AN: I do not own either HP or GoT. They belong, unfortunately, to their respective owners.

Ned flinched as Lyanna's eyes closed for the last time, her breathing slowing until it stopped. His sister dead. The cry of her babe drew his attention to the wetnurse who held him, the pity in her eyes making him wince. He reached out his arms towards Lyanna's son and the woman handed him over, before stepping away.

Ned peered down into the boy's eyes, looking him over and seeing the Stark grey eyes and the tufts of dark hair, and not seeing an ounce of his father in them. Though… he supposed the boy did have a bit of his father's cheekbones but time would tell. His heart skipped a beat at the look in the boy's eyes, seeing the curious look in them.

Promise me, Ned. Promise me.

His name is Aemon Targaryen.

Ned sighed, holding the babe in his arms as he pondered Lyanna's last words. "We can't have you named Aemon if you're to live. Robert would kill you if he knew the truth of your parents and I do not intend to let that happen."

"I suppose Jon will have to do. Jon Snow."

"Snow?"

The new voice startled Ned so bad he stumbled away from the bed, holding Jon in one arm and reaching for his sword with the other. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the young man and the… creature in the opposite corner of the tower, his heart racing so much that he thought it would run right out of his chest and through his ribs.

"Where am I?"

The creature drew Ned's attention more, seeing the eagle head, the horse body and the… wings. Its forelegs were that of an eagle, ending in clawed limbs, and the hind legs were that of a horse's, hooved and completely unfamiliar. The man stood right next to the creature's head, stroking its muzzle lightly, as if reassuring the creature.

"Who…" Ned trailed off as the creature hissed at something and the man rolled his eyes at it. "Who are you and how did you come here?"

The man finally took a step towards Ned, his green eyes wide. Ned kept his hand on his blade, hearing Howland knock on the door to the room. Jon let out a quiet cry again at the movement, poking his small arm up and frowning.

"Ned, are you alright? Is Lyanna..."

There was a brief silence on the other side of the door and then Howland pushed the door open, his eyes widening at the sight and his hand going to the dagger at his waist.

"Who…"

"I'm Harry and this is Buckbeak. I'm not here to hurt anyone."

Ned stared at the strange man with the strange accent that sounded almost like noble from House Targaryen. "How did you come here?"

The man… Harry… looked to be of an age with Ned, perhaps twenty years old, with smooth looking skin and narrowed green eyes that were almost Lannister in color. Harry's dark hair though… he could almost be half Lannister and half… Baratheon. But no. He wasn't at all familiar to Ned, not with that scar on his forehead. The scar reminded him of the northern summer storms, when lightning came down to strike trees.

The man was also wearing peculiar clothes, a short tunic that only covered his torso and chest and had only very short sleeves. The leggings he was wearing were also strange and Ned didn't recognize the material at all. The man had a bag slung across his shoulders, one that didn't look very heavy, and was also not familiar.

"I don't even know," Harry offered, throwing up his hands and then dropping them to his sides. "Where am I?"

"We're in Dorne," Ned replied, keeping his hand on the blade at his hip. "And what is… that creature? You say his name is… Buckbeak?"

Harry's lips twitched up at his question, as he looked between Ned and Howland, his eyes going soft a little as he peered behind them to where Lyanna's body lay. "Buckbeak's a hippogriff, part eagle, part horse. Dorne… I've never heard of it."

Howland blinked as he exchanged glances with Ned. "Dorne is in the southern region of Westeros."

Harry continued to stare at them, slowly shaking his head. "I still don't know where that is or who you two are."

The… hippogriff let out a quiet rumble in its throat and Ned raised an eyebrow as it started to walk around the small room in the tower, its wings moving against its body.

"He is Lord Eddard Stark," Howland remarked, gesturing to Ned. "I'm just Howland Reed, one of his bannermen."

"Lord Stark?" Harry repeated, turning to look at Ned closely. "This world has lords. Does this mean there are kings and queens here too?"

"Aye. Robert Baratheon is about to have his coronation in a month," Ned said, finally withdrawing his hand from his weapon and cradling Jon with both arms. Jon was looking up at him with wide eyes as he started to cry, moving around in his arms and reaching out for something, for someone. Ned's heart did a flip in his chest at the thought of him reaching for his mother only for her to be out of reach.

He turned around, trusting Howland to watch his back if the situation called for it, and looked around at the waiting women. "My boy needs a wet nurse. Is there one of you who might accompany me back to Winterfell and care for him?"

"I will, m'lord. I'm called Alara." The woman in the corner stepped forward, brushing her hair back and holding out her arms for Jon. Ned caught her eyes, searching for something and found it before handing Jon over.

"I don't know how I got here or why I'm here or anything," Harry said, shrugging and crossing his arms. "And somehow I'm here with Buckbeak too."

Buckbeak turned his head around to look at Harry, who glared at the creature. "This is all your fault."

Buckbeak continued to look at Harry before walking over and sidling up to Howland, who stiffened.

Harry sighed and gestured. "Beaky, come here before you freak them out more. I didn't mean it."

Ned and Howland both watched as the animal trotted back to Harry's side, the sound of hooves hitting the stone floor filling the room. Harry ran his hand through the creature's feathers and stuck his head into them, muttering words under his breath. They could both see that one part of the animal's body was covered in feathers while the hind was covered in horse fur.

"Ned, is Jon really…" Howland trailed off, with a pointed glance at Lyanna's body. "Did I hear right? He's Rhaegar's son?"

"Aye. He is. I don't… Lyanna made me promise to protect him," Ned whispered dully, watching as Harry withdrew from the creature and stared at them. "Robert wouldn't hurt a son of Lyanna's, would he?"

Howland's eyes narrowed. "He didn't say a word when he saw the bodies of Princess Rhaenys and Prince Aegon or even Princess Elia's body."

Ned grimaced, crossing his arms in defeat. He had lost his brother, his father and his sister in this war and gained a wife and a nephew from it. He wondered how Lady Catelyn was, still at Riverrun, and sighed. "Lyanna was meant for Robert though. He wouldn't harm a child of her body."

"Wait. Wait a minute. Who are the people you're talking about?" Harry questioned, looking between them, his green eyes narrowed.

Ned stared at Harry, meeting the man's eyes. His heart beat faster at Harry's look, seeing the intent, curious look in them, and looked at Howland. Howland shrugged.

"It might help if we had another person in on the secret," Howland offered quietly. "He hasn't made any move to attack us."

"Yet."

"If you're worried about me spilling a secret," Harry started, catching Ned's eyes. "Don't. Or at least I've had my share of secrets, been told a fair few. I'm not about to go spilling them now."

Ned stared at Harry in silence for a few minutes, pondering Howland's words. "My sister Lyanna laid with Prince Rhaegar Targaryen nine months ago."

Harry raised an eyebrow, taking a step closer towards him. Buckbeak remained where he was, turning his head to look out the open window. "You said the soon to be king was a man named Robert Baratheon. This Rhaegar Targaryen… Is he a prince from somewhere else?"

"King Robert took the throne after he killed Rhaegar," Howland explained. "The whole country thought that Rhaegar stole Lyanna Stark after the tourney in Harrenhal. Brandon Stark and Rickard Stark and some other men went to King's Landing, the capital of Westeros, and demanded to see Prince Rhaegar."

"The king before Robert was King Aerys Targaryen, the Second," Ned explained further, seeing Harry digest that information. "House Targaryen ruled for 283 years and it was brought down by the actions of two men. Rhaegar and Aerys."

"Alright… So… Your… sister," Harry started, glancing over to where Lyanna's body still lay. "By your own words, Lyanna was not… 'stolen'."

"She said she loved him," Ned murmured, closing his eyes and seeing her bright eyes as she rode through the courtyard at Winterfell. "They wed here in Dorne."

"What happened to… was it Rhaenys and Aegon? Were they…"

"They were Prince Rhaegar and Princess Elia's children," Howland answered, grimacing at the memory of riding into the Red Keep and seeing their bodies. "They were slaughtered by Lannister forces at the end of the war two moons ago. King Robert never said a word about punishing Lord Tywin or the Mountain. He even called them dragonspawn and said they were better off dead."

Harry's skin lost its color at Howland's words. Ned watched him reach out a hand to grasp some of Buckbeak's fur. The animal didn't even move, just moved a little closer towards Harry. "I presume… they were young then."

"Princess Rhaenys was three and Aegon was one."

Harry stared at Howland and Ned, blinking in dismay. "Howland's right. You need to keep that boy's true parents a secret. I cannot stomach seeing children get hurt, not after what I've been through and seen."

"I am friends with Robert though," Ned tried faintly, his heart not really in the words anymore. "I can…"

"Some friend," Harry muttered. "From what Howland looks like right now, you both saw the bodies of the Targaryen children and it wasn't pleasant to look at. If you want that to happen to your… nephew, sure. Go ahead and tell Robert."

Ned sighed again, heaving out a deep breath and dipped his head in a nod. "You both have the right of it then. Jon will not know who his true parents are."

"The Lady Catelyn will not like this," Howland remarked, gesturing to where Jon was drinking from the wetnurse.

"She might not but my nephew is staying with me," Ned stated, looking at Lyanna's body. "I want to bury the bodies of Aerys' kingsguard."

"Kingsguard?" Harry echoed, raising an eyebrow in question.

"The best knights of the realm who are chosen to guard the king," Howland explained. "Rhaegar had left Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Gerold Hightower and Ser Oswell Whent to guard Lyanna."

"I can tend to that," Harry offered quietly, with a glance to Buckbeak. "Hippogriffs aren't common in Westeros, are they?"

"The tower should be torn down," Ned added, looking around at the stone tower. "It was not a place of joy, like Rhaegar named it."

"No, they are not. Where are you from?" Howland asked, his eyes narrowing. "You sound like they are common where you are from."

"So are dragons, house elves, mermaids and werewolves. I'm from England."

Ned's eyes widened at Harry's words and he turned to exchange a bewildered look with Howland. "Dragons?"

"Yeah."

"Dragons have been extinct in Westeros for hundreds of years," Ned remarked, sighing and glancing down to where Jon was. "Though… House Targaryen's sigil is a three-headed dragon. They thought themselves dragons in human skin. Dragonlords, they called themselves."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What's House Stark's sigil?"

"A grey direwolf racing on an ice white field," Ned said. "Very well. I welcome your aid, Harry. Is it ser Harry or…"

"Ser?"

"Knights are called Ser… The knights of the kingsguard were Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent and Ser Gerold Hightower," Howland answered. "You do not have knights where you are from?"

"No. Alright. Let me go and bury them. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

Ned watched as Harry called over to Buckbeak, the strange creature turning towards the man and trotting over to follow, as Harry walked outside.

"I'll deal with Lyanna's body," Howland murmured, clapping him on his shoulder. "Tend to your nephew."

Ned let out a deep sigh, his knees trembling as he glanced over to his sister's body. "I've lost my sister, my brother and my father to the south. It's just me and Ben now. Howland…"

"Be glad you aren't sitting that throne now then," Howland said, his grey eyes narrowing in thought before he turned and began to wrap up Lyanna.

Ned flinched and headed out, stopping at the top of the stairs to look out over the Dornish foothills. Lyanna had spent her last nine months here, most of them alone and Ned let out a choked sob.

He didn't remember walking down the stairs but as his eyes clouded over with tears, he heard booted footsteps. Harry peered at him, his green eyes soft with concern.

"Do people still hug one another here?" Harry questioned, his arms at his sides as he hesitantly reached out.

Ned snorted, wiping his eyes of tears, his cheeks reddening a little. "I'm wed to a lady."

Harry blinked, looked him up and down, his lips twitching into a small grin. "It's just a hug."

The two women that had been tending to his sister passed them by, with one of them holding Jon. Howland came behind them, holding the body of Lyanna in his arms, heading over to his horse.

Ned's eyes filled with more tears and Harry must have seen something on his face for he closed the distance between them. Arms came around him and he stiffened, his heart skipping a beat at the touch.

"I get you're all… stiff and cold and… all that. It's just a hug," Harry whispered.

Ned stayed frozen for all of a minute and then let out a deep sigh and leaned into Harry.

Harry tightened his arms around Lord Eddard Stark as the man deflated, laying his head against his shoulders. Lord Stark looked to be only twenty years old, a year younger than Harry, and he already had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He could see Buckbeak exploring the land around the tower, munching on a few small leaves and spitting them back out immediately. Harry grinned, rolled his eyes and focused on the man in his arms.

Eddard wasn't making a sound but Harry could tell from the wetness on shirt that he was crying. He kept his arms loose around the man, taking in Eddard's dark hair and then slowly but surely his breathing evened out and he took a step back.

"Let me go deal with the bodies," Harry said, withdrawing and heading over to the bodies of the three men. Harry stopped before the bodies of the knights, looked around for a suitable burial ground and found it in an empty plot of land north of the tower. He glanced up at the tower itself, cast a spell to check if there were any people left in it, and then spoke the incantation of the spell he wanted.

The tower rumbled and the stones fell one by one to the ground, each lowered by magic. Horses whinnied behind him and he could hear Howland and Ned yell out in surprise. Dust fell over them and Harry moved just a step back, watching as each stone landed on the ground in an orderly fashion, creating eight stone graves before him.

"Gods, what did you do?" Eddard questioned, his grey eyes wide as he stared at Harry in disbelief.

"I tore down the tower," Harry answered, shrugging and turning to face the two men behind him.

"Aye, you did that. How did you do it?" Eddard asked, crossing his arms.

Harry blinked, looked between the two men and then he sighed, grinning a little. "I forgot to mention the magic thing, didn't I? I'm sorry. I'm a wizard."

Eddard looked at him, continued to stare at him in disbelief for quite a few minutes. Howland looked the same, with his wide grey eyes and small stature. He wondered what castle Howland was a lord of. It had to be near where Eddard's castle was, if Harry understood the men's relationship correctly. Eddard was probably Howland's… lord or something.

Eddard stared at him for another minute before shaking his head and heading for one of the bodies. Harry watched as he lifted the dead man's sword and hefted it, his eyes widening. The sword was almost as tall as Eddard was.

"That… is a big piece of metal," Harry muttered. "Shiny too."

"It's Dawn," Howland explained. "The Sword of the Morning wields it. Ser Arthur was one of the greatest knights of this era."

"You are welcome to come back to Winterfell with me, Harry," Eddard offered, as he mounted his horse, reaching over to grab Jon from Alara's arms. "I am heading to Starfall to return Dawn now but I intend on heading home afterwards."

Harry whistled over to Buckbeak and watched as he loped over towards them, stopping in front of Harry. "I… If you don't mind, Lord Stark. I would enjoy that."

Eddard looked down at him, his grey eyes narrowed in thought. "Ned. My friends call me Ned."

Harry jumped up onto Buckbeak's back, loosely gripped some of his fur in his hands. Buckbeak snorted, moving his wings against his sides and then stretched them out, eager to get into the air. "Am I a friend then?"

"Aye, you are."

Harry grinned and patted Buckbeak's feathers. He was glad that he had come with Buckbeak. If he couldn't find any way to get home and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to go home, he was glad Buckbeak was with him. He would have liked having Hedwig here with him too but Buckbeak had been a friend to him from the start.

It was two months before Ned saw home again, riding in front of the small group of men and women behind him, and beneath the creature in the sky. Jon was in Harry's arms again, having been fed by Alara in the wagon that Lord Dayne had given him at Starfall. Ned had been a little hesitant about letting Harry have him when he was flying with Buckbeak but the man had promised that no harm would come to Jon. Jon had took to it easily enough, from what Harry had said. His sister's child already knew what flying was like and Ned wondered if Jon's ease at flying came from his father's line. Or if it was just Jon.

He had left Howland at Greywater Watch a week ago, knowing he had the man's friendship for life. Ned had deeply appreciated having Howland with him for the last year, whether it was fighting or dealing with the kingsguard knights or with Lyanna's body…

He sighed and turned to look at the wagon behind him, seeing the wrapped up body of his sister. His heart ached at the thought of Jon never knowing his mother as they rode through the north. His sister had been so willful and full of life before their father had told her about the betrothal to Robert.

Buckbeak let out a loud cry and drew Ned out of his thoughts as they rode up the final hill before Winterfell. His heart pounded within his chest at the sight of his home, the home where he had grown up with Brandon, Lyanna and Benjen. It was now his castle. He was now Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North to King Robert Baratheon and Brandon and Lyanna were dead.

He saw Buckbeak landing out of the corner of his eye, seeing Harry's eyes widen at the sight of the keep. Harry hadn't used any saddle or bridle with the creature as Ned had noticed, only using his voice to direct him. It hadn't been hard finding food for Buckbeak over the past month, as the creature ate small bugs and bats. Ned had been grateful that the animal didn't eat anything bigger than that.

"That's Winterfell? It's… beautiful," Harry whispered, a wistful quiet to his voice. "Reminds of my home though in better times."

"It's been home to House Stark for thousands of years," Ned remarked, seeing the Lady Catelyn and Ser Rodrik and a group of the castle guard standing in front of it. "It's your home too, if you would like."

Harry turned to look at him and then nodded. "I'd appreciate that."

As they rode in, Ned could see that Lady Catelyn was holding a babe in her arms, a frown on her lips as she saw him. Harry gave him an unreadable glance and moved back, urging Buckbeak behind Ned.

Rodrik grinned up at him as he pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted.

"It is good to see you," Rodrik questioned, seemingly looking Ned over.

"I'm glad to be home," Ned offered quietly, seeing Rodrik's eyes narrow and the grin disappear as he saw Jon.

He stepped over to stand in front of Lady Catelyn and stared at her, dipping his head in a stiff nod. "My lady."

"My lord. You have an heir," Lady Catelyn Stark offered, her blue eyes narrowed as she handed over the babe in her arms.

Ned held out his hands for the babe, looking him over. His heart skipped a beat at the child, seeing the tufts of red hair on his head and his bright blue eyes. "What is his name?"

"Robb, my lord."

"He's beautiful," Ned whispered, stroking his son's chin and seeing him smile. "Thank you, my lady."

Lady Catelyn's shoulders loosened and her eyes lightened a little. "Who is the babe you have with you?"

"Jon Snow, my bastard. He's going to live with us," Ned stated, gesturing to Harry. "And Harry Potter. He aided me in the south. How has Winterfell fared in my absence?"

Lady Catelyn's face went pale at the words and she grimaced but did not comment. "I have kept it only for a month, my lord. Your brother is inside."

"Ben. It has been a long journey, my lady. I would like to settle back in," Ned said. "It is good to be home."