Chapter 7
Elrond never thought he'd ever see an elf as ancient as Glorfindel mope, yet that was the only word he could give to Glorfindel's behaviour of late.
Glorfindel was draped across the futon in the corner of Elrond's living room in a way that reminded Elrond of his sons when they were growing up and reached that age where they were convinced the whole world was out to get them because someone had asked them for help with a menial task.
Elladan and Elrohir both had an interesting theory for Glorfindel's recent peculiar behaviour.
"Ada," Elladan said after they returned from their trip to track down a small party of orcs and brought home an additional hobbit and human. "You weren't there. You didn't see his face when he first saw the wizard."
"The wizard is his match," Elrohir said, his face a picture of sincerity. "We're sure of it."
Elrond had thought for a moment that his boys were making a tasteless joke on Glorfindel's behalf, but when Glorfindel had started acting in many odd ways even Elrond had to admit something was going on with his friend. Though perhaps not having found his match in a second born. That seemed farfetched, even to Elrond, who himself was descendent of two unions between elf and human. Yet Elrond also knew how rare such unions were. They hardly ever occurred and the number of unions between elf and man that were public knowledge could be counted on one hand.
It simply seemed impossible that an ancient elf like Glorfindel would finally find his match in a human who wasn't even originally from their world.
And then Elrond heard whispers that Glorfindel had spent quite a few hours in the library, reading up on Aegnor, of all elves. Aegnor was one of three older brothers of Galadriel, and a distant cousin of Elrond, who lived and ruled in the first age. Aegnor found his match in a mortal woman named Andreth, and he famously rejected her and was killed in battle not that long after.
Aegnor's oldest brother Finrod had spoken about this with Andreth at length, about how difficult relationships between the first and second born were, for all manner of reasons. He'd penned down this conversation and it survived all those millennia as a book in Elrond's library.
And Glorfindel, who had already read every single book in the library more than once, had been seen reading it from front to back, twice, after Harry came to Rivendell.
Yes, now even Elrond was getting a bit suspicious and more than a little worried for his friend. Glorfindel had been very quiet since his return while he usually enjoyed partaking in whatever conversation that was going on around him. Glorfindel, for all the horrors he'd witnessed in his very long life, was one of those people who was great at compartmentalizing his mind and he always found joy in life whenever there was any of it to find.
But now he was moping. On Elrond's futon, while sipping his third cup of wine.
Mithrandir was the only other guest in Elrond's quarters and he stood puffing on his pipe near an opened window. Mithrandir glanced at Elrond and they shared a knowing look. Yes, the old wizard had noticed Glorfindel and his peculiar behaviour as well, that much was obvious.
Elrond usually tried to be subtle in his approach to others, but Glorfindel looked so faraway in his thoughts that Elrond feared any vague remarks would fly right over his head.
"Is it truly so bad," Elrond finally said, leaning back in his own leather chair while giving Glorfindel a measured look. "To find yourself matched with a second born, an immortal one at that?"
Those words startled Glorfindel to such an extend that he spilled wine over himself as he suddenly sat up to glare at Elrond. "I would prefer to not speak of such things at all," Glorfindel snapped, wiping at his tunic with a frustrated frown on his face.
"And I would prefer to see my dearest friend smiling and singing again," Elrond replied in a patient voice while giving Glorfindel a challenging look. "Which I suspect will only come to pass once he comes to terms with his match."
Glorfindel closed his eyes, leaned back in the futon again and released a sigh so long and deep it seemed to rise up from the depths of Moria.
"He seems like a fine fellow," Elrond pointed out, because he had been observing Harry Potter from a distance for weeks now. He'd also talked to others about him at length. At first Elrond had been wary of him, for good reason, but before long he'd seen with his own eyes that the human wizard had a kind soul and that he possessed no thirst for power of any kind. "Brave, clever, happy to make friends with those of all standings in life, and compassionate about others." Shaking his head, Elrond couldn't help but add, "And willing to put up with your shenanigans for quite a long time before finally confronting you in a reasonable manner."
"And he is immortal, after a fashion," Mithrandir added quietly before pulling heavily on his pipe, a cloud of smoke briefly shrouding his face. "From what I have seen of his previous life, he truly does not age nor will he die a natural death."
Nodding, Glorfindel kept his eyes closed, his face transforming into a mask of grief. "Even if that is all true," he whispered, voice full of obvious pain. "Even if he will live as long as I will, what of Valinor?"
Elrond blinked and shared a surprised look with Mithrandir. He truly hadn't considered that and he should have.
"Would I be expected to remain here with my match while every other member of my kin sails West?" Glorfindel said, his voice cracking. "Live here as a lone eldar with my human match until I fade away? What would happen to him then?"
"We don't yet know how long we will remain here in Middle-Earth," Mithrandir pointed out in a reasonable tone. "We might yet fight Sauron for many thousands of years more to come."
Elrond shuddered at the thought. They had been fighting for so long he was well and truly sick of it. But Mithrandir made a good point. "Besides," Elrond said with a small smile. "Who knows? Your match might be welcome in Valinor after all."
"A second born?" Glorfindel sputtered at the very thought.
"It's happened before," Elrond pointed out. They all knew he was talking about some of his own ancestors. Idril Celebrindal was an elven princess who lived during the first age and who married the human Tuor. They had a son together, Eärendil, who was Elrond's father. Eventually Idril and Tuor sailed West together, which was unheard of since humans weren't allowed in Valinor. Yet it seemed that Tuor, who was a brave man and a great warrior who fought valiantly against Morgoth's forces, was allowed to stay in the realm of the Valar until his natural death and his passing from this world. For even the Valar wouldn't change the fate of a person's fëa, their very soul, without very good reason.
But Harry was already immortal. If he could make it to Valinor there was a good chance he'd live a life as long as the eldar once there.
Glorfindel shook his head. "One human, Elrond. One single human who performed great feats was allowed entry in all the ages. And I don't think constructing a magical bathhouse will count as a great feat in the eyes of the Valar."
"Why are you deciding on what the future will bring when it hasn't even yet come to pass?" Mithrandir asked, raising his bushy eyebrows as he stared at Glorfindel. "None of us know what will happen so perhaps it would be best to accept the things you can control instead of putting all your attention on the things you cannot."
"I do not want this kind of heartbreak," Glorfindel mumbled, lips trembling.
"What heartbreak?" Mithrandir snapped, eyes glittering. "The only heartbreak that is occurring is the one you are giving to yourself."
Elrond briefly closed his eyes as memories of times long gone by surfaced. "Right now, you remind me of Maedhros and Maglor," Elrond said, fully aware what sort of explosive statement he had just made.
Glorfindel sat up at once, a look of complete shock on his face, though why exactly was hard to say. Shock at Elrond mentioning those sons of Fëanor who had raised him and his brother Elros, which he never did, not with anyone. He'd barely ever even mentioned them around his wife. Or shock at being compared to two of the most notorious elves in the history of the eldar.
Even Mithrandir gave Elrond a look full of surprise for mentioning those kinslayers.
Holding up a hand, Elrond gestured at Glorfindel to hear him out. "Maedhros and Maglor rejected everything that could have brought them love and joy once I knew them. The oath they'd taken to retrieve the silmarils Morgoth had stolen from their father consumed them to such an extend that I truly believe they were incapable of feeling joy and love in the end."
Glorfindel's offended glare turned into a expression full of concern at Elrond's well-being at hearing that.
Shaking his head, Elrond managed a small smile. "They did their best with me and Elros and they raised us as well as they could, considering that they were technically our captors after they'd slaughtered our kin." These were all old, confusing memories, though to be honest, Elrond still felt mostly confused about his feelings for Maedhros and Maglor even to that day. They'd killed more elves than any other of the eldar in their quest for the silmarils, yet Elrond wouldn't be the elf he was today without Maedhros' personal training in sword fighting and Maglor's instructions in healing and music.
"I've seen Maedhros on the battlefield, mowing down whole regiments of orcs," Elrond said, his mind full of old feelings of admiration and fear and abandonment. "He was perhaps the most powerful warrior the eldar have ever seen, save for his uncle Fingolfin."
Fingolfin was a legend even amongst the bravest and strongest of the eldar. His riding to the gates of Angband where he challenged Morgoth to single combat was a feat so brave and so daring that it had yet to be repeated by any elf in any age. Elrond could hardly believe most days he was actually related to that specific elf.
"As incredible a warrior as Maedhros was, his eyes were empty, his fëa broken beyond repair. Because he made those horrible choices and fully rejected the path that Eru Ilúvatar had set for him." Elrond gave his old friend a pleading look. "I do not want you to go down the same path, becoming bitter and jaded because you thought you could reject Eru's personal gift to you without consequences."
"Not to mention you'd be a fool if you truly thought your heartbreak at rejecting your match would be any less than that of potentially losing your husband in the future." Mithrandir puffed on his pipe in a way that clearly showed his irritation, small clouds of smoke erupting around him.
"The time I got to spend with Celebrían was worth the pain I felt at our parting," Elrond said with a nod of agreement, meaning every word.
"You'll see her again," Glorfindel muttered, not meeting their eyes.
"I don't know when," Elrond said honestly. As of yet he had no idea when he would be sailing West. It might be in a hundred years, or it might be in a thousand. Or more. He leaned forward in his seat again to give Glorfindel a most intense stare, one that brooked no argument. "The love I got to share and the time I got to spend with my brother, my twin, was worth the pain I felt when he chose a mortal life and passed from this world entirely. And I shall never see him again, Glorfindel, because his fëa is beyond our reach forever."
That seemed to snap Glorfindel out of it and he gave Elrond an almost apologetic smile. Then he heaved an enormous sigh and leaned his head back against the futon. "I just can't believe this."
"What?" Elrond asked, glad to see some of his old friend's usual personality return, albeit slowly. "That you matched with a human wizard of all things?"
Glorfindel snorted, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Yes. I had always imagined that once I returned to Valinor I would finally meet my match. Some fair maiden or handsome warrior just returned from the Halls of Mandos, as a reward for a life spent fighting the enemy and serving others." Glorfindel gave Elrond a downright hopeless look. "But instead I get this…this…impossible human with his strange magics and his obsession with hot water."
Elrond couldn't help himself and laughed outright at Glorfindel's affronted tone.
Even Mithrandir looked more amused than Elrond had seen him of late. "And yet you two are so very well matched," the old wizard pointed out with a knowing glint in his eyes. "Harry willingly sacrificed his life to save his people." Mithrandir pretended to think very deeply for a second. "That does remind me of someone else I know. If only I could recall his name."
"Yes, yes," Glorfindel muttered, waving Mithrandir's comments away. "He's a brave warrior in his own right. I'm not disputing that." Then he glared at Elrond, though there was no real heat behind it. "I cannot believe you actually compared me to a couple of Fëanorians."
Elrond shrugged, feeling utterly without shame or guilt. "It worked, didn't it? It snapped you out of whatever ill mood has come over you of late."
"I just don't know how to approach this whole situation," Glorfindel said in a moment of pure honesty. "I feel entirely unprepared."
"Well, not pushing him around might be a good start," Elrond couldn't help but mutter. "Perhaps try actually talking to him next instead of stalking him from the shadows?"
"I do not stalk him," Glorfindel all but growled when he'd been doing exactly that over the past week. Harry himself might be oblivious about Glorfindel's whereabouts more often than not, but Elrond certainly wasn't. He'd seen him lurking around the bathhouse plenty of times.
Footsteps down the hall announced the arrival of his sons and moments later the door opened, revealing Elladan and Elrohir, both with wet hair and smelling faintly of pine.
"Ada," Elrohir said with a short nod in greeting. "You will not believe what Harry has created."
"I have never seen the likes of it anywhere," Elladan added as he poured himself and his brother a cup of wine on the side table.
"You might as well close the hall of fire entirely," Elrohir said with a decisive nod. "Because every single person will be spending their evenings in that bathhouse from now on."
"Is it truly that impressive?" Mithrandir asked with a curious look. He'd seemed mildly curious about Harry's powers, but hadn't pushed the human wizard into performing any tricks for him. Elrond imagined Mithrandir must understand how annoying that would be, if people demanded a magical performance just because you were a wizard.
Elladan looked utterly serious when he said, "It is truly the most magical thing I have ever seen."
Well, now. Elrond couldn't help but feel genuinely curious about Harry's creation, but he would be patient and wait until its official opening the next day.
Glorfindel was staring into the distance, hardly noticing the twins' presence. "He does have unique eyes, doesn't he?" he said to no one in particular. Elrond privately agreed with that. The eldar as a rule had eyes that were different shades of blue and grey, and very rarely brown. But he'd yet to see eyes that colour of green on any elf.
"I knew it." Elrohir pointed an accusatory finger at Glorfindel while Elladan all but jumped in the air.
"See, Ada, we were right." Elladan crowed in victory while Glorfindel looked at them in surprise, as though he genuinely hadn't realized they were even in the room. Elrond's sons threw themselves onto the futon on either side of Glorfindel and gave him huge grins. "You'll be happy to hear that Harry never married in his previous life. He is entirely unattached," Elladan said with obvious glee.
"And he seemed interested in the private lives of elves," Elrohir added with a smirk. "So go get him, Captain."
Rolling his eyes, Glorfindel gave the twins a look that promised many, many hours of hard work the next time he had them in the training yard. Not that the twins would mind, Elrond knew. They loved sparring with their teacher.
"Just promise me," Glorfindel said softly and slowly as he looked from one twin to the other. "That you won't interfere."
"We would never," Elladan said, placing a hand over his heart.
"We promise," Elrohir added with a glint in his eyes that clearly showed they'd been thinking of doing exactly that.
Elrond shook his head and felt a burst of pity for poor Harry. That wizard had no idea what was coming his way.
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After leaving Elrond's quarters, Glorfindel found his feet taking him outside instead of to his own chambers. He felt enormously relieved now that he'd made a decision, thanks to Elrond and Mithrandir's intervention.
He was going to pursue Harry the human wizard and convince him to marry eventually. Though to be honest, Glorfindel truly had no idea how to go about such a thing. Elves, he understood. Human wizards from other worlds were a complete mystery to him, as it turned out.
But Elladan and Elrohir's description of the bathhouse had made Glorfindel incredibly curious about Harry's creation and since his mind was still fully awake he decided he might as well take an look now and satisfy his curiosity without most of Imladris getting in the way.
The bathhouse seemed deserted, with a few faint lights burning around the building, and the doors were unlocked.
Glorfindel stepped into a jungle. The walls and ceilings were covered with trees and so many different, colourful birds such as Glorfindel had never seen before, not even growing up in Valinor. Glorfindel reached out a hand and felt a wall. These were paintings so lifelike they might as well be real.
There were two doors on either side of the staircase, both clearly marked for males or for females. Glorfindel pushed open the door and entered yet another magical space. There was a dressing room to his right full off different trees and many owls, and beyond that Glorfindel found a spot with hot rain pouring out of the ceiling. And then his jaw dropped open when he saw the largest bathing pool he'd ever seen, full of steaming hot water. Here, too the walls were covered in images of lifelike trees, with many strange creatures.
A strangled sound of surprise had Glorfindel almost jump a foot into the air.
Harry stood behind him, eyes wide, his magical wand in his hand. "What are you doing here? You scared the crap out of me."
Glorfindel inhaled a deep breath through his nose, calming down his racing heart. "I could ask the same for you. I thought the building was empty."
Quirking a single eyebrow, Harry gave Glorfindel a look as though he'd lost his mind entirely. "I was here cleaning up, since we just used it and I wanted to make sure it looked its best for tomorrow. Since I made it." Harry crossed his arms in an entirely defiant way. "Would you like a detailed list of all the magic I used? Is that why you're here?"
Glorfindel couldn't help but smile at his match's fearless determination to use Glorfindel's own words against him. "That's not necessary. Though I wouldn't object to a personal tour of your wonderful creation."
Blinking, Harry gave Glorfindel a searching look, though there was definitely something wary in his eyes. Had Glorfindel already pushed Harry away too far that any reconciliation was impossible? "All right," Harry said eventually and then waved around the room and started telling Glorfindel about its many amazing features.
Glorfindel grew up in Valinor where he'd seen many wonderous creations of the Valar and of some of the most talented elves that had ever lived. And yet Harry's creation of his magical bathhouse could easily match any of those works, at least in Glorfindel's mind. Harry talked and Glorfindel listened and observed his match now that he wasn't glaring at him but seemed happy and relaxed while showing off his hard work. Harry was handsome in his own right, certainly by human standards. His wild, black hair seemed to match his endless energy perfectly, not to mention his slightly chaotic personality. Glorfindel was sure that Harry was very much the kind of person who preferred to simply do something instead of considering endless possibilities. Which suited Glorfindel just fine, because he was the exact same way.
"There's more private rooms upstairs," Harry said and Glorfindel trailed after him up the staircase and into the first of many unique bathing rooms. It wasn't until they opened the door to a landscape of high, snow-topped mountains that Glorfindel felt a sudden lump in his throat. He stepped into that room as though walking into a dream and gently trailed his hand across the walls while his thoughts became memories thousands of years old.
"Are you all right?" Harry asked in a quiet voice as he lingered in the doorway, giving Glorfindel a concerned look.
Glorfindel turned towards his match and gave him a bright smile, though his eyes must be shimmering. "In the first age, my home for many years was Gondolin. A hidden city surrounded by mountains just like this." Glorfindel briefly glanced down before his gaze was drawn back to the lifelike mountains around him. "It's where I died."
Harry made a tight noise of disbelief while he stared at Glorfindel with wide eyes.
"You are not the only one sacrificed their life and eventually came back," Glorfindel said with a knowing little smile, pleased to see that Harry was clearly looking at him in a whole new light. "This room is my favourite. I shall put it to good use tomorrow."
Shrugging his shoulders while he briefly looked away, Harry said, "You could use it now, if you wanted."
"You truly wouldn't mind?" Glorfindel asked, pleasantly surprised by his match's sudden generosity. He was well aware he'd done nothing to deserve it.
"As long as you don't make a mess," Harry mumbled with another shrug. Then his gaze hardened a little while he gave Glorfindel a bit of a suspicious look. "Or is this another of your plots to make sure I'm not Sauron in disguise or something? Because if you're going to do something that wrecks my bathhouse, we're going to be having some strong words tomorrow."
Glorfindel held up both hands in surrender at once, though his tone was unapologetic. "If you expect me to apologize for treating you with suspicion at first until I could be sure you weren't a threat to the people I am sworn to protect, you are going to be waiting for a long time, Harry."
"Yeah, all right," Harry said after a moment of thoughtful silence. "I get that. I was in charge of people's safety back home as well for a few decades."
"Good." Glorfindel stared at his match with genuine fondness. Now that he'd made his decision and accepted his path forward, he could see how well matched they really were. "Though perhaps, now that you're truly welcome here, we could start over." Glorfindel gave his match a short bow, his long hair sliding over his shoulders. "I am Glorfindel, Lord of the House of the Golden Flower, and I am pleased to meet you, Harry Potter."
For reasons Glorfindel couldn't quite imagine, Harry's cheeks coloured a rosy red but he returned the gesture and bowed briefly. "I'm Harry James Potter, and I have no fancy titles but I am pleased to meet you, too." They stared at each other for a few moments while some tension grew between them, but it wasn't anything unpleasant. Then Harry stepped backwards out of the room, glancing at his own shoes again. "Enjoy your bath. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that he closed the door.
Well now. There was hope for them yet, Glorfindel was sure.