Disclaimers: See Chapter 1 for more info.
Acknowledgements: To TooLazyToLogin for giving me the original idea for this series. To DoctorWhovian18, for her ideas on pranking, ideas on other things about the story, her advice and helpfulness, and the list go on. To LOTCR for her ideas that came for this chapter, including the reveal of the mysterious author writing the book in Frodo's name. So yeah, LOTCR finally gets credit for something that was her idea. I'd also like to thank ValueMyHeart for reviewing, following, and favoriting this story. To all my readers who are favoriting, following, and reviewing this story. And I'd also like to thank Frodo and the hobbits for their help with this story as well. Yes, that sounds crazy to the normal readers, but I'm still thanking Frodo and his friends anyway. And I would like to thank Frodo for a general description and inspiration of what liquorice tastes like, since I had forgotten.
Sorry for the long delay. I had a massive writer's block several times in this chapter.
Yeah, this one was a tricky chapter because the books don't say what first years travel in during the winter holidays from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade Station. I know first years travel in boats at the beginning and end of the school year from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade Station. So to end my misery over this part of the chapter, I've thrown this out altogether because I simply don't want to fiddle with it any longer. With that said, I hope you readers enjoy the chapter.
On the morning of the end of term and the trip from Hogwarts back to Platform 9 ¾, Frodo was caught at the Entrance Hall by Sam. Frodo wondered what was up with him. Maybe he would learn the answer now before he left.
"Sam, I'm delighted to see you," admitted Frodo. "You've been avoiding me. Whatever for?"
"Oh, I hope you enjoy the holidays," said Sam.
"But this isn't on your mind," said Frodo, getting the feeling Sam wasn't being so truthful with him.
"I don't want you to go off on your own. What if you get hurt, or you pull a prank and Sam isn't there to pull you out whenever you…"
Frodo stifled a laugh. "Sam, I'll be fine. Besides… we live in different times, even though we're both from the Shire. You'll do fine without me. You have Merry and Pippin." He ended the conversation there, but not without saying farewell to Sam, in a way that said I'll-see-you-soon. He could feel Sam's troubled gaze on him as he headed out onto the courtyard. The doors closed slowly behind him, as if he were already leaving behind memories, happy prank-filled memories.
It was going to be a long Christmas/Yule Break.
o-o-o
Frodo and the rest of the students did arrive at the Hogwarts Express on time. The feeling of being back on the train was surreal to Frodo. It had only been four months and yet they were bliss. He had changed so much; he didn't feel like the same person, the same hobbit, as he was when he first started his journey through the wizardry school. It was true: he was still shy, and yet at the same time he had grown and was a little more confident, a little braver.
Once again, Frodo had a compartment to himself, as Fredegar and Hermione were wandering elsewhere through the train. That was fine. Frodo still hadn't acquainted himself too much with Fredegar and Hermione, but then he did miss the company. Peering up at the windows, he could see frost on them. The windows were chilled, yet there was a large hole-like space where he saw the outside, which was covered in snow, especially on the trees. It all looked like a winter wonderland. For once, Frodo appreciated the winter weather and it felt good.
What only made the train ride unbearable was the fact that Lotho and Draco Malfoy were aboard as well. Thankfully, the two scumbags were in a different compartment. Maybe if Frodo was lucky, Lotho wouldn't leech towards him and pester him. So far, that hadn't happened.
The food trolley witch came around. She asked Frodo, "Anything from the trolley, dear?"
"Oh," said Frodo, pulling out his wizard money. Approaching the trolley, Frodo gave his order, "Two cauldron cakes, one pumpkin pastie and a liquorice wand." He figured he might try something new.
After paying for the sweets and taking a seat, dropping the sweets on the seat, Frodo opened the packet and tried the Liquorice Wand. The first bite exploded in his mouth, as if the tanginess of the liquorice was too distinct to not forget. The smell of the Liquorice Wand right away cleared his nostrils, allowing him to breathe a lot better, as if he wasn't already breathing regularly. The tiny bit of sweetness in the liquorice was enough to draw him in more to the taste of the wizard sweet. He fell in love with the Liquorice Wand, as if it was his new best friend. This encouragement alone allowed him to gobble the Liquorice Wand down, his mind begging for a second. Deciding then to stop by the buffet car a little later, Frodo dug into his pumpkin pastie.
Frodo was moments into eating his cauldron cakes when he heard a soft knock on the door frame. Frodo glanced at the compartment's doorway, only to find himself face-to-face with an twelve-year-old girl with thick locks of brown hair. This girl was already wearing her regular clothes, which consisted of blue jeans, tennis shoes, a pink shirt with flower designs sewn in, and a white hoodie jacket. Frodo nearly mistaken her for a Hobbit, since she had pointy ears, but what really stuck out was the fact that her hair was straighter than the average Hobbit's hair. He right away suspected, apart from the girl's short height, she belonged to the Race of Men. How on Middle-earth earth did this girl end up as a Hobbit?
The brown-haired girl was obviously very shy because she timidly asked Frodo, "Is it all right if I sit with you?" She zoned out, embarrassment streaked across her face in a way that was too obvious not to avoid showing. And she mumbled.
Frodo asked again, "What? A little louder, please." He did not want to frighten the poor girl. At the same time, the heavy silence was almost too awkward to avoid. Then he saw the same blue book with the gold lettering from the library at Hogwarts. Did this girl steal from the library? Or maybe it was a copy she had bought. Either way, he would find out soon enough. Still, the girl didn't answer. She just stood awkwardly in the corridor. Frodo tried again, even though he didn't really feel comfortable talking to girls… however, he felt a little drawn to her for reasons even he couldn't explain. "You can come in if you wish."
The girl was quick to take a seat directly across from him. Setting the book on her lap, as if it was unwise to take it away from her, the girl told him, "Thanks. I'm Aria Breuer. You must be Frodo Baggins."
Now he felt awkward. Keeping his gaze off of Aria's, Frodo asked her, pointing to the book, "Where did you get that?"
Aria hesitated greatly. Gathering her courage, Aria admitted, "This is the copy I was given by Dumbledore. He wanted me to keep tabs on you, seeing as you're important… but then all hobbits are important when they come to Hogwarts. They find their books eventually. Now I'm talking too much." She felt embarrassed, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders in a constant repetition. She right away apologized, "I'm sorry. I'm a devoted fan of yours and I'm new to your books that were already written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Oh, maybe I spoke too much. Aren't you Frodo Baggins?"
Frodo nodded. "I am. So there are books written about me?"
Now Aria was thoroughly embarrassed, like she had stepped into a territory she shouldn't have crossed. She admitted, truthfully, "Just about your later years. Of course now, events will change a bit… or maybe not."
"Well, that explains why the Muggle-borns are fawning over me, including Hermione Granger. Let me guess: you're a Muggle-born," said Frodo, serious.
Aria was definitely out of her element and it showed too much all over her face, like she couldn't stand to be in the same compartment as Frodo. She was only in her prime with The Lord of the Rings trilogy. She admitted, truthfully, "Yes. I'm in Ravenclaw, the same year as you."
"I don't exactly remember you being in my year," said Frodo.
Aria was offended now. While she was grateful to find her courage more, her anger took over right away. "Well I am, Frodo Baggins." Then her anger changed to informing Frodo, "I was sorted into Ravenclaw at the beginning of the term. It was Dumbledore who found me and brought me here. After the sorting, I was taken into this room by the Ravenclaw prefect, where I was asked to take a quill. The second I found this quill, a hawk's quill, it was then that I was selected to be your author during your years at Hogwarts." She showed him the hawk's feather quill, before stuffing it inside her jean's pocket.
True, Frodo had been listening intently to Aria's outburst, he felt rightly afraid of her defensive manner. She was a girl after all. But this particular girl seemed a bit too defensive. Maybe she was related to Hermione, and he was just getting used to being around her.
While there was another silence, and before Aria retreated too much into herself, Frodo admitted, "Are you this way all the time with people?"
"No," said Aria, calming down somewhat. "I try not to be."
"So it was you who wrote that cheeky message in the book," said Frodo, changing the subject.
Aria nodded fiercely, before admitting, "Which one?"
Frodo was stunned, but nearly laughing. There was something about this girl he found quite humorous and he did not know why that was. He said, "The one where I slammed the book."
Aria remembered now. "Oh, that one! Well, you were acting stubborn. I thought I'd give you a taste of your own medicine." Gosh, it felt so easy to talk to Frodo, she thought.
"Well, it worked," said Frodo.
There was another silence. Just as Frodo and Aria spoke at the same time, they stopped, chuckling softly in embarrassment.
Aria admitted as she stood up, "Well, I'll leave you to your candy."
What was he doing? Frodo hardly knew as he stood up and stopped Aria in her tracks. Aria turned around all too quickly, as if some cat was rampaging across the compartment. Frodo asked her, "Would you like to come to my parents' house for Yule dinner?"
Aria made an excuse. "Well, I'm going to be spending time at the house Dumbledore assigned to us authors for Christmas break. They're meant to keep us authors safe until next term, during the summer, et cetera."
"So, you really don't have anywhere to go for Yule break?" asked Frodo, pitying her.
"No. I mean, I could go home, but Dumbledore doesn't want us authors to for the next seven years. It's a tradition held since the first hobbits came to Hogwarts," said Aria. "Or so I was told."
"Yes and while that's true, I mean you can spend the holidays with me and my parents, if you want to. That way, you would get to know me better, instead of keeping a distance from me. It's called collaboration. Besides, I would feel a lot better myself if we made this arrangement. How good of a writer are you?" asked Frodo.
"I'm still new to the craft," admitted Aria, truthfully.
"Well, maybe I can help you there. My parents taught me how to write my letters. Maybe it would benefit each other," said Frodo. Why was he doing this? Allowing himself to be this close to a girl… it was unheard of in his book.
Aria was glowing with excitement. Yes! Now she had her chance to get to know Frodo… wait, she still had a crush on Frodo? Well, at least she could find out… no, it was better to wait and see if this was more than a crush or just a crush. She nodded and told Frodo, "Okay. I'll go grab my trunk!"
Frodo stopped her. "Wait. Why don't you wait until after I've changed? What compartment are you in?"
"Compartment B," said Aria.
Frodo nodded. "Then I'll meet you there after the train stops. How about that?"
Disappointment crossed Aria's face. "All right."
Feeling guilty, Frodo stopped her again. "Wait, Aria. I mean, if you want to stay in my compartment, you can. I'll just have to get dressed."
"Okay," said Aria, nodding. She took off a moment later.
Once again, Frodo searched for a way to get his trunk off the rack. He was helped this time by an older Ravenclaw student, who set his trunk down on the seat before departing. The moment he was done changing into a white dress shirt, brown breeches, a white dress shirt, a green vest with gold designs, and a deep emerald green jacket, there was a knock on the compartment door. Pulling up the shades, Frodo opened the compartment door to find Aria enter with her trunk and her tawny owl. Frodo's brown owl screeched upon seeing another owl enter hers and Frodo's compartment. Frodo quickly closed and locked his trunk.
Aria commented right away, after she set her owl's cage down on the seat, "Green huh?"
Frodo shrugged. "I like it. But my favorite color is blue. It's the honest truth."
"Blue is my favorite color, too. I love all shades of blue, so it doesn't matter to me," said Aria, sitting down across from him.
Frodo looked out at the sky and admitted, "Well, I love the ocean blue. I feel as if I'm meant to be with the sea. The Black Lake helped me see the shade more clearly. That's my favorite shade of blue."
Aria said in agreement, "I like that shade of blue. Somehow, I like being near any body of water, to an extent."
"What's that mean?" asked Frodo.
"I can't swim," said Aria. "I'm… afraid of the water."
Frodo nearly chuckled at that. "It's fine. I don't know how to swim either."
"Then we're in the same boat," said Aria. She got back on track, "Well, I better send a message to the authors' house, telling them why I won't be staying with them for the holidays."
"Oh," said Frodo, heading straight for his trunk. Once he pulled out a piece of parchment and an envelope, he handed them to Aria, who already pulled out her quill and an ink bottle, setting them both on one of the small folded tables. "Here you go."
"Oh, thanks," said Aria, taking the parchment and envelope. Being precise and careful with her words, Aria wrote her letter. She then brought her tawny owl over to the window. Frodo opened the window for her, so Aria could hand her tawny owl the sealed envelope before her tawny owl flew away. She returned her gaze to Frodo, who closed the window for her before it became too cold. "Thanks. Hedwer can be a handful, but he's a good owl through and through."
"Hedwer? You named your owl after Harry's owl?" asked Frodo, confused.
Aria looked at him, stunned. She blushed in embarrassment. "Well… I did. It's a long story and it's a childhood fascination of mine to name a male owl Hedwer. That's all I'll go into with it. At least the Head of House at the house where I'm staying knows now where I'll be for Christmas holidays."
"That's true," said Frodo.
Hermione rushed towards Frodo's compartment. She told Frodo, "The train will be arriving at the station soon." She looked at Aria and said, smiling, "Oh, I see you've met Aria. She's a shy one, isn't she?"
"Yes, but I think she's all right," said Frodo, looking Aria's way.
"You think so?" asked Aria, stunned but glowing with excitement.
Frodo nodded, grinning at her.
Hermione felt like a third wheel. "Oh. Well, I'll leave you two alone." She darted out of the compartment without saying another word to either one.
Aria felt ashamed. Now the whole school would be chattering about her acquaintanceship with Frodo Baggins. She needed to stop this… fast. The last thing she wanted was the whole of Hogwarts talking about her.
"Frodo, I…" That's when she saw the calm look on Frodo's face. Maybe it was best not to disappoint him. Calming down, Aria asked him, "Do you think you can help me with the cage? Hedwer's cage can be a bit tricky to open and close."
"Sure," said Frodo, heading over to the cage. It was easy for him to close the cage door, but he knew this was not on Aria's mind. Turning to her, Frodo asked in seriousness, "What is it?"
Aria couldn't lie in front of Frodo. So, she told the truth to him. "The whole school will be talking about us, thinking we're in a relationship. I know they will be."
"And this isn't what you want?" asked Frodo.
"I like to keep my reputation set. There's too much studying going on and I want everybody to like me…" Aria was depressed now. She lowered her head in shame.
Frodo could tell Aria's mind was elsewhere. Why was she being so closed off on him? Pressing a finger to her chin, raising it so he could see her face and hazel green eyes, Frodo told her, "That's not a very wise way to go about school. If you're too involved in your work, you'll miss a lot." Aria was discouraged. Frodo decided to cheer her up. "Well, look at it this way: you get another chance to start over."
Aria was stunned. Did he know something she didn't? "Thanks."
Frodo moved his finger off her chin. He felt very awkward around her. Their moment shattered when they heard the train conductor tell the students they were reaching the station, and to grab their belongings. Frodo and Aria grabbed their trunks and owls – technically, Aria now had her cage, whereas Frodo had his brown owl Prim inside her cage – and headed outside the train. There, Frodo helped Aria with her trunk, before leading her in search of his parents. The second he saw them, Frodo greeted them with hugs. It was something his mother hadn't expected, but his father soon warmed up to his son.
After embraces were done, Drogo asked about the new girl, "And who is this?"
Frodo grinned at Aria and said to his parents in introduction, "Mama, Papa, this is Aria Breuer. Is it all right if she stays with us for the holidays? I mean, she's currently staying at the authors' house, wherever that is, and I figured she may need a place where she feels welcome."
"I remember hearing about that place, but I never went in there," said Primula.
"I have. I know what authors' houses are like," said Drogo. Seeing Aria shuffle her feet and staying quiet, Drogo told her, politely, "Of course you can stay. Follow us."
Primula told Aria, "I'll take your cage and your trunk off your hands." She did just that.
Thankful to have free hands, Aria followed Frodo and his family towards a wooden round hobbit-hole door. After a brief instruction, followed by Frodo and his parents thinking of the place they wanted to go, Drogo opened the door so they could all enter the hobbit house in Buckland. Aria was amazed and stunned – did I mention she had her fangirl squeal, while embarrassing herself – to actually be inside a hobbit-hole for the first time in her life. Frodo looked at her a bit strange, but understood this was how fangirls reacted. Maybe he shouldn't be expecting much, but then… how was he supposed to know or understand Aria? He had yet to see what waited for him just being around her.
Well, as you readers can now tell, the fanfiction author is me. Now, there's a difference between the me in this story and the me outside of it. This was me back in my childhood/pre-teen years and yes I was extremely shy back then and just starting into The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Also, it gives me an idea of what it's like being around Frodo Baggins in person, as far as this story can carry. Well, there you go. The long-awaited chapter, only long waited due to a massive writer's block. Now, onto the Christmas/Yule holidays!