Update – this chapter has been written on my laptop as my computer needs to see a specialist and to be honest, I'm not too comfortable writing on a laptop.
This is my second attempt at this chapter. I tried to write something purely because I knew everyone wanted an update but it was utter rubbish and I decided to take my time, be comfortable in my work area and write something of quality before uploading next.
You may wait longer but I would rather give you quality work than some dribble I spat out with my fingers for the sake of an update.
So please, read on and hopefully you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones
Chapter 8
"I must say I received a much warmer welcome on my last visit," Lord Tyrion quipped as he stood before Robb Stark. He had just arrived in Winterfell after weeks of travelling back from the Wall. The young Lord sat before him, cold and angry eyes starring him down.
"All men of the Night's Watch are welcome in Winterfell," Robb replied coolly.
"All men of the Night's Watch," Tyrion retorted, "But not I, aye boy."
Robbs expression faltered for a second as his temper flared.
"I'm not your boy Lannister. I'm Lord of Winterfell while my father is away-"
"You might want to learn a Lord's courtesy," the older man shot back. Robb opened his mouth to continue his argument was but interrupted when young Bran was brought in by Hodor.
"So, it's true," Tyrion mused as he looked upon the limp form in the giant man's arms, "Hello Bran."
Hodor stopped before Tyrion, holding Bran to look upon him.
"Do you remember anything about what happened?"
"He has no memory of that day," The old Maester pipped up. Tyrion barely spared him a glace before continuing.
"My daughter said that you were showing her how well you climbed. She was awfully distraught when you fe-"
"Lord Tyrion that is enough," Robb snapped, "He has no memory of that day."
Tyrion regarded Robb for a long moment, slightly surprised by the sudden outburst but conceded and mumbled an apology to the young boy.
"Why are you here?" Robb asked tersely. Tyrion completely ignored Robb and look into Bran's cool brown eyes.
"Would your charming companion be able to kneel down for me, my neck is beginning to hurt," he asked gently.
"Kneel Hodor," Bran commanded after a moment. The giant man knelt to the ground, Bran now eye level with Lord Lannister.
"Do you like to ride Bran?" he asked.
"Yes," Bran perked up before his smile vanished again, "Well I mean, I did like to."
"The boy has lost the use of his legs," the Maester once again pipped in. Tyrion resisted the urge to roll his eyes, any fool could see that the boy had lost use of his legs.
"What of it," he called to the elderly man firmly as he set his cool green eyes upon those sitting at the high table, "With the right horse and saddle even a cripple can ride."
"I'm not a cripple," Bran interjected.
"Then I am not a dwarf, my father will be thrilled to hear it," Tyrion retorted, "I have a gift for you. Give that to your saddler, he will provide the rest. You must shape the horse to the rider, teach it to respond to the reins and his voice."
Bran unrolled the piece of parchment with a curious gleam in his eyes. They started to shine in excitement as he looked over the plans laid out in front of him.
"Will I really be able to ride?" Bran asked softly.
"You will," Tyrion reassured, "On horseback, you'll be as tall as any of them. Hermione could even teach you-"
"Is this some kind of trick," Robb growled out. He didn't trust the Lannister's especially after the last few months.
"Why do you want to help him," he continued as he eyed the Lord with suspicion.
"Because I have a fondness for bastard, cripples and broken things," Tyrion shot back. Robb looked abashed when he realised that Lord Tyrion was genuine in his act of kindness.
"You have done my brother a kindness," he lamented, "The hospitality of Winterfell is yours."
"Spare me your false courtesies, Lord Stark," Tyrion mocked, "There is a brothel outside your walls. There I'll find a bed and both of us will sleep easier."
He went to walk away and then turned to look at Robb one more time.
"Speaking of sleeping easier, where are you hiding my daughter?"
"Hermi-Lady Lannister," Jon stammered in surprise as he saw the shivering form of Hermione Lannister sitting in a chair next to Commander Mormont's fireplace with a familiar direwolf curled up at her feet.
Hermione locked her tired gaze with his. She was pale, a black coat wrapped around her and the bottom of her dress dirty. She gave him a small smile as Commander Mormont looked sternly between them.
"She was picked up by a ranging party headed for East Watch by the Sea, said she had something to giver you from your father," he explained.
"I got lost," Hermione chuckled lightly.
"I'll leave you two to talk, need to go check on the new recruits and make sure Thorne hasn't tormented them too badly," he mused. One the door was shut Jon took a few slow steps towards the girl who was finally getting some colour back to her face.
"What are you doing here?" he asked breathlessly.
"Your father-"
"I know, I heard that bit," he said quickly, "I meant why are you here all alone, and with Lady?I thought she went South with Sansa?"
"She did," Hermione exhaled, "Jon, things are starting to happen, bad things. I can't tell you without revealing something very important about myself. Promise me that what I tell you right here and now will stay between us."
Jon took in her gaze, the seriousness of her tone and the complete and utter trust filling her eyes. He gulped, his heart pounding in his chest. The feeling this woman brought out in him without even trying was almost too much for him to handle. She grasped his wrist when he took too long to answer and he glanced down to where her small digits wrapped around him and then back into her eyes, desperation now shining within their depths.
"Please," she begged softly. Jon nodded and then sat in the chair opposite her, his focus purely on her. Lady lifted her head to regard him but decided that sleeping was more important.
"What happened?" he asked. Hermione let out a shaky breath and the words seemed to just spill from her mouth. Jon listened with wide eyes, his mouth drying up and his thoughts a jumbled mess, what she was saying was completely insane.
"I can prove it," she whispered when she finished her tale. When he didn't move or say anything, she raised her hands and Jon was startled out of his seat when the objects on Commander Mormont's desk started to float in the air.
"Jon?" Hermione called as Jon slowly shook his head, "Please say something?"
"Does Robb-"
"No," she answered quickly, "But as soon as I return I will tell him."
"And he doesn't know where you are or why you left?"
"I didn't have time to tell him, no," she clarified.
"This is," he trailed off.
"I know," Hermione whispered. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Jon slowly sat back down.
"I trust you Hermione," he said seriously, "And to be honest I feel better about the safety of my family knowing that you are looking out for them, all of them."
At this remark Lady let out a soft yip and gave a single thump of her tail. Both humans glanced down at the canine and smiled softly.
"Where's Ghost?" she asked.
"Out hunting I imagine," he remarked with a fond smile.
"He needs to teach that to Lady," Hermione chuckled, "She wouldn't hunt on the way here. I had to steal supplies from villages along the way since I started straight here from the King's Road, stupid I know."
"It was extremely foolish," Jon agreed, "How will you get back to Winterfell?"
"I can apparate back there," she said simply, "Basically I can disappear from here and reappear there in an instant."
"Why couldn't you do that to get here?" he asked with a confused frown.
"I need to be able to picture the destination in my mind to get there and also it makes Lady very ill."
"Is my father still here?" she asked after a few moments, "I know it's a stretch but I thought-"
"No," Jon replied, "He left two weeks past, I imagine he will arrive in Winterfell soon, if he hasn't already."
"I hope he is ok," she mused wistfully, she missed her father terribly, she hadn't been away from him for this long before.
"He seemed to be in good spirits when he left here," Jon assured her.
"Thank you," she replied.
"You never said good-bye," she whispered after another few minutes of comfortable silence.
"I," Jon stammered, "I'm sorry."
"You're not," she smiled, "I understand why but it didn't make it hurt any less."
"I am sorry for that," Jon insisted, "I felt a fool."
"Why?" she asked. She had no idea what he had to feel foolish about.
"For what I said," he confessed, "It wasn't proper and-"
"I think I could have loved you," she interrupted, "You said that if you were a Stark it would be you, I would be marrying. I think that, even if you stayed a Snow, I would love you. You are kind, smart, honourable and just."
"My Lady I-"
"Hermione, I told you to call me Hermione," she cut in again, "If the situation was different, if I wasn't bound to be your brothers wife and if you hadn't joined the Nights Watch, I think we could have made each other very happy."
"Thank you," was all Jon could say.
"You have a Maester Aemon here, correct?" Hermione asked changing the subject. Jon was thankful of the change in conversation and smiled as he thought of the old blind man.
"My mother was a Targaryen bastard, to the Mad King in fact," she said quietly, "Do you think he would see me?"
"You're?"
"Yes, I am part Targaryen, kept secret for obvious reasons," she said. Jon thought nothing more about this woman would surprise him but then she had to go and confess that secret to him.
"You should be Queen," he said suddenly, "You would be a better ruler than Robert Baratheon and Jeoffrey when he becomes King."
"That's kind of you to say but I have no desire to be a queen," Hermione chuckled.
"He would see you," Jon answered her earlier question, "He believes he is the last of the dragons, I think he would love to meet you."
