*Crawls through the door, a bit bloodied and a bit bruised, but relatively alive*

Hey guys...

So yeah. This is a bit late. If anyone read my author's note for the last chapter they would see that I took November off to take part in NaNoWriMo, which explains that, as for the other few weeks that I've been missing...

Well, life happened. It was pretty crazy, I might have been beaten up, there was some serious relationship issues going on between some of my friends, there was an accident, and everything all sort of boiled down into one huge drama fest last week. Anyways, it's over now and I think everything's going to turn out all right. I'm okay, and so is everyone else- pretty much- so I say all shall end well!

This chapter is more for me to get back into the flow of writing these characters. This story will NOT be abandoned, have no fears! I'm already halfway through chapter 11, so that should be up sometime tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your patience everyone!

This story is dedicated to Andy The Willow Tree, who is truly fabulous and whom I have eternal gratefulness for. Andy is really great guys. Simply Amazing.

I hope you all enjoy!

...

Four figures rushed through the darkened halls of the Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, mentally counting down the seconds before lights out. They were running out of time, their window of opportunity quickly shutting down.

In the lead, Aragorn glanced behind himself and made a shushing gesture to the two rivals of the group, who were far too busy glaring at each other to pay much attention to it. Behind them, Boromir raised his hands in a What-can-you-do? gesture and gave Legolas a shove, making the blonde flail forwards into Gimli's back, who quickly shoved him off with a stream of muttered curses. Aragorn raised a brow but said nothing, instead choosing to continue their path forwards.

Their destination, a tall green silver-bound door, came into sight, and the others gazed expectantly at Aragorn, waiting for him to knock; it was only logical that he should do it.

After all, they were going to go and speak with Aragorn's adoptive father.

The brunette bit his lip, a sense of unexpected unease curling in his stomach. He wondered at it, for this was the man who had raised him for practically his entire life; why should he worry?

But worry he did.

Legolas gently nudged his shoulder, something like concern shining in his piercing blue eyes, and Aragorn was quick to flash a smile; he himself could be worried, it was quite another thing to make his friends feel the same troubling emotion.

And so, before he could lose his nerve, he knocked.

From somewhere deep within the chamber, a serene voice bid them to enter. The four boys traded nervous glances and then quietly crept in.

Professor Elrond sat behind his desk, fingers clasped in front of him and an eyebrow raised.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you fine young boys tonight?"

There was a painfully awkward silence for a few moments as the youths traded panicked glances, but then Aragorn took a deep breath and spoke up, voice hesitant and small.

"We wanted to… tell you something, Dad."

The elder wizard leaned forward, brows furrowing. Aragorn resisted the urge to wipe at his forehead.

"And what would that be?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. The brunette tried to speak, but all the words seemed to be stuck in his throat. What if he told their tale and they all got in trouble? What if he spoke up and the man who he saw as a father looked at him with disgust? What if Elrond saw the rule breaking as betrayal?

What if he saw Aragorn as his grandfather?

As it turned out, he would not have to speak. Legolas stepped forwards to stand more firmly besides him and put a hand on his shoulder. The blonde stared the professor straight in the eye, something earnest and bright shining in his own brilliant blue orbs.

"It concerns the Dark Lord. We think that he has a way of coming back, and that the way is hidden here, in the school."

The Ravenclaw spoke plainly, as if he was merely describing the weather, but there was something in his tense posture and the flare of his eyes that gave him away. That showed the true terror that flowed through his veins at such a thought

For a few minutes, there was silence. It was a piercing, echoing kind of silence, the kind that swallows up the entire room and drowns out even the slightest of noise. The kind that is so filled up with tension and questions that it almost feels like you can't breathe.

(At least, that's what it felt like to Aragorn.)

And then slowly, ever so slowly, Professor Elrond stood up and came to stand in front of the four boys, his brows furrowed and his stance tense, and every feature upon his face warning of an oncoming storm. It was clear to Aragorn that if they were playing a prank, they would be in serious, serious trouble.

But it wasn't a prank, so everything would be fine… Right?

"And why do you say that?"

And so they spoke, pouring their souls into the story. They described the terrible events that occurred in the woods and the lingering feelings of death and terror the event brought with it. Legolas explained the rasping voices and Gimli told of their conclusion. Boromir and Aragorn spoke up when they could, adding in any information or points left out by accident.

None of them mentioned Beorn, for they feared the giant man might get in trouble if the professor knew of his help in their actions. They did not want to repay his kindness with betrayal.

(Aragorn was especially insistent.)

And once they were done, once the whole sorry tale was told, they went silent. Aragorn watched with anxious eyes as his father-figure frowned and narrowed his eyes. Watched as the man with whom he'd grown up with came to a conclusion, familiar grey orbs swirling with thought.

It was not a conclusion that he liked.

"Thank you for telling me this, boys. I must think on it."

And that was it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Aragorn was turning to leave, shoulders slumped in dejection, when Boromir's outraged cry broke the silence.

"YOU MEAN YOU DON'T BELIEVE US!?"

He winced, turning around once more and watching as Boromir's face grew redder and redder with rage. The ginger's fists were clenching and unclenching, and his obvious anger was evident in his tensing posture.

"Didn't you hear anything we just said! This is serious! THE DARK LORD IS RETURNING! YOU BLOODY COWA-"

He got no farther before Gimli reached out and hooked an arm around his left elbow. Aragorn watched in startled silence as the shorter redhead slapped a hand on his taller counterpart's mouth with a resounding smacking sound and started to drag the other to the exit. Gimli, too, had a furrowed brow and a frustrated expression, but he did not turn around, instead simply slamming the door on the way out.

And then there were three.

Aragorn pulled at his collar, suddenly feeling rather claustrophobic, but did not move from where he stood. Besides him, Legolas stood as well, his back ramrod straight.

"We're telling the truth, you know. And you better actually think upon it long and hard, because otherwise you could be putting the whole world in a whole lot of danger. I know we're just kids, but that doesn't mean we don't know the gravity of the situation."

The blonde took a step closer to the stunned professor, icy blue eyes smoldering with a hidden fire.

"Don't let fear rule your actions professor, otherwise... we're all doomed."

And then he too turned and left without a word, leaving Aragorn alone with his father and a whole lot of tension.

He rubbed at the back of his neck.

"I do believe you, Aragorn."

Brilliant grey orbs snapped to meet Elrond's own in shock.

"I believe you. I've known that dark times were coming, I just did not expect them to come so soon."

The wizard stepped forwards, closer, and knelt before his son. His expression was intense, strong, nothing like the gentle comforting man that Aragorn knew. This was the face of a warrior.

"We all have a part to play in what is coming. You, especially, will help determine what events shall unfold."

Aragorn gulped.

"Keep your friends close, child, you shall need them before we reach the end, and they shall need you…"

And when Aragorn had left, the green door shutting softly behind him, leaving Elrond alone in his silent study, no one was left to hear the wizard's next muttered words.

"I am afraid that we shall all need you, before the end."

...

*NO NOTES FOR THIS CHAPTER*

So there you have it! I hope everyone enjoyed it!

Huge THANK YOU to cyanstripedstrawberries and High King Gil-galad for following this story! I'm sorry for the long wait, and your support is really, really appreciated!

To Andy the Willow Tree, Grey, and Vera Clayhorn; OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS HAVE BEAUTIFUL SOULS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS!

To the lovely guests who have reviewed:

To Grey: Hey Grey! Thank you for your compliments; they are super sweet and I'm glad you found the story good. To answer your questions: Yes, the hobbits WILL be getting some more screen time- they'll be showing up in the next chapter, in fact- it's just that the main focus is on the other half of the fellowship currently because they are the group who are receiving the most action. Eventually, the two groups will come together and the screen time will be more evened out. (So yes, they shall join the friend circle; have no fears, I shall not break up the fellowship!) Anyways, I'm super glad that you have enjoyed the fic so far and I thank you deeply. *hugs* (Also, just in case you didn't know, your review showed up written in a fascinating number/letter combination. I am unsure if this was on purpose or not- if it was, that's actually pretty cool- but just in case is wasn't I thought I would put it up here. I was able to understand what it meant either way. :) )

To Vera: Hey Vera, yes, I am still here. :) I was just taking a... leave of absence. I'm deeply sorry if I worried you in any way, shape, or form, and I hope this update brings peace to your heart. Thank you for your concern, though! It made me feel all fuzzy. :3 I'm glad that you have found my work to be good! It's always amazing when you get a review offering an opinion of your what you have written, especially if it's a positive one! (I'm also glad that you have found this particular Xover to be good!) So yes, I am alive and kickin' and I hope to be returning to my regular updating methods soon. Thank you for the review and your concern! *hugs* (PS: The fact that you haven't reviewed before does not lesser the impact of this review, it just makes it all the more special.)

So yes. I'm back now. :) And I'm hopefully here to stay. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you for taking the time to read Of Letters and Fellowships and Everything In Between!

Until next time,

- Mashpotatoe Queen