AN: Hello, Chapter 3 is here! HUGE thanks to Red red red ribbon and LittleNK for reviewing the last chapter!

This story is AU, so if you're a purist who will be upset by non-canon pairings, I suggest you click the little back button, right there in the corner, and find a different story that won't offend you.

If you recognize it, it's not mine. I don't own the Lord of the Rings series, and I am not J.K.R. If I did... wow... that'd be a lot of money... Imagine! I wouldn't have to worry about getting college scholarships! *stares off into the distance, happily daydreaming*

*snaps out of it* Anyways, please enjoy the chapter!


It was dark and dreary the night that Aragorn and Ginny arrived in Bree. Ginny had her cloak over her face, concealing both her identity and her gender. She had donned her ranger garb in exchange for her light Elven dresses, and was heavily armed with her sword, daggers, bow, and full quiver. Aragorn was dressed in much the same manner, with his sword at his hip, and hood over his face. They bullied their way past the wary gatekeeper and entered the Prancing Pony Inn. Ginny approached the bartender and Innkeeper, a man by the name of Butterbur. The name made her think of home... Hogsmeade trips, The Three Broomsticks, the Hog's Head... She shook her head to stop the memories and paid for a single room with two beds. No point in wasting what little gold they had. She had learned in her childhood that money was never something to take for granted. Ginny approached Aragorn in his corner where he had settled down, his face still covered, puffing his pipe.

"You go on upstairs," Aragorn said, "I'll wait here for the hobbits." Ginny raised her eyebrows at him and though he could not see it, he could feel the disbelieving gaze on him.

"And how, may I ask, do you expect to find the room later tonight with the hobbits if you don't come up now, hm?" she asked logically.

Aragorn looked up at her with a withering glance. She returned it with a glare of her own. He decided that perhaps it was best go go along with her. He had seen her when she was angry, and it was frightening. Sighing and putting out his pipe, Aragorn rose to his feet and followed Ginny to their room. Once inside, she let her hood fall, revealing her bright red hair which she had braided down her back. She preferred to keep it hidden, to avoid probing glances. She would have transfigured herself earlier, but there hadn't been a point outside of Bree, and they had been in a rush, so it slipped her mind.

They deposited their belongings and Aragorn returned down to the common room. Ginny remained upstairs, worrying about him, Fred, George, Gandalf, and that poor hobbit with the Ring. She pulled her wand from a holster strapped to her thigh, and turned to face the small mirror in the room. She raised her wand and transfigured her appearance as she usually did in public. She turned her hair to a dark brunette and made her skin a bit tanner. In the last decade, she had found that full-on Weasley gingers were very rare in Middle Earth, making her stick out like a sore thumb with her violently red hair, pale skin, and freckles.

This was why whenever she left Imladris, she transformed herself into her alias, Aglaril, a Ranger from the North. Just as Aragorn was called Strider by strangers, this was the name she gave to those she did not trust, and if she did say so herself, Aglaril had built up quite the formidable reputation.

In her decade in Middle Earth, Ginny had focused on protecting herself and fighting without magic; her reasoning being that she wanted to keep her magic a secret as best she could, only using it if desperate, and so she could still fight should something happen to her wand. Thus creating her oh-so-formidable reputation as a danger to those around her. However, it was not just her skill, but the fact that she rarely smiled, laughed, or showed any sign of happiness unless in the presence of Fred, George, Gandalf, Arwen, Elrond, or Aragorn. She had been depressed when they arrived, unable to bear the homesickness. She buried her sadness under an impassive mask, only decipherable to those who had known her for her full decade in this world.

Since she was alone, Ginny let a tear fall for her family and friends back home. For Mum, Dad, Bill, Charlie, Ron, Hermione, and Harry. Her breath hitched, and tears began to fall freely. It had been so long since she had thought of them all. Ten years since she'd seen them. She was 26 now, hardly the sixteen-year-old child she had been upon her arrival, but no amount of time could heal this hurt for her. She let herself cry quietly for maybe five minutes before she pulled herself together. She wouldn't let herself show weakness. Never.

That night passed uneventfully. The hobbits failed to arrive that evening, so the two rangers resumed their watch the next night. This time, it was Ginny's, or Aglaril's, turn to await the hobbits. Aragorn reminded her that the one they were waiting for went by the name of Frodo Baggins, but that he would be going by the name of Underhill. Ginny nodded and walked downstairs, her hood covering her transfigured brunette hair. She approached the bartender and purchased a mug of ale to give her something to do while she waited. He eyed her suspiciously and he asked her name.

"You may call me Aglaril." she said coldly. She had to suppress a smirk when his eyes widened in response to her name. He nodded and gave her the mug without another word, and she retreated to a dark corner where she could watch the room easily without looking suspicious.

She sat for a few hours, watching guests come and go, noting the rainfall outside. Just as she was nearing the point of retreating upstairs, a group of four hobbits walked in. In front was one with curly dark brown hair and startlingly light blue eyes. Frodo Baggins. Behind him were his companions. One was a bit larger than the rest, with strawberry blonde hair, and the other two had blonde curls, looking nearly identical. She watched warily as Frodo paid for a hobbit-sized room under the name of Underhill and trooped upstairs.

Shortly, they returned downstairs to the common room. They ate and drank heartily, and Ginny was most amused when one of the blondes discovered the fact that 'big people' sold ale in pints. She had to stifle a giggle at the hobbit's joyful face when he returned with his precious pint, and quickly returned to her impassive façade. Eventually, one of the blonde hobbits got drunk and started to spout off stories from the Shire. Gandalf had taken her there on one of his visits, but there she had been Ginny the Red Sorceress, not Aglaril the Dangerous Ranger. Her eyes widened behind her cloak when the hobbit mentioned the name Baggins. She sat up stock still and watched as Frodo tackled the blonde to the ground, and in the process, the Ring slipped onto his finger.

Chaos. That is the only word appropriate for the state of the bar when Frodo disappeared. Under cover of this discord, Ginny strode to where she guessed Frodo to be. She was correct, and so she grabbed him and dragged him into hers and Aragorn's room. The hobbit put up an impressive struggle, but years of handling weapons gave Ginny the advantage of strength. She opened the door, shoved Frodo inside, and closed the door. She saw Aragorn putting out the candles from the corner of her eye, as she turned to face Frodo after throwing back the hood of her cloak.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, panic clear in his voice.

"A little more caution from you." Ginny said. "That is no mere trinket you carry." she said quietly and urgently.

"I carry nothing." Frodo tried to lie. Ginny raised her eyebrows at him.

"I can make myself unseen if I wish, but to become invisible, that is a rare gift." she said to him.

"Are you frightened?" Aragorn asked, coming up beside Ginny. Frodo said that

he was.

"Not nearly enough. We know what hunts you." Aragorn said gravely. Ginny nodded in agreement. They were interrupted by a loud bang and the door opened to reveal Frodo's three companions, the frontmost being the slightly larger one, brandishing his fists.

"Release him or I'll have you, Ranger!" he shouted, Ginny and Aragorn had subconsciously drawn their weapons at the noise, and now they sheathed them in relief and mild amusement.

"You have a stout heart, master hobbit, but you needn't fear. We are friends of Gandalf." he regarded her with suspicion. She motioned for them to enter the room, and she closed the door behind them.

"How do we know that you're friends of Gandalf? If we were to judge just on your actions, Miss Aglaril, I could call you a kidnapper!" said the same hobbit. She turned to Frodo.

"Do you remember a visit from Gandalf, when he brought along three other wizards, one of them a woman?" Frodo nodded slowly and cautiously. Ginny gave him a small smile. She raised her wand and removed the charms altering her appearance. She was returned to the pale skinned red-headed woman that Frodo had met eight years ago.

"Ginny?" he asked. She nodded, the same light smile on her face. Recognition dawned in the hobbits' eyes, remembering the three redheads Gandalf had brought to the Shire. However, the largest hobbit was still wary.

"How do we know we can trust you though, Strider?" he asked, evidently still suspicious. Mad-Eye would've liked him... Ginny thought absently.

"What is your name, master hobbit?" she asked him.

"That's Samwise Gamgee, that is!" said the drunken blonde.

"Well, Master Samwise, do you trust me?" she asked. He nodded.

"Do you trust my judgement?" he nodded again.

"I trust Strider. Though he may not look it, he is a good and trustworthy man." she finished. She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Aragorn turned to face her with a mock accusing glance. She shrugged. They needed the hobbits to trust the two of them to take them to Rivendell.

Ginny transfigured her appearance back to Aglaril, and left to disguise the hobbits' room. The hobbits would be staying in hers and Aragorn's room that night to hide from the Nazgûl. Satisfied with her handiwork, she returned to their room to find the hobbits sleeping two to a bed, and Aragorn staring out the window. Donning a smirk worthy of her twin brothers, she cast muffliato on herself and the door so as to sneak up on the unsuspecting Ranger. She closed the door quietly behind her and approached him from behind. She stood on her toes so she could speak directly in his ear.

"Not often I catch you off your guard, is it?" she asked in a quiet voice. She backed away quickly and smirked when he jumped violently at the sound of her voice. He turned to face her with a dagger in hand, but relaxed when he saw just who it was that snuck up on him. She clicked her tongue and shook her head at him in disapproval.

"You need to pay more attention to your surroundings, mellon-nín." she said, amused by his reaction. He sighed at her antics and returned his attention to the window.

"Get some rest, Ginny." he said. She nodded, but placed wards around the room before she laid down on the spot of floor she had given a cushioning charm. Before she drifted off to sleep, she heard Aragorn explaining the Nazgul to a restless Frodo. They were worse than dementors. Their shrieks pierced the eardrums, their blades laced with poison. There were few things that Ginny was truly afraid of, but the Nazgûl were among them. "Merlin help us." she whispered into the darkness.


That lying traitorous bastard! George thought about the traitorous Saruman. Shortly after their arrival at Isengard, the White Wizard had imprisoned Fred, George, and Gandalf atop Orthanc. He scowled. He was cold, hungry, exhausted, and Saruman had confiscated his staff. He still had his wand in the holster on his hip, but he was saving that as a last resort. Fred was unconscious beside Gandalf, who was weakly leaning against one of the four spires of the tower, his eyelids halfway shut. He motioned George over to him. He scrambled over as quietly as possible and held his breath for fear of detection.

"George, I want you to leave. Go to Lord Elrond and warn him of Saruman's betrayal, and then go to Ginevra and Estel's aid." he said, using Ginny's and Aragorn's lesser known names for fear of eavesdroppers.

"But-" George started to protest. He would not just leave Fred and Gandalf here to fight Saruman on their own! It wasn't in his nature. Gandalf silenced his protest with a shake of his head.

"No, George. You must make haste, and you are the only one here who can make a quick enough escape. Bring Fredrick with you." George nodded. He shakily rose to his feet, grabbing Fred's arm and turned to take one last look at the aging wizard.

"You don't want me to bring you too?" he asked. Gandalf shook his head.

"No. When Saruman discovers your absence, he will need a reason to stay here instead of chasing after you." Gandalf said. George nodded again.

"If you are not in Imladris when I return with Estel and Ginevra I will not hesitate to come back for you." said George. Gandalf gave him a small smile.

"I do not doubt you will. Now go!" he said.

George gave his mentor one last glance before he drew his wand and spun on his heel, disapparating with a loud crack.


AN: LittleNK, hopefully that answered some of your questions/confirmed your speculations!

If you liked it, let me know with a review! Reviews make me happy :) Also, I'm not going to pretend to be a Lord of the Rings expert, I'm still reading Two Towers... I've read the Hobbit and Fellowship, though. I have seen the movies, but I know that movies are never the same as the books they're "based" off of. So, if I get something grievously wrong, let me know!