1.

It had been a week since the Battle of Hogwarts had been won. Harry Potter and his friends were still at school to help and rebuild it, for Voldemort had destroyed most of it. On this very day they had start working on the Great Hall and they were getting on pretty well. It was their break time and they had decided to pay a short visit to Aberforth Dumbledore, who lived in Hogsmeade. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Luna were on their way to the Room of Requirement where there was a short cut by portrait to the Hog's Head, the pub where Aberforth worked.

'I hope there's pudding,' Luna said in her dreamy voice and smiled at Harry, who chuckled quietly.

'And chicken,' Ron added.

'Oh, Ronald, honestly!' Hermione said disapprovingly and rolled her eyes.

They were making their way through one of the long hall on the seventh floor, or rather what was left of it. On their right they saw the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy who, as always, was desperately trying to get some trolls to practice ballet. They stumped their feet for a bit, but then decided ballet was not their thing and swung their clubs at him. He dodged them and grinned, then quickly waved his wand at the four wizards and witches passing by and continued making pirouettes. Luna was the only one who waved back.

Ron shook his head at her and mumbled a quiet 'loony'.

'Ron! I heard that!' Hermione sneered at him.

'What? I wasn't even talking about you,' he replied, clearly not understanding.

'It doesn't matter who you were talking about, there was no need. Luna is just polite and, to be honest, I feel bad enough for not waving at sir Barnabas myself. And then to mock Luna for doing so is utterly ridiculous! You should stop making fun of her and see her as a big example you could learn from. Not to mention-'

'Bloody hell, Hermione, what's got your knickers in a twist?' Ron sighed, staring at her as if she had gone mental.

'All I'm saying is-'

'It doesn't matter,' Luna interrupted her, 'I don't mind it.'

'You should mind! Really, if-'

'Hermione, zip it, will you?'

'No, Ron, you zip it. Listen to me, if-'

'HERMIONE!'

'I am being serious here-'

'Blimey, will you keep quiet for once?!' Ron bellowed.

'Shut up. Both of you,' Harry interfered, 'We are here.'

In front of them was the tall brick wall that led to the Room of Requirement – if you required it. They did, obviously, so it wasn't very long before a door appeared.

'Ladies first,' Ron sighed sarcastically as he opened the door for Luna and Hermione. He and Harry followed them inside.

As they entered the nearly empty room they immediately spotted a tall, blonde boy in the corner of the room. Draco Malfoy glanced over his shoulder, a frightened look on his face. The next moment, everything was spinning around them and turned black.

Harry's vision was blurry at first. All he could make out was a bright colour of green surrounding him. He searched around, looking for his glasses. It took a while before he found them. When he put them on and could see clearly again, he noticed that he found himself at the edge of a forest.

'Malfoy,' he spat as he saw the Slytherin boy sitting a few feet away from him. 'What have you done?'

Draco looked around, trying to determine where they were, but the only familiar thing he saw was Harry Potter. 'I haven't done anything. Something started tugging me backwards when you came in. So I might as well ask; what have you done?'

'Nothing!' Harry told him. 'We entered the Room of Requirement, but that was it. We haven't done anything.'

'Where are we?' Hermione, who had landed in a small pile of mud, asked while scanning the surroundings.

'No idea,' Ron coughed. He was sitting on hands and knees and held his stomach, feeling quite sick. He was trying his hardest not to throw up in front of his friends.

Luna was the first to get up and brushed the dirt from her colourful skirt. 'Have you seen these flowers?' she asked, pointing at three elegantly curled, purple plants. 'I have never seen anything like them before…'

'I have never even read about these,' Hermione thought out loud as she walked up to Luna, 'Not even in Herbology class.'

As the others scanned for clues, Draco got up and slowly walked to their right, looking around as if searching for something or someone. Harry noticed that he looked almost afraid. 'Looking for your mummy?' he called after him.

'Shut up, Potter! Of course not. I was just looking for someone who could tell us where we are. Wouldn't that be easier?'

Harry had to admit, it was not a bad idea. 'Fair enough,' he said and beckoned the others over. 'This way! Maybe we'll run into someone.'

So they walked past trees and bushes hoping to find a witch, wizard or even a muggle who could tell them where they were. After what seemed like hours of walking, they heard loud singing and laughing nearby. 'Quiet,' Harry whispered and immediately ducked behind a few bushes. The others followed his example and hid behind him. As careful as he could Harry peered through the branches. He saw quite a large company approaching them over a small sand path.

'Who are they?' Ron asked in a hushed voice.

'I don't know,' Harry replied, 'But it appears they're riding on horses.'

'Ponies,' Luna corrected him, 'They're ponies.'

'Wh- How?' Harry stammered.

'They're too small to be horses. They have to be ponies.'

'They can't be ponies,' Hermione told the other witch, sighing deeply. 'If they were, the riders would seem taller, relatively speaking. However, they don't.'

'Then the riders are short,' Luna smiled.

'Luna's right. We used to have ponies at home. They looked like that. Broad, short and sturdy.'

'Well you would know,' Draco whispered, 'You and your farm.'

'Oi!' Ron bellowed, forgetting to keep his voice down.

Immediately the company came to a halt and the riders looked around. One of them instantly jumped off his horse and sprinted towards the bushes in which the five were hiding. As soon as he got closer it turned out Luna had been right; he was short. Very short. Nevertheless he seemed muscular and strong. The clothes he was wearing were quite different from what people wore in the wizarding world – or even the muggle world. He reminded the children of warriors from the Middle Ages. He was carrying a broad sword which hung from the belt around his waist, and there was a bow and quiver on his back. He reached for them as he stepped closer.

'Show yourselves!' he ordered, placing an arrow on his bow.

Harry's instincts told him to get his wand out, but when he reached for it he instantly realised it was very bad idea. Because, as he moved his arm, the bushes in front of him rustled. The short man pointed the bow at him. 'Got you,' he said softly.

The boy still had no intention of showing himself to the stranger, but Hermione had different plans. 'Don't shoot!' she said as she got out from behind the shrub and raised her hands in the air. Ron, Draco, Luna and eventually Harry, did the same.

A bit hesitant the man lowered his bow. 'Who are you? And what are you doing here?' he asked narrowing his eyes.

'Well, one moment we were in the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts, but then everything started to spin and we ended up here. We don't know whether it was Portkey or-'

'Wow, what? Room of where? In Hogwhat? And a what kind of key?'

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Harry, Ron, Luna and Draco, but they all shrugged, not knowing how any wizard could not know about Hogwarts, or Portkeys. Unless… he wasn't a wizard. 'You can't be a muggle…'she whispered more to herself than to anyone else.

'Can't be a what?'

Draco interrupted their conversation and bluntly said; 'What the hell are you? You can't be a muggle, obviously. Clearly not a wizard; you're far too stupid to be one. So what are you?'

'Well, we've got a wizard,' he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at a taller man with what appeared to be a large, pointy hat on his head. Harry narrowed his eyes and could make out a figure that seemed vaguely familiar. The man had a long, grey beard and wore a dark grey cloak. As he and the other shorter riders approached on their horses, Harry could make out his wrinkled face. For a moment he thought he recognised it, but then he looked again. It wasn't Dumbledore. 'But to answer your question,' the short man in front of them continued, 'I'm a dwarf. And so are the rest of them,' he said, gesturing behind him again.

'Dwarves?' Harry frowned, 'They don't live in these parts. Not in England… Where are we?'

Another 'dwarf' dismounted his pony and walked up to the children. 'What've you been drinking, mate? You're in Middle-Earth of course! Near the Shire!' He laughed cheekily and took his hat from the top of his head in order to salute them.

Ron, who had been staring blankly ahead for a while now, finally blinked and briefly looked at Luna, who nodded understandably.

'Where… is Middle-Earth?' Ron asked, hoping anyone could tell him.

A third dwarf joined in on their conversation. He had blonde, braided hair. Even his moustache was braided. 'How do you mean?' he asked Ron chuckling softly, 'This is it. All there is, obviously.'

To everyone's surprise Luna laughed quietly. 'No Ron,' she told her friend, 'Middle-Earth is another world. I've read about it. And my father used to tell me stories. No one ever believed me when I told them about it, but here we are.'

Fili raised his eyebrows and looked at her. 'At least one of you is remotely clever,' he muttered. Hermione seemed offended and raised a sharp eyebrow at the short man. 'So, you're dwarves, in a different world? Well then, if you're both so smart then tell me, how did we get here?' she sneered.

One by one the others arrived, including the taller man who the first dwarf had introduced as the wizard. He pushed the blonde dwarf, the dwarf with the hat and the dwarf with bow and arrow aside and took a good look at the five children in front of him. 'What are you names?' was the first thing he asked.

'Harry,' Harry said, 'Harry Potter, sir.' He added the 'sir' subconsciously, not completely knowing where it came from. It just felt right. 'And this is Ron, Hermione, Luna and Malfoy.'

'Draco Malfoy,' Draco corrected him.

'I see,' the old man said, 'I am Gandalf. And, just like you, I claim to be a wizard.'

'How do you know we are wizards?' Hermione asked, 'Or witches, in my and Luna's case.'

Gandalf just smiled and turned to Harry. 'Tell me, what exactly happened before you arrived?'

'I-I don't know,' Harry stammered, 'Like we said we were in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, things started spinning and we landed near this forest.'

'They weren't supposed to be there,' Draco added, 'It was just me before this lot came barging in.'

'Interesting,' the wizard in front of them said slowly.

'Yes, I'm sure it is, but could you please explain to us what happened? And why we are here?'

'I can only guess,' Gandalf coughed, 'But I do know this; there are several world linked with each other. There are bridges, if you like, that can transport you to anywhere in the universe. These bridges might be opened in any direction by powerful, very powerful, magic.'

He looked at the five, young wizards. 'I hardly believe it could be your work…'

If Hermione's eyes had not been big enough already, they widened even further, so insulted she was. She was about to open her mouth and say something about how Gandalf was wrong, but fortunately Harry beat her to it.

'So something or someone wants us to be here?' he asked.

'It would same so,' Gandalf smiled, 'It is most definitely an option, anyway. But a very strange one at that. If the bridges are opening this could mean a danger to our world. Who knows what else, or who else, could be coming through? These times are dark and difficult without other worlds involved…'

He paused and stopped to see if the younger ones were keeping up. They seemed to understand more of it than the majority of the dwarves anyway. He went on, 'I would very much like to look into it a little more… And therefore I suggest you come along with us.'

'Us?' Ron asked, 'Come with you? I'd rather go home.'

'But, we don't know how to get back home,' Luna reminded him, 'Give me a reason why we should not go.'

'We don't know them, they're strangers! There could be dangers. We don't know anything about this world and-'

'I could help you,' Gandalf interrupted him, 'We are going to find out who or what wants you here, and why. And when we do we will find a way for you to go back to England. We are on our way to Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, where these dwarves come from. They are going home.' He chuckled at himself, 'I seem to be an expert when it comes to taking people back home. You should trust me. Come with us.'

A tall dwarf, who looked rather haughty, stepped closer. 'Before you invite any more stranger to our Company, Gandalf, I would like you to consult with me. This is my Company after all and you have already brought your own… guest.'

Another short man, who appeared different from the others and wasn't carrying any armour or weapons but walked bare feet, came towards them. 'Are these five going on an adventure as well?' he grinned ignorantly.

The tall dwarf frowned and eyed Gandalf. 'See what I mean? I would rather have you choose our friends wisely this time.'

'These children are wizards and witches, Thorin Oakenshield, they could be of use to us!'

Harry looked at his friends and shrugged. 'What do you think?' he asked them, 'Do we go?'

'Are you mad? I'm not going anywhere with these freaks!'

'Then you can stay here if you like,' Ron sneered, 'Hermione?'

'Oh, I don't know…' the girl muttered, frowning slightly.

'I say we go,' Luna's voice sounded louder than Hermione's. 'It's better than not going anywhere. Besides, I like it here.'

The blonde dwarf behind Gandalf grinned at her and gave her a subtle thumbs up. She blushed a bit and smiled back shyly.

'That's decided then,' Harry said, 'We're coming with you.'

'Fair enough,' Thorin grumbled and ordered, 'Get them all a pony.'

A dwarf they had not noticed before with a high voice and a bad haircut replied, 'We don't have enough ponies!'

There was a short silence as everyone looked at each other, confused and not knowing what to do to solve this problem.

'Oh I know!' the blonde dwarf with the braids called out eventually, 'We could share a pony with them. I know I can. The blonde girl could come we me, for example. J-just an idea.'

'Yeah,' the dwarf with bow and arrow agreed, 'And the other girl could come with me!' He nodded a few times in agreement with himself, waiting for the others to confirm that it was a good idea.

Hermione did not seem as annoyed anymore and stared at ground beneath her feet for a while, while Ron rolled his eyes.

The blonde dwarf walked up to Luna and bowed. 'Fili,' he said as he straightened his back, 'At your service.' And offered her his hand. 'Come along,' he told her and pulled her past Gandalf and the other dwarves. 'This is Bungo,' he smiled as he pointed at his pony. 'Go on, up you get,' he said and helped her into the saddle.

The dark haired dwarf, who appeared to be the only one without a beard, flung his bow over his back and reached for Hermione hand. He bowed once he had grasped it and introduced himself as 'Kili, at your service.' This time the girl actually blushed and for a moment she did not quite know how to reply. 'H-Hermione Granger,' she stammered and followed him to his pony.

'What do we do with the others?' the dwarf with the hat asked. 'Who is going to take them?'

A very fat dwarf pointed at Ron. 'You can come with me, if you like?'

Ron panicked slightly and briefly looked at Harry. 'Help me,' he whispered in a high-pitched voice, 'Harry ? I don't want to go with him.'

But Harry just grinned and slapped him on the back. 'Off you go,' he told him, trying real hard not to burst out in laughter.

'My name's Bombur,' the fat dwarf told Ron as he led him to a bigger, stronger, pony.

'Right,' Ron sighed helplessly, 'Not at my service, then?'

Bombur chuckled and helped Ron mount the pony, before doing so himself.

'And what about this one?' the dwarf with the hat asked, pointing at Harry.

'He will come with me,' Gandalf said and gestured for Harry to come with him. His horse was beautiful and pearly white. 'This, is Shadowfax,' the old wizard muttered slowly and looked at Harry to see his reaction. As Harry's eyes met Gandalf's he saw a subtle sparkle in them. For a very brief moment he was convinced it was Dumbledore again…

Meanwhile the other dwarves were trying to decide who would get 'the blonde one'.

'I don't want him,' the dwarf with the hat explained, 'He looks like he is trouble!'

'No he doesn't,' another disagreed.

'You take him then!'

'What? NO!'

'Dwalin?' the dwarf named Thorin interrupted, 'Get him to your pony. And hurry up, we are losing time.'

A large, broad dwarf stepped forward and took Draco by his shoulder. 'This way then, laddie,' he sighed in a low voice. Draco shivered and leaned back a bit. Somehow he did not like the look of this dwarf at all. It frightened him a bit, although he did not like to admit it…

So they rode off, following the path that seemed to be leading nowhere. One by one the dwarves were introduced by Gandalf. 'This is Fili,' he said, pointing at the blonde dwarf, 'And his brother, Kili.' That was the dwarf with the bow. 'And Dwalin, and Balin.' Balin was an older-looking dwarf with a large, grey beard, who appeared to be the leader's right hand. 'Then here we have Oin and Gloin. They are a very good at getting a proper fire going. And that is Ori, Dori and Nori.' He gestured at three other dwarves. The youngest, Ori, had been the one who had informed them they had no ponies left. 'This is Bombur,' Gandalf gestured at fat dwarf, 'That is Bifur,' he pointed at a dwarf with what appeared to be an axe stuck his head, 'And that is Bofur.' The dwarf with the hat grinned at the mention of his name. 'And this,' he pointed at thirteenth dwarf, 'Is the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield.' Thorin simply muttered something under his breath, which the children could not understand. It even appeared to be in a different language.

'And, who is that?' Hermione asked, looking over her shoulder at the other short man.

'That is Bilbo Baggins, our Burglar and good friend. He is not a dwarf, he is a hobbit from the Shire.'

'A hobbit?' Luna asked before anyone else could say anything, 'I thought hobbits didn't go on adventures?'

'How can you possibly know that?' Ron asked, arching his brows, but she didn't answer him.

Bilbo shrugged. 'It seems I am different, then. A hobbit on adventure. It would make a nice title for book, don't you think?'

Meanwhile Kili and Hermione were talking about something else. 'So, you're not from these parts then?' the dwarf asked her, desperately wanting to ask something, anything.

Hermione sighed. 'No, not exactly. I'm from an entirely different world, in fact.'

'Oh yeah. You mentioned…'

'You could show me around, though,' Hermione said hopefully.

'Not really. I'm not from around these parts either.'

'Oh.'

'Yeah.'

There was an awkward silence for a while, before Kili picked up the conversation again. 'I could tell you all about Middle-Earth, though.'

'Okay!' Hermione answered eagerly, 'I love learning about-'

Ron, together with Bombur, caught up with them. 'Say, if you're a dwarf,' he interrupted, 'how come you don't have a beard?'

Kili bit his lower lip and looked away. 'I… don't really know. It's something lots of people tease with, actually.'

'Yeah, I can imagine,' Ron agreed, 'A dwarf without a beard? That's mental.'

'Ron!' Hermione sneered, 'Will you shut up? I think he looks nice.'

Kili smiled broadly. 'Really?'

'Yes, I mean, well…' she thought for a while, 'It looks alright. Better than the others anyway. I'm not saying that I think you're – oh never mind.'

But even though she looked away and kept her mouth shut, she could tell Kili was grinning from ear to ear. Ron, once again, rolled his eyes and told Bombur to pass them by.

Fili and Luna who were riding their pony not very far from Kili and Hermione had heard most of their conversation. Fili had even winked cheekily at Kili and had mouthed 'way to go, brother.'

Luna and the dwarf had not spoken yet ever since they had mounted. They were both a bit hesitant when it came to making new friends. Eventually Luna was the first to talk and smiled at him fondly.

'I like your braids.'

Author's note: Like I said I have been working on a little project with my very best friend. We've had a blast writing this and are very proud to get out there. This story is a real baby of us and we have plenty ideas for the future but we do need your help. So, please leave a review and let us know whether you like Going Home or not.

Love, from both of us.