Chapter Six: The Hunt and the Consequences
Disclaimer: None of them belong to me, sadly. All characters are (c) J.K. Rowling and the Tolkien Estate.
Author's Notes: Well, here's another chapter. Things will start going faster from here, hopefully.
Also, is anyone interested in being my beta reader? I need some one who is a fierce grammarian, has good spelling skills, and doesn't mind long detailed talks about plots. ^__^ Please e-mail me or drop a review if you'd like to help. =)
* * * * *
"Are you sure?" Voldemort loomed over his kneeling follower, his single red eye narrowing to a slit.
"Yes sir. We have taken his blood and traced him to the Forbidden Forest." Bellatrix replied, gazing up at her master with wild eyes. Voldemort turned, gazing at the crackling fireplace.
"He must not get under the protection of Dumbledore. Assemble the best, and hunt the pointy-eared varmint down. Do not come back until you have him, and I do not care who or what it costs to bring him bound and gagged to my feet. Understand?" The dark haired woman nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course, my Lord." She scuttled out of the room, her eyes flashing from behind the faceless mask she wore. "Time to play."
* * * * *
Hermione was nearly bouncing off the walls of the Great Hall the next morning as she received her schedule. "I got into all of the N.E.W.T.'s Classes I wanted!" she crowed as Ron and Harry joined her for breakfast. A lump rose up in Harry's throat. He had been so occupied with grieving and elf studies over the break that he had ignored the majority of his letters; he now realized that he did not even know what his O.W.L. scores were. He looked at the sheet of paper at his spot at the table nervously; the classes on the list would determine whether he had any chance at being an Auror or not.
His hands shook as he opened the piece of paper. He scanned it quickly. Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, all at N.E.W.T. level, plus a few general courses. His mouth grew dry as he read down the list. At the end of the list, in the calm, bold letters the schedule was written it, was scrolled: N.E.W.T. Level Potions. He sighed heavily, half in shock, half in relief.
"Hey, let me see your schedule mate." Said Ron, holding out his free hand; his other held both his and Hermione's schedules already.
"Sure." He replied, with a smile, sinking into his chair and helping himself to the bacon. Ron began to list off all the classes they had in common, along with his own comments on the classes.
"You and Hermione have Potions together. I didn't get into it; I only got a 'fair.' Well, at least it means I won't have to deal with Snape...Advanced Arithmancy, Hermione, are you mad?" While Hermione defended her class choice, Harry gazed out the window; the clouds still took up much of the sky, but it was no longer raining. The sun peered out almost hesitantly, lighting up the grounds with a dreary light.
"Man, we have to go outside after lunch. We've got Care of Magical Creatures, and it's all muddy. Why are we still taking that anyway? None of us are going into anything involving animals." Pointed out Ron.
"One, it's Hagrid's class. He'd feel bad if we didn't take it. Two, you never know when you'll have to deal with a wild creature in your future. I know Harry wants to be an Auror, and they have to be ready for everything. It's a safety precaution." Replied Hermione.
"More like a safety hazard." Ron retorted. "Hey, Harry, you alright? You're being all quiet." Harry blinked, breaking out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, for once honest. He had begun sleeping better now that he was at Hogwarts; he had spent the night vision free for once, instead having a peaceful dream about walking down a beach with white sand, allowing the waves to come up around his ankles, the sea spray gently misting his entire being. "What do we have right now?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts." Silence enveloped the three as they exchanged ominous looks.
"This is going to be interesting." Muttered Hermione. She stood first, picking up her bag, and the too boys followed suit.
* * * * *
Every bit of the forest was tense, and as a forest creature himself, Legolas was no different. Dark whispers were tossed from tree to tree, speaking a warning. It was not for him, no; this forest did not care what happened to one small elf in their midst. They had more important things to protect. They did not, however, close their conversations off to him, so he heard the dark tidings all the same. Something was coming, and the forest knew that it boded ill.
He moved through the trees like an assassin does shadow, creeping closer to the castle that he knew lay on the edge of the forest. He loathed to leave the safety of the trees, but he knew there were some things which the trees could not, and would not, protect him from. Already he had experienced the ferocity of the spiders that roamed the forest; only millennia of experience with the creatures allowed him to escape.
His hands tightened on his makeshift weapons, two sticks of thick wood sharpened into stakes. He hovered at the edge of the wood, and waited for his enemies to make themselves know.
* * * * *
Never before had Aragorn had such a great desire to be a student again; he desperately wished that he could skip his own class, with only a detention to pay for it, and go roaming outside. Possibly it was his upbringing in Rivendell, an open, airy place where you were never but a few steps away to an open window, but he hated being cooped inside; the week without even a garden to stroll through had nearly drove him mad. Now he was expected to teach a class.
He gave a glance to the stack of papers that were neatly piled onto his desk. He had taught a few classes before, but those were geared toward serious archeologist (not to mention muggle) students. He fidgeted with the sleeves of his robes, waiting nervously for the first batch of kids to turn up.
They began to arrive about five minutes later, after the first bell had rung. They came in clumps, desperately trying to acquire seats near their friends. They each wore the school uniform, accessorized with a gold and red tie that showed them members of the Gryffindor house. They watched him like cats did a mouse hole in the wall, waiting for any twitch or sudden movement. Aragorn calmed his nervous mind and set his face to one normally used before giving speeches to the court of Gondor, and waited for the second bell to ring.
Three children, the last to enter the room, caught his eye more so than the others; one, he was certain that he had heard of: the legendary Harry Potter, all of sixteen, with intelligent green eyes and a scar just visible underneath his bangs. It saddened Aragorn that this boy was the one who the world looked at to save them all; he was too young for such a role. Aragorn had no doubt, however, that the boy would live up to his name; he had seen the smallest of folk climb the highest of obstacles, and live to tell of the miracles they had done.
His friends were complete opposites; one was lanky and tall, redheaded, while the other was around Harry's height, with bushy brown hair that framed a serious face. One thing all three had in common; he was certain that he saw suspicion, even stronger than that of their classmates, gleam in their eyes. He dismissed however, as the second bell rang. He took a deep breath, and began class.
* * * * *
"Most often, this spell is used by curse breakers to indicate the kind of curse they are-" The door of the classroom was pushed open forcefully. A rather frazzled McGonagall stood in the doorway.
"Professor Telcontar, Dumbledore requests that all the teachers report to the Infirmary Ward immediately. He asked for you especially." The entire class turned as one to see their teacher's reaction. His eyebrows drew together in confusion, but he nodded, motioning to the class without taking his eyes off the woman in the doorway.
"Class, we shall continue this discussion next class period. Please read pages 4-9 and do the assessment questions. Dismissed." He strode across the room purposefully as the students scrambled to gather up their things, and followed the beckoning McGonagall.
"What is it?" He asked her, as soon as they stepped out of earshot of the classroom.
"Dark Wizards attacked someone in the forest. He managed to escape them and stumble to Hagrid's cabin. Hagrid carried him up here, for he passed out. It's lucky for the both of them that the wizards did not decide to simply take out Hagrid to. I think his new 'class project' frightened them off, at least for now."
"Why am I needed? To set up a defense?" He questioned.
"No, that is being taken care of right now. Our problem is who the Death Eaters attacked." Aragorn raised an eyebrow.
"Poppy was tending to the boy, who by all rights, considering to all the things that hit him, should be dead, and ran a simple blood test on him to check to see if he had any trace of magical poisoning."
"The problem?"
"The problem is, he is not human." She paused to let it sink in, and was surprised when he did not react. "No one knows what he is."
"He looks human?" He asked, deep in thought.
"Yes, mostly."
"What are the differences?"
"Well, he seems to have a glow on his skin; his ears are pointed, I think. At least that is what Poppy said. He seems to have an amazing resistance to magic. Another strange thing, when he lapsed into a normal sleep after Poppy did some major counter curse work, he never closed his eyes." She paused, suddenly realizing that Aragorn had stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.
"Pointed ears? Slept with his eyes open?" He asked shakily.
"Yes, why?" She never got her answer, for at that point Aragorn broke into a sprint, disappearing down the hall. "Aragorn!" She snapped, hiking up the hem of her robes to follow him as fast as her feet would carry her.
Aragorn skidded to a halt outside the infirmary door; he did not wish to invoke the wrath of the healer by bursting noisily into her ward. He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
"Aragorn, you're here." Said Dumbledore, not even looking up from his place at one of the many bedsides in the room. A few other professors were gathered around, whispering amongst themselves. "Come have a look at this boy, will you?" Aragorn bit his lip, praying to the Valar that he was not wrong.
He felt as if the next steps were the longest he had ever taken in his life. He peered over the headmaster's shoulders, and his mind reeled.
"I see by your face that you know something about what this boy is." Said Dumbledore, studying the taller man. McGonagall, who had caught up with him after his hesitation by the door, fixed him with a powerful glare.
"What is it? Is he a danger to the students or ourselves?" Aragorn barely held in a laugh at the absurdity of her question.
"If you refrain from attacking him, he will not attack you, and will be quite civil about negotiations, even if he will not trust a single move you make. And no, he will not harm the children under any circumstances."
"Still, what is he?" Snipped Poppy, as if she did not believe him.
"You would not believe me if I told you, I am afraid, for I severely doubt any of you have heard of or seen one of his kin uninflected by the curse until now."
"Humor us." Aragorn smiled down at the sleeping figure tucked under several layers of pristine sheets.
"That, m'lady, is Legolas Greenleaf, a pure and honest to God elf."
Next Time: When the Trio find out that their mysterious elf is in the infirmary, and worse, their Death Eater professor has insisted on keeping a watch over him, they'll do anything to save him.
* * * *
LotR-PotC-HP-Number1Fan: I'm glad you love it, but sorry, no romances. I'm terrible at them. ;-;
Andine: He knows everything about elves, but next to nothing about the curse they are under. =) And I'm trying, believe me. ^^
Gavroche Rules: Yay! I'm glad you like it!
espergirl04: Yes, poor Aragorn. =) He's going to have even more problems with them now! ^_^; Oh, and only the Fellowship, due to the fact that they are all connected, are reborn. They cannot truly pass on until all nine have died, and well, two are immortal. =D
Kata Malfoy: Soon enough? =D! I'm really happy that you liked it.
Sangfroid: Wow! You liked the sorting hat song? Yay! I'm such a horrible poet. =D Ooo, you sound like a great beta...if you had the time, maybe? If not, that's okay. ^_^
insanechildfanfic: Thank you. =)
Perfect-Skye: Heeheee. They'll figure out what a great guy he is eventually. Thanks for the comment.
Liaranne: You get a bag of cookies for guessing it! =D I hope it's still as good after this last chapter. -gulp-
NothinToBelieve: Thank you. =)
Sweet Taloa: I'm sorry! -bow bow- =D Here's another chapter for you though!
Lady-Of-The-Rings: Yesh, lots more Aragorn. n_n And Legolas too!
Yavie Aelinel: No, don't die! O_O -rushes to hospital- Heee. Glad you like it. =D
just another stupid idiot: Here's more for you! I guess you could call it 'fun...' -grins evilly- ((And I don't think you're a stupid idiot like your name says. ^___^))
Alphaskiier: Glad you liked last chapter, and I hope this one is alright as well. =\ I'm so nervous about them! I feel they are kind of sucky. ;-;
Please, if you haven't already, or even if you have, Review! I love you forever. =)
Disclaimer: None of them belong to me, sadly. All characters are (c) J.K. Rowling and the Tolkien Estate.
Author's Notes: Well, here's another chapter. Things will start going faster from here, hopefully.
Also, is anyone interested in being my beta reader? I need some one who is a fierce grammarian, has good spelling skills, and doesn't mind long detailed talks about plots. ^__^ Please e-mail me or drop a review if you'd like to help. =)
* * * * *
"Are you sure?" Voldemort loomed over his kneeling follower, his single red eye narrowing to a slit.
"Yes sir. We have taken his blood and traced him to the Forbidden Forest." Bellatrix replied, gazing up at her master with wild eyes. Voldemort turned, gazing at the crackling fireplace.
"He must not get under the protection of Dumbledore. Assemble the best, and hunt the pointy-eared varmint down. Do not come back until you have him, and I do not care who or what it costs to bring him bound and gagged to my feet. Understand?" The dark haired woman nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course, my Lord." She scuttled out of the room, her eyes flashing from behind the faceless mask she wore. "Time to play."
* * * * *
Hermione was nearly bouncing off the walls of the Great Hall the next morning as she received her schedule. "I got into all of the N.E.W.T.'s Classes I wanted!" she crowed as Ron and Harry joined her for breakfast. A lump rose up in Harry's throat. He had been so occupied with grieving and elf studies over the break that he had ignored the majority of his letters; he now realized that he did not even know what his O.W.L. scores were. He looked at the sheet of paper at his spot at the table nervously; the classes on the list would determine whether he had any chance at being an Auror or not.
His hands shook as he opened the piece of paper. He scanned it quickly. Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, all at N.E.W.T. level, plus a few general courses. His mouth grew dry as he read down the list. At the end of the list, in the calm, bold letters the schedule was written it, was scrolled: N.E.W.T. Level Potions. He sighed heavily, half in shock, half in relief.
"Hey, let me see your schedule mate." Said Ron, holding out his free hand; his other held both his and Hermione's schedules already.
"Sure." He replied, with a smile, sinking into his chair and helping himself to the bacon. Ron began to list off all the classes they had in common, along with his own comments on the classes.
"You and Hermione have Potions together. I didn't get into it; I only got a 'fair.' Well, at least it means I won't have to deal with Snape...Advanced Arithmancy, Hermione, are you mad?" While Hermione defended her class choice, Harry gazed out the window; the clouds still took up much of the sky, but it was no longer raining. The sun peered out almost hesitantly, lighting up the grounds with a dreary light.
"Man, we have to go outside after lunch. We've got Care of Magical Creatures, and it's all muddy. Why are we still taking that anyway? None of us are going into anything involving animals." Pointed out Ron.
"One, it's Hagrid's class. He'd feel bad if we didn't take it. Two, you never know when you'll have to deal with a wild creature in your future. I know Harry wants to be an Auror, and they have to be ready for everything. It's a safety precaution." Replied Hermione.
"More like a safety hazard." Ron retorted. "Hey, Harry, you alright? You're being all quiet." Harry blinked, breaking out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, for once honest. He had begun sleeping better now that he was at Hogwarts; he had spent the night vision free for once, instead having a peaceful dream about walking down a beach with white sand, allowing the waves to come up around his ankles, the sea spray gently misting his entire being. "What do we have right now?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts." Silence enveloped the three as they exchanged ominous looks.
"This is going to be interesting." Muttered Hermione. She stood first, picking up her bag, and the too boys followed suit.
* * * * *
Every bit of the forest was tense, and as a forest creature himself, Legolas was no different. Dark whispers were tossed from tree to tree, speaking a warning. It was not for him, no; this forest did not care what happened to one small elf in their midst. They had more important things to protect. They did not, however, close their conversations off to him, so he heard the dark tidings all the same. Something was coming, and the forest knew that it boded ill.
He moved through the trees like an assassin does shadow, creeping closer to the castle that he knew lay on the edge of the forest. He loathed to leave the safety of the trees, but he knew there were some things which the trees could not, and would not, protect him from. Already he had experienced the ferocity of the spiders that roamed the forest; only millennia of experience with the creatures allowed him to escape.
His hands tightened on his makeshift weapons, two sticks of thick wood sharpened into stakes. He hovered at the edge of the wood, and waited for his enemies to make themselves know.
* * * * *
Never before had Aragorn had such a great desire to be a student again; he desperately wished that he could skip his own class, with only a detention to pay for it, and go roaming outside. Possibly it was his upbringing in Rivendell, an open, airy place where you were never but a few steps away to an open window, but he hated being cooped inside; the week without even a garden to stroll through had nearly drove him mad. Now he was expected to teach a class.
He gave a glance to the stack of papers that were neatly piled onto his desk. He had taught a few classes before, but those were geared toward serious archeologist (not to mention muggle) students. He fidgeted with the sleeves of his robes, waiting nervously for the first batch of kids to turn up.
They began to arrive about five minutes later, after the first bell had rung. They came in clumps, desperately trying to acquire seats near their friends. They each wore the school uniform, accessorized with a gold and red tie that showed them members of the Gryffindor house. They watched him like cats did a mouse hole in the wall, waiting for any twitch or sudden movement. Aragorn calmed his nervous mind and set his face to one normally used before giving speeches to the court of Gondor, and waited for the second bell to ring.
Three children, the last to enter the room, caught his eye more so than the others; one, he was certain that he had heard of: the legendary Harry Potter, all of sixteen, with intelligent green eyes and a scar just visible underneath his bangs. It saddened Aragorn that this boy was the one who the world looked at to save them all; he was too young for such a role. Aragorn had no doubt, however, that the boy would live up to his name; he had seen the smallest of folk climb the highest of obstacles, and live to tell of the miracles they had done.
His friends were complete opposites; one was lanky and tall, redheaded, while the other was around Harry's height, with bushy brown hair that framed a serious face. One thing all three had in common; he was certain that he saw suspicion, even stronger than that of their classmates, gleam in their eyes. He dismissed however, as the second bell rang. He took a deep breath, and began class.
* * * * *
"Most often, this spell is used by curse breakers to indicate the kind of curse they are-" The door of the classroom was pushed open forcefully. A rather frazzled McGonagall stood in the doorway.
"Professor Telcontar, Dumbledore requests that all the teachers report to the Infirmary Ward immediately. He asked for you especially." The entire class turned as one to see their teacher's reaction. His eyebrows drew together in confusion, but he nodded, motioning to the class without taking his eyes off the woman in the doorway.
"Class, we shall continue this discussion next class period. Please read pages 4-9 and do the assessment questions. Dismissed." He strode across the room purposefully as the students scrambled to gather up their things, and followed the beckoning McGonagall.
"What is it?" He asked her, as soon as they stepped out of earshot of the classroom.
"Dark Wizards attacked someone in the forest. He managed to escape them and stumble to Hagrid's cabin. Hagrid carried him up here, for he passed out. It's lucky for the both of them that the wizards did not decide to simply take out Hagrid to. I think his new 'class project' frightened them off, at least for now."
"Why am I needed? To set up a defense?" He questioned.
"No, that is being taken care of right now. Our problem is who the Death Eaters attacked." Aragorn raised an eyebrow.
"Poppy was tending to the boy, who by all rights, considering to all the things that hit him, should be dead, and ran a simple blood test on him to check to see if he had any trace of magical poisoning."
"The problem?"
"The problem is, he is not human." She paused to let it sink in, and was surprised when he did not react. "No one knows what he is."
"He looks human?" He asked, deep in thought.
"Yes, mostly."
"What are the differences?"
"Well, he seems to have a glow on his skin; his ears are pointed, I think. At least that is what Poppy said. He seems to have an amazing resistance to magic. Another strange thing, when he lapsed into a normal sleep after Poppy did some major counter curse work, he never closed his eyes." She paused, suddenly realizing that Aragorn had stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.
"Pointed ears? Slept with his eyes open?" He asked shakily.
"Yes, why?" She never got her answer, for at that point Aragorn broke into a sprint, disappearing down the hall. "Aragorn!" She snapped, hiking up the hem of her robes to follow him as fast as her feet would carry her.
Aragorn skidded to a halt outside the infirmary door; he did not wish to invoke the wrath of the healer by bursting noisily into her ward. He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
"Aragorn, you're here." Said Dumbledore, not even looking up from his place at one of the many bedsides in the room. A few other professors were gathered around, whispering amongst themselves. "Come have a look at this boy, will you?" Aragorn bit his lip, praying to the Valar that he was not wrong.
He felt as if the next steps were the longest he had ever taken in his life. He peered over the headmaster's shoulders, and his mind reeled.
"I see by your face that you know something about what this boy is." Said Dumbledore, studying the taller man. McGonagall, who had caught up with him after his hesitation by the door, fixed him with a powerful glare.
"What is it? Is he a danger to the students or ourselves?" Aragorn barely held in a laugh at the absurdity of her question.
"If you refrain from attacking him, he will not attack you, and will be quite civil about negotiations, even if he will not trust a single move you make. And no, he will not harm the children under any circumstances."
"Still, what is he?" Snipped Poppy, as if she did not believe him.
"You would not believe me if I told you, I am afraid, for I severely doubt any of you have heard of or seen one of his kin uninflected by the curse until now."
"Humor us." Aragorn smiled down at the sleeping figure tucked under several layers of pristine sheets.
"That, m'lady, is Legolas Greenleaf, a pure and honest to God elf."
Next Time: When the Trio find out that their mysterious elf is in the infirmary, and worse, their Death Eater professor has insisted on keeping a watch over him, they'll do anything to save him.
* * * *
LotR-PotC-HP-Number1Fan: I'm glad you love it, but sorry, no romances. I'm terrible at them. ;-;
Andine: He knows everything about elves, but next to nothing about the curse they are under. =) And I'm trying, believe me. ^^
Gavroche Rules: Yay! I'm glad you like it!
espergirl04: Yes, poor Aragorn. =) He's going to have even more problems with them now! ^_^; Oh, and only the Fellowship, due to the fact that they are all connected, are reborn. They cannot truly pass on until all nine have died, and well, two are immortal. =D
Kata Malfoy: Soon enough? =D! I'm really happy that you liked it.
Sangfroid: Wow! You liked the sorting hat song? Yay! I'm such a horrible poet. =D Ooo, you sound like a great beta...if you had the time, maybe? If not, that's okay. ^_^
insanechildfanfic: Thank you. =)
Perfect-Skye: Heeheee. They'll figure out what a great guy he is eventually. Thanks for the comment.
Liaranne: You get a bag of cookies for guessing it! =D I hope it's still as good after this last chapter. -gulp-
NothinToBelieve: Thank you. =)
Sweet Taloa: I'm sorry! -bow bow- =D Here's another chapter for you though!
Lady-Of-The-Rings: Yesh, lots more Aragorn. n_n And Legolas too!
Yavie Aelinel: No, don't die! O_O -rushes to hospital- Heee. Glad you like it. =D
just another stupid idiot: Here's more for you! I guess you could call it 'fun...' -grins evilly- ((And I don't think you're a stupid idiot like your name says. ^___^))
Alphaskiier: Glad you liked last chapter, and I hope this one is alright as well. =\ I'm so nervous about them! I feel they are kind of sucky. ;-;
Please, if you haven't already, or even if you have, Review! I love you forever. =)