Missandei grumbled as she squatted on the grass and rummaged around her backpack, taking out books and quills in her search. With a triumphant cry, she pulled out her blue and silver scarf from the depths of her bag even as she shoved everything back into it and stood up. Slinging one strap of her bag over her shoulder, she quickly wrapped the warm wool around her neck and sighed in relief as she snuggled into it. She loved Hogwarts, but she hated everything about Scotland, especially the weather. It was raining more often than not, and colder than she was used to in her home island.
But now that she was slightly more comfortable, she took a moment to look around the courtyard for her friends. She could see a group of what looked like first year Gryffindors near the castle columns with a small contingency of what appeared to be first year Slytherins sneaking up on them. She watched them a few more seconds and, sure enough, the Slytherins threw a couple of pellets at the Gryffindors that exploded on impact, creating what had to be, based on the sounds of gagging, a cloud of noxious fumes.
She laughed along with the Slytherins while beating a hasty retreat before the smell reached her. As she wandered down the courtyard, she smiled as Jon waved at her in greeting even as he nodded along to whatever Samwell was telling him. She made a mental note to go talk to the Hufflepuff later to ask him about their herbology essay due in a couple of days. She was pretty sure she’d gotten most of the answers right, but Professor Aemon could be very particular about his answers, and Sam was his prized pupil.
She strolled across the grounds another five minutes and was just about ready to give up when she caught a flash of copper from the corner of her eyes. She turned around and grimaced when she spotted Sansa standing by an oak tree with Joffrey and Viserys crowding around her.
She knew Sansa could take care of herself perfectly well, but sometimes she was a bit dim when it came to boys. Especially boys from old families that she thought her father would approve of for marriage. Especially a boy like Joffrey whose father was Ned Stark's childhood friend. Missandei watched apprehensively as Joffrey stepped forward and put a hand on Sansa's forearm, leaning forward to whisper something in her ear. She watched as her friend's pale skin flushed red and she tried to take a step back, but winced at the motion. Missandei couldn't see it, but she wouldn't put it past that psycho to be gripping Sansa's arm tight enough to bruise.
She was just about to step in when Joffrey's hand was violently yanked off Sansa as he suddenly flipped upside down with one leg straightened out and the rest of him flopping about in the air.
"Someone get me down!" the blond yelled as he flapped his arms around uselessly. "Who did this!? I order you to let me down! You'll be hearing from my father for this! Whoever it is, you'll be expelled!" he screeched, attracting the attention of anyone within hearing distance.
"I doubt my father will care about what your father has to say," a soft, lilting voice said.
Missandei turned around and watched as Daenerys made her way to them, wand raised as she kept Joffrey afloat. Viserys stepped forward toward his sister, a sneer cutting an ugly line across his face.
" Put him down," he ordered her.
"Or what, dear brother?" she asked him impassively, moving her wand back and forth and watching as Joffrey screeched as his body followed the swing of her wand. "You'll tell father? I doubt he'll care. You'll run to Robert Baratheon?"
"My father will expel you for this!" Joffrey screamed as his face got progressively redder as his blood rushed to it.
"Which father? The one who sired you or the one who raised you?" Joffrey spluttered at her audacity. "Besides, Baratheon is the head of house for Gryffindor, not Slytherin. And even if he had any sort of say in expelling me, my father is the headmaster. Of the two, who do you think has the greater power to expel me?"
With a wave of her wand, Joffrey dropped to the ground like a stone and scurried to stand back up. He took one step toward her before stopping abruptly as a colorful snake reared up from the grass, it's mouth open and fangs displayed threateningly as it spit and hissed at him.
Joffrey turned white at the sight and took several steps back as he put both Viserys and Sansa between him and the snake. "What… What's it saying?" he asked, voice trembling.
Daenerys shrugged. "Why don't you ask my brother? Oh, that's right. He doesn't speak parseltongue," she grinned wickedly as Viserys visibly briseled at the insult. "Leave," she ordered. When no one moved, she gestured with her hand and the snake slithered toward the boys, who immediately beat a hasty retreat.
Sansa watched them until they were no longer in sight before turning toward Daenerys and Missandei, a small smile pulling at her lips. “Thank you, Dany.”
Daenerys shrugged. “I’ve told you before not to let yourself get cornered.”
“It’s not like I let them corner me,” Sansa defended herself. “I was reading my potions text when they came out of nowhere. I’m not some dumb, naive girl.”
Daenerys hummed noncommittally. Sansa glared at her. Missandei chose that moment to step forward and stand between both girls, her back to Daenerys as she smiled appeasingly at Sansa. “Of course you’re not, Sansa. That’s not what Dany meant. And besides, we know you can take care of yourself. It’s just that Viserys is…”
“Much better and more ruthless than you at curses.”
“Yes, that,” Missandei agreed.
“I don’t need your help.”
“Awh, come on Sansa, don’t be like that,” a voice cajoled as arms draped over Sansa’s shoulder from behind.
The red-head staggered forward under the weight and let out a small, startled sound. “Margaery!” she huffed out, annoyed, and tried to buck her arms off. “Get off me.”
Margaery tightened her arms around Sansa’s neck and pressed one cheek against hers. “Nope!” she chirped as she leaned further into Sansa. “So what’s the big discussion?”
Sansa tried to glare at the brunette but all she could see was a curtain of hair falling over her own shoulders. She sighed. “Nothing.”
“Joffrey and Viserys,” Daenerys answered at the same time.
Margaery pulled herself off Sansa then and stepped around her so she could stand by her side. “Those two again?”
Daenerys shrugged as she knelt and extended a hand out. She waited until her snake had coiled itself around her arm before standing again. “Raeh scared them off.”
“I’ve got a vial of calvescere potion I can sneak into their pumpkin juice,” Margaery grinned maliciously. “Might be fun to see those two without a strand of hair.”
"I don't need defending," Sansa reiterated mulishly as she was clearly ignored by the two Slytherins. "I can throw a curse just as well as either of you. In fact, if I remember correctly from class, better than you," she said triumphantly as she poked Margaery in the shoulder.
The brunette grabbed hold of Sansa's finger and used the grip to intertwine their fingers. "It's really not my fault that Professor Baratheon is a brute when it comes to teaching spells. Plus, you have an unfair advantage since you’ve known him since way before school."
Sansa tightened her fingers around Margaery's for a moment before letting go. "You're just jealous."
The brunette frowned as she stared at Sansa's hand before she sighed. "Well, come on then, little miss perfect. Let's practice some curses."
Sansa smiled brightly and turned around, marching toward a clearing nearby conveniently devoid of students. Margaery watched her go and startled when Missandei sidled up to her and grinned at her.
"What?" she asked defensively as she fought off a flush.
"Nothing."
"Missandei," Margaery whined.
"You should tell her." Margaery scoffed. "I'm serious. I love that girl but trust me, she's a bit oblivious when it comes to these things."
"I don't think she’d be interested."
"I'm sure that's what Tormund thought about Jon Snow before Jon cornered him in the Gryffindor locker after practice and pounced on him," Daenerys said, a small grin gracing her lips.
Margaery huffed. "Fair." She was silent for a moment longer before she sighed. "I'll think about it."
"You should," Daenerys replied. "Now come on before the She-Wolf decides we're taking too long and stalks back over here to berate us."
"Like cubs," Margaery grinned. Daenerys didn't dignify that with an answer as she walked off to join Sansa.
Missandei laughed as she followed her friends.