Chapter Twenty: The Mirror of Galadriel; Lúthien's Lament
Disclaimer: I do not own the works of Lord of the Rings, this belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, or the works of Harry Potter which belongs to J.K. Rowling. Any familiar dialogue or scenes belong to their respective owners.
A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, it's been a manic start to the New Year so far, but one of my resolutions for this year is to update my fanfictions more regularly and try to stick to a pattern. Hopefully, nothing drastic will happen (fingers crossed) and I will finish this story sometime this year!
Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me thus far, and I am really glad you are enjoying it. Thank you also to those who left me lovely reviews and for those who have decided to give my fic a read!
Much love to all!
oOoOo
When Hermione finally made her way back to the pavilion, she knew it was fairly late in the night. She instantly noticed that there were five empty beds and looked around the area. She knew Legolas and Gimli were patrolling, but she was curious as to where Draco, Harry and Frodo were. Sitting on her own bed, she let out a sigh. She knew there was nothing to fret about. Lothlórien was secure and they were all old enough to be out exploring if they wished.
Hermione gazed up at the glittering stars peeking through the trees overhead and thought back to the events of earlier. After taking some time away to think, she determined that she was just astonished to find out Legolas had a partner. He had always come across as a lone wolf and she assumed he wasn't the romantic or relationship type. She sulked, picking the corner of her nail in frustration. She knew she was attracted to him, but then he was a beautiful creature of the wood and a Prince as well. It was just a ridiculous romantic notion and infatuation that would pass.
Moreover, the Fellowship had much greater things to worry about than romance.
Hermione crossed her arms and shook her head. It was just a fleeting fancy, nothing more. A small crush on an otherworldly figure who just happened to be the kind of person she would go for. Her thoughts shifted to Draco and her lips twitched marginally. If Harry knew she had crushed on Draco in the past, he would disown her. It was bizarre though, because she hadn't thought about her crush on Draco since meeting Legolas. It was as if Legolas took the mantle.
Hermione shook her head again. No, I'll not think on it. I don't even know why I had a crush on Draco. He was such an ass to us in the past, she thought with a frown. And Legolas hasn't exactly been kind. Sometimes he can be downright rude. Most of the time I feel like he despises me, she thought with a sigh.
A noise on her right startled Hermione from her thoughts and she frowned when she noticed Draco and Harry sneaking away from camp. She watched them for a moment, wondering what they were up to until she saw Frodo ahead of them peering down some stairs at the entrance to the clearing set up for them.
Curious, Hermione followed them but noticed Draco kept on walking past the stairs while Harry went down them after Frodo. What are they up to? She questioned as she watched Draco disappear into the trees. She stopped at the top of a spiral staircase leading down into another clearing which looked almost like a sacred place. The floor was formed of a mosaic depicting a woman pouring water into a sloping pedestal.
When Hermione went down the stairs and stood on the mosaic, she grasped that some of them had runes carved into them. Her eyes widened as she knelt to touch one of the runes which gave off a warm glow beneath her fingertips. She looked up, noticing Frodo was eyeing a beautiful marble pedestal in the centre of the mosaic and beside him was Harry. They were talking in hushed whispers while pointing at the top of the pedestal. She made her way over to them, discerning the pedestal had a branching tree engraved into the side of it and on the ends of the branches were more runes.
'What are you doing?' Hermione whispered, placing a hand on her hip.
Frodo and Harry spun around in fright and eyed her sheepishly. 'We were just exploring,' Harry replied, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.
Hermione raised her eyebrows but glanced past them at the pedestal with curiosity. She investigated the surface which held a shallow silver basin. In the middle of the basin was another carved rune.
Hermione gazed around at the rest of the clearing, noting a fountain crafted into a wall, besieged by ivy. Next to the fountain was a beautiful silver jug with the same rune etched into it that was in the centre of the silver basin. I wonder what they are used for, Hermione thought, looking back at the rune and musing on its significance.
'What are all these runes?' Harry asked curiously, moving over to inspect the silver jug.
Hermione frowned, leaning closer to the rune and touching it like she did with the one on the ground. This time it flashed green and sent a jolt through her fingertip. 'Ouch!' she yelped, shaking her hand. Harry came over to her while Frodo looked on worriedly. 'I'm fine. Damn thing just shocked me,' she muttered, glaring at the rune.
Hermione scrutinised the rune again. 'I assume these are Elvish runes,' she said to them and placed her hand on her hip pensively. 'But they are not like the ones I studied in Ancient Runes,' she added, crossing her arms.
Harry nodded reflectively. 'Did Gandalf ever show them to you when you were learning about the Elves?' he questioned her, kneeling to look at the runes on the side of the pedestal.
Hermione shook her head. 'No, he never told me about them. I recognise some of them so I must have seen them in a book when I was young. My parents never taught me about Elven runes because they didn't know much about them except from stories they had heard,' she countered with a sigh.
Frodo and Harry eventually gave up on attempting to figure out what the runes meant, but Hermione was determined to try and piece together what it could symbolise and what this clearing was used for. As she gazed at the rune in the centre of the silver basin, she found herself drawn by a compelling urge to know what it was.
'Curiosity is not a sin, but there are times when you should implement caution,' a voice said from above Hermione and she jumped back from the pedestal in alarm. There, standing before the pedestal, was Galadriel, her white dress gleaming in the moonlight cast above them.
'I'm sorry,' Hermione whispered, stepping away from the pedestal as Harry and Frodo came to her side.
'No detriment has been done. This place is sacred to the Elves, but entry is not forbidden,' Galadriel told them, a small smile on her lips.
Hermione gazed at her in admiration. The hundreds of questions she wanted to ask Galadriel when she first saw her completely vanished from her mind. 'I sense you have questions regarding my past,' Galadriel said tenderly, glancing down into the silver basin. 'I was once known as Helga Hufflepuff as Gandalf disclosed to you in Rivendell. I disavowed that pseudonym and returned to my true kin,' she told them with a radiant smile.
'Is that because of what happened with Slytherin?' Harry asked, receiving a shove in the side from Hermione who frowned at his lack of tact.
Galadriel tilted her head. 'In part. Hogwarts was torn apart due to our futile dispute,' she replied sorrowfully, moving around the side of the pedestal and gazing at a mural on one of the walls. To Harry and Hermione's amazement, it altered to depict Hogwarts as it must have looked when it was originally constructed. Galadriel lay her hand on the mural. 'After Salazar disappeared, we made sure Hogwarts would continue to flourish. Our dream would live on,' she whispered, placing a hand over her heart.
Harry crossed his arms, unable to look away from the mural which rendered a place which retained so many wonderful and unpleasant memories for him. He had so many questions, but he was conscious of the bewildered Frodo standing with them. Gandalf had asked them not to divulge that they were from the future just yet.
'We can speak of this another time,' Galadriel said as if she knew what Harry was thinking and moved back over to the pedestal.
Harry and Hermione nodded, both gazing at the mural and remembering their days at Hogwarts. Sorrow clouded their eyes as Ron came to mind. 'Do you think our actions here will alter what happened?' Hermione whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.
Harry sighed. 'I don't know,' he muttered, turning away from the mural and placing a consoling hand on Hermione's shoulder.
Galadriel beckoned them to come over to her and the three companions stood before the pedestal curiously. 'Gandalf bade for you to come to me for there are many things I know,' she said, glancing between Harry and Hermione who nodded. 'For now, I must speak with Frodo about the current matter. Our discussion will come after,' she told them, before turning to look at Frodo who was frowning at her.
Galadriel walked over to the fountain, filling the jug with water. 'Will you look into the mirror?' she asked Frodo, turning back to him.
Frodo stared at her cagily. 'What will I see?' he asked her, shying away from the pedestal in trepidation as Harry and Hermione watched in interest, both wondering what mirror Galadriel was referring to.
Galadriel smiled at the Hobbit, not at all affected by his suspicion. 'Even the wisest cannot tell,' she answered, walking back over to the pedestal with the silver jug in hand. 'For the mirror shows many things,' she whispered, pouring the clear water into the silver basin before looking back up at Frodo. 'Things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet come to pass,' she told him, gazing down at the silver basin where a green glow rose from the water as the rune came to life.
Frodo, out of curiosity more than anything else, slowly stepped up to the pedestal and peered into the glossy surface. He frowned, seeing only himself and the night sky reflecting back at him. He glanced up at Galadriel in uncertainty. 'I don't see anything,' he said, but received no answer as she looked down into the water. He shook his head and gazed down into the water again.
This time, the water churned around in the basin and a figure took form. It was the bowed figure of an old man, clad in white robes strolling down a long road. Frodo leaned closer to the mirror's surface as the figure raised his head and stared directly into his eyes. He gasped, his face lighting up with hope. 'Gandalf!' he cried joyously, catching Harry and Hermione's attention as they attempted to glimpse what was being shown to Frodo in the mirror, but all they could see was the glowing green rune at the bottom. In the image, Gandalf maintained his gaze at Frodo with a fierce intensity as he stretched out his hand towards the surface of the mirror.
Abruptly the image flared, burning out to white and Frodo sulked. The vision shifted and revealed recent visions of them waiting in Cerin Amroth while Aragorn disputed with Haldir. Frodo saw the glances the Fellowship were giving him when they believed he was at fault for this and realised it hadn't been his imagination. The first was of Legolas turning to look at him with a peculiar expression he could not place. The image switched to Merry and Pippin eyeing him before speaking softly. Then it shifted to Sam who frowned at him before looking away to the ground. Frodo swallowed a lump forming in his throat.
The vision flickered and shifted to white again before changing to display Bag End, his home in the Shire. It revealed the Hobbits going about their daily lives and the Green Dragon Inn where he spent many nights with his friends drinking.
The image swiftly altered again, and Frodo gasped in horror at what he was witnessing. The Shire was in ruins. He reeled back as the mirror seemed to expand, the nightmarish vision sweeping past his head, engulfing him entirely. Buildings were burning; bodies were strewn about the ground; dark silhouettes of Orcs were ransacking and destroying Hobbiton; Bag End was billowing in flames; the Party Tree was hacked down.
Frodo's eyes widened in dismay as the image shifted again, but Hobbiton was now an industrial wasteland. The fields and trees were destroyed, replaced with brick factories belching smoke. Orcs brutally shepherded manacled Hobbits into the factories. Sam, Merry and Rosie Cotton were among them, soot-stained and sobbing as they disappeared into the factory hellhole.
Frodo choked back a scream as the vision unexpectedly shifted to black and out of the dark abyss a single eye grew. Frodo froze, unable to move or cry out as the Ring dangled from his neck, inches above the water, now shimmering with curls of steam as fire erupted around the eye.
With a yell, Frodo pushed himself away from the pedestal and crumpled to the ground. The gleaming light immediately faded from the mirror as he came to his senses, in disbelief of what he saw.
Harry and Hermione ran to Frodo's side, helping the stricken Hobbit to his feet as he stared at Galadriel questioningly. Harry and Hermione looked at her as well where she stood still as a statue, unmoved and untouched by the horror that Frodo witnessed.
'I know what it is you saw…' Galadriel whispered, trailing off and narrowing her eyes at Frodo. 'For it is also in my mind,' she divulged as Harry and Hermione looked on in bewilderment.
Galadriel stared at Frodo intensely as the two Gryffindor's waited for her to continue, but she didn't say anything else to them. Her voice resonated in Frodo's mind. The Fellowship is breaking. It is already begun. He will try to take the Ring. You know of whom I speak. One by one, it will destroy them all. Frodo tensed beside them and looked down, his hand clutching the Ring before gazing back up at Galadriel.
Harry and Hermione watched this in confusion, wondering if Galadriel was communicating directly into Frodo's mind. To their surprise, he unclasped the Ring from around his neck and held it out to Galadriel. If you ask it of me, I will give you the One Ring, he spoke back to her in his mind.
Galadriel glanced between Frodo and the Ring in wonder, her eyes widening. 'You offer it to me freely…' she trailed off in a hiss as she strode towards him, her hand stretching out to take the Ring. 'I do not deny my heart has greatly desired this,' she said greedily.
Harry and Hermione drew their wands, unsure of Galadriel's intentions. If she attempted to hurt Frodo, they would stop her, even if she was Helga Hufflepuff. Her eyes darkened, shifting to them and she raised her hand. Harry and Hermione found they could not move their bodies. They could not speak and could only observe what was happening in front of them.
Galadriel appeared to rise in stature, her body glowing, and her arms spread out like she was about to take flight. Her eyes became black, like a malevolent spirit had possessed her. When she spoke, it sounded like an eerie echoing voice corrupted by evil. 'In place of a Dark Lord, you would have a Queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn. Treacherous as the Sea! Stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!' she disclosed as Frodo took a step away from her in dread.
Galadriel let out a laugh, becoming a slender Elf-Maiden once more, clad in simple white. 'I pass the test,' she whispered gently, her voice soft and woeful. She waved her hand and Harry and Hermione realised they could move again. She laughed bitterly. 'I will diminish and go into the West, and remain Galadriel,' she said, lowering her head despondently.
Frodo glanced down at the Ring lying on the palm of his hand, his confidence draining away. 'I cannot do this alone,' he said to Galadriel quietly and Harry placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Galadriel gazed back up at him. 'You are a Ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of Power is to be alone,' she counselled, lifting her hand and baring to them a beautiful white ring adorned with a flower. 'This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant. And I am its keeper,' Galadriel revealed, looking down at Nenya scornfully before concealing it once more. She smiled at Frodo. 'This task was appointed to you. And if you do not find a way, no one will,' she clarified, looking at Frodo in sympathy.
Frodo nodded, grasping what Galadriel was trying to tell him. 'Then I know what I must do. It's just… I'm afraid to do it,' he countered cryptically, looking back down at the Ring. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other uneasily, wondering what he meant by that.
Galadriel's eyes softened as she knelt to Frodo's height and gazed at him keenly. 'Even the smallest person can change the course of the future,' she said with a smile as he glanced down at the Ring and closed his fingers around it. Her smile widened as she stood back up. 'Now, you need to rest, Frodo. I must speak with Harry and Hermione,' she advised him with a nod before walking back over to the mirror.
Frodo nodded and turned to Harry and Hermione. 'Goodnight,' he whispered, receiving a pat on the shoulder from Harry and a quick hug from Hermione. The Hobbit ambled away, giving them a small wave before disappearing back up the spiral steps.
Harry and Hermione glanced at each other before stepping up to the mirror where Galadriel was waiting for them. She smiled at them tenderly. 'Do you know what it is I am about to expose?' she invited glancing between them as they both shook their heads in the negative. 'You carry two pieces of jewellery of great significance. The energy contained within them, though they differ greatly from each other, are said to be more powerful than Sauron's Ring combined,' she described, and their eyes widened in disbelief.
'So, you have never seen them?' Hermione questioned, grasping what Galadriel said.
'No, I do not know what they are or what they look like. Even the mirror has shrouded this from me,' Galadriel replied, glancing down at the pedestal with a frown. After a moment, she looked back up at them. 'Will you reveal them to me?' she requested, and they nodded.
Harry and Hermione reached into their pockets where they kept them hidden and held them out to Galadriel. Her eyes widened as she stared at them, taking Harry's first and examining it carefully. 'I was not anticipating this,' she murmured, turning the ring over in her hand.
'What is it?' Harry asked timidly as he watched her.
Galadriel glanced up at him from the ring, her eyes wide in amazement. 'This is the Ring of Barahir. It is an heirloom passed down to the first sons of all the Kings who have ruled Gondor,' she disclosed to a dumbfounded Harry.
Harry stared at the ring with a grimace. 'So why do I have it?' he demanded, not sure he wanted to know.
Galadriel tilted her head reflectively. 'In your era, Gondor is but an ancient legend imparted to children of both non-magical and magical backgrounds, though the tale differs. The line of Gondor was never broken which must make you the last living descendant of Isildur,' she enlightened him.
Harry blinked as he struggled to process this knowledge. Hermione watched him carefully, startled by this news. 'So… that implies…' Harry trailed off, closing his eyes tightly, a pained expression settling on his face.
Galadriel stared at him sympathetically. 'Aragorn is Isildur's Heir in this age making him Heir to the throne of Gondor. If he persists in his rejection to take the crown, the privilege, by default, will pass to you as being the only living next of kin to him in this era. Nevertheless-' she was cut off by Harry as he laughed cynically.
'So, what? Now I'm some Prince on top of everything else?' Harry demanded in incredulity, his tone a little harsher than he intended. He sat down, leaning his head in his hands. Harry never wanted this. He just wanted a peaceful life where he was an ordinary young man living a normal life. He never chose to be the hero of the Wizarding World, let alone the responsibility of a King in this time.
Trouble seemed to come to Harry, in big dark swarms. It had been like that since he was a child. He was not part of this time period; he was not one of them. He was no Hero or King. After the Battle of Hogwarts, this just seemed like another cliché forced upon him. Then again, he occasionally felt like he was the same as any other brooding underdog avenger against an empire of evil, out to right a grave injustice. Only this time, he had been so determined in his pursuit for vengeance having realised the real culprit all along had been Sauron. But it shouldn't have had anything to do with him. Everything was subjective. This was just another private apocalypse he had to deal with.
Hermione watched Harry having his internal struggle dejectedly before turning to Galadriel. 'Harry doesn't need this. He only ever wanted to have a quiet life, but because of a Prophecy he must kill the man who murdered his parents. He's not a King and he shouldn't be obliged to be one in a Kingdom he knows nothing about. Not to mention we don't even belong in this time,' Hermione said, shaking her head. 'We hoped by coming here we could get support with this mission…' she trailed off, laying her hand on Harry's shoulder soothingly.
Galadriel observed them for a moment, her eyes slightly narrowed. 'Hope is comforting. It permits us to accept fate, no matter how tragic it might be,' she said, glancing down at Nenya again broodingly as Hermione glanced back at her in slight frustration. 'Harry will not be compelled to take the throne of Gondor. Like Aragorn, he may deny it if he wishes,' Galadriel divulged, frowning at them.
Harry looked up at her, feeling a load off his shoulders at the knowledge that he wouldn't have to take the throne. He stood and sighed. 'Is there anything else I need to know? What about the ring? What do we need to do to activate them?' he asked, crossing his arms.
Galadriel closed her eyes before opening them and gazing at Harry intensely. What you pursue will be yours… but you will lose something dear, she said into his mind.
Harry tensed, frowning uneasily. 'What do you mean?' he questioned her in concern, wondering what else he could possibly lose. He glanced at Hermione, appreciating she was all he had left out of everyone he genuinely cared about in his time and wondered if Galadriel meant her.
Galadriel clasped her hands together in front of her. 'Beware, the answer you seek may forever alter your life for the worse,' she told him, glancing at the mirror for a moment before looking back at him. 'For I know what it is you desire to ask, but fear to ask also. As you continue your journey, the answer to your questions will become apparent to you,' she countered cryptically and Harry nodded, somehow comprehending what she implied by that.
Hermione glanced between them in misunderstanding, wondering what they were talking about. Harry smiled at her and gave her a "I'll tell you later" look and she nodded.
Galadriel smiled at Harry. 'Even after discovering you have the Ring of Barahir in your possession has not afforded me any insight as to the power it possesses. The mirror remains silent,' she whispered, her tone somewhat frustrated. 'Perhaps Aragorn can aid you in ascertaining a way to unlock the powers within, for only he has the wisdom passed down from his father,' Galadriel clarified, giving the ring back to him.
Harry nodded, but frowned. 'That means I'll have to tell him we're from the future,' he whispered, eyeing the ring pensively.
Galadriel's smile widened at this. 'I believe it is time they knew the truth. I am certain Gandalf intended for them to know soon,' she answered, and Harry took this as consent that he could at least tell Aragorn the truth. 'It is entirely your choice if you wish to expose this to the Fellowship as a whole or keep it to specific members,' she replied, reinforcing his own opinions on the matter.
'Thank you,' Harry said, turning to Hermione and giving her a hug which she returned in surprise.
'You're going?' Hermione asked, staring at Harry nervously at the thought of being alone to deal with whatever Galadriel had to tell her.
Harry nodded. 'Yeah, I'm quite tired now and I need to think. Tell me everything tomorrow,' he said, strolling away and giving her a wave as he went up the stairs.
Hermione watched Harry go with a frown, almost forgetting Galadriel was still in the clearing with her. 'Show me your heirloom,' she whispered, making Hermione jump and turn back to her.
'Oh, sure,' Hermione muttered, walking back over to the pedestal and handing the necklace to Galadriel.
Hermione frowned as Galadriel's reaction to her pendant appeared more stunned than she was to learn about Harry's, and she braced herself for whatever information the Elf-Maiden was going to reveal. Galadriel stared at the pendant with wide eyes. 'Gandalf did not disclose this to me. I did not know what to expect, but this was not it,' she uttered, her eyes not shifting from the gleaming pendant.
Hermione blinked, questioning what it could be that made Galadriel seem so astonished and gazed at her pendant in interest. 'What is it?' she asked, crossing her arms timidly.
Galadriel finally wrenched her eyes away from the pendant to Hermione. 'It is called Evenstar. It was passed to my granddaughter, Arwen, when she was born,' she told her, glancing back at the pendant.
Hermione tensed, dubious of what to make of this information. 'So, what does that suggest exactly?' she asked with a frown.
Galadriel glanced back at Hermione, bewilderment clear in her face. 'I would like to disclose to you an anecdote of my kin. Come with me,' she summoned, and Hermione trailed her to the edge of the clearing where there was an opening into an underground chamber.
Hermione looked around in awe of the room. The ceiling was black, but tiny lights like billions of stars floated just below it, generating an eerie glow within the room. The chamber was long with other sections positioned in various areas. 'Welcome to my study,' Galadriel said with a smile, eyeing Hermione who ambled around in awe. 'The clearing and this chamber are the only places in Lothlórien where I use magic to protect the histories of my kin intact. It is also where I control the crystal which creates a barrier around this beautiful forest to keep it from being razed and lost,' she divulged, gesturing to a colossal crystal in the middle of the room, levitating above the ground.
Hermione gazed at it, completely fixated. She couldn't believe this was under Lothlórien. 'This is…' she trailed off, unable to convey how incredible it was.
Galadriel smiled at her. 'To begin identifying the reason you possess the Evenstar, we must first look back to its origins,' she said, waving her hand and a large mural appeared on the wall.
Hermione gazed at the mural which depicted a man lying on the ground, a wolf standing over him. To the left of the mural was a woman in a great hall, weeping into her hands. She frowned, questioning what it could entail and why Galadriel wanted to show this to her.
'It is a rare occurrence for an Elf and a Mortal to marry. It is, predominantly, frowned upon by our kin, but there have been some exceptions,' Galadriel clarified, staring at the mural and Hermione could see a sorrow in her eyes which was so deep-rooted, and she wondered what transpired.
'This mural represents one such occurrence: the tale of Beren and Lúthien. They are a paradigm of this rarity,' Galadriel illuminated, turning to glance at Hermione. 'Our disinclination for such a union is not because we resent Mortals, quite the contrary, but we have inside of us a powerful need to protect our kin from the anguish which haunts them once the Mortal perishes,' she revealed, gazing back at the mural.
Hermione frowned. 'What has this got to do with me?' she asked nervously.
Galadriel didn't reply, but instead she waved her hand and the mural shifted and altered to reveal the woman again, kneeling in front of a great statue, her arms out as if in desperation for it to hear her. A beautiful voice echoed throughout the hall then, the words heart-breaking:
"Oh, great Mandos, high among Valar. I come to you in sorrow and with a broken heart. Long has been my journey, that led me to these halls. But now I kneel before thee, as grief my spirit calls. I seek a man named Beren, whom I bid await me here. I pledged that I would find him, before he leaves this sphere.
"This man of whom I speak, he gave his life for me. But thence my soul grew weak and at last it too broke free. So borne upon an urgent breeze, I travelled to this place. Where only one thing could appease the torment I now face.
"Oh, tell me I am not too late to see my love once more. For that would be too cruel a fate, I beg him be restored. That we may take a little time to bid our last farewell. And remember all we shared erstwhile, such joy no one could quell. For never was a greater love than that within our hearts. Once born, forever binding us, e'en though through death we part…"
The haunting voice trailed off, leaving Hermione feeling void of anything but a great sadness which resonated in her. She remembered now. The tale of Beren and Lúthien had been told to her by her parents when she was very young, though she failed to recall the details as such.
Hermione gazed back at the mural as it shifted, displaying who she now knew to be Beren and Lúthien. They were smiling and Lúthien was holding a gleaming pendant outstretched in her hand towards Beren.
Galadriel smiled forlornly at the illustration. 'This pendant was not always named Evenstar, its name has been lost, even to us, but it belonged to Lúthien formerly. She offered it to Beren as a symbol of her love for him and he still bore it when they returned as mortals. It was passed to the Elves of Rivendell when Lúthien died and was given to Arwen when she was born. Arwen, if I am not misguided, has now passed it to Aragorn as a symbol of her willingness to forsake the immortality of the Eldar to be with him,' Galadriel revealed and Hermione frowned, having never seen Aragorn with the pendant while they travelled.
'This pendant has been passed down to the eldest daughter in Beren and Lúthien's line ever since,' Galadriel concluded, looking back down at the pendant contemplatively.
Hermione shook her head, still unable to comprehend what this insinuated or why it had anything to do with her. 'I don't understand,' she whispered, exasperated at her lack of knowledge. If she had recalled the tale, perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult for her to process or maybe she didn't want to know the answer.
Galadriel shook her head. 'It is a conundrum of which I do not have the answer you seek. It is difficult for me to ascertain your heritage,' she replied, turning to gaze at Hermione intensely. 'Perhaps, the mirror can uncover the information we require,' Galadriel added, guiding Hermione from the chamber and back into the clearing. 'Hermione, look into the mirror,' she said, watching as the young girl did as she was bid.
At first, Hermione could see naught but her own apprehensive reflection staring back. She concentrated and images began to shift and swirl into focus within the mirror. A small smile emerged on her lips as she witnessed her mother and father teaching her about the Elves.
Hermione frowned when it switched to more recent images of when Aragorn caught her reading and writing in Elvish in Rivendell. It changed to the door of Moria and a shudder took her when she recalled what occurred there. She saw herself speaking the Elvish word for friend and she saw the look she got from Legolas. Then Balin's tomb, where Legolas seemed suspicious of her. It shifted to the stream of Nimrodel and the peculiar looks Legolas gave her for twirling the grass and humming along to the song he was singing.
Hermione blinked and the image changed again, showing her in Cerin Amroth. It was odd seeing this from an outside perspective, like she was looking at someone else entirely. She could see Legolas behind Draco, Harry and her as she described why Haldir was disinclined to let them into Lothlórien. It was evident to her now that Legolas ought to know she can at least comprehend Elvish if his expression was anything to go by.
The mirror churned once more and altered to images of Caras Galadhon and she could hear the lament for Gandalf again so clearly. She remembered the words and tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. The next image changed to Legolas and Valaria talking by the fountain and Hermione wondered what this had to do with anything. She shook her head and withdrew from the mirror, more bewildered now than she had been before she began.
Hermione glanced up at Galadriel who appeared to be astounded. 'Why did the mirror show these events?' she asked her softly.
Galadriel gazed at her, something sparkled in her eyes and it appeared almost like recognition, but it frightened Hermione. 'I bid the mirror to focus on information leading to your heritage. It is apparent to me now,' she answered, shaking her head as if she was having trouble believing the evidence herself.
Hermione swallowed thickly; not sure she was prepared for the answer if it caused Galadriel such a surprise. 'What… does it mean?' Hermione forced herself to ask, hesitant to know.
Galadriel smiled radiantly at her which gave Hermione pause. 'You are of Elven descent, Hermione,' she divulged, and Hermione gaped at her as if she had grown another head. It took a moment for the news to tick over in her brain and, when the words registered, she suddenly felt nauseous. She took a step back and fell to her knees as she struggled to fathom how that could be feasible.
oOoOo
A/N: The song "Lúthien's Lament" featured in this chapter is actually a song by Eurielle who has a few songs which are based on events from Lord of the Rings. She has some really beautiful songs which have inspired some of the events for this version of the story.
I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Please let me know in a comment/review.