Wow, such a great response to the Prologue =D I hope this chapter lives up to such expectations.

Many thanks to those that favorited/alerted, and reviewed~ In the words of my past spanish teacher, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. xD

Skipernicus- Sirius won't be (alive) in Middle Earth, the way I think of it- Bellatrix hit him with a spell before he fell through the veil, so that combined with the changing of worlds finished him off.

Riku Lupo- I don't currently have any romance planned at the moment, I'd stick up a warning if any showed up though. =)

little-bast- That's a great idea ^-^ I hadn't thought of that, but I love suggestions =)

flamenin- Nah, he's not going to be a Maria ^^ I just figure that being tossed into another world wouldn't be the most pleasant experience.

Jaklyn- Thanks for pointing that out ^^; Must have gotten my mental dictonary mixed up~ You make several good points that I'll definitely keep in mind =)

princessofwarriors- You pretty much got the gist of it =) Luna and Neville are pretty much the only ones who are not dead, hate him now, or have distanced themselves to avoid the negative attention.

I've tweaked and redefined the concept of a grim that JK Rowling used, making it less of an omen and more of an actual (magical) creature, although several things it's associated with remain. Sirius just turns into a regular dog =)

Disclaimer: Don't own Hp or LotR~

But I'm on the outside
And I'm looking in
I can see through you
See your true colors

'Cause inside you're ugly
You're ugly like me
I can see through you
See to the real you

Outside-Staind

The first thing Harry was aware of was a sharp pain in his side; something was pressing rather uncomfortably into bare skin. But that wasn't right. Frowning, the wizard's magic was stretched around him even before he opened his eyes, searching for other beings or dangers. The world he inadvertantly opened himself to with the use of his magic very nearly overwhelmed him, and he restrained a gasp at the sheer amount of energy, magical or no, that permeated the land and air around him.

He was in a clearing somewhere in a forest, that much was obvious. The grass was soft and green, save whatever was pressing into his side, and the sun filtered down through leaves that were equally as green, beams dancing over the ground. Pains forgotten for the moment, he stared up at the sky- which was bluer and clearer than any he had seen before. There was something about the trees that seemed ancient, as if they had seen uncounted millenia and were prepared for many more. Yes, there was definitely something different about this place, and it seemed at first glance to be a good change.

For all of his iron-clad (or so he thought) control, he was shaking as he gingerly picked himself up and moved over a few inches, giving the rock that had previously been pressed into his side a baleful look. His magic, drawn hastily back into himself, roiled underneath his skin, as if itching to escape and frolic in the new world he found himself in.

Even the magical nature of Hogwarts fell far short of matching the vivid sense of magic and life that seemed an integral part of the world. Once he was in a better state he would have to experiment a bit and see how the over-abundance of magic would affect how his wandless spells.

For now though, he needed to focus on other things. Like clothes for instance; his own had somehow vanished in the proccess of getting from the wizarding world to this one. He also needed information about this place, as to not stick out too much. He had no clue what beings resided here, even how they communicated, same with culture and the like. He would probably be far too obvious for his taste just wandering around naked, not to mention obviously coming from from another place. Until he knew how the ones inhabiting this world reacted to foreigners, he would rather just not take the chance.

Fortunately for him, there was another option than wandering around looking lost. Closing his eyes, he focused his magic inside himself, willing the now familiar change to happen.

There was a brief flash of dull pain and the sensation of being tugged and twisted before he opened his eyes again. He rose, a bit shakily, onto four paws to look around, and finding that in this form- where magic almost seemed tangible- the world around him seemed bursting with life. He knew though, which sections of the web of magic around him to pull or manipulate to causes the most destruction, though the urge was easily ignored.

His Grim Animagus form; the reason for his exile, but there was no chance that he could ever regret it. His body was slender, holding many characteristics of a wolf, but there was also something distinctly feline in his movements. He was rather large in this form (Hermione had mentioned that he was about the size of a tiger before Ron told her what his form represented), and his thick fur was the purest black. His tail was more feline than wolf, incredibly long and flexible, and covered with silky fur as well. Scales covered his underbelly, such a deep black that when looked at in the right light a green hue seemed to shimmer across them. Aside from that, his eyes were the only spot of color on him, remaining his original brilliant emerald. Claws, the tips just barely visible through the fur covering his massive paws, were just as black as his coat, and his teeth equally as dark.

As he walked he took another chance to get a look at this new world. Never before had he seen such a place filled with life, even the sounds of the small creatures going about their lives in the undergrowth seemed more vibrant somehow. There was just something different about this world. Even the air seemed purer, untouched by the smog and toxins he had grown used to.

Not even an hour later he wasn't making any headway, having emerged onto a road a few minutes beforehand- the first sign that he wasn't alone in this world. The sharp pain in his ribs had graduated into steady throb that was almost too much to ignore; he really needed to find a place to sleep and rest before his body rebelled and he keeled over. Limping off the road he nosed around in the woods bordering it, finally finding a small cavern-like space formed by some overgrown tree roots. Curling up inside, he rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes, dropping off into a deep, if somewhat uncomfortable sleep. He could worry about his situation later.

The next thing he knew someone was shouting "Get off the road!" and was blinking blearily when a couple forms dove into his little hideaway, one painfully jostling him as he stiffened in shock. His warning growl cut off in his throat as the repulsive scent of corpses and ash assaulted his nose, and he held as silent as the ones he was apparently sharing his hiding place with. It was only when the offensive scent faded that he let out a huff of breath, ears folding back against his head as he warily stared at the half cloaked forms. That soon changed, and he barely suppressed a snort of faint amusement as he realized that in their panic the small figures hadn't noticed him. That ended as the slightly larger one cried out "Mr. Frodo, you're bleeding!"

'Mr. Frodo' made a sound of surprise and shifted around, before saying quietly "It's not my blood..."

"What...?"

As one, they both turned to stare at him, which would have been comical if Harry didn't feel so damn helpless. He let out a huff of breath as the larger one scrambled back, crying out "Get back Mr. Frodo" before brandishing a rotted stick at him threateningly.

After seconds passed in which he didn't move, Mr. Frodo took a couple steps closer, pausing just out of reach when Harry flattened his ears "It's injured Sam."

"Too bad, we have to get to the Prancing Pony." Sam retorted, earning a dry look from Harry that Frodo noticed.

"I think it knows what we're saying..." He turned towards Harry "Do you?"

Not seeing any reason to disguise it- and curious about their reactions- he nodded, and snorted in amusement when the two exchanged amazed looks. Harry's ears flicked up as two more voices erupted outside of the small cavern in unison

"Frodo! Sam! Where'd you go?"

As Sam called out something he didn't quite catch, Harry watched as Frodo shuffled a bit closer, staring at the gashes covering his body "Will you let me help you?" he asked.

Blinking a bit, Harry reached out with his mind, tapping it lightly against Frodo's. The boy in question gasped and jumped back, obviously sensing the touch. Attempting to reassure him, Harry didn't attempt to push inside, allowing his presence to linger on the edges, while practically radiating non-threatening intent as he disguised his mischievous amusement at the reaction. He could hear Sam frantically calling Frodo's name, shaking him a bit even, but didn't break his gaze away from Frodo's. When the boy mouthed 'is that you?' he sent a faint feeling of confirmation through the mental connection, and blinked in amusement at the awestruck expression on the little one's face. It was almost as entertaining as Neville's reaction when he revealed that particular skill to him and Luna.

While Frodo was distracted, Harry grasped the chance and used a passive form of Legilimency to gain some sort of understanding of the strange new world he was in, consisting of nothing more than lightly skimming over the hobbits thoughts. His rather mediocre abilities in mental magic had luckily been increased when he discovered his grim form. The magical nature of his animagus made things so much easier.

He was, quite frankly, amazed at what he found, and he was sure that there was much more to learn, having only gleaned the most basic information. It was enough though, to hopefully disguise his foreign state. So the ones in front of him were not young children, but hobbits; it certainly made more sense now.

The little hobbit's voice drew him from his musings "Can you talk like that?"

Long tail flicking, Harry tilted his head to his side before letting out a huff of breath at Frodo's earnest expression. There was really no reason not to, neither hobbit had seemed concerned that he was seemingly a blend of several animals never meant to mix. It was already known that Harry could reach out with his mind, so it seemed likely that speaking telepathically wouldn't be that much of a stretch.

"Only with great difficulty little hobbit" He responded finally "It requires energy that I do not have presently and, it is tiring to form words when one does not use them." At least, not in this form.

Watching as understanding dawned he hauled himself to his feet, ignoring Sam's startled cry, and sent Frodo an image of his friend's expression, as well as nudging him slightly. Upon seeing the expression, the hobbit hastened to explain to his companion "Don't worry, he won't hurt us."

The larger hobbit still looked dubious, but stood back nevertheless to allow Harry out from the little overhang. He was greeted by the sight of two other hobbits, both staring at him with identical looks of astonishment.

"Merry and Pippin," Frodo began from his side "I'm Frodo, and that's Sam."

Nodding to each in turn, Harry suppressed an amused snort, though he suspected some of his good humor travelled through his newly forged bond with Frodo, judging by the look the hobbit gave him.

Pippin piped up "Who is he?"

"What is he would be better." Merry interjected.

Unsure himself, Frodo turned to repeat the questions to Harry, who responded with a shake of his head and the mental equivalent of a shrug.

"You don't have a name?"

Another mental shrug, after all, he had never had the chance to name his grim form.

"Well, that's not going to work." Pippin began when Frodo relayed the response, apparently satisfied that Harry wasn't going to jump over and eat him "Everyone needs a name."

"Maybe we can come up with something." Frodo offered, and Harry dipped his head in assent, faintly bemused at the sudden acceptance from most of the small group. Seemed like they had no idea about his inherently dark nature, which would work in his favor. He certainly held no ill intentions toward them, and the lack of knowledge wouldn't hurt them.

"Wait, when did we suddenly start including this creature in our group?" Sam burst out, before falling silent as Frodo's gaze rested on him.

"He's coming with us." The hobbit stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

This earned him four astonished stares. Pippin and Merry accepted it rather quickly, recovering first with twin shrugs; Harry was probably next; surprise, followed by faintly amused acceptance seeping through his bond with Frodo.

It was not so for Sam, who was still surly even ten minutes later, as Frodo was gently binding Harry's ribs and various other wounds from some scraps of cloth and bandages he had in his pack.

"How do you know he's not just going to attack us and run off?" he hobbit muttered to Frodo, voice low, but the grim in front of them heard each word, finding himself curious as to the little hobbit's reasoning as well. He was relatively sure that the four wouldn't be able to do much if they attacked him, but they couldn't be so confident. They didn't act like soldiers.

"I just know," Frodo replied "Trust me, Sam; it's like the ring."

Harry blocked his confusion from passing through the bond, barely restraining a snort as the other hobbit apparently understood and quieted. He needed to find out about this 'ring'.

Twenty minutes later they started off again, Harry limping along off to the side. Sam was still grumpy, but seemed to have resigned himself to the presence of the grim, which was good; the glares he had been receiving from the hobbit were starting to get old.

The hobbits seemed unused to so much walking, and so set a pace that seemed almost excruciatingly slow to the ex-savior, though at least it gave him a chance to think things over. Frodo seemed to like him for whatever reason, and he could see himself hanging around the perceptive halfling. His only friends had been left back in the wizarding world, and while he had gotten used to hatred directed at him, he wasn't willing to become a complete recluse.

On top of that, he had no idea where he was, so it would be a good idea to stay with the hobbits. Besides, he was enjoying the relatively unbiased judgements.

His path decided, and newly bandaged wounds feeling much better he kept pace with the small group, staring about at their surroundings even as the sky darkened with the onset of night. He almost outpaced the group when they paused while crossing through a small clearing. Apparently they had decided to stop for the night. Perhaps that was for the better, as rest would no doubt help his wounds heal faster.

As the hobbits settled down he sat towards the edge of the trees, watching as one by one they dropped off into sleep, curled up under various cloaks or blankets- without leaving a watch. Harry shook his head with a huff. Judging by the incident earlier they were being hunted, or at the very least the woods were dangerous. Their actions further cemented the idea that his four companions weren't soldiers of any kind.

It was no matter though, as he was quite sure he would wake if anything attempted to enter the clearing while they rested. Generally a light sleeper in this form, he settled down with fewer worries, resting his head on his paws to close his eyes.

Review?

Spanish seemed to work so~ Por favor? :3