Her crusade was carried out her in classroom by her choosing partners for her students. In his class, that meant placing Gryffindors with Slytherins, meaning no one in his class was happy. Jon’s best friend was a Ravenclaw and he got along with most Hufflepuffs, their Head of House Ser Davos Seaworth was his favorite professor, but Slytherins?
His partner was a full-blown Slytherin too, Daenerys Stormborn of the ancient and noble House Targaryen. Not a single Targaryen had ever been sorted into another house, something no other noble house could claim. Starks were usually Gryffindors, but Jon knew there had been some exceptions. Daenerys, or Dany as he insisted on calling her because it annoyed her, was a stuck-up girl whose father his own father despised.
Though he had to give her credit; she was smart. His grade in Potions was actually improving since she took the class more seriously than Robb and forced Jon to learn the material. Robb and Theon mocked him whenever he was in the common room, bent over his Potions homework, which Daenerys forced him to work ahead on.
“Bowing to the Dragon Queen, are we, Snow?” Theon sneered.
Jon tried to ignore him, determined not to rise to the bait, but then Robb joined in. “Be nice, Theon.” Robb pinched Jon’s cheek, teasingly. “Our poor White Wolf is no match for a Black Dragon.”
Jon swatted his brother’s hands away. He closed his books, done with homework for the night. Screw Daenerys and her stupid deadlines.
Of course, he paid for it the next day. “What do you mean you didn’t finish?” Her violet eyes were narrowed at him.
Jon ignored the tug in his gut at the sight of her angry. She was of course, gorgeous, and his stupid teenage hormones made every woman who looked at him appealing. He did not think she was hot when she was angry like Tormund had once accused. He didn’t. “I didn’t finish. I don’t know what you don’t understand.”
“What I don’t understand is that our grades in this class are the same, thanks to that stupid woman’s ideas about togetherness. So if you fail, I fail. What I don’t understand is how you could not get that I want to be an auror and I am not about to let some Gryffindor fool ruin my dreams because he couldn’t be bothered to do his homework.”
Gods, but she was hot when she was pissed. Jon blushed without meaning to, his hand rubbing his neck. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“It better not happen again,” she growled. She leaned back, studying him. “How are your grades in your other classes?”
“They’re fine.” And they were. Defense against the Dark Arts was the only class he was getting an outstanding in, but he was passing everything.
“Fine isn’t good enough.” She looked at him from head to toe. “Let’s get you up to my speed.”
Jon felt something like fear at her sinister words.
Daenerys Targaryen was a mad woman, Jon was realizing. She had taken his one time of not finishing an assignment and turned it into pushing him into getting outstandings in all of his classes. Between the study sessions and library visits, he was spending more time with her then anyone else these days.
One day, frustrated with her continued quest for perfection, he asked her, “Why do you care so much, Dany? It’s not like you give a damn about me.”
She closed her book and looked at him. “I’m pushing you to do better because you can do better. So you should be better. I can’t stand to see wasted potential.”
“Who cares about my potential? Robb’s the important one, the trueborn son, I’m just the half-blood bastard.” Jon was surprised at the words as they left his mouth. He’d thought them before, but he’d never said them outloud. He never thought to say them to anyone, yet he said them to her.
For the first time, she touched him, taking his hand. “Don’t base your life around being second to your brother, Jon, especially when you’re good enough to be first.”
The words had stuck with Jon, and he found that he was beginning to enjoy spending time with Daenerys. She was fierce and demanding, but she could also be nurturing and sweet. She had a wicked sense of humor and understood him in a way he wasn’t sure anyone ever had before.
It was unsettling.
However, her insanity with his grades was causing Jon to miss quidditch practice. Robb, as team captain, mostly let it slide, but others on the team weren’t so forgiving. Specifically, Jon’s ex-girlfriend and one of Gryffindor’s beaters, Ygritte kept harping about special treatment.
Theon, a chaser, agreed with her, mostly because he never passed up on an opportunity to give Jon a hard time. Robb and Arya (a first year chaser) defended Jon. Gendry and Tormund, a chaser and beater respectively, tried to stay out of it. It was turning the team practices Jon did make it to into team arguments.
He asked Robb once privately, if he should just quit the team. Robb grabbed him. “You’re the best seeker in any house, Jon. You just need to start making it to practices on time. Look, I get it. You got a new girlfriend and you want to spend all your time with her. But you can’t just forget about the rest of your responsibilities.”
What? Jon told his brother, “I don’t have a new girlfriend.”
Robb raised an eyebrow. “You’re not dating Daenerys Targaryen? Maybe I don’t get it.”
“No, I’m not dating Daenerys. It’s…” Jon didn’t have the words to describe what his relationship with Daenerys was like. “It’s complicated.”
Robb’s eyes narrowed, studying his brother. “Is it? You know that’s what Ygritte is actually pissed about, right? She doesn’t give a damn if you miss practice. She just doesn’t like that you got a new girlfriend who everyone considers an upgrade. It’s not like you need the practice anyway, you spent our entire childhood practicing.”
That was true. Jon loved being outdoors and spent all the time he could flying on his broomstick. It was partly to escape his stepmother’s cool attitude, but also something he just enjoyed. It had made him a shoe-in for seeker once he had the chance. He had ridiculous fantasies of making it professionally.
“Is that really what people think - that we’re dating?”
“It’s not a crazy assumption to make. You two are always together. Quidditch used to be your life, but now you barely seem to care.” Robb shrugged. “I was giving you a break since I figured you’d get back to normal once you got the constant snogging out of your system.”
Jon blushed, then confessed. “I’ve never actually kissed her.” But he’d wanted to. He was starting to realize the desire went beyond the usual teenage hormones too. He wanted to kiss her because he was beginning to really like her.
Robb shook his head. “Seriously, Jon? Well, you need to make your move with her. Or get to practice more. I don’t really care which one you do, but you can’t keep doing what you’re doing now.”
Jon made more of an effort to not miss quidditch after that conversation. Daenerys didn’t like it, but she said little about it, surprisingly understanding that he had a responsibility to his team.
After their win against Hufflepuff, the team had been excited to celebrate, but Jon begged off. Gendry clasped Jon’s shoulder, “Come on, Snow. We never see you anymore outside of practices and games.”
“Because he’s too busy with his little girlfriend,” Ygritte sneered.
Jon now knew what everyone thought, but hearing it from Ygritte set him off for some reason. He sneered back, “I’m not dating her. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Still, a Slytherin, a Targaryen, could you possibly date anyone worse?”
“Yes,” Jon glared. “I could get back together with you.”
Tormund caught Ygritte before she could leap onto Jon. “Stop it. Both of you,” Tormund said sternly. Tormund, being friends with them both, had wound up in the middle of their nasty breakup the previous year. One that involved Ygritte sending a bludger at him during a game that ended with Jon waking up in the nurse’s office with no memory as how he got there. Jon was pretty sure the big redhead still hadn’t forgiven either of them for that mess. As he liked to point out to Jon, time and time again, “I told you not to get mixed up with her. I warned you that she was crazy.”
Jon worried that might be his type - crazy. He called Daenerys crazy and he was beginning to feel the same way about her he did about Ygritte. Actually it was different. He and Ygritte had bonded over their love of quidditch, which he found out wasn’t a good foundation to build an entire relationship on.
Despite Daenerys’ temperament, and Jon’s at times, their relationship was more steadfast. They both avoided talking too much about themselves, but he still felt like he knew her. He knew that her temper was shorter when she she didn’t understand something. He knew she was funnier when she was relaxed. He knew that she loved her family deeply despite not caring for some of the members and their rigid traditions.
Once he was dressed, Jon walked away from his team, deciding to go for a walk rather than participating in the victory celebration or finding Daenerys. He wanted time to himself to think. He wandered around campus before sitting himself down at a familiar spot next to the lake. He looked out over the clear water, enjoying the peace.
Jon mostly thought about Daenerys. They weren’t dating, but did he want to date her? He liked her, but he had no idea how she felt about him.
He almost wasn’t surprised when the object of his thoughts appeared, as if summoned by magic. “You know, you are not the man of mystery some girls think you are,” she sat next to him.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
She looked at him, eyebrow raised. “If you were anyone else, I would think you were fishing for compliments, but I actually believe you have no idea.” Jon didn’t know what she was talking about, and he didn’t bother hiding the confusion from his face. Daenerys chuckled, shaking her head at him. She leaned back onto her hands, relaxing. “Have you really never noticed the gaggle of girls that follow the Gryffindor Trio around?”
He knew what she was talking about. Robb, Theon and him were popular jocks, they naturally attracted girls. But for some reason, Jon thought Daenerys unaware of such…teenage gossip. She seemed above such things. He snorted, “They’re all after Robb.”
Daenerys shook her head. “No they aren’t. Robb’s good-looking, outgoing, and in possession of the right name, so he has the biggest fan club, but you all attract your own girls. Theon gets the girls with low self esteem who know he’s easy. And you, the broody, mysterious Jon Snow, you’re for the girls who like a challenge. Not a girl in Hogwarts doesn’t have a crush on one of you three.”
So which one of us is your type? Who do you like? Jon wanted to ask, but he knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Not with her. “What about you? The most beautiful girl in the whole school. The fearsome Dragon Queen with guys worshipping at her feet.” She rolled her eyes at the description. “Seriously, half the male population is in love you and the other half just doesn’t know you.”
She shook her head again. “You’re exaggerating. It’s not that many guys.”
“Really, name one guy you’ve spent a significant amount of time with who didn’t fall in love you.”
“You,” she said as if the answer was obvious. Jon looked away from her. Did he love her? He definitely felt something for her, but was he ready to call it love?
They sat in silence for a moment before Daenerys stood up. “Do you want to go flying?”
Jon was surprised by the request. “Sure.” They walked together to where the broomsticks were kept. Daenerys of course had the latest, most expensive model. Jon was flying on Robb’s hand-me-down though luckily his brother had gotten a new one for his last birthday, so Jon was only a couple of models behind.
Daenerys walked over to the quidditch equipment. She picked up a golden snitch, watching the golden wings fluttering. He was surprised; she had no interest in quidditch. He’d invited her to games and she always begged off, insisting sports were a waste of time.
He walked up beside her, waiting for her to put the small flying ball back, but instead she looked to him, a dangerous glint in her eye. “Care to make our flying interesting?” She waved the snitch in front of him.
He chuckled. “You do know I’m the best seeker in Hogwarts, right?” Jon didn’t particularly like bragging, but he knew it was true. He wanted to give her a fair warning.
“Are you?” She asked. Daenerys walked out onto the field, snitch still in one hand and her broomstick in the other.
Jon was surprised by the side of Daenerys. He knew she was competitive, with an almost obsessive need to be the best at everything, but he didn’t know she even knew the rules to quidditch. She didn’t go to any of the games, never showed any interest in the sport.
He faced her, both of them straddling their brooms. She let the snitch go. They faced off as they waited for time to tick down before chasing the golden speck. Jon smirked, “You’re going down, Targaryen.’
She smirked back, “In your dreams, Snow.”
He thought about the dreams he’d had about Daenerys, which certainly featured her going down, but in a very different context. She lifted off seconds before he did, surprising him. Who knew she was counting down?
She was an amazing flyer. Her speed nearly matched his. Jon found he couldn’t quite catch her during the slight chase he gave her. He had expected his experience to outmatch hers, but he wondered at her flawless zig-zagging. He gave up, perching up to look for the snitch.
She continued to fly around, which he knew wasn’t a good strategy in seeking. It may turn into a chase later, but first you had to find the tricky gold speck. He ignored her graceful flight, looking for the golden ball.
Daenerys eventually rose up to look for the snitch across from him. Part of Jon couldn’t help but want to impress her a bit. She’d never seen him play. She didn’t know just how good at this he was. He wanted to show off.
He caught sight of a streak of gold and took off, following it. He could feel Daenerys at his heels. He knew from past games that you could never take your eyes off the darting ball, but he wanted to look back. Wanted to gloat a bit about beating her.
When he glanced back, he was surprised by just how close she was. She smiled at him, before going into a dive, getting in front of him. Jon cursed. She was going to intercept, closer to the snitch than him now. A few feet above the ground she reached out for the winged snitch, her fingertips brushing against it, not quite clasping it.
Jon also reached out, but he wasn’t aiming for the golden ball.
She caught the snitch, but Jon caught her, arms wrapping around her waist. She squealed as he pulled her from her broom, bringing them rolling around the grass of the empty quidditch field. He landed above her and looked down at her smirking face as she waved the snitch in front of him. “Who’s the best seeker now?”
He shook his head, still slightly shocked by the loss. “Who taught you how to play quidditch?”
“Drogo,” she answered. Her eyes now looking at her prize.
Jon’s brow furrowed. “Drogo? As in international quidditch superstar, Khal Drogo?”
“Yeah,” she avoided his eyes.
Jon leaned back, no longer hovering over her. Daenerys sat up reluctantly. “How did you even meet him?”
“My family was traveling abroad. We met and…” She took a deep breathe. “I dated him for a summer.”
“You dated Khal Drogo?” Jon had always suspected that Daenerys was way out of his league, now he knew it for sure.
“It’s not a big deal,” she tried to dismiss it.
“It’s a very big deal, Dany. I’ve got his poster hanging on my wall at home. He’s the best beater to ever play the game.”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Dany?” she stood up, wiping off the dirt and grass.
Jon stood too, calling his broom back. “Friends call each other by nicknames, it doesn’t matter if the person likes it or not.”
Daenerys looked surprised. “Are we friends?”
Jon wasn’t sure how to answer that. He guessed that they were, but it didn’t feel like they were friends. He wasn’t sure how to describe their relationship.
Daenerys called her broom back and began to walk back to the shed to put away the snitch and her broom.
He followed after her. “Why aren't you on Slytherin’s team? You’re the best flyer I’ve ever seen.”
“Women in my family don’t do things like that. It’s undignified.”
Jon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “So what? You’re amazing at it.”
Daenerys shrugged. “I never wanted to be a seeker.” She stared at nothing. “I wanted to work with dragons.”
Jon watched her shake her head, muttering that she was being stupid. He frowned. “I thought you wanted to be an auror.”
“My parents want me to become the Minister of Magic, being an auror is a good first step.”
Jon remembered something about Targaryens and dragons, what was it? “What’s that story about your family and dragons?”
Daenerys had opened the box where the quidditch balls were kept, but she stopped. “My ancestor, Aegon the First, they called him the dragon rider. Him, his wife and his sister worked with dragons, and he learned to ride one. Wouldn’t that be amazing, to ride a dragon?”
Jon had spent weeks with Daenerys, but she’d never opened up this much. He’d never seen her look like this, like the weight of her noble and ancient name was lifted and she could be completely happy. That was the moment Jon knew. He was not immune to her presence; he was in love with Daenerys Targaryen.
She blinked, snapping herself out of it. “It’s just a silly dream.” She opened the small box to replace the golden snitch.
Jon took one of her hands and she jolted at the contact. His eyes searched hers. “I think you could do it. I think you could do anything you set your mind to. Seven hells, you’ve got my grades high enough that I could be an auror now. I never would have thought that possible.”
She smiled slightly but shook her head. “Thank you, but it’s different for me.” Her eyes looked away from his, “I’m expected to make a good marriage. One worthy of the Targaryen name. People who work with dragons usually end up scarred, either by claws or burns. I can’t become ugly.”
“You could never be ugly, Dany.”
When she looked at him again, Jon was pretty sure he could see tears in those unique violet orbs. How could a woman be this beautiful? How could she be so amazing and not see it? He had never seen her look this vulnerable before. He didn’t even know it was possible.
She took her hand from his, her eyes blinking rapidly, clearly away the tears. “The Targaryens are a noble and ancient house,” she repeated as she slammed shut the case of quidditch equipment. “I have expectations to uphold.”
“Screw their expectations,” Jon reached out to grab her forearm.
She tore herself away from his grip. “You wouldn’t understand, you’re just a…” Daenerys cut herself off, looking at him. “…a Stark.”
The Starks were also an ancient and noble house, just as pure blooded as her own. He knew she had meant to say bastard, maybe even a half-blood since his mother had been a muggle. He was used to it. He was mostly surprised that she would cut herself off. Theon certainly never missed an opportunity to mock him for it, almost no one did. Certainly no Slytherin. She ducked her head, and began to walk away.
He called after her. “Who knew you were such a coward?”
She stopped walking, then turned to look back at him. “That’s only an insult to a Gryffindor.”
But Jon wondered. Had he managed to crack the ice queen?
Jon wanted to learn more about Daenerys Targaryen. However, since she practically never talked about her personal life, Jon realized he would have to talk with the people she surrounded herself with. Her friends.
Jon was surprised to find out that her best friends were Ravenclaws, like him. A seventh year named Tyrion and a girl in the year below them named Missandei. He asked Sam about them during a lunch. Sam swallowed his sandwich bite and answered, “Well, Tyrion’s probably the smartest person in Hogwarts right now, including the professors. Missy knows about a hundred languages. They’re both pretty nice. I mean, Missy is nice, Tyrion can be a bit…much.”
Jon knew Tyrion already, so he knew what Sam was talking about. Tyrion was super intelligent, but he was also a firm believer in work hard, play hard, and his parties were the stuff of legend. Theon still practically worshiped the ground the little man walked on because of what had happened at the last one.
It was the first and only time Jon had ever seen a woman do a Meereenese knot.
What would the super serious Dany Targaryen have in common with Tyrion Lannister? All the noble houses were interconnected, but that didn’t mean anything more than them being acquaintances, not friends. He wanted to ask her about it, but even though they spent a lot of time together, Daenerys closed up anytime Jon tried to ask her anything personal.
Jon decided to ask Tyrion instead. He tracked the man down, reading under his favorite tree. Rather than beginning with small talk, Jon just launched into it. “Hey Tyrion, I wanted to ask you about Daenerys Targaryen.”
Tyrion looked confused for a moment but then nodded his head, shutting his book. “Oh yeah, I heard you guys were dating.”
Why did everyone think that? And how did Tyrion know? Jon stopped walking. “We’re not dating.”
“Really? Because she spends all of her free time with you.”
“Not all of it,” Jon knew it was a weak response.
“How did you manage that? Daenerys usually has about 20 guys after her at any given time, yet you are the one who caught her eye. Robb Stark, I would have understood, but you?” Tyrion looked at him sideways. “I don’t get it.”
Jon felt a little defensive. “We’re just partners in Potions class. She’s been helping me out in my other classes too.”
“I see,” Tyrion said. “And how are doing in your other classes?”
Extremely well, Jon thought. He had gone from a middling student to the top of most of his classes. Even Robb had been surprised, and impressed. No one, not even Jon, realized he had had it in him. He nodded, “Good.”
Tyrion watched him. “Out of curiosity, did you ask her for the help or did she suggest it?”
Jon didn’t understand what the Lannister was getting at. “No. I didn’t ask her.”
Tyrion nodded. “I see.” Tyrion’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Jon closely. “You are dating her then, Snow.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
Jon grew annoyed at the argument. “I think I would know if I was dating Daenerys Targaryen.”
“You wouldn’t though. She doesn’t even realize what she’s doing.”
“And what is she doing?”
“She’s smartening you up. She knows that if she wants to date the bastard of Winterfell, she’s going to have to make him the best specimen she can beforehand. She’s preparing for the argument now.” Tyrion’s voice went higher in an imitation of Daenerys, “He may just be a bastard, father, but he’s got the grades to be an auror.” Tyrion scoffed, “She might actually not start dating you until she gets you to be a prefect.” He noticed Jon’s shocked face. “Oh don’t look so distressed. She’s not doing it on purpose. She just knows that her father will find flaws in you that you didn’t even know you had, so she’s whipping you into shape first. Because if you can’t handle her, you certainly won’t be able to handle the rest of the Targaryens. No point in wasting her time if you can’t even pass this test.”
All Jon wanted to do was ask how Tyrion knew her. He hadn’t expected this. His mouth gaped, as he didn’t know how to respond to that. Should he be offended? He decided to ask his original question as he tried to process what Tyrion said, “How do you know Dany?”
“Dany?” Tyrion’s eyebrow shot up. “She hates that name. Our fathers happen to both be terrible men, as well as best friends who despise each other. We became friends through our mutual suffering. She’s a good person, Jon. Don’t hurt her.”
Jon didn’t know what else to say. Was he really dating her? He has so many more questions now, but he walked away, his mind swimming.
What was his relationship with Daenerys Targaryen?
“Are we dating?” Jon didn’t even say hello the next time he saw Daenerys.
She looked completely taken aback by the question. “What? Of course not.”
He sat across from her, looking to see if anyone was paying attention to them. No, they were pretty much alone. “Tyrion thinks we are. He made a very compelling argument.”
“Tyrion thinks he’s a lot more clever than he actually is.”
“No, I think Tyrion’s about as clever as he thinks he is.”
“We’re not dating, Jon. I mean, do you think we are?”
“I didn’t think so either, but we do spend all of our free time together.”
“Studying. We’re just improving your grades.”
“But I don’t care about my grades, I was fine with just passing. You’re the one who wants me to be the best.” Jon bit his lip before telling her Tyrion’s theory about her smartening him up.
She looked like she swallowed a lemon, her face puckered. “That’s not what I was doing.” She looked away. “But it would be easier, if you had the best grades in Gryffindor.” Under her breath she mumbled, “Best grades in a jock house, but it’s still something.”
Jon smiled. “So you do want to date me? You want to take me home to meet your family?”
“No, Jon. I like you. I wouldn’t wish most of my family on my worst enemy.”
Jon understood. He knew the Targaryens by reputation more than actually meeting them, but he knew enough about her father and middle brother. “So, do you want to go on a date with me?”
Daenerys looked at her feet, strangely shy. “Are you asking me?”
“Yes,” Jon said. “Yes, I’m asking you. Daenerys, do you want to go on a date with me?”
Daenerys smiled. “Yes. Yes, I do, Jon.”