Shadow of a Doubt
Chapter 3 - Yesterday
by Capella no da
A/N: 12/31/02: Well, another redone chapter-time. Ick ick ick. This might have been my least favorite, especially since I had made Boromir such a jerk. *pets Boromir* Sorry!
*pulls out fic Band-aids and neosporin*
Fixin' time!
_______________________________
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, I yesterday came suddenly."
- The Beatles, ''Yesterday"
_______________________________
"...and since the death of my friend Cedric we haven't seen Voldemort since."
Harry finished his tale with a sense of emptiness inside of him. It took so much out of him to tell that entire thing, and for some reason, Gandalf's eyes prodded him on when he would have stopped. He had even told them about the Mirror of Erised and what he had seen in it, and no one knew about that but Ron and Hermione.
He had just told his life story to a circle of complete strangers who probably wanted to kill him. He hoped he hadn't said anything suspicious.
A tall man with hair to his shoulders stepped forward. He had an air of nobility and pride, but it was obvious to Harry that he had an easy smile. He wasn't smiling now.
"I do not know if we can trust him," the man said, not exactly unkindly but suspiciously. "He's just a boy, and a stranger to Middle-earth. Even if he is trustworthy, we cannot possibly send him to be slaughtered by Sauron."
"Peace, Boromir. It is not yet your time to speak," the tall elf, Elrond, said sternly. "The Council will hear everyone in time. But first, we would like Legolas to say what he thinks. Harry, you may take a seat if you wish."
The elf didn't even look suprised. "I would not want to intrude on matters of the Council," he said, "and I have told you what I believe. I trust him."
Gandalf let out a sigh in a huge "whoosh" of air. "We should ask the Ringbearer about this. What does the Council think?"
One by one, each creature nodded. Harry counted at least ten elves, three dwarves, but only one wizard. Harry wondered why there weren't as many as wizards and he resolved to ask later.
And who was Sauron?
"Gandalf!" A small voice came from the passage leading to the clearing. "What's this all about? Merry and I were just having a wonderful supper."
"I think it was our dinner, Pip."
Harry turned around and couldn't help but stare in wonder. Four children-like figures were walking out to the middle of the Council ring. They were slightly plump and had very furry heads and feet. One of them looked up at Harry with bright blue eyes. Harry had the distinct feeling that he'd seen the child somewhere before.
Legolas smiled slightly. Harry got the impression that 'slightly' described just about all of Legolas's expressions.
"Hobbits," he explained to Harry softly, "or Halflings, as we like to call them. Very smart little creatures. That one's Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Peregrin Took, though we all call him Pippin, and Merry Brandybuck."
"I -- I've seen you before!" Harry blurted, then fervently wished he'd kept his mouth shut when all those knowing eyes rested on him. He swallowed.
"In that glass ball there were so many things, I couldn't remember them all, but a few stood out. I saw a child -- excuse me, a Hobbit -- and thick gold ring." A gasp went around the Council. The hobbits, save one, were oblivious to it all.
The one that Legolas had called Pippin stuck out a hand up to Harry and a bright smile split his face. "I'm Peregrin Took, or Pippin, or even just Pip, if you'd like. Who are you?"
Harry looked, suprised, at Legolas and then back at Pippin. "I'm a wizard. And you can just call me Harry." He shook Pippin's hand but the hobbit had seemingly forgotten it in his awe. In fact, all of the hobbits had turned around to stare at Harry.
"Pippin!"
"Oh, sorry," Pippin said with a grin, and released Harry's hand.
"Frodo," Gandalf said, a smile on his face. "We need your council on something."
Frodo looked puzzled. "On what?"
"Not on what, but on who." He pointed to Harry.
"Are you really a wizard?" Frodo asked curiously, his unnerving, blue eyes fixed on Harry's face intently. Harry nodded.
"I think he's trustworthy," Frodo said softly, still studying Harry. Sam nodded.
"As do I," Merry stated.
"And me, too!" Pippin said with a big grin.
Gandalf sighed heavily. "Before we come to a decision, I would like Aragorn to speak his mind." He tapped his wand against the dirt floor.
Harry saw a tall man step forward, with brown hair and proud eyes, and a scabbard hanging from his worn belt. He was so, so familiar...
"I know you!" Harry didn't even notice when everyone's attention went to him again. "I saw you in my glass ball! You were sitting on a gold throne with a crown on your head, and two hobbits were standing with you. You were sitting next to a pretty elf with stars in her hair." For some reason, Elrond looked sad at that.
"Wait!" Pippin cried in dismay. "Can we break for supper first? You interrupted my first one so now I fear that I will faint before I can hear all of your story." Merry elbowed him in the ribs.
"Of course!" Gandalf smiled. "We had forgotten about you, Master Took. We must fill up that stomach of yours before you die of hunger."
"Meet in after supper!" Gandalf called after the leaving creatures. "That means you too, Master Pippin!"
Unnoticed, Harry slipped off to the side and into the woods. He went to one side so that he could keep an eye on Legolas as the elf made his way to where Harry stood.
To Harry's eternal suprise, when Legolas reached him, the elf grasped Harry's shoulders lightly. "Legolas, what are you?..." he started, but was silenced by Legolas's finger on his lips.
Legolas didn't say a word, his face impossibly close. Harry leaned up slowly, and was about to meet the elf's lips when he thought of his red haired lover back at home, worrying about him. He pulled away quickly and answered the question in Legolas's eyes.
"I can't, Legolas. I'm sorry, but there's someone at home who's waiting for me and I was going to tell them that we should stop seeing each other but I never got the chance to and..."
"Harry."
Harry glanced up.
"Be quiet."
And Legolas kissed him.
___________________________
A/N: well that about does it. Hope it sounds better, at least.
Chapter 3 - Yesterday
by Capella no da
A/N: 12/31/02: Well, another redone chapter-time. Ick ick ick. This might have been my least favorite, especially since I had made Boromir such a jerk. *pets Boromir* Sorry!
*pulls out fic Band-aids and neosporin*
Fixin' time!
_______________________________
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, I yesterday came suddenly."
- The Beatles, ''Yesterday"
_______________________________
"...and since the death of my friend Cedric we haven't seen Voldemort since."
Harry finished his tale with a sense of emptiness inside of him. It took so much out of him to tell that entire thing, and for some reason, Gandalf's eyes prodded him on when he would have stopped. He had even told them about the Mirror of Erised and what he had seen in it, and no one knew about that but Ron and Hermione.
He had just told his life story to a circle of complete strangers who probably wanted to kill him. He hoped he hadn't said anything suspicious.
A tall man with hair to his shoulders stepped forward. He had an air of nobility and pride, but it was obvious to Harry that he had an easy smile. He wasn't smiling now.
"I do not know if we can trust him," the man said, not exactly unkindly but suspiciously. "He's just a boy, and a stranger to Middle-earth. Even if he is trustworthy, we cannot possibly send him to be slaughtered by Sauron."
"Peace, Boromir. It is not yet your time to speak," the tall elf, Elrond, said sternly. "The Council will hear everyone in time. But first, we would like Legolas to say what he thinks. Harry, you may take a seat if you wish."
The elf didn't even look suprised. "I would not want to intrude on matters of the Council," he said, "and I have told you what I believe. I trust him."
Gandalf let out a sigh in a huge "whoosh" of air. "We should ask the Ringbearer about this. What does the Council think?"
One by one, each creature nodded. Harry counted at least ten elves, three dwarves, but only one wizard. Harry wondered why there weren't as many as wizards and he resolved to ask later.
And who was Sauron?
"Gandalf!" A small voice came from the passage leading to the clearing. "What's this all about? Merry and I were just having a wonderful supper."
"I think it was our dinner, Pip."
Harry turned around and couldn't help but stare in wonder. Four children-like figures were walking out to the middle of the Council ring. They were slightly plump and had very furry heads and feet. One of them looked up at Harry with bright blue eyes. Harry had the distinct feeling that he'd seen the child somewhere before.
Legolas smiled slightly. Harry got the impression that 'slightly' described just about all of Legolas's expressions.
"Hobbits," he explained to Harry softly, "or Halflings, as we like to call them. Very smart little creatures. That one's Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Peregrin Took, though we all call him Pippin, and Merry Brandybuck."
"I -- I've seen you before!" Harry blurted, then fervently wished he'd kept his mouth shut when all those knowing eyes rested on him. He swallowed.
"In that glass ball there were so many things, I couldn't remember them all, but a few stood out. I saw a child -- excuse me, a Hobbit -- and thick gold ring." A gasp went around the Council. The hobbits, save one, were oblivious to it all.
The one that Legolas had called Pippin stuck out a hand up to Harry and a bright smile split his face. "I'm Peregrin Took, or Pippin, or even just Pip, if you'd like. Who are you?"
Harry looked, suprised, at Legolas and then back at Pippin. "I'm a wizard. And you can just call me Harry." He shook Pippin's hand but the hobbit had seemingly forgotten it in his awe. In fact, all of the hobbits had turned around to stare at Harry.
"Pippin!"
"Oh, sorry," Pippin said with a grin, and released Harry's hand.
"Frodo," Gandalf said, a smile on his face. "We need your council on something."
Frodo looked puzzled. "On what?"
"Not on what, but on who." He pointed to Harry.
"Are you really a wizard?" Frodo asked curiously, his unnerving, blue eyes fixed on Harry's face intently. Harry nodded.
"I think he's trustworthy," Frodo said softly, still studying Harry. Sam nodded.
"As do I," Merry stated.
"And me, too!" Pippin said with a big grin.
Gandalf sighed heavily. "Before we come to a decision, I would like Aragorn to speak his mind." He tapped his wand against the dirt floor.
Harry saw a tall man step forward, with brown hair and proud eyes, and a scabbard hanging from his worn belt. He was so, so familiar...
"I know you!" Harry didn't even notice when everyone's attention went to him again. "I saw you in my glass ball! You were sitting on a gold throne with a crown on your head, and two hobbits were standing with you. You were sitting next to a pretty elf with stars in her hair." For some reason, Elrond looked sad at that.
"Wait!" Pippin cried in dismay. "Can we break for supper first? You interrupted my first one so now I fear that I will faint before I can hear all of your story." Merry elbowed him in the ribs.
"Of course!" Gandalf smiled. "We had forgotten about you, Master Took. We must fill up that stomach of yours before you die of hunger."
"Meet in after supper!" Gandalf called after the leaving creatures. "That means you too, Master Pippin!"
Unnoticed, Harry slipped off to the side and into the woods. He went to one side so that he could keep an eye on Legolas as the elf made his way to where Harry stood.
To Harry's eternal suprise, when Legolas reached him, the elf grasped Harry's shoulders lightly. "Legolas, what are you?..." he started, but was silenced by Legolas's finger on his lips.
Legolas didn't say a word, his face impossibly close. Harry leaned up slowly, and was about to meet the elf's lips when he thought of his red haired lover back at home, worrying about him. He pulled away quickly and answered the question in Legolas's eyes.
"I can't, Legolas. I'm sorry, but there's someone at home who's waiting for me and I was going to tell them that we should stop seeing each other but I never got the chance to and..."
"Harry."
Harry glanced up.
"Be quiet."
And Legolas kissed him.
___________________________
A/N: well that about does it. Hope it sounds better, at least.