ok so next chapters here. Please review and tell me how it is. This is my first story so I really need feedback! So without further ado...
Disclaimer: all HP and LOTR things aren't mine
Chapter 3: Where the bloody hell are we?
Harry Potter thought he might have a concussion. His head head hurt as if he had slammed it repeatedly against a brick wall.
"Harry wake up" a female voice said. He couldn't quite place it though, his head hurt too much.
"Harry! Up. Now!" Harry jumped up. What he saw made him groan.
"Ginny, you do the best impression of your mother. I was actually scared for a second" Harry said, picking himself up.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ha. Ha. I think we have more pressing matters at the moment Harry, then my similarity to my mother." Gesturing to an unconscious and bloody Hermione, with Ron kneeling beside her, and to where they were. A muggle inn.
Harry took in his surroundings and began to panic. He took a deep breath. 'First things first' he thought. "We need to take care of Hermione right now" he said to Ginny. "We can deal with the muggles later" he added gesturing to the townsfolk who were silent and staring in awe at the four strangers who had popped in out of nowhere, wearing bizarre clothing. "They're all drunk anyways, they'll hardly remember a thing".
Ginny sighed "we are sooo going to askaban for this"
Harry let out a nervous chuckle and walked over to his two best friends. He laid a hand on Rons shoulder in comfort and asked "does she have her bag, mate?" Ron shook his head "no, she usually puts it in her sock, but it's not there" Ron gulped, tears coming to his eyes "will she be ok?" He whispered.
"She will, don't worry" Harry said trying to convince himself as well. He looked around at the audience in the pub who hadn't moved an inch. He took a deep breath and addressed them. "Uh hi... My friend here is injured and we would really appreciate if someone who knew healing could help us..." He finished awkwardly. No one moved. "Right, well thanks anyways" Harry said sarcastically. "It's nice to know theirs some humanity left in the world." Frustrated he went back to Hermione and assessed her wounds. It wasn't pretty, it looked like she was hit with a diffindo.
Out of nowhere a man stood next to Harry, and startled him. Harry looked up and saw that the man was tall, dark haired and about in his late 30s or 40s. But then when he looked into the grey eyes he saw wisdom, and pain, beyond the mans years.
"I can help" the man said in deep voice.
"Thank you!" Ginny said relieved, Ron nodded his thanks not moving his eyes from Hermione and Harry just smiled.
"Come up to my room, she will be more comfortable on the bed then on the floor." The man said gesturing towards the stairs. The other two made to pick up Hermione but Harry hesitated. He didn't know if he could trust the man, there was something different about him. But he was the best chance they had, so Harry went to help his friends pick up Hermione, but kept his wand in his sleeve, just in case. Just as they were about to go up the stairs one of the spectators in the pub said something. It was the barkeeper and he said "it'll cost you for the extra people". Harry rolled his eyes, handed hermiones legs to the stranger and went to the bar. He threw some gold galleons on the counter, towards the barkeeper and turned back sharply towards his friends who were halfway upstairs. They entered the room and laid Hermione on the bed.
"Roll her on her stomach" the man instructed to Ron who obliged. "Her wound is on her back." He found a cloth and some water and began to wash the cut that was bleeding profusely. He then took some white cloth and wrapped it around her to dress the wound.
"That is the best I can do for now." Tomorrow, when it is light I will go out and get some herbs. For now just let her rest and keep her warm." The man said to Ron Ginny and Harry. He stood up.
"Thank you" Harry said standing and holding out his hand to the stranger. The man looked confused at the outstretched hand.
"Don't you shake hands here?" Ron asked curiously, now feeling better that Hermione was being taken care of.
"No." The man answered "what does it mean to err... shake hands?" He asked.
"Well it can be used in greeting, when sealing a deal or when saying thank you." Ginny said "It's sort of like sealing a bond I guess" she said as an after thought.
The man nodded in understanding. It was a weird custom he thought, one he had never heard of, but he knew the man had meant no harm. Though what kind of society would harm a lady this way, he did not know. After a moments pause he held out his own hand to a surprised Harry.
"You're welcome" he said with a ghost of a smile in his eyes. "Who are you? Where are you from?" He asked. "If you don't mind my asking"
Harry hesitated for a second. For all they knew this man could be a death eater, he was the only one out of the crowd in the bar that didn't seem all that surprised that they just appeared out of nowhere after all. But Harry knew that this want the truth. There was something odd going on, and the only way to find out would be to talk someone from around here. He cleared his throat and began his story.
"I am Harry James Potter," he started "this is Ginny Molly Weasley and Ron Billius Weasley" pointing to Ginny and Ron. "And that is Hermione Granger" pointing to his best friend who was currently unconscious. "We are from London, England"
"England?" The man asked "I've never heard of such a land"
"Well it's in Europe." Ron tried to explain casting a sideways glance at Ginny
The man continued to look on blankly.
"On the planet earth?" Ron tried
"Earth?" The man asked "I've never heard of such a place"
"Well then can someone please tell me where the bloody hell are we?" Ron asked loudly
"There is no need to get frustrated, my friend" the man said "we are in middle earth, in the town of Bree, a few miles away from the shire"
The three friends looked shocked. "So you're telling me" Ginny asked slowly "that we're not in our world anymore."
"I think you're right Ginny" Harry said rubbing his temples, while Ron gulped. Seeing no threat in the man who had helped them, Harry began to tell him who they were, maybe he could help them.
"We're wizards" he started "do you have wizards here?"
"Yes" the man said "we have only a handful but they are well known and very powerful, they are called istari"
Harry nodded. The man knowing what wizards are made things easier for him. "You see, we, and three other friends of ours, were running from the death eaters," Harry explained "Who are the servants of an evil wizard from our world, named Voldemort"
The man nodded for Harry to continue.
"Hermione decided to make a portkey, which is object that takes you from one place to another, but then she messed up the incantation because one of the death eaters cast a spell at her and then the other death eater sent a spell at the portkey which may have tampered with its effects. So that's probably why we're here, the portkey brought us to a middle earth."
The mans eyes widened. It was a remarkable story, he had never heard of Istaris that could send incantations like that or that could go from one place to another in a matter of seconds, but he saw no lie in the boys eyes. He had seen many liars in the world and this boy - Harry - didn't seem like one.
"What of the other three?" The man asked "where did they go?"
"We don't know, we must have gotten separated when we fell off the portkey" Ginny answered "but we have to find them when Hermione gets healed, and figure out a way to go back home."
There was a long silence, and then Ron broke it "well now that you know our story, who are you?"
It was the mans turn to hesitate. Should he tell them the truth or tell them is alternate name? He settled for the truth, they had trusted him after all, and he felt that these newcomers had some important role in the future. "I am Aragon, son of Arathorn, a ranger from the north."
The three nodded
"Them why are you here?" Harry asked curiously. A ranger didn't seem like one to live in a village to him.
"I am here in search for a hobbit, who are halflings, he carries a valuable, yet dangerous object. He was supposed to meet gandalf the grey, one of the Istari of our world and myself but something happened to gandalf so I am here for him. I must take him to Rivendell, which is an elven city."
"Elves?" Ron asked thinking of dobby
"Yes they are the oldest, the most wise and the most peaceful being of our world" Aragon answered
Ginny let out a breath and a chuckle "your elves sound much different from our elves" she said
"Why? What's wrong with them?"
"They just sound different that's all" she said "I would have to see your elves to tell you the difference"
"Right" Aragorn said rising out of his chair. "I must go down, the hobbit should be here soon. Get comfortable, you have had a long journey" and with that he left the room.
"Wow" was all Ron could say and Harry felt the same way.
"There's something going on" Harry said "something bigger than what he told us"
Ginny groaned "what have we gotten ourselves into?" She said from her place next to Hermione on the bed.
Suddenly Hermione began to groan. Ron ran to her side and grabbed her hand "hey love, I'm right here"
"Are we at the burrow?" Hermione muttered "and why does my back hurt so much?"
"No we're not at the burrow, and you got cut in the back by a death eater." Harry said to her.
"Didn't you use the dittany?" Hermione asked
"Your bag isn't in your sock" Ron said.
"Yes it is, I can feel it" she answered
Harry suddenly realized something and began to laugh. "Mate did you check both socks?"
Rons ears suddenly turned red. "I thought she only kept it in her right sock," bending down and taking the bag out of the left sock and took out the dittany.
Ginny who couldn't contain her giggles let out a loud snort and burst out laughing "oh Ron, you're so stupid!"
"Hey!" Ron said offended as he began to pour the dittany on Hermione.
"It's ok Ron" Hermione said, chuckling into her pillow. "Now can someone tell me where we are? And where are Neville, Luna and Malfoy?"
The three began to explain everything to her and by the end of it Hermione had a very strained look on her face. She was sitting up because she was technically healed but she was still weak from the blood loss.
"It's all my fault" she whispered sadly "it's my fault we lost the others and it's my fault we're stuck in middle earth."
Ginny held firmly on to her friends arm and looked at her straight in the eye. "Listen to me Hermione, this isn't your fault, it's the death eaters fault" Hermione looked at her friend thankfully and nodded "thank you"
"Well now we have to figure out how to get out if this random place" Harry said
"Random? Middle earth isn't random, honestly, don't you read?" Hermione asked exasperated
Harry just grinned
Ron rolled his eyes "I can tell you're dying to tell us what it is so spit it out already"
"We you see, Merlin-" she started but was stopped by the door of the room banging open. Harry, Ginny pulled out their wands while Ron handed Hermione hers. They stood close together and waited silently. They let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Aragorn. "That's the man we were telling you about, the one who helped us, Aragorn" she said putting her wand down and sitting back on the bed with Hermione.
Harry noticed that Aragorn had brought someone with him, a child. Curious, Harry went closer but kept hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit room, why would Aragorn bring a child up here? But then he gasped as he saw the child's face. The person had the face of a man. "So this must be the hobbit he was taking about." The hobbit and Aragorn seemed to be having a whispered argument. When Harry came close enough to hear what they were saying the door burst open a second time. Four children ran in, one carrying a candle holder and 2 others shaking their fists at Aragorn. Harry guessed that these were hobbits too, by the looks of their faces. Then he noticed the fourth hobbit who was holding a wand and he gasped.
"Unhand him long shanks" the hobbit with the candle holder snarled.
Harry leaped out of the shadows and excitedly yelled "Neville!" Ginny, Ron and Hermione came quickly to where they were and all cried "you found us!"
The hobbit with the wand turned around sharply at the familiar voice. What he saw made him very happy, "Oh thank Merlin I found you!" He said running to his friends while the other hobbits looked on in confusion and Aragorn just smiled.
After the excitement of finding each other, Aragorn explained to the hobbits and the others what was going on. He told the hobbits that the nazgul were looking for the five of them and the ring and that they would have to stay with him for the night. He suggested that Ron Ginny Harry and Hermione also stay with them, because they were new and people were becoming suspicious of them. He told the hobbits they would be leaving for Rivendell soon, to deliver the ring.
"You are most welcome to join us" he told everyone from Hogwarts. "Lord Elrond, the king of Rivendell might be able to help you"
All four looked at Harry who shrugged "if it'll help us find a solution to our problem, sure"
And with that the 10 of them got comfortable on the floor, on the sofa and on the bed, trying to rest before the journey tomorrow.
They were all stunned at the information and wondered what they had just gotten themselves into. But there was something else the four of them wanted to talk to Neville about. Something they could not contain.
"Neville you've shrunk" Harry blurted
"And you have very hairy, bare feet" Ron added.
"And why do you have pointy ears?" Ginny asked, reaching out to touch them.
"Neville, i think what they mean to say is, what happened?" Hermione summarized.
Neville took a deep breath and began to explain about the riders and their journey to Bree. He told them how the nazgul reminded him so much of dementors, only they weren't.
Harry shuddered, he hoped he would never encounter a nazgul, but he knew that with his luck, he probably would.
The next morning Hermione woke up with a groan. Her head was swimming, and she felt that she still wasn't better yet. If only she could make a blood replenishing potion. But she didn't have the equipment. Sighing she got up but quickly lie back down due to the pain in her head and back.
Aragorn noticed this and became worried.
"She will not be up to journeying such a long distance, Harry" he said to the black haired boy.
Harry looked worriedly at his friends.
"I think she needs more serious medical attention. The elves of Rivendell could help her but to take her on such a long journey would make her worse." Aragorn added. By now Ginny and Ron had also joined the conversation.
"If only we could apparate," Ginny said sadly. "But we don't know where Rivendell is"
"Whats apparating?" Aragorn asked
"Well, witches as wizards have a way to travel where you appear from one place to another. It's very dangerous if you don't do it properly and many people have lost limbs because of it" Harry answered.
Aragorn looked disgusted
"So that's why you need to know your exact destination" Harry ended
Ron had a sudden idea. "I think I have a solution" he said turning to Aragorn "Do you have a map?" He asked him