There and Beyond
By SciFiFantasyWriter1
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of any recognized characters or universes within.
Tauriel is played by Evangeline Lilly
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Chapter 3
Harry followed Bilbo down the mountainside the tunnel had emerged onto towards the company. The mountainside was covered with many coniferous trees such as pine trees. Harry saw the company pause just before the path they had taken terminated at a pointed cliff that dropped off into open space. Gandalf was counting the company.
"Where are Bilbo and Harry?" Gandalf questioned as Bilbo and Harry both invisibly approached the group. "Where is our hobbit?!"
"Curse that Halfling! Now he's lost?" Dwalin demanded.
"I thought he was with Dori," Gloin admitted.
"Don't blame me," Dori said.
"Well, when did you last see him?" Gandalf asked.
"I think I saw Bilbo slip away when the goblins first grabbed us," Nori admitted.
"Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it," Thorin accused. "He has thought of nothing but his soft bed since he began this quest. We will not be seeing him again."
Bilbo was standing behind a tree and trying to decide what to do. At hearing Thorin's proclamation Bilbo removed the ring.
"Yes you will," Bilbo declared as he stepped out from behind the tree.
At the same time Harry stepped out from another nearby tree and winked at the company.
"I've never been so glad to see two people in my life," Gandalf said, relieved.
"How on Earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili asked.
"How indeed," Dwalin said.
"I arrived in the cave system shortly after you lot did," Harry said. "When he hit the bottom the goblins must have at first mistook him for one of their own because of his size. When they didn't notice him I hit him with the same spell I used to help you lot get out of Rivendell," Harry lied.
"Why did you come back, Bilbo?" Thorin asked. "You could have just as easily gone on back home."
"I know you doubt my bravery. I do admit to often thinking of Bag-end," Bilbo said. "I do miss my books. That's where I belong. That is my home. You are my friends. You do not have a home. Smaug took it from you. But if it is within my power I will help you take it back. I think with our wizard help we may just stand a chance."
The dwarves were silent for a time as they processed this sentiment from the arguably weakest of their company. The moment was broken as the sound of howling wargs was heard from further up the mountain.
"Out of the frying pan," Thorin declared.
"And into the fire," Gandalf finished. "Run."
The company was overrun by some of the fastest wargs but the dwarves, wizards, and hobbit cut their pursuers down. The company came to the pointed drop-off.
"Climb into the trees," Harry encouraged.
Harry turned and faced their pursuers while the others climbed. Bilbo was the last one up and then Harry leapt into a tree, his leap carrying him far further than a mortal could leap. Wargs overran the ground beneath the trees. Harry watched as Gandalf did some magic with a moth similar to a messenger spell and sent the moth flying off. Harry figured the older wizard was contacting allies. All of the wargs beneath the company stopped trying to jump up the trees and instead looked back in the direction they came. A pale orc astride a white warg had arrived.
"Azog," Thorin whispered in recognition and hatred.
"Do you smell it?" Azog said after sniffing the air. The language Azog spoke was called Black Speech but Harry's translation protocols handled it easily enough. "The scent of fear. I remember your father wreaked of it…Thorin son of Thrain. That one is mine," Azog said while pointing his mace at Thorin. "Kill the others!"
The wargs then attacked trying in earnest to jump up the trees. Harry sent piercing curses down at several wargs and they quickly learned to stay away from his tree. But the weight and ferocity of the massive wargs on the thin trees became too much for the trees given very little nutrients and soil for root growth. The trees started to fall over. Like dominoes the trees started to crash into one another starting from the one next to Harry and heading towards the pointed cliff. The company members jumped from one falling tree to the next to keep from being attacked by the wargs at ground level. Soon the entire company minus Harry was in the last remaining standing tree at the very edge of the cliff.
Harry leapt down from his tree and strode towards the remaining tree even as Gandalf lit a pinecone on fire and threw it on the ground. The wargs didn't notice Harry until they began to back off from the efforts of the company members throwing burning pine cones at them. The giant pinecones created a wall of fire. But the damage to the tree the company was in had already been done. Crackling lightning shot from Harry's right hand and caused a warg to convulse and screech as it died with a sound that no warg should have been capable of. A second warg fell to Harry's swift blade. He sent a spell into the earth that turned the ground up and launched most of the wargs dozens of meters back up the mountainside. He walked towards his companions. Azog roared in outrage at the easy dispatch of his wargs. The tree was falling slowly.
Harry calmly walked towards the company and conjured steel stakes which he sent into the ground. Steel cables were conjured next which wrapped around the falling tree and were then anchored to the stakes. The tree halted its fall when it was parallel with the ground hanging out over into open air. Ori started to fall and caught onto Dori. Dori clutched at the tree for all he was worth. That tree wasn't going anywhere with the cables anchored deep into the ground but the dwarves might accidentally go somewhere. Harry conjured a harness for himself and attached two cables. Then he jumped out over the cliff half the length of the tree right where Ori and Dori dangled and sent the cables magically wrapping around the tree. Harry's weight dropping onto the tree caused it to bounce a little bit which actually dislodged Ori but Harry caught the dwarf easily. Dori was actually able to secure his hold now that he wasn't holding Ori.
Harry put Ori into a cable harness as well before helping Dori up onto the tree. While Harry was helping the other dwarves their leader Thorin actually thought it would be a good idea to walk off the tree back onto the land and attack Azog. If it had just been Azog then Thorin might have stood a fairly good chance. But the pale orc was sitting on top of one pretty bloody huge warg and was surrounded by other mounted orcs.
The white warg leapt over the charging Thorin and knocked Thorin to the ground clawing a gash into Thorin's forehead. Thorin climbed back to his feet as Azog's warg started another charge. Azog executed a swing with his mace that connected with Thorin and sent the dwarf back to the ground. Luckily the mace hit Thorin's armor or the dwarf would be dead by now. Then the warg clamped onto Thorin with its massive jaws. Harry sighed and jerked on his cable causing him to spring upwards. He vanished his harness at the apex of the cable's limits and sailed back onto land. Harry ran towards Azog. Thorin delivered a blow to the warg with his sword that saw the warg spit him out. Harry used magic to send the earth crashing up at the white warg with enough force to crush its rib cage and send Azog hurtling back into one of his other riders. Azog would have been badly damaged had his white warg not have taken the majority of the blow.
Harry glared steadily at Azog as he went over to Thorin and checked on the prince. Thorin was pretty well beat up and bloodied. Harry's hands glowed as healing magic flowed out of him into Thorin. Azog picked himself up and knocked one of his minions off of a plain looking warg. Azog took the warg and backed away. He glared hatefully back at Harry.
Before Azog could decide if he should fight or flee something else happened to make him lean towards fleeing. As if a pissed off super powerful wizard wasn't enough of a deterrent more than a dozen giant eagles came swooping in. One eagle knocked a still standing but burning tree over onto two warg riders. Several more eagles just picked wargs and riders alike up in their claws and tossed the wingless creatures off the cliff. Azog roared impotent defiance and then turned and fled the scene. More warg riders went with him than stayed. Those that stayed died by eagle swiftly. Harry finished healing Thorin just as an eagle lightly landed for a moment.
Harry got the idea and tossed Thorin up onto the eagle's back. Thorin was still somewhat shaken up and didn't protest. The eagles had started picking the dwarves off the tree. Harry walked over to the tree and cut Dori and Ori loose just as eagles flew under them. When everyone but Gandalf and Harry had been picked up by the giant eagles which were the older wizard's allies, Gandalf looked expectantly at Harry. Harry winked at the old man and ran to the edge of the cliff before leaping off. One of the eagles turned to catch Harry but only a few feet from the cliff Harry was consumed by fire. The fire burned brilliantly bright and took a distinctly avian shape. There was a bird's cry that was piercing to the nearby orcs and soothing to members of the company. Fire became flesh until a giant red phoenix was flying through the pack of eagles.
Harry's flesh was really just a manifestation of his will and magic. He could manifest himself in any form he chose so long as he had the power to back up any abilities a particular being might have and the focus to control said abilities. In Harry's case Lily's AI nature enhanced his focus to unimagined heights when he was younger. He had extensively studied phoenixes and many other creatures. He knew how to mimic the abilities of every creature he had ever studied. Being that he was a true immortal Harry had always felt a kinship to the phoenix.
The members of the fellowship stared at the majestic bird amongst them in awe. Even the eagles displayed a sense of surprise and a little wariness. Each eagle was a formidable bird…but this bird was obviously in a class far above their own. Gandalf was the last to get on the back of an eagle but once he did the pack of eagles and one phoenix flew off far out of the reach of Azog the Defiler. The eagles took the company free of the Misty Mountains where the goblins dwelled. The eagles landed on a loan peak in the center of a fertile valley bordered by tall mountains. The peak was as tall as the surrounding mountains but was a rather thin mountain, more of a spire really.
Harry was the last to land after the eagles had dropped the others off. He touched down with several light strokes of his wings. Gandalf sensed the very magic in the environment stirring and roiling with each beat of those magnificent wings. Harry furled his wings and stood up as a man once more.
"You continue to surprise, Harry," Gandalf whispered. "What is that majestic creature called?"
"A phoenix," Harry answered.
"It seems I owe you my life once more," Thorin said. "We all do."
"Aye," Dwalin agreed as did the other dwarves.
Harry nodded and said, "It's what I am here for."
As the eagles flew off the dwarves watched them go. But then Thorin was the first to spot something interesting in the distance.
"Erebor," Thorin whispered his tone one of restrained excitement. "Our home."
The mountain seemed so close but there was still quite a bit of distance between the spire the company stood on and the Lonely Mountain. A small bird flew by the company towards Erebor.
"A raven," Oin pointed out. "The birds are returning to the mountain."
"That my dear, Oin, is a thrush," Gandalf corrected.
"But to us it shall be a good omen," Thorin stated.
"You are right," Bilbo agreed. "I do believe the worst is behind us."
"Bilbo…never say that. The worst is yet to come," Harry said. "Even if it wasn't before…now that you have said that the worst will be ahead. But there is also an even better reward."
Harry looked down at the forest lands separating the company from Erebor. In that forest lived a person very special to Harry's heart, Tauriel.
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Harry reappeared in Tauriel's quarters even as the company was making its way down the spire they had been set upon. Tauriel was sitting in her chair looking thoughtful.
"You're back," Tauriel said happily. "You Harry had quite the adventure last night."
"We did," Harry agreed as he sat in his usual chair.
"And you are coming this way," Tauriel added excitedly.
"We are," Harry confirmed.
"I hope you stop by here," Tauriel said hopefully.
"I think our paths will cross before this adventure is over," Harry mused.
"I don't like the looks of that ring Bilbo found," Tauriel admitted.
"Nor do I," Harry agreed. "It appears to be an object of immense power. We had similar types of magical constructs in my world."
Harry projected a close-up hologram of the ring taken from his probe's scans. Tauriel examined it from several angles. Then she saw the writing on the inside of the ring.
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.
Harry's translation spell heard Tauriel say, "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
A look of absolute horror came onto Tauriel's normally beautiful features.
"It cannot be…it was lost," Tauriel murmured.
"I take it you recognize the ring?" Harry asked.
"It is the One Ring," Tauriel whispered. "Harry…that ring is a tool of absolute evil. It was created by the Dark Lord Sauron who once tried to conquer and rule all of Middle-Earth. That ring contains a significant portion of his power. When he lost it his physical form was destroyed. He defeated entire armies using it. It was only luck that allowed the combined forces of good in Middle-Earth to prevail."
"Tauriel…I hate to tell you this but if that ring was created by this Sauron bloke…then Sauron isn't so dead. We had these things in my own world called Horcruxes. A magical person could create a Horcrux and so long as that Horcrux existed then the creator could never die. They are anchors to life created by horrible black magic. My analysis shows me this One Ring has the properties of a Horcrux and more," Harry explained.
Harry hadn't thought Tauriel's expression could become even more horrified.
"This is terrible news. All of Middle-Earth thinks he is dead," Tauriel said.
"Except maybe Gandalf. He has suspected something was moving about in the shadows," Harry pointed out.
"I do not know how to handle this. I am not old enough," Tauriel admitted. "I'm only a simple Silvan elf."
Tauriel looked down at the floor as she said this. Harry slid the small table between them aside with a casual thought and knelt before her. His hand went to her chin and he raised her gaze to look at him.
"Don't listen to any of that crap the king or others of his ilk have been telling you. There is nothing simple about you, Tauriel. I would not have chosen to be your friend if you were anything but extraordinary. Do you think me simple?" Harry asked.
"No!" Tauriel assured. "You are…you are the most magnificent being I have ever met."
Tauriel blushed after saying that.
"Well the spell I used looked for someone who had equal potential to be magnificent. And I think the spell was pretty damn effective," Harry assured.
"Thank you," Tauriel said. "But what should we do about the One Ring. Bilbo is in grave danger. You are all probably in danger from just being near him."
"And how can you be sure of that? I don't imagine from what I have heard of that battle all those years ago where Sauron was taken down that anyone from the good side had any time to examine or study Sauron's ring before it was lost. Right?" Harry asked.
"Well no," Tauriel admitted. "You have a point there."
"Well I have been studying the ring with the resources at my disposal. Short term the ring isn't hurting Bilbo by any noticeable amount. Hobbits seem to have a resistance to the ring's influence. I need to study it more. I can protect Bilbo. I have quite a bit of experience dealing with Horcruxes and dark lords. Really I'm actually very well suited for this type of thing. So you say this One Ring has a significant portion of Sauron's power invested in it? How much do you think?" Harry questioned.
"There have been several books written by our scholars on Sauron. I believe the figure was that ninety percent of his power was invested into the One Ring," Tauriel answered.
"Huh…the ring has about 42% of my power level in it," Harry admitted.
In truth Lily and Harry had discovered something interesting after his arrival here. After his core had recharged to its full strength it hadn't stopped filling like normal. Something had changed when arriving in this universe. The energy density of his core had continued to increase beyond what the density value was that it had maintained in his old reality. Lily had projected his power would eventually saturate but now she figured that Sauron's One Ring held 5% of his full power level.
"You're that much more powerful than Sauron?" Tauriel whispered, awe in her tone.
"I guess so," Harry admitted. "Was Sauron the most powerful in your world?"
"No," Tauriel admitted. "But that One Ring was created to tap into the powers of nineteen other beings who had other rings. It didn't tap into all nineteen nor even the most powerful of the nineteen but their combined life forces were nothing to sneeze at."
"I think it's time for you to tell me as much as you can about Sauron's ring and this whole situation," Harry suggested.
"Get comfortable," Tauriel urged. "What you ask is going to take a while."
Harry nodded his agreement and listened. The story did take quite some time with Harry asking questions throughout.
"The history of Sauron and the various races throughout your planet is complex to say the least," Harry mused after Tauriel had educated him on the requested subjects.
"Indeed," Tauriel agreed. "It takes many decades to cover our history in more detail during our schooling. Can you show me your transformation into a phoenix?"
"Yes, but first I should enhance the silencing wards I put over your apartment," Harry said before walking over to the runic array that controlled the wards on Tauriel's home near the entrance.
The two friends hadn't wanted anybody to overhear their conversations or intrude upon their meetings. Tauriel was curious on why the silencing wards would matter but forgot about it as her friend transformed into the magnificent bird she had observed him turn into earlier via his technology.
"You are magnificent," Tauriel said as she stepped closer to Harry. She reached out and ran her hand down the back of his neck. He leaned into her touch. His feathers were quite soft and seemed to radiate heat beneath her touch. She also felt his feathers radiating intense magic. The magic made her feel really good. "I have never heard of a Phoenix in our realm. I guess they do not exist here."
"Climb on my back," Tauriel suddenly heard in her mind.
Tauriel climbed onto the back of the massive firebird and felt tendrils of magic securing her onto his form. Then warmth and light enveloped her and they were no longer in her apartment. Tauriel gasped and clutched at his neck feathers as they were transported in flame high over the forest her people called home. Harry hovered for a moment before he dove down towards the treetops. Tauriel squealed in joy as they shot down. She trusted Harry not to let any harm come to her. Then he pulled up as the wind of their passage buffeted the treetops. Harry's wings beat powerfully as he gained altitude. He rose higher and higher until she could see the entire greenwood below them and then he leveled off.
"This is wonderful," Tauriel sent back in the same fashion she had received thoughts shortly before, hoping it would work.
"Where would you like to go?" Harry asked.
"Can we go anywhere?" Tauriel questioned.
"Anywhere you want," Harry assured.
"Can you show me the shire?" Tauriel inquired.
Harry had never actually been to the shire but his cloaked probes had been expanded into a satellite system orbiting the entire planet. It was no difficulty to locate the shire and for Lily to guide the teleportation abilities of her master. In another rush of heat the pair appeared above the shire. Harry flew lower and Tauriel leaned over his shoulder and looked down upon the community of hobbits where Bilbo called home.
"Can they see us?" Tauriel asked.
"No. I can mask us from sight," Harry assured. "Would you like to see Bilbo's home?"
"Yes," Tauriel agreed.
Harry touched down in front of the only vacant hobbit hole. He transformed back to human and suddenly had a surprised Tauriel sitting on his back.
"This is a fun position," Harry mused before rolling onto his back with Tauriel still astride him. "But I prefer this way."
Tauriel's blush was a brilliant crimson before she climbed to her feet. She took Harry's hand and helped him up.
"You are such a tease," Tauriel replied as she pushed opened Bilbo's door and went inside.
"I wasn't teasing," Harry said in a whisper but Tauriel's keen hearing picked it up.
Tauriel looked back and took his right hand in her left. She pulled him inside. She still hadn't realized that he was physically there with her. She thought his power allowed him to interact with her in all the ways she was currently interacting with him. And his power did allow for that. But he was really there. They spent some time exploring Bilbo's home. As they left the hobbit home they were surprised by two hobbit males coming up the lane and stopping before Bilbo's.
"How long will the magister wait before the auction occurs?" Broin asked his companion.
"I heard they will give him two years before declaring him dead," Sarup replied. "The Sackfelds are already deciding what they want to bid on."
Harry glanced back at Bilbo's home and cast a spell making it impossible for anyone but Bilbo to get inside. Harry then transformed back into a phoenix and let Tauriel re-mount him. Then they took off into the sky once more. They moved on to see other parts of Middle-Earth Tauriel had always wanted to see but had never been allowed. They didn't get to see all she wanted in the time they had before Tauriel's next duty shift but they made a good start. Traveling on Harry's back, with the heat of his magical form between her legs, became one of Tauriel's new favorite pastimes. When he started singing with his magnificent and truly magical phoenix song her joy reached untold heights.
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A considerable time had passed since reaching the ground from the spire the eagles had dropped the company off at. Azog the Defiler and his warg pack had been pursuing the company relentlessly. Harry using magic to mask their scent was the only defense that kept the warg pack from being more successful. The company had asked Bilbo as their burglar to sneak a short ways from the company and see what the warg pack pursuing them was doing. Harry had decided to follow Bilbo to make sure the hobbit didn't get into any more trouble than the Halfling could handle. That was why Harry hovered invisibly six feet above Bilbo as the hobbit looked over the rocky terrain he hid behind. A ravine separated Bilbo from the warg pack.
The warg pack was running up a rocky mountainside across the ravine with Azog at their lead. Azog stopped for a moment and looked in Bilbo's direction before kicking his warg on in frustration. Maybe 30 meters away Bilbo heard a noise and ducked down before peering around the rocky landscape at a large beast. The beast looked something like a bear but much bigger. It was staring off in the direction the warg pack had gone. Bilbo slipped off back towards the company as the beast let out a roar of challenge that didn't sound like anything even Harry was used to hearing. And Harry had faced many beasts.
"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked Bilbo as the hobbit reached the company.
"Less than a couple of leagues away," Bilbo answered. "They are searching hard but can't find our scent thanks to Harry. But that is not the worst part."
"Did the wargs see you?" Dwalin asked.
"No. There is some kind of beast out there," Bilbo explained.
"It looked like this," Harry said as he projected a hologram for the company to see. Bilbo looked at Harry questioningly. "I was keeping an eye on Bilbo."
"What do we do against that?" Bofur asked.
"Harry could scare it off," Ori suggested.
"There is a house not far from here where we might seek refuge," Gandalf suggested.
"Is it the house of a friend or foe?" Thorin questioned.
"He is neutral depending on the situation or he may help us or kill us," Gandalf admitted.
The beast let out a horrible roar not far away.
"Well let's get moving," Thorin suggested.
The company took off running. They crossed a mountain stream, a meadow of wild flowers, and ran through forests. All the while the roar of the beast haunted their journey.
"This way," Gandalf said. "Run faster."
The company came out of the forest to see a clearing where a house surrounded by a smaller copse of trees was positioned in the middle of. A high walled fence with a gate actually surrounded the house and copse of trees. The beasts' roar grew louder. Harry was at the back of the company. The dwarves started reaching the door of the house even as the beast burst out of the forest. The dwarves were so panicked they didn't even use the latch to open the door. Harry flicked his finger and telekinetically opened the latch. The dwarves piled inside but too slowly. Harry backed towards the open door and raised his hand. A telekinetic barrier went up which the beast slammed into with an enraged roar. The dwarves slammed the door shut as soon as Harry was through.
"What is that creature?" Ori asked.
"That is our host," Gandalf admitted. Everyone turned to look at him in stunned shock except for Harry. Harry smirked. Now that was just too good. Harry let out a bark of laughter. "His name is Beorn. And he's a skin-changer. Sometimes he takes the form of a huge black bear and sometimes he is a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable but the man can be reasoned with. However Beorn is not overfond of dwarves."
"This Beorn is under some dark spell then," Dori stated.
"Don't be foolish. Beorn is under no enchantment but his own," Gandalf replied. "Get some sleep. You will be safe here tonight," he said. In a whisper he added, "I hope."
"I'll keep watch," Harry assured.
The dwarves looked relieved at this. Their younger wizard companion had proved himself quite handy to have around and they didn't know of a small fraction of his true abilities. While the hobbits slept Harry took the opportunity to visit Tauriel.
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Tauriel looked up excitedly from the book in her lap as she sat cross-legged on the comfortable chair in her sitting room. What made her look up was sensing the arrival of her best friend and hopefully something more. She and Harry had become quite physically affectionate since he had started taking her all over Middle-Earth on his back as a phoenix.
"Hello there, handsome," Tauriel greeted.
Tauriel was reading a book from Harry's culture. Lily had in her databanks every book ever known to man. Harry had synthesized copies of those books Lily knew Tauriel would most like based off of Tauriel's personality. The sizeable library had been given to Tauriel in the form of a pocket-dimensional library trunk she could shrink and take with her.
"Hello there, beautiful," Harry returned their now standard teasing greeting.
Tauriel put the book down and stood up to give her friend a hug. The hug lingered for far longer than just friends would exchange.
"Were you following the quest or have you been reading for a while?" Harry asked.
"I've been reading. This book from your youth although it is fiction is fascinating," Tauriel admitted as she indicated the book she had been reading.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Harry had never taken the time to read it himself but in an instant the entire Percy Jackson book series came to his awareness thanks to Lily.
"Oh yes…quite a good read," Harry agreed with a grin. "Would you like to take a break and go swimming?"
Tauriel smirked and teased, "You just want a chance to see me in very little clothing."
"I'm not going to deny that," Harry admitted. "But swimming is fun. And I found this sweet little lagoon that I think would be a great place to swim."
In truth Harry had created the lagoon on a tropical island one of his satellites had located.
"I would love to go swimming," Tauriel admitted. "But first I wanted to discuss something," she admitted, her tone and expression turning from playful to something serious.
"Go ahead," Harry urged.
Tauriel was silent for several long moments as she steeled her nerves. To her battle was so much easier than this conversation. Tauriel had been with very few partners over the centuries. She had scared too many males off with her adventurous and warrior-like nature. She knew Legolas had a fondness for her but he was far above her in station and could not be with her. Besides that she really didn't feel a spark for him. One might have been able to develop with him given time and effort but she never allowed that spark to even surface.
Then Harry had come along. He was unlike any being she had encountered before. He was alive and vibrant in a way she found difficult to think about let alone describe coherently. She was drawn to him and she felt he was to her. She knew about his long love with Hermione and that he could never have that with Hermione. She secretly wanted what Hermione had and felt the chance might be there for her to have it.
"Harry, are you interested in me romantically?" Tauriel questioned. "I know we have joked and teased. But I want to know if part of that is serious."
"Most definitely," Harry answered without pause. "I very much want more with you."
Tauriel stood abruptly, came around the table separating them, sat down next to him in his chair, and kissed him softly. After a moment she drew back from the kiss while smiling at him.
"Good. Let's go swimming," Tauriel said as she pulled him to his feet by the hand.
The couple teleported to the lagoon Harry had created and spent a good deal of time swimming together. It was an unspoken agreement that they were now courting. Tauriel and Harry were a lot more physically demonstrative of their desires and feelings as they swam together, playing in the water. They exchanged kisses as they played and touched each other. It was a very enjoyable time for both.
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Bilbo had stayed awake during the early night. Harry watched as the hobbit pulled out the One Ring and examined it. Harry wouldn't have been able to sense it on his own because Bilbo was actually holding the ring and such direct contact communication was hard to detect but the ring was sending a small level of magic to Bilbo.
"How is that simulation and analysis coming?" Harry asked Lily.
"I am making progress but the enchantments woven into that ring behave similarly to several forms of exotic matter except blended together. It is very hard to predict. The model has had errors along the way. Currently I am attempting to track down the other rings of power the One Ring is connected to but I believe many of those rings were intentionally hidden so that Sauron could not find them again. They were hidden quite well. I believe scans of those rings will help me to correct my model," Lily explained. "Each ring gains unique characteristics depending upon the beings who have wielded it. I have taken the liberty of flooding Bilbo's system with nanites. The nanites are providing false feedback to the One Ring. The One Ring thinks it is working its magic on Bilbo but in fact I am counteracting every influence the ring has upon him. But the One Ring does not know that."
"It sounds like it is much more alive than any of the Horcruxes we have encountered in the past. I wonder if the greater level of consciousness this ring can maintain is due to a more complex enchantment structure or to the greater level of power it has access to," Harry mused.
"Perhaps a little of both," Lily replied.
"Have you located the wraith yet?" Harry asked.
As a property of a Horcrux situation there was always a wraith wherever there was a Horcrux. Riddle had existed as a wraith disembodied for over a decade. This meant Sauron had a disembodied portion of his essence too.
"Not precisely. Each time I get close Sauron's wraith starts back-tracing the energy strands I'm using to search for him. So I have to sever the search prematurely. But I have come at it from several different angles. I have narrowed it down to this region of Middle-Earth," Lily explained as she projected a hologram that only her master could see.
"Good work. Keep at it," Harry instructed.
Later in the night Beorn entered the home returned to humanoid form. He was easily over seven feet tall. The night passed quickly after that. Bilbo had finally fallen off to sleep.
Beorn joined the company for breakfast the next morning.
"So you are the one they call Oakenshield," Beorn said to Thorin while pouring Fili more milk. "Tell me…why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"
"This is why," Harry said while projecting a very short hologram showing first Thorin on the ground about to be struck by Azog's mace followed by Thorin slicing Azog's arm off in that fateful battle long ago.
"How do you know Azog?" Thorin asked.
"That will do it," Beorn said. "My people were the first to live in the mountains before the scum orcs came down from the North. The Defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved." Beorn wore manacles on his wrists with short lengths of chain dangling from each. The way the manacles were worn was done as a way to remember the past. Beorn removed the chains when he transformed and put them back on again when he returned to humanoid form. "They were not enslaved for work but for sport. Putting skin-changers in cages and torturing them provided amusement to Azog."
"There are others like you?" Bilbo inquired as Beorn continued to pour milk for the dwarves around the table.
"Once there were many. Now there is only one," Beorn said. The silence hung heavily in the house at that announcement. "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn."
Beorn sat down after he had finished pouring.
"Before Durin's Day falls," Gandalf confirmed.
"Then you are running out of time," Beorn said. "You intend to take a shortcut through Mirkwood. You should know that a darkness lies upon that forest, a sickness. There exists an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need."
"We will venture along the Elven Road. That path is still safe," Gandalf answered.
"Safe," Beorn said derisively. "You mistake the wood elves of Mirkwood for their kin. They are less wise and more dangerous. These lands are crawling with orcs in ever growing numbers. If you travel on foot you will never reach the forest alive." Beorn stood at that. "I don't like dwarves. They're greedy and blind. Blind to the lives they deem lesser than their own," he added while reaching down to pick up a white mouse Bofur had just flicked off his forearm. "But orcs I hate more. What do you need?"
Beorn provided all of the company with mounts except for Harry. Harry conjured his bicycle once more.
"Go now while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind you," Beorn told the company after he had provided them mounts.
The company took off riding fast over grassy hills between the taller mountains. The hills gave way to less healthy looking green trees that bordered the forest until finally a wall of thick vegetation and trees met the company. The company dismounted and Harry vanished his bicycle.
"This is the Elven Gate," Gandalf explained as he eyed the stone path and altar nearby.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to go thank Beorn," Harry said as he spotted Beorn up on a nearby rise in beast form.
Harry transformed into phoenix form and flew up to where Beorn was. The bear growled as Harry shifted back to human form. Beorn also returned to human form though his transformation took more out of him.
"I did not know you could shift skins as well," Beorn said in surprise. "You are not a skin-changer though."
"No," Harry confirmed. "I am something else. You have been a good host despite you getting a little rough in your beast-form yesterday. To thank you for your aid I have a gift for you. Back at your home you will find all of your family members returned to you and a healthy young skin-changer female who is single and not of your lineage returned to you." As he spoke Harry projected a hologram showing all of the beings in question back at Beorn's house sleeping inside the fence in humanoid form. "They will awake once you return. I will leave explanations up to you."
Beorn appeared stunned for a moment before asking, "How is this possible? Is it necromancy?"
"No. I have the ability to travel through time at will. I located the time when your family was killed from your memories and then traveled back to that point in time. I then used illusions and conjurations to fake the deaths of your relatives in order to maintain that timeline. I pulled your saved family members along with that young female forward to this point in time. They have been healed from any injuries they were suffering. The female I rescued for you is very fertile and I know from scanning your mind along with hers that you are compatible," Harry explained.
In fact Lily had done everything Harry had just mentioned through technology.
"This is a gift beyond anything I could have hoped for," Beorn said, his tone emotional. "Thank you is not enough. You are truly a great wizard Harry Potter. If you should ever need my help simply ask it."
Harry nodded and bid Beorn farewell. By the time Harry had returned to the company the ponies had been released to return to Beorn and Gandalf was back astride his horse getting ready to leave.
"Where are you off to then?" Harry asked.
"I have to investigate something…a matter of great importance. Keep them safe, Harry. I have confidence in you. Do not stray from the path. This forest uses trickery and illusion to lead you astray," Gandalf warned.
"Never fear…I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve," Harry assured.
"I don't doubt it," Gandalf said with a nod before turning and riding off.
Harry as usual kept up the rear of the company to watch their backs. As soon as he entered the forest he felt the foul magic settle over him and shrugged it off.
"Where is that coming from?" Harry asked Lily.
Harry had only actually been in a few select parts of the forest. He had visited Tauriel's home village, the site of her attack by the orc pack, the Mirkwood elves' capitol city, and several other sites. Most of those places were protected by Elvish wards erected by the small percentage of the Elvish population that could wield magic to one degree or another built up over millennia. This foul illusory magic was not pervasive in such places.
"There are several streams of magic through which these foul enchantments are entering Mirkwood," Lily answered as she brought up a holographic map of the forest over 650 kilometers (400 miles) wide on a side. "The majority of them are coming from the same region I am searching in for Sauron's wraith."
Something clicked in Harry's mind at that moment.
"So if we assume those two locations aren't a coincidence then we can assume Sauron is the source of this vile magic…or at least he is the one sending it into Mirkwood. I'm not sure if as a wraith he would want to expend this much vile power himself. He is probably tapping into another magical source. Of course it might not actually be that much energy now. He likely built up this effect over centuries," Harry mused. "In any case maybe I can do something about this. Let's go to the points these streams of magic enter Mirkwood."
Lily controlled an illusion left with the company to make the dwarves and hobbit think Harry was still present. When he reached the first of the streams he began examining it. After a short time of analysis he concluded he could do what he had in mind. Harry with Lily's assistance to focus his mind began conjuring up a toroidal piece of technology. This technology was a magic sink. The stream of magic would pass through the invisible sink and into a pocket dimension which would collect the magic stream and filter the magic of the dark taint Sauron was imbuing the arcane energy with. That arcane energy would then be repurposed. In this case Lily would set the filtered arcane energy to counteract and cancel out the nasty magic already built up in Mirkwood. It wouldn't happen anytime soon given how long Sauron had obviously invested into this project. But eventually the Mirkwood forest should become the Greenwood of old again provided Sauron was allowed to live that long.
Harry wasn't sure if the source Sauron was using to feed the streams of magic would continue once Sauron was dead. Lily was tasked with finding out what he was using to fuel the enchantment. In any case Harry also devised environmental scrubber probes which didn't rely on the power of Sauron's cleansed magic. The scrubbers would fly around Mirkwood soaking up and disposing of the negative magic to speed up the process and continue it should Sauron's magic stop. Harry went from magic stream to magic stream setting up the cloaked sinks. He set up dozens of them.
"Harry, I know you are focusing pretty intently on this task but I feel I should warn you that your company has gotten themselves in a bit of trouble with a nest of giant spiders," Lily informed her master after he had finished with the sinks.
"Acromantula?" Harry inquired.
"The arachnids appear similar to Acromantula," Lily answered. "I have been monitoring the members of the company. They are all still alive but the spiders appear to be close to start eating the members of your company."
"Right…time to step in then," Harry confirmed.
TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB – TaB
Rev 0 Published 3/27/2015
Author's Note:
I wanted to give a shout-out to inuyasha838688. His/her PM really pumped up my spirit after receiving several questionable to nasty PMs recently. It's because of this positive PM that I am posting this chapter today. Always encourage authors rather than try to tear them down.
I would also like to take this opportunity to pay my respects to Broomstick Flyer. My thoughts are with her family. She was an amazing author and I am grateful that she shared her talent with us. The world is a little less bright without her in it.