Chapter 05:
Oh the doom! Jon and Robb thought at the same time in their minds when they saw the newly formed trio once again practicing archery in the low lights of late evening. It had been happening for a couple of days now.
The three ladies would smuggle out of the homestead right after dinner and practice archery. Well, the sort of archery you learned from a novice who was shorter and younger than them no less, that is. Their stance was terrible and the way they held their borrowed bows was bound to give them muscle ache every night. And their arrows always missed the target!
How did Jon and Robb know that? Because they saw them have a go at it right since the day they started it. Despite the long hours of practice, there wasn't any improvement and seeing their teacher, Jon was sure there wasn't going to be any either. Even from a distance Jon could see all of their mistakes in one passing look.
Don't get him wrong, he was proud of Arya as a student, but she was just that.. a student, yet to master the intricacies of weaponry herself. Why they had asked her instead of the many battle wrought soldiers at Winterfell, he'd never be able to guess.
Finally, Jon sighed, unable to watch the spectacle anymore. "I have to help them, or Gods help me, I'll be prying my own eyes out if I have to see them have another go at it the way they are."
Walking away from Robb, he moved towards the trio and cleared his throat to make his presence known.
"Finally decided to grace us with your presence, did you? Tired of playing the peeping Tom?" Ginny smirked at him and lifted her bow.
Jon would've commented at that, but Ginny brought her bow up and took aim at the target making him wince instead. "Don't do it that way. All you're learning are new ways of making your muscles sore. Let me help you with it, if you have to have a go at it, do it the right way, at the very least."
As if seeking permission from her one true master, Ginny's eyes landed on Arya. Feeling very important, Arya sagely nodded, "Well, he taught me too, and he has a lot of practice, so he is much better at it than me."
"Why, thank you, Arya," a small smile lifted Jon's lips as he saw the exchange between the two. "Now, off to bed you go. I'll take it up from here," he lightly pushed Arya towards the castle.
"Oh, alright," Arya grumbled but let out a yawn, relenting and making her way back to the castle.
"Whosoever told you to come for target practice in the dark?" Jon turned towards the two witches. "Come down before the first light and we'll start then."
With those crisp instructions, he was gone.
"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Ginny glared holes at his back.
"Leave it be Gin, no use in working yourself up," Hermione wisely offered her a comforting pat and they both put away their bows and arrows and found their way to their room for the night.
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"What took you two so long? I've been waiting here for long enough!" Jon growled his early morning greeting at the two witches when they met at the practice arena.
"I am sorry but 'before the first light' is not really a time and we couldn't set our wands for the proper hour to wake up in time," Hermione apologized immediately.
"And you just had to start wearing these gowns from today, didn't you? The whole time you two have been around, you've sported men's wear and now when you need to wear that for combat you turn up in dresses?"
"If you aren't serious about this, I'd rather not be wasting my time with you ladies. Unlike you, I happen to have many more important tasks to do," Jon bit back scathingly. He had left his warm furs for teaching them and they had had the audacity to keep him waiting for the good part of an hour. He was furious!
"What the fuck is wrong with you? She apologized, didn't she? And these stupid gowns were sent by your father, to not make us stand out like sore thumbs to prying eyes! We could hardly refuse, now could we?"
"Ginny.." Hermione held on her friend's shoulder but she just sidestepped her and continued on.
"You've been treating us such from the moment we met, even before we opened our mouth in greeting. Look, mister, I don't know what your problem is, honestly if it was just nerves about our magic I would have understood but you've been going at us since before you knew that! And truth be told, I've had enough! You either clean up your brooding act or I'll clean it up for you," Ginny warned Jon angrily, taking a step towards him.
"Are you challenging me?"
"Need me to spell it out for you?"
Jon looked at the redheaded witch glaring angrily at him, his eyes flashing his own annoyance at her. "Fortunately for you, I don't fight girls."
Ginny smirked wickedly. "Unfortunately for you, I have no such qualms."
Just when Hermione saw Ginny reaching her wand, she decided to intervene. "Alright, I think that's enough for one morning. Gin, don't kill the clueless sap."
"Pardon me, Lady Hermione, but did you just imply that between the two of us, she has the upper hand."
"Was it too subtle for you?" Ginny asked him, looking up mock innocently.
Jon's hand tightened around his sword head. Hermione saw his action and heaved an exasperated sigh. There was no stopping it now, they both needed to get their anger out or they would drive her insane!
"Yes, kind sir, I did. Not only can she kick your ass just fine, but she can also do it with much fewer rounds too," Hermione shrugged her shoulders.
Jon narrowed his gaze on the two. "You really think that highly of your witchcraft? Let me warn you then, that there's a reason burning your kind at the stake comes easily enough for men like me."
"You just dug your own grave, Stark," Ginny growled at Jon.
"Snow," he curtly corrected.
"What?" Ginny tilted her head in confusion.
"It's Snow, Jon Snow. I am a bastard not a Stark."
Hermione furrowed her brows, was that the reason he was always so touchy? Ginny continued to look on in confusion at him. "What's that got to do with anything? You want to fight me or not?"
Jon blinked at Ginny's casual dismissal of his last name and blood status, then shook himself out of his reverie. "Give me your best shot."
Ginny chuckled menacingly and Hermione sharply turned her way, warning shining clearly in her eyes and voice. "Don't you dare Gin. He is just a muggle, you better hold back."
Jon furrowed his brows at Hermione's words but stayed quiet when she started speaking again. "Jon, you get ten blows to injure Ginny, Gin, you get three spells to keep yourself safe and return the attack."
"That's not really fair, is it?" Robb asked, finally stepping out of the sides and contributing his penny to their debacle.
Hermione jumped at his voice. They had seen him with Jon when they had entered the arena of course, but he'd simply stood back and let his half-brother talk, only watching quietly from the side, so she'd forgotten all about him. Rookie mistake! Mad-eye would've had her hide had he been around, she grimaced.
"Trust me, Lord Stark, she won't even need those many," Hermione smirked, completely confident in Ginny's abilities. They had fought a war against a dark tyrant, after all.
Turning around to face the two opponents, Hermione spoke again, "Before we start, remember that just because I'm allowing it this once, it does not mean you can make it a habit. I will not tolerate such behavior from either of you henceforth, are we clear about that?"
"Fine, mom," Ginny answered with an eye roll.
Jon looked at the brunette and sighed, nodding in acquiescence as well.
"Jon, leave your sword and use the practice one," Robb instructed and Jon nodded. He only wanted to teach the witch a lesson, not kill her!
Hermione stood back, a little away from Robb and watched as her friend ground out Jon Snow's ego into ashes. When he came running at her, she simply flicked her wand and whispered, "Protego." He lost seven blows trying to get through to her but couldn't. She then willing brought her shield down and sent a quick rectumsempra his way. He fell to the floor laughing uncontrollably, rolling over the soft, cold mud. Then while he was trying in vain to stand up and control his laughing fit, she smiled at him cheekily and stupefied him. He fell back to the floor with a thump.
Robb's mouth flew open as Ginny walked up to the frozen body of Jon and looked down at him. "Take that tone with me again and I will Bat Boogie you next time." She threw her plait out of her face and walked back beside Hermione.
Robb somehow managed to find his tongue and turned to the witches. "You haven't killed him, have you?"
"No, just stupefied. But I hope that's enough for him to learn his lesson."
"Can you do all of that, too?" Robb asked Hermione and Ginny cackled.
"Oh, she can do so much more, she's not termed the brightest witch of the age for no reason," Ginny shrugged taking the wind out of Robb's sails. He was eyeing Hermione peculiarly when Ginny added, "That was nothing, it was just a game. We are lethal on the battlefield."
"You've been on battles?" Robb asked, mouth hanging open in so many minutes again.
"We've been at the centrefold of a war," Ginny replied, both witches avoiding his eyes, letting him know without words that they didn't want to speak any more about it.
"Shall we begin your archery training then?" Robb asked instead, looking doubtfully at Jon who still lay slumped on the floor but was twitching slightly.
"He'll be around in a minute," Hermione answered Robb's unasked question and picked up a bow and a quiver of arrows, walking a few paces towards her target. Ginny followed behind her doing the same.
Robb came up behind them, standing in between with his own bow and arrow quiver, demonstrating the stance that best suited their stature for taking a target. Then he walked over to Hermione, angling her arms and hands just right as she held her pose, while Jon's hex finally wore off and he joined the three, moving in behind Ginny, gingerly helping her do the same.
"On my word," Robb said softly, "Shoot!"
With a twingging sound, the arrows flew from their bows. They didn't quite meet the center mark but did land on the outer circles of the target. Robb offered them a small smile. "That's good for first timers, we'll get to the center soon enough."
The witches plucked another arrow off their quiver and took aim again, again both the young men stepped in beside them to help out.
"What's Bat Boogie hex?" Jon asked Ginny softly from behind, holding her hands at the correct angle for taking the shot once more.
"Annoy me again, and I'll show you," she whispered back and let the arrow fly.