The Adventures of Ronald Weasley

by StrangePointOfView

Hello. My name's Ronald B. Weasley. If you're reading this, then I'm dead. And I may as well tell you how I got here. It's going to be a grand epic saga, which is why I won't tell you what the B. in my name stands for.

3. Ron vs Elves

After we got to the bottom of the mountain, we stopped to wash up a bit.

There was a beautiful fountain down there. Everything that the waters reflected, looked even more beautiful than they were in reality. All of our scratches, all the grime on our clothes, everything look like it was meant to be there. Everything looked calm, and even when Strider dipped his cup into the water to clean everybody's wounds, there wasn't so much as a ripple.

It occurred to me, that the wizards in this place must have far more powerful and ancient spells than anything you could learn in Hogwarts. I doubt even Dumbledore could have gone toe-to-toe with that Balrog, and this pool was like something out of a legend.

I had to walk away for a while, to catch my breath.

… And also to clean my pants.

I was exhausted. I've never run so far in my life. And since it was sunset when we arrived at the Ministry, and somewhere in the afternoon now that I got out of Moria… I guess I was probably running all through the night. I really needed a rest.

When I got back, Strider was sounding the all clear to march again. He had me walk up next to him. As we walked into the forest, Legolas came and whispered to me; "While we are in the forest Lothlorien, do not mention your 'house elves' to the elves inside."

I looked at Strider, and he thoughtfully nodded. And then he dropped the stinkbomb; "Ages ago, orcs were once elves."

If I had been drinking anything at the moment, I would have spat it up in surprise. Looking at Legolas, I couldn't see anything about him that looked like an orc.

"In the first of the ancient wars, several elves were taken by The Enemy." Strider explained. "He tortured them, and twisted them. He broke them. He could not create life, so he twisted the life that already existed into a mockery and perversion. They had no more will of their own, living only to serve their cruel master."

He gave me a look that I swear was channeling a bit of Hermione. "Does that tale sound familiar?"

"Ah…" I chuckled nervously until he let up his own unique brand of the classic 'and why exactly do you need me to do your homework for you this time Ronald?' glare. "Honestly, House Elves really just love to work. We don't… twist them or anything. I'm even friends with a House Elf, Dobby. He wasn't happy with his master, so Harry freed him, but I've never met any other elf that wanted to take us up on our offer of freedom…" The glare returned. "Right, I'll just not talk about it."

"And don't look the Queen in the eyes." Said Gimli, coming out of nowhere.

Legolas rolled his eyes and stepped back to watch the way behind us, while Gimli and the hobbits moved closer to me and Strider. "What happens if you look her in the eyes?" Pippin asked.

"They say that she is a witch." Gimli explained, in the same tone my big brothers used to tell scary stories when I was a kid. "They say all who look upon her fall under her spell, and are lost in the woods; and are never seen again."

"Maybe if we're kind and respectful, she won't imperio us?" I asked.

GImli scoffed. "Well regardless, here's one dwarf she won't catch so easily! I've the eyes of a hawk, and the ears of a fox!"

And then there were arrows everywhere.

I don't know how it happened. It's like they had invisibility cloaks; one second we were alone, and then arrows.

Arrows literally everywhere.

We were surrounded by elves. Not House Elves mind, actual deadly Legolas style elves. As many of them as there were Death Eaters in the ministry.

I almost reached into my robes to get my wand, but the arrow that twitched closer to my face convinced me otherwise.

One of the elves approached Strider. He was taller, and his uniform had more red decoration. "The dwarf breathed so loud we could have shot him in the dark." He said, smirking at Gimli.

That was actually pretty funny. I couldn't appreciate it at the time, because there were arrows in my face, but it was good comedic timing.

Strider and the leader talked in some strange language for a while, and then the other elves put away their bows. Strider and the boss talked for a while, and then Legolas stepped in. Boromir and Gimli wer looking antsy, but other than the fact we were surrounded by serious looking elves, it looked like negotiations were going okay.

The leader introduced himself as Haldir, and told us all to follow him. He led us through the forest almost at random. There was no path, and he seemed to change directions every once in a while.

Soon, we were led to a river. Night was falling. The leader called one elf, Orophin, a large and strong looking fellow with a burn mark on his hand, to lead a party against orcs that were coming down from the mountains.

We crossed the river on a sort of contraption made only out of rope. Then Haldir looked over the fellowship and said; "You may all be granted access into Lothlorien. However, as was agreed, the dwarf must be blindfolded."

"What!?" Gimli roared. Haldir looked as impassive as ever. "I made no such agreement!"

"What did he do?" I asked. "Was it his comment about your queen being an evil witch? I don't think he meant it, he was just trying to scare the kid– the hobbits." I mouthed a sorry at my irritated miniature companions. It was difficult to not think of them as kids. No facial hair, soft features, playful when not in mortal peril… if it weren't for the hairy feet they'd be typical first years.

Haldir shook his head. "We do not usually let Dwarves into our borders at all." He explained. "We have not had dealings with them since the dark days of old. We are making an exception on the word of Aragorn, and the honor of The Fellowship, but we must still blindfold him."

Part of me wanted to ask who Aragorn was. Part of me wanted to ask if he was serious. But most of me wanted to hex him right then and there, because with his long pale hair and the look on his face when he talked about dwarves, he looked far too much like Lucius Malfoy talking about muggle borns for my liking.

"Why?" I asked, angrily. "Why don't you let dwarves in your forest?"

Haldir shrugged. "I am not the master of the law, and I cannot set it aside."

Gimli huffed, and rested his hand on his axe. "Then I suppose I'll just have to go around your forest, and meet my friends on the other side."

"You cannot." Haldir was glaring now. "Now that you have passed our threshold, you must meet the Lady Galadriel. And you cannot go back; there are secret sentinels guarding the forest. Without my authority protecting you, you would be dead before you even saw them."

Gimli drew his axe.

The elves knocked their arrows.

And I cast a shield spell.

The other elves stared at my shield, and Gimli and I glowered at them from behind it. "It looks like a stalemate then." I said, while my heartbeat thundered in my ears. This was probably not the smartest thing I could have done, but give me a break, I was tired and Haldir was doing his damned Malfoy impression.

The arrows were all pointed at me now. But… it's kind of hard to be frightened when you're a Griffindor and you're behind a shield.

"Enough." Strider said, standing between us. "We cannot disobey the customs of Lorien. However, as long as I lead the Fellowship, we are all equal. We will all be blindfolded."

There was a tense moment, before Haldir gestured and the other elves lowered their bows. "That is acceptable… but Aragorn, Legolas, you are our kinsfolk, and have seen Lorien before."

"That's not the point!" I snapped. Haldir actually seemed startled, and the elves raised their arrows again. I didn't particularly care. "The point is you're treating one of our friends like dirt, just because he's a different species!" And Gimli was my friend. They all were, even though I only knew them for at most a couple of days. Maybe it was just the exhaustion talking, but I meant what I thought then.

"I hate bigots!" I said, trying and probably failing to pull off the tone of voice mom uses. "You think you're more trustworthy just because you have… pointy ears and… a feminine face… and Gimli has to be blindfolded just because he's a little small? What have dwarves ever done to you?"

Haldir hesitated.

"You're blindfolded too." I said, pointing at Haldir. "Or I'm not coming either!"

Gimli laughed beside me, and I could hear every elf in the vicinity venting their outrage.

Even our own elf! "Oh, the stubbornness of dwarves!" Legolas lamented.

"And wizards." I snapped. "I'm being stubborn too! No need to pick on Gimli. Is it the beard? Do you guys have some sort of issue with shaving?"

Strider started fast-talking the elves, and I could tell Haldir was getting increasingly frustrated. He was definitely up for blindfolding me, and he claimed I couldn't be trusted, as humans could only possess magic if they were necromancers and apparently this was a bad thing, but Aragorn seemed to think that not only could I be trusted but it was worth blindfolding Haldir just because they wanted to get the meeting with Galadriel over soon so the Hobbits could rest. Haldir retorted that he was not going to blindfold himself, and Strider pointed out he was going to blindfold the dwarf, and wouldn't a mass blindfolding be fair? Haldir questioned Strider's thinking, and I lost track of the conversation for a while there, but I think Strider managed to finally pin Haldir down by repeating that Haldir was 'not the master of the law, and cannot set it aside'.

"Oh, the stubbornness of man!" He cried, relinquishing the fight to Strider, who… glared at me.

Mate, you've never met my mother.

Anyway, we were all blindfolded. We were allowed to see again when we were at the base of a huge tree. The tree had stairs. Apparently, elves lived in trees. I wonder if their trees attack? Why would they live in normal trees? Yeah, their trees were probably like, whomping willows or something. Otherwise why on earth would anybody make a place with so many stairs.

We were led up to the top, by an angry but composed Haldir.

Galadriel, and Cereborn waited at the top. The King and Queen of Lothlorien. But while Cereborn looked every bit the king, somehow he wasn't the one that drew my attention.

It was Galadriel that really looked like she ran the place. She had that slight smile Hermione had on her lips any time she was just about to figure out what was in the Chamber of Secrets or how a nosy reporter kept getting scoops on us. Celeborn gave off an air like Professor McGonaggel. Galadriel gave off the air of a Weasley Twin. She was definitely the more in control.

"Nine of you there are." Celeborn said. "But not the nine that came from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him."

I… floundered a bit. We all did. It was Strider who stepped forward, but even he couldn't seem to get the words out of his mouth.

"He is… dead." Said Galadriel. She didn't sound surprised, just a bit sad and slightly disbelieving.

"He fell." Strider managed to say.

Galadriel looked at all of us, like Fred or George used to look at the Goblet of Fire; evaluating, planning, trying to figure out the best way to solve the riddle, and trying to be inconspicuous about it.

"The Fellowship is on the Edge of a knife." She said, turning her gaze on all of us. "Stray but a little, and you will fail to the ruin of all... yet hope remains while the Fellowship is true."

The Fellowship had mixed reactions as her gaze fell on each of us in turn. Only Strider, Legolas, and Sam didn't flinch. Gimli – it was hard to tell under his beard, but I think he blushed. Merry and Pippin just looked at their feet, while Boromir and Frodo looked frightened.

And then she looked at me.

She was still talking, but I didn't hear her. I think she was inside my mind. I had a vision, then.

Harry was there, whole and well. Frodo was there too, holding the ring.

And I could save Harry, if only I had that ring.

It was a terrible choice, and all the more so for how easy it was.

I had to look away in shame, when Galadriel lifted her spell from me. She was disappointed, and I heard her in my head reassuring me that, no, the ring couldn't get Harry back. But she was not too angry at me for where my loyalties went, and she appreciated that making the choice had hurt me.

I told her to get out of my head. But I'm not sure whether she even heard me.

I still wasn't paying attention to what she was saying outside of my head, but it must have been an order to get us somewhere to sleep, because Haldir began escorting us back down the tree. I don't know why we couldn't avoid the long walk down and sleep in the tree. Maybe they just wanted to make us more tired.

It was already dark, but I didn't feel ready for sleep after that. Apparently, none of the rest did either. I settled myself down next to Gimli and Merry as Strider, Boromir, and Legolas paced.

A song went up among the trees. I don't have the proper words to describe it hear, but if the elves in Hogwarts could sing like this, nobody would ask them to do chores.

"It's a lament for Gandalf." Legolas said.

"What do they say about him?" Merry asked.

Legolas had tears in his eyes. "I do not have the heart to say, for the pain is still near." He explained.

"They should mention his fireworks." Pippin said. "They say that you could see Gandalf's fireworks all the way from Bree. They were magnificent. It'd be a shame if they weren't remembered with him."

"Perhaps they will add a verse." Legolas said. I think that cheered him up a bit.

Boromir and Strider went off to do their own thing, and the rest of us settled under the canopies for a good night's sleep. I had a rougher time than I should have. I've never slept on the ground before.

Until the Queen woke us up.

Despite what Frodo thinks, I think it was intentional. I didn't hear her as she walked, but we both woke up as she walked by, making sure to walk VERY SLOWLY so the pair of us could follow, and definitely not turning around at our fumbling attempts at staying quiet.

Very subtle Galadriel.

Anyway, yeah we followed her to this grotto. Apparently, elves can only live on the trees or in their roots. This grotto had some sort of birdbath in the middle of it, and a waterfall trickling in a corner. Galadriel held a pitcher up to the waterfall. When it was full, she turned around (I knew she knew we were following her) and gestured for us to come closer as she filled the birdbath.

"Well met, Frodo of the Shire, and Ron the wizard child." She said. "Will you look into the mirror?"

"Mirror?" I asked.

She gestured to the birdbath.

"That's the mirror?"

She nodded.

"You know, usually mirrors are made of glass."

Galadriel looked down at her 'mirror' with a slightly amused expression, as if trying to compare it to glass mirrors. "Perhaps." She said. "But where glass mirrors are solid, reflecting only yourself, my mirror will reflect a great many things."

"If we look into the mirror…" Frodo asked, warily. "What will we see?"

A glow rose from the water, and I got the same feeling I had when Fred or George were about to spring a particularly cunning prank on me. "Even the wisest cannot tell." She said. "For the mirror shows many things...things that were... things that are...and some things that have not yet come to pass. Will you look?"

I took a hesitant step forward. Frodo followed. As we walked side by side, Galadriel stopped me with a gesture. "Let Frodo attend first." She said. "For on his shoulders lie the weight of all Middle Earth."

Frodo and I exchanged nervous glances. "My father has a saying." I said. "Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain."

But he nodded encouragingly at me, and stepped forward, looking into the birdbath.

He gasped almost immediately. "Gandalf!" He cried, and I fought the urge to stand next to him, and see what he saw. Then his face went dark, and brooding. After a few minutes, his eyes raced of the surface of the mirror and he began to make desperate noises like he was trying to pull away but couldn't.

Galadriel gestured. Frodo fell back, scared, as the water in the mirror steamed.

"I know what it is you saw..." She told him, striding forward, and picking up the basin. "For it is also in my mind. It is the future, Frodo. It is what will come to pass if you should fail."

After pouring out the boiling water, she set the basin back on the pedestal and refilled her pitcher. She poured new water into the mirror, and then gestured at me to look.

"Is it safe?" I asked.

"Perhaps." Galadriel said. "I know what is in your mind Ronald. I know that you are a good friend. You will help the Fellowship, if you can, on the path of your own quest. I know that more than one song was sung in the beginning of time. I do not know what you will see… only that, in the end, you must see it. For it is fate alone that must have brought you here."

More than one song…

Gandalf said that. I don't know what it means, but I knew that she probably wouldn't give me answers unless I did what she wanted. I still didn't trust the fountain… but I could trust Galadriel. I could see where she kept her brain; inside and on top of everybody else's.

I looked inside.

At first, it was just water. But then, light seemed to shine inside it, and as it grew brighter, there was a picture inside the light. By the time the light filled the mirror, I could see the picture, and I realized I couldn't look away.

There was Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was patting Hermione on the back, consolingly, as Neville and Ginny watched on, holding hands. It was… heart-wrenching. I could see them, but they couldn't see me. This was just a day after Harry and I went through the veil… or was it? Galadriel said that this mirror could show the future. I had no idea when this was happening, but it was happening.

"Fear not Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said, gently prying her off of him. "I have devised a plan, which may be able to send Harry some assistance."

"And if it doesn't work?" Ginny snapped.

Dumbledore looked at her sadly, and Neville's mouth turned into a thin line.

"If it doesn't work…" That was Hermione – good old Hermione – speaking through her sobs. "If it doesn't work then we'll do what we can." All of a sudden her eyes looked like Mad-eye Moody's good eye, and her voice went as icy as McGonaggel's when I'm late for class. "But he will come back, all three of them will. And when they do, hopefully we'll be halfway to making sure the only reason nobody says Voldemort's name is because they don't even remember him."

"Good job Hermione…" I whispered, but the scene in the mirror was already changing.

It changed to Sirius Black. He was pointing his wand at some guy. This guy… he dresses kind of like my dad dresses when he's trying to blend in with Muggles. Before Hermione corrects him. And he's… nonchalant. Sirius Black is pointing his wand at him, but he's just leaning against a giant blue box looking as arrogant as Draco Malfoy.

"Stupefy!" Sirius yelled… but nothing came out of his wand.

"I told you magic doesn't work in this dimension." The other guy said, in a slightly bored tone.

"Just give me a minute Doctor, alright!?" Sirius yelled. "It has to work! It has to! Wingardium Leviosa!"

The 'Doctor' looked at his watch. "Seriously." He muttered. "You're being thick-headed about this."

"I have to have my magic!" Sirius said, almost in tears. "I have to save Harry! I have to! L-lumos! Lumos!"

And then the image faded.

And I couldn't hold back my shock.

"Harry!"

Harry was sitting alone in a metal room. There was a mirror behind him, and a man dressed in muggle clothes standing in front of him. Harry was chained to the table.

"Listen kid." The guy said, and I dunno how, but he somehow made his voice swagger. "You're a minor, so this is us being nice to you. But the next guy who walks through this door is gonna be Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And he's not gonna buy that a Harry Potter cosplayer just happened to stumble into a top secret naval flagship."

Harry was just staring, a mixture of confusion, disbelief and rage. When Harry gets that look, bad things happen. "I… er… I don't even…" He said, stumbling with his words. "…what's a cosplayer?"

And then the reflection changed… it turned into an image of me! Except I was dressed in strange robes, with a pointy hat and… I had a staff?

I was kneeling in front of a guy who looked a lot like Dumbledore… except his hair was trimmed neater, with hints of grey. He wore a robe like Dumbledore's, all sort of flashing colors. But in his hand there was a long metal staff, and his voice was majestic and regal.

Next to him, was a man with a boyish face. As the image came into focus, he turned sharply and looked at me. He had the strangest eyes; one of them had a huge pupil, and the other looked like it was filled with some sort of liquid.

"I have already won, Arthurson." Saruman said, holding up a crystal fragment. "Now I know your true nature! I know the nature of the worlds, of the songs that were sung. Middle-Earth can have their way, but I will have mine. And you will help me."

The boyish man next to him giggled, and waved goodbye at me as the image changed.

The next picture was some sort of… car. It looked a lot like a bus, except it was yellow, not red or purple, and it didn't have a second floor. It was driving through what looked like the section of the Ministry that had the planets and stars in it.

Unless a bus was actually driving through the actual stars, but that was impossible.

And then, to my surprise, the image changed to me in a hut. There was an old guys, standing next to me and smiling as I read a book. That wasn't the surprising part.

My brother Charlie works with dragons. I helped my friend Hagrid hatch a dragon. I am well aware that dragons, no matter how small, are Dangerous. Yeah, I capitalized the D. Dangerous. A baby dragon can, easily, kill most eleven year olds.

I had a baby dragon curled around my shoulder.

I had no idea how I still had hair. I didn't even see a scorch mark, or a bite mark on my ear. And the dragon wasn't a type I'd seen before either. It looked like a Peruvian Vipertooth, but it was electric blue, and the wings were bigger.

Regardless, the image faded, and a new one took its place. I was running across a rooftop, alongside a boy who was shaven bald, and a girl with purple hair. Behind us, a giant with a wide sadistic smile on its face, reached out to grab us…

The image changed.

I was flying over a bridge. Without a broom! There was a muggle standing on top of the bridge… and I laughed an breathed fire at him!?

What…

The image changed again. I was walking down the street with a… beautiful girl. We both looked happy, and she was holding something up for me to see…

And then there was a face. It looked like an elf – long blonde hair, thin face, narrow looking eyes…

"I can't give you my help for free." He said with a chuckle. "I have a fairly elite client list, and I'm not sure you could take my price."

The next picture, a pair of girls – one of them the girl I was walking with earlier – were in front of a crowd, and their hands were held up. "Introducing, the new honorary member of House Hermes!" The guy holding their hands up cried. And the crowd in front of them cheered.

And then I was being pinned to the ground by somebody with pale, sparkling skin. He smiled, showing off some sharp teeth, before a giant wolf leaped out from the forest behind him, mauling the guy.

Then I was looking over the shoulder of some six-year old kid. He was wearing some sort of freaky metal arm brace, with cards on it. Not Exploding Snaps cards, these cards had pictures of monsters and warriors on them.

And then there was a man – he looked a lot like Snape, except his hair was brown and he was smiling. "All magic comes with a price." He explained in a breathy Scottish voice.

Then some guy wearing fancy clothes… he was old, and he had a beard, and he wore a crown. And shades. "Listen Ron." The guy said. "You want home? I can get you home. But you have to trust me."

And then the scene changed to me wearing… eh, more strange clothes that I've never seen before, following the motions of another guy as he did some sort of dance.

Then a buff blue guy exploded to be replaced with several buff blue guys.

Then I was dressed in… odd clothed. I've never seen clothed like that before. I still had the staff though. And I was on a ship of some kind? I had a sword, and I was facing some sort of half-fish monster that also had a sword.

And then – then the random images stopped and it settled on something impossibly important looking.

A lion, roaring at me through the mirror.

Beside me, I heard Galadriel gasp. She bowed low to the ground, and said something in Elvish.

"Ronald, son of Arthur, Son of Adam." The lion said, looking straight at me. "You are not alone."

It was… talking to me. Not talking to an image of me in the mirror, it was actually talking to me through the mirror.

"Know this." The lion said. "You can save Harry. But first, you must remain alive on your way to me. What you see in the mirror is not a future set in stone."

Which was weird. How could the future not be set in stone?

"You must not lose who you are." The lion said. "You must do your best to help those around you, even if it slows down your search for your friend. I will give you three words of warning. When you find the sign of the cat, follow the words written there. And while this journey is not for you alone, you must only accept those who treat Dobby with respect. And someone will ask you to trust them, in the name of Zeus. You must trust this person Ronald, no matter how much you don't want to."

"What…" I was having trouble with words. "What do you mean? I… what does Dobby have to do with anything? And a cat?"

"Safe travels son of Adam." The lion said, before the image of the lion disappeared.

I still couldn't take my eyes off of the mirror.

There was a short little man with fiery red hair. "Of course I can get rid of that pest… but there'll be a price." He chuckled.

Then a giant snake slithered through a forest. I could swear that it was a basilisk, it wasn't even looking at me, yet I felt petrified when I glanced at its eyes. And… I'm no parselmouth, but I could swear the snake said something…

"Asmodeus."

And then there was a creature in a hedge maze. This thing… it had the head of a donkey or something, with one goat horn and one antler. It had mismatched wings, a snake-like body, and a draconic tail. It had one lizard-like foot, and one horse-like hoof. It had one lion's paw, and one eagle's talon. And it's red-and-gold eyes reeked of a dangerous cunning.

Then I saw a little girl, wandering along a path. A monkey was perched on her shoulder… wearing boots for some reason.

There was a rustle in the bushes, and some slithering fox-like creature emerged. "Behind you…" I couldn't help but whisper.

The little girl stopped, and stared at me. "Do you see swiper?" She asked. She turned around, and the slithery animal advanced. "Repeat after me!" She cried. "Swiper, no swiping!"

The creature advanced. Suddenly, a girl in a black dress stepped up to it and swung a frying pan at its face, but the creature brushed her aside.

I ran into the picture. "Follow her lead!" I shouted at… myself? "I know it's weird, but trust me! Swiper no swiping!"

"Swiper no swiping." I muttered in time with the girl, and the creature slowed a little.

"Swiper no swiping!" The girl and I yelled, and this time, the creature grimaced and retreated.

"What's he doing?" I heard Frodo ask Galadriel.

But already the images were changing, faster than ever.

A giant white snake-dog flying through the air with me on its back.

A scarecrow, a metal statue, and a man in a lion costume blocking my way down a yellow brick road.

A boat flying through a sky, to the sound of a rooster's crow.

The head of a cat, which seemed to notice me, and turned to smile at me with more teeth than should be possible.

A war between muggle contraptions, in the sky, explosions…

A man with a helmet covering his face, and a dramatic cloak billowing behind him. "You don't understand!" He screamed. "This is all for the greater good! Yes, I lie! Yes, I wage war! War is the only option you fool! I am mankind's last hope against the Britannian Empire!"

And then I stood at the top of a castle tower. With a broad smile, I flung my arms wide and announced;

"You will always remember this, as the day you almost caught –"

And then, the sound of one of those muggle weapons… my chest seemed to explode… I toppled off the tower…

"That's enough." Galadriel said from beside me, calmly.

But the mirror wasn't finished with me.

"This isn't over…" Said a monster with goat-like horns and a billowing cloak behind it, reminding me far more of the Balrog than I would have liked.

"Enough." Galadriel said sternly.

A beautiful raven haired girl was staring at something, confused. Then her confusion turned to anger, pure rage contorting her face. "No you miscalculated!" She screamed, as lightning danced around her fingertips. "You should have feared me more!"

My hand were white, gripping the side of the mirror. The steam of the water was choking me.

"You will never defeat me Arnbereth!" The wizard from the first image was back, the one that looked like Dumbledore but with a deeper voice and grey hairs. "This is your final day! Your final hour! You stand with your courage like a badge, like a shield, your friends and allies fallen around you… who will protect you!? I AM SARUMAN! THIS! WAR! IS! WON!"

"ENOUGH!"

I stumbled back from the mirror. Galadriel looked at me, concerned, and then at the mirror.

"I have never known so many beings, who could feel my mirror's presence on them." She said, apologetically. "neither have I known any to stay at my mirror for so long as you have."

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted that thing." I muttered, as Frodo helped me up.

Galadriel looked at me solemnly, and then at her still steaming birdbath.

"Will you help us?" She asked.

"… What?" I asked.

She fixed me with an intense look. "The Fellowship is breaking. It has already begun." She looked at Frodo, who was looking pensive. "Gandalf has fallen. You have integrated yourself with the Fellowship, and you are a devoted and fierce friend. But when the time comes… will your previous friendship stand firm? Or will you give in… and betray the Fellowship?"

"Even then…" Galadriel frowned. "You are not Gandalf. Could you truly protect the ring, if pressed?"

She took a step forward, and I suddenly felt threatened. "If I took the ring… here and now, could you protect it from me?"

I took a step backwards, pulling Frodo with me.

"What would you do with the Ring?" Frodo asked. And then the idiot held the Ring out to her.

Galadriel was staring at it like Hermione would stare at a book she hadn't read. "I do not deny… my heart has greatly desired this." She whispered. "To be known throughout the land, as the lady who spelled the end of the Dark Lord. For yes I would use the ring to destroy Sauron, if I had it."

And then with a flash of light, Galadriel changed. She was beautiful, like a Veela, but also terrifying, like a Veela. "And in place of a Dark Lord you will have a queen! Not dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn! Treacherous as the Sea! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All will love me and despair!"

And at that moment, I realized just how little I could protect Frodo. I hadn't seen Galadriel do much more at this point than fill a birdbath, but I knew she would probably be at least as powerful as Gandalf. And I couldn't match that. Even if I weren't dead tired.

I could only think of one reason not to break out into a run. And I told her.

"If you really wanted the Ring, you would have taken it already."

The words hadn't even left my mouth, before she was back to normal. She laughed softly, and sadly.

"No." She said. "I will diminish, and go into the West."

"And I will remain… Galadriel."

She sat down, and smiled at the pair of us.

Frodo sighed. "Galadriel… what must I do?" He asked.

"Ever my plan has been, that the Ringbearer should go alone." Galadriel told him simply. "Elrond decided a Fellowship would be best, during the first stage of the journey, and Gandalf chose you as the best ringbearer. But even among the Fellowship, there are those you cannot trust."

Her eyes seemed to bore into my soul. "What is your plan, Ronald? Would you help Frodo?"

I didn't need some lion to tell me that doing the right thing was the right thing to do. "Of course I will." I said.

"Bravely spoken." Galadriel said. "But you are not like the other wizards. You are but human… almost a child. And though powerful, you would not be able to resist the Ring's call." She returned to her talk with Frodo, and she sounded very sorry. "You are the ring-bearer, Frodo...to bear a ring of power is to be alone. This task was appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one will."

"He doesn't have to be alone." I insisted.

Galadriel smiled. "What would you propose?"

I wasn't expecting that question. I never do. It's always so easy to tell Hermione she's wrong, until she asks me for a better solution.

So I said the first thing that came into my mind. "What would Gandalf do?"

Galadriel closed her eyes, and she looked pained. I almost regretted saying that, before she spoke up again. "Gandalf would agree with me. We were ever allies. And though we were equals, he deferred to me in our plans for Middle Earth. He could never quite see the fullness of destiny as I could…"

She opened her eyes again, and they were gathering tears. "But then… I was always hopeless, at seeing the smaller details."

She stood up. "I feel so lost without him. But I know what he would say; Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. You were brought here for a reason, Ronald. I cannot guess it, but I believe Gandalf could, otherwise he would not have trusted you as he did. Do not go with Frodo, when he leaves. That is not your path. But I suspect you have a larger role to play, and you will see it through in time."

With a wave she dismissed us. I was glad, I was dead tired, forest floor or not.

Frodo said goodnight, and went off to ponder what Galadriel meant or something. And I went to sleep so I could think about it when I didn't have a splitting headache.

Sadly, the chance of a night's rest was a dream I had to stave off a while longer.

Why?

Another elf interrupted me.

Not that I'd complain about this elf. He was less than two feet tall, only wore a pillow sack, had bright blue eyes, and a thin nose and ears. And he woke me up with a cry of; "Master Wheezy! Master Wheezy, I've found you!"

Now, have I mentioned House-Elves? I think I have. They're these little blokes who love work. Any work, doesn't matter. So they bind themselves magically to their owners, and serve them until they die. Or until their owners give them clothes.

Dobby used to belong to the Malfoys, the worst most hateful, horrible, arrogant, evil things ever to crawl the earth posing as human beings. Obviously, Dobby hated every minute he spent serving heir every whim. They made him punish himself, ironing his hands and making him slam the oven door in his face.

Harry came along and rescued him. He tricked Mr. Malfoy into giving him a sock, and Dobby was a free elf. The last I saw, Dobby was wearing every scrap of clothes he could think of, especially socks, and working for Hogwarts. Paid work mind you. He's a bit of a nutter, but I guess that can't be helped.

What was he doing here? And why was he wearing a pillow?

"Dobby what're you doing here?" I was a little angry at having to stay awake, but really Dobby was the first normal face I'd seen today (given that's a loose definition of 'normal').

Dobby explained. "Master Dumbledore sent Dobby sir! He knows Master Harry is in danger sir, and has sent Kreacher to help Master Black also!"

"Oh boy…" Kreacher is Sirius' house elf. He hates his guts. The feeling's mutual.

"Master Dumbledore is telling Dobby he must sacrifice." Dobby continued, sadly. "Dobby cannot be a free elf any more. Dobby must be Master Wheezy's House Elf, otherwise Dobby could not follow you!" Dobby leaned in and whispered. "Not even Master Dumbledore's Pheonix can follow you."

"Dumbledore sent you?" I tried to get myself to think straight. "So you can take me home?"

Dobby shook his head. "Dumbledore says I is to help you, but to take you back… such a thing is beyond poor Dobby sir. Dobby can only follow his master, not take him from place to place."

The gears clicked. "I'm your master?" I asked.

Dobby nodded. "It is a hard trial sir, but Dobby bears it for Master Potter. Dobby hopes you will give him his freedom, once we are all safe."

The little guy didn't need to put it like that…

"So did Dumbledore give me a message or anything?" I asked.

Dobby nodded, and handed me… a deluminator? "Dumbledore is saying to give this to you Master Wheezy." Dobby said, excitedly. "Dobby was also told to tell you, that to save Master Potter, you must collect the crystals."

"Crystals?" I asked.

Dobby nodded. "Crystals."

I… have no words for the absurdity. "Dumbledore wants me to save Harry, with a deluminator, a house elf, and some crystals. And he won't even give me the crystals."

"They is special crystals." Dobby said.

I sighed. "Alright Dobby… it's late, and I've had a really long day. I'm going to go to sleep now. We can get to work finding… crystals in the morning."

"Would Master Wheezy like a bed?"

"Yeah. Yeah I would."

When I woke up the next morning, there were a few uncomfortable questions about how a bed happened to appear in the forest where nobody ever used beds. I was dead tired the night before, so I hadn't realized that. I'd even forgotten Legolas' warning not to mention House Elves to this lot. Thankfully, they were satisfied when I told them I used magic. Although, the hobbits were a bit miffed I hadn't made then beds.

They waited until noon for me to wake up, and once they finished their questions, they had me get ready to leave. Easy enough to do, since I only had what was in my pockets.

We were going to be leaving in little rowboats. The King and Queen showed up to say goodbye. Several elves helped us prepare our boats, and even loaded it up with some food call Lembas.

According to Legolas, Lembas was an elvish bread that could fill the stomach of a grown man with one bite. According to Merry and Pippin, they were only filled after four loaves.

Celeborn and Strider talked for a while, and then he had us all lined up on shore for some sort of heroic gift-giving ceremony.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our people." Celeborn said. A group of elves came over, and put cloaks on us. "May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes."

They were magnificent cloaks. At first they looked grey, but when the light shifted on them they'd turn green, or yellow. Upon asking Legolas, I learned that Lothlorien elves wore cloaks that were specially designed to blend into their surroundings. I knew they had to have some kind of invisibility cloak to have snuck up on us like that. I was pleased to see they gave Gimli a cloak too.

Galadriel gave Legolas a fancy bow. He gave Boromir, Merry, and Pippin fancy elvish knives, and gave Sam some unbreakable rope.

She surprised us all by asking Gimli what he'd like. And Gimli surprised us again when he asked for a single hair from her head. And then she gave him three. I suspect Hermione would find that romantic. I just don't understand these things.

She told Strider she had no gift for him, because he already had everything he needed. He gave Frodo a star. I'm not sure how she managed that, but that is so cool!

Then when she got to me… she gave me a wizard hat, and a staff. The wizard hat was very nice. It was red, but not Gryiffindor red – a lot like the red you'd see on a tree in autumn.

The staff, on the other hand, was a simple wood staff. Only a hint of redness in it, but nothing else unusual about it.

"We have much to thank you for, Ronald." Galadriel said. "For selflessly helping the Fellowship after Mithrandir has fallen."

"Mithrandir?" I asked.

"Gandalf." Galadriel explained. "This is what we called him. As a wizard, he had many names, gifted to him by many friends and peoples. And it is time you started gathering your own. Henceforth, I call you Arnbereth the Red, who will take Mithrandir's place in the War of the Ring."

"Your magic is not powerful, but it is practical. The magic of this realm is not used for the mundanities of life as your magic is; our magic is either a subtle whisper, or a brilliant shout. This staff is a symbol of your power, here and elsewhere, to grow as you grow. Take care of it."

And then with a final smile she said. "And the friend whom you seek… he is at Isengard, where the wizard Saruman dwells. I wish you good fortune."

"Isengard." I looked to Strider. "Where are we headed? Is Isengard on the way?"

"We're travelling to the ruins of Aduin. Whereupon we shall cross the barren and treacherous mountains of Emyn Muil, and from thence make our way into Mordor."

"Where's Mordor?"

"Beyond the Black Mountains. Mordor is a land of unsleeping evil, where Sauron the enemy dwells."

Needless to say, I was feeling more than a little wary of heading in that general direction. "I thought all we had to do was destroy that Ring!"

"And the only way to do that is to throw it into Mt. Doom, the volcano in Mordor where the Ring was forged." Galadriel explained.

"And Isengard's probably nowhere near Mordor." I concluded. Celeborn gestured, and one of the elves pulled out a map, showing me Mordor, and Isengard respectively. "You've got to be joking. All right. If that's the case; Dobby?"

With a crack, Dobby appeared, much to the startlement of the elves. "Yes master Wheezy!"

"Think you can throw a ring into a volcano?"

Dobby nodded. "Of course sir!"

I showed him the map. "This is Mt. Doom." I said. "Take Frodo's ring, and throw it in."

Dobby nodded, and he vanished before the protestations started. Frodo was the ring-bearer, and apparently, that meant he was the only one who could be trusted with the ring. Entrusting some 'deformed creature' like Dobby with the ring was a betrayel of their trust in me. They felt even more betrayed, when Frodo opened his shirt, and realized that Dobby'd taken the ring without him even knowing it.

I felt like they were about to lynch me, when suddenly they stopped. Everybody except Boromir, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, turned their heads and looked somewhere eastwards.

"He did it…" Galadriel whispered, shocked speechless.

There was a terrifying scream, a scream I recognized, and I joined everybody in drawing my weapon. I found my wand pointed at Gollum. Or at least I assume it was Gollum; I didn't get a good look in the caves. Somehow, he'd managed to be quite enough to sneak into one of the elf's trees, and with a truly horrible scream, he'd fallen out. He was spindly, like a horrible spider curled up and dying, with huge bulbous eyes. He was writhing on the ground, coughing up blood onto his shadowy skin, those horrible fingers that almost killed me were twitching like a Doxie, and he was screaming, and he was cursing, and…

And then he went limp. Dead. I'm not sure which was scarier.

Dobby reappeared. "That felt like throwing off Dobby's own arm, so it did." Dobby moaned pitifully. "But Dobby is used to punishment sir. So he threw the Ring into the volcano, like Wheezy said."

Everybody began crying out for joy all at once.

Frodo was crying on Sam's shoulder. Merry and Pippin were doing a merry dance. Strider was clasping a confused Boromir on the shoulders, and explaining to him that they'd just won the war. Haldir gave be a begrudging nod of respect. Celeborn was so shocked he had to sit down.

Galadriel – she was literally beaming with radiance. She bent down to Dobby. "To think, the Ring has finally been destroyed. Tell me, little thing, what is your name?"

"I is Dobby miss!" The little guy squeaked, quite clearly pleased with himself for a job well done.

"What are you, and how did you come to our rescue? Tell me, so I may add your story to the annals of legens. "

And that was when Legolas caught my eye. He began gesturing madly to me as he untied the boats from the dock.

It took me a while to get why he was gesturing. I understood too late.

By now, all the elves were listening to Galadriel's conversation with Dobby, paying rapt attention to their new hero.

"Dobby is a House Elf miss." Dobby explained. "Dobby was free, but now Dobby is Master Wheezy's servant. I wish I was still free, but Dobby has no choice in the matter. Master Wheezy says; 'Dobby, throw the ring in the volcano', so Dobby does miss!"

The glade was silent.

Dobby had to phrase things in the absolutely worst possible way.

And combined with his other line about being 'used to punishment'…

They saw me as a slave-driver, forcing their great hero into servitude.

Haldir was giving me a disgusted glare and drawing his bow.

"Time to go." I yelped, casting a shield spell in the nick of time.