Disclaimer: See first chapter

Author's note: Surprisingly, my first chapter...possibly story I believe, that has Harry in it in a non-romantic pairing. I think I really like it though...and yes. I can already see this as a potential story, but I doubt it would become one for some time. So... please. ^^; Be kind to my sanity and don't ask? I would love to spend all my time writing, but that just isn't possible.


Udalumis requests a LOTR crossover with Frodo and Harry with the prompt of "Brothers"


Twice in his life, did his beloved friend, the wizard known as Gandalf the Grey ask Frodo to protect and hide something for him. The first time occurred when the young hobbit was only twenty-three years old, ten years before he would even be considered of age by the rest of his hobbit kin. It had been two years since he left the care of his mother's relatives to live in the home of his eccentric 'Uncle' Bilbo.

It had been a beautiful spring day and Frodo had been out playing in the fields with his distant cousin Merry and their friend Pippin when they heard the sound of a cart coming up the path - a cart by the sounds of it, was not one native to the shire. Running through the field and up the path, the three hobbits were greeted by the sight of the old Wizard driving his cart up the dirt road and it was only once the Wizard passed them by they spotted a trunk as well as a blanket covered item in the back of the cart.

Gandalf apparently never heard their cries, and was startled when Frodo appeared suddenly next to his cart once he had stopped by the gate before Bag End. The young hobbit could only watch curiously as the wizard stepped down from the cart far more nimbly than someone his age should, and approached the back of the cart quietly. After motioning for Frodo to remain quiet, Gandalf pulled back the blanket and revealed a small human child, a child who couldn't possibly be more than 7-8 years of age, but having never seen a man besides Gandalf before, it was hard for him to tell.

The child was beautiful, just the sight alone seemed to take his breath away. The boy's sleep looked peaceful, a small smile graced those coral colored lips, and the boy's hair (that was darker than any crow Frodo had ever seen) looked as though it was finer than the Elvish silk Uncle Bilbo had once shown him. He could not see the boy's eyes since they were closed, but Frodo couldn't picture them being anything other than beautiful as well.

It hadn't taken long at all for Uncle Bilbo to return home from his daily errands, and it was only after his arrival did Frodo learn why Gandalf had brought the child who was now sleeping on their couch. The boy was a child of the Istari. Not like the wizards of Middle Earth, but something far different, and destined to be far greater as well. Gandalf told them briefly of the boy's life, about how a dark wizard murdered his parents and how the boy was sent to live with family that treated him most unpleasantly for almost seven whole years before the Valar took the child from that wretched home and placed him in Gandalf's care. The old wizard stressed repeatedly throughout his telling that the boy was more important than could be imagined, and that he was to be kept secret for as long as possible.

It had taken even longer to convince the bachelor to take another ward into his home at Bag End, but it was only after careful wheedling from the old wizard, the begging of his dear 'nephew' and heir, as well as the small child waking up to convince Bilbo to take the boy known as Harry into his home. It was only after Gandalf had left that Bilbo turned his eyes to the young boy and determined he needed a new name. A name that would fit him as a wizard, since Harry was far too common of a name for someone destined for greatness. It was at that time the hobbit known as the defeater of the great dragon Smaug named his newly adoptive ward Elreth; a name whose direct translation into Elvish was green and arcane. A name that seemed rather fitting in those circumstances.

Those few years that Elreth lived in the care of the two hobbits were the best years of the boy's life, and Frodo's as well. Frodo took to being an older brother as a duck to water; he loved his brother as much as one could love their dear younger brother. Elreth was well mannered, genial, polite, and considerate to others even as the human child had been teased by the young hobbit children for his increasing height and delicate feet. Throughout those years Frodo and Bilbo would see the occasional things happen around Elreth that could not be possible without his magic, including safely floating a small child to the ground after it had fallen down a ladder that was leaning against the tree full of apples he desired. It was in those few years as well that Frodo started growing into the strong, determined, and still kind hobbit that he would become in life. He had promised Gandalf that he would protect his younger brother, and he would, no matter what foe.

It was in the beginning of summer before Elreth's eleventh birthday that Gandalf the Grey appeared in the shire once more, his face solemn as he led the two happy brothers into Bag End for one of the hardest discussions of their lives. Frodo and Bilbo had done what was expected of them, Elreth had grown safely and happily under their care, but now it was time for the young wizard to return to where he came from, to receive the training all wizards were to have so they could learn to control their magic. That very afternoon Elreth's belongings were packed away in the back of the cart, and as Elreth sat at Gandalf's side while they rode into the distance, the boy would glance back occasional at his sobbing older brother, and watched until they lost sight of one another through the hills and trees.

Almost eight years would go by before the brothers would see one another again. Throughout the years they would exchange letters whenever they could, but apparently the distance between them was so great, that Elreth (although he was forced to call himself Harry once again) could only have his pet owl make the trip three times a year. Elreth had told him many stories of his time at school, but Frodo always had the nagging feeling that Elreth was leaving a great deal of information out of those letters. It had been in what would have been Elreth's fourth year of schooling that the letters had started coming less and less, until they stopped all together.

Months earlier Gandalf made an appearance in the Shire once more, and Frodo's enthusiastic greeting had fallen short considerably once he realized that Elreth was not with the grey wizard. Gandalf seemed oblivious to all Frodo's questioning of Elreth's absence, and only briefly commented on the boy when Bilbo expressed his disappointment that his second 'nephew' would miss his elevenity-first birthday. That was the second time Gandalf gave something to Frodo to protect, with the whispered warning to "keep it secret, keep it safe". As Frodo stared at the envelope holding his Uncle Bilbo's ring, part of him couldn't help but wonder when the wizard would take that from him too.

By the time Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam had left the Shire, entered and escaped from the village of Bree in the dead of night, and barely made it alive to the Elvin city of Rivendell did Frodo come to start resenting the ring, even though he dare not part with it. A large part of Frodo's heart screamed for someone else to take the ring, to be strong enough to withstand it's call and take it behind the black walls of Mordor and up the treacherous Mt. Doom to destroy it...all those thoughts disappeared however when his desperate eyes landed on a young man with long dark hair that fell about his shoulders in waves. Elreth had grown so much since he had left, becoming so beautiful that Frodo couldn't help but notice the many longing glances he received from both man and Elf.

Now both brothers, Hobbit and Wizard, were both considered of age by both their races. And as they sat side by side at the council of Elrond, clutching their hands together so tightly it seemed as though they would fuse, they knew they would make the journey to destroy the ring together.


Isn't protective-older brother Frodo so cute? Please review...we're almost to two hundred! I can't promise the 200th reviewer that their story prompt will be chosen next...because it would depend on whether or not I know the other series they pick.. but I will write the 200th reviewer's suggestion next if I do.