Coming Home

AN: Sorry for not updating last Monday, I have been trying to update every Monday but with Midterms I needed to study and focus on school, I did well though, so that's good news.

Just so you are aware there are some parts of this chapter that get a little dark because the tone of the story is starting to shift from more fun and games to war, so be aware of that if you are sensitive to things like that.

Also elvish is in bold and thoughts in italics, please review, every review makes me happy and I'd love to try and get at least fifteen reviews if that's possible :)

"Hello Hermione, it's been a while" Hermione whirled around and saw King Thranduil.

"Hello my lord" Hermione said with a bow.

"I didn't expect you to return from earth."

"Is that why you didn't tell anyone where I was? You thought it would be better if I was presumed dead?"

"No," Hermione dug her nails into the palm of her hand don't let him rile you up, that's just what he wants.

"Why didn't you then?"

"You endanger my woods and my people." Thranduil said, no longer even pretending to be polite anymore. Hermione backed away in shock, she didn't know what she was expecting but it certainly wasn't that.

"What do you mean?"

"You think I don't know? You have no father, you're one of the most skilled elves I have ever met and that wizard wanted you to come with him, not someone else. I am not stupid, you and your mother might have thought you could keep your little secret from me but the truth is, you're different and different is dangerous."

Hermione felt the tears sting at her eyes but didn't let Thranduil see her break down, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "Does none of my hundreds of years of service to you matter to you? Am I just some elf you can easily get rid of without a second glance?"

"Mirkwood survived for 200 years without you."

"It survived, yes. But this is not the Mirkwood I grew up in, this is a diseased forest, a dying forest." Thranduil turned his away from her, unable to look her in the eye. "Fine my lord, I will leave, you shall never see me again."

Hermione walked away before pausing. "I hope you're happy with your choice." And with that she turned a corner and disappeared.

Thranduil straightened his robes and made to head the dining hall when he was faced with the only other red-head in Mirkwood out of the frying pan, into the fire. "Tauriel-"

"How dare you speak to my daughter that way! You have no idea what she is going through, what she has to do!"

"You're right, but I know what I have to do, I have to protect my people and your daughter is a wild card, I can't afford to keep her around."

"You're not a leader, you're a coward."

"Tauriel-"

"NO! She is my daughter and I will not stand aside and let other people dictate her life for her."

"You seem perfectly fine with letting her wander off into the wild all by herself." Tauriel gritted her teeth.

"This isn't over."

"I never assumed it was."

Tauriel glared at him once more before running after her daughter.

CH

Hermione had been walking for days and she had finally reached Fangorn Forest, she didn't know what compelled her to come there but once she was there she knew she could rest for a while and she would be safe.

Hermione sunk down to the forest floor and rested her head against a tree, this forest was so old she could feel it.

She could feel the memories hanging in the air, memories of times gone by and people from long ago who came into this forest.

She could feel the anger, the ancient grudges that started in the forest and the petty squabbles between friends that had occurred.

And as she felt it she let herself cry. Cry for those she lost in the war, for those she would never see again, and for friends who would grow old and die while she stayed forever young. How do mortals deal with it? So much death . . . I can't handle anyone else dying.

In her mind's eye she saw Dumbledore's body laying at the base of the astronomy tower.

She saw Fred's broken body with George crying over it.

She saw Lupin and Tonks's bodies next to each other and young Teddy who would never know his parents.

She could see Frank and Alice Longbottom in St. Mungos, completely insane and their poor son Neville who was never able to truly know his parents.

She saw Lavender Brown lying on the ground covered in blood from where Fenir had bit her and clawed her.

She saw Sirus falling through the veil and heard Harry's heartbreaking scream.

Then the images changed, instead of Dumbledore, she saw Gandalf falling from the bridge.

Insead of Fred and George it was Pippin lying over Merry's body.

Instead of Lupin and Tonks it was Boromir lying on the ground next to a man who looked similar to him and an older man who was crying about 'his sons'.

Instead of Frank and Alice she saw Frodo devolving into a pale, skinny, creature, utterly obsessed with the ring.

Instead of Lavender Brown she saw Legolas, lying on a battlefield, covered in blood.

Instead of Sirius she saw Aragorn being stabbed and heard Arwen's heartbreaking cries as she watched him die.

She turned away from the images assaulting her, knowing that what she was seeing would be the price of her failure.

She looked up at the sky, her tears flowing freely "Why? Why me? Why do I have to be the one to save the world, I'm not strong enough." She looked back at the ground "I couldn't save them, why should I be able to save Middle Earth."

Hermione pulled the bow Lady Galadriel gave her off her back, she ran her hands over the wood, remembering the feeling of her wand in her hand.

"Why me? I would happily give it all up to be able to be a normal elf. Why can't you choose someone who actually wants to save the world?"

Hermione tightened her grip on her bow. "I don't want this." She stood up and back away from the tree. "Do you hear me?! I don't want this! Choose someone else!" She yelled at the air.

Hermione looked down at the bow in her hands, she stared at it and all the responsibility that came with it. She looked over her shoulder at all the bodies of her past and quickly looked away. She grabbed the bow and threw it as far as she could. She heard a crack as the bow made contact with the ground.

"No offense, but that was a little stupid." Hermione sighed as she turned around.

"Hello Naneth."

Tauriel sighed. "I miss you."

"I'm right here."

"No you're not, you're not talking to anyone, before you left Mirkwood you stayed in your treehouse all day."

"You spied on me."

"I'm worried about you! You have a difficult task ahead of you and instead of talking to anyone you sulk by yourself all day before running away and yelling at yourself in the middle of the woods."

Hermione didn't say anything, her mother was right but she wasn't going to admit that.

"I want to help you, please don't shut me out Hermione, I love you."

"No one can help me, don't you understand? I'm alone, I'm the only one who can defeat Sauron if anyone tried to help me I'd just be putting them in danger."

"I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around."

"You can't protect me! Please, go home."

"Hermione . . . "

"Please."

Tauriel sighed and looked away, "I'll always be there for you if you need me."

"I know."

AN: I struggled with this chapter a lot and spent a while deciding if I wanted Gandalf or Tauriel to talk to Hermione. I actually originally wrote it with Gandalf talking to Hermione but I felt it was more effective to have Tauriel talk to her and when I had Gandalf talk with her I felt it resolved too many things at once. Tell me if you liked this or if you would have preferred to see a conversation with Gandalf and Hermione.

Reviews:

Guest: Thank you for continuously posting nice reviews. It really helps :)

CallaRose4ever: Anakin too! The second wonder woman movie was really good and I recommend it, it's quite different to the first one though. You got your answer to how Hermione would react, did you like it? And I look forward to continuing this story even though I got a little stuck on this chapter.