Legally Auburn (HTTYD)

Part 7

Chapter 7

After spending an hour in the library-which was the closest thing he had to a comfort blanket, Hiccup emerged. He had spent ten minutes just staring at the image of Heather and him from Senior Prom and wondering why she was being so cruel. It wasn't that he was being weird or stalkerish at all, right? He was just doing what any guy in love would do to try to win his girl back...travelling across the country, completely changing his entire life plans and applying for and getting into the most difficult school in the country. Anyone would do that, right?

He had missed a discussion about study groups which he presumed he would catch up and then he made his way back and resumed his seat as they waited for the next tutor-Professor Viggo Grimborn, one of the most celebrated lawyers in the Eastern US. Hiccup was ready to work, trying to ignore Heather who was leaning against Finlay-had she really called him Fish?-and whispering obviously. Professor Grimborn wore all black, his manicured beard and cold brown eyes topped by expensively cropped black hair. His frighteningly intelligent gaze swept the assembled students and landed on the moderately scruffy shape sitting expectantly with a 'Dalek' pen in his hand.

"You-name!" he snapped.

"H-Hiccup H-Haddock, sir," Hiccup stammered, caught off guard by the man's aggressive tone.

"Define evidence!" he demanded.

"Um...the-the t-term evidence refers t-to anything that is p-presented to p-prove something else is true or exists. In the legal system, evidence is any t-type of p-proof p-presented at trial, for the p-purpose of convincing the judge and/or jury that alleged facts of the case are t-true," Hiccup stammered, blushing fiercely. Heather sniggered.

"He can't even manage a full sentence," she scoffed. Professor Grimborn frowned.

"Almost word-perfect," he commented. "Your knowledge is adequate...BUT you MUST be able to speak to construct your case, Haddock!" His voice had risen and he shouted the last few words at the shocked Hiccup. "And when I want your opinion, girl, I will ask for it. Until that time, I would insist you keep your opinions to yourself." Then he smiled coldly. "But since you are so opinionated...give me the definition of subject matter jurisdiction..."

Heather's mouth opened and closed, her eyes wide with sudden panic. The Professor frowned and then put a hand in his pocket.

"Nothing to say for yourself now?" he taunted her. She blushed fiercely and Hiccup stole and glance, then bowed his head and stared at his pad. A tiny piece of him felt a twinge of sympathy for her humiliation and a shameful larger piece felt a sort of pleasure that she wasn't being allowed to get away with targeting him. But he knew as well that it wouldn't make a difference ultimately: she had made her position clear.

Over the next fifteen minutes or so, Professor Grimborn quizzed the class, ruthlessly exposing the fact that almost none of them had done their pre-course reading. Heather failed to answer any of her questions, Finlay managed one out of three and Hiccup got all his right, though his stammer became more obvious under Grimborn's icy glare. Finally the Professor raked the exhausted students with his icy glare.

"Well, this is a sorry class," he commented sneeringly. "Only one student has bothered to do the necessary preparation ahead of this lesson-and he is unable to communicate what he knows." Hiccup blushed scarlet, his cheeks scorching with shame. "Mr Haddock-B. Mr Ingerman, C. The remainder of you-are all a D. Read chapters one through six by the next class. Anyone who has not done his preparation on the exercises will be expelled from my class. Dismissed!"

As he swept out, Heather gave a sneering laugh.

"Poor Hiccup," she scoffed. "All that knowledge and you can't even speak a simple sentence. Maybe you should head back to nerd school now!" Finlay rested his hand on hers, his big face crinkled in a puzzled frown.