Aragorn stopped at a large stream to give the others a break. Hermione knelt in front of the stream and cupped her hands, filling them with water. She brought her hands to her face quickly, rubbing all over her face to get the dirt and dust from the mines off. After she repeated the process a few times, she did it again, but instead she drank the cold water. Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, Hermione stood up and looked around. There was a forest ahead of them, not even a mile away, and yet it seemed so far.
Hermione tucked the stray hair that escaped her braid back into the braid artistically so it looked like they never escaped. She sighed; her hair was becoming a nuisance on this journey. It had gotten caught on her quiver many times already was a pain to just deal with in general. When they set up camp that night, she decided she would cut it. She would have it just below her shoulder. Not too long, and not too short. Hermione didn't notice that Legolas was standing next to her until he spoke up, causing her to jump in surprise.
"Hermione, are you all right?" Legolas asked, his blue eyes searching her soul. Hermione nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine now. I just didn't have enough time to come to terms with the result of the battle back home. I guess with everything going on, I had a mental breakdown," she said, shrugging her shoulders and looking to the sun beginning to set in the west.
"Please, let me know if I can be of any help, Hermione," he said, rubbing her arm gently and giving her a smile. She nodded, grateful for his support.
Aragorn led them to the forest, keeping up the pace of a jog. The floor was covered in yellow flowers and leaves that had fallen from the thousands of trees around them. Gimli looked around nervously.
"Stay close, young hobbits…they say a sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell. And are never seen again!" Gimli growled. Hermione looked around cautiously, not aware of the Elves slowly closing in on them. "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" The Elves suddenly surrounded the Fellowship, their arrows pointed directly at their faces.
"The Dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark," said the Elf who looked shockingly like Legolas. Aragorn spoke up to the Elf in Elvish. Hermione tried to listen, but to no avail. They were speaking too fast for her to pick out key words.
"Aragorn! These woods are perilous. We should go back," Gimli advised, looking up at Aragorn.
"You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back," the Elf said ominously. He turned his focus towards Frodo, looking deep into his eyes. "Come, she is waiting." He turned and lead them through the woods, the daylight disappearing with each step.
By the time they had gotten to the top of the hill, the sun was setting, casting a bright, fiery glow around the forest. A tree, larger than Hermione had ever seen, towered above them. Fairy lights were twinkling above them, giving them the extra light that was soon going to disappear. They climbed the stairs of the tree, winding higher and higher. The sun soon went down, casting the forest into darkness.
The fairy lights had lit the way, twinkling as the Fellowship passed them. Hermione was walking next to Legolas, who seemed to be so much more relaxed here than at the mines. He had a peaceful look on his face, his shoulders weren't tensed, and his hands lay comfortably at his sides. Hermione had been staring at him for so long, she wasn't aware of someone whispering in her ear.
"Hermione," Aragorn whispered, jerking Hermione out of her daydream state.
"Yes?" she whispered back, curious as to why Aragorn was whispering in the first place.
"Instead of staring at him like a lovesick fool," Hermione blushed at this, for he was right. "Why don't you try and talk to him? You'd be surprised by how much he enjoys talking," Aragorn chortled, amused. Hermione nodded shyly, glancing back at Legolas, who was grinning. And for several minutes, Hermione could not for the life of her, come to say something to Legolas. Frustration growing, Hermione trudged along, trying to think of something to say. Out of nowhere, Legolas said something.
"I remember when this tree was only thirty feet tall," he said, matter-o-factly. Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"What?" she asked, looking at how far up they were; they must have been more than a mile up from the ground! "But, that would make you at least a thousand years old!" Hermione gasped; if he was that old, or possibly older, his face clearly did not show it.
"Two-thousand, nine hundred, and thirty one, actually," he smirked, looking much like Draco, but less sinister. "I was born in 87, The Third Age. My father, Thranduil, who is King of the Woodland Realm, raised me in Mirkwood with many other Elves. I grew up an excellent archer, taught by only the best. I traveled between Mirkwood and Rivendell often, becoming friends with Aragorn when he came there, an orphan.
"I taught Aragorn Elvish, as I am teaching you know. I also taught him how to use a bow and arrow and daggers. I did not, however teach him how to wield a sword. He did that on his own," he said with a fond smile. "Aragorn is one of my few acquaintances that I call 'friend'. What about you? I have heard plenty about your skills of healing and bravery, but I know nothing of your past life."
"Well, I was born in London I grew up there up until I was eleven, that's when I found out I was a witch," Hermione said, smiling at the memory of when she found out. She was reading outside, basking in the sunlight, when suddenly, a woman appeared out of nowhere. The strange woman was wearing an emerald green cloak and a matching pointy hat. In her hands were papers and a wooden stick. She walked over to Hermione's house, knocking on the door. Her parents answered and called Hermione inside. The strange woman then introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of a school called Hogwarts. McGonagall told Hermione and her parents all about the Wizarding World, muggle-borns, and Hogwarts.
"And from there, I attended Hogwarts for 6 years. I met Harry Potter, one of my best friends, and Ronald Weasley, another best friend. I was hardly ever without them; we always did everything together at school. And when Voldemort came back in fourth year, we were closer than ever before. People didn't believe us that he had returned, so we were always defending Harry, always on his side. And when his godfather, Sirius died, we were there to support him, always trying to make him laugh. Once Dumbledore died and we decided to not go to school seventh year, we began the search for the Horcruxes," she said. Legolas' eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Hermione saw this and explained further. "Horcruxes are magical objects that can store a part of your soul, so if you are killed, you can rely on that object to bring you back to life. It's a complicated and very illegal process, but Voldemort, the evil wizard we had to kill, created seven Horcruxes, which is unheard of. It's bad enough that you split the soul once, but to do it seven times?" she asked, horror and disgust apparent in her voice. "We stuck together until the end, Harry, Ron, and I. Through all the lies and betrayal, we stayed true to each other. We stuck with Harry until he had killed Voldemort once and for all," Hermione said passionately. "Now I'm here, with you," she added quietly, looking into his blue eyes. He smiled.
"Well, it's an honor to have you here, Hermione. I look forward for the months to come," Legolas said, his eyes twinkling. She smiled back at him, eager for the time to come.
Haldir had lead them to the top of the miles long winding staircase around the tree. Two people were waiting, both looking angelic in white clothing. With the effects of the twinkling fairy lights all around them, it looked like the two elves were glowing. It seemed so mystical to Hermione, that she couldn't help but rub her eyes a few times to see if she was seeing straight. The male Elf spoke after a moment of silence.
"Nine there are, yet ten there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him." Everyone was silent, the pain of Gandalf's passing too great for anyone to speak up.
"He has fallen into shadow," the female Elf whispered in sad realization. "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all…yet hope remains while the company is true," she said, looking directly at Hermione. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and she bowed her head in embarrassment. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace."
Everyone bowed their heads in respect and followed an Elf to a clearing. Hermione leant up against a tree, her arms crossed over her chest. She listened to the singing from the treetops and could pick up a few words here and there. The singing sounded sad, as if one was singing during a funeral.
"A lament for Gandalf," Legolas said sadly, looking at Hermione.
"What are they saying about him?" Hermione asked quietly.
"I have not the heart to tell you. For me, the grief is still too near. I met him when I was at Rivendell about fifty years ago. We had a nice conversation about the effects of eating certain plants before the lunar cycle was complete. He helped shed some new light on the subject. It was quite a fascinating conversation," Legolas chuckled lightly at the memory. He sobered up quickly then, remembering Gandalf was gone.
Hermione rubbed Legolas' shoulder in comfort and when he turned to look at her, she gave him a comforting smile and walked away. She trudged to the fountain and gazed at the perfection of the water. It was so clear and pure, untouched by anything dirty. Sighing, Hermione turned away and got out her wand.
Holding out her thick braid, Hermione made a cutting gesture with her wand and muttered the incantation to cut her hair. A large length of her braid fell to the ground and instantly her head felt lighter. Hermione redid her braid and vanished the remaining part on the ground with a flick of her wand. She made her way over to an unoccupied couch and took off her weapons, cloak, and vest, leaving her in a snug white shirt and her black pants.
She threw the light blanket over herself and closed her eyes, letting sleep take her.
A bright light blinded Hermione in her dreams as a beautiful figure began to take shape. Galadriel looked upon Hermione and Hermione stared back in awe.
"Is this a dream?" Hermione asked.
"Even the wisest cannot tell," Galadriel said in her light voice. Hermione nodded uncertainly. "The fellowship is breaking. It has already begun. The turnout of this quest could end badly. I am here to give you a choice, Hermione Granger of Hogwarts."
Hermione nodded eagerly, waiting to hear what else Galadriel had to say.
"If you wish it, you may stay here and help fight a war far worse than the one you fought back home. Or, you may return back to your time and be with your friends and loved ones. It is your choice, Miss Granger."
Hermione was going over the pros and cons of each option. Going back home was sounding far better at this point, but something kept bringing Hermione back to the option of staying and fighting. Harry's face kept popping up in her mind and she didn't know why.
"What do you think your friends would do, Miss Granger?" Galadriel asked, trying to help Hermione with her decision.
"Well, Ron is quite, eh, unpredictable. He does one thing and goes back and does something to contradict it, but in the end he is still loyal. Harry, he would fight. He's lived a lifetime of war and he would not wish it upon anyone to live through what he lived through."
With that being said, the choice suddenly became clear to Hermione and she smiled.
"I see you have chosen your path, Miss Granger," Galadriel said, smiling. Hermione nodded.
"I choose to stay and fight. I can't leave these people now, not when the consequences are that deadly. I know Harry would stay and fight, and that's exactly what I'm going to do," Hermione said passionately. Galadriel gave Hermione a bright smile and started to fade into a bright light, leaving Hermione quite content with her choice.
I would like to state that JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, and Peter Jackson own all of this material! I only own the plot! I wish I owned more, but C'est la vie! Please review! I want to know what you think! :)