Chapter 3

The narrow hall was filled with loud scuffing as Margaery, Shae and Sansa wearily dragged their feet along the cold, stone tiles to their dorm. Each of them wrapped up in their own thoughts, yet their exhaustion was mutual.

Was it possible for this day to have been any more tiring? Sansa contemplated dully. She was both emotionally and mentally drained. The way was poorly lit in a murky, green and gold glow. Sansa was concentrating on following Margaery who lead the way. Shae lagged behind slightly. She was, as always, consistently unladylike in her walk, and let out a small yelp as she stubbed her toe on an uneven stone.

"Shae. How many times do we need to tell you to lift your feet?" Margaery called dryly. Her lips lifting in mild amusement.
"As many time as we need to tell you to close your legs." Shae growled, just loud enough for Sansa to hear, her walk slowly turning into a limping shuffle. Sansa smirked, and bit her lip to keep a snigger from escaping.

Margaery ignored them, as she had reached the door to their dorm, she leant against the heavy oak door and nudged her hip against the dark wood, gently encouraging it to open. As the door swung wide, light flooded the dark hallway and Sansa and Shae recoiled silently, their eye's darting down to the floor as their sight adjusted.

As they walked in, Asha and Ros looked up from their beds, both were busy unpacking their suitcases, the area around their bedside littered with an obscure collection of possessions. "Oh, hello girls! How are you?" Ros exclaimed, a smile lighting up her face.

"Well, Thank you. Exhausted though. How are you?" Margaery answered for the three of them. Sansa was grateful; she didn't feel up to talking right now. All she wanted to do was collapse into a dreamless sleep. She trudged over to her bed, her trunk had already been placed at the foot of it. She bent down, whipping out her wand and unlocked her case.

"The same really. Absolutely shattered. You know, I've never understood how sitting in a train for most the day can take so much out of you," Ros answered cheerily. "Still, can't complain. Back at Hogwarts aren't I?"

Sansa, busy riffling through her own suitcase let out a triumphant huff as she pulled her nightshirt from the bottom of her case.

The other girls continued chatting amiably, however Sansa tuned them out to a mindless drone and focused on changing into her night clothes. She didn't bother going into a different room to change. She had known them all for 5 years, there was no sense in being coy. After a mere two months in first year, and several embarrassing incidents involving various people and states of undress, they had all decided there was no kind of privacy in their chambers in any way shape or form. An agreement akin to a pact was made between the 5 of them and they decided to drop any pretence of self-consciousness around each other.

Wriggling out of her robes she deftly stepped into her nightclothes, the cloth rustling loudly. It was cool and fresh and exactly what Sansa needed. She then turned her attention to her bed, impatiently yanking back the covers. With a delighted sigh, she fell down with fatigue induced recklessness. Limbs splayed out in a rumpled heap.

Burying into her pillow, Sansa closed her aching eyes, her mind clouded with slurring images and blurred thoughts. She fell asleep quickly, drifting off into a dark quiet place.

Several hours later, in the depths of her sub consciousness, a dark writhing bubble of anxiety and paranoia began to burn. Sansa's thoughts went back to her talk with her father. Something's coming. Something's coming. Something's coming. His words clawed at her mind. Too loud. His voice was too loud. The sound hurt. Her family disappearing in a bust of smoke. Something's coming. The repressed loneliness that came with being the only Stark in Slytherin rose to the surface, thick and sickly, like oil on water. Something's coming. The malicious thoughts hidden behind the sly smirks of her fellow house members. Knowing she would never truly be accepted. Something's coming. The fear in her father's ice grey eyes. Something's coming.

She woke gasping. Disorientated and flustered. Where was she? Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark dorm, defining shapes in the shadows. Everybody else was thankfully still asleep. Sansa raised a weak hand to the back of her neck, a feeble attempt to ease the dull pain she found there. She must have fallen asleep awkwardly.

Releasing a shaky breathe, Sansa looked around. Her heart was still racing, yet she guessed it was still the middle of the night. She sat in the echoing silence of the room, propped up by a weary arm. Her eye's fluttered shut again.

Something's coming…

Anxiety spiked and her eyes flew open again. She couldn't sleep. There was no way she'd realistically get any rest. Sighing, she dragged herself out of bed, collecting a new set of robes as she went. She then softly padded to the bathroom and had a quick shower. Her eye's drooping more than once. She changed and tiptoed back into her dorm.

She reached for her wand and slowly, without disturbing anyone, slipped through the thick oaken door, gently easing it shut.

Sansa paid little attention to where her feet carried her, her attention clinging onto her mind by its fingertips. Or was it the other way around? Her steps clattered along the hard stone floors. Her slender fingers trailing against the cold walls.

15 minutes had passed before she recognised where she was heading. Of course. The owls. She opened the small door that would take her outside to the steps of the rookery. Her face hit with a burst of cool air.

She took a deep breath, allowing the air to wash over her and clear her thoughts. The night was still dark, her way illuminated by the moon. She made her way forward dreamily, climbing up and up. She reached the small, weather worn door. With a flourish of her wand and a hushed "Alohohmora", Sansa unlocked it. It was stiff and stubborn to open.

Sansa's face screwed up as the smell and stale air engulfed her as she clambered inside. Above her the tower was filled with quiet Coo's and the rustling of feathers. Her eye's squinting in the darkness. "Lumos!" the tip of her wand blazed to life, earning a few startled calls from the owl's nearest.

She smiled, it had been so long since she was last here. During her younger years, Sansa had a very hard time fitting in, mostly due to the fact that she was a Stark. Starks didn't belong in Slytherin. She was brutally shunned by many of her fellow class members and even by people in other houses. They thought she had a dark secret and never deigned to give her a chance. So she observed the only form of communication she had easy access to. Every day, she would spend hours in the rookery, finding more enjoyable companions in the birds than in people.

After a time she began to watch people too. She became better at reading them, she could tell when they were lying, when their eyes were clogged with thick layers of boredom as their lips smiled encouragingly. There were so any aspects of conversing that people missed. They forgot about how important stance was or how much impact eye contact had. They missed out on so much. They didn't see the secrets hidden in plain sight.

She often thoughts of the birds as symbols of secrets. They would carry peoples most private thoughts and forbidden messages to and fro. They had carried thousands of secrets in their short life.

Sansa was especially fond of a small soot owl she had named Stone. Sansa clambered up the rickety wooden staircase till she reached her favourite spot by a small window. It was near Stone's perch and looked out over the loch and mountains.

Stone was dozing in her perch but wearily opened her eyes as she heard Sansa curl. Stone cooed happily and flew over to sit on her shoulder. She nuzzled softly into Sansa's cheek, preening her feathers proudly as she drew a small giggle from Sansa.

The two of them settled down in a peaceful silence, Stone was tucked comfortably into Sansa's neck. They stared out of the window into the darkness, the moonlight dancing on the still water and the stars flickering whimsically.

At some point during the night Sansa drifted off again, her dreams remained light and carefree.

Sansa stirred, her eyes darting about frantically beneath her lids. She awoke blinking, to a pale grey sky. It was almost dawn. Stone wriggled about, tickling Sansa's neck, sensing the change in Sansa.

Sansa sighed, the warmth of Stone was a pleasant contrast to the cold bench she rested upon. She rubbed her neck, she must have slept awkwardly on it again. Rising, she stretched, teasing out the tense knots and stiffness in her muscles.

Wait. It was almost dawn. Sansa uttered a curse under breathe and leapt into action. Many of the house elves were already up and busy by this time and before long the teachers would rise and come down to breakfast accompanied by some of the early rising students. There weren't any of them.

But this cut her chances of slipping back into the castle unnoticed drastically. She didn't quite think that her parents would take kindly to learning that she had started the year with a detention. She gently placed Stone down on a perch, turning to throw a handful of corn to her as a hesitant after thought.

Sansa then hastily made her way down the stairs, her feet catching slighting on the uneven wooden slats. She cleared the last two steps in one stride, then made her way to the door. Remembering the challenge it was to open, she flung herself into it, relying on her momentum for strength. What she was not expecting, was for someone to be on the other side of the door.

She crashed into them, knocking books and some letters everywhere. Together they went down like tree. The dark fabric of their robes whirled above their heads as the ground rushed up to meet them.

The unlucky stranger landed with a thud on the hard ground, Sansa landing not so delicately, on them. A strained "Ooof" left the lips of the man beneath her.

"Oh Gods, I'm so, so sorry." Sansa started moving to get off the man she had fallen on. Her eye's flickered up to his face. Oh gods. "Professor Baelish?" She whispered. Her eye's widened, locked once again with his.

At this distance she could make out the colour of his eyes, staring into an enchanting mix of dancing greens and harsh greys. He raised his eyebrows, his lips lifting into a smirk. "It's a pleasure to meet you Sansa" his voice was soft and husky, edged with a slight lilt giving the faintest idea of an accent. His eye's sobered and he raised a slender hand slowly to her face, as if trying to win over a frightened animal. Confused and unaware of his intentions, Sansa remained still. Her breath catching in her throat as his fingers delicately brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. His lips crooked again, amusement glinting in his eyes as he took in her flustered state.

As he raised himself up onto his elbow, Sansa realised she was sat astride him. Her face burning, she muttered more apologies and quickly scampered off him. Looking around at all the books on the ground she crouched to gather them with trembling hands. That was completely unexpected and definitely on the wrong side of propriety. He was her professor! She felt his gaze on her and paused, looking up to search his face, willing her flush to fade. "How do you know me?" She asked, attempting to stop her voice from quivering.

His mouth smiled sadly, yet his eye's remained still and impassive. Never ceasing their observation of her. "I'm an old friend of the family's." he supplied. Sansa frowned, her mother had never mentioned him. "The real question, is what are you doing up? Out of bed?" his question was put lightly, yet Sansa's eye's darted back to the ground, he was still her head of house.

"I.. uhm, I couldn't sleep." She explained feebly.

"Uhuh. So you'd thought you'd walk around the castle and go send a letter?"

"No. I mean yes. Well. Not like that. I mean..." Sansa trailed off. There was no real substance to any excuse she could offer. He would see right through it, so she stopped blabbering. What could she tell him? The truth?

"Sansa?" Professor Baelish inquired, softly prompting her to speak again. Sansa gathered up the rest of his books. He rose to stand as she did, taking his books off her. Noticing a stray letter fluttering in the wind, Sansa ducked down to get it.

"I… um I had a Night terror, a really intense one actually, in hindsight it was quite impressive. It took me by surprise. I just needed fresh air." She handed his letter back to him.

His eye's clouded with concern as he frowned. "I do apologise Sir, you can be sure it won't happen again. I promise." Sansa assured him.

Professor Baelish opened his mouth as if to say something else but thought better of it and closed it. "Okay. I think since it's the first day of term and you're Cats daughter, I can let this slide. Don't make a habit of it, and if there is a next time," Sansa opened her mouth to assure him once again but was cut off "-be more discreet. Well Sansa, I'm afraid I must insist that you allow me to escort you back to your common room." He smiled boyishly and offered her his arm, nimbly shuffling his books to the other side.

Sansa regarded his invitation warily, she was expecting a more sincere rebuke. He looked innocent enough she supposed, she nodded and pasted a smile on her face. Entwining their arms she let him lead them inside.

AN-

Hello again! this one definitely took it's time coming and I apologise. I don't really have a sufficient reason, what can I say? It was sunny in Scotland, we were all suffering from shock. Sorry about that. Anyways, what did you think? What can I improve on?

Also, has anyone got anything they'd really like to see happen? If you do, just comment or PM. I'll get back to you.
Thank you so much for reading this, I really appreciate it.