Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to the talented J.K. Rowling and Mr. J. R.R. Tolkien. Hello readers.

This is my first cross-over so if you review, please be nice. This takes place during the Tri-Wizard Tournament and it may be a little bit OOC, but if you give me some feedback I will gladly take any suggestions that you may have. Thank you and don't forget to review. On with the show.

Evening was beginning to set over the cliffs of the English countryside, and with the setting of the sun came the distinct chill of the coming autumn. The sun threw its last rays over the green hillocks and rises on top of the cliffs and finally sank behind the horizon. No sooner had it set, than the wind began to pick up and gently pummel the land with its frigid bite. However, something in the wind this night seemed ominous, as though it were giving warning of the coming of unseen danger. As they were buffeted, one cliff in particular could easily bring attention to itself. Beneath it was nestled a large lake that housed a beast of unnatural proportions. This gargantuan lake guardian could feel the foreboding bite of the air and it did not sit well with it. The creature let its frustration be known by slapping the water repeatedly which made wakes that crashed into the cliffside with a sound like small thunderclaps. Each wake grew higher and higher as the beast's frustration grew until one particularly large one hit nearly halfway up the tall rock. Looking up treacherous rock-face that the lake guardian seemed bent on destroying was perched on the cliff a giant stone castle. This structure stood against the evening sky like a towering fortress ready to take on all who might oppose it and the highest turret pointed upwards as though it were the castle's great sword ready to fall on its enemies. However, it was not as menacing as one might think. Between the castles strong stone bricks there would occasionally peek out a glimmer of golden light through glass windows betraying the fact that there was, indeed, life residing within the halls. Even more amazing was that if you were to walk inside, you might be shocked as to whom the inhabitants were that made up the majority of the population of this stone fortress: children. Almost everywhere there were children running through the halls, each of them dressed in black robes and uniforms. For, you see, this great ancient castle was none other than a school. What's more, it was a school for learning magic. This place had been dubbed 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' and there was no other place like it in the whole world. The school had been divided up into four different houses, each with their own emblem: a fierce looking badger of yellow and black, a magnificent raven of royal blue and shimmering ebony, a cunning snake of shining silver on a poison green background, and a triumphant red griffin on a background of glimmering gold. Each of these emblems spoke, not only of which house the student belonged to, but also to the traits that they had which had resulted in them being there in the first place. Yes, what resided within the walls was truly 'magical' but it was what was beyond the walls that would ensure that Hogwarts would never be the same again. On the other side of the castle stood a forest that was home to many creatures, some good some evil, but what came out of those trees that night was more mysterious than any of the students or teachers inside the school could ever suspect. Not long after evening had fallen, a figure stepped out of the forest and began to make its way to the great doors of the castle. This figure was human in shape, but moved more gracefully than any human ever could and was shrouded beneath a hooded cloak that hid all its features. Not only did the cloak hide this person's identity, it also seemed to blend into the surroundings making its wearer difficult to pick out. Whoever it might have been, this person moved with a purpose and nothing would keep him from his mission. The human-who-was-not-quite-human stopped only once about halfway to the castle to kneel down and pluck a bit of sod from the earth. The clump of earth was brought to an unseen nose and smelled like it was a precious perfume to be treasured, but then the figure seemed to grimace as though it had suddenly turned sour. The person replaced the sod from where it had been acquired and continued on his journey. When he reached the doors, he grabbed one of the brass knockers and brought it down on the hard wood which resounded in a hollow booming sound. The knock summoned the castle caretaker, a grouchy old man with a careworn face, scraggly hair, and a frown that seemed permanently etched onto his mouth. He opened the door and asked,

"Whaddoyawant?"

The figure replied in a voice that betrayed the female gender,

"I have come to speak to the master of this castle. I have an important message that I must deliver."

"'Oo are ye?"

"A friend with urgent news."

The caretaker retorted,

"It's customary to remove one's 'ood when addressing someone. I can't even see your nose."

"Of course. My apologies."

The figure lowered the hood and long brown hair the color of tree bark tumbled out of it, two clear dark-brown eyes shone in the night, and a woman's face that bore a look of urgency was revealed. The caretaker looked menacingly at the figure, which he now knew to be a woman, and said,

"The 'eadmaster is busy a' the moment, and 'eel not be disturbed. Good night."

He tried to shut the door, but the woman placed her hand on it and she repeated,

"I have an important message that must be delivered tonight."

The caretaker glared at the woman with a long-practiced scowl that usually brought unruly children back into line, but she was not to be moved. She continued to look at him calmly which unnerved the caretaker more than he would let on, but he let her inside after a few moments. He continued to glare at her as he said,

"I'll return with the 'eadmaster in a moment. Don't you move from this spot."

"You have my word."

The old man took off down the long hallway and disappeared around the corner. Now left alone, the woman began looking at the portraits that lined the walls of the foyer. Each of them bore the image of people who had some significance to the history of magic, some living, some dead, but all of them had a place of honor on those hallowed halls. There was something unusual about those paintings though. They seemed to move on their own. The strange woman looked up at the image of an old man and, miraculously, it spoke to her. It said,

"Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"I doubt it, sir. I have never walked these halls."

"I don't know; something about you seems familiar. Ah, but then again my eyes are not what they used to be. So, what business do you have with the Headmaster this evening?"

"I have an urgent message that must be delivered immediately."

"Oh my; sounds dreadfully important."

"It concerns the survival of all magic."

"Well, then I hope that you get the message to him. Well (yawn) I'm going to retire now."

The man in the painting sat down in a chair that was in the also in the portrait, put his chin on his chest and began to doze off. Soon after that, the caretaker appeared with an elderly man in tow. The distinguished figure following behind the grouchy caretaker had a long silver beard, bright blue twinkling eyes partially hidden behind a pair of half-moon glasses and was obviously dressed for bed. When they reached the woman, she looked directly at the old man and asked,

"Are you the master of this castle?"

"I am its Headmaster: Professor Dumbledore at your service, Miss….?"

"My name is better left unknown for now, but I must speak with you immediately."

"It must be dreadfully urgent if I am to woken from a sound sleep and my guest will not give me her name. As a courtesy to me, will you please tell me what I can call you?"

The woman considered for a moment and then she replied,

"You may call me 'Lori' for now."

"Very well, Lori. What is your message?"

"It would be best if we spoke in private. For now, you are the only one who I wish to hear what I have to say."

The Headmaster considered her request and then replied.

"Alright, come with me; we will speak in my office."

He turned to go and Lori followed him down the long hallway from which he had just come. The caretaker tried to follow them, but the Headmaster turned to him and said,

"Thank you, Mr. Filch; that will be all. Please return to your bedchambers."

Reluctantly, the caretaker agreed and left the pair alone. They walked through many twisting halls until the woman began to feel utterly lost in this place. She thought to herself,

"Not even the Mallorn Trees have this many twists and turns in them. This place is going to take some getting used to."

Soon they reached a statue of a gilded eagle that had its wings spread as though it were about to take flight. The old man said something to it that made the eagle jump out of the way which revealed a winding flight of stairs. At the top of the staircase there was a magnificent room which held an assortment of treasures from all over the world. Some were magical, some were not, but each of them was unique. The Headmaster went over to a large ornate desk and sat behind it. He looked at the lady and said,

"Please sit down, my dear. Can I offer you some tea?"

"Yes, please; that would be nice."

The Headmaster poured them each a cup of a good strong English brew and after he took a sip he looked at Lori and asked,

"Now then, what do you have to tell me?"

She leaned forward and said,

"You are in grave danger."

"There is not a day that goes by that I am not in some kind of danger or another."

"This danger is not only to you, but to all the world of magic."

"How so?"

"It is best that you know the story from the beginning, so allow me to tell you a story. Long ago, before the existence of the magic that you know today, there were four Dragons. Each of them had power over a single element; the Dragon of the Earth, the Dragon of the Air, the Dragon of Fire and the Dragon of the Water. They were created shortly after the First Children returned to the sea and made the voyage to the Undying Lands to keep the world in balance, however a problem arose. For years these four bickered and argued over who was the strongest of them all. Needless to say, they would constantly have contests with each other to prove their strength and this caused chaos in the world. Finally, the gods had enough of their bickering and decided to bind them so they could no longer plague the people. However this caused more chaos. Without the dragons around, the air became a poisonous fume, the earth grew sour and would not bear fruit, no one could heat their homes or cook their food, and the sea became a veritable death trap for all those who set foot in it. No one was safe so the gods came up with a plan so that the dragons could be freed, but they would not cause chaos. Four mortals were chosen and given the gift of immortality and the power to control the Dragons. This being done, each Dragon was given one of these chosen four to be their king. They were not happy with this decision at first, but as time passed they grew fond of their rulers. Soon after the Four Kings were established, peace returned to the land and the people could live without fear. Several lifetimes passed, and something extraordinary began to happen to some of the people. They figured out how to draw on the power of the Dragons and use that power themselves. They soon discovered that they could not only bend each element to their will, but they could combine elements and make new things happen. It is from this first generation that all wizards today are descended. Anyway, after these people had discovered this power, a select few got greedy and went to the realm where the Four Kings resided. These individuals demanded that the Kings turn dominion of the Dragons over to them and when they refused, a great war ensued and the Four Kings were brutally murdered. Their thrones were usurped by their murderers, and the dragons did not take kindly to that. They tried to rebel against the false kings, but to no avail. However, a ray of hope appeared in the form of the Four King's children. The Kings of Fire, Water and Air each bore a son, and the King of Earth had a daughter. They were hidden after their fathers had been murdered and their power was sealed making them invisible to the false kings, and they have been hidden ever since. Their power has passed down from generation to generation and it is only through the help of the Four Dragons that they can reawaken their power and regain their thrones. There is one more thing and this is the most important; the Dragons have been without their leaders for too long and have begun to grow restless. They have begun to bicker and quarrel again and unless we find the descendants of those first kings, things are going to start getting ugly around here."

"What do you mean by 'ugly'?"

"The magic that you rely upon will become unpredictable and difficult to control. Spells cast will most likely turn on the caster and do them harm. A simple water spell could erupt into a ball of flame or turn into an oak tree in the middle of a classroom. It has already begun. The earth is turning sour and I fear that more than just a little bad dirt will soon follow."

"Do you have an idea of who these four individuals might be?"

"You see, therein lies a problem. Because their power sleeps they cannot be located by any magical means. However, there is one more ray of hope that we have in finding them."

"And what might that be?"

"When the power to control the Dragons was sealed, the gods ensured that there would be a way to find them. They bear the mark of a dragon somewhere on their body; more specifically, the Dragon that they are supposed to have Kingship over."

The Headmaster continued to stare at the lady and asked,

"How do you know that the ones you are looking for are here in Hogwarts? If what you say is true, then they could be anywhere."

"That is another reason that I am here, sir. I was sent here to tell you that the ones that we are looking for are most likely here because of all the places in the world that teach young minds to do magic, this place has seen the real fury and destruction that magic can do both within and outside of its walls. This castle has had siege laid to it time and time again by evil, and my superiors believe that to be no coincidence."

"And who are your superiors?"

She leaned back in her chair and replied,

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

"Let's save that for another time, Headmaster. Now then….what do you plan to do now that you know what danger you are in?"

"You'll forgive me, my dear, if I have a hard time believing this tale. It sounds extraordinary, but it honestly sounds as though you have been reading too many fantasy novels. Nothing has presented itself that would give a clue as to any danger the magic that we use would be in, and until it does then I can believe this to be a well thought-out story and nothing more."

Dumbledore got up from his chair and said,

"I can offer you a place to sleep this evening, but I must ask that you depart in the morning."

He went to return to his bed, but Lori remained seated and said in a voice that commanded authority in a language that had not been heard in thousands of years,

"Havo dad, Headmaster."

He whipped around at the sound of the language and said,

"That language…..how do you come to know it? Who are you?"

"I am a messenger sent to warn you of danger. Nothing more."

Dumbledore scrutinized Lori and said,

"How am I to know that you do not bring the danger with you?"

"You can know by this token."

She reached into a pocket on her skirt and pulled out a dull brownish-green object which she placed on the table. The Headmaster picked it up and examined it for a moment before he stated,

"I see nothing remarkable about this."

"That little trinket that you hold is one of the Dragon's scales. It is from the Dragon of the Earth, and that little scale has the power to make a small tree grow. For now, that is the only proof that I can offer of my sincerity."

She got up from her chair and said,

"I have taken enough of your time. Heed my warnings, Headmaster. If the Lost Ones are not found soon, I fear that the shadow of death will descend upon this place and nothing will be able to stop it."

She stepped out from behind her chair and asked,

"Would you do me the honor of escorting me out? I'm afraid that I am unfamiliar with the layout of this castle and I have no wish to be wandering the halls for the remainder of the evening."

"Are you certain that you would not like a place to sleep for the evening?"

"I have a place to rest, sir, but I thank you for your hospitality."

Professor Dumbledore put the 'scale' that she had given him on a bookshelf and escorted Lori out to the entrance of the castle. He opened the doors so that she could leave and bid her farewell. She pulled her cloak back over her head and turned to go, but before she stepped outside Dumbledore said,

"Lori?"

She turned back around to face him and he asked,

"Where did you get that cloak? I have never seen its equal."

"I acquired it from my father."

"And who is your father?"

"He is someone very powerful."

Dumbledore could see that he would get no further with her that evening so he waved her off and she made her way back to the Forbidden Forest. He tried to watch her as she left but her cloak made her impossible to see after a while. Dumbledore went back to his room pondering the strange story he had just heard; four individuals with the power to control celestial elemental Dragons? Here in Hogwarts? Out of all the stories that he had ever heard in his 150 years, that had to be one of the most fantastic and absurd. He went back to sleep putting the strange woman out of his head.