Disclaimer: Nope, don't own. If I did, I wouldn't be writing Fanfiction, now would I?
Author's notes: Look! It's longer! Yay!! Almost three typed pages. So don't hurt me! :squeak:
I've never updated stories this quickly. @_@ I'm having so much fun writing this, it's beginning to become an obsession. Wheee...enjoy, and leave your tidings if you will by clicking that lovely little review button.
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Hermione's reply came quickly, Hedwig stumbling through the air under the weight of the stack of parchment and large book that she had been sent with. Hermione was ecstatic that Harry was 'so interested in her cause, and finally decided to really help her help those poor house elves,' and must have sent him every scrap of paper she owned that even vaguely thought about the elves.
The book was old and boring as Mrs. Figg's 'Kitty Album,' but it kept his mind distracted. It stopped him from spending his days thinking about the darkness that loomed over head, worrying about the events happening in the Wizarding world, and pining for someone who he would never see again...
He spent long hours in his room, turning the worn pages carefully, squinting at the small print in which the information of the book was written in, venturing out only when his stomach or bladder insisted on it. Even the Dursleys began to get worried, whether for his health or their own safety, peering at him strangely as he crept to take food from the fridge (they never stopped him anymore; the warning they had received at the end of the school year was apparently still fresh in their mind), or padded down the long hall to the bathroom.
He dug through the parchment, and he scrutinized every passage of the book, constantly sending letters to Hermione asking nit-picky questions. Her answers, however, normally informative and helpful, only drew him further into confusion; no sentence hinted towards the elves being anything but slaves, no word gave hint to any creature like the golden-haired figure who had fought the Death Eaters and escaped. However, by the same token, nothing mentioned of the time before the house elves were servants of wizards and witches world wide; it seemed no one knew where they came from, or why, leaving Harry's slowly seeding theories of their origin grow without impediment.
Time seemed to fly now that he was occupied; it was not until his list for school supplies arrived that he realized how near the school year was to beginning. He darted off his bed, quickly digging through the letters from Ron and the others which lay forgotten; well, perhaps not forgotten...he remembered writing back, however the letters had been short and to the point; he had even turned down Ron's request to visit for the remainder of the summer. He did not need Mrs. Weasley peering over his shoulder every moment and coddling him like an infant when such grief as his still loomed threateningly over his heart. The Dursleys were not so bad this summer, anyway; he doubted that more than a few words had passed between him and the other members of the household since the summer began.
He scribbled a letter to Ron and his family, inquiring if he could come over for the last week or two of summer so that he could acquire his school supplies. He already knew the answer, even before he gave Hedwig the letter; still, he was not keen on just showing up on the Weasley's doorstep like a rag-tag runaway. He opened the window wide, allowing Hedwig to flap out, her long wings beating silently as she soared into the air. He watched her until she became one with the clouds, before turning back to the now much read parchment scattered across his bed. Silently, with a final glance out the window, he wondered where the elf was now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elves, much like cats, the only creatures that can seem to match their otherworldly mystery and grace, have a keen sense of home. You can place an elf anywhere in the world, spin them about countless times, and push them off in some random direction, and they still would manage to find their way back to whatever place they called their motherland.
Legolas Greenleaf was no different from the others of his kin in this respect. Even years of imprisonment, soul leaping from the quick lives of the goblin creatures that shared his people's name to another, added with the complete change of geography and the loss of all things he knew familiar could not stop him from finding Mirkwood.
It was dark, full of things for which he had no name; the trees were strange and silent, their hearts dark. The air was close and near suffocating, much like it had been in the forest of Fangorn, and darkness crawled from bough to bough without hindrance;, Yet it still brought him a small bit of comfort, like no other thing could in the strange time he found himself in.
He lay in the branches of a large tree, which allowed him footing though its malice was ever brooding. He tried to fall to dreams, letting his mind wander to white shores and golden fields, where his kin laughed and played, but it only made him remember more the curse that lay upon the once fair people, from which none were exempt, not even those strong and powerful, like the fair Lady Galadriel, or the wise Lord Elrond.
'Funny that I,' he thought, 'of all the powerful Eldar that there are residing in the goblin bodies of the house elves, would be the one released. One Prince whose only boast was that he had followed the King of Gondor into the last battle against Sauron the Deceiver.' He wept then, for his own loneliness, for the state of his beloved forest, and most of all for those of his kin that still lay cursed, doomed to the bodies of hideous slaves.
Even the darkest of the hearts that dwelled in the Forbidden Forest that lay on the edge of Hogwarts quavered as the song of the one free elf in the world rose above the tree tops in a mournful melody.
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The second Harry stepped off the Knight Bus, which had halted with a loud 'BANG!' in front of the Burrow, he was assaulted by Mrs. Weasley, her questions muffled by the bear hug she captured him in. Ron gave an uneasy smile from where he stood on the left of Harry, looking like he was not sure what to do with the brand new guest, despite the fact that they had been close friends for over five years.
"Are you alright? You're so thin! Have they been feeding you enough?" Asked Mrs. Weasley, babbling about his state of dress and build for another five minutes as she dragged him into the house, not even bothering to give him time to answer. Harry attempted to straighten his oversized sweater, but it did him little good; It was true, he had not been eating or sleeping as much as a sixteen year old should, but that had nothing to do with the Dursleys. Obsessions, both of grief and for distraction, had kept him occupied, the needs of his body often being taken care of as the last of his daily tasks.
He was ushered to the table and plied with food, of which he ate, more to stop Mrs. Weasley from fussing over him then real hunger.
"So..." said Ron slowly, sinking into a chair beside him. "How has your summer been?" Harry fixed his eyes on the tall red-head, who looked like he would rather be asking any other question, but was being held by the bonds of friendship to inquire such things.
"Fine. A bit quiet, but busy." He replied after a moment's thought, chewing through a thick mouthful of bacon. "Yours?"
"Er, fine. Just as usual you know. The twins have started their own business, and live above their shop instead of at home, so I guess its been quiet here too, relatively. Except for the whole week when Mum found out that Ginny had a boyfriend. She nearly keeled over. She's much too over protective..."
"Is Ginny still going out with Dean?" Asked Harry.
"No...they broke up a bit ago." Said Ron, looking a bit shifty eyed. "Good choice, if you ask me. She's dating a guy that lives in the next town over now." Harry nearly snorted; he doubted very much that Ginny had decided to up and well dump Dean of her own will. More likely, she had broken up with him at her older brother's 'insistence.'
"So...Hermione said you've been writing her about elves. What's gotten into you? I thought you thought that house elves should not be freed if they didn't want to be." Harry paused. He had not told Hermione, nor anyone else what he had seen. They would go into hysterics that Harry was seeing visions of Voldemort at all; then Hermione would start making up wild theories (which might not be such a bad thing, he had found nothing researching on his own), and Ron would just worry that he had gone bloody mad and would get more and more distant as time passed. Ron was a good friend, who would always stand by his companions, but on the social aspects of support he was slightly lacking.
As for telling anyone else, he was beginning to find himself trusting Dumbledore much less then he had been the last few years of his life, the events of the previous year still fresh in his mind; added to his anger that still was directed at the older wizard, it put Dumbledore far out of the question. Mrs. Weasley would turn immediately to the Headmaster, as would Tonks or any of the others. Maybe Remus would not, but the werewolf had enough problems of his own, and Harry would feel guilty for piling more upon him.
Sirius would not tell, but Sirius was...
No.
"I thought about it...and...changed my mind." Harry replied, hoping that he passed the lie over well. The look Ron gave him, however, told him that he had failed in that aspect horribly.
"Alright, what's wrong?" Luckily, Harry was saved from replying by Mrs. Weasley's voice raising in delight. Both boys looked towards the kitchen door to see Hermione bound in.
"Hello!" She told them cheerfully, flanked by Crookshanks. She gave them each a swift hug, before flopping down in another chair. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as Hermione's appearance turned the conversation away from him, and towards the bushy-haired girl and her summer, which had been spent in the Caribbean.
'You're not off the hook yet.' Thought Ron, glancing at the small boy that was one of his best friends. Hermione caught his glance, and frowned, and the two friends decided silently that they would find out what was troubling Harry's mind, hell or high water.
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Hinomi: Eeep! :hides: It's longer, don't hurt me! XD Your welcome. Hope you enjoy this one as much.
Lady-of-the-Rings: Yeah, I love him. He's fun to write. ^^ I'm glad you love it! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside....like I had just swallowed a kitten. ;)
Just Another Lazy Reviewer: Don't worry, I'm lazy too. XD I'm glad you like it!!
Little Witch: X3 I'm glad you don't object to dragging him here too! I want him to be my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...;-; Thankies!
Yavie: Here! Another chapter for you to enjoy! At least, I hope you enjoy it. I'm glad you love it! ^___^ It makes my day.
Black Queen: :faints: Tolkien-like but lighter? You're all too kind. I'm sorry that it's a bit confusing, but its needed so that you can connect with the characters. Don't worry, everything will be explained in plain English soon...as soon as I figure out what the heck is happening my self. I'm glad you like it! ^___^!!
Ashly Potter: Yeah, I never got that myself. I'm glad its not confusing to someone! ^^ Here's the update for you! ((Wow, an update that didn't take two months!))
Sweet Taloa: I couldn't help it. They are two of my favorite characters! =D Yeah, I'm surprised I updated too. @_@ This is the first story that I've updated so often. It must be because it is so much fun to write!!
Aurumlupi: Yesh, no romance. X3 The only pairings I like are either slash or Harry/Hermione, both which would 1) cause several readers who would enjoy it to avoid the story, 2) would add a lot more problems that would completely clutter the already busy plot, drawing it away from the main issue. I'm glad you are interested, and hope that this chapter holds up to your standards!
Author's notes: Look! It's longer! Yay!! Almost three typed pages. So don't hurt me! :squeak:
I've never updated stories this quickly. @_@ I'm having so much fun writing this, it's beginning to become an obsession. Wheee...enjoy, and leave your tidings if you will by clicking that lovely little review button.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione's reply came quickly, Hedwig stumbling through the air under the weight of the stack of parchment and large book that she had been sent with. Hermione was ecstatic that Harry was 'so interested in her cause, and finally decided to really help her help those poor house elves,' and must have sent him every scrap of paper she owned that even vaguely thought about the elves.
The book was old and boring as Mrs. Figg's 'Kitty Album,' but it kept his mind distracted. It stopped him from spending his days thinking about the darkness that loomed over head, worrying about the events happening in the Wizarding world, and pining for someone who he would never see again...
He spent long hours in his room, turning the worn pages carefully, squinting at the small print in which the information of the book was written in, venturing out only when his stomach or bladder insisted on it. Even the Dursleys began to get worried, whether for his health or their own safety, peering at him strangely as he crept to take food from the fridge (they never stopped him anymore; the warning they had received at the end of the school year was apparently still fresh in their mind), or padded down the long hall to the bathroom.
He dug through the parchment, and he scrutinized every passage of the book, constantly sending letters to Hermione asking nit-picky questions. Her answers, however, normally informative and helpful, only drew him further into confusion; no sentence hinted towards the elves being anything but slaves, no word gave hint to any creature like the golden-haired figure who had fought the Death Eaters and escaped. However, by the same token, nothing mentioned of the time before the house elves were servants of wizards and witches world wide; it seemed no one knew where they came from, or why, leaving Harry's slowly seeding theories of their origin grow without impediment.
Time seemed to fly now that he was occupied; it was not until his list for school supplies arrived that he realized how near the school year was to beginning. He darted off his bed, quickly digging through the letters from Ron and the others which lay forgotten; well, perhaps not forgotten...he remembered writing back, however the letters had been short and to the point; he had even turned down Ron's request to visit for the remainder of the summer. He did not need Mrs. Weasley peering over his shoulder every moment and coddling him like an infant when such grief as his still loomed threateningly over his heart. The Dursleys were not so bad this summer, anyway; he doubted that more than a few words had passed between him and the other members of the household since the summer began.
He scribbled a letter to Ron and his family, inquiring if he could come over for the last week or two of summer so that he could acquire his school supplies. He already knew the answer, even before he gave Hedwig the letter; still, he was not keen on just showing up on the Weasley's doorstep like a rag-tag runaway. He opened the window wide, allowing Hedwig to flap out, her long wings beating silently as she soared into the air. He watched her until she became one with the clouds, before turning back to the now much read parchment scattered across his bed. Silently, with a final glance out the window, he wondered where the elf was now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elves, much like cats, the only creatures that can seem to match their otherworldly mystery and grace, have a keen sense of home. You can place an elf anywhere in the world, spin them about countless times, and push them off in some random direction, and they still would manage to find their way back to whatever place they called their motherland.
Legolas Greenleaf was no different from the others of his kin in this respect. Even years of imprisonment, soul leaping from the quick lives of the goblin creatures that shared his people's name to another, added with the complete change of geography and the loss of all things he knew familiar could not stop him from finding Mirkwood.
It was dark, full of things for which he had no name; the trees were strange and silent, their hearts dark. The air was close and near suffocating, much like it had been in the forest of Fangorn, and darkness crawled from bough to bough without hindrance;, Yet it still brought him a small bit of comfort, like no other thing could in the strange time he found himself in.
He lay in the branches of a large tree, which allowed him footing though its malice was ever brooding. He tried to fall to dreams, letting his mind wander to white shores and golden fields, where his kin laughed and played, but it only made him remember more the curse that lay upon the once fair people, from which none were exempt, not even those strong and powerful, like the fair Lady Galadriel, or the wise Lord Elrond.
'Funny that I,' he thought, 'of all the powerful Eldar that there are residing in the goblin bodies of the house elves, would be the one released. One Prince whose only boast was that he had followed the King of Gondor into the last battle against Sauron the Deceiver.' He wept then, for his own loneliness, for the state of his beloved forest, and most of all for those of his kin that still lay cursed, doomed to the bodies of hideous slaves.
Even the darkest of the hearts that dwelled in the Forbidden Forest that lay on the edge of Hogwarts quavered as the song of the one free elf in the world rose above the tree tops in a mournful melody.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The second Harry stepped off the Knight Bus, which had halted with a loud 'BANG!' in front of the Burrow, he was assaulted by Mrs. Weasley, her questions muffled by the bear hug she captured him in. Ron gave an uneasy smile from where he stood on the left of Harry, looking like he was not sure what to do with the brand new guest, despite the fact that they had been close friends for over five years.
"Are you alright? You're so thin! Have they been feeding you enough?" Asked Mrs. Weasley, babbling about his state of dress and build for another five minutes as she dragged him into the house, not even bothering to give him time to answer. Harry attempted to straighten his oversized sweater, but it did him little good; It was true, he had not been eating or sleeping as much as a sixteen year old should, but that had nothing to do with the Dursleys. Obsessions, both of grief and for distraction, had kept him occupied, the needs of his body often being taken care of as the last of his daily tasks.
He was ushered to the table and plied with food, of which he ate, more to stop Mrs. Weasley from fussing over him then real hunger.
"So..." said Ron slowly, sinking into a chair beside him. "How has your summer been?" Harry fixed his eyes on the tall red-head, who looked like he would rather be asking any other question, but was being held by the bonds of friendship to inquire such things.
"Fine. A bit quiet, but busy." He replied after a moment's thought, chewing through a thick mouthful of bacon. "Yours?"
"Er, fine. Just as usual you know. The twins have started their own business, and live above their shop instead of at home, so I guess its been quiet here too, relatively. Except for the whole week when Mum found out that Ginny had a boyfriend. She nearly keeled over. She's much too over protective..."
"Is Ginny still going out with Dean?" Asked Harry.
"No...they broke up a bit ago." Said Ron, looking a bit shifty eyed. "Good choice, if you ask me. She's dating a guy that lives in the next town over now." Harry nearly snorted; he doubted very much that Ginny had decided to up and well dump Dean of her own will. More likely, she had broken up with him at her older brother's 'insistence.'
"So...Hermione said you've been writing her about elves. What's gotten into you? I thought you thought that house elves should not be freed if they didn't want to be." Harry paused. He had not told Hermione, nor anyone else what he had seen. They would go into hysterics that Harry was seeing visions of Voldemort at all; then Hermione would start making up wild theories (which might not be such a bad thing, he had found nothing researching on his own), and Ron would just worry that he had gone bloody mad and would get more and more distant as time passed. Ron was a good friend, who would always stand by his companions, but on the social aspects of support he was slightly lacking.
As for telling anyone else, he was beginning to find himself trusting Dumbledore much less then he had been the last few years of his life, the events of the previous year still fresh in his mind; added to his anger that still was directed at the older wizard, it put Dumbledore far out of the question. Mrs. Weasley would turn immediately to the Headmaster, as would Tonks or any of the others. Maybe Remus would not, but the werewolf had enough problems of his own, and Harry would feel guilty for piling more upon him.
Sirius would not tell, but Sirius was...
No.
"I thought about it...and...changed my mind." Harry replied, hoping that he passed the lie over well. The look Ron gave him, however, told him that he had failed in that aspect horribly.
"Alright, what's wrong?" Luckily, Harry was saved from replying by Mrs. Weasley's voice raising in delight. Both boys looked towards the kitchen door to see Hermione bound in.
"Hello!" She told them cheerfully, flanked by Crookshanks. She gave them each a swift hug, before flopping down in another chair. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as Hermione's appearance turned the conversation away from him, and towards the bushy-haired girl and her summer, which had been spent in the Caribbean.
'You're not off the hook yet.' Thought Ron, glancing at the small boy that was one of his best friends. Hermione caught his glance, and frowned, and the two friends decided silently that they would find out what was troubling Harry's mind, hell or high water.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hinomi: Eeep! :hides: It's longer, don't hurt me! XD Your welcome. Hope you enjoy this one as much.
Lady-of-the-Rings: Yeah, I love him. He's fun to write. ^^ I'm glad you love it! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside....like I had just swallowed a kitten. ;)
Just Another Lazy Reviewer: Don't worry, I'm lazy too. XD I'm glad you like it!!
Little Witch: X3 I'm glad you don't object to dragging him here too! I want him to be my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...;-; Thankies!
Yavie: Here! Another chapter for you to enjoy! At least, I hope you enjoy it. I'm glad you love it! ^___^ It makes my day.
Black Queen: :faints: Tolkien-like but lighter? You're all too kind. I'm sorry that it's a bit confusing, but its needed so that you can connect with the characters. Don't worry, everything will be explained in plain English soon...as soon as I figure out what the heck is happening my self. I'm glad you like it! ^___^!!
Ashly Potter: Yeah, I never got that myself. I'm glad its not confusing to someone! ^^ Here's the update for you! ((Wow, an update that didn't take two months!))
Sweet Taloa: I couldn't help it. They are two of my favorite characters! =D Yeah, I'm surprised I updated too. @_@ This is the first story that I've updated so often. It must be because it is so much fun to write!!
Aurumlupi: Yesh, no romance. X3 The only pairings I like are either slash or Harry/Hermione, both which would 1) cause several readers who would enjoy it to avoid the story, 2) would add a lot more problems that would completely clutter the already busy plot, drawing it away from the main issue. I'm glad you are interested, and hope that this chapter holds up to your standards!