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 for this story. 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.
Ideas for this chapter came from DoctorWhovian18, as well as Frodo and his friends. Also, I know I was going to put another of Frodo's friends for the next story, but after looking through when this next hobbit was born, I figured I might as well bring all of Frodo's friends into this first story of the series. So, here we go. Also, ValueMyHeart told me which hobbit she's authoring for in this story, but since I'm following a system, her house is also revealed in this chapter. Okay, let's go. :)
The third day of Frodo's reading The Hobbit had come to its close. True, he was two pages away from finishing the chapter 'Queer Lodgings', yet Frodo viewed the book with a critical mind. Bilbo's tales and the story J.R.R. Tolkien had wrote about Bilbo's adventures were pretty accurate. One thought Frodo had made all the difference: what if J.R.R. Tolkien knew about Middle-earth, or even his and Bilbo's lives, recording all the events later on in their lives? No, that was rubbish. This author, J.R.R. Tolkien, wouldn't have tagged alongside Bilbo… could he?
His eyelids drooped, making it hard for Frodo to finish reading. Finding he could not finish the chapter, Frodo placed a parchment bookmark, which he folded and tore out of his composite journal to use as a bookmark, and set the book on his bedside dresser. After he changed into his night clothes, Frodo pulled back the covers and crawled into bed. Settling in, Frodo's mind drifted into a sea of darkness. Eventually, he fell into deep sleep, his mind finding its way into a vivid, colorful dream, mainly focused on the cool colors of summer. This dream was so vivid, he remembered everything:
Frodo was sitting inside the grand smial Brandy Hall, with many of his Brandybuck relatives. It was a family gathering, one that Frodo felt exhilarated just being there. And yet there was this loneliness that wouldn't go away. But Frodo loved being with the Brandybucks. They were more used to the dangers of the Old Forest, as opposed to his Baggins relatives… not that he didn't mind being around Bilbo, of course. Bilbo he could always talk to whenever he needed a comforting hand.
At last, Frodo saw his parents! Wait… why were they stepping outside the smial? He followed them, eager to see where they were headed. After a fierce jog, Frodo made it to the Brandywine River. The river looked so wide and vast, the waves splashing his feet in a rather harsh manner. Frodo's gaze fell on a boat, out in the middle of the river. Was that his parents?
"Hey Mama! Papa! Over here!" Frodo called.
Frodo's parents waved, excited to see him. His mother gestured with an arm, signaling him to join them. Frodo wanted to but found he couldn't reach them. Then everything happened so fast: the boat flipped over and his parents fell into the river. The waters swallowed them up. Frodo finally broke free of the trance he entered, splashing in the water to search for his parents.
"Turn around," Frodo's mind told him.
Spinning around, Frodo witnessed his parents being pulled onto shore. However, Frodo was now caught in the water. He was pulled down by thin, elegant fingers. Frodo stretched his arm towards his mother, knowing he was unable to reach her. In an instant, he inhaled the surface air, before descending into a watery landscape. Frodo watched as the world above, the sun's light casting its rays on the ever distant surface, drew further and further away. He struggled to break free, but found he could not.
Frodo could feel his life draining from his body. This was the end… he knew it… was that a woman with a fish tail…
Frodo gasped, his eyelids opening rapidly. The Hobbit book disappeared. Where… in his moment of distress, Frodo's eyes glanced over at his dresser, where the book rested next to his comb. Sighing in relief, Frodo's thoughts now turned to the main events of his recent dream: he was spending time with his relatives when his parents went outside Brandy Hall to… to go boating. What they were doing out there, Frodo had no idea. All he knew was the next occurrence happened to be his parents' deaths. While this particular dream was not the first of its kind – Frodo had been dreaming about his parents for months now – he suspected something would happen to them in the near future.
Frodo's dreams weren't usually wrong, not by a long way. Several dreams, in fact, led him to his friend, who he met in the Shire: Folco Boffin. Folco, like Frodo, had a knack for trouble, but Folco could play it so brilliantly there was no questioning his unique set of skills. However, Folco exceeded only because Frodo let him, but even then Frodo proved superior. Folco just had a way with words.* Now that Frodo's thoughts drew to his friend Folco, Frodo wondered where he was and what if…
Footsteps trod softly against the wood of the dormitory. Moving to an upright position, if only for a moment, lo and behold! to Frodo's surprise, Folco Boffin was in the hobbits' side of the Ravenclaw Boys' Dormitory. But where were Frodo's other four roommates? Frodo had gotten to know them, but only so little. Yet his roommates were always present, and loaded him with more stories about their worlds than even he realized.
As for Folco, his physique was similar to Merry, right down to the facial features. Yet Folco was more closely associated in relation to Bilbo and Lotho than to Merry; they were more distant cousins by a long shot, same with Folco and Frodo. Folco was still a boy in many ways, yet he was talented; Frodo was too, in his own right, only Frodo didn't announce it as his friends did. But what Folco was doing in Frodo's dormitory remained in question; the next Frodo saw of Folco was him going over to his trunk and opening it on the bed, which stood right next to Frodo's bed.
Making sure Folco heard him Frodo sat up on the mattress. Folco turned, beaming a smile that only Folco knew how to achieve. "Frodo, how goes things? I hope it stays dry outside, but you never can tell with this weather. How did you sleep?"
The first question Frodo asked Folco was, "When did you arrive?"
"That's a good question," said Folco. "You see, the Sorting Hat put me on standstill since we came here. You haven't seen me. I've been hanging around the Authors and Authoresses' Chamber for months now, as well as wandering the castle. I had no house until December, when I was finally sorted into Ravenclaw. However, I see your roommates have all vanished."
"They didn't come back," said Frodo, frowning. Where were they? "What happened to them? They were here yesterday… now they're gone."
"Well, I know the whole story. Dumbledore told me your old roommates' parents didn't want them learning at this school. Nearly every world is cut off now, except for Middle-earth and this present Earth. I hope they open the portals again, so we gain access to the other worlds," said Folco. "Oh well for now, right?"
"Yeah," said Frodo. At least he knew someone was in his house. But then, this was odd. Why would the other worlds be cut off from this one, except Middle-earth and present-day Earth? "So, you have a schedule, right? You don't have to catch up on class work or anything, do you?"
Folco grinned. "Frodo, I am caught up on my classes. I am a Half-blood – my father's a wizard and my mother's a muggle. Hardly anyone knew what to do with me, that's all. It's no big deal now, is it?"
"No, it's not," said Frodo, feeling some happiness sink inside him. Getting out of bed, and while he changed into a clean blue Hobbit uniform, Frodo explained to Folco, "I've met this girl, my authoress – you know what authoresses are, right?"
"Frodo, I have an authoress and she's now a Ravenclaw, too," admitted Folco. He asked, curious, "Why do you ask?"
Frodo shrugged. "No reason."
Folco knew the guilty look Frodo gave, which always gave him away. "Frodo, we're twelve years old. Save that adult stuff for later."
"It's not like that. This girl, Aria is her name – well, she's a Ravenclaw, too, and we've agreed to be friends," said Frodo.
"Frodo, don't you know our authors are assigned to us if they get the same house as we do? It's part of this castle's system," said Folco.
"That's what Aria told me," said Frodo. He gave a small grin to let Folco know things were better.
Folco admitted, "I'm glad you've made a new friend."
"Me too, even if she is a girl," said Frodo. "And now, I have you as a roommate. This day is going to be good. I know it."
"I wouldn't tempt fate, but yeah," said Folco.
"Oh lighten up, Folco. I've been down the moody lane when I first arrived here, and I'll tell you it wasn't worth it," said Frodo, explaining his experience.
Folco nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Frodo." After situating his blue rose-design vest with the Ravenclaw emblem, before placing his blue jacket over his vest, Folco asked, "Say, do you want to head down to the Great Hall? I'm starving."
"I was thinking the same thing," said Frodo. "But first, I need to introduce you to Aria."
Folco shrugged. He didn't mind meeting Frodo's new friend. "Sure. Whatever works for you, Frodo, works for me."
"Great," said Frodo. There he went again, going on about a girl he liked… well… nah, it was better this way. He and Aria were friends, right? Nothing was going to change their relation – eh, friendship.
As soon as Frodo and Folco were ready to start the day, the two hobbit boys left the Boys' Dormitory, climbed down the stone stair and entered the Ravenclaw Common Room. There, Frodo found Aria staring at the notice board, like she did every morning. Dragging Folco over to the notice board, Frodo grabbed Aria's shoulder, startling her and causing her to whip around fast in front of him.
Aria had the look of a wild animal in her eyes.
Hoping to calm her, Frodo spoke, gently, "Calm down, Aria. I came over to introduce you to my friend, Folco Boffin. And Folco, this is Aria Breuer, the girl I told you about."
Folco said to Aria, teasing her a bit, "Ah. Frodo's lucky lady has come to light! My you are looking splendid."
Aria was a bit taken aback by this teasing, "I got this from Merry and Pippin, the teasing."
Folco addressed her, calmly, "No, I was just complimenting you."
Frodo admitted to Aria, "Folco has a way with words."
"Like yourself," said Aria, directly to him.
"Well… I suppose it does tend to roll off the tongue," said Frodo.
Aria grunted, but said nothing to this comment.
Folco ended their conversation, "Well, mind if we head down to the Great Hall. I'm starving and I'm still new to the Ravenclaw Tower."
Aria beamed. "So you're a new student?"
Folco corrected her. "Eh, no, not exactly; I was at a standstill at the sorting. I could still attend classes; I just couldn't be anywhere near the other students or their dormitory. Now, I can." He gave Aria his signature smile.
Frodo caught his friend in the act. "All right, Folco. Give Aria time to adjust to your habits."
"Well, it's my way of introducing your friend to our lot," said Folco.
"And wait until you meet my other friends. I'm sure they'll look forward to meeting you," said Frodo, his voice echoing along the nearby walls.
Leaving the Ravenclaw Common Room past the front door to the spiral staircase, Frodo led his two friends from Ravenclaw – Folco and Aria – down the stone stairs and through the seventh-floor corridor. Neither of the three wanted to miss breakfast. At least there, in the Great Hall, things would turn out for the better, or so Frodo hoped. Already, things were looking up for him. He did not want to see these happy moments leave, no matter the circumstance.
o-o-o
Entering the Great Hall, the first hobbit Frodo dragged Folco over to, while Aria went to search for an empty spot for them at the Ravenclaw table, was Samwise Gamgee. Sam was in the middle of a conversation with Anne, or ValueMyHeart, who, same as when Frodo first met her, was donned in yellow robes. Folco wanted to smooth talk this authoress, just to show off.
"So you must be this fine young hobbit's authoress," said Folco. He said, smoothly, "I'm sure I know some bubble wrap that hasn't been used in a while. Why don't we pop some bubbles?"
"No thanks," said Anne, giggling a little.
Frodo asked Anne, "So, you're Sam's Authoress? I knew you were a Hufflepuff, but I didn't think…"
"It is okay, Frodo," said Anne, cheerful towards him. "But you might want to tell your friend to work on his smooth talk."
"I AM working on it!" complained Folco.
Anne ignored Folco, telling Frodo, "I'll see you later." She faced Sam, reminding him, "We're meeting in the library after breakfast today, right?"
"Yes, Miss Anne. That would be great," said Sam.
"Good." Anne told Frodo and Sam, "I'll see you two around. Sam, I'll see you later. Goodbye, Folco. It was nice meeting you." She turned and left the Great Hall.
Sam gave Folco a glare as well. "That was very rude, sir."
"May I ask your name?" asked Folco.
"I'm Samwise Gamgee, Sam for short, an' don't you be forgettin'," said Sam.
"As if I could ever forget Frodo's friends," said Folco, cheekily. "I'm Folco, by the way. Folco Boffin."
"I see you've picked up Frodo's antics," said Sam.
Frodo chuckled at that. He told Folco, politely, "Come on. Let's meet my other friends at the Gryffindor table." Frodo said to Sam, cheery, "I'll see you in class."
"Good luck, Mr. Frodo," said Sam, returning to reading his article. The words flew off the page, allowing him to see vivid images of the events that took place when the newspaper was written. He couldn't stop reading, as if the article took a life all its own, the further he read.
Frodo, in the meantime, introduced Folco to the rest of his friends. As it happened, Merry, Pippin, Fredegar, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George all sat at the Gryffindor table that morning, ready to start the day. Frodo got their attentions as he approached them.
He went into the same spiel, "I'd like to introduce you to Folco Boffin," and received different responses, mainly aimed towards Folco than Frodo:
Merry and Pippin were fortunate to meet Frodo's new/old friend from the Shire. The two scoundrels couldn't wait to try a few pranks on him. Pippin eagerly said, "Do you know how to impress my sisters, Folco? Pimpernel seems a bit off today."
"Anything for you Pippin," said Folco.
"I don't have siblings. So I can't help you there. But Pippin and I welcome you to our group," said Merry, grateful that Frodo found another friend; although, he did find it odd of Pippin to concern himself with his older sisters.
Pippin said nothing, feeling embarrassed upon asking the question.
Fredegar had a few things to say to Folco, and none of them were good. "I'll tell you, if you get into the same kind of mischief that Frodo's gotten himself into, I'll make sure to tell Professor McGonagall on you."
At which Folco told him, cheekily, "But Professor McGonagall isn't the Head of Ravenclaw House."
Fredegar fell silent, but kept glaring at Folco. Indeed, Fredegar believed that Frodo met another mischief maker. There were too many mischief makers Frodo had and not enough civilized people and hobbits, or so Fredegar thought.
As for Harry and his friends, they had their own speeches and questions to ask Folco:
Harry was kind to Folco. He didn't want the hobbit boy to feel left out, as he had seen from Frodo. So he gladly said, in a welcoming voice, "Welcome Folco. I hope you know some good spells or how to get through Potions class." At which Folco explained the many uses he could concoct a potion.
"You wouldn't know any good pranks, Folco?" asked Fred and George together, at which Folco explained his pranks that he pulled on Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. The Weasley twins welcomed Folco, at that, to their group of friends.
Ron had a few things to say to Folco, warning him not to get into Fred and George's mischief. Folco gladly corrected him. "Ronald Bilius Weasley, why would I ever get into your brothers' habits?" He gave a cheeky look, at which Ron said nothing.
Hermione always knew what to say, but she was pleased and very curious about Frodo's new friend. That is until Folco did his best to smooth talk her, too. But Hermione was quick to respond with an intelligent question:
"Can you make a Forgetfulness Potion, Folco?" asked Hermione.
Folco knew what to say, smoothly, "Only if I forget what happened here today. But in this case, I won't make one myself for that specific reason." He gave his cheeky smile.
Hermione told Frodo, after Folco searched for the Ravenclaw table and found it, "He's quite a character, this Folco Boffin."
"Yeah, but his heart is in the right place. I think he's trying to outdo me, and let me tell you, it's not working out so well for him," said Frodo.
Hermione gave him some advice. "Well next time, Frodo, do tell your friend that he cannot smooth-talk his way through every class."
Frodo chuckled. "You can relax, Hermione. I think I know my friend Folco well enough. He doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve that we wouldn't know anything about." But after saying this, Frodo's gaze fell on Lotho, who was giving him a cool, knowing expression. Frodo gulped. Lotho was clearly up to something, and Frodo had a feeling it involved getting Folco into trouble.
o-o-o
At the Gryffindor table, around the same time Frodo and Folco approached Merry and Pippin, Abigail, or LOTCR, and Amy, or DoctorWhovian18, dug into their breakfast. The two authoresses, upon meeting Folco, had different reactions. Abigail felt the need to explore and see what Folco could do. Amy, on the other hand, was very offended by Folco's smooth talking. She didn't like it, but knew Folco could improve if given the chance. It was while she and Abigail ate breakfast, moments after Frodo introduced Folco to Fatty Bolger, that Amy had a plan, which she thought Abigail might consider doing.
"Abigail, I just had a thought, if you're with me. You don't have to do it, but it's something to consider. What if we start a prank war with Merry and Pippin? We'd have to ask them, of course, but I think it will be fun, see what our fellow Gryffindors pull up their sleeves," said Amy, whispering to her friend.
Abigail nodded in approval. Already, ideas were turning in her head. "As long as Merry doesn't get hurt, that's what counts."
Amy whispered in Abigail's ear, causing Abigail to do the same. Great, now they could begin a prank war. Where it began, who knew; all the two authoresses knew was there needed to be some fun. Besides, Amy wanted there to be no conflict, as it should be. Abigail was more concerned about keeping Merry safe from any harm, whatsoever. Still, Amy admitted it was a brilliant plan, one she considered right in her eyes. They were at Hogwarts after all. What could be more fun than a prank war? The question that remained was whether Amy and Abigail should tell Merry and Pippin their plan, if at all possible. Maybe the two hobbits needed a surprise.
Anticipation grew as the two authoresses left the Great Hall. It was time to start the prank war.
Footnotes:
*The idea on who Folco Boffin is actually was closely inspired by dreamflower02's story A Summer's Day Ramble. Go check it out because this is really my first introduction to Folco, since The Lord of the Rings book trilogy, but even there we don't see much of Folco.