It had been a week since my row with Boromir, and I still think he's a prat. I get on well with everyone else coming along, like Gimli, and Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam, and Aragorn. Of course Dumble...er I mean Gandalf and I get on swimmingly. He asked me to start calling him Gandalf.
Gandalf is now my mentor, teaching me in the ways of controlling the new found power I have here. He says that I could make a very powerful witch it I could learn to control my temper. Magic is getting easier, some spells are so easy that I don't even have to say them, just feel them.
"Lady Hermione?" I heard a knock on my door. That must be Aragorn, out of all the people here, he reminds me most of home. Aragorn is just like Serious, they look the same, talk the same, they're like twins. "Lady Hermione we don't have much time, we might just decide to leave you here," his voice trailed off.
"COMING!" I shouted grabbing my beaded bag, and my quiver and bow. My beaded bag was full of things we would need. I had placed another extension charm on the bag, which only made it bigger. I could fit every ones things in here if I wanted to. I could hear Aragorn laughing on the other side of the door.
"There you are! I was beginning to think you didn't want to come at all!" of course he was joking, every one knew how much I wanted to be on this trip. "Come along little one. Time to make your mark on this world." Smiling from ear to ear, they made it down to the gate in no time.
"There you two are. I was beginning to think you would abandon us Lady of Sparks!" Legolas called to me as we approached. They started calling me that because when my temper gets out of control, sparks tend to fly from the tip of my wand. I laugh at him.
My humor lasted a good five seconds, until Boromir came up and tried his hardest to royally piss me off.
"There can't be enough things for a girl in that small bag! That is barley enough room for a man to bring his things in!" She let out a high, ringing laugh. "You really underestimate my abilities don't you?" He was smart enough to walk away before he got humiliated. by a girl, again.
-Line Break-
I was heading to leave when Elrond stopped me. "Young lady, there is a border between bravery and dumb luck. Don't confuse the two. You will be plagued by many who wish you to join the evil lord. Just believe in your friends, and when all hope seems lost, find it in this." and he handed me a necklace. It was a beautiful, thin opal, with a granite rose on it. carved on the back of the pendant reads "Wit Beyond Measure is a man's greatest treasure".
I quickly said goodbye to Elrond and Arawen, and ran to join my companions. Gimli was picking up the rear with Boromir, so I tagged along with him "...might want to tell us what he's planning." I picked up the tail end of their conversation, "Sorry to eves drop, but I think that you should believe in Gandalf more. He has a plan, but you knowing it isn't part of that plan. Don't be discouraged." I marched on to stand with Gandalf. "When will we start training Gandalf?" I asked, He turned down to smile at me.
"My dear, you are just as impatient to learn as you were your first year." I smiled, remembering Dumbledore coming in when I was in the library researching for the next years lessons. " I don't like not knowing things. I even spent time reading the books in English on Middle-Earth in Elrond's Library. It was quite fascinating."
He smiled down at me again. " Concentrate your mind, focus. That necklace you have is a great magical item. You have so much energy and power, focus some of that into your necklace. Any magical item can hold energy." I looked at him with fear in my eyes.
"I can't, I can't do that. It's too much like him, I spent too long hunting down, and destroying, things like this. They're dangerous! Why would you ask me to do something like that?" He smiled kindly at me "My dear, I would never ask something like that of you. What Tom Riddle did was a sick and dangerous. I'm asking you to do something that might mean the difference between life and death. focus your energy into that necklace."
I stopped and closed my eyes. I could feel the energy inside me. I imagined the necklace as a locket of some sorts. I channeled my power as I would with my wand. And I could feel it leaving me and going into my necklace. I fit as much energy as I possibly could into this small trinket.
When I opened my eyes, I fell to the ground. I felt someone pick me up. "Are you all right Lady Hermione?" Aragorn asked. I nodded, all ready I could feel my energy restoring. "I'll be fine in moments." I murmured, my necklace felt warm. "Set me down please." I said quietly. Once on my feet I marched over to Gandalf. " I did it, what now?"
He laughed, "My dear, you never cease to amaze me. Just rest and we will work when we rest." I groaned, it seems like I'll never get to train. "I just want to feel useful, I feel like a dead weight." Gandalf laughed and trudged on.
I started up something that has become a habit for me when I'm stressed, I conjured up some small golden finches. They flew around and played. I had one of them land on Pippins shoulder and sing, Pippin looked like Christmas had come early. When we finally stopped to make camp, I took it upon myself to put up some protection charms.
"Mulffiato" I muttered, walking around casting every protection spell I could think of. I felt peoples stares. I turned to see Legolas starring at me, along with Boromir, Gimli, and Aragorn. "What?" I asked they laughed "What are you doing Lady Hermione?" Aragorn asked.
"I'm putting protection charms around the campsite. So no one can attack us while we're resting. I used to do these every time we set up camp with Harry and Ron. I performed them so good once, Ron couldn't even find us one time." I let out a small chuckle.
"Why don't you do something useful and make us some dinner?" Boromir asked, fake kindness on his face made me want to punch him. "Because I'm not here to be your slave. If you want food, make it yourself. If you said that to some of the witches I knew, you would be on the ground with no nose, one eye, and an arm growing out of your neck. Don't tempt me." With that I turned and began to set up my tent.
I had never given the tent Ron, Harry, and I had borrowed back to Ron's father. So when I was done setting up I made myself a fire, some hot chocolate, and started to read a book. "May I come in?" I heard a familiar voice say, "Yes" I called back, in walked Gandalf. "Well, I do hope that you aren't finding the wilderness too harsh my dear." he said, smiling.
I laughed "Roughing it was never my forte. By the way, thank you for the gift, I rather enjoy these fairy tales." He smiled "I was hoping you would. I was under the impression that you wanted to train, but I guess I was wrong." Gandalf said, I jumped up so fast that I spilled hot chocolate all over myself.
"Bloody hell," I murmured, with a quick wave of my wand the mess was gone. Grabbing my wand and bag I headed out of the tent, with Gandalf in front of me.
I stopped when I saw everyone surrounding me with swords. I turned to Gandalf,
"I thought that we were training!" I said, in exasperation, he smiled.
"We are my dear. Your task is to protect yourself from harm, without harming the others. Being gentle is the first step in being strong." I nodded, "Like the Hufflepuffs." I said. Gandalf turned his head to the side in confusion, "What is a Hufflepuff?" he asked. And my jaw dropped.
I was distracted enough to not notice when Pippin and Merry charged at me. I had enough time to throw up a shield, laughing slightly when they landed on their butts. I could see another sword being drawn, with a wave of my want they were out of Sam's hands and feet away. While Sam and Frodo went to collect the swords, Gimli charged. I lifted him up and threw him into his tent.
Aragorn came to attack me from behind. Without thinking I shouted Stupify! and watched as he went flying back. "Aragorn! I'm so sorry!" I raced over to him, kneeling down to examine him I set down my wand at his side. "Your a too gentle Lady Hermione." Legolas shouted, from across the campsite, Legolas launched his arrow.
Without thinking I stood up, palm facing the arrow, and waited. When I looked at my hand, the arrow was frozen about less than a third of a centimeter away from my hand. Dropping my hand, I kept my focus on the arrow, turned it around and launched to back to the direction it came from. The arrow notched it's self five inches over Legolas's head in the tree trunk behind him.
I smirked, "Too gentle my ass."
