Rita popped her hands behind her head and relaxed on her seat. Her little owl was perched on the luggage rack nibbling on a piece of toast she pecked from Hiccup's hair. She rather liked his hair. She would explore it more in the morning during breakfast. Rita's hair didn't offer anything but hair gel. What a girl her age was doing with hair gel Quill wouldn't never know.

Hiccup was digging through the candy bag his mom had packed for him. His father didn't like him eating sweets it always made him sticky, but his mom could never say no to him. Her little pumpkin was too precious for her to say no to. Rita always wanted to retch when Hiccup's mom called him pumpkin. It was a right awful name to be called if you asked her. Though no one never had to ask Rita her opinion on anything. She liked to give it out freely.

Hiccup and Rita were both engrossed in their own thoughts when the door to their compartment slid open. Rita opened an eye to take in the new comer. He was a rather tall and lanky boy with a mass of red hair spilling down over his ears. If that didn't make matters worse his mother (because that what's mother do best) wrestled him into a red jumper. So he totally looked like he was dancing in flames.

The newcomer tripped over his shoelace as he walked into the cabin. His arms windmilled around till he righted himself. Hiccup snickered and the boy blushed. Which was not an improvement. He was a windmill on fire. “Sorry,” he stammered. “Arthur Weasley.” he announced. He smiled at both of them and Hiccup smiled back. Rita just raised an eyebrow at him. It was a favorite expression that she rarely got to use. Her father said it made her look off kilter. But her father wasn't here now was he?

“I'm Rita Skeeter and that's Hiccup.” Rita answered as Arthur tripped over himself again as he sat down next to Hiccup. No really, he didn't just learn how to walk, but over the summer he had hit a rather nasty growth spurt, and he was getting used to the height.

“Is that your real name?” Arthur asked Hiccup.

“No, my real name is Patton Holliday.” Hiccup announced proudly. Rita sat up and looked at him.

“You never told me your real name,” she said a little hurt.

“You never asked.” he shrugged. To be honest he didn't like his real name and he preferred to be called Hiccup, but the boy had asked and he had answered. However he was seriously rethinking that with the deadly look Rita was throwing him. He busied himself in his candy bag once again. That seemed to be a safe place for the time being.

Arthur sat next to Hiccup looking mighty pleased with himself for actually making it to the seat without any blood drawn. His brothers hadn't been so lucky over the summer. “So where do you think you will be sorted?” Arthur asked pulling a corned beef sandwich out of his pocket. Rita wrinkled her nose at the smell and her mouth hung open as Arthur proceeded to actually eat the thing.

Hiccup came up for air from his candy bag with chocolate smeared on his cheek, “I hope I get Hufflepuff.” His favorite dragon photographer was in Hufflepuff.

“My mom and dad were in Ravenclaw so I think I'm going to Ravenclaw.” He had almost swallowed his sandwich whole with minimal bites. Rita had been watching him with rapt fascination. This snack time would forever be immortalized in her short story, “The Sandwich Drain.”

Both Arthur and Hiccup turned to look at Rita, “I have no idea where I'm going to be. Neither of my parents went to Hogwarts.” she told both of them. To be honest, she had no idea what to expect and she didn't know a thing about Hogwarts. Underneath her cool exterior she was frightful of what was to come. They left the conversation at that. For the trolley lady came around and Rita bought a few pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs. She wasn't a terrible fan of her mother's cooking and after that tantrum last night she had worked up quite the appetite. They ate in comfortable silence and soon they were engrossed in a game of gobstones. It was Arthur's favorite game and Rita and Hiccup were covered in goo by the time the train slowed to a stop and kids started running around to get off.

“First years this way,” a cool voice called above the clamor. All three of them tumbled out of their compartment, thanks to Arthur and shuffled after the voice. “Leave your trunk and follow me. First years this way.” the voice was swinging a lantern that pulled them from the train.

They lined up behind the other first years and finally got a look at the willowy woman commanding them. She was the tallest woman Rita had ever seen and though she was skinny she had a presence that didn't detract from her loveliness. Rita didn't know woman could look so pretty. Her mother was a rather plain plodder if you asked her.

As you can see she didn't have a high opinion of her parents.

Rita lined up behind Hiccup and Arthur and she felt a sharp jab to her backside. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Calamity behind her. She was not going to give into her right now.

She was preparing herself for Hogwarts. And she had a whole year to put Calamity right into her place.