Yes I know I haven't updated in a long time. No, I don't plan on updating that regularly since I'm hard at work on my Growing Up Haddock series but I figured you all had waited long enough and I got a great idea today. That's mostly what held me back, lack of ideas.

The schedule is going to change dramatically because I'm not organized to come up with one for all four Houses. I'll try to avoid saying what day of the week it is just to make it easier for you all.

The First Class

Hiccup wasn't sure how to react to the barrage of owls swarming into the Great Hall with no warning. No one had told him this would happen and so when they all came barreling in at once, he put his hands over his head, convinced that they were under some sort of attack by wizards disguising themselves as owls (why they'd picked that form instead of something more sinister like bats was a mystery to him). For a moment, he wondered why so many people around him were laughing. And then, when he removed his arms from the top of his head, he felt incredibly sheepish when no one else was reacting in such a fashion. In fact, most people acted like nothing had happened at all.

First day at school and he'd already embarrassed himself. And classes hadn't even started yet. It was eight in the morning and he wanted to evaporate. This wasn't an unusual feeling as he'd gone through similar experiences in Muggle schools but he'd hoped he would have been able to get a bit farther into his first week without humiliating himself.

A hand slapped him on the back and very nearly fell into his plate of eggs and bacon. He turned to face Tonks, who had decided to sit down next to him moments later. She had apparently claimed him as her friend, though the reasons she had chosen him instead of someone who didn't look like a deer in the headlights all the time were beyond him.

"We deliver mail by owls." she said instead of a greeting. "And they come by every morning. So unless you have a severe phobia of birds-"

"I'm not scared of them. I just... didn't want to deal with owl droppings in my hair." This was a lie but Hiccup thought it was a rather good one.

"They're trained to wait until they're in the Owlry to do that." Tonks said, sliding next to him. "You going to eat that bacon?"

"There's plenty on the plate right there." Hiccup gestured to the plate directly in front of them.

"So there is. See? We all need a little help." Tonks took a fistful of the bacon and placed it on her plate.

Hiccup suspected that this was a futile (not to mention weird) attempt to make him feel better but he decided that it was awfully nice. He liked this odd girl with her bright purple hair and extremely outgoing demeanor. She wasn't the kind of person he had expected to befriend (he suspected that his best friend would be his trunk) but he was glad for the company.

Transfiguration was the first subject of the day. Hiccup and Tonks followed the small crowd of first years they saw leave the Great Hall only to discover that they were Gryffindors and that they were standing outside of the Charms classroom, not the Transfiguration one. Alarmed at how few minutes they had left, they sprinted all over the hallways in a mad attempt to find their classroom when the Fat Friar took pity on them and pointed to the correct classroom just in time for their lesson. They burst into the room as the bell rang and flung themselves into seats at the back of the class. The other Hufflepuffs rolled their eyes at them but stayed silent. Their teacher seemed to be running late.

And then the cat on the desk became the teacher. Hiccup recoiled slightly. He hadn't been expecting that. He hoped that not all witches and wizards could do that because if so, he didn't want to suddenly become a cat without knowing how to stop being a cat. What if he became a different animal? Was there a muscle he had to flex? Did he have to be carrying his wand?

His somewhat panicked worrying caused him to miss a lot of what the professor (apparently these teaching witches and wizards weren't called teachers after all) was saying. She gave him a stern look and his bright green eyes widened.

"Mr... Haddock, is it?" she asked.

Hiccup nodded.

"I thought perhaps you might like to assist me in the first demonstration." she continued, gesturing to the front of the class.

All eyes were on him. Hiccup shakily rose to his feet and shuffled to the front of the class. He never much liked oral reports in school and he liked performing in front of an audience even less so he hoped his stomach, which felt like it was completely filled with a combination of fluttering butterflies and writhing snakes, would stay calm enough for him to get through the demonstration.

Professor McGonagall's voice wasn't loud per-se but it was dominating. She didn't seem to need to raise her voice to keep the class under control. Hiccup, on the other hand, did not have this gift. He listened to her explain the spell he needed to recite and the wand movements necessary to transfigure a match into a needle. Thinking that this was a completely useless skill, he pointed his wand at it and did exactly as she said.

Nothing. The match remained unmoved and un-transfigured. Hiccup bit his lip. Perhaps he wasn't a wizard after all.

"Mr. Haddock has demonstrated exactly what not to do when attempting to perform any incantation." Professor McGonagall stated clearly. Hiccup's face went pink. "However it is a very common beginner's mistake and not anything to be ashamed of. Can anyone tell me what he did wrong?"

No hands raised. The Professor didn't seem surprised by her class's confusion. She knew it was their first class on their first day and students so rarely made correct guesses even after years of study.

"Mr. Haddock has done exactly what I said however he failed to realize that simply obeying commands is only part of the work. The rest is entirely up to him." Professor McGonagall said briskly. Hiccup was completely bewildered but she continued after a short pause. "In order to perform a spell correctly, one must concentrate on its outcome. It isn't enough to merely say the words. You have to mean them."

Well, Hiccup thought, this actually made quite a bit of sense. If science was a purely logic based subject, magic, which was sort of outside of science, had to be emotionally and creatively based. Perhaps magic wasn't so strange after all.

Professor McGonagall instructed him to attempt the spell once more. This time, Hiccup concentrated very hard on the outcome. The match turned silver. It wasn't pointy but it was definite progress and before he knew it, the boy had earned his House ten points.

Not bad for a first class, if Hiccup did say so himself.

When Snotlout had been accepted to Hogwarts, he hadn't thought that his first class would be gardening. Well it was called Herbology but... yes, it was glorified gardening. And he shared this class with the Ravenclaws! Still, the greenhouse was filled with plants he'd only seen in pictures. His mother hadn't let him near the garden as a child for fear he would tear it up. The twins' parents seemed to have made the same decision because the second they arrived, they inspected every inch of the place, culminating in the Professor having to extricate Tuffnut's nose from a plant that resembled a Venus flytrap. Snotlout could have sworn he heard it giggle as he turned back to the front of the class.

"Now that you're all settled," Professor Sprout (a name that made Snotlout wonder if she had gotten it legally changed to fit her profession) said with a cheerful smile. "Does anyone know the most useful spell in Herbology when dealing with more dangerous types of plants?"

Several Ravenclaw hands went up. Snotlout rolled his eyes. Typical.

"Yes, what's your name?"

"Fishlegs, Professor."

Professor Sprout blinked in mild surprise but recovered. This year was full of bizarre names.

"Right then, Fishlegs, to which spell am I referring?"

"The fire-conjuring spell, Incendio." Fishlegs replied automatically.

"Excellent! Ten points to Ravenclaw!" Professor Sprout exclaimed gleefully. "And can you tell me why this is such an important spell?"

"Most plants are weakened by fire, thus a witch or wizard needs to keep this spell mind if they're ever threatened." Fishlegs said, sounding more like he was quoting the textbook rather than using his brain.

"Wait, so we get to learn how to make fire? Awesome!" Tuffnut shouted.

Many of the Ravenclaws glared at the male twin, who grinned unabashedly. Professor Sprout acted as if this interruption hadn't happened at all.

"Now this is a simple spell but, since fire is a dangerous weapon, the first spell we're going to learn is the water conjuring spell. Can anyone tell me the incantation?"

More Ravenclaw hands went into the air. Professor Sprout called on a boy called Terry Boot, who supplied the spell. Snotlout could tell that the Ravenclaws would be incredibly annoying classmates. Their propensity to show off how much they already knew was insufferable.

"Now we're going to practice the water conjuring spell in front of these ordinary poppies." Professor Sprout said, gesturing to the pots in front of each student. "Try to water them with the spell. I've charmed them to grow each time you succeed. The student with the tallest poppies at the end of class will earn twenty points for his or her House."

As everyone suspected, the second Fishlegs recited the spell, water spurted from his wand and the bright red flowers began to steadily grow. Heather was the next student to master the spell and the smug look on her face as her poppies began to rival Fishlegs' was beginning to make the Slytherins both irritable and slightly nauseated. Luna attempted the spell and it worked perfectly but she must have been doing something wrong because the stems curled into ringlets instead of growing straight up. The twins tried several times to get water to come out of their wands using the spell they had just heard (even if they did butcher its syllables terribly) but nothing happened. Finally, Ruffnut grew tired of her attempts and poked the soil with her wand. Dirt exploded in all directions, dusting all of the Slytherins and a good number of Ravenclaws. Tuffnut burst out laughing, causing Fishlegs to lose concentration and accidentally shrink his poppies the tiniest bit.

"I'm starting to see why so many people look down on our House." Draco said irritably, wiping dirt off of his face. "Seems to attract a lot of idiots. There should be a separate House for them. I'll write to my-"

"Father. I know." Snotlout rolled his eyes. "And while you're at it, tell him they need to put in a little shop by the Great Hall."

Draco glared at him, making Snotlout beam. He didn't have any siblings so this was the close to being obnoxious to his peers as he could get.

"You think you're so funny." Draco retorted, narrowing his eyes.

"Not funny. Unbelievably handsome, yes. Undeniably awesome, of course." Snotlout smirked.

"The fact that you have such an inflated opinion of yourself is outrageously funny." Draco said, turning back to his pot and trying his best to water the seeds.

Snotlout decided not to dignify that comment with a response. Of course he was awesome and handsome. But he didn't need anyone like Draco Malfoy to tell him that. In truth, he didn't hate the boy. Draco was annoying, yes, but Snotlout was beginning to greatly enjoy picking on him. Better him than someone like Hiccup who probably wouldn't fight back.

In the end, Heather managed to come out of the class with the tallest poppies. Fishlegs was extremely disappointed but brightened when he decided that Ravenclaw had won twenty points anyway so he didn't need to be too ashamed that his poppies were a centimeter shorter than his friend's.

Snotlout hated to admit it, but he'd actually had an almost fun time gardening. But he would definitely deny it if anyone asked. Gardening was for girls, no matter how much fun it was.

Astrid smirked slightly upon seeing her friend from yesterday cover his head with his hands the second the owls flew into the Great Hall. She figured that it was a normal occurrence judging by the lack of surprise from older students. She ate slowly, taking in all the sights and sounds of the Great Hall during the day. For a few minutes, she was having a good time looking around but then Ron Weasley parked himself in her line of vision and ruined the moment.

"You going to eat that?" he asked, pointing to the remainder of her eggs. "They're all out."

"What?" Astrid blinked a few times and looked down. "Oh... no, probably not. Why do you ask?"

The idea of leaving food uneaten seemed to be truly horrifying for the redhead. "Can I have them then?" he asked.

Astrid pushed her plate toward him and rested her chin on her hand, absentmindedly tapping her cheek with the tips of her fingers. But then Ron's rather loud and jarring voice brought her back to reality after a few seconds.

"My brothers say Charms is a cakewalk." he said rather loudly, more to Harry than to Astrid.

"I don't think any classes are going to be easy, Ron." Hermione sat down right next to Astrid and leaned forward. "And it's healthy to challenge yourself."

Ron turned to Harry and spoke in a low voice so the bushy haired girl couldn't hear him. "Is she for real?"

"Oh lay off." Astrid whispered, kicking his leg under the table.

Hermione, who was reaching for a pear, didn't notice this brief exchange. Ron made a face.

"I hate pears. Do me a favor and don't ever let me eat one." he said, changing the subject instantly. Astrid began to suspect that this would be typical behavior coming from him.

"But they're good for you." Hermione shook her head slightly, almost like she was reminding herself to be patient with the boy.

Ron, on the other hand, didn't want to be patient with the girl. He opened his mouth to retort when Harry decided that it was a good time to interrupt.

"So what else have your brothers said about Charms?"

Astrid listened to Ron prattle on about a few stories about someone named Bill (she suspected that he was one of the aforementioned brothers) setting fire to the curtains and being put in detention. She found the story rather amusing and before she knew it, the first years were making their way to the classroom. Astrid caught a glimpse of two Hufflepuffs following them but they soon disappeared.

Charms was taught by a short professor who stood on a pile of books at the front of the class. He began the lesson by calling roll, which Astrid thought was sort of pointless as all available seats were taken, thus there couldn't be anyone absent. Either way, the small man finished roll and began to talk to them about the importance of the subject.

Now Astrid was no expert on all things magic (or any things magic) but she couldn't imagine how making inanimate objects dance could ever be considered useful. Now the spell Professor Flitwick was now describing sounded vital to survival, not to mention making torches unnecessary.

"Now you simply hold up your wand, like this, and say Lumos." said the professor, demonstrating the spell.

The wand's tip lit up, bathing the classroom in an odd glow. Astrid smiled. No more changing batteries. That was a definite plus.

The class was instructed to practice the spell. Astrid held up her wand and said the incantation. The wand's tip glowed dimly but try as she might, she couldn't make it brighter. Hermione, in her enthusiasm, nearly blinded the class. This led to the professor's impromptu lecture on spell safety and proper concentration on spells. That being said, Hermione won Gryffindor ten points for mastering the spell on the first try. Ron looked disgusted and Astrid was beginning to understand why. Harry seemed to prefer to ignore Hermione's propensity to show off. This may have been because he didn't have any more success than Astrid. This may also have been because Seamus Finnigan had put a large scorch mark into the table and it was steadily growing.

"Ah, ah, ah Mr. Finnigan, we must properly enunciate." Professor Flitwick said, shaking his head and removing the rapidly growing scorch mark with a flick of his wand. "Enunciation is key in spell casting. One improperly spoken spell can have dangerous consequences. Can anyone tell me why?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air but Astrid had a theory and decided to take a chance. She tentatively raised her hand and Professor Flitwick beamed.

"Yes, Miss Hofferson?"

"Well I'm sure a lot of spells sound alike. If you mumble or say it wrong, you could cast the wrong spell." she said, enjoying the incredibly disappointed look on Hermione's face.

"Precisely! Five points to Gryffindor." said the professor.

As the professor continued to speak, Ron leaned forward and decided to completely ignore him. "Astrid, right?"

"Yes." said Astrid, trying to concentrate on making the spell a bit stronger.

"I can't get the spell to work at all and Harry's no help." Ron said. "How are you doing that?"

"Concentration." her wand tip extinguished. "Why don't you ask Hermione for help?"

"Because I don't want to hear about the history of the spell, the finer points of its casting, or long winded speeches about what I'm doing wrong."

Astrid glanced over at Hermione and decided that Ron probably had a fair point. But before she could reply, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. As the students packed up their belongings, Professor Flitwick reminded them to practice the spell.

Astrid slung her bag over her shoulder and began to walk toward the next class. Ron and Harry caught up with her.

"Want to sit with us next class?" Harry asked amiably.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you're smart but not annoying." Ron said with all the tact of a raging rhinoceros.

"That's not exactly the reason." Harry rolled his eyes. "But apparently Professor Binns is the most boring teacher of all time. At least according to some of the older students."

Astrid smiled. "Okay then." she said, glad that she had managed to at least make a few friendly acquaintances.

All right, you waited a long time for an update and this one probably is sort of disappointing but hey, I updated! Now I can wait a few more months to update again!

I have an idea for getting all the HTTYD kids together on a frequent basis but I thought putting them in classes first would give you an idea of how they perform. I really look forward to the flying lessons, I've had a few ideas about that for a long time.

Don't forget to review!

~KateMarie999