When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by total darkness. The last thing he remembered was walking into the Forbidden Forest and letting Voldemort hit him with a killing curse. After taking a moment to process what that meant, and where he likely was, he realized he didn't really mind the darkness. It was quiet, peaceful even- certainly not a bad place to spend eternity, he thought to himself.

Without any way to track the time, he didn't know how long he sat there, just enjoying the calm. He never got hungry, he never slept, he just reflected on his life and those still living. But that calm shattered in an instant as the walls began to squeeze him, pull him. It felt like he was being dragged through a straw and he couldn't help it, he screamed. All he could think about was botched apparitions and splinching accidents and he panicked.

It felt like hours before everything stopped, and he found himself squinting against a blurry light as he greedily gulped mouthfuls of air. Absently, he noticed something soft wiping his face and wrapping around him. He was too focused on breathing again to really think properly.

When his vision finally cleared, the first thing he saw was the sweaty face of a woman lying in front of him. He didn't know who she was, but she was smiling, and her eyes shined with love and tenderness. "Hello there sweetling, you're even more beautiful than I expected."

It was then he happened to notice his hands, or rather how tiny they were. He jerked back in surprise when he realized they were literally baby-sized hands. "What the hell?" The sounds that left his mouth were more gurgles and noise than actual words.

A nurse picked him up and placed him in the woman's arms, he was still too shocked to complain. "He is healthy and strong my lady, what do you wish to name him?"

"Jasper- his name will be Jasper Arryn, after my uncle. Jon would appreciate it I'm sure."

The nurse smiled at her, "I'm sure Lord Arryn will love it my lady. They were very close when he was still alive."

He focused on his breathing, trying his best to calm himself before he passed out. I am a baby. I'm a freaking baby! What am I going to do? Where am I? Why am I here?

His new mother pulled him against her breast as she cooed in his ear. The warmth and closeness eased his rising panic and he melted into her arms. Suddenly he felt rather tired, emotionally and physically he was spent, and he realized there was no point in fighting whatever this was. Letting out a long sigh he decided he would figure everything out tomorrow. He cuddled into the woman and couldn't help the small smile forming on his lips. Maybe this isn't so bad after all, he thought to himself sleepily.

o-O-o

He shocked the maesters with his intelligence and rapid understanding of the world around him. He was speaking in full sentences by the time he turned two and was reading and writing at roughly the same speed. He felt like Hermione, constantly reading books and devouring everything he could get his hands on. He actually had to beg Maester Colemon to get him more books from the Citadel, something his mother Rowena teased him about mercilessly.

But it was through these books that he learned he was no longer in Britain, or even on Earth for that matter. He was in Westeros, a land steeped in magic and bloodshed and ruled from an iron throne. The most surprising discovery though, was that he would inherit the Kingdom of Vale when his father, Jon Arryn, stepped down. It was a daunting thought when he realized it, but he was also proud of his family. Vale was his home, and the Arryns had been ruling it well for generations. After this sudden realization he spent months studying maps, local history, and everything else he could get his hands on. He knew he wasn't going to step into the role for years, decades even, but he swore he'd be prepared for when it happened.

Another thing he focused on was trying to harness his magic, which he thankfully still had. Every night he would practice for hours at a time, trying to build up his reserves so he could cast at least a couple spells in succession. Wandless casting took a lot more power than when you used a focus, and unfortunately his core wasn't at that level yet. Thankfully Hermione had taught him runes while they were on the hunt, and those didn't require hardly any magic to power them. He wasn't NEWT level or anything, but he knew enough to strengthen things and ward them. With enough time you could do nearly anything with runes, assuming you knew the symbols.

It was for that reason he delved deeply into the magical history of Vale. The House of Royce as it turned out, was a prolific user of runes, many of which dated back to the First Men and the earliest uses of magic in Westeros. House Tollett and House Donnerly also had a history of rune use, although to a much lesser extent. As an unexpected bonus, his research led him to a fascinating exposition on skinchanging, the ability to enter the mind of an animal and control its actions. It sounded suspiciously like some form of legilimency mixed with familiar bonds, but it never really mentioned the specific magic involved. The wealth of knowledge and history covered in his family's library was simply astounding, but his progress had slowed considerably due to the Citadel's restrictive nature regarding anything magical. He was confident that with a bit more research he would be able to start practicing runic arrays based on the language of the First Men.

o-O-o

As the years went by, he found himself feeling less like Harry Potter and more like Jasper Arryn. While he never forgot his past, he had largely moved on from it, and did his best to find peace over the many regrets he had over that life. He had long since come to accept his place here, and for the first time in many years he felt like he truly belonged.

Rowena was the mother he always imagined Lily would be. Kind yet firm, she was constantly encouraging him to do his best in his studies, and she never gave an inch during an argument. Yet she was always there when he got sad or when he got restless. She played with him and read with him; she even sang him to sleep. He knew he shouldn't need these things, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her to stop, so he just guiltily soaked up her attention. His father was much more distant though, and while he still cared about Jasper, he rarely showed it. They never just talked or even played, everything always had to be a lesson with him. He felt like he had no real relationship with his father, and it bothered him immensely. But for the first time he could remember he had his mother, and that was enough for him.

However, things changed a little after his ninth birthday. His father brought home Mya Stone to stay with them in the Eyrie. It was meant to be temporary. One of his wards, Robert Baratheon, had a bastard child with a commoner in Vale. When Jon found out, he planned to leave her in the care of one of his vassals, either House Royce or House Waynwood. Rowena outright refused him, demanding to raise her in the Eyrie with Jasper. She had desperately wanted more children but hadn't been able to have any after he was born. It was the only time they openly disagreed about anything, and after a tense week of heavy arguments Jon eventually gave in and Rowena formally adopted Mya. She would never be able to inherit their lands or titles, but she could marry into them in the future.

o-O-o

In his past life, Jasper suffered years of abuse from his relatives. This was something that affected him deeply and made him desperate for any kind of family and acceptance. Even after years of actually having a family, he still struggled with a lot of the scars from his old life. So, it wasn't long before Jasper came to see Mya as a sister. She was four years younger than him, but she was sweet, and he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. He often found himself exploring with her and playing with her, teaching her what he could. Somehow, she even convinced him to ride a pony with her in the courtyard.

It was because of this constant shadowing that he wasn't really surprised when she confronted him about his magic. At five, she may be young, but she was very intelligent. She had caught him conjuring things when he thought he was alone.

He swore her to secrecy and explained that he had magic and that it frightened most people because it was different. She had found it fascinating and instantly demanded he "make some flowers" because the Eyrie had only grass for a garden. While it took some leg-work, conjured plants can't bear fruit after all, he managed to make his sister happy. He had seeds from Highgarden sent through raven and planted them in the garden in Eyrie, then he used magic to speed up their growth rate. Within two weeks of her demand, the garden was full of roses and apple trees. Mya thought he was the coolest brother ever, a fact she began to frequently remind him of.

However, what he forgot to anticipate was how everyone would react to their sudden appearance. Most people took it as a sign from the Seven, which was helped by the fact that there were only seven trees and they were planted in the shape of a star. Not to mention that the "garden" was actually a failed godswood, and hardly anything was able to grow there in the past. Some inner-Marauder part of his old life surged forth and he felt the need for a prank. Jasper planted a weirwood seed right in the center of the "star" and used magic to speed things along without anyone noticing.

When the weirwood suddenly appeared in the middle of the apple trees, carved face and all, no one knew what to believe. Some said that the Old Gods and the Seven were fighting for the Eyrie, others said it had been the Old Gods restoring the godswood.

Jasper just found it hilarious how far off everyone was. Old Gods or no, he still found himself drawn to the heart tree, fascinated by the magic he could feel flowing through the weirwood. Although he didn't pray there, he often came to sit beside it and feel the magic dancing just beneath its surface.

i {o,o}
i /) ')
i -"-"-

AN: I'm going with you can adopt someone in Westeros, but legally they cannot inherit your House or any of your titles. Essentially it is a more formal version of a ward, but one with closer ties to your House.

As a side-note, Rowena is an actual character in ASOIAF, she simply died before she could have any children. She was Jon's second wife as well as his cousin. (Lysa Tully was his third wife in cannon) Jasper is named after Jon's father.