Wow, I honestly hadn't realized I had let this go for so long. I apologize for the wait for this update.

ShadeDancer

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Man in the Iron Mask, LotR, or anything you might recognize from any of them in here.

Chapter 20: Respect

"Elvish"

"Language of Westron"

… … … … …

In Rivendell, Lord Elrond's library had been an open and airy place with small tables and lounging benches scattered around, each scroll or sheath of bound pages neatly labeled and kept on shelves. Lothlorien's library was much the same as the one in Rivendell except that it possessed a more scholarly atmosphere and was located high in the trees. In Rohan the library was not much more than cellar space, dusty scrolls jammed together in only the loosest order on shelves and spilling off of tables. Gondor's library was of a decent size with a long table placed in the center of the clean and orderly room for those interested in research, shelves surrounding it on either side and hiding smaller tables scattered along the edges of the room for those seeking privacy in their studies. The library contained books and scrolls on strategy, history, magic, as well as pieces written in various languages from all over Middle-Earth. None of the libraries had anything on Hogwart's library though.

As Eldarion and Anthony waited for Hermione and Harlan to arrive, Anthony gave Eldarion a quick tour of the library under the watchful eyes of the Library Matron whom the Ravenclaw Prefect introduced as Madam Pince. It was larger than it appeared, tables able to hold small groups placed in the center of the room so that shelves could dominate the rest. The shelves were divided into labeled sections and then the books were sorted by their level of difficulty. As Anthony walked him through the stacks Eldarion saw books on Transfiguration, Shifting, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Healing, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, History and Government, Astrology, Maps, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Rituals, and works of fiction for pleasure reading. There was one other section, the Restricted Section, but Anthony said it was off-limits to any student without signed permission from a professor. Eldarion couldn't wait to find a way to get in there to poke around—who knew what sort of treasure trove of knowledge was hidden there, inaccessible to most.

"Ah, there they are. Hello Eldarion, I'm Hermione Granger and this is Harlan Potter."

Eldarion looked up at the sound of a female voice and observed the speaker. She was of an average height, thick hair pulled back at the nape of her neck to reveal a pretty face sprinkled with freckles, her arms full of books. Beside her was his brother, arrogant and looking much like Eldarion imagined he himself would have if Aragorn and Arwen hadn't made him blood of their blood. Harlan was slightly taller than Hermione, about 5'8", his dark and untamed hair cut short to reveal hazel-green eyes.

"Well," Anthony said cheerfully as Hermione headed off to stake her claim on a nearby table, "I'll leave you in Granger's hands. I'll be back for you before lunch, Eldarion."

"Yeah," Harlan didn't seem all that enthusiastic to be included in the tutoring, leading Eldarion to believe even stronger in the theory that Harlan was only here on Dumbledore's orders, "let's start this. I have Quidditch practice later and don't want to be late just because you need tutoring."

"It is not necessary for you to be here, if you do not wish it," Eldarion addressed Harlan coolly, looking down at the other boy in the same way he would a recalcitrant soldier. "You may leave if you will only continue to be disagreeable and interrupt my lesson."

"I'm sure Harlan will be fine," Hermione interrupted, looking up from her books and shooting Harlan a look that clearly told him to shape up, "he's really a very good teacher when it comes to spell work and I was hoping we could start you working on some first-year spells today after we did the bookwork."

"Very well," Eldarion took the seat next to Hermione, "I will accept your word on this, but I do not have time for the tempers of young children. I am here to learn more of your magic and customs."

"Who are you calling a child?" Harlan took offense as Eldarion had secretly known he would. "You can't be much older than me."

"You are wrong there," Eldarion informed him. "To your eyes I may appear to be about sixteen years of age or so, but I have lived to see my twenty-third birthday. Time is different for my people than it is for you. To my people I am still very young, but I am considered an adult to your people."

Hermione looked at him speculatively. "If you are twenty-three, how old are Mr. Legolas and Mr. Gimli?"

Eldarion shook his head, "that is not my place to say, but both are older than I am. May we begin the lesson now? I have been told I have a lot to learn despite what Remus has already taught me when he stayed among our people."

"Oh, right." Hermione blushed a bit and pulled open a book to lay between the two of them on the table. "I thought we'd begin with Charms…"

The two, and eventually Harlan, bent over the book and began to cover the material within. Eldarion had to admit that Hermione was an effective tutor once he managed to convince her to teach the condensed version of each lesson without the history notes on how the charm came to be unless it was relevant to the casting. Reluctantly he had agreed with Harlan that Hermione was giving so much information that it was becoming tedious.

Finally Hermione closed the Charms book, having given him a tutorial overview of the first few chapters while he took notes on the different spells along with their incantations, uses, and wand movements. Most of it seemed a waste of unnecessary effort to him when he could cause an object to levitate without shouting a spell or flicking a wand about.

"We still have some time before lunch." Hermione noted, peering at her watch. "If we can find an empty classroom we can start teaching you some simple spells."

"Do you not have your own classes to be at?" Eldarion queried, asking the question that had been on his mind as their study session had continued through the changing of classes.

"Normally yes," Hermione admitted, looking a bit concerned at the thought of having missed some class or other, "but Professor Dumbledore excused the two of us for this morning so we could start you on the basics. I think he's trying to arrange a schedule with a handful of other students so that we can get you caught up on the main spells quickly. You'll have to do a lot of self-study in your free time though if you're going to catch up enough to join the classes. At the very least you'll need to read all the textbooks even if you don't get the hands-on practice until later."

Eldarion wished he hadn't asked. "That aside, you mentioned starting on some simple spell? Remus had shown me a few before we came here, but I would appreciate the chance to try some on my own."

"Right then." Harlan finally looked a bit interested in what they were doing. "I'll be the one teaching you the spells so pay close attention. There's a room we can use this way."

… … … … …

By the time Eldarion rejoined Legolas and Gimli after lunch was over, he really detested that they had to sit at the Head Table and he with the Ravenclaws, they all had a lot to share. Eldarion quickly filled the other two in on his morning lessons and the spells he had been taught, picking them up easily to Harlan's disgruntlement and making it unnecessary for the teen to show of his magical abilites too much, before falling quiet to hear Legolas speak. Apparently Remus had taken them that morning around the castle, showing them various rooms that might be used for the sword lessons before heading to an ancient armory.

"Many of the swords were forged through pure magic." Gimli complained. "Remus said they were meant to be used to cast spells with as well as to fight with. We can't use them for beginners and with that much magic in them they will probably be useless against an Uruk."

"Did you find nothing useful?" Eldarion asked in dismay.

Legolas sighed. "We did find practice swords that didn't contain magic or enchantment, but by that I mean they did not even hold a simple sharpening enchantment or one to keep away rust. It has been many ages since they have been touched."

Eldarion groaned. "Then we shall have our work cut out for us. When is the first lesson?"

"Right after the third meal." Gimli grumbled. "It is an impossible task and foolish to teach children right after they've eaten."

"Maybe not." Eldarion had a crafty look in his eyes. "We'll get as many swords in workable condition as we can before the lesson, it's always good to have extras and there are more swords than students, but care of one's sword is always first priority and I'm thinking that it would make an excellent first lesson."

Legolas let out a pleased laugh and Gimli gwaffed. "A most excellent idea."

… … … … …

Eldarion, Legolas, and Gimli were sitting cross-legged on the floor removing the rust from and polishing the practice swords when Remus showed up.

"Dinner's started you know." The werewolf informed them.

Eldarion glanced up briefly as he worked over a difficult patch of rust.

"We know. The House-elves were kind enough to leave food."

Gimli snorted. "They also offered to do anything for you short of bearing your children—and they might have offered even that if you two weren't to be bonded. We should have asked them to do the swords."

Eldarion glanced up mildly at Gimli before resuming his painstaking work.

"We could have, yes, but I will not take advantage of their good nature. Besides, using magic to clean the swords might make them ineffective against the Uruks." Eldarion finished removing the rust from the blade of the sword he held. "We may be tempting fate as it is by using this potion to help."

Eldarion began wrapping the bare handle with scraps of sturdy cloth to protect the wielders hands. "Should we sharpen them, do you think? This first group is to be the fifth years and older."

Legolas considered the idea. "Perhaps a few, but none of the ones they will be using for training. If we were at home it would be taken as an insult to use an unsharpened blade, it's like saying you are not worthy, but here these children do not grow up learning to respect the sword."

Eldarion nodded and set the dull blade aside, it went against every instinct for him to leave the sword unready for battle but he too did not see these human children as ready to bear a sharpened sword.

Remus watched on in curious amusement as the trio continued to prepared for the upcoming lesson. "What are you actually going to do?"

Legolas paused briefly in his work. "The first thing we're going to do is teach them how to properly care for their swords, it will also be a way to discover which children are actually serious about learning and which are merely here because they consider it to be a game. At the end Eldarion and I shall give a demonstration."

Remus nodded, his head slightly tilted as if he was listening for something. "Good, because here comes your first class now."

Turning their attention to listening as well Legolas and Eldarion nodded and got to their feet, putting aside the swords they had been working on and donning the outer tunics they had shed earlier to keep them clean. Together they made an impressive sight as they buckled their own personal weapons to their sides and laid out two of the practice swords. Then Gimli moved up beside Eldarion so the three of them could present a united front to the class, and while the group no longer looked as elegant they appeared as proud and dangerous warriors. Remus grinned at the three of them and then opened the doors to let the children in. It looked as if every student over fifth year from each house had shown up for this first lesson and Remus found himself plucking out a few younger years to turn away—all in all there were over a hundred students that had shown up in the dungeon training hall along with about half the teaching staff. Remus didn't know if he should feel amusement or dismay for the trio and decided on settling into a corner to watch instead.

… … … … …

Eldarion had been moving about the room constantly since the lesson had begun, showing the students the best holds and motions to clean the swords. From the grumbling going on none of them realized that they were already taking the first steps towards wielding a sword; not only were they learning to keep their weapon in good condition but the hold he showed them on the hilt to keep it steady was the same they would use when fighting, the motion he taught them to scrape at the rust was exercising the muscles they would need honed for true combat. Instead they just grumbled about not being allowed to use magic—Gimli had put a good scare into one student who had tried—and considered this a waste of time. Eldarion shook his head at the thought of these children feeling so secure in their magic that they found doing such a simple task a chore without it.

Eldarion sighed and glanced back through the rows of children again. None yet had their swords in any sort of useable condition, but he could also tell that unless something caught their attention soon they would lose all interest in the class. Legolas seemed to share the same thought, eye contact and a slight nod signaling that it was time.

Neither of them bothered to make an annoucement, no declaration of their intent. They simply moved, coming together in an empty space with their blades already clearing their sheathes. Metal rang sweetly against metal as their swords kissed, sliding away to just as quickly touch again. It was easy to see from every slight twist of the body, every graceful placement of their feet, that Eldarion and Legolas were Masters of this Art. They also certainly had the attention of the students now, grumbling having ceased to make way for bright exclamations as the fight went on.

Legolas and Eldarion ignored this, instead keeping up a constant stream of friendly insults in Elvish the whole time they fought as each tried to distract the other into slipping up. Unfortunately they had sparred in such a manner so many times before that it was unlikely to happen.

"Auta miqula orqu." Legolas bantered as they circled one another. (Go kiss an orc).

"Manka lle merna miqula, lle ere'baur pedona." Eldarion retorted without missing a beat. (If you wish a kiss, you only need to ask).

"Llie n'vanima ar' lle atara lanneina." (You're ugly and your mother dresses you funny).

"Lle atara na loske en'roch." (Your mother has horse hair.)

Finally breaking into laughter, the two broke apart and sheathed their swords before bowing in respect to each other and facing the gathered students. They both knew that when they fell to insulting each other's mother that it was time to call it an end.

"Any questions?" Legolas asked the gathered students as they continued to stare.

"Yeah." It was a Gryffindor that finally spoke. "Why aren't we learning that? Why do we have to do this stupid cleaning?"

Legolas studied the student intently. "And what good does learning how to fight like us do if you do not have a properly cared for weapon to weild? Can you tell, through all the grime on that blade, if your weapon is flawed?"

The student shook his head and Legolas looked around, finally singling out another student bearing the crest of the snake on his robes.

"This student has done a good job. Gimli, if you would?"

With a grunt of acknowledgement Gimli walked up to the blond Slytherin who had done a good job and examined the blade. After a moment he nodded and came back with the sword, grasping it's hilt with both hands and holding it above his head. Once again drawing his sword Legolas attacked, swinging down with a forceful blow. For a moment the sword held, Gimli straining upward to hold off Legolas, and then the blade broke. The clang as the flawed metal hit the stone floor echoed through the now silent room.

"If this had been a battle and Gimli any less skilled," Legolas addressed the class, "that would have been fatal."

Eldarion only half-listened as Legolas finished up his speech and set the students to cleaning up, instead he picked a sword from the pile he had been working through earlier and walked over to the Slytherin student who's practice blade had been flawed. The other boy looked up at his approach.

"Here, label this one as your sword. I've checked it over already and it's in very good condition." Eldarion had been warned about the Slytherin's by his new housemates, but he had seen the way this boy handled his sword earlier and wanted to speak with him. "You took really good care of that first blade. Have you had lessons before?"

The other boy nodded. "I have. My father teaches me some when I'm at home. Like Professor Legolas he told me that a sword is something that commands respect and must be kept in ready condition if a person is to be worthy to carry it."

"That's good. I'll look forward to working with you more as these lessons progress." Eldarion smiled an easy smile and held out one of his hands companionably. "Though I'm sure you already know, I'm Eldarion Telcontar."

Draco happened to look over Eldarion's shoulder at just the right time to catch Harlan Potter glowering at them, a jealous look making his face ugly. There was already a rumor going around the school that Eldarion had rebuked Harlan and called him a child earlier. Always ready to ruffle Potter's feathers, Draco smiled back at Eldarion and took the offered hand.

"Draco Malfoy, at your service."

Posted On: August 3, 2008