Hiccup was in his final year at Hogwarts, and when they'd announced the Triwizard Tournament was being hosted, he had naturally jumped at the chance to enter. It wouldn't bother him much if he didn't get picked; there were so many good choices at Hogwarts, and his opinion of himself wasn't so high as to believe he was the best one.

Unlike Snotlout, who had boasted loudly enough for half the hall to hear that he was the obvious choice and the cup would be mad not to choose him. Hiccup really hated his cousin sometimes.

No, he was happy to cheer on anyone who got it, and if it was him then hey, he could win eternal glory! If only it had been held in first year, it might have been easier for him to make friends rather than being laughed at for his hopeless Charms work. But that was all in the past.

It was finally Hallowe'en, the day the names for the Triwizard tournament would be drawn, and he had Astrid and Fishlegs sat beside him, houses not necessarily separated for the evening. They sat together at the Slytherin table, Astrid's House, with Durmstrang students sat amongst them too. The feast was almost over, most of the plates cleared by hungry students. The Goblet of Fire was stood in front of Dumbledore's spot at the high table, and every so often, eyes from every direction flicked towards it, anticipation building throughout the feast. Everyone was fidgeting and looking rather impatient.

"So, who do you think's going to win from Hogwarts?" Astrid asked excitedly. "I hope one of us gets it."

"I don't know," Hiccup replied honestly. "I hope it isn't Snotlout, though. Can you imagine the boasting we'd endure when we got back home?" He tried his best to imitate Snotlout's voice. "I don't have to clean out the dragon pens, I won the Triwizard Tournament, now clean my boots for me, runt!" His friends laughed. "It wouldn't surprise me if Harry Potter had managed to get his name in there somehow though."

"Do you really think Potter would want more attention though?" Asked Fishlegs. He had a point, but still, it wouldn't be a huge shock if Potter did get chosen, even if he was three years too young. The plates suddenly returned to their spotless state.

Beside him, Astrid gasped and grabbed his arm. Her eyes were wide with excitement and her smile matched. Hiccup looked to the front of the Hall where Dumbledore had just stood from his high-backed chair. Silence fell immediately.

"Well," He began, "the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision." Astrid tugged excitedly on Hiccup's arm, but he knew she didn't want his attention, she was just impatient. "I estimate that it requires one more minute." Dumbledore continued.

"How does the old lunatic know that?" Hiccup muttered good-naturedly to Fishlegs, who grinned at him.

"Now, when the Champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber," he indicated the door behind the staff table, "where they will be receiving their first instructions." Taking out his wand, he gave it a great, sweeping wave. The candles all around the Hall went out apart from those in the huge jack-o-lanterns, plunging them all into semi-darkness.

The main source of light now was the Goblet, flickering and almost painfully bright in the dim Hall. The entire student body seemed to be holding its breath, and Hiccup stared unblinkingly at the animated blue-white flames.

"Almost there," whispered Fishlegs, staring at his watch. "Now."

Right on cue, the flames turned suddenly red, and the whole Hall let out a breath as one. Sparks flew from it, and a tongue of flame leapt higher than the rest, carrying with it a small piece of parchment. The room gasped together.

Dumbledore pulled the charred parchment out of the hair and it at arm's length so he could read it by the light of the fire. "The champion for Durmstrang, will be Viktor Krum!" There was a cacophony of applause and cheering as Krum rose from the Slytherin table, looking as grumpy as ever, and slouched towards Dumbledore. He shook his hand and walked along the staff table, and through the door.

When he disappeared, silence fell again and attention turned back to Dumbledore. Fleur Delacour was called up for Beauxbatons, and the Hall erupted in cheers again. Delacour almost seemed to glide across the room, and Hiccup couldn't help but notice the disappointment of the rest of the Beauxbatons students; a couple were even in tears.

When Delacour had disappeared, the air was stiff with tension as the largest student body present once again held its breath, waiting for the last champion to be called. The tongue of scarlet flame shot higher and brighter than the rest, and Hiccup watched with mixed feelings of hope at being chosen and anxiety that if he was he would have to go through three very difficult, very dangerous tasks.

Dumbledore pulled the last piece of parchment from the air and Hiccup leaned forwards, heart drumming painfully against his ribs. When it actually came down to it, it turned out he really did want to be chosen, he wanted to prove himself a worthy successor as Mayor of his village, that he could do as well as his dad. Never mind that he'd already tamed the dragons, he wanted to prove his magical ability.

"The Hogwarts champion," Dumbledore's voice rang over the silent crowd, "is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III!" The Hall once again burst into cheers, louder since there were more Hogwarts students than any others, and Astrid smacked him on the back.

He went cold. Then warmth spread from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. His expression was one of blank shock, not quite able to believe his ears.

"You did it! Hiccup it's actually happening, you're going to be champion!" Astrid yelled over the cheers, bobbing up and down in her seat. A smile spread across his face from ear to ear, and he hugged her tightly. She laughed and he let go, doing the same to Fishlegs.

Fishlegs said nothing, just cheered and clapped madly. Hiccup had no words, so he just kept smiling, so filled with hope that he could finally prove his worth, he got up and walked up to Dumbledore. He shook the smiling headmaster's hand, and walked through to join the other champions.

Hiccup returned to the common room an hour or so later to find a celebratory party already in full swing. He was pulled through the entrance by several pairs of hands, and was greeted with a roar of congratulations. A friend passed him a bottle of 'butterbeer' with a wink, and when Hiccup took a hesitant sip the burning it presented left no doubt that it was firewhiskey. He didn't ask how they'd got it, but he thanked them and spent most of the night playing games and drinking to the fact he was the most worthy candidate in Hogwarts to compete. It looked like Harry Potter was going to have a quiet year after all.

As the first task drew closer, Hiccup grew more and more anxious.

"But what if it something goes wrong and I, I don't know, get mauled to death or eaten by one of Professor Hagrid's crazy monsters?" He worried to Astrid one evening over dinner. She laughed and put a consoling hand on his arm.

"You'll be fine Hiccup." She dropped her voice. "You managed to tame dragons back home; do you really think this is going to be worse?" She gave him a soft smile of encouragement but he replied with a weighted sigh.

"That was different. Toothless couldn't get away and didn't want to hurt me. And I had time to figure it all out. Who knows what they'll throw at me here?" He put down his fork and buried his face in his hands. "I almost regret putting my name in that god-forsaken Goblet." He whispered.

"No you don't, Hiccup." She pulled his hands away from his face and looked him dead in the eyes. "You can do this, you're son of Stoick the Vast," she used their nickname for his rather overweight father who was Mayor of the Scottish town they lived in –Berk –and he gave a small smile. "And you have tamed dragons. If you can't do whatever the hell they set, no one can."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're right." He said, feeling his confident grow just a smidge. "You're right, I can do this. Thank you." His smile grew and he kissed her on the cheek, making her blush a little.

The day of the tournament rolled around sooner than he'd expected. It was a cold, crisp morning that heralded the imminent start of winter. Hiccup had spent a restless night tossing and turning, nightmares plaguing him. At six in the morning he finally decided to stop trying to sleep peacefully and got up. He changed quietly into joggers and a hoodie, slipping out silently for an early morning run to relieve some tension.

The sun was barely peeking above the horizon when he returned. It was promising to be a clear day, but definitely cold. He hit the showers and pulled on the champion's robes that he found at the bottom of his bed when he got back into the dormitory. His dorm-mates were just starting to wake up as he stashed his wand into the inside pocket of the robes.

"Morning!" He said in a falsely bright tone. Four groans were his reply; none of them were really morning people. He grinned and went downstairs to wait in the common room for them. After a few minutes however, he was pacing up and down nervously, and decided he might as well go down to breakfast.

Astrid and Fishlegs were already there waiting for him, having apparently predicted his early start. He gave them a relieved smile, and when he walked through the doors of the Great Hall he got a round of applause and a few cheers from the other early-risers. He waved awkwardly at them and went to join his two best friends. He sat on the bench opposite them and stared at his empty plate.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Well the chances of you dying are pretty slim, only two people have ever died in this tournament." Fishlegs offered in what he evidently thought was encouragement. Hiccup looked up at him blankly.

"That makes me feel so much better, thanks." He said sarcastically. Then he sighed. "Sorry, I'm just really scared."

"You don't even know what it is yet." Astrid said soothingly. Hiccup ran his hands through his already scruffy hair, and took a deep breath.

"I can do this. Yes, I can do this, I can…I can't do it. I'm going to go to Dumbledore and tell him I just can't compete." He said, breathing heavily.

"You can't! Imaging what Snotlout would say if that happened. He'd never let it go, you have to compete. Also it's in the rules that if you're chosen you're not allowed to back out."

Hiccup gave a huge sigh and resigned himself to the fact he was in fact going to have to compete.

Lessons weren't going to stop until midday, but the morning flew right by for Hiccup. At lunch, Flitwick hurried over to him to tell him the champions were to go down to the grounds. Astrid and Fishlegs wished him good luck, and he gave a weak smile before following Flitwick out of the castle and to the place where he'd be competing. His stomach was turning, and his feet felt like lead.

Flitwick took him to a tent, and told him to go inside and wait his turn, his voice even squeakier than usual. The tiny Charms professor gave him a smile that was obviously meant to be encouraging, but didn't quite make it all the way there. Ludo Bagman was stood inside with the other two champions, and greeting him enthusiastically.

"Now that we're all here, time to fill you in!" He didn't tell them what they'd be facing, but that they had to collect a golden egg.

Hiccup had to remind himself that he'd volunteered for this when he heard the hundreds of feet stampeding into the stands, a thunderous roar of voices accompanying them. Hiccup's stomach was doing cartwheels. What felt like seconds later, Bagman was opening the neck of the purple sack that contained the models of what they were about to face.

"Ladies first!" He said jovially, and proffered the bag to Delacour. She dipped her hand in and pulled out a tiny, perfect model of a green dragon. Hiccup's spirits rocketed sky-high. Dragons! They had to get an egg from a dragon! It was a dream come true. He could see the surprise on everyone's face when they saw him looking so happy (no one but Berk's residents knew they had dragons), but he couldn't stop smiling.

When it was his turn, he put his hand into the bag and pulled out a small version of a very spiky looking dragon with a number 3 around its neck. It was undoubtedly terrifying in real life, but his mood wasn't dampened. He hoped the tricks he knew from home would work on foreign breeds, but they had on every other type he'd ever encountered, so logic followed that this Hungarian Horntail would be no different.

It was only after a moment that he realised no one else had looked at all surprised when they realised they were to face dragons, and he rolled his eyes. Apparently he was the last to know. But it was no matter. He would be last to compete, so had plenty of time to decide exactly what he was going to do.

When his turn finally rolled around, Hiccup left the tent to tumultuous applause. He quickly scanned the stands to see if he could spot Astrid and Fishlegs, but there were too many students all moving and whooping, so instead he turned his attention to the arena. The dragon was nowhere to be seen yet, but he could see the eggs, a golden one shining right at the top of the pile of natural ones. A hush fell over the crowd. He gave a small smile and walked confidently out, sure that the Horntail would soon make an appearance.

He was right. As soon as he started walking, a deafening roar came from above and he ducked out the way just in time to avoid being snapped in two by razor sharp teeth. He backed up quickly until he could see the dragon, his plan clear in his head. He stood still for a moment, letting her assess him quietly. She looked like she was about to torch him.

Slowly, very slowly, he moved backwards until he hit a rock. Not breaking eye-contact with the huge beast above him, he pulled himself up the rock so he was on more of a level with her. If she reached out her neck she would be able to nudge him with her nose. Good, that would be helpful. He took a last deep breath and reached out his right arm. He moved it in a circle, sliding his left foot slightly to the side for balance as he did so. With calm determination and an unblinking stare, he lulled the dragon into a feeling of calm. He moved slowly, deliberately, in the way his mother had taught him, until he reached out his hand, palm facing forwards, and the Horntail gently placed her nose against it.

He beamed and scratched under her chin. Her eyes narrowed happily, her hot breath washing over him. He forced himself not to gag when the scent of charred meat hit him. The entire student body was watching him in stunned silence, and he allowed himself a moment to revel in their astonishment.

"GO HICCUP!" He heard Astrid yell, and he laughed, but didn't dare turn around.

"Who's a good girl?" He cooed to the Horntail. "Yes that's right, you are! You're a good girl! Can I have an egg?" Her eyes snapped open and a low growl emanated from deep in her chest. His heart skipped a beat, and he scratched her in the spot that always worked on the dragons in Berk, praying it would work here, too. It did, and she calmed down again. "I need a very specific egg! Can I have that golden egg?" He risked pointing over to the pile, and she followed his movement. His voice shook a little, but he was fighting to keep in under control.

She gave a deep hum and backed away from him. "Good girl!" He praised, jumping down off his rock and hurrying over to the eggs. Being careful not to stand on any of hers, he plucked the large golden egg off the top of the pile, tucked it under one arm, and walked calmly out of the arena.

There was no applause until after he'd moved out of sight, at which point a roar of approval followed him. When he got back into the tent he gave a shaky laugh and pressed his free hand against his forehead to still its shaking. It had gone better than he had dared hope.

Moments later Astrid burst in through the tent flaps, beaming from ear to ear and eyes shining with glee.

"Dragons, Hiccup! You did great! Not a scratch, not a burn, nothing! The other two got at least once of each. The judges all have to give you full marks! I don't know how they could do anything else, you were amazing!"

Fishlegs followed her in just then. "A class four dragon! They made you get past class four, Hiccup! It should be illegal!"

All he could do was laugh, and he pulled them both into a bone crushing hug, the egg dropping ungraciously to the floor, momentarily forgotten in the glow of his success.