A/N: All I have to say is the following, "The Crossover Queen strikes again!"
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to rule them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie.
*
In a circle made by people in cloaks, in the meeting room of Rivendell, three people stepped forward and placed two bundles in two white baskets. In the bundles, hidden by their blue silk blankets, were two babies. Both were elves, and both were part of a dangerous and hidden prophecy that was to decide that fate of the world. The first baby was a boy, already showing silver-blonde hair on the top of his head and his elven ears still pink; a sign of how young he was. The second was a girl, and she had brown hair on the top of her head and the bluest of eyes ever seen by anyone in Rivendell. The parents of these two children were hesitant to leave their sides; they were so young after all. The boys parents placed a note telling the boys name and a brief thanks for the people who would be taking in their child. The girl's parents consisted of her mother, a young elf by the name of Arwen, who should not have even had this child in the first place. The father didn't know about the baby, and it was hoped that it would stay that way, as Aragorn and Arwen were forbidden from being together. Elf and man would never be together.
Arwen placed a similar note in the basket with her daughter and placed a kiss on her head. She also placed a small token around her neck, which was not recommended but could be done. It was a silver necklace of a fine silver chain, the charm being foxglove intertwined with a rose. Arwen took one last look at her daughter, memorizing everything about her, from her pink elven ears to her tiny toes. A tear slipped from her eye and fell down her cheek onto the baby's forehead, making a small wet mark on her porcelain skin. Arwen stepped back, her tears now flowing freely as the wizard, Gandalf the Grey, placed a spell upon the children, making their true forms hidden from them until their sixteenth birthday; which was the same day. He then turned the colour of the girl's eyes brown, to match the ones of her future family, and spoke some final words.
"Until the sixteenth day of the sixteenth year, these children will be mortal men. Then will they come together in harmony to bring peace to Middle-Earth. To defeat the Dark Lord Sauron and bring upon free reign once more." Said Gandalf, his wide-brimmed hat covering his blue eyes. "Until the sixteenth day of the sixteenth year."
With one wave of his staff, the baskets were gone, the children were gone and the party disbanded. The boys parents walked away crying, his mother having to be practically carried away from where he once lay. It was Arwen who stayed behind, until all was gone. She pulled the hood off her head, revealing a young brown haired elf with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Her only daughter was gone, and for what? To wait until she had to fight with no knowledge of how to accomplish this task? Sending her away would only bring more pain to middle earth, as she would only be a helpless mortal when it came time for her to fight.
Arwen cried out in anguish, pain and sadness. She fell to her knees and sobbed into the pavilion where the baskets had been resting. Her tears soaked the cold stone and she didn't stop until a hand was laid on her shoulder. She stopped crying, looking up into the face of her father, Elrond, who still looked young and youthful even though he had seen many, many years.
"Do not cry, my dear. She will be safe." Said Elrond, squeezing his daughter's shoulder in comfort.
"Why couldn't she stay here? Why did she have to be taken away from me?" asked Arwen, her voice a whisper on the cool night air.
"You know the answer to those questions. You will see her again." Said Elrond, leaning down and kissing his daughter's forehead. "You will see her all to soon."
Elrond gave Arwen's shoulder one last squeeze, and swept out of the room. She starred after her father in disbelief, how could he take this so lightly. The baby was also his granddaughter and he wasn't the least bit upset over losing her. Arwen got up from her spot on the floor and walked to the edge of the meeting platform. She looked out over the area of Rivendell and let one final tear fall for her daughter. Before going to bed, she spoke these last words in elvish and let them fall onto the wind.
"Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au'."
*
Hermione Granger awoke on the sixteenth of September with high spirits. She may be in school, having loads of homework being pilled onto her, but nothing could dampen her mood today. For today was her sixteenth birthday, and after all, you only turn sixteen once. Hermione dressed into her school uniform and robes and ran down the girls dormitory stairs that lead into the common room. There she found her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley waiting for her. The two boys had grown quite considerably since she had first met them five years prior. They now towered over her at their heights of six feet, while she stood at five feet six. Although at this moment, thoughts of her height didn't enter her mind as they accompanied her to the Great Hall for breakfast, all she could think about was that she was going to make today count.
As they trio entered the Great Hall, taking their regular seats at the Gryffindor table, Hermione took the time to notice the vastness of the hall. It seemed quite crowded, each table filled with students in their robes, all-talking excitedly to one another. As she scanned over each table, her eyes landed over the Slytherin table; Gryffindor's enemy. Everything seemed normal, except that Draco Malfoy, a rather hated pureblood by her and her friends, was scanning over a letter looking quite pale. He then rose from the table and walked quickly out of the hall, his robes flowing behind him in a rather dramatic fashion. Hermione didn't have time to dwell on his problem, as a barn owl had landed in front of her; holding it's leg out. She untied the note and package, taking great care not to damage anything, and once everything was off the owl flew out of the hall. Hermione put the package aside as she read the note, and was quite shocked at what she found.
Dearest Hermione,
Happy Birthday my darling! We are so proud of you, and before we continue we want to tell you that we love you with all our hearts. Now, we must tell you something that we have been saving until this very day. Hermione, you are adopted. When you were but a baby, we found you on the front porch in a white basket, covered in a silk blanket. There was a letter attached, and it thanked us for taking you in. It also had a few words for you to read on this day, but there is no mention of who your parents were. We are so sorry about not telling you sooner, but the letter specifically asked that you be told on your sixteenth birthday; today.
Once again we love you and we are sorry for not being able to tell you in person. There is something enclosed that we are sure you would like to have. Have a happy birthday Hermione.
With love,
Mom and Dad.
Hermione starred at the letter in shock. There was now way she was adopted, she looked so much like her parents. She dropped the letter on the table and grabbed the second piece of parchment that lied next to the package. The parchment was old and yellowing, but still in good condition. Slowly, she read the letter, her mouth dry as sand paper and a nervous bubble in her stomach.
Dear Mr and Mrs Granger,
Under circumstances out of my control I cannot care for my daughter as I would like to. It would please me greatly if you would take care of her until she is of age. When she is sixteen, I would also like it if you told her of being adopted, as you should not do so until then. Please keep her safe until this time. Her name is Hermione. I thank you.
Now for my dearest Hermione, I know this all must be terribly overwhelming for you, but I want you to know that I did not give you up because I did not love you. I did this to protect you, and you will know what this means later on. I will never stop loving you as long as I live, and I hope you will forgive me for doing this to you. I love you with all my heart.
Mother.
By the end of the letter, her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were red. She was, however, smiling and did so as she whipped the tears away from her eyes. So she was not unwanted, although she wanted to know the circumstances that her mother had referred to. Even though her two friends, not to mention some other Gryffindors, were asking her worried questions, she picked up the package that she was no longer nervous to open. Inside the brown wrapping were two things. One was a present from her parents, which was a book by one of her favourite authors. The other was a present from her birth mother, something she hadn't expected. It was a rose and foxglove pendent on a fine silver chain. She fingered it delicately, not wanting to brake or scratch it, and more tears flowed from her eyes. As Hermione looked at it, she turned it over and saw that there was something written there in a strange language. There were four words, words that she had never seen in all her life, but as her eyes adjusted she found that she was able to understand what the words meant.
"Cormamin Lindua Ele lle." she said to herself, yet it did not sound like the words she meant to say, but the language that the words were written in.
"Um, Hermione. What in the world did you say?" asked Ron, who was looking at her queerly.
"Oh, I said my heart sings to see thee. It's what is written on the back of my necklace." She said, breaking away from the inscription.
"That does not say 'my heart sings to see thee' Herm. It's written in a different language." Said Harry, looking over her shoulder. "I've never seen this language before."
"I don't know what came over me. Suddenly I can read this and say it. It's...so bizarre." Mumbled Hermione, turning the pendent over and over.
After studying it further, she found that it was time for class and gathered all her things quickly before she rushed out of the hall. As she ran to her class, Potions, she tied the necklace around her neck; which was quite a feat considering she was concentrating on getting to class quickly and without fault. When she entered the dungeon, she found that she was right on time and took her assigned seat next to Draco, which she did not like. Both sat in silence as the class started, listening to Snape's directions as he told them what potion they were going to make that day. It was quite an odd potion, for it was one that would reviel your greatest physical strength, and most already knew what their strength was.
"'Quel re." Said Hermione, not looking Draco in the eye and unaware of what she was saying.
"'Quel re Granger." Answered Draco with a sigh.
Neither person noticed that they had both spoken the same language to each other. They didn't notice that people around them who had overheard were looking at them strangely. If they did, they might have realised that they had spoken the language that the words on the back of Hermione's pendent were written in. They might have taken the times to notice more things that were going on.
As they finished the potion, it turning a lovely green colour, the pair sat back and waited for Snape to come around.
"As all of you are done your potions," said the professor once he had checked every pair. "You will be testing them. Once taken the potion will show your greatest physical strength, which might be in the form of a small photo, three-dimensional viewing or anything of the like. Now, lets see how you do." Snape finished off with a rather unsettling smile.
Hermione and Draco dipped a ladle into the cauldron and put in a fair amount of the liquid into two cups. Each took a cup, hesitant to drink the rather horrible looking concoction. "Bottom's up Granger." Said Draco, lifting the glass up before drinking.
Each drained their glass, and felt a small light-headedness. There was this warm feeling that Hermione got from the potion, and instantly a three-dimensional person appeared in front of her. The person was obviously she, although she looked very different. The small version was holding a sword and wielding it extremely well. After a minute or two of viewing this, the small Hermione disappeared and all was left was an unsettling feeling in the pit of Hermione's stomach.
"Well, that was very interesting." she said, shaking her head a little.
"Yes, it was." said Draco, looking at the spot where the mini-him had once stood; firing arrows from a bow.
The rest of the morning had gone quite swimmingly, Transfiguration had flown by and so did Herbology, yet something had happened that had startled Hermione quite a bit. During Herbology, which they had with the Hufflepuffs, her eyes had begun to become out-of-focus. After awhile it had passed, but her vision seemed more sharpened, and when walking back to the castle she could see for miles into the distance; something she could not do before. This newfound ability had startled her, yet she let it pass as the benefits of aging. After eating hurriedly, as she wanted to change books for the next class, Hermione ran into the girl's bathroom on the second floor. She had had quite a shock at lunch when Ginny, Ron's little sister and one of her closest friends, had asked her why her hair looked darker than it normally was. Of course, your hair just doesn't darken within hours, but she wanted to check anyways. After splashing some cool water on her face, she took a good look into the mirror. As it turned out, her hair did look darker, a deep brown, which was not what it, had been this morning. As Hermione continued her study, she found that her appearance had changed since that morning. Her hair was also straighter, flowing elegantly down her back in lovely waves; all bushiness gone from view. Her complexion was now a milky white and didn't seem to have any imperfexions what so ever. As Hermione struggled with the idea that she was changing, she pushed her hair behind her ears, and that was where she got the largest surprise as of yet. Her small ears, normally rounded at the top, were now pointed; like the ones elves had in the stories she used to read as a child. Hermione starred at her ears in horror, as no normal person, magical or muggle, had ears like these. While she looked at her ears which seemed to have finished their transformation, her brown eyes also changed; to a brilliant blue. This was the last thing that changed, the last thing that would concern her physical appearance. Hermione was quite stunned by everything that had happened to her. Normally things like these happen to people in fairy tails or Harry, but certainty not to her. After sitting in a bathroom stall, crying for the first few moments of her frightened analysis, before she came to the conclusion that all this had something to do with her birth mother.
Coming out of the bathroom, her hair covering her ears and her head down so that no one could see her eyes, she bumped into someone. At the time it didn't occur to her that the boy's bathroom lay directly parallel to the girls, so this must have been a boy coming out of the lavatory, yet she was not thinking of that. Carefully, she looked up and saw the one person she did not want to bump into at a time like this; Draco Malfoy. Hesitantly she looked up at him, and saw that he looked different from when she had last seen him. His blonde hair was longer, a little past his shoulders and pulled back in a ponytail. His grey eyes were darker than they had been, and upon further examination she discovered that he, too, had elven ears. Hermione was no longer afraid to meet his eyes, and grey met blue with identical looks of surprise.
"I guess we're not so different, eh Malfoy." she said, keeping her eyes on his.
"And how the hell's that?" he asked, his own eyes never leaving hers.
For a moment she forgot that her hair was covering her ears, but once she realised, she pulled her hair back and showed him. "This is how."
Draco was silent for a moment, studying her like she had did him. He seemed almost entranced, yet finally found words. "Let me guess, you got a letter saying that you were adopted and that you were abandoned because of unusual circumstances."
"As a matter of fact, yes." she said, smirking at him.
"This explains something." mumbled Draco, looking downward.
"Explains what?" asked Hermione, her curiosity seeping in.
"Explains why we spoke and understood the same language in potions. It was really strange and I only realised this at lunch." He said, his vision still cast downwards. "I didn't notice it at the time, but we spoke some sort of foreign language to each other that we seem to be able to understand without knowing it."
"That is strange," mumbled Hermione, before she turned her back on him and began to walk towards the nearest wall. "I need to sit down."
Hermione sat on the cold stone floor, her back resting against the wall and her knees pulled up to her chest. Her forehead rested on her knees and her eyes were closed. Draco leaned against the wall opposite her, still standing, looking at her with confused eyes. Of all people that this had to happen to, it happened to the worst of enemies. It was a well-known fact that they hated each other, even more so than Draco and Harry. They had called each other names, shot insults at one another and tried to out-do each other in every class they had. They were both fighting for the positions of Head Boy and Girl, and were first and second in all their classes, but until now they had not had a single civilised conversation. Every time one of them tried to say more then 'hello' they ended up fighting, and it was never a pretty sight.
"What do we do?" asked Draco, who didn't have a clue as of what to do now.
"We could go to Dumbledore. He might know what's going on." Suggested Hermione, not looking up.
"Yeah, like that old fool will know what's happening to us." Said Draco, who wasn't very fond of the headmaster.
"Don't call him that. He knows more than you know." Said Hermione, looking up at her companion with a cross look.
Draco grumbled and turned away from her. He became quiet for a moment, until he thought of something else. "We can't go to class you know, or our common rooms or anywhere. We look too different."
"Yes we can. If we don't, then everyone will wonder what happened to us and they'll come looking. It's better if we don't draw it out." She said, getting up and whipping her eyes.
Draco was silent on that note. He hated to admit it, but Hermione was right. If they weren't seen for the rest of the day the professors would come looking for them. They would be found out either way, whether they liked it or not.
Without speaking, they made their way down the hall and up the stairs to the History of Magic classroom. That was the best decision as Filch was coming the opposite way. As they neared the classroom, their footsteps not making a sound on the stone floor, they heard a voice behind them.
"I would not enter that room if I were you." Said the voice, making the duo stop in their tracks.
Upon turning around, they found that the voice belonged to Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. His aging features were smiling and happy, and his eyes danced with a youth that was rarely seen in men of his age. The professor smiled at them and motioned for them to follow him to his office. Once they reached the stone gargoyle, Dumbledore whispered the password and the group walked up the winding stairs and into the spacious office. Once seated, the professor decided it was time for an explanation.
"As you now know, you are adopted. I'm sure that you have also reasoned that the change in your appearance has something to do with your birth parents." Said Dumbledore, receiving nods from both students. "I would assume that you would like to know who your parents are and why you were given up."
"Yes sir." Said the students in unison.
"Well, first this may come as quite a shock, but you are elves of the realm of Middle-Earth. Draco, you are a prince of west Mirkwood. Your parents are Aowyn and Dragin Greenwood. Your family and people are all very wise when it comes to the ways of their kind, and you will soon see what I mean.
"Hermione, you are a princess of Rivendell; a great elven palace. Your parents are Arwen daughter of Elrond and a man of whose name I cannot say. That is up to your mother and grandfather to tell you." Said Dumbledore, looking at the faces of the shocked students.
Hermione could not believe what Dumbledore had told them. She was an elven princess and Draco was and elven prince. All of this was too much for her to comprehend, but she did have one question plaguing her mind.
"Professor, why did our parents give us up?" she asked, causing Draco to snap out of his shocked state.
"Ah yes. Many years ago there was a small prophecy about two children who would be born on this day, a wolf would howl when the moon has waned. You were the two children who were born. There was also another prophecy, that said 'until the sixteenth day of the sixteenth year, these children will be mortal men. Then will they come together in harmony to bring peace to Middle-Earth. To defeat the Dark Lord Sauron and bring upon free reign once more.'
"When your parents were informed of this, they were forced to send you this realm, Earth, so that you will be safe. Mind, they didn't want to give you up, and fought to keep you in Middle Earth, but it was no use. Now the first part of the prophecy has been fulfilled." Dumbledore told them, his voice grave at the last part.
Dumbledore quickly shook his head and smiled once more, the normal twinkle in his eyes back. "I alone can not tell you about your families and the ways of the elves, but an informant and good friend of mind will be coming later today to fill that." Said Dumbledore, before telling them that they could leave his office and that they were excused from the rest of classes.
The pair walked into the hallway, shocked and confused all at the same time. Everything was happening so fast, and they weren't sure that they could handle it all. They did not care where their feet took them, and they ended up on the Quidditch field, looking up at the teachers box. They didn't speak as they made their way up to the seats of the box, and didn't speak once they were up there. Draco stayed standing, his back leaning against the front of the box. Hermione sat down in the front row of seats and leaned her arms on the rim of the box, her head resting lighting on them. She looked out over the grounds and towards Hagrid, the groundskeeper's, cabin. The sixth year Gryffindor's and Slytherin's were already gathered around a wooden pen, looking in at some creature with hesitance, as Hagrid was known for his strange and dangerous animals. Hermione sighed heavily, and wished that she was down there with her friends, instead of stuck up in a stand with Draco.
"They're going to have loads of questions for us." Said Draco, breaking the silence.
"I know." Sighed Hermione, not looking at him.
"About everything; our appearance, why we weren't in class, and why we never told them when we found out." He continued, looking at her with unusually warm eyes.
"I know." She said, watching as students stood in their spots instead of advancing towards the pen. "We can do nothing Malfoy. They will not understand, and we cannot elaborate for them as we know little ourselves. It's best to wait until Dumbledore's informant comes.
"Yes, but it will be hard to explain once we do know. Especially with all this prophecy business." He said, breaking his gaze from her. "And it's Draco. It's best we call each other by our first names as we're in this together."
She turned to him, catching a glimpse of a side that she thought never existed. "Alright, and it's Hermione."
Both continued to watch the class until it was over, and sat in silence until it was time for dinner. Once in the Great Hall, seated at their respective tables with their heads buried in books, they waited until the informant came. Once Harry and Ron came into the hall, sitting next to her, they didn't think anything of Hermione's head in a book. This was normally what she did during meal times. Draco was a different story, as whenever he was reading during meals was a sign of a foul mood, and so his peers didn't choose to talk to him. This was for fear of getting cursed or hexed.
Near the end of supper, when the bowls of bread pudding were slowly being cleared away and the goblets were being emptied of their drink, Hermione and Draco felt a shifting in the air and a great presence near them. Their sharp ears picked up the sound of a horse far off in the distance and they glanced up at each other from across the hall. All the students were suddenly deathly silent, and the sound of a walking stick, even to the deafest ears, could be heard. At that moment, a man in a tall pointed blue hat and blue robes appeared at the doors of the Great Hall. His long grey hair and beard flowed down the back and front of his clothes and his knarrled staff was in his left hand.
The man standing before them was Gandalf the Grey.
A/N: Well, this is the first chapter of my Lord of the Rings fic. I hope you like it and the second chapter will be up quite soon. Also, tell me if you would think Legolas (the awesomely hot elf) would go well with Hermione (when she's an elf). I'm thinking of making a fic like that. Legolas Rules! Bye!
Note: Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au' means My Heart Shall weep until it sees thee again.
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to rule them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie.
*
In a circle made by people in cloaks, in the meeting room of Rivendell, three people stepped forward and placed two bundles in two white baskets. In the bundles, hidden by their blue silk blankets, were two babies. Both were elves, and both were part of a dangerous and hidden prophecy that was to decide that fate of the world. The first baby was a boy, already showing silver-blonde hair on the top of his head and his elven ears still pink; a sign of how young he was. The second was a girl, and she had brown hair on the top of her head and the bluest of eyes ever seen by anyone in Rivendell. The parents of these two children were hesitant to leave their sides; they were so young after all. The boys parents placed a note telling the boys name and a brief thanks for the people who would be taking in their child. The girl's parents consisted of her mother, a young elf by the name of Arwen, who should not have even had this child in the first place. The father didn't know about the baby, and it was hoped that it would stay that way, as Aragorn and Arwen were forbidden from being together. Elf and man would never be together.
Arwen placed a similar note in the basket with her daughter and placed a kiss on her head. She also placed a small token around her neck, which was not recommended but could be done. It was a silver necklace of a fine silver chain, the charm being foxglove intertwined with a rose. Arwen took one last look at her daughter, memorizing everything about her, from her pink elven ears to her tiny toes. A tear slipped from her eye and fell down her cheek onto the baby's forehead, making a small wet mark on her porcelain skin. Arwen stepped back, her tears now flowing freely as the wizard, Gandalf the Grey, placed a spell upon the children, making their true forms hidden from them until their sixteenth birthday; which was the same day. He then turned the colour of the girl's eyes brown, to match the ones of her future family, and spoke some final words.
"Until the sixteenth day of the sixteenth year, these children will be mortal men. Then will they come together in harmony to bring peace to Middle-Earth. To defeat the Dark Lord Sauron and bring upon free reign once more." Said Gandalf, his wide-brimmed hat covering his blue eyes. "Until the sixteenth day of the sixteenth year."
With one wave of his staff, the baskets were gone, the children were gone and the party disbanded. The boys parents walked away crying, his mother having to be practically carried away from where he once lay. It was Arwen who stayed behind, until all was gone. She pulled the hood off her head, revealing a young brown haired elf with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Her only daughter was gone, and for what? To wait until she had to fight with no knowledge of how to accomplish this task? Sending her away would only bring more pain to middle earth, as she would only be a helpless mortal when it came time for her to fight.
Arwen cried out in anguish, pain and sadness. She fell to her knees and sobbed into the pavilion where the baskets had been resting. Her tears soaked the cold stone and she didn't stop until a hand was laid on her shoulder. She stopped crying, looking up into the face of her father, Elrond, who still looked young and youthful even though he had seen many, many years.
"Do not cry, my dear. She will be safe." Said Elrond, squeezing his daughter's shoulder in comfort.
"Why couldn't she stay here? Why did she have to be taken away from me?" asked Arwen, her voice a whisper on the cool night air.
"You know the answer to those questions. You will see her again." Said Elrond, leaning down and kissing his daughter's forehead. "You will see her all to soon."
Elrond gave Arwen's shoulder one last squeeze, and swept out of the room. She starred after her father in disbelief, how could he take this so lightly. The baby was also his granddaughter and he wasn't the least bit upset over losing her. Arwen got up from her spot on the floor and walked to the edge of the meeting platform. She looked out over the area of Rivendell and let one final tear fall for her daughter. Before going to bed, she spoke these last words in elvish and let them fall onto the wind.
"Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au'."
*
Hermione Granger awoke on the sixteenth of September with high spirits. She may be in school, having loads of homework being pilled onto her, but nothing could dampen her mood today. For today was her sixteenth birthday, and after all, you only turn sixteen once. Hermione dressed into her school uniform and robes and ran down the girls dormitory stairs that lead into the common room. There she found her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley waiting for her. The two boys had grown quite considerably since she had first met them five years prior. They now towered over her at their heights of six feet, while she stood at five feet six. Although at this moment, thoughts of her height didn't enter her mind as they accompanied her to the Great Hall for breakfast, all she could think about was that she was going to make today count.
As they trio entered the Great Hall, taking their regular seats at the Gryffindor table, Hermione took the time to notice the vastness of the hall. It seemed quite crowded, each table filled with students in their robes, all-talking excitedly to one another. As she scanned over each table, her eyes landed over the Slytherin table; Gryffindor's enemy. Everything seemed normal, except that Draco Malfoy, a rather hated pureblood by her and her friends, was scanning over a letter looking quite pale. He then rose from the table and walked quickly out of the hall, his robes flowing behind him in a rather dramatic fashion. Hermione didn't have time to dwell on his problem, as a barn owl had landed in front of her; holding it's leg out. She untied the note and package, taking great care not to damage anything, and once everything was off the owl flew out of the hall. Hermione put the package aside as she read the note, and was quite shocked at what she found.
Dearest Hermione,
Happy Birthday my darling! We are so proud of you, and before we continue we want to tell you that we love you with all our hearts. Now, we must tell you something that we have been saving until this very day. Hermione, you are adopted. When you were but a baby, we found you on the front porch in a white basket, covered in a silk blanket. There was a letter attached, and it thanked us for taking you in. It also had a few words for you to read on this day, but there is no mention of who your parents were. We are so sorry about not telling you sooner, but the letter specifically asked that you be told on your sixteenth birthday; today.
Once again we love you and we are sorry for not being able to tell you in person. There is something enclosed that we are sure you would like to have. Have a happy birthday Hermione.
With love,
Mom and Dad.
Hermione starred at the letter in shock. There was now way she was adopted, she looked so much like her parents. She dropped the letter on the table and grabbed the second piece of parchment that lied next to the package. The parchment was old and yellowing, but still in good condition. Slowly, she read the letter, her mouth dry as sand paper and a nervous bubble in her stomach.
Dear Mr and Mrs Granger,
Under circumstances out of my control I cannot care for my daughter as I would like to. It would please me greatly if you would take care of her until she is of age. When she is sixteen, I would also like it if you told her of being adopted, as you should not do so until then. Please keep her safe until this time. Her name is Hermione. I thank you.
Now for my dearest Hermione, I know this all must be terribly overwhelming for you, but I want you to know that I did not give you up because I did not love you. I did this to protect you, and you will know what this means later on. I will never stop loving you as long as I live, and I hope you will forgive me for doing this to you. I love you with all my heart.
Mother.
By the end of the letter, her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were red. She was, however, smiling and did so as she whipped the tears away from her eyes. So she was not unwanted, although she wanted to know the circumstances that her mother had referred to. Even though her two friends, not to mention some other Gryffindors, were asking her worried questions, she picked up the package that she was no longer nervous to open. Inside the brown wrapping were two things. One was a present from her parents, which was a book by one of her favourite authors. The other was a present from her birth mother, something she hadn't expected. It was a rose and foxglove pendent on a fine silver chain. She fingered it delicately, not wanting to brake or scratch it, and more tears flowed from her eyes. As Hermione looked at it, she turned it over and saw that there was something written there in a strange language. There were four words, words that she had never seen in all her life, but as her eyes adjusted she found that she was able to understand what the words meant.
"Cormamin Lindua Ele lle." she said to herself, yet it did not sound like the words she meant to say, but the language that the words were written in.
"Um, Hermione. What in the world did you say?" asked Ron, who was looking at her queerly.
"Oh, I said my heart sings to see thee. It's what is written on the back of my necklace." She said, breaking away from the inscription.
"That does not say 'my heart sings to see thee' Herm. It's written in a different language." Said Harry, looking over her shoulder. "I've never seen this language before."
"I don't know what came over me. Suddenly I can read this and say it. It's...so bizarre." Mumbled Hermione, turning the pendent over and over.
After studying it further, she found that it was time for class and gathered all her things quickly before she rushed out of the hall. As she ran to her class, Potions, she tied the necklace around her neck; which was quite a feat considering she was concentrating on getting to class quickly and without fault. When she entered the dungeon, she found that she was right on time and took her assigned seat next to Draco, which she did not like. Both sat in silence as the class started, listening to Snape's directions as he told them what potion they were going to make that day. It was quite an odd potion, for it was one that would reviel your greatest physical strength, and most already knew what their strength was.
"'Quel re." Said Hermione, not looking Draco in the eye and unaware of what she was saying.
"'Quel re Granger." Answered Draco with a sigh.
Neither person noticed that they had both spoken the same language to each other. They didn't notice that people around them who had overheard were looking at them strangely. If they did, they might have realised that they had spoken the language that the words on the back of Hermione's pendent were written in. They might have taken the times to notice more things that were going on.
As they finished the potion, it turning a lovely green colour, the pair sat back and waited for Snape to come around.
"As all of you are done your potions," said the professor once he had checked every pair. "You will be testing them. Once taken the potion will show your greatest physical strength, which might be in the form of a small photo, three-dimensional viewing or anything of the like. Now, lets see how you do." Snape finished off with a rather unsettling smile.
Hermione and Draco dipped a ladle into the cauldron and put in a fair amount of the liquid into two cups. Each took a cup, hesitant to drink the rather horrible looking concoction. "Bottom's up Granger." Said Draco, lifting the glass up before drinking.
Each drained their glass, and felt a small light-headedness. There was this warm feeling that Hermione got from the potion, and instantly a three-dimensional person appeared in front of her. The person was obviously she, although she looked very different. The small version was holding a sword and wielding it extremely well. After a minute or two of viewing this, the small Hermione disappeared and all was left was an unsettling feeling in the pit of Hermione's stomach.
"Well, that was very interesting." she said, shaking her head a little.
"Yes, it was." said Draco, looking at the spot where the mini-him had once stood; firing arrows from a bow.
The rest of the morning had gone quite swimmingly, Transfiguration had flown by and so did Herbology, yet something had happened that had startled Hermione quite a bit. During Herbology, which they had with the Hufflepuffs, her eyes had begun to become out-of-focus. After awhile it had passed, but her vision seemed more sharpened, and when walking back to the castle she could see for miles into the distance; something she could not do before. This newfound ability had startled her, yet she let it pass as the benefits of aging. After eating hurriedly, as she wanted to change books for the next class, Hermione ran into the girl's bathroom on the second floor. She had had quite a shock at lunch when Ginny, Ron's little sister and one of her closest friends, had asked her why her hair looked darker than it normally was. Of course, your hair just doesn't darken within hours, but she wanted to check anyways. After splashing some cool water on her face, she took a good look into the mirror. As it turned out, her hair did look darker, a deep brown, which was not what it, had been this morning. As Hermione continued her study, she found that her appearance had changed since that morning. Her hair was also straighter, flowing elegantly down her back in lovely waves; all bushiness gone from view. Her complexion was now a milky white and didn't seem to have any imperfexions what so ever. As Hermione struggled with the idea that she was changing, she pushed her hair behind her ears, and that was where she got the largest surprise as of yet. Her small ears, normally rounded at the top, were now pointed; like the ones elves had in the stories she used to read as a child. Hermione starred at her ears in horror, as no normal person, magical or muggle, had ears like these. While she looked at her ears which seemed to have finished their transformation, her brown eyes also changed; to a brilliant blue. This was the last thing that changed, the last thing that would concern her physical appearance. Hermione was quite stunned by everything that had happened to her. Normally things like these happen to people in fairy tails or Harry, but certainty not to her. After sitting in a bathroom stall, crying for the first few moments of her frightened analysis, before she came to the conclusion that all this had something to do with her birth mother.
Coming out of the bathroom, her hair covering her ears and her head down so that no one could see her eyes, she bumped into someone. At the time it didn't occur to her that the boy's bathroom lay directly parallel to the girls, so this must have been a boy coming out of the lavatory, yet she was not thinking of that. Carefully, she looked up and saw the one person she did not want to bump into at a time like this; Draco Malfoy. Hesitantly she looked up at him, and saw that he looked different from when she had last seen him. His blonde hair was longer, a little past his shoulders and pulled back in a ponytail. His grey eyes were darker than they had been, and upon further examination she discovered that he, too, had elven ears. Hermione was no longer afraid to meet his eyes, and grey met blue with identical looks of surprise.
"I guess we're not so different, eh Malfoy." she said, keeping her eyes on his.
"And how the hell's that?" he asked, his own eyes never leaving hers.
For a moment she forgot that her hair was covering her ears, but once she realised, she pulled her hair back and showed him. "This is how."
Draco was silent for a moment, studying her like she had did him. He seemed almost entranced, yet finally found words. "Let me guess, you got a letter saying that you were adopted and that you were abandoned because of unusual circumstances."
"As a matter of fact, yes." she said, smirking at him.
"This explains something." mumbled Draco, looking downward.
"Explains what?" asked Hermione, her curiosity seeping in.
"Explains why we spoke and understood the same language in potions. It was really strange and I only realised this at lunch." He said, his vision still cast downwards. "I didn't notice it at the time, but we spoke some sort of foreign language to each other that we seem to be able to understand without knowing it."
"That is strange," mumbled Hermione, before she turned her back on him and began to walk towards the nearest wall. "I need to sit down."
Hermione sat on the cold stone floor, her back resting against the wall and her knees pulled up to her chest. Her forehead rested on her knees and her eyes were closed. Draco leaned against the wall opposite her, still standing, looking at her with confused eyes. Of all people that this had to happen to, it happened to the worst of enemies. It was a well-known fact that they hated each other, even more so than Draco and Harry. They had called each other names, shot insults at one another and tried to out-do each other in every class they had. They were both fighting for the positions of Head Boy and Girl, and were first and second in all their classes, but until now they had not had a single civilised conversation. Every time one of them tried to say more then 'hello' they ended up fighting, and it was never a pretty sight.
"What do we do?" asked Draco, who didn't have a clue as of what to do now.
"We could go to Dumbledore. He might know what's going on." Suggested Hermione, not looking up.
"Yeah, like that old fool will know what's happening to us." Said Draco, who wasn't very fond of the headmaster.
"Don't call him that. He knows more than you know." Said Hermione, looking up at her companion with a cross look.
Draco grumbled and turned away from her. He became quiet for a moment, until he thought of something else. "We can't go to class you know, or our common rooms or anywhere. We look too different."
"Yes we can. If we don't, then everyone will wonder what happened to us and they'll come looking. It's better if we don't draw it out." She said, getting up and whipping her eyes.
Draco was silent on that note. He hated to admit it, but Hermione was right. If they weren't seen for the rest of the day the professors would come looking for them. They would be found out either way, whether they liked it or not.
Without speaking, they made their way down the hall and up the stairs to the History of Magic classroom. That was the best decision as Filch was coming the opposite way. As they neared the classroom, their footsteps not making a sound on the stone floor, they heard a voice behind them.
"I would not enter that room if I were you." Said the voice, making the duo stop in their tracks.
Upon turning around, they found that the voice belonged to Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. His aging features were smiling and happy, and his eyes danced with a youth that was rarely seen in men of his age. The professor smiled at them and motioned for them to follow him to his office. Once they reached the stone gargoyle, Dumbledore whispered the password and the group walked up the winding stairs and into the spacious office. Once seated, the professor decided it was time for an explanation.
"As you now know, you are adopted. I'm sure that you have also reasoned that the change in your appearance has something to do with your birth parents." Said Dumbledore, receiving nods from both students. "I would assume that you would like to know who your parents are and why you were given up."
"Yes sir." Said the students in unison.
"Well, first this may come as quite a shock, but you are elves of the realm of Middle-Earth. Draco, you are a prince of west Mirkwood. Your parents are Aowyn and Dragin Greenwood. Your family and people are all very wise when it comes to the ways of their kind, and you will soon see what I mean.
"Hermione, you are a princess of Rivendell; a great elven palace. Your parents are Arwen daughter of Elrond and a man of whose name I cannot say. That is up to your mother and grandfather to tell you." Said Dumbledore, looking at the faces of the shocked students.
Hermione could not believe what Dumbledore had told them. She was an elven princess and Draco was and elven prince. All of this was too much for her to comprehend, but she did have one question plaguing her mind.
"Professor, why did our parents give us up?" she asked, causing Draco to snap out of his shocked state.
"Ah yes. Many years ago there was a small prophecy about two children who would be born on this day, a wolf would howl when the moon has waned. You were the two children who were born. There was also another prophecy, that said 'until the sixteenth day of the sixteenth year, these children will be mortal men. Then will they come together in harmony to bring peace to Middle-Earth. To defeat the Dark Lord Sauron and bring upon free reign once more.'
"When your parents were informed of this, they were forced to send you this realm, Earth, so that you will be safe. Mind, they didn't want to give you up, and fought to keep you in Middle Earth, but it was no use. Now the first part of the prophecy has been fulfilled." Dumbledore told them, his voice grave at the last part.
Dumbledore quickly shook his head and smiled once more, the normal twinkle in his eyes back. "I alone can not tell you about your families and the ways of the elves, but an informant and good friend of mind will be coming later today to fill that." Said Dumbledore, before telling them that they could leave his office and that they were excused from the rest of classes.
The pair walked into the hallway, shocked and confused all at the same time. Everything was happening so fast, and they weren't sure that they could handle it all. They did not care where their feet took them, and they ended up on the Quidditch field, looking up at the teachers box. They didn't speak as they made their way up to the seats of the box, and didn't speak once they were up there. Draco stayed standing, his back leaning against the front of the box. Hermione sat down in the front row of seats and leaned her arms on the rim of the box, her head resting lighting on them. She looked out over the grounds and towards Hagrid, the groundskeeper's, cabin. The sixth year Gryffindor's and Slytherin's were already gathered around a wooden pen, looking in at some creature with hesitance, as Hagrid was known for his strange and dangerous animals. Hermione sighed heavily, and wished that she was down there with her friends, instead of stuck up in a stand with Draco.
"They're going to have loads of questions for us." Said Draco, breaking the silence.
"I know." Sighed Hermione, not looking at him.
"About everything; our appearance, why we weren't in class, and why we never told them when we found out." He continued, looking at her with unusually warm eyes.
"I know." She said, watching as students stood in their spots instead of advancing towards the pen. "We can do nothing Malfoy. They will not understand, and we cannot elaborate for them as we know little ourselves. It's best to wait until Dumbledore's informant comes.
"Yes, but it will be hard to explain once we do know. Especially with all this prophecy business." He said, breaking his gaze from her. "And it's Draco. It's best we call each other by our first names as we're in this together."
She turned to him, catching a glimpse of a side that she thought never existed. "Alright, and it's Hermione."
Both continued to watch the class until it was over, and sat in silence until it was time for dinner. Once in the Great Hall, seated at their respective tables with their heads buried in books, they waited until the informant came. Once Harry and Ron came into the hall, sitting next to her, they didn't think anything of Hermione's head in a book. This was normally what she did during meal times. Draco was a different story, as whenever he was reading during meals was a sign of a foul mood, and so his peers didn't choose to talk to him. This was for fear of getting cursed or hexed.
Near the end of supper, when the bowls of bread pudding were slowly being cleared away and the goblets were being emptied of their drink, Hermione and Draco felt a shifting in the air and a great presence near them. Their sharp ears picked up the sound of a horse far off in the distance and they glanced up at each other from across the hall. All the students were suddenly deathly silent, and the sound of a walking stick, even to the deafest ears, could be heard. At that moment, a man in a tall pointed blue hat and blue robes appeared at the doors of the Great Hall. His long grey hair and beard flowed down the back and front of his clothes and his knarrled staff was in his left hand.
The man standing before them was Gandalf the Grey.
A/N: Well, this is the first chapter of my Lord of the Rings fic. I hope you like it and the second chapter will be up quite soon. Also, tell me if you would think Legolas (the awesomely hot elf) would go well with Hermione (when she's an elf). I'm thinking of making a fic like that. Legolas Rules! Bye!
Note: Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au' means My Heart Shall weep until it sees thee again.