Book 1: The First Year (ROTBTD Hogwarts AU) (PREQUEL)

19. Rapunzel's POV: Mid December

Rapunzel loved Yuletide. She loved all the sabbats, especially the summer ones, but Yuletide was one which she held close to her heart. It was the first and largest event of winter and to her it promised hope and cheer in the heart of the cold.

That Yuletide wasn't proving to have much hope in it for her.

The midterms were days away. The moment they ended would be the moment the winter break began. Students from all the years were caught up in a frenzy of revisions and packing and begging whatever might be listening for last minute miracles. The conversation topics often ranged from exams to holidays, or else holidays to exams. Or even, exams to holidays to new year's resolutions, if one were feeling adventurous.

Even the classes were in on it, each period spent going over everything that had been taught up until then over and over and over again.

Meanwhile, the school itself seemed to be running on an entirely different schedule. Suddenly, all the world held the unmistakable mark of the Winter Solstice. Every doorway held a garland of holly. Every corner sprouted a sparkling tree. Not a window was left without embroidered hangings colored red and green, silver and gold. The suits of armor sang Yuletide carols to all who passed, their metal outsides freshly gleaming in the light of scented candles that gave off the smells of spices and baking.

It was so lively and chaotic and frantically cheerful and Rapunzel was completely and utterly sick of it.

How was it possible to be both dizzy and hyper while sitting down? All the surrounding energy had gone pouring down her gullet like boiling soda and now she didn't know what to do with herself.

If she'd ever ridden a spinning teacup ride, it would've felt something like that. But she hadn't, and the feeling of her insides moving at a different speed than her outsides were doing things to her that she'd really rather it didn't.

Bad enough that that was how it was like in her head at its worst. To have all that coming at her in every direction was a whole new breed of nightmare. It hadn't even been a month.

By then, she could at least admit, privately, that everyone's stress over the exams had finally wrung out her last shreds of peace. Their stress had become her stress, and she was already stressed because everything she'd learnt in school had blended itself together into an indescribable blobby mess and by then there was nothing she could do about it and she hadn't started her packing yet or opened her books or done any chores or hobbies or decorating or caroling or having fun like everyone else seemed to be and how were they able to have fun when she was busy being stressed over how much she's stressed over other people's stress on top of her stress at how much she shouldn't be stressed added to the rest of her stress.

She. Had never, never signed up for this. This was not fun. She was not happy. She didn't want to deal with this. She refused.

...So she hid.

At least you're not cold, her mind supplied. Rapunzel, curled up on a rug in a warm corridor right next to the kitchens, sullenly stuffed another cookie in her mouth. Or hungry, it added.

Rapunzel hugged her knees and let out a petulant whine. It sounded something like a meow, so she dejectedly started meowing to try and bring herself some comfort.

Oh, to be a kitten. If she were a kitten, she could play without worry, and nap without concern. She would always be looked after and never spoken unkindly to. She could be peaceful and happy with the world and that would be good enough. Kittens really did seem to have the good life. At least they didn't have to deal with terrible, awful things like exams.