Well, that didn't go as planned
Corwyn was the first to greet her. He was the only Hufflepuff she felt she was on friendly terms with, the rest of them rarely speaking to Rhaena because of her intimidating family. She’d learned in her first year to stay away from the head of Hufflepuff Gerold Royce who always spoke harshly to her. Rhaena heard from her cousins that her father had bullied the man when they were growing up. So that explained that.
Like the previous years, she didn’t want to be separated from Baela, Daeron, and Jace but the Hogwarts headmaster nervously told her that she wouldn’t be allowed to sleep in the dorms of a different house.
“Welcome back!” Corwyn was always sweet, Rhaena thought at least someone was happy to see her.
He never minded her being quiet when they worked on projects, so she felt comfortable with him. They walked to the dining hall after dropping off their belongings as Corwyn excitedly told her how he wanted to see which house the newcomers got sorted into.
I’m excited for something entirely different, Rhaena thought as she finally entered the hall eyes immediately searching for her sister.
They had just finished up laughing at Jace goofing off on his broom when it was time to sit down. Rhaena had purposely kept her eyes on Jace’s antics while they were waiting, too scared to look around for Aemond. All her eagerness had been replaced with anxiety when she realized she wouldn’t know what to say to him.
The headmaster gives his annual speech, and she decides not to look for Aemond and instead stare straight ahead.
Maybe he’s not even here.
Her mind filled with different scenarios of him choosing to stay at Ilvermorny. Or maybe he had decided to attend a different school at the last minute? She didn’t want to think about it and tried to occupy herself with eating while listening to Corwyn telling her about his summer.
Her preoccupation was short lived when Jace spoke.
“Oh.... Aemond......”, Jace hesitated to get his words out.
Baela turned her head to see what Jace was looking at and immediately made her famously shocked face. Rhaena was scared to turn.
Why are they looking at him like that? She didn’t want to know.
If he was really behind her, she suddenly hoped he would leave and come back later. She would prefer to meet him another time, when she could muster up more courage. Rhaena recognized his chilling chuckle, sounding deeper than usual and was stilled when she finally twisted her head to greet him. The cute face she had grown used to, the smooth skin that was usually unblemished held a long deep scar across his cheek and he wore an eyepatch.
He stood a foot taller than he had been when he left, towering over them with broader shoulders. His hair had been grown past his shoulders and down the middle of his back. He quickly glanced her over before looking at her siblings with a self-satisfied grin and curled up lips.
“Nephew, glad to see you've been keeping up the family’s reputation while I was away”. His voice almost made her jump at how brash and different it was.
Baela spoke first since Jace was clearly at a loss for words. “What happened to you?” Baela, never one for beating around the bush said what everyone at the table was thinking while they all stared at him.
Daeron seemed to be the only one unfazed, he continued eating obviously already aware of his brother’s new look.
“How I’ve missed that boldness of yours Baela.” Not sure if Aemond was being sarcastic or not, Baela simply squinted her eyes in response.
“Well cousin, if you must know with your curiosity it’s just a little scratch from a tussle I had.” Aemond kept up his assertive tone and arrogant expression while he gave his answer.
“A little scratch?” Jace didn’t know what to say at his uncle’s casual response.
“Is....is your eye...”
With a deep exhale, Aemond looked around the hall seeming bored playing questions and answers with them. His chest was puffed out and he seemed cocky, but Rhaena could tell he was bothered by the gawking at his eye.
She had planned on remaining unnoticed and silent, letting his attention go to everyone else. Surprising even herself, she spoke up even though her quiet voice fought her to come out.
“Aemond, I haven’t seen you in a long time.” She cringed at her own words, quickly realizing she should have said we instead of I.
He seemed to hesitate to look back towards her, finally glancing at her with a blank stare. She tried to mask her immediate regret for not staying quiet and she felt self-conscious for not knowing what to say next. His unharmed eye seemed to be looking over her different appearance. The bow tied pigtails he used to flick had been replaced with locs in a high ponytail and a pink scrunchie. When she used to run around in dresses and tutus, her wardrobe was now replaced by her uniformed button shirt and plaid yellow skirt.
Rhaena tried to save herself from awkwardness by giving him a reassuring half smile she hoped he would take as a welcome back.
What she had been expecting and how he actually reacted was something she could have never prepared herself for.
He dropped his voice deeper sounding uninterested and monotone, "I heard from my grandfather that you're in neither Gryffindor nor Slytherin. Apparently, you only recently received your wand.”
She knew from his tone he wasn’t asking for confirmation but instead stating his disapproval at her failures. Some of the students standing behind him made amused faces. She knew they had to have been Slytherin, given the colors they wore.
What little of Rheana's voice that remained completely left her.
Does he not care that I have a wand now?
Rhaena didn’t know how to respond, instead lowering her eyes thinking of how she could explain herself.
Luckily for her, Jace intervened when Baela rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s not a big deal. Bloody hell should we bring up your past of magical deficiencies?”
Aemond broke the stern look he was giving Rhaena to look back towards Jace. Instead of looking at the boy’s face he lingered on his hair, reaching out to pat his nephew on the head and tussle his curls. The two had never been close, but they never fought growing up. Not the way Jace did with Aegon at least. Aemond gave a quick chuckle before turning to leave.
“Nephew, if you ever want to speak about my past we can do so on the field. Now that I’m back, the Gryffindor winning streak for house points has come to an end.”
Daeron, always one to lighten the mood spoke before an annoyed Jace could. “Oh! Brother is that a challenge?”
“Funny of you to assume we could possibly lose at anything” Baela chimed in snickering alongside Jace and Daeron.
Rhaena listened as her family fell into their usual competitive spirit, their friends eventually wandering off one by one. The Targaryens had been teasing each other for 10 minutes, even continuing as the students exited the hall together. Aemond never looked to Rhaena again, his back to her skulking behind them while he went on teasing about inadequacies of every house that’s not Slytherin.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah everything you say is complete bollocks.” Baela ended their family taunting session once the group reached the Gryffindor commons. Rhaena hugged Baela and Jace, saying her good nights to them and Daeron and they whispered the password and went inside.
Maybe I should try again?
She wanted another attempt to show Aemond the new and improved Rhaena since they were left alone in the empty hall to walk to their commons. He kept his eyes straight as they walked in silence. Rheana’s short legs moved fast to keep up with his purposeful stride and she was almost out of breath when she finally spoke. She cleared her throat hoping he could hear her over the bickering ghost behind them.
“So much happened while you were gone.” She decided not to bring up his eye again.
“Hmm.” He kept up his stroll as they continued walking in silence.
“How was Ilvermorny? I mean, guess what? I got the last wand with unicorn hair for the next 5 years-”
Aemond abruptly stopped his pace and turned to Rhaena, his large figure looming over her. He stared above her, looking at the candles on the ceiling seemingly thinking about what he wanted to say.
“Kid listen, I’m not a child anymore. I’m one of the greatest wizards and I'll go down as one of the most powerful.”
Rhaena stared at him blankly, confused why he was telling her this.
With an annoyed expression Aemond continued, undeterred by her puppy dog eyes. “I don’t have time for whatever juvenile tells you want to have and I’m not going to hang out with a silly schoolgirl that can barely understand Valyrian. I have a prestigious status to uphold. I’m well known for mastering every subject and you-”
He paused to and looked her up and down with distaste on his face. “I’m not going to let you pull me back down there. You couldn’t even make it into the right house, your just useless and a disgrace to the Targaryen legacy.”
Aemond barely got out his last word when he promptly turned, hair flinging, and he left Rhaena without awaiting her response.
“Aemond?” She tried to call out to him, but he kept walking, not wanting to hear her defend herself.
She stood in the same spot for what felt like eternity. Only after the 3rd sleepless ghost had come to her asking what’s wrong, she realized her face was wet and she had been crying. She slowly returned to her room, laying down in bed and silently wept into her pillow to not wake her roommate.
Rhaena didn’t understand. She had her wand and she made it to Hogwarts. She thought she’d did everything to earn back her childhood companion and she didn’t think he would care about her being in Hufflepuff. As she laid in bed unable to sleep, her sorrow turned to irritation.
Who does he think he is? How can he treat me like this? I didn’t do anything to deserve this.
She no longer wanted to understand him. She used to want to see herself in him, hoping she could turn her situation around just like him. Now, Rhaena felt angry at herself for having her infantile infatuation with Aemond. Aemond Targaryen, the cousin who abruptly came back with one eye and a new personality.
He doesn’t deserve to be idolized like that.
With her frustration, Rhaena felt like she had a new awakening. She wouldn’t feel sad, and she wouldn’t let her Hogwarts experience be haunted by him. Before falling asleep, she took a deep breath feeling the ‘old’ her leaving her body. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face, feeling the tears on her cheek drying.