Sorry for the long delay. I was working on another fanfic and getting out of writer's block again. Here we go. :)

*.*.*

Months Ago…

Frodo finished his caramel sundae, licking the spoon clean of ice cream. The sundae was too good to pass up! He wanted more, but it seemed his attention was drawn elsewhere. He looked at Diagon Alley, stunned by the shops, which he hadn't realized most of them were either closed or run down.

There were so many shady people here in Diagon Alley. He was lucky to get some ice cream. The ice cream would have been more delectable if he wasn't watching his back for shady witches and wizards, who might have nothing better to do than to see him get caught.

Frodo was a young hobbit in his early thirties. He had bright blue eyes, a cleft in his chin, lighter-than-usual skin, from the Fallohide blood on his mother's side, short pointy ears, fair elvish features, and soft, thick, curly dark brown hair resting on his head and the tops of his feet.

Today, Frodo wore a white shirt, red suspenders, and brown breeches. It was simple Hobbit clothes. He wished he wore a jacket and a waistcoat today, but for now, this attire would do.

Once he finished his ice cream sundae, Frodo left the ice cream parlor, searching for clues as to where his ancestor, the dragonoid Parker Dooley, had been taken. Frodo hoped he wouldn't transform into his royal blue dragonoid form, seeing as Parker showed him how to shapeshift not too long ago. If he did, then Frodo hardly knew what the Wizardry World would make of him being a shapeshifter, too.

He eyed the shady people suspiciously. At first, he thought they wouldn't follow him, but then two or three thugs made their way down the street. Oh no! Frodo darted off into another alley, hoping that the thugs wouldn't chase after him.

It didn't work. The thugs apparated, charging towards him and pinning him against a grey stone wall. Frodo grunted. Oh, some part of him wished he knew where Parker was right now.

"Hey shapeshifter, why don't you shapeshift for us?" one thug intimidated him.

The thugs laughed. Frodo huffed. He didn't want to transform. What if his dragonoid side sought after blood and war? It was possible he could do that if he were tempted.

"Come on! What are you afraid of, boy?" a second thug, Scabior was his name, tested him. He laughed. "Don't you know Snatchers when you see them?"

Frodo shook his head quickly. These men were taunting him, testing him. They wouldn't stop shoving him, throwing him to the ground like he was tin foil. He grunted as the men kicked him. He wanted to transform, but he couldn't. No! He almost did transform into a royal blue dragonoid, right before the men shoved him up against the wall again.

"This one won't cause trouble. Let's go!" Scabior said, throwing Frodo to the ground again, before Scabior and the thugs disapparated.

Frodo spit out blood. He huffed and puffed, doing his best to keep it together. He was so wounded he didn't know if he could stand. Just before he fell asleep, he transformed into a royal blue dragonoid. Great! That was the last thing he wanted to do! He looked up as the cops picked him up, disapparating and apparating in a new place.

They were inside a prison. It was Azkaban. Right where Frodo wanted to be. But where was Parker Dooley? Surely, the light red dragonoid was doing all right.

.

Frodo looked around the prison, unsure what was going on. One minute, he saw a vast ocean with spraying seawater. The next, he was inside Azkaban and thrown into the same cell as a light red dragonoid with a thin, muscular, lizard-like, humanoid form, a dragon-like head, and yellow cat-like eyes that Frodo could swear for a moment was Parker Dooley.

Wait. Frodo knew those eyes anywhere! They looked like his eyes, except Frodo in his dragonoid form had sapphire blue eyes next to Parker's yellow ones.

The cell door slammed behind Frodo, leaving the two dragonoids to talk. To Frodo's surprise, his wounds were healing and the pain he was feeling was bearable. Well, he would hurt for a while, but at least he could stand and speak to his dragonoid companion and friend for a while longer.

"Frodo, what are you doing here?" Parker asked, groggily. He blinked, trying to get a good look at him. "You're a… you're a dragonoid. What happened to you? I thought you'd be heading home to the Shire."

"I had to come. I had to see you," Frodo collapsed on the stone floor, next to Parker. He gulped, stunned to see how thin Parker was looking. "You look like you haven't eaten in days."

Parker chuckled insanely. "Boy, I can do magic. I have powers. Surely, you didn't think I'd be eating the food here at Azkaban, did you?" He sat up. "Besides, the prison guards allow me to do magic, except to escape. I bargained with my life and the chance to eat and drink however much food and water I wanted." He shrugged. "It's a temporary solution. I'll be all right."

"Parker, you can't keep living like this. It isn't right!" Frodo said, concerned.

"Frodo, you've only been here a day, an hour, a minute maybe and suddenly you're going to tell me what to do? How I should behave? Oh please! I'm far older than you and more knowledgeable about the worlds. I've been in prison before. I know how to get myself out and it seems, I've got you to thank for it." Parker said, curtly.

"I don't understand. How do you escape this prison without detection?" Frodo asked, confused.

"Well," Parker explained his routine, "you see, the guards make their morning rounds around this time. One of the guards gets drunk and stows the keys under my cell door. You see, we've been friends for a very long time, brothers you might say, the same brothers who quarreled and ended up throwing one of their own into a cell. You're two days late, Frodo Baggins! It turns out I reached out to my step-brother, my foster brother, right on time. For you see, I pardoned Turen Dooley, Mordru as he's called, as soon as I realized I needed his help. He so graciously accepted from his cell. He ended up being pardoned, too, for a small deed to me."

He shrugged. "It seems Aslan's generous."

"Generous? Generous how? What does this have to do with me or with you?" Frodo asked, alarmed.

"You'll see," Parker said, watching as the cell door opened and another red dragonoid showed up, carrying a set of keys. This red dragonoid wore a wizard guard uniform and quite enjoyed wearing the outfit. Parker smiled upon seeing the second red dragonoid. "Ah! Turen, you've come to help me."

"Don't expect me to bail you out again. Although, I do love the new attire. Very festive, I must say!" Turen said, complimenting on Parker's prison uniform as well as smiling at Frodo and checking out his prison uniform. "Nice robes, mates."

"Can we get out of here?" Frodo asked, curtly.

"Why certainly. I just paid the bail money for you both. Free of charge, all thanks to Parker's savings. You'll have him to thank for bailing us all out and Aslan, of course," Turen said with a wicked smile.

"Of course," Frodo said, following him and Parker out of the cell. As they walked, Frodo asked, while searching for his clothes and a way to transform back into his gentle-hobbit self, "So, is there a reward? I mean, the shapeshifting's great and all, but I kind of miss my hobbit form."

"Don't we all," Parker said, as they made their way into the storage room. "Don't we all."

*.*.*

References:

Aslan comes from C.S. Lewis' book series, The Chronicles of Narnia.