^_^ Hello, everyone! This story will be centred on Merry and Pippin and Fred and George Weasley, with plenty of Fellowship and Hogwarts fun thrown in. Most of the chapters will be light-hearted as the purpose of this fic is to show what the four greatest mischief-makers in fiction can get up to when they get together, however I can't resist throwing in a little drama here and there, mainly centred on Frodo and Harry...yeah...
Also, I'm relatively new to LOTR. I've seen all three movies and read most of the Fellowship, plus read loads and loads of fanfiction and stuff on LOTR wikia, so I hope I get the characters as spot on as possible. However, any references will be to movieverse and the characters I picture are movie characters, not book characters, only because I haven't finished the books yet and I don't want to get anything wrong.
Anyway, any ideas anyone has for pranks (who by, who on, etc) please PM me them rather than review, because everyone can see the reviews and I think it's better if everyone doesn't know what's coming. But I really need help with ideas, especially pranks against Umbridge - cause this is set in Order of the Phoenix for HP and before Caradhras for the Fellowship. Ok, now all the explanation stuff is out the way, enjoy the story!
"Where d'you think we are, Merry?" Pippin asked apprehensively.
The two Hobbits had woken up here not five minutes ago, the rest of the fellowship still unconscious around them. They were in a forest, as they had been when, without explanation, they had collapsed following the strangest feeling of vertigo, but it was clear that it was not the same forest. Pines surrounded them, for one thing, whereas the forest they had been in was largely oak, and there was a creepy feeling to the air. Mist twirled around the tree trunks, little light penetrated the thick foliage rising so far above them, and every few seconds both Hobbits swore they heard the far off cries of something that wasn't any animal they recognised.
"I don't know, Pip." Merry replied. "But it looks like the trees start thinning a bit over there, so maybe we can work it out once we're away from the forest. Let's try and wake the others."
Pippin nodded, trying to hide his nerves. He always tried to be brave in front of his cousin, even more so since starting out on this quest…thing. It did make him stop trying so hard, though, when he saw that Merry was also attempting to quell his trembling hands.
Between the two of them, they had the rest of their group awake in a couple of minutes. They all agreed with Merry's idea, after Legolas had confirmed that the trees did indeed stop after several hundred metres. Gandalf and Aragorn immediately started discussing the potential pine forests near their last location, but soon reached the conclusion that there were none except Lothlorien, which they had Mount Caradhras to traverse before they reached.
The calls of the strange creatures Merry and Pippin had heard suddenly sounded a lot closer as they began walking. Soon, Legolas' keen elf ears were able to identify it.
"Riders, on some sort of hunting party." He said. "It sounds like they have arrows, and I regret to inform everyone that they're coming this way."
They didn't know whether the riders were enemies or friends, but there was nowhere to hide. So, with only a quick and unnecessary glance at Frodo to make sure the Ring was hidden, they could do aught but continue.
After a mere five minutes, the riders could be seen galloping towards them, weaving their way between the trees with skill born of years and years of practice. Only…there was something off about them.
Once again, Legolas noticed it first, followed by the four Hobbits. "Why…they…they appear to be men and horses combined. I've never seen nor heard of such beings in all my years!"
"Nor have I." Said Gandalf, which everyone knew pretty much meant that they didn't exist in Middle-Earth. But then the only possible explanation would be that they are no longer in Middle-Earth…
As the beings rode up towards them, the one who appeared to be the leader ordered a halt and then approached the fellowship on his own.
It rode around the group on its hooves several times, sniffing at a few of them and raising eyebrows at others. Aragorn kept a firm hand on Gimli's shoulder to stop the dwarf from making any sharp remarks. The hobbits huddled together, scared, while the others of the Big Folk gazed warily at the newcomer.
"Mars will be high in the sky tonight, if such strange people should wander into our forest." The being suddenly said, making everyone jump as they hadn't known whether it could speak or not. "State your intentions, and species, for you are not recognised by me, except for you two." He pointed at Aragorn and Boromir.
The former stepped forward. "We do not know how we came to be here. We were travelling through a forest quite different to this one, when a strange white mist gathered around us. We fell unconscious and woke up here. I'm sorry I cannot explain any more than that. As to the rest, Boromir and I are human, Legolas is an elf, Gimli is a dwarf, those four, Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry are hobbits, and Gandalf is a wizard." Aragorn pointed at each member as he introduced them, deliberately avoiding full names and titles.
"A wizard?" The creature hissed suspiciously, leering at Gandalf. "You look similar to the Headmaster, but you are clearly not. There are many wizards here, for this forest lies on the grounds of a wizard school. However, the others you mentioned…I have not heard of their like before. You are strange indeed. The stars shine upon us."
He spoke very strangely, and whenever he mentioned something to do with the planets or stars he would gaze up into the sky, though it was clearly the middle of the day.
"And what, if it is not wrong in me asking, species are you, good sir?" Aragorn asked.
"I? I and my brethren are centuars. My name is Firenze. I was chosen to greet you as I am more…comfortable around those who are not of my kin than other centuars. Come, I will lead you out of the forest and direct you to the school."
Aragorn and Gandalf shared a look, before agreeing. The hobbits relaxed slightly now that they were certain Firenze wasn't going to shoot them. Merry and Pippin jogged forwards and, hesitantly at first but growing in speed and number, began asking many questions. Frodo and Sam stayed back, more at Sam's insistence than from Frodo's own fear.
Finally, after fifteen minutes or so, they reached the edge of the forest and beheld the glorious castle that, as they had been told by Firenze, was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. No-one would have guessed it was a school, but Firenze assured them that he was not wrong.
"Ah, look, you can even see one of the classes happening now." He pointed towards a small stone hut at the edge of the forest. A short distance away from the hut grouped about twenty students or so who were crowded around an alarmingly large man with a beard to rival the proudest dwarf's. "They would be nearly finished by now, you can accompany them back to the castle. I must return to my people now."
With that, the centaur vanished into the trees. The fellowship hesitantly approached the group. Once the giant man spotted them, the hobbits tried to hide themselves behind Gandalf.
The man held up a hand to the students, clearly telling them to wait, and stomped over to the group in boots the size of buckets. He was smaller than the giants Gandalf remembered…roughly the size of a troll, but he was clearly no troll.
"'Ello!" the man called good-naturedly. "I thought you were me Headmaster for a mo'. Blimey! You look awful los', 'ow did you get on the grounds?"
Gandalf explained the same thing Aragorn did to Firenze.
"All righ'. M'name's Hagrid. I'm the gatekeeper and Professor of Care of Magical Creatures here at Hogwarts. If you don' mind waitin' a bit, you can come up to the castle with me class and we'll get you to Professor Dumbledore. He's the Headmaster." He then realised that the hobbits were obviously scared of him, so he knelt down in an effort to make himself appear smaller and said, "No need to be fearin' me, little ones. I wouldn' hurt a fly, let alone four small lads like yourselves."
Frodo, trying to be the brave one for his cousins, peeped out from behind Gandalf. Hagrid was beaming at him; a smile that was so infectious that Frodo couldn't help one grow on his face as well. The other three noticed and instantly relaxed, although Sam kept glancing at Hagrid suspiciously.
The fellowship hung back and waited patiently for the class to finish, which it did, rather poorly because the students kept looking over at the group and whispering to each other. In fact, once Hagrid declared the lesson over and began trudging up the steep slope to the castle, two students separated from the bundle of black cloaks and hung back to walk with them. They were clearly identical twins. Both were tall and had striking ginger hair. The impish grins on their faces mirrored those usually worn by Merry and Pippin when they were up to their tricks.
"Greetings, tall people, and small people." One of the twins said. "I'm Fred Weasley and this is my brother, George, nice to meet you!"
Fighting back laughter, Aragorn introduced everyone. Merry and Pippin had clearly noticed that they had two kindred spirits before them, so the four struck up a conversation as they neared the castle. They tried to keep their voices down, but it was clear to any who heard that trouble was just around the corner and soon everyone would rue the day that Fred and George Weasley met Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck.
I hope I got Hagrid's speech patterns right. Please point out if I didn't! And anything else, too! This is my first time attempting a crossover and my first foray into LOTR and HP fanfiction. Review, favourite and follow please!