Chapter 3

"My brother and I will ride together," Elrohir offered at once. "You can use one of our horses."

"Thanks," Harry said. For a moment he'd been worried he'd have to pull out his broomstick and fly the rest of the way. Harry had no problems with that, but he was concerned how the others would react to that. The ability to fly on a piece of wood was much more intimidating than magically doing dishes or turning a log of wood into a step stool. At least Harry thought so and he did not want to alienate any of his new elf friends before he had the chance to meet with Elrond and secure residency at Rivendell.

"I'll make us a big pot of oatmeal for breakfast," Bilbo said while giving his pony a final few pats on her now completely healed neck. The sun was starting to crest over the horizon so it was time to start the day anyway.

The three elves gathered all the orc corpses into a big pile a small distance away and Harry set it on fire with a flick of his wand. "Will we see more of them?" Harry asked as the four of them stood watching the flames billow higher and higher.

"Perhaps," Glorfindel said, which did nothing to settle Harry's nerves. He told himself that these monsters were just as easily stopped and killed as anything else he'd ever fought. A Sectumsempra to the neck would most likely work just fine. Harry vowed to be more alert from that moment on, though. And he also vowed to put up more and better wards. The arrival of the elves the previous night had distracted him to the point that he'd completely forgotten to ward their surroundings at all. It had cost him his poor horse, and Harry blamed himself for that. He was not making that mistake again.

"Come eat some breakfast!" Bilbo called from where he stood in the entrance. They joined him inside the tent where big bowls of oatmeal stood waiting. Bilbo had added plenty of brown sugar and dried fruit to the porridge, and he'd also made a steaming pot of tea. It was a delicious, filling meal and it helped settle Harry's unease a bit. When he'd performed the ritual it hadn't actually occurred to him that he might end up in a world without modern amenities that ended up being much more violent than the world he'd left behind.

Oh well. Nothing much he could do about it now. Harry could of course perform the ritual again and send himself to yet another world but then he might end up in an even worse world. Besides, Harry wanted to see Rivendell first, see if it truly was a peaceful place where he might live comfortably. Harry wasn't the type of person to go running at the first sign of trouble anyway.

Harry took care of the dishes and packed up the tent when the others got the horses ready. He slung his backpack over his shoulders and stepped up to Elladan who stood waiting for him at his horse's side.

"Her name is Lumien," Elladan said, handing the reigns to Harry. "She is still young so she can be a bit feisty, but when you use a firm but gentle hand you'll be all right."

Staring into the horse's deep brown eyes, Harry felt a certain amount of uncertainty settling in his stomach. The only reason he'd been able to ride Zilib as well as he had was because she was an older horse, very experienced and patient with a novice rider like Harry.

Lumien stared right back at Harry and snorted a few times, nostrils flaring while pawing at the ground with a hoof.

"I am not a good rider. I'm very new still," Harry whispered to Elladan, hoping no one else heard it. But given the snort Glorfindel let out it was clear that everyone did anyway.

Elladan was obviously trying not to grin. "Just mount her and we'll take it from there."

With a sigh, Harry stepped up to Lumien's side and tried to place one foot in the stirrup while he grabbed hold of the saddle. But Lumien was having none of that and darted out of the way, neighing as though Harry had personally insulted her by daring to try to mount her.

Elrohir, who was already seated on his own horse, threw his head back and laughed.

"You weren't lying," Elladan said with a shake of his head. "You are very new at this."

Glorfindel mounted Asfaloth and made it look like the easiest thing in the world. "He can ride with me. Come here, wizard."

"Er…" Ride on a horse with the super hot elf? Sure, Harry could do that. Hopefully even without making an enormous arse of himself.

Glorfindel effortlessly steered Asfaloth towards Harry who now noticed the horse didn't even have a bridle or reigns. Wasn't that incredibly dangerous, to ride a horse as powerful as Asfaloth without a means to control him? Harry truly had no clue about horse riding but he figured that Glorfindel didn't look like the type who regularly fell off his horse so he must know what he was doing. Glorfindel reached out his arm and Harry grabbed hold of the elf's forearm. Glorfindel gave an almighty pull, and Harry used a tiny bit of magic to lift himself up, and that is how Harry managed to scramble onto the back of Glorfindel's horse.

What should have been a romantic ride with the super hot elf turned into a few hours of sheer hell. Glorfindel was a great rider and Asfaloth had a very smooth gait, but the elves insisted on galloping the whole time to get them away from the area they'd been attacked in. The problem was that Harry, up until that point, had only ever sat on a horse when it walked. He and Bilbo hadn't been in a rush, after all.

Harry bounced around violently on the back of the horse, with the edge of Glorfindel's saddle pressing into his dick painfully with every bump. Harry kept his hands very respectfully on the elf's hips to help keep himself on the horse, but this brought him close enough to Glorfindel that his face was buried in a lush fall of thick, golden hair for the entire time. And that wasn't nearly as pleasant as one might imagine. The hair got everywhere, including Harry's eyes, nose and mouth. And whenever he tried to wipe it away he had to let go of Glorfindel and risk losing his balance altogether.

Meanwhile, Bilbo kept looking at Harry with a smug little smile, as though he'd just won the annual Hobbiton Greatest Garden competition. And Elladan and Elrohir looked at them both as though all their local holidays had come early.

By the time they stopped for the midday meal Harry had made up his mind. Fuck the elves and their possible judgement of his magic.

Harry all but fell off Asfaloth and immediately pressed a hand against his crotch, uncaring about his companions. They were all male. They understood the agony that was a bruised dick. Harry conjured a chunk of ice, then conjured a towel to wrap around it and then shoved the whole thing down his jeans to cool his burning privates.

"Perhaps we should walk for a while after our meal," Elladan said, sounding full of sympathy though he was still grinning in clear amusement.

Glorfindel gave Harry an entirely unimpressed look. "I hadn't realized the second born had such delicate constitutions that they cannot even sit on a horse for a few hours."

Harry blinked and stared at Glorfindel in confusion. Had he just been insulted? Harry was sure he'd just been insulted. "Your saddle is very hard," Harry was able to say, even though there were a thousand other things he wanted to say instead, but he didn't want to ruin his chances at a possible future home by insulting one of its residents. Harry had learned a little impulse control over the years. Not much, but enough for now.

Bilbo in the meantime placed a burlap sack on the grass and spread out an assortment of cheeses, dried sausage, dried fruit and nuts. "Come eat something, Harry. You'll feel better."

Harry very carefully lowered himself to the ground and released a pained groan as he did so. Fuck his life. Fuck this world. And fuck Glorfindel and his stupid horse. It didn't matter how hot an elf was if all you ended up with was a bruised dick after spending a few hours intimately close with him. Harry grabbed a handful of the food and just put a piece of sausage in his mouth when Glorfindel sat down beside him and offered him a small flask.

"Take a sip," Glorfindel said, urging him to take the flask. "It is miruvor. It will help you."

Harry swallowed his mouthful and accepted the flask. Was this some elven healing potion? Curious, Harry took a sniff but didn't really smell much of anything. Trusting that Glorfindel probably didn't want to poison him, Harry drank a tiny amount. At once a warmth spread throughout his body, not unlike the feeling of taking a pepper-up potion but without the steam coming out of your ears. The pain in his dick and his arse and all of his muscles slowly ebbed away until they became some insignificant background sensation.

"Thanks," Harry said, handing the flask back to Glorfindel with a genuine smile. "I'm much better."

"Good, because we are not slowing our pace," Glorfindel said matter-of-factly as he closed the flask and tucked it away in his tunic beneath his mail.

Harry ate a piece of cheese and didn't say anything. There was no way he was getting back on a horse that day, or possibly ever again. Good thing he had brought a handful of brooms that were all faster than any horse alive.

Bilbo easily kept the conversation going for the next hour with questions and stories. Elladan and Elrohir especially loved hearing Bilbo's opinions on Thranduil, who was apparently some hot shot elf from another part of the world or something. That was about as much as Harry was able to understand.

Once over an hour had passed, Bilbo packed up the remaining food and everyone got up to ready themselves for another few hours of quick travel. Harry stuck a hand in his backpack and summoned the broom he kept in there. It was a Lightning Bolt, a broom created by the company that made the Firebolt as a special edition for the fifth anniversary of Voldemort's defeat. It was an old broom by now, but Harry had kept it in pristine condition and it was still his favourite broom to fly.

"Harry," Bilbo said as he stared at Harry with wide eyes. "I know you like to keep clean but this is not the time to sweep anything."

The elves in the meantime were looking even more puzzled than Bilbo was on why on earth the silly human had a sudden need for a broomstick of all things.

Harry grinned at them all. "This is not for cleaning. This is for flying." And with that, Harry jumped on his broom and launched himself into the air. Bilbo almost fell backwards as he threw his head up to follow Harry's path. Harry shot straight up into the air, did a few loops and barrel rolls and then slowly descended again until he hovered right above his companions.

The twins seemed suitably impressed while Bilbo appeared mute with shock.

Glorfindel, however, simply shook his head while he got on his horse. "Are you telling me, wizard, that sitting on a flying stick is more comfortable than riding my horse?"

Harry frowned while he tried to figure out how on earth to explain what an invisible cushioning charm was in Westron. "It has a pillow you cannot see." Harry bounced up and down on his broom a few times. "It's very comfortable."

Shrugging, Glorfindel placed a hand on Asfaloth's mane and urged his horse forward. "If your delicate behind prefers an invisible pillow, that is fine by me."

Harry flew right over the top of Glorfindel's head, just because he could.

The rest got moving as well and Harry, after a few more stunts high up in the air just for fun, flew alongside them at a steady pace as they continued their way to Rivendell. Occasionally he would scout ahead a little by flying higher so he had a better overview of their surroundings. At one point he saw a group of wild boar rooting around near a cops of trees in the distance and Harry slowly and carefully approached them from above without being spotted.

He selected a young boar, not quite yet an adult, but plenty big to feed them for a few days. He aimed his wand and sent a stunner at the animal, hitting it right in the back. The rest of the boars fled at once and Harry touched down beside the boar and dispatched it with a slicing charm to the throat. It bled out in less than a minute. Harry levitated the boar behind himself while he flew back to his companions.

"I caught us dinner!" Harry yelled as he flew up to them, boar floating after him.

Bilbo's eyes widened and his whole face lit up. "You've caught us a feast! I suggest we stop now so we can prepare a proper roast."

Glorfindel commanded Asfaloth to a halt and the rest stopped as well. Bilbo's pony definitely looked like it needed a good rest after galloping so much for the whole day. "Very well, we'll make camp for the night."

Harry landed on a nearby stretch of grass surrounded by trees. They were definitely in a wooded area now with fewer and fewer open spaces. "Someone will have to butcher this thing," Harry called out as he carefully lay the boar down in the grass.

Elladan and Elrohir quickly jumped off their horses and got a knife out each. They proceeded to skin the animal with practiced ease.

Bilbo stepped up to Harry and started taking the saddle off his pony. "In the Shire we always burn the hairs off the pig but keep the skin on. Pork rind is a delicacy. But I suppose in the field that is too much of a hassle."

"Indeed." Glorfindel appeared behind them, Asfaloth's saddle in his arms. He stared at Harry with a furrowed brow. "What sort of world do you come from, wizard, that you can fly on a stick but cannot butcher a boar that you caught?"

Harry wasn't sure how to explain that in Westron. "My meat was always cut up when I bought it," he said, carefully choosing his words. "I never had to hunt."

Bilbo patted his elbow. "I quite understand, lad. I also prefer to buy my meat from the butcher instead of raising my own pigs or catching my own game. I daresay there are plenty of hobbits who wouldn't know how to butcher a whole boar either."

Glorfindel gave Harry a long, intense stare before he shook his head and went to inspect the twins' work breaking apart the carcass.

Harry got the tent set up and helped Bilbo get everything prepared in the kitchen. Elladan presented them with a huge roast that Bilbo slathered in olive oil and then rubbed down with salt and pepper. Harry peeled and sliced up a pile of potatoes and onions, which went into the hot oven together with the roast. Finally he opened up a large can of green beans.

"We shall eat well tonight," Bilbo said, rubbing his stomach in anticipation before he set the table. Harry conjured a pile of butcher's paper and went to see how the twins were faring. They had almost the whole carcass broken down already and Harry wrapped up all the other roasts and cuts they had created.

"I have a freezing cabinet," Harry explained when Elrohir asked what he planned to do with all the wrapped meat. "It will stay fresh for months that way." Harry also made sure to wrap up all the bones. He could turn those into bone broth once he had some time.

"Burn whatever you don't keep," Glorfindel said from where he stood watching them with crossed arms. "We do not want any creature to smell any skin or offal lying around tonight."

That was probably a really good idea, Harry decided. They piled up all the parts Harry didn't know what to do with, like the head and guts and skin and Harry set the whole thing on fire with a flick of his wand.

"How much longer for the roast?" Harry asked as he opened up the freezing cabinet, that sat below the cooling cabinet on one of the walls in the kitchen.

"At least 45 minutes, I reckon," Bilbo said as he peered into the oven through the glass door. "It's a massive roast."

"So I've got time for a bath?" Harry perked up at that possibility. The miruvor must have worn off by now because his muscles were aching again, including his arse and his dick. A warm bath with some medicinal bath oil would do wonders.

"Yes, yes, go have your bath." Bilbo waved him off with a chuckle the moment Harry had all the meat secured in the freezing cabinet.

Harry got his backpack and then locked himself up in the bathroom. The charms on the bathtub worked by conjuring water from the taps and vanishing it the moment it went down the drain. Complicated magic, but useful as fuck because it meant you could have a fully functioning sink and bathtub without any waterlines or indoor plumbing. Harry turned on the taps and undressed slowly, his back too sore to be quick about anything at that point. He pulled out his smallest potions bag from his backpack and rummaged around for the right bath oil. He poured a generous amount in the steaming water and then he lowered himself in the tub with a satisfied sigh.

Oh yeah, this was what he needed after spending a morning bouncing around on a galloping horse. Harry turned off the taps, leaned his head back and briefly closed his eyes. The next thing he knew was Bilbo yelling from the other side of the accordion door that dinner was almost ready. Blinking his eyes open, Harry realized he'd dosed off. He quickly dunked his head in the now lukewarm water and poured a dollop of shampoo on his hair. He washed it in record time before running a washcloth over his face.

Clean enough, Harry decided. He got out and dried off with a quick charm which made his hair stick up even more than it usually did. He also cast a few quick cleaning charms on his clothes so they were ready to wear for another day. By the time he stepped out of the bathroom, Bilbo had dinner on the table and was cutting the roast.

"Come! Eat!" Bilbo expertly sliced up the hunk of meat. "It came out perfectly, if I do say so myself."

Bilbo wasn't wrong. The meat was medium rare and rich without being too gamey. Harry hadn't eaten this well in a long time, certainly not since ending up in Middle-Earth.

"Truly a fine meal," Glorfindel said with a warm smile, which made Bilbo blush. Ha! It seemed Harry was not the only one susceptible to elven charms. That was good to know.

They all went back for seconds and polished off the whole roast between the five of them. Harry was truly astonished how much Bilbo could pack away in his three foot body. After dinner they enjoyed a pot of tea between them and everyone looked more than ready for some rest.

"Might we use your bath?" Elrohir asked when Harry got up to go cast some wards.

"Of course." Harry led Elrohir and Elladan to the bathroom and explained how the taps worked. He also showed them were to find clean towels and soap in the cabinet beside the sink. He left them to it and strolled outside where he proceeded to put up some serious wards, including around the piece of grass the horses were grazing on.

"What are you doing?" Glorfindel asked, scaring the crap out of Harry. He hadn't heard the elf follow him outside.

"Putting up magic to warn us," Harry said in broken Westron, having no clue how else to describe wards. "They are like invisible walls and people cannot see us behind them."

"Hm." Glorfindel walked around the clearing and tilted his head this way or that as he walked right alongside the wards Harry had cast, as though he could see them perfectly. But that wasn't possible, was it? Harry had never heard of anyone being able to see magic like that. "I suppose we shall see if they work tonight," Glorfindel finally said as he circled back to Harry.

"They'll work," Harry said, feeling just a little offended. Then again, he couldn't blame Glorfindel for not simply trusting Harry or his magic. Harry was all too aware that he was a very powerful stranger that suddenly showed up out of the blue wanting to move in with them, basically. Yeah, he understood that the elves would be careful with him, and wary of him. He didn't blame them for that one bit.

But Harry also knew he'd come to Middle-Earth with good intentions and he truly hoped they would at least give him the chance to prove himself worthy.

Harry went to bed after he got all the wards set up while Glorfindel made use of the bathroom after the twins were done with it. Perhaps the way towards the elves' hearts was to introduce magical plumbing to Rivendell, if they didn't already have something like that. Elladan had certainly seemed very appreciative that warm water just magically poured out of the tap.

Thankfully, nothing disturbed them that night and they were all able to find the rest they needed. Which didn't seem to be nearly as much for the elves as it was for Harry and Bilbo, because by the time Harry got up quite early the next morning the elves were already lounging on the sofa, wide awake. Bilbo came stumbling out of his bedroom moments later, looking sleepy and ruffled but still insisting that he would prepare breakfast.

Bilbo made them large, thin pancakes, almost like crepes, that he filled with honey or strawberry jam. They were fucking delicious and Harry easily ate four in a row even if he was still mostly full from last night's roast.

They travelled in much the same fashion for another two full days, riding their horses hard while Harry flew overhead, and feasting on wild boar in the evenings. Harry's bathroom got a really good workout because the elves truly did enjoy bathing as much as Harry did, much to his delight. That meant Rivendell was most probably a clean place and that was all Harry needed, really.

"If we keep up a steady pace we'll make it to Rivendell by nightfall," Glorfindel said on the third day when they packed up again for travelling. They were now travelling through dense woodland, across small paths that made it so they couldn't go very fast on their horses. Harry was looking forward to finally getting to their destination since he'd been on the road now for well over a month and a half. Bilbo was also brimming with enthusiasm as the prospect of seeing Rivendell again and he couldn't stop talking about all the books he was going to read in the vast library. Harry was curious about that as well, until Glorfindel pointed out that most of those books were written in Sindarin, the language of the elves.

So now Harry had to learn a whole new language. Again. He'd only just conquered Westron enough that he could hold a basic conversation.

"Erestor will probably be happy to teach you," Elladan said when he saw Harry's look of dawning horror. "If you are as eager a student as Bilbo claims you are."

"He is, he is!" Bilbo called as he sat on his pony, trotting along last in line. "He'll learn Sindarin in no time, I'm sure of it."

"I'll certainly try my best," Harry said with conviction. He knew now how important it was that he could communicate with the people around him, after he and Bilbo had barely been able to understand each other at first. And apparently most elves only spoke Sindarin, not Westron. Only the elves that regularly travelled knew the common tongue. And Harry had no intention of not being able to talk amongst most of the people in his potential new home.

Darkness fell early in between the tall trees and Harry had to light up his wand so he could follow along with the horses as they walked through the dark, Glorfindel and Asfaloth leading the way. Eventually the woodland gave way to some rocky cliffs that they walked alongside of, with a river running wild in the valley below. A small path zigzagged down the cliffside towards the valley and as Harry flew a little bit more into the open he could see the outlines of buildings with lights burning behind their windows in the distance. Everywhere he heard waterfalls but he couldn't make out many in the darkness.

It took the elves and hobbit almost an hour to make their way down to the valley floor alongside the path and Harry waited not so patiently for them to catch up as he hovered on his broom near the bridge over the foaming river.

"Home at last," Elrohir cried out and he urged his horse forwards, though the animal hardly needed urging. The horse was probably also looking forwards to a dry, comfortable stall and a big portion of oats.

A few elves waited for them at the foot of some stairs, ready to take the horses from them. If they were surprised to see Harry flying on a broomstick, they didn't show it. Harry dismounted his broom and tucked it away in his backpack.

Another elf walked towards them and said a few words in Sindarin. The only word Harry understood was Elrond, and he guessed that they were to see the Lord of Rivendell right away. They climbed the steps up to a building that had unique architecture from what Harry could see of it in the darkness. He couldn't wait to explore this place by daylight.

"I'll show you around in the morning," Bilbo whispered to him as they entered through two open doors into a hallway made of light stone, possibly marble. "It is truly a magical place."

"Thanks," Harry whispered back. They walked through the empty halls towards another set of stairs that led to a private sitting room where Elrond sat with a few other elves.

It was easy to tell which of the elves was Elrond. For one, his sons looked a great deal like him. And Elrond had a very powerful yet very wise air about him, as though he'd seen everything there was to see and nothing could possibly ever surprise him again.

Bilbo got a warm greeting and was immediately invited to sit down, one of the elves even getting up out of his chair to make room for him.

Then Glorfindel gestured at Harry and started talking in very fast Sindarin, his voice doing all sorts of interesting things. At some points he seemed amused by what he was telling but other times his voice became utterly wary, his expression troubled. Harry in the meantime stood quietly, hands clasped before him as he waited for his turn to speak.

"Harry Potter," Elrond finally said in Westron while he gazed at Harry with dark blue eyes that seemed to be designed to draw you in somehow. "Be welcome in my home. I would speak with you at length in these coming days, but for now you are welcome to stay."

"Thank you," Harry whispered sincerely with a solemn nod of his head. Well then. It seemed Harry was well on his way of finding a new home after all. Then he met Glorfindel's narrowed eyes and the elf, for some reason, didn't look happy at all.