Title: Princess of Mirkwood
Author: Zannna
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I *sniffle* do not own LOTR, the characters, or the plot. Middle Earth was the brilliant brain child of non other than the king of fantasy JRR Tolkien. I also do not own Harry Potter, the characters, or the plot. All that is Harry Potter belongs to the amazing JK Rowling. I do however, own Lithariel, Mithelena, and Vialnen. Please do not use them without permission. Thank you! ^_^
A/N: HOLY FREAKING COW!!!! I did it again! I am terribly sorry but it seems that when I posted Chapter 4 for the second time with the changes, that I just re-posted it with the previous changes.*sigh* So please go read from the carriage ride on in Chapter 4. Pretty please? If it says that Snape has a 'sexy voice' instead of a 'sinister voice' than you'll know that I screwed up again.*double sigh* _ The rest of the A/N's are at the end of the chapter. Zannna
This chapter is dedicated to Vana Everyoung for being the best, most thoughtful reviewer in the world! ^_^
Chapter 7: Revenge
Draco Malfoy woke up to an absolutely horrendous smell. He coughed, sat up, and took a huge gulp of water from the glass beside his bed. 'Wait a minute, water isn't supposed to be thick, or chunky, and it most certainly isn't supposed to taste like carrots.' thought Draco before he doubled up with pain, and nausea. Then, suddenly, everything went black.
* * *
Draco awoke, ten minutes later, and decided to get out of bed to see what that awful smell was. He looked at the clock beside his bed. It was 6:47 he needed to get up anyway. He threw back his blankets, and hopped out of bed. When his feet touched the floor , they immediately slipped out from under him. As he hit the floor hard, he realized he probably shouldn't have 'hopped' out of bed. Draco moaned softly.
When Draco hit the floor it made a very loud noise, and thus woke up the rest of his dorm mates. As he tried to get up off the slippery floor, all eyes turned to look at him.
"What are you doing here you prat of a Gryffindor?!! Get out!!!" screamed Goyle.
"What did you do with Draco?!" shrieked Crabbe.
"What are you two dolts talking about?!" yelled Draco. The next thing he knew Crabbe and Goyle were charging him, and he was racing towards the dorm room door. He didn't pay attention to the fact that it was partially open when he sprung through it. When the ice cold water hit it was a surprise to say the least. When Draco removed the bucket from his head, he realized that Crabbe and Goyle were almost on him. He ran shivering into the common room, where he received several incensed screams from some of his other house mates.
"How did you get in here weasel?!"
"It's a sodding Gryfindor!"
"Lets get him!"
Draco took that as his cue to leave. He ran out of the common room, and into the cold halls of the dungeon. He ran until he came to a bathroom. He went in, and splashed some water on his face. 'That's odd' he thought 'my nose isn't that big is it?' Draco Malfoy looked up into the mirror above the sink and saw... "Ron Weasly! Blimey! Have I died and gone to hell?" He raised Ron's hand, and waved at him. 'Yep,' he thought 'I'm in hell'
Draco turned, walked out of the bathroom, and kept walking. He walked through the dungeons, up the stairs, down several halls, and out the front door. He kept on walking, until he was well within the Forbidden Forest. He sat down, and curled up in a ball. He was so cold. He hadn't had time to get his cloak on, or even shoes. All he had on were his pajamas. Draco rested his head on his knees, and did something he hadn't done in a long time, and had promised himself he would never do again: He cried.
* * * Several hours earlier:
Lithariel, Fred, and George were huddled under Harry's invisibility cloak outside of Slytherins' 'secret' entrance. A Slyhterin girl walked up to the door, and said "Manipulative Snake" The door swung open.
"Now," whispered Fred "we just have to wait 'til about 4 in the morning, come back, use the password, and get to work."
* * *
At 4:17 am Lithariel, Fred, and George returned to the dungeons. From underneath the invisibility cloak, Fred whispered "Manipulative Snake". The secret door swung open. The group tiptoed into the Slytherin common room.
"Which way now?" whispered George.
"Let us try the right door." said Lithariel as she pointed out two doors at the back of the room. She did not tell them, however, that she knew this because she sensed a more male atmosphere on the right, as opposed to the left doorway.
They continued to sneak across the room, and then up the stairs. They stopped in front of the door that said 'Fifth Year Dorm'. Lithariel took a breath, and eased open the door. She stepped out from under the cloak, and into the room cautiously. Now to figure out which bed was Malfoy's. She walked along the room with her eyes closed. There, on the right, two beds down from the door. She tiptoed over to it, and pretended to investigate.
Lithariel signaled the twins over, and indicated Malfoy's bed. The twins nodded, and got to work. Fred went to Malfoy's bedside table, emptied his water glass in the bucket that he had set down on the floor, and poured the Polyjuice potion with essence of Ron into it. Next he took out a bottle of broom wax from his 'supply' bag, and artfully squirted it on the floor around the bed.
Meanwhile, George was setting up the dung bombs. He set them in the middle of the room, and twisted their fuses together. Then he attached one end of a very long fuse to the twisted ones, and unrolled it out the door.
Lithariel was standing watch while they worked. When the twins were finished they went to the door, shut it most of the way, with the fuse still sticking out, and placed the bucket on top. Lithariel pointed her wand at it, and whispered a 'cold' spell. She had learned it for just this occasion.
"Very well, Fred, George under the cloak with you. It will go more smoothly if you two are out of here, and on your way back to the tower before I light this." whispered Lithariel.
"But, how will you get back unseen if we have the cloak?" asked Fred.
"Trust me. I will have no difficulty getting back to the tower unseen. Let us just say that I have experience in this sort of thing."
The twins nodded reluctantly, and ducked under the cloak. Lithariel waited, roughly ten minutes before she lit the fuse. She then turned, ran swiftly down the stairs, and pushed open the portal. Lithariel had insisted on doing the whole thing barefoot, so not a hint of noise was heard on her race back to her common room.
"Unicorn nose hair" whispered Lithariel.
The portrait hole swung open, and Lithariel was faced with an empty common room. 'They must not yet be back' she thought. She walked in and sat down, in a big armchair by the fire.
Ten minutes later the portrait hole swung open again, and in walked Fred and George. Lithariel could see them, even though they were still beneath the invisibility cloak. Although, she acted like she didn't see them, and turned back to the fire.
Fred took off the cloak as he and George walked over to Lithariel.
"How long have you been back?" inquired George.
"One or two minutes, or thereabouts." replied Lithariel.
"Did you light it?" Fred piped up.
"Yes I did."
"That went very much better than expected, I'd say" said George.
"We shall see." said Lithariel as she got up to go back to bed. "Goodnight Fred, George."
"Goodnight Lithariel" the twins replied, in unison.
* * *
Hermione got up early so she could go get a book from the Library before breakfast. She looked out of the window at the end of the dorm, as she picked up her cloak. 'Is that Ron?' she thought as she saw a red head in pajamas walk quickly across the grounds, and into the dark forest. 'I'd better go see what's wrong.' she thought.
Hermione quickly threw on her cloak, and ran out her dorm room door. She ran down the stairs, through the common room, and out the portal.
* * *
It took Hermione over thirty minutes to find Ron. He was sitting curled up against the foot of a large tree crying. She stood there for several minutes just looking. 'I don't remember Ron ever having silk pajamas.' she thought. As she continued to ponder Ron's unique apparel, she noticed his hair start to change color. Slowly his hair turned white blond, he grew taller thinner. Ron looked up, and Hermione gasped. It wasn't Ron! It was Malfoy!
"Malfoy what are you doing out here? And how come you looked like Ron?!" demanded Hermione.
Draco sniffed. "Don't play dumb with me mudblood! I'm sure you know all about this! You were probably the one who made the insipid potion!" he snapped.
"What potion?!"
"The polyjuice potion you dolt! How else could I possibly look like Weasley?!! Did you put it in my water glass, or did you stand watch while Potter did it?!"
"Oh..." whispered Hermione as she realized what must be going on. She sniffed at a weird smell. 'Well of course!' she thought 'They just couldn't break into the Slytherin dorms, and not set off a dung bomb could they!' "Look," said Hermione "I didn't have anything to do with this. You most likely don't believe me, but I swear I didn't."
"You're right. I don't believe you."
Hermione looked Malfoy over more carefully. 'Would you look at that! He's all wet too. Well, I guess when Fred and George are involved in planning something like this they do a thorough job don't they?' she thought.
Hermione took off her cloak, and offered it to Malfoy. "Here," she said "you look cold."
Draco looked up at her dubiously. Finally, his pride broken, he took the cloak. He was freezing to death, and decided since there was no one around, he might as well be warm. "Thanks" he mumbled.
'Wait just a mandrake pullin' minute!' thought Hermione. 'Did he just thank me?' "Um... You're welcome?" she said softly.
There was silence for several minutes, then Hermione walked up to Draco, and sat down next to him on the ground. She couldn't leave him out here. He may be her arch nemesis, call her horrible names, and treat her friends like dirt. But it was those same friends that did this to him, and she just couldn't leave him out here broken, and all alone. It didn't matter who he was, he was still a person, and it just wasn't in her to do that to him.
Draco shifted awkwardly. 'Why can't she just leave me alone?' he thought.
"I'm sorry." mumbled Hermione almost inaudibly.
"What?" said Draco, "I thought you had nothing to do with this. If that's true, then why should you be sorry?"
"I didn't have anything to do with this, but I'm still sorry that it happened. What they did was petty, and infantile. Revenge only leads to anger, and resentment. Then to more revenge. It's a vicious cycle, and I don't want to have anything to do with it. I mean, if we could all just ge-" Hermione stopped short as she saw movement coming towards them from the side. She reached for her wand. 'Brilliant! It's not here! I must have left it on my night stand in my rush to catch up to "Ron"!' A giant grey wolf was bounding towards them. Hermione yanked on Draco's sleeve, and pointed at the wolf.
Meanwhile, Draco had stopped listening to Hermione somewhere around 'vicious cycle' as he had caught signs of movement ahead of them. He looked up, and saw a giant spider scampering towards them.
They both yanked on each other's sleeves and pointed at the same time. Hermione looked at the spider, and then back at the wolf. Draco looked at the wolf, and then back at the spider. They then looked at each other.
"Please tell me you brought your wand!!" they said in unison.
The wolf was coming faster than the spider, and reached them seconds later. It skidded to a stop in front of them, and turned to face the spider. The spider stopped in it's tracks. The wolf growled, a low ominous growl. It then threw it's head back in a long, extremely loud howl.
* * *
Lithariel was in Potions wondering where Hermione, and Draco were when she heard it. She had heard it before, many times. It was Mithelena. She was in trouble.
Lithariel stood abruptly.
"Ms. Macleod, is there a problem?" asked Professor Snape as he paused in the middle of his lecture on what they were going to do today.
"I do not feel well. May I be excused?" Lithariel said out loud. She added to Snape telepathically ~Mithelena is in peril. I must go to her.~
"Very well Ms. Macleod you may go." replied Snape.
Lithariel turned, and bolted from the room, leaving all of her things behind. She raced through the halls, and out the front door. She didn't have time to call Vialnen. She would most likely be with Mithelena when she got there anyway. She stopped for a second at the edge of the forest to remove her boots. She then reached up, grabbed a branch of the nearest tree, and swung up into the treetops.
Lithariel did not make a sound, did not disturb a leaf as she leapt from branch to branch towards where she could now sense Mithelena and Vialnen. When she came upon them, she saw a giant spider before them shifting nervously. Lithariel took out her dagger. She was preparing to jump out of the tree, when she looked down and saw Hermione and Draco huddled together.
Lithariel quickly put Aros back in it's sheath, and whipped out her wand. She then jumped down from the tree, and landed as softly as a cat in between Mithelena and Vialnen. She heard Draco, and Hermione gasp softly behind her.
Lithariel started to talk to the spider in Elvish. "I am Lithariel Greenleaf, the last of the Eldar! These mortals are under my protection! Leave here or die!"
The spider held it's ground. "Why would someone as powerful as you choose to protect weaklings such as these." It said in Common (A/N: Common=English) pointing a furry leg at the two mortals.
"That is none of your concern!" snapped Lithariel in Elvish.
The spider stepped back. "Then I shall take my leave of you, Lithariel Greenleaf." said the spider in Common as it turned, and walked away.
Lithariel looked quickly to Mithelena, and said in Elvish "Please follow it Lena." The Wolf took off in a streak of grey fur. Lithariel tucked her wand in the band on her right thigh that her dagger was strapped on with.
Lithariel then turned to Draco, and Hermione. "Are you two hurt?" They did not answer, as they were still in shock. Lithariel turned back around to look in the direction her wolf had gone.
What happened next was so fast, that only another Elf could have followed it. Mithelena let out a sharp warning bark. Lithariel grabbed her dagger by the hilt, flicked it into the air, and caught it by the tip. The spider came tearing towards Lithariel, an evil glint in it's eyes. Lithariel moved out of pure instinct, and flicked Aros at the giant spider. Her dagger imbedded itself up to the hilt in the spider's head. The spider collapsed, and skidded to a halt. Lithariel was moving before it hit the ground. She slid Aros out from between the beast's eyes, and stabbed it repeatedly in the head to make sure that it stayed down.
Lithariel stepped back, looked at her knife, and sighed. 'I despise spider blood,' she thought, 'it is so sticky and smelly! It is almost worse than Orc blood. Almost.' Lithariel wiped the blade on her skirt, and re-sheathed it swiftly.
Lithariel walked back over to Draco, and Hermione. She kneeled before them, and asked again, as she felt Mithelena, and Vialnen come up behind her. "Are either of you hurt?". Silence. Lithariel sighed deeply. This was not going to be easy.
* * *
Hermione tried to think over what had just happened.
A spider had charged them, a wolf had protected them. Whether out of the goodness of it's furry heart, or for the goodness of it's furry tummy, Hermione did not know.
A large, white, angelic looking horse had come to stand beside the wolf.
A woman dropped from the tree above them to stand between the horse, and wolf. No not a woman, a student, Lithariel Macleod.
Lithariel talked to the spider in a weird language, the spider called her 'Lithariel Greenleaf', and left.
The wolf went after it.
There was a bark, the spider was back, and then, suddenly, there was a dagger sticking out of the spider's head.
Hermione looked away.
Lithariel kneeled before her, and said something.
Hermione was to shocked to hear what she said.
* * *
Draco was stunned. That Lithariel girl had killed that giant spider! But, hey, where did she put that dagger? Why did she have a dagger in the first place? Did she carry it around school? Draco suddenly had a much greater respect for this girl. No, not girl, woman. She was more of a woman than anyone else at Hogwarts
Lithariel kneeled before him, and said something. He didn't hear her however. He was to busy looking at the very large wolf behind her.
* * *
Lithariel rolled her eyes in a very un-Elf-like fashion. Draco was looking worriedly at Lena, and Hermione was staring off into space. Both seemed not to hear her. Lithariel sensed profound sadness in Draco. She was suddenly sorry for what she had done to him. In this school she and Draco were equals. She had no right to treat him like she might treat a disrespectful commoner.
Lithariel turned to Mithelena. "Maybe they would talk to you." she said in Elvish. Mithelena stepped in front of Lithariel, and began sniffing Hermione. Hermione yelped as she was jolted back to reality, and leaned further into the tree. Draco had been watching as the wolf descended on Hermione, and had scooted away. Lithariel signaled Mithelena back to her.
"Now that I have your attention, I will ask you again: Are either of you hurt?" said Lithariel.
"I...I'm alright, I suppose. I'm just a little... dazed is all." said Hermione.
Lithariel looked at Draco. Was that Hermione's cloak?
"I'm fine." said Draco. "No thanks to the Weasels and Potter though."
"No thanks to me either." Lithariel admitted softly.
Draco looked at her shocked. Could she really have helped them pull this off? "What do you mean, exactly?" he queried.
"I assisted them in setting everything up. I was so angry at you for what you said in Potions about my mother, and father." Lithariel looked up to meet Draco's eyes. "You should not talk about people that you do not know of. You had no right, and I was livid."
Draco swallowed. Somehow he knew that angering Lithariel to the point where she was 'livid' was not a very wise thing to do after the way she had killed that spider. Draco shivered inwardly. 'I will just have to make a point of not offending her again.' thought Draco. 'If I want to live to be a sixth year that is.'
"Being angry," continued Lithariel, "is no excuse for acting the way I did. I should not have participated in such childish activities. Mr. Malfoy would you please accept my deepest apology, and forgive me for my lapse in judgement?"
Draco thought for a moment. 'I should really try to get back on her good side.' he decided. "Of course I forgive you Lithariel. Please also accept my apology for my rude behavior. It will not happen again. And please, call me Draco." he said.
Lithariel smiled at Draco. "Very well, Draco. Apology accepted."
"Do you know that wolf? It seems to recognize you." said Hermione. She was getting rather sick of all the mushy stuff. This was Malfoy after all. He probably only apologized so he could get under Lithariel's good graces. Once he had her he would use her relentlessly.
"Yes I do. She is my friend. Draco, Hermione," Lithariel gestured grandly "This is Mithelena. Lena for short. Lena this is Draco Malfoy, and Hermione Granger."
If Hermione didn't know better she would swear that the wolf bowed to them. "Thank you for saving us Lena." said Hermione politely. Mithelena wagged her tail, and nodded at Hermione as if to say 'Oh, it was nothing!'
Vialnen whinnied loudly, and pawed dejectedly at the ground. Lithariel turned her head to look at her. "I am sorry Vialnen, how rude of me. Draco, Hermione, this is Vialnen. Vialnen this is Draco, and Hermione."
Vialnen lowered her head aristocratically to the ground. 'If that wasn't a bow, I don't know what is.' thought Hermione astonished.
"We had better get back." said Lithariel. "I think we may have already missed lunch."
Draco rose, gave Hermione her cloak back, and headed for the castle. She and Lithariel followed behind him.
* * *
A/N: Hi! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wrote it when I was really really tired, so please be kind. Also, my Beta Readers weren't available to read the last half of this chapter so there may be some spelling, and grammatical errors. I will post it again after I get it beta read. ^_^
Guest: Thank you for you review! I know what you mean, but, like you, I thought since she is Galadriel's Great Granddaughter I could get away with it. You know Literary License and all that good stuff. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh, and by the by: please let the polyjuice potion thing slide. I mean, Fred and George could have made it at home, and brought it to school right? So, they could have let it brew for a month, and all that. Thanks again! ;) Zannna
Vana Everyoung: Thank you for your review! I really enjoyed it! It was *sniffle* beautiful! Here is your chapter. I think I posted it in less than a week. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't please tell me, because my muses went a little crazy on this one. Thanks again. ^-^ Zannna