Old Before I Hit Puberty

Upon their return, the whole of Edoras had prepared for a feast and celebration. That very night the Golden Hall was filled with common folk, warriors, royalty, a couple of wizards, laughter, music, food and drink. The people of Rohan ate, drank, sang and danced.

The Golden Hall had three long tables running parallel to each other with a row of three kegs of ale lined up at the west side. Maids of Rohan brought food in and laid the platters upon the tables. Harry sat at the table nearest the kegs where he could view the entire room.

The king stood and the room grew quiet as all eyes were immediately drawn to him. Théoden raised a tankard and toasted, "Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country. Hail the victorious dead!"

The room erupted with cheers and each person of Rohan attending raised their drink to toast with the fair king. Harry politely sipped at his ale in memory of those who had fallen: man and elf. Gimli had already drank down two tankards and toasted with his third.

The dwarf slammed his empty tankard upon the wooden, food-laden table and laughed uproariously at his off color joke that only he seemed to understand. Legolas stood nearby and smiled cordially at those who dared speak with the mysterious elf. Aragorn celebrated with the men of Rohan while the two hobbits drank, laughed and sang.

Sondim stood beside a barrel of ale and poured tankard after tankard for the guests. He handed the drink off to the Third Marshal of the Riddermark. Éomer accepted the drink from Sondim and ruffled the boy's hair as another shout of laughter rippled through the room.

The young wizard was surprised when Éomer sat beside him and was momentarily distracted from Gimli as he explained to the elf the drinking contest rules. Legolas stood at one end of the table while Gimli sat at the other and the two began drinking tankard after tankard of ale. Sondim was barely keeping up with the pair in the beginning, but soon he was able to slow down as the drinkers were too inebriated to drink as swiftly as they had been and enjoy the odd banter between the elf and dwarf.

After their tenth ale, Legolas blinked and stared at his hand as if he had never seen it before while wiggling his fingers. "I feel a tingling in my fingertips."

Éomer laughed and raised his tankard in appreciation of the elf's drinking skills. Harry watched with concern, thinking only of the possibility of alcohol poisoning. Gimli responded with a rather loud, repulsive belch and laughed at his own form of wit. While Ron had bad table manners, even he wasn't quite as nauseating. The wizard wrinkled his nose in distaste, "Are all dwarves like this one?"

"From what stories have been told, I believe they are." Éomer drank heavily from his own tankard and watched as Gimli drank down a tankard in one go, possibly wearing more than he had consumed.

"Fascinating." Gimli belched again. Harry shook his head, "Disgusting, but fascinating."

Gimli began pounding his empty tankard on the table in time with the music as the two hobbits began singing. Harry looked up toward the middle of the room where Merry and Pippin danced on a table. The bar song was rather catchy and Harry grinned at their antics.

"Oh, you can search - up and down
As many lands as can be found
But you'll never find a beer so brown
As the one we drink in our home town
You can keep your fancy ales
You can drink them by the flagon
But the only brew, for the brave and true,
Comes from the Green Dragon!"

They sang and drank, carrying on a form of floor show to entertain the people of Rohan. Harry noted Gandalf clapping along with the music, standing alone at the outskirts of the crowd. He envied his position of solitude and excused himself from the table just as the dwarf belched and passed out.

Harry made his way to the wizard's side and breathed easier. Where Gandalf stood, the room wasn't nearly as loud as the crowd remained rather centralized. The older man grinned at the young wizard, "Too much celebrating?"

"I've never been comfortable in crowds. Too tempting of a target for the bad guys. I don't like to test fate." Harry admitted. "When folks are too happy, too relaxed, that's when tragedy strikes fast and hard."

Gandalf sobered at Harry's words, "You've lived a hard life if you have such a jaded view at such a young age."

"I did mention that my parents were murdered in front of me when I was a toddler. I grew up with an Aunt and Uncle that hated magic. Uncle Vernon thought to beat it out of me, to force me to be 'normal' - or what he thought passed as normal. I didn't know magic was real or that I was a wizard until I was eleven when I was accepted to a special school just for wizards and witches.

"I went to Hogwarts once I learned about my heritage. Every year there was a test of my loyalties and abilities until the war broke out when I was fifteen.

"Growing up in a war where death and torture is a daily occurrence tends to force a person to grow up very quickly especially when it was foretold that it is up to you to end it and only you can because the prophecy said so." Harry watched the drinking and dancing hobbits. "I was never a normal child. Old before I hit puberty."

Aragorn joined the wizards for a respite from the celebrating. After the second glance towards Gandalf, Harry asked, "Would you like some privacy? I can easily step away."

The Ranger gave the young man a crooked grin, "That won't be necessary. I was just thinking about Frodo."

"The hobbit with the horcrux?" Harry asked, lowering his voice on the last word.

"Horcrux?" Aragorn blinked showing his confusion.

Harry saw a passing woman look over at them when Aragorn spoke and threw a quick privacy ward around the three, "A horcrux is an item that magically holds a piece of a man's soul within it, making that person immortal so long as his separated soul piece is safe. This ring that your friend, Frodo, carries acts much in the same way. Your Dark Lord lives so long as that ring is whole.

"What is really troublesome about a horcrux is that they are next to impossible to destroy and the negative effect it has on the person carrying the item can be either life threatening or mind altering." Harry had a far off look in remembrance of his own encounters.

"Ah," Aragorn gave a small shudder of distaste at the idea of horcruxes, "So Frodo is in even more danger than I had first believed so long as he has the ring in his possession."

"A young witch had one at the age of eleven. This particular horcrux was a diary that interacted with her." Harry closed his eyes as he related Ginevra Weasley's tale, "She was a lonely little first year and would write in its pages. She said the diary was her only friend. The whole time the horcrux was feeding off of her life force and becoming whole once more while she slowly died."

"Did she perish?"

Harry's eyes sprung open and his head snapped towards Gandalf, having forgotten the older man was still at his side. "No. I destroyed the horcrux with the poison of a basilisk. The moment the diary was destroyed it released its hold on Ginny and she lived. Unfortunately I have no poison to destroy the ring."

"How many have you destroyed, young Istar?" Aragorn asked quietly.

"The diary was the first," The wizard wrapped his arms around his torso, "The next was a ring, then a locket, a cup, a diadem, a snake and the last… was me."

"You are a horcrux?"

"Was… I was a horcrux."

"How does one stop being a horcrux?" Aragorn blinked, "How does one become a horcrux?!"

Harry raised his bangs and exposed his infamous - at least in the Wizarding World - scar, allowing Aragorn to see it before dropping his hand back to his side, "My mother had done some sort of ritual with runes. The night the man came to kill me, it's protection was activated the moment she sacrificed her life for me. He used the killing curse on me. It bounced back thanks to my mother. His soul - already torn from the two murders he committed prior to activating the ritual - was shattered. A fragment latched on to me, the other was released into the world and his body destroyed.

"In order to release the fragment within me, I - like any horcrux - had to be destroyed." Harry looked at the two men, "I died."

"But you're…" Aragorn's words trailed off and Harry gave him a half grin.

"I didn't stay dead." Harry turned his attention to the festivities, "I'm not saying I can't die. I'm simply saying I'm hard to kill."

Gandalf peered at the teen, "Did you destroy them all?"

"I had loads of help." Harry recounted, "I hunted for the horcruxes, but I only destroyed the first one. Dumbledore - the headmaster and leader of the Light - took care of the ring, Ron - my best mate - had the locket, Hermione - my best friend - the cup, Crabbe - one of Voldemort's lackey's - unintentionally burned the diadem along with himself when he was trying to capture me, Neville - a friend of mine - killed the snake - from what I hear that was a sight to see, a snake's head flying off with a whack of an enchanted sword - and Voldemort killed me."

"Isn't he the one you vanquished?"

"The same." The teen changed the subject away from his past back to the question Aragorn had intended for Gandalf, "Is there news of Frodo?"

"No word," Gandalf hesitated and sounded almost lost, "Nothing."

"We still have time." When Gandalf canted his head in question, Aragorn continued, "Every day Frodo moves closer to Mordor."

"Do we know that?"

The elderly man sounded skeptical, but Aragorn prompted, "What does your heart tell you?"

Gandalf gave a small, tired smile and sounded almost wistful, "That Frodo is alive."

Harry quietly listened to the two old friends speak and took a calming breath before looking over the feast as the celebration was slowing. The two hobbits were no longer dancing on the table, instead opting to regale listeners with their tales of adventure. Gimli was passed out on a table. Legolas stood in the same spot he had been standing at when Harry had walked away from the competition, only instead of drinking he was conversing with Éomer and Haleth.

"Where do we go from here?" Harry asked, "What is our next step? I can't imagine we're going to stay here in Rohan - safe in the Golden Hall, drinking until we pass out, eating until we can't walk - until Frodo makes it to Mordor."

"We need Théoden to join the war. He currently believes there is no urgency since the Battle of Helms Deep was a success." Aragorn crossed his arms before him and scowled. "War will spread and it will come to the borders of men."

"We have to talk the stubborn king into doing something he is dead set against?" When Aragorn snorted softly at Harry's choice of words, the young wizard shook his head, "Count me out. He still barely forgives me."

"You did apologize, did you not?" Aragorn practically growled.

"Yes!" Harry huffed, "Even if I didn't want to."

"Harry…"

"I was sincere in my apology. I spoke nothing but the truth. I shouldn't have said some of the things I had even if it was all heartfelt and true."

"Harry."

"Weeeeeeell, I think it's time for me to get some sleep." Aragorn's hand was suddenly rather heavy on the young man's shoulder and the teen wasn't going any further. Harry gave the ranger a crooked grin, "Good night, most benevolent king."

"Impudent whelp."

Chuckling, Harry made his way to the large room just beyond the Golden Hall that had been set up for the fellowship to bunk in. Stretching his sore back, the teen soon dropped his bag at the foot of the bed, removed his cloak and set it aside as well.

Harry sat on the cot and removed his boots, tucking them out of the way and laid his head wearily upon the flat pillow. The sheer luxury of a bad - regardless of how lumpy - was a welcome change. The teen pulled the thin blanket over him and tucked his wand under the pillow before allowing his eyes to shut.

He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but scuffling and Merry crying out for his friend woke him. "Pippin!"

Grabbing his wand, Harry sat up while straightening his glasses and wasn't sure what he was witnessing. Pippin was convulsing while holding the Palantir. The orb was active with swirling charged electrical lights that crackled audibly and emitted magic into the very air in the room. Harry sat stunned by the weight of the immense dark power pressing down on him.

The blonde hobbit grabbed Harry's arm and shook him, crying out, "Harry, help Pip!"

Pippin sank to his knees, his mouth open in a soundless scream. He fell backwards, back arched, powerless to release the fiery globe. Harry scampered out of his bed and pointed his wand at the pained hobbit, "Expelliarmus!"

The palantir was wrenched from Pippin's grip as he slid to the far side of the room. The globe soared through the air just as Aragorn entered, followed shortly by Legolas while Gandalf woke with a start. The room of people watched the orb mid-flight and a series of events happened simultaneously: Gandalf attempted to hop out of his bed, getting entangled with the thin blanket which caused the elder wizard to faceplant on the wooden floor; Legolas dove to catch the falling wizard, becoming a cushion for the Maia's torso; Merry ran to his best friend who whimpered when his head met the far wall; Gimli - who was sleeping through the whole ordeal - snorted gruffly, rolling over; Harry - courtesy of his seeker reflexes - instinctively reached up as the Ranger caught the palantir just over the small wizard's head.

Harry hissed as his forehead burst in white blinding pain when his fingertips grazed the palantir, Aragorn cried out in shocking pain, having caught the orb with both hands. The young wizard growled and pointed his wand at the ranger, "Waddiwasi!"

The globe flew once more into the air and landed with a thunk - denting the wooden flooring - and rolled towards Pippin. Aragorn slumped to the floor, gasping for breath. Harry swayed and pressed the heel of his palm to his scar as the pain slowly eased. Gandalf threw a blanket over the palantir and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Gimli grumbled under his breath and tugged his blanket over his head

Gandalf rounded on Pippin and growled, "Fool of a Took!"

Harry grimaced at the volume of the reprimand as Pippin winced at the harsh tone. The small hobbit began trembling, muttering and rocking back and forth. Harry stumbled to his bag, pulled out his small potions case and sought out a calming draught. The young wizard crouched before Pippin and popped the seal before thrusting it at the big footed brunette. "Here, Pippin, drink this. It's a calming draught so you don't go into shock."

Pippin's hand was shaking too much and Harry pressed the vial to his lips, helping him drink the potion. The hobbit closed his eyes for a moment and muttered aloud, "Forgive me."

The elderly wizard moved to crouch before the hobbit and addressed him. His tone was calmer, yet the urgency was still present, "Look at me! What did you see?"

"A tree… There was a white tree…" The brunette hobbit blinked his eyes open and stared up at Gandalf, "It's in a courtyard of stone. It was dead." Pippin's voice was monotone as he continued, "The city was burning…"

"Minas Tirith?" Gandalf asked no one in particular before focusing on Pippin once more, "Is that what you saw?"

Pippin looked confused as he continued to mutter the disjointed thoughts tumbling about in his head, "I saw… I saw him… I could hear his voice in my head."

Merry gasped, but Gandalf refused to allow Pippin to become distracted, "And what did you tell him? Speak!"

The hobbit instinctively recoiled at the displayed anger, "He asked me my name, I didn't answer…" Pippin stared at Gandalf with a bemused look, "he hurt me."

"What about Frodo?" Gandalf gripped the hobbit's shoulder and barely resisted the urge to shake the brunette, "What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?"

AN: I'm going out of town this weekend. So I won't be posting anything on Saturday.