Hi!
Arya's magical adventure continues ….
NOTE: Changed the title of this story to 'Arya Stark and the Mystery of Aegon's Tomb' because it seemed better … okay maybe cooler :D
Chapter 2: Lessons
Arya ran through the corridors with her cloak hanging precariously off one shoulder. She had already missed breakfast and the headmaster's morning announcement, and she was almost late for her first lesson all because her new dorm mates had thought it funny to lock her in. She suspected the prank had been encouraged by an older Slytherin and she was pretty sure which one.
The first hex I learn is being fired in Joffrey's direction, Arya promised herself.
She had only escaped five minutes ago because Daenerys had come looking for her. Arya was fuming so hard she had run mindlessly into another person. She looked up to see her sister's annoyed face.
"What are you doing running around? This isn't home," Sansa reproached.
"Where are all your friends?" Arya shot back. She did not have time for Sansa this morning.
"I do like to walk alone sometimes," Sansa clicked her tongue, "Anyway it's a good thing you ran into me. Dad wants a family meeting at the Weirwood tree after classes have finished."
"Okay, I'll be there …. Where is that?"
"It's the massive tree on your way to the Forbidden Forest, you can't miss it Arya, it has a face."
"What? Hogwarts has one of those!" Arya exclaimed excitedly, forgetting all about being annoyed.
"Aren't you late for class?" Sansa asked, "Because I know I am."
"Um, I have potions," Arya said clearly lost.
"Turn around and go back the way you came. Instead of turning left to the Slytherin common room go right and you'll get to Professor Baelish's classroom."
Seeing Arya's blank look Sansa enunciated slowly, "He is the potions teacher and Assistant Head of Slytherin so hurry up and you might only be a few minutes late."
Arya took Sansa's advice literally and started to jog in the other direction. Sansa shook her head and continued on her way; it was going to be a long year.
Arya burst through the door and tried to stop her heavy breathing. There was only one seat left and Arya plopped down hurriedly, trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible.
"Ah, now that we are all here," Professor Baelish said pointedly at Arya, "we can begin. Take out your textbooks and turn to page 298. We are going to learn how to brew the boil-cure potion."
"Did you forget your textbook?" came a shy voice to Arya's left.
"Yeah and I don't think that is the only thing I forgot," Arya sighed while taking in the appearance of her partner for the class. She was a Ravenclaw with dark brown hair that covered half of her face but kind eyes shone through the dark wall.
"You can share mine," the girl said softly.
Arya sent her a grateful look.
"I'm Arya by the way."
"Shireen," the girl smiled back.
"Do you have any idea how to make this?" Arya pointed to the open page in the book.
"I have made it a few times already at home … I wanted to practise," Shireen said as way of explanation, "so it should be a piece of cake. The first step is to gather all the ingredients."
"Okay let's do that then," Arya said, glad she was making progress today. If she was lucky she just might actually make a friend today; God knows she wasn't having any luck inside her own house.
Half an hour later Shireen was explaining the difference between Flobberworm Mucus and stewed horned slugs while Arya was trying to maintain the pretence she was interested when the contents in their cauldron bubbled over and covered their desk in gloopy green slime. Shireen and Arya exchanged confused looks, they had followed the instructions precisely.
"Good job freak," a fellow Slytherin hurled at Shireen as she frantically tried to work out what went wrong.
Arya noted the comment had come from a slim blond boy who was going to take a mysterious fall down some flights of stairs later if he didn't watch his mouth.
"In all my other tries this only happened when I added beetle eyes by accident," Shireen then nervously surveyed the mostly sniggering classmates, "did someone accidentally put beetle eyes in our cauldron?"
"Like someone would care enough to do that," the blond boy sneered, "You just mucked up because you're a freak. And if the rumours are true you're probably cursed as well. Better get used to being a failure."
Arya could see the tears starting to form in Shireen's eyes and she glared furiously at the blond boy.
"What is your name?" She demanded as she charged towards the blond Slytherin boy.
"Lommy, and if you know what is good for you, you will stop hanging out with her and start hanging out with your own housemates-"
Lommy didn't get to finish that sentence as Arya had launched herself at him. She managed a few blows to his face before they were torn apart by an invisible force, leaving Arya suspended in midair.
After regaining her senses the first thing Arya saw was the point of Professor Baelish's wand before looking up into the amused half smile that occupied his face.
"You take after your Aunt don't you? Well, she spent a lot of time in detention and lost a lot of house points, but that's typical for a Gryffindor. However, I am afraid you won't get away with this type of behaviour in Slytherin. Professor Lannister is a bit more strict than Professor Baratheon."
Arya felt her feet touch the ground again as Professor Baelish approached.
"Twenty points from Slytherin Miss Stark; we are now in the negative thanks to you. And a lunchtime detention as well I think. Congratulations on a memorable first class," Professor Baelish said sarcastically, "and someone take Greenhands to the infirmary," he added dismissively not even looking at the boy still sprawled on the ground.
Arya returned to her seat as all the goo and slime on the desk vanished from Professor Baelish's clean up spell, and a meaty looking boy picked Lommy up off the floor and helped him out the classroom.
"Thank you."
Those two words were almost inaudible but Arya caught them.
"Your welcome," she breathed back, "he deserved every punch."
"He did," Shireen replied with a coldness Arya didn't think the gentle girl had in her.
Both turned slightly to each other and smiled. A bond and been formed and a friendship begun.
A few hours later … during lunchtime
"I think it's this way," Shireen said unsure.
Arya wandered after the Ravenclaw.
"Shireen you don't have to come to detention with me."
"I am the reason you are in detention and besides it's just extra study time to me," Shireen said pleasantly, "here I think I found the room."
Arya caught up and poked her head around her friend as Shireen stood in the doorframe.
The room was small with a dozen dusty old desks and a blackboard at the front.
"How long do I have to be here and if there is no teacher can we just leave?" Arya asked sulkily.
"I think it's one hour and I am sure the teacher will know if we leave," Shireen replied.
"He will indeed," said a cheerful voice behind them.
"Uncle Renly!" Shireen greeted joyfully as she instinctually hugged her uncle.
Arya watched as the pleasant looking young man scooped the girl up and twirled her around while hugging her.
"Hey little doe you know I love you but inside these walls I am going to have to be Professor Baratheon."
Shireen stepped back sheepishly, "Sorry Professor, but won't that make it really complicated?"
"There is only one other Professor Baratheon and I hope you won't confuse me with your Grandfather," Renly beamed down at the two girls.
"Yes um, Professor," Shireen mumbled as Renly brushed past the two with a wave of his wand that had the classroom setting itself up.
He snapped his fingers and turned around as his name appeared on the board.
"So you both know who I am and I know who my little niece is but who are you?"
"Arya Stark," she said entering the room with Shireen.
"Ah, Ned's youngest girl, nice to meet you. Now we wait for the third rascal to join us," Renly practically sang as he sat down in a conjured chair.
"Another person managed to get detention in the first class of the first day?" Shireen asked in disbelief, unpacking various books and pieces of parchment from her bag.
"Yes, and that person would be me," a blond girl muttered in annoyance from the doorway.
"What a treat, both my nieces in detention on their first official day at Hogwarts. My father is going to be so proud; hell, Robert is going to love this when he finds out too. Not sure if Stannis will feel the same but he doesn't need to know," Renly winked at Shireen.
"So, you're cousins?" Arya questioned looking between Shireen and Myrcella.
They didn't look alike at all. Shireen looked a little like Renly, but Myrcella didn't look like either of them.
Guess she must take after her mum, Arya thought as the blond girl stayed by the door.
"Hi Shireen," Myrcella waved as if they were long lost friends.
Shireen returned the gesture with a warm smile. They clearly got on.
"Robert Baratheon is my father and Stannis Baratheon is hers," Myrcella said turning to Arya, "and Renly teaches Herbology. Congratulations Uncle," she added sweetly.
"Thank you Myrcella but as I explained to Shireen, it is Professor Baratheon at school."
Myrcella nodded in understanding but the cheeky look on her face told everyone in the room she was still going to call him Uncle.
"Right, let's get to your detention task shall we?" Renly clapped as he stood up, "To the greenhouses, we have a lot of weeding and seeding to do."
"Yay," Arya feigned excitement as Renly ushered them out the room while Shireen hurriedly retuned the objects that were neatly spread out on the desk back into her bag.
As the three girls followed Renly through the corridors, Myrcella asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"So, what did you do to get detention on your first day?"
"Got into a fight," Arya said with pride.
"Shireen you got into a fight with her?" Myrcella asked incredulously, staring wide-eyed at Arya.
"No … a Slytherin was calling me names and ruined our potion and Arya um .. took exception to that and … well beat him up," Shireen said quietly, trying to keep the information out of Renly's earshot.
"Good," Myrcella said to everyone's shock, "Hogwarts has no time for bullies."
"Why are you in detention?" Arya asked.
"Same reason really, there was this Gryffindor boy picking on a Hufflepuff girl, levitating her textbook out of reach and the poor girl was crying so I …" She paused for effect, needlessly, as Arya was hanging on to her every word.
"…levitated a chair into his face," Myrcella finished with a wicked grin.
"It hasn't made me too popular in my own house and it was my own Uncle who gave me the detention, but I don't care," she added flippantly.
"Welcome to the club," Arya replied with a grin of her own before she processed all of Myrcella's words, "Wait, your Uncle? Renly gave you detention?"
"No, Uncle Tyrion did. He's the Charms Professor and assistant head of Ravenclaw," Myrcella said with a hint of betrayal marring her face, "which is hypocritical of him since I know for a fact he got into way more trouble when he was a student."
Arya blew out some air from her cheeks, "Are you two related to all the teachers here?"
"No," Shireen said, "just most of them."
"I know there is a Professor Stark somewhere so you're not really one to talk," Myrcella said flickering her eyes to meet Arya's before turning a teasing smile towards Shireen, "Cousin did you just crack a joke?"
"Yes, well I feel safe to do so as I think I might be walking with the two most badass girls in first year," Shireen joked.
"We are the three most badass girls in first year," Myrcella smirked, "I haven't forgotten how you turned Joffrey's favourite cloak into a goat that chased him all over the house until Grandad had enough and changed it back. I think he even blamed Joffrey for the whole thing because he should have known how to turn the goat back. I expect something as equally entertaining this Christmas."
"You can already do transfiguration of objects into animals? That's like third year stuff," Arya exclaimed, impressed.
"Well I had a lot of spare time on my own growing up so I read a lot and practiced … on family," Shireen confessed.
"I wished I had spare time when I was at home," Arya said recalling the hectic family life she shared with her siblings at Winterfell.
"Here we are," Renly announced in front of them as he stood at the Greenhouses entrance with an inviting smile.
"Great," Arya murmured, gardening was definitely not her thing.
"Come on it could be fun!" Shireen said with vigour.
"It could," Myrcella managed to say in such a way that it sounded like there was no possibility of it being fun.
Author's Notes:
Arya has made two friends on her first day, there will be no golden trio but a badass Quartet, guesses for who the fourth member will be?
I hope I gave enough hints here that although Shireen is a bit timid, she is in no way the weak link with Myrcella and Arya preferring the more action-packed routes to magic and problem solving.
More teachers and family relations will be revealed next chapter :)
For those Arya & Tywin fans their bits are coming just working my way to them.
Reviews:
Supremus85 – I PMed you but just so everyone else knows, only Tyrion from this guess was right so everyone feel free to keep guessing :P Supremus85 I am relying on you to keep the knowledge safe XD
Ksyushangel – Thanks angel, Lots and lots of trouble and fun! And lol she will cause him a lot of stress; I think it will take a few more chapters for their relationship and interactions to really start getting going as the Harry Potter world requires a bit of world building before, I can start playing around with those too a lot.
Guest – I am me and I decree Arya is a Slytherin in this story :D (Sure she has qualities that fit Gryffindor but so did Harry with Slytherin)
Eliza – Hey! Thanks .. really? Thanks! My pleasure :)
Dannazj – Stay back Slytherin do not come near me with your charm and slyness! LOL I am, probably rather predictably, a Ravenclaw. I think she fits the house, not sure if she will get along with the younger people in the house currently ;) I went with Slytherin for Dany as to me it didn't feel right to put her in another house. This will be a long story but my focus is quite scattered over half a dozen stories right now so there is no schedule. Sorry about that. The Tywin & Arya interaction is coming!
Next Up: Still Arya's first official day, she has her first flying lesson, her first family meeting, and her second detention :P
Please consider favouriting, following and reviewing. Although not necessary for my motivation to finish the story it is fun to hear what you guys think so please let me know XD
