The Forbidden Forest
Jon's eyesring suddenly with sincere empathy, remembering Bran.
Oh right, she knew him. Shit.
His light brows arch up at her softly, "Don't tell her... yet. Dumbledore doesn't think he's dead, remember. Trust him. Don't scare her upset before you have to." He peers away, calmly biting his lip, "Maybe he'll turn up by morning anyway."
She fidgets with the sleeve of her nightgown, and then glances up, shaking her head at him strictly, "You don't really believe that, do you?” She shakes her head, “No. I have to tell her, she deserves to know."
"I don't know if that—"
"That's her little brother, you know..." she reminds them, "And he's out there, cold, and alone, and afraid... in the Dark... Forest. Oh my goodness." Her moon-reflected glowing eyes gradually fade darker, as she starts to imagine the worst.
Jon's eyes attempt to soothe her panic, though she doesn't even notice, now facing away from him. Sam bubbles out a nervous laugh, having been pacing anxiously in the background. He mumbles wildly to himself about the monsters, steering himself straight for a near panic attack.
She flits her eyes over him, glaring at his apathy to Bran, judging him.Then suddenly, she flips to both of them scorning, "And by the way, just where were you two going tonight, anyway?"
Jon watches Sam nonchalantly take a break from his pacing, stopping merely to turn to her. "Restricted Section.” Only to slip right back into his muttering crisis.
"Restricted Section?" Her nose wrinkles up, "That's out of bounds..." she squints, now somewhat sadly impressed.
"I'm sorry.” Sam perks up again, "But am I the only one, who's a bit preoccupied about the bloody creature they were talking about? One, that’s apparently now on the loose? Wait—“
He sifts his eyes over at Jon in fearful realization.
"Uhm Jon... You don't think it was the same one as... your—"
Dany arches a newly curious eyebrow at them, as Jon scolds him silently with his eyes, shortly smacking his arm with the back of his hand.
Since meeting him, Jon’s noticed Sam has a bit of trouble about when to keep his mouth shut.
Dany puffs out a laugh, scrutinizing the two of them and their pathetic attempt at a cover-up.
Of course she’s caught on.She doesn’t miss a thing.
“What? Am I not allowed to know?" she crosses her arms.
"No, it's just," Jon exhales with a nervous smile, stepping back, "You wouldn't understand..."
“Oh, I wouldn't understand...” she repeats fervently. “Hmm... well, how’s this for a guess?” She hesitates for a moment, gesturing pointlessly, "You think it could be the Others? Right? ...You both, you think it was a white walker?"
Sam and Jon both snap to each other comedically in jaw-dropped confusion.
"How in the bloody hell do you know about that?" Sam retorts wildly.
Dany smirks back at him smugly. "I saw a book you checked out the other day."
“You were spying on me?"
She tilts her head at him childishly, "No— I was spying on him," she motions over to Jon, "Clearly, people don't understand the truth... to his situation." She bites her lip, peering away sheepishly, "People like... myself, for example."
What... really?
Jon, delightedly surprised, smiles at her, quietly endeared. However Sam in contrast, was thoroughly offended.
"Clearly you need to learn more about what the word privacy means—“ though he instantly regrets his audascity, helplessly glancing over at Jon, waiting for him to back him up.
"Okay, let’s just back track a minute, Sam." Jon says coolly, "Let’s look at the bigger picture, here."
“Okay.” Sam sighs, then finally looks up at him, a bit more relaxed.
"Okay. Now we don't know what creature attacked Brandon Stark. Or, if it even took him at all for that matter."
He stares into their eyes, assuring them. "But the real factor here, is that my situation, has nothing to do with what happened tonight."
Dany chuckles dryly, not buying it.
He pats a light clap on Sam's shoulder, "Now let's go to bed before we all get caught. Okay?"
"You really don't know, do you?" Dany asks him.
"Know... what?"
Her eyebrows shoot up into her forehead, retorting, "Don't be so dimly modest, Jon Snow. They were talking about you."
He squints back at her, almost amused. "I'm sorry?"
"That's it— I'm going to bed," Sam huffs dryly. "Goodnight." He slumps away heading towards the Boys' Stairs, expecting Jon to follow. But him and Dany just watch in silence. Halfway up the stairs, he stops, turning down below him, "Uh Jon...? Are you coming?"
After an awkwardly long moment, Jon whispers up there, deciding, "— No, just one minute Sam, I'll be right in."
Sam frowns down at him with annoyed disapproval.
She half-smirks back at him, whispering vainly, "Is he always like that?"
Jon follows her gaze guiltily, until he can almost see Sam step back into their room. "Uh no... Typically, just the thought of monsters will do that to him." He shrugs, "I mean, I should be the one upset... you're the one who called me dim."
Her shoulders fall, hiding a poorly hidden, low smirk, "Sorry, I just meant..." She pauses, sliding a hand over her forehead, "I just meant, that you honestly, didn't hear what Dumbledore said? ...Jon, your situation has everything to do with what happened tonight?"
He blinks back at her confused, absently scratching his beard. "Arrite. How?"
"Well, first, Littlefinger—I mean Professor Baelish, pointed directly at your room... And then, Dumbledore said they were going to move you again— to another place... for your safety, Jon. The other boy they were talking about was you.”
She crosses her arms impatiently, posing the question, "And. For what obvious reason do you think they would want to move you again?"
He shrugs back, faintly amused by her frustration.
"Because," she scoffs, "that same exact threat that attacked you at Durmstrang, is now obviously, here at Hogwarts. Or was here anyway."
He sniffs up in denial. "Well, no? We don't exactly know that for sure, do we? It's not only following after me..."
“You can't know that for sure, either?” She gazes at him intensely for a moment, taking Jon aback. “Tell me the truth. Did it follow you already? The first day of school on the train? What was that?”
Jon’s slightly no longer amused by her keen intellect for putting things together.
”I’m... not sure.” He twists his mouth into a pout. “The dementors got to me before I saw anything...”
”But it could have been one right?” She argues.
”Yes, I guess.”
“Well, in that case, we need to tell Dumbledore immediately. Because we all may not be doomed tomorrow, but— I just have this... really bad feeling... that something terrible is coming. Like there's something inside of me, telling me, that I have to do something about it."
He shrugs at her again, more stubbornly though. No longer hinting any kind of smile.
Shehas no idea what she’stalking about.
"And that same part of me, knows that you're right, Jon. Something really is coming for us all."
He gazes back at her with an undecodable expression for a moment, searching for something unknown in her eyes.
But then just as quickly, he turns it off, walking away towards the stairs. Though he couldn’t quite find a smile, he makes light of the mood, teasing back at her, "I think you just don't know when to let things go."
“Not if I know I'm right." She follows behind him. His eyes crinkle at that skeptically, bending down to pick his cloak up off of the floor.
She’s not going to let this go unless he gives her a valid reason. He knew that now.
“Look...” He turns to face her, his gaze now slightly more serious, "I'm sorry... But neither you, nor Sam, saw what I saw. And neither of you experienced the aftermath that I went through.”
“Aftermath? What do you mean?"
He wrinkles his forehead, "Okay, you really want to know? You want to me to tell you that I saw something...” he sighs, looking up at the window, “but you don’t understand, that’s not even the difficult part...”
Her eyes were blank, as she waited for him to elaborate, “...What else happened?”
He cringes at the memory, starting with the usual, “I was in the woods at school. And I saw a man,” he stares back at her, “but it was really one of those, I don’t know— ice walkers...” he says more slowly, “and while we were hiding, I saw it kill something— a centaur, I think.” He takes a breath, finishing quickly, “So Ghost and I, ran back to the grounds, and then I told everyone. All six of my friends—“ he stops, unable to find the words, “anyway— long story short, all of this, is just so much bigger than just us... kids. Okay? Let the professors handle it— cause that's their job.” He blurts out, “I was foolish for trying. It only made things worse, you just have to trust me. They are handling it."
“It wasn't foolish if you were trying to protect people? By warning them."
No.
“It was foolish if my friends got hurt because of me," he echoes, his dark eyes blaring into her. "They thought they could... I don’t even— I told them not to go out there again... I told them I wouldn’t go with them if they did.” His brows furrow, “But I didn’t think they would actually go?” He scoffs, “They went out looking for it themselves and—they never came back, okay?” He takes a shallow, guilty breath. “When I finally realized, I went looking for them, alone— again. And then got attacked. And then blamed, for everything."
Dany shivered, forcing herself away from his intense gaze. It was a long few moments before she said anything. “I’m really sorry... I didn’t know.” She peers up at the open window, as a bitter breeze blows in. The air helped calm him back down, his cool dark eyes, relaxing, as he realized how intense this was. How overtired he probably is.
A thought lingers in the back of his mind. Why on earth did he just tell her that? How does he know he can trust her?
All logic is telling him he can’t, but somehow...
“It’s okay.” He arches up his brows at her softly, "And thank you, Dany. Seriously. For believing me. But before I can go accuse anything like that again, we need more information."
Her eyes dance away from his own, and then she nods back innocently, understanding him.
Jon takes one foot backwards up the steps, "Well. Goodnight. We can talk more about this tomorrow, if you want?" He glares at her fondly, subtly observing the length of her moon-glowed nightgown.
She nods back slowly, her eyes shining deviantly, now stepping a few feet closer to him. She twists her mouth to the side, looking into his eyes to accept his offer.
His mouth goes a bit dry for some reason, and she touches over his forearm. The sudden awareness of her touching him, even through the fabric of his shirt, sent a shock through his entire body.
"We will talk tomorrow, Jon Snow.” She says, “When we're looking in the Restricted Section, together."
He opens his mouth to say something back, but then freezes upon hearing a woman suddenly clear her throat from the top of the Girls' Staircase.
"There will be no need for that, Ms. Targaryen."
Brienne the Head Girl stands there, stalking lowly from up the top of the stairs behind her. Her tone, dripping with disappointment.
Dany hastily flips around, and Jon coughs casually, backing up away from her, further up the steps.
"Oh, Brienne—“ she starts, striding towards the Girls' Stairs, preparing a good apology for her. "Brienne, I'm sorry, I was just going—"
"Ah—I don't want to hear it, Dany," she scolds, her eyes noticeably lower-ringed with tired, dark circles.
She holds out a lantern, swinging it lightly in front of her. "This is yours, I presume? I found it hours ago." She chuckles without humor, "But strangely, no one was around...?" now hawk eyeing her and Jon, squinting suspiciously.
“And it wasn't until just before, that I awoke to another lovely noise and then I discovered your empty bed," she snaps, articulating every syllable with shame. “But I should have known.”
She scans her eyes back over at Jon, raising her blonde brows protectively, "Or does this lantern belong to you, Mr. Snow?"
He opens his mouth to say something again... but nothing comes out. Dany finally reaches the top of the stairs, scooting by Brienne, only to turn around and wait.
Brienne flashes him another dishonoring expression, and then holds out the lantern for Dany, as she reaches for it, apologizing again. “It’s mine.”
Jon steps down the steps, thoughtlessly defending, "It wasn't her fault— It was my idea." Dany snaps her head around in disbelief, her eyes glaring at him sharply.
“Oh, was it? Well, in that case," Brienne declares, "Fifty points will be taken from you, Mr. Snow. For a terrible, poor case of judgement. And fifty from you, Ms. Targaryen."
She skims over the two of them in warning. "And I'll have you know, that two students, meeting alone after curfew..." her voice heightens in ridiculous disbelief. "That— is a strictly forbidden rule at Hogwarts, Mr. Snow... Or were things not like that in Durmstrang?"
She glances back at Dany scowling, "I mean what were you thinking?"
The small Gryffindor stares back at her, “I wasn't.”
Brienne scoffs a tired laugh, “Clearly.” Dany walks past her back to her room, as Jon still watched, motionless by the stairs.
"Oh no, no no—not so fast," Brienne clasps Dany's wrist. She holds her chin up, strictly adding to their sentence. "The both of you— will be serving in Detention, tomorrow." She lets go of her arm with a tired smirk.
"In the Forbidden Forest."