Part Eight
The Ring
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"I have spoken with the centaurs," Legolas said, returning to the makeshift camp Aragorn had set up. "They tell me that the number of Orc has near doubled since Merry and Pippin arrived. Over half their number have been slain."
"Twice as many Orc?" Gimli repeated, glancing grimly at Aragorn. "They are preparing for battle."
"I fear so," Gandalf agreed. "Which means the time must be drawing near. Any sign of Frodo yet, Legolas?"
But the elf shook his head. "I have seen none. Likewise the creatures of the forest have seen no sign."
"Aragorn?"
Aragorn, who had been using all his skills as a ranger since they set foot in the forest, shook his head. "Nothing, Gandalf."
"Well!" Gimli sat himself on a large boulder and rested his arms on his axe. "What do we do now?"
Gandalf looked down at Gimli, his eyes alert and flashing. "We continue, Master Dwarf, until we find Frodo."
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Hermione and Ron found Harry sat in his favourite spot by the lake outside the castle. He was watching the water, seeing the ripples made by the various creatures that lived underneath the surface.
"Harry?" Ron called out as they approached him. "You alright, mate?"
"Harry? What did Dumbledore say? Did he explain why he and Gandalf have stopped searching for You-Know-Who?" Hermione asked.
Harry looked up at Hermione as if he'd just realised she was standing there. "Er, yeah, he did."
"Well?" Ron prompted impatiently. "What's the score?"
"They've stopped looking for Voldemort because they can't find him," Harry said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "He's too powerful now."
Hermione shivered. The thought of an even more powerful Voldemort was not a comforting one, even without the threat of him finding the ring.
"So, what? They're just going to stop looking for him?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Harry shrugged.
"That's mad," Ron exclaimed, shaking his head. "They can't just give up – we need to know where he is. They have to find him."
"They reckon they won't have to," Harry replied. "Dumbledore and Gandalf seem to think that as soon as the other hobbit turns up – Frodo, the one that has the ring – then Voldemort will come after him."
"You mean come here?" Hermione asked in turn. "Here to Hogwarts? He couldn't! I mean, he can't. The school's protected."
"Hasn't stopped him trying in the past though, has it?" Harry reminded her bluntly. "And remember he's even more powerful now – and he's after something that will make him all-powerful. He'd do anything to get his hands on that ring."
"Legolas and the others went to the forest ages ago to wait for Frodo," Hermione explained. "They're going to bring him back here when they find him. You-Know-Who's going to expect that, isn't he? Shouldn't they try and hide him?"
"They are," Harry said. He paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "That's the other thing Dumbledore said to me. They're going to hide the ring and they want my help to do it." Seeing blank looks on the faces of Ron and Hermione he added in a whisper, "they want me to be a secret-keeper."
His two friends stared back at Harry wide-eyed.
"Oh, Harry, that's really dangerous. Have you really said you'll do it?" Hermione asked gently.
Harry nodded slowly.
Ron said nothing at all, but tried to give his friend what he thought was a reassuring smile, but appeared to be more of an ugly grimace. Harry went back to staring at the lake.
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"This is crazy, Hermione," Ron said, as he and Hermione walked over to Hagrid's cabin. They'd left Harry by the lake, and to his own thoughts. "Dumbledore and Gandalf are just going to wait for You-Know-Who to turn up? Hogwarts'll be under siege. You've seen those things in the forest… And the only thing they're going to put between You-Know-Who and the ring of ultimate power is Harry! Great idea!" he finished sarcastically.
"Ron, listen," Hermione said, tired of his ranting. "We have to trust Dumbledore. He and Gandalf are great wizards – they know more about this than us. And Harry agreed to be the secret-keeper, Ron, and you know it. Harry fought You-Know-Who last year and survived to tell the tale, and that's more than a lot of adult wizards ever managed to do. Dumbledore asked him to do this because he can. It's important."
"Put's Harry in danger again though, doesn't it?" Ron reasoned. "And that means we'll be in danger too. Are you ready for that?"
"Hasn't stopped us before, has it?" Hermione shrugged.
Ron sniffed in agreement. "C'mon, let's go and talk to Hagrid about this."
Hagrid saw Ron and Hermione approaching through the window of his cabin and hurried out to meet them.
"What you two doin' 'ere?" he asked gruffly. "You should be up in the castle."
"We wanted to talk to you, Hagrid," Hermione said simply. "We're worried about Harry."
"Harry?" Hagrid paused for a moment. "He alright?"
"Dumbledore's asked him to help he and Gandalf fight You-Know-Who," Hermione whispered, in case anyone was in eaves-dropping distance.
"Dumbledore? Well he'll know what he's about," Hagrid brushed away Hermione's concern's with a wave of his hand. "Great man, Dumbledore."
"Hagrid, listen-"
"Let's get yeh inside first," Hagrid shooed her and Ron back towards the school. "I said you shouldn't be out here."
"Hagrid, it's not even dark yet," Ron protested. "There's students all over the grounds."
"Well they shouldn't be," Hagrid said fiercely. "There's goin' ter be trouble. Let's get up to the castle and get everyone else back too."
"Trouble?" Hermione repeated, as she and Ron began to move at last, trying to keep up with Hagrid as he charged towards the school. "What do you mean?"
Just as she spoke, the three of them heard an enormous roar from the forest, as if hundreds of creatures had shrieked in unison.
"What the hell was that?" Ron cried out, staring at the others.
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Aragorn had Frodo and Sam. Unfortunately, every Orc and Uruk-hai in the forest knew he did as well, and the others were no where to be seen.
"Gandalf!" Aragorn roared, to no avail. He felt something grab him and looked down at Frodo, who was trying to free himself from Aragorn's tight grip.
"You must let me go, Aragorn," Frodo shouted. "I have to go to Mordor alone!"
"You will, Frodo, believe me," Aragorn said patiently. "Soon you will have no choice but to continue your journey without me, but for now you will be in the deepest peril unless you stay by my side."
"No! You're trying to get the ring – you're trying to trick me!" Frodo shouted again, struggling even more against Aragorn's hold. Until, that is, Sam laid a calming hand on his arm.
"Don't, Master Frodo," Sam said soothingly. "Let's trust Strider, he's always done right by us before."
Aragorn gave Sam a thankful glance as Frodo stopped struggling at last. From what he understood from their conversation, Frodo and Sam had been pulled from Middle-Earth just after the Fellowship had broken up and the two hobbits had set out on the long and arduous journey to Mordor. Frodo had left because of the terrible power the ring was starting to have over the Fellowship itself. Now, in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, with the dark wizard Voldemort soon to be on their tail, Aragorn was having a hard time convincing Frodo of doing what was good for him.
"We must find the others," Aragorn said softly. "This forest is crawling with Orc. We must find the others if we are to get to safety."
As he moved stealthily through the shadows, leading the two hobbits behind him, Aragorn was unaware he was being watched very carefully from someone just a short distance away… He soon did know, however, as an arrow whistled past his face and hit a large Uruk-Hai warrior that had been about to thrust his sword into Aragorn. Aragorn pulled the arrow out of the fallen Uruk-Hai and caught sight of its distinctive Elven markings.
"Where have you been?" he asked of Legolas in Elvish as the Elf landed gracefully in front of them.
"Watching out for you," Legolas replied. Seeing the two hobbits behind Aragorn he smiled at them grimly. "We must get to the castle at once."
"I agree," Aragorn said, starting to move again. As they moved, they heard a familiar, blood-curdling yell of anger and the sound of an axe slicing through a neck.
"Quick, Gimli!" Legolas called out to the dwarf. "We have to keep moving." The chase was on.
Frodo and Sam, still frightened and confused as to what exactly was going on, followed their friends through the dark trees, their swords held out in front of them. Aragorn too, held his sword in readiness by his side, prepared to defend Frodo to the death. Legolas and Gimli led the way, killing anything that got in their way. Gimli's axe and Legolas' arrows flew in every direction, but it was clear they would soon be overcome. There were just too many Orc in the forest.
More and more Orc and Uruk-Hai were converging on them. There had to be thousands in the forest – maybe even more had arrived that night at the same time as Frodo and Sam. Just as Aragorn was beginning to doubt their ever reaching the school grounds, a bright, powerful light shone through the forest. All but Legolas shielded their eyes from the sight, but soon a booming voice forced them all to look up.
"Gandalf!" Aragorn breathed. "At last!"
Gandalf was muttering an incantation that had forced back the dark and evil creatures that had been chasing them through the trees. Merry and Pippin were also with him, their swords aloft and dripping with Orc blood.
Legolas beckoned swiftly to Frodo and Sam. "Come, we must keep moving. With Gandalf's help we can reach the castle in safety."
But Frodo and Sam stayed rooted to the spot, their mouths wide open in disbelief. It was as if they had not even heard Legolas speak. Slowly, Frodo turned his head to look at Sam, then back to the image in front of him. "Gandalf?" he whispered, not trusting his own eyes.
"He's alive!" Sam cried out, a catch in his voice as he spoke for the first time.
Legolas and Gimli exchanged glances. Both realised that, as with Merry and Pippin, the other two hobbits had been pulled from a time when Gandalf was still dead to them. To them, it was just a short while since their confrontation with the Balrog and the loss of Gandalf the Grey. Unfortunately, there was no time to explain. They had to keep moving – too much was at stake.
Gandalf knew this too, of course. He paused in his chanting and looked down at Frodo and Sam, smiling a little at them. "Trust me, Frodo – do what Aragorn asks of you," he said gently. It was all he said, but it was enough. The Fellowship started to run and soon they were within sight of the enormous façade of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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A war council was arranged in the Great Hall. Dumbledore and Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli sat around one of the large tables, everyone felt a sense of urgency. They all knew the battle was about to begin.
It was into this tense atmosphere that Harry entered. He had been summoned by Dumbledore, who wished him to attend. He had known immediately what was to happen. All the other students had been confined to their common rooms and dormitories. The teachers were on guard around the castle. That Aragorn and the others had returned meant only one thing – they had found Frodo and the ring and he needed to be hidden in the castle. That meant they would need the secret-keeper to perform the spell. That was Harry.
"Ah, Harry, thank you for coming," Dumbledore said politely, as Harry walked shyly into the room. "Come and sit down."
"We must hide Frodo immediately, Gandalf," Aragorn was saying, with the most cursory of glances at Harry. "There are Orc than ever in the forest, and they know we have the ring. This wizard Voldemort will be appearing at any moment and the castle will be under siege. There is no time to lose!"
"Frodo will be hidden, Aragorn," Dumbledore said evenly, with a glance at Gandalf, "And I agree with you that it must happen right away. That is why I have asked Harry to join us here."
Everyone around the table turn to look at Harry. Frodo and Sam, the two newcomers, looked too, although they weren't sure why. Dumbledore looked right at them. "Frodo Baggins," he said, nodding at Frodo. "This is Harry Potter. He is a student at the school. As I was saying before, I am prepared to hide you and the ring inside Hogwarts, but to keep your location secret from everyone, I will have to use some powerful magic." He smiled reassuringly at Frodo. "It's certainly an old spell, but it's very effective," he said. "It involves hiding your secret inside a living person – the secret-keeper – and they and only they can possibly betray your whereabouts. Harry here has agreed to be your secret keeper."
There was a murmur around the table as several of the others spoke and Aragorn turned to look at Harry with the greatest surprise.
"You're going to use the boy?" he asked Dumbledore. "How can you trust a child with such a spell? If this Voldemort is as powerful a wizard as you say he is, then how can you be sure he won't trick him to get the knowledge out of him somehow?"
"Voldemort is indeed a powerful wizard," Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Few in our world have confronted him and come out the other side. Harry has." Dumbledore paused as Aragorn looked carefully at Harry again. "Last year Harry duelled with Voldemort. Another student was killed but Harry survived. I would not have asked him to help us in this way if I did not believe he could do it."
Harry, listening to the conversation but playing no part in it was grateful for the assuredness in Dumbledore's voice. He himself was feeling more and more uncertain as the minutes went past. His eyes kept passing towards the hobbit, Frodo, and Harry couldn't help but notice the way that Frodo held his hand over a necklace at his throat. Harry knew suddenly, with a hollow feeling in his stomach, that clutched in that hand was the ring. The One Ring.
"I trust Dumbledore's judgement," Gandalf added, looking around at the others. "Try and put you worries aside and concentrate on how we can defend the castle. They have offered us shelter and protection here and we owe it to them to keep it safe. We have no time to lose. Frodo," Gandalf clapped a reassuring hand on the hobbit's shoulder. "You must go with Dumbledore and Harry so that they can perform the spell. I promise you, you will be safe as long as I have it in me to defend you."
Frodo nodded and made as if to follow Dumbledore when Sam pushed himself in front of Frodo. "You don't go without me, Master Frodo," he said, looking up at Gandalf determinedly, daring him to disagree. "We stick together and that's that."
Gandalf looked down at Sam with and nodded. "Very good, Sam, if you wish, you can remain with Frodo. Now gentlemen, we must get to work, Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli, tell us everything you have learnt about Hogwarts and it's grounds. It's every strength, every weakness and every foible. We have so little time left."
Dumbledore ushered out Sam, Frodo and Harry, promising to return with Harry and Hagrid once the spell had been performed. The old and learned headmaster couldn't help a shudder as he heard another deathly shriek from the forest. His school was about to be attacked.
To be continued… Please read/review!