Hey y'all! I wanted to take this Author's Note to apologize. It seems that in my summary I offended people by unintentionally implying that everyone who does not like to read slash fics are homophobic. This isn't right and I've already corrected myself in the summary and I want to apologize to those whom I have offended. I hope you will forgive my blunder.

With this aside, let's get on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter!

Chapter Two: New Adventure

21 years later

Harry lounged lazily beside Frodo beneath one of the many towering trees that lined the main road into the Shire. The young Hobbit was pretending to read much to Harry's amusement, but it was obvious he was far too excited to focus considering he hadn't turned a page in quite some time.

Why don't you just give up the pretense, Frodo? Harry asked mentally, making the Hobbit jump and turn a mock glare onto the lounging Griffin beside him.

"Why don't you spend more time as a Man before you become even more of an animal?" Frodo said in rebuttal.

With a bird-like chuckle Harry stood and stretched out, taking his time just to irritate the young Hobbit that had quickly become one of his best friends since he first arrived in the Shire. When he was satisfied – both with his stretch and Frodo's irritation – he slowly transformed back into his human form. He had changed since he first arrived in Middle Earth with his honorary Uncle.

His ebony hair was pulled into a low tail at the nape of his neck, auburn streaks flashing beneath the sun, and his clothes no longer caused him to stand out like a sore thumb. He wore a sturdy, weathered pair of leather breeches with a faded forest green tunic with the sword of Gryffindor resting at his waist, the rubies at the hilt glittering richly beneath the sun's rays. His feet were covered in knee-high, well-worn boots that molded to his feet and didn't make a sound on the forest floor. The only two things he had kept from his past life besides his swords were his wand and his Invisibility Cloak.

"Better?" he asked, eyes twinkling with his poorly hidden amusement.

Frodo merely rolled his eyes, unable to hide the grin that slipped onto his lips. Before he could respond the two heard a familiar voice singing a tune in the distance making them exchange grins and sprint off in the direction of the familiar song.

"The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can," they approached the edge of the road to see Gandalf's cart and the old man in the front directing the horse with his large pointed hat and staff close by.

Quickly composing themselves, Frodo spoke first interrupting the old Istari before he could continue the familiar tune, "You're late," he said regally.

Harry soon joined in, crossing his arms and standing imposingly beside his Hobbit friend, while his gaze belied all of this with a bright twinkle, "And don't feed us that hogwash about 'a wizard arriving precisely when you mean to' and 'a wizard never being late' because you managed to chew into Remus and I quite often when we didn't come immediately when summoned."

Gandalf gaped speechless at the two while managing to put on an affronted air before they all broke out into joyous laughter, Frodo launching himself across the small gap from the ridge they stood on and the old wizard's cart and into Gandalf's arms while Harry leapt gracefully across the gap and into the open seat beside the wizard. The young man grabbed the reins before the wizard could blink, arms still full of a laughing Frodo, and clucked the horse along the road towards the Shire.

"Is Remus with you, dear boy?" Gandalf asked, not at all ruffled to have Harry leading his horse while he assisted Frodo onto the seat on the opposite side of the young wizard, "I must say I've missed seeing you both."

Harry chuckled, casting a sly glance towards Gandalf out of the corner of his eye, "Really?" he drew out the syllables of the word playfully, "Because as I recall you chased us both out of camp and told us not to return while throwing our packs at us the last we traveled together," he said, winking at a giggling Frodo behind the aged Istari's back.

Gandalf gave a snort, "Yes – well, that would be because you both decided it would be ingenious to fill my sleeping roll with snakes," he said, tugging his beard slightly in amused irritation.

Frodo had to cough to cover his laughter, long used to Harry and Remus's pranks having lived with them every time the two came to visit. Bilbo had thought them quite fun, and had even offered a hand or two on a few – mainly the ones that included the Sackville-Baggins' and Lobelia even more so. Frodo himself had pulled Sam in to help the two a time or two. But no one was as excited to help as Merry and Pippin, the two practically worshipped the ground Remus and Harry walked on and tried to emulate them when they were gone.

"Why snakes, 'Ry?" Frodo asked after he had managed to control his laughter.

Harry chuckled, expertly maneuvering the horse and cart through the small town of the Shire, grinning slyly towards the disapproving glares and nodding kindly to the excited greetings, "Let's just say I have a way with serpents," Harry said, winking and tapping the side of his nose at the exasperated Hobbit.

Gandalf snorted and offered a weak glare towards the younger wizard, "Or a particularly elderly Hobbit managed to let it slip that I don't much enjoy snakes of any kind," the elder said, hiding an amused smirk in his beard.

Harry chuckled agreeably, "Or that," he said.

They spent the rest of the time on the way to Bag End catching up and laughing at the pranks that Harry regaled them with. When they reached their destination, Harry and Frodo left Gandalf to catch up with Bilbo as they ran off to help with last minute party decorations. They found Remus holding up Merry on his shoulders while Pippin sat on his shoulders, straining to hook the end of a streamer on a high branch while Sam stood below directing them.

Harry raised a brow and nearly burst into laughter before raising his hand and flicking his wrist, his magic flowed out easily and gently took the streamer from Pippin's smaller hands and wrapping itself around the very branch the Hobbit tween was straining for. With a startled yell, the two Hobbits jolted upsetting their balance and causing them to fall backwards and upsetting Remus's balance as well. With a loud shout the three fell into a heap on the ground to the sound of Harry and Frodo's laughter.

"Laugh it up, brat," Remus said, rubbing his back and glaring playfully at his honorary nephew while gently shoving Pippin and Merry off of his stomach, "You'll get yours."

Harry didn't even try to attempt to look scared at the former Marauder's threat, "What I want to know is why you didn't use magic in the first place?" he asked, rolling his eyes and striding forward to offer Remus a hand up.

The man paused in reaching for the younger man's hand, face blank until a sheepish smile replaced the blank stare, "I forgot," he said as Harry grabbed his hand and pulled him onto his feet.

Remus had changed quite a bit as well. Unlike Harry, he kept his honey hued hair short, the ends of his windswept hair stopping just at his stubbled chin. He was busy brushing off similarly worn leather breeches before straightening a cyan blue tunic and adjusting the jeweled sword at his waist. The canary diamonds glinting in the late afternoon sun.

Harry gave an incredulous stare, "How did you forget that Mr. Pureblood?" he asked in a mocking tone.

Remus raised an amused brow and pulled Harry under an arm to start ruffling his hair and messing up his once smooth tail, "And how did you forget to respect your elders, brat?" he asked back, equally mocking.

Harry elbowed the older man in the ribs unrepentantly, giving a scowl as he tried to smooth his ratted hair, "What elders?" he asked, looking around dramatically, "I only see four Hobbits and a childish wizard," he said, before laughing almost maniacally as he ran from the shouting Remus.

Frodo rolled his eyes in fondness as he and the other three raced after the shouting and playful Men that had quickly become their best friends and joined their already massive family. Any thoughts of Bilbo's odd behavior the past few days pushed to the back of his mind as he focused upon the limited time he would have to spend with the two Men before they set out once more on the road.

17 years later

Harry leaned against one of the many sturdy trunks of the oak trees that bordered the clearing Remus and he made camp. They could have continued on and made it past Bree before having to settle into a camp, but both had noticed Frodo's odd behavior at his fiftieth birthday the day before and decided it would be a better idea to stay nearby in case the young Hobbit needed them. Originally they thought it might have just been the Hobbit remembering his elderly Uncle's sudden disappearance from their shared birthday party seventeen years ago, but they quickly dismissed this when they discovered that the Hobbit was making preparations to leave the Shire soon.

"Do you really think Frodo is going to come this way?" Remus's voice brought Harry out of his thoughts causing the Man to glance up and see his honorary Uncle sitting calmly beside their fire and skinning a couple of rabbits for their meal.

Harry sighed, turning his gaze back to the forest surrounding them, "With how secretive he was about leaving?" he said, eyes far away, "Then yes. If he was just going on an adventure like Bilbo did all those years ago when he reached fifty, then Frodo could have easily asked to come with us rather than hide the very fact that he was leaving in the first place. This tells me that something happened in five months we've been away that made Frodo feel like he needed to keep his planned travels a secret, so it stands to reason that if he's being so secretive about his departure then he'll leave the Shire this way rather than taking the main roads towards Bree."

The man turned back towards Remus only to see the man staring at him with a peculiar look on his face, "What?" he asked, a bit self-conscious.

Remus snorted in amusement and shook his head fondly, "You scare me sometimes, cub," the former werewolf said, obviously teasing the younger Man, "I forget sometimes that you managed to foil Voldemort's plans since you were eleven."

Tilting his head in confusion, not understanding what Remus was telling him and merely rolled his eyes, "Getting senile on me, old man?" he asked teasingly, though he knew Remus had been reduced to the same age as he was by Fate when they had been transported to Middle Earth – another parting gift from the being.

Remus flicked a pebble at Harry's head that the man caught easily enough with his Seeker reflexes, "Tch, come get your rabbit Bambi before I eat your portion," he said in an equally teasing tone.

"What have I told you about calling me that?" the man said with little to no heat in his tone as he pushed himself from his position amongst the oak's roots to go and join Remus beside the fire.

"I wouldn't know, from what you're telling me I'm getting senile," Remus said, a victorious smile while he handed Harry one of the rabbits to cook to his liking and eat.

Harry snorted and took the rabbit and began to cook it over the fire, "Prat," he said, but he was smiling fondly across the fire to the Man.

Remus grinned unrepentantly and winked, "Brat," he said in reply, before he turned back towards his rabbit.

The two sat in a companionable silence as they cooked their meal and set about eating it when it met their satisfaction. As they ate they shared remembered stories of their time back in England and Hogwarts like they usually did at this time. While they had come to call Middle Earth home they still strove to remember their first home and the people they had come to love and lose there as well, so they re-told stories at every meal time in memory of both their fallen home and friends.

"I remember that one of the things your father and Sirius had to discover their Animagus forms so they could train for it was to drink this disgusting potion. Well the potion had a bad effect of giving the drinker horribly bad breath with no way to get rid of it so they stopped speaking for a month until the after-smell wore off. McGonagall obviously became suspicious after the first day of nothing obnoxious falling from either of their mouths and the excuse of losing their voice only lasted a night," Remus said, chuckling as he stared into the fire as he remembered everything, absentmindedly eating strips of cooked rabbit while Harry listened with rapt attention, "The excuses they resorted to were utterly ridiculous," by now Remus was laughing fondly.

Harry knew what came next but asked anyway, "What were some of the excuses?" he asked, grinning widely.

Remus snorted, "At first James tried but your father was a piss poor excuse maker – it was usually Sirius or I who talked us out of a situation – so Sirius took over and started spouting shit about keeping his silence as long as people were oppressed in other countries," the Man said between his laughs.

Harry laughed along, knowing along with Remus that Sirius – while loyal as his Animagus form – didn't care about anyone outside of those he was loyal to.

After laughing for a bit longer, Harry finally opened his mouth to share his own amusing story about his time camping out with the rest of his friends only to be interrupted by the sound of someone crashing through branches and underbrush loudly. In an instant both Men were on their feet, swords in their hands and running towards the road that was nearby.

They stopped on the edge, swords raised and senses hyperaware to sense any movement as the crashing grew louder and louder before four bodies fell over the ridge nearby and landed in a piled heap in the center of the road. The moment the dust cleared, Harry and Remus could easily make out the tangled forms before them and were quite shocked by what they discovered. Frodo managed to wriggle out from beneath Sam, Merry, and Pippin who were scrambling towards some mushrooms growing on the side of the road. They watched as Frodo seemed to freeze when his eyes landed on the road and listened as he shouted for them to leave the road in a panicked tone.

It was the sound of pounding hooves headed towards them and the disgusting dark aura that was growing closer and closer that kicked Harry and Remus into action. They quickly jumped from their hiding place among the trees and pulled the Hobbits into the tree line before shoving them into an overhang formed by the gnarled and tangled roots of an old oak on the edge of the road. Silencing them with a silent flare of magic, Remus transformed into his wolf form while Harry gathered the Hobbits close to him and cast a large disillusionment charm over them along with a silencer and also cancelling their scent just in case this mysterious rider had heightened senses.

He listened closely as Remus climbed back to the road and shuffled about, probably pretending to search for a scent trail, until the hooves grew loud and then stopped above them while he heard Remus shoot off back towards their camp in supposed fright. As he listened, he clutched the four Hobbits closer to him while they clutched at his tunic and arms in fright. They listened as the rider dismounted the horse, shuffling about above them.

Turning his head, Harry managed to find a space between the ground the root large enough for him to get a view of the rider that stood above them. A large Man-shaped form covered in a dark cloak that not only shadowed his face, but seemed to cover his entire body in shadow. Hissing in disgust Harry could practically taste the darkness that was entwined in this monster's very soul while the Rider dropped into a crouch directly above them and leaned over the root while inhaling deeply as if searching for a scent.

Bile was steadily rising in Harry's throat because of the continuous exposure to the thing's vile aura while the Hobbits burrowed into him and tried to cover their labored breaths. Suddenly there was a snapping of a twig and the sound of rustling underbrush off to their left and seemed to catch the rider's attention. The rider stood abruptly and strode over to his demonic horse, mounting and riding off towards the source of the noise.

The moment the rider left their sight, Remus appeared and Harry dropped his spells while pushing the Hobbit's toward the other Man. As he stood, Harry noticed that Remus was carrying their sacks from their campsite and was glad that the Man had had the forethought because Harry had completely forgotten all about their camp being so focused on getting their Hobbit friends to safety.

"Let's go," he ordered, setting off at a sprint while the others kept up easily – even the Hobbits with their shorter strides kept pace due to all their practice in keeping up with Harry and Remus through the years.

They ran through the trees, jumping roots and dodging low hanging branches without rest until they finally ground to a halt. The four Hobbits leaning against nearby trees panting while Remus and Harry stretched their senses to insure they hadn't been followed, barely out of breath – hunting for Horcruxes and running from place to place to avoid detection and capture had trained them well for this moment it would seem.

"What is going on?" Pippin asked, turning to Frodo who was the oldest of the four of the Hobbits.

Merry added his own two cents, "That black rider was looking for something – or someone," here he turned accusing eyes to Frodo who flinched minutely, "Frodo?"

Before the eldest Hobbit could even open his mouth to attempt an answer, Harry shoved Frodo and Sam down so that they would not be seen from the clearing before them as Remus did the same with a hissed, "Get down."

They all crouched there for a few tense moments before Harry let loose a relieved sigh – it seemed the rider hadn't sighted them just yet. Quickly shaking of the tense silence he spoke in a low voice in case the rider was still within hearing distance, "Explanations can wait until we are somewhere more secure," he said, turning toward Frodo on his right expectantly.

The Hobbit couldn't hide the relieved grin that spread across his features, realizing what Harry wasn't saying aloud – Frodo wouldn't have just Sam accompanying him on this journey. Feeling a bit more courageous now that he knew Remus and Harry would be with him, Frodo nodded with a new determination, "I have to leave the Shire – Same and I must get to Bree," he said.

Merry didn't even question Frodo, merely nodding his head with an equally determine look in his face, "Right, Buckleberry Ferry," he said, standing to take the lead of the group to lead them towards the edge of his home.

Harry and Remus shared a fond glance, admiring the little beings fierce loyalty to each other – it reminded Harry so much of a flame haired youth who used to follow him into every adventure with the same unwavering determination and trust.

They quickly made their way towards the Ferry, the two Men straining their senses in hopes that they would go undiscovered by the rider for a bit longer. When they reached the dock, as if their apprehension summoned him, the rider appeared behind them setting them sprinting towards the docks with Merry and Pippin in the lead, Sam close behind with Frodo right in front of Remus and Harry who brought up the rear.

Pippin shouted for Sam to get the rope that kept the Ferry tied to the dock while he and Merry tried to push it off, Remus running past Harry to join the youngest Hobbits of their group in trying to get the ferry pushed off. That's when Harry noticed that Frodo had lagged behind causing him to freeze and spin in time to see the Hobbit panting desperately while hobbling to reach the end of the dock, the rider nearly on his heels. With a protective snarl, Harry sprinted towards the tiring Hobbit, curving so he ran between Frodo and the Rider and scooped the Hobbit into his arms. With Frodo securely clutched to his chest, Harry pushed himself to his limits of speed with Remus and the other three's shouts of encouragements and fear in the background.

He could hear the huffing of the horse behind him, and swore he felt the heated breath on the back of his neck. Thankfully, he had reached the edge of the dock, and – with a mighty leap – made it safely onto the ferry, rolling to lessen his momentum. Lying on his back, with Frodo still clutched tightly to his chest, Harry tilted his head back in time to watch the rider's horse rear on the edge of the deck and hear a blood chilling shriek before the monster rode off – other riders joined him soon after his horse's hooves left the dock.

Groaning in relief, Harry let his neck relax as well as his grip on the Hobbit still shaking on top of him to stare unseeingly up at the starry sky and panting tiredly. He felt Frodo shift on his chest and expected the Hobbit to climb off of him only to get a shock when the man wrapped short arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. When he felt the warm tears steadily wetting his tunic, Harry understood and quickly wrapped his arms around Frodo once again with a more soothing hold this time rather than one of desperation and fear.

Remus soon joined them, rubbing soothing circles on the still trembling Hobbit's back and Pippin, Merry, and Sam were quick to follow the Man. They all huddled around Harry's reclined position, nuzzling into the Men for comfort and reassurance after such a fearful evening.

Minutes passed as they floated sedately down the river, before any of them moved. Merry stood to begin steering the ferry and Sam began going through his pack to insure they hadn't dropped anything on their desperate sprint through the forests. Neither Pippin nor Frodo moved from the Men's embrace, though Harry sat up by now.

"How far until the nearest crossing?" Frodo asked, voice strained and quiet causing Harry to tighten his grip a bit on his friend.

Merry spoke up in an equally quiet voice, "The Brandywine Bridge in twenty miles," he said, pushing the ferry further along with a long pole he grabbed from its resting spot.

Rather than have them all suffer through a strained and extremely apprehensive silence, Remus turned towards the wilted Hobbit currently sitting in his nephew's lap while adjusting Pippin in his own lap to make sure that the tween was comfortable, "What is going on Frodo?" he asked, tone gentle.

Harry was the only one who noticed Frodo's flinch and began rubbing gentle runes along the back of the Hobbit's hand senselessly. This seemed to soothe him, because soon the whole story came pouring out of him: Bilbo leaving him Bag End, the odd ring he found, Gandalf's sudden arrival, learning he possessed the One Ring, his determination to leave the Shire, Gandalf's odd behavior upon his and Sam's departure, and their plans to meet up at the Prancing Pony in Bree.

They all sat in silence, listening with rapt attention to the Hobbit's story until the end when Harry promptly spoke up, "Damn meddling, old coots and their obsession with setting young men on impossible adventures," the Man continued to grumble while the others snickered and chuckled at his antics.

Soon they were all a bit more relaxed, and Harry hid a smirk of triumph before starting them all on a discussion of possible routes to Bree from the Brandywine Bridge that would keep them ahead of the rider and out of its reach. By the time they reached the Bridge, they had a plan and set out on their path with determined steps.

As they ran, it began to rain heavily and the Hobbits pulled up the hoods of their cloaks while Remus and Harry transformed into timber wolves – Remus's pelt was a sheen honey color while Harry's was a dark, sleek charcoal color.

They had decided it would look far too odd for the Hobbits to be traveling with Harry and Remus, especially into Bree because the inhabitants knew the two Men well enough to know that they never entered villages or towns this late at night and that they never stayed overnight, preferring instead to camp out in the forests. So they agreed the two Men should transform – Remus into his only Animagus form and Harry into his secondary Animagus form that just happened to be the same as Remus's.

When they finally reached their destination the Hobbits' cloaks were splattered with mud and soaked while Remus and Harry's pelts were dripping with water and darker as a result. Making their way cautiously towards the closed gates, Frodo was the one to knock before stepping back to huddle closer to the others – Harry and Remus wrapped themselves around the huddled Hobbits protectively while sending out pulses of magic to sense if someone was approaching them from behind.

A small door opened and Man looked out searching through the rain, but because it was at a Man's height he saw nothing. He closed it and a few seconds later another small cubby opened on the Hobbit's level showing a weathered old face beneath a large hood lit up by the wavering light of the lantern.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice was old and high pitched making his gruff tone even more disturbing and abrupt.

Harry watched in slight amusement as Frodo drew himself to his full height and tilted his chin regally before replying, "We're heading for the Prancing Pony," his voice was still a bit shaky despite his attempts at calm.

The man opened the gate and stepped forward to block their entrance, lifting the lantern up to get a better look at the four figures before him, "Hobbits – four Hobbits!," he said in obvious shock, "What business brings you to Bree?" he asked, looking at them with slight suspicion.

Thankfully, Harry and Remus had slinked back so that the shadows cast by the lantern covered their presence – otherwise the Man might have been a bit more fearful and cautious than he already was.

"We wish to stay at an inn," Frodo said, voice a bit steadier and with a hint of steel to his tone that brought Harry pride, "Our business is out own."

The Man lifted a placating hand while stepping out of the Hobbits' way, "Alright, young sir, I meant no offense. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk abroad – can't be too careful," he said, lowering his lantern just in time for Remus and Harry to slip through the gate unnoticed in the shadows of their Hobbit friends.

The group left the gate quickly – all of them fighting the urge to sprint down the streets – dodging this way and that along the street to avoid bumping into any of the Men rushing down the main road. Sam spotted the creaking sign swinging under the onslaught of wind and rain announcing the building it was attached to as "The Prancing Pony" causing cries of relief and delight among their odd group as they quickly made their way inside to get out of the torrential rain.

I hope this continues to please my readers and that I've improved. Feedback is welcome and I hope to hear your opinions! Thank you for reading – it's very encouraging.

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