A Penchant for Mischief [Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons Hogwarts AU]

The Goblet Opens

Absentmindedly nursing a mug of lukewarm black coffee, Hiccup frantically scrawled a note in the margins of a stained and battered leather-bound notebook. Unnoticed, the large black tomcat beside him helped himself to a forgotten plate of salmon on toast.

Only an hour prior the hall had been bustling with activity and commotion, the air abuzz with excitement as students spent their Sunday morning theorizing about the tournament that awaited them and the guests that were set to arrive at half past four, according to the deputy headmaster's announcement at dinner the previous night.

It wasn't until the lone chime from Hogwarts' clocktower that the boy finally resurfaced from his scribbles and another beat longer still before it occurred to him that he was the only person left in the Great Hall. In a panic, he snapped shut his book and nearly sent himself sprawling across the floor when the toe of his left boot caught the bench during his dismount.

"Don't look at me like that," He said to the cat, whose whiskers were twitching in what Hiccup assumed was amusement. Rolling his eyes, Hiccup tucked his book into the inner pocket of his robes and gestured towards the large double-doors that lead out to the main foyer. "Well? Are you coming?"

Toothless mrrowed in response, before leaping down from his perch and trotting after him.

Ignoring the ache in his lungs and the wave of nausea that washed over him, Hiccup sprinted through the courtyard and hurried down the centuries-old desire path on the hillside.

He found his peers gathered on the lawns, whispering and pointing towards the other side of the Black Lake, where a single enormous wave carried a ginormous silver pumpkin atop its crest, accompanied by a low hum as it dashed across the waters towards the assembly of teens and teachers. No, not a pumpkin – a pumpkin-shaped carriage with ornate gold and white wheels that kicked up a spray of mist with each rotation, creating a rainbow aura in the September sunlight.

As the carriage drew closer, the thundering of hoofbeats grew louder and a sudden whinny triggered a realization. The swell of water on which it rode wasn't a wave at all – it was a team of Arctic water horses. Nøkks.

Hiccup halted by his housemates, his tardiness seemingly unnoticed in light of the delegates' arrival.

Edging closer to the shore and using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, Hiccup searched the surface of the lake, as twin tracks spread ripples across its normally undisturbed surface.

"Nice of you to join us, Haddock," A woman's voice said as he reached the front of the crowd.

"Sorry, Professor Finster," Hiccup shrugged halfheartedly, his gaze still locked on the waters below. "I was, er, working on a thing."

"I see," The elderly witch in goldenrod-coloured robes did not turn to him either. "I'm still waiting on your essay on passive occlumency techniques. The one I assigned last term."

"Right! And I will get that to you. Soon."

"See that you do."

Hiccup nodded, half-smiling as his eyes found what he was looking for – a slight interruption in the widespread ripples across the lake and a pop of colour just beneath the surface that vanished as quickly as he'd spotted it. His insatiably curious friend had come to investigate, just as he'd known he would.

As the majestic creatures charged towards the shoreline, the driver reigned them in and directed the beasts in a wide arc across the bay, showing off the magnitude and extravagance of the vehicle, whose wheels were at least as tall as Hiccup was.

While his peers pushed closer, craning their necks for a better view of the newcomers as they halted on the stony shore, Hiccup's eyes remained fixed on the dozen translucent beasts who tossed their heads and pawed at the shallows impatiently, their jewel-adorned harnesses clinking as they strained against them.