her via guilt to get her out of the house so she can go running off with some stranger that she coerces by forcibly taking something of his as leverage. She wants what she wants and for the love of God, do not stand in the way of her getting it.

Hiccup, like Jack, is an outsider craving fraternity and acceptance. He wants to prove himself and fit in. He knows he's not capable of achieving what he wants through the methods that everyone else uses, so he starts off by building contraptions to do what he isn't physically capable of doing – basically cheating the system. But that's also a very Ravenclaw-y thing to do – the 'this doesn't work the way I need it to, invent something that does' attitude. But aside from being a clever inventor, he's also resourceful, sneaky determined and not above using trickery or coercion to get people to change their minds (such as dropping people from dragons to get his way).

Also, for anyone questioning my sorting choice for Elsa – she literally spent her entire life working to control her magic and constantly failing, but she still kept trying. If that doesn't show determination and hard work, I don't know what does. Also, yes, while Elsa is creative and artistic with her magic, a big part of Ravenclaw involves accepting yourself for who you are, and that's something Elsa refuses to do until someone else accepts her for it. Her kindness, loyalty and self-sacrificing in an attempt to protect Anna makes me feel like Elsa is a much better fit in Hufflepuff.

What was your favourite moment in this chapter?

What plots are you excited to see in the future?

How do you feel about my unconventional sorting choices for the Big Four?

I always appreciate hearing what you have to say, so please review.