A/N: Chapter five is here! Please review!!!
Hermione did not know how long she slept or what happened during that time, but when she awoke she was alone in the hall. Legolas and Gimli were gone, as were Aragorn, Théoden and his men. The stone hall was as silent as a tomb, the only sound reaching Hermione's elven ears being that of birds and the distant clamour of armour. Rising from the wooden bench she walked towards the closed doors, opening them to find many of the surviving people of Rohan mourning their dead. The stench of decay lay heavy in the air, as well as the stench of sadness. Many had died that night, fighting bravely for family and home. Hermione walked out towards a lookout post, where one of Théoden's men had previously stood, and gazed out over the bloodstained land. The once brown soil was now black and red and all who looked upon it felt a great sadness placed upon their hearts. For the valiant, and at times innocent, men who had fought against the hoard of Uruk-hai were all but dead, leaving behind families, friends, and their homes as they had left this mortal coil. Few were the times that Hermione had seen death. The most recent and vivid being the death of Cedric Diggory, his lifeless body being clutched in Harry's hand. The soulless eyes wide and horrified at the last words that he had heard; "Kill the spare". Yes she knew. Harry had told her everything that had happened and even now it was difficult to believe that one boy of fourteen had survived it when most full-grown wizards would have fallen.
"Bring him over to the right! That's it, steady on," Said a man far off in the distance, carrying a body of one of Théoden's men.
Sighing heavily Hermione walked away from the post and down the steps to the open and partially destroyed gate. There she could see two piles, one of men and elves and the other of Uruk's. Mixing the dead would have been disrespectful, as putting such creatures of goodness and valour with ones of such evil and disdain would do. As she took a step forward, Hermione saw a man carrying the body of a small boy, no more than twelve. His arms hung limply towards the ground and his blonde head rested easily on the man's forearm. His eyes had been closed, the blue never able to see light again, but moments before they were full of sadness and helplessness. The boy had been too young to fight, too inexperienced in the ways of battle. Upon meeting his fate, in the hands of one horrible Uruk-hai, his last thoughts had been of his mother whom he wished to see more than anything. He had wished to be in her arms, letting her sing him to sleep, instead of being cut across the chest by one gruesome and bloodthirsty beast. He was then placed upon the pile, his mother, sister and smaller brother crying for him as they had done for his father who now lay next to him.
Hermione turned her head, feeling tears forming once again. As horrible an ordeal as this had been, she did not want to cry. Crying would mean reverting back to the young, weak little girl that she had first been upon arriving at Hogwarts. The one who threw her arms around her best friends neck before he walked to face the Dark Lord. The one who had cried upon seeing her other friend lying on the marble of a giant chessboard. The one who had locked herself up in her room, crying herself to sleep once she had gotten Ron safely to the Hospital Wing and herself healed. She would not be that little girl, who was learning first hand the cruelty of the world outside the House of Elrond.
Behind her she heard footsteps, those that she knew so well, those of her father. Hermione turned around and looked at him, the kind yet gruff features that she knew so well looking at her with a comforting gaze. He knew what she saw and what she was thinking of, he always seemed to know. He had gone to check on her when he had found her down here. He had been helping to lye the elves and men, sifting through the foul and broken Uruk's. Many young men he had found, many elves that he had known or spoken to and many old men who had seen far to many winters. Yet he would not tell her of that. He would not speak of the decay that surrounded him and his daughter.
"Well rested I would hope," said Aragorn, smiling softly at her.
"Yes. I would sleep for a thousand years if I was not needed, but in the while between now and the end of the battle I feel better than before I departed from Hogwarts." Said Hermione, failing to return the smile.
Aragorn saw the sorrowful look in her blue eyes and put a hand on her shoulder, giving a light squeeze. "Do not feel saddened, Hermione. They fought and perished for the freedom of all. Their deaths were not in vain." He said.
"One would assume I would know this but," she said, pausing to look out at the destruction. "How would victory come from such a killing?"
"A wise question, but one that can be answered in many ways and is not up to one person," said Aragorn, kissing the top of her head gently. "I must help, but we are to leave soon after everything is sorted out. Prepare for a quick departure."
Aragorn walked off, leaving Hermione standing in the gateway looking out after him. It seemed that much had been decided while she had been regaining her lost strength. With one last look she turned away and walked to the stables to prepare Anya to set out. Upon arriving she found the person whom she was most unlikely to meet. Lady Eowyn, niece to the king prepared her uncles horse. She laid a parcel of food and water in a leather satchel, attaching it to the saddle, and when she looked up she nearly screamed of fright. The soundless steps of Hermione were not heard and seeing her there so suddenly was quite a shock and one that was unexpected. When she had composed herself, Eowyn nodded to her and spoke,
"My lady, what brings you to the stables?"
"I am here to prepare my horse for the upcoming departure from the Hornburg." Said Hermione in a most regal fashion.
There was silence as Hermione walked over to Anya and began to brush her with a borrowed comb. "They say that you fought as well as any man. They say that you were weakened terribly in the battle." Said Eowyn, watching her for a moment.
"What they say is true, yet I thought I proved myself more to your uncle than to them." Said Hermione, not looking up at the white lady.
"What exactly do you mean?" asked Eowyn, puzzled.
"I was not permitted to partake in the battle, as was your uncles wishes and even when I was he seemed quite displeased. I assume I have changed his mind on such matters," said Hermione, looking up for a moment.
At that Eowyn ceased her questions and quickly finished preparing Théoden's horse. When she had finished she began to walk towards the entrance to the stables, but before she had made it to the door, she stopped. She looked at Hermione, taking in the dark haired elf in the stall next to her. "No woman has ever been able to partake in battle under the kings very nose, yet you showed bravery and I will give you that, but no one has spoken to me in such a manner." She said for the tones they had used were cold and unwelcoming.
"In times of war and after battles such as these, a pleasantry between strangers seems rather trivial." Said Hermione, looking at the white lady a glare making it's way to her fine features.
"Strangers we are, and it seems that strangers we will remain," said Eowyn, walking out of the stables. Her dress billowed out behind her, and even in the seriousness of the day Hermione was reminded of Snape and his dramatic way of leaving a room.
"Estel informed me you had awoken," said a new voice, Legolas.
Hermione turned to him and smiled. He was fully healed from the battle, not a scratch marring his princely features, and he walked over to her, leaning against the post near the stall. Hermione felt somewhat relieved at seeing him, for she had not seen Legolas since she had fallen asleep, and not even the elf's moving had awoken her previously that morning. She stopped her brushing when he spoke and the pair began to let relief set in at seeing the other alive and well after such toil.
"It seems you have not taken kindly to the white lady," said Legolas, smiling.
"It puzzles me why I do not like her, but no one can get along with everyone." Said Hermione, setting the comb down.
"That is true, yet you are usually a friendly person towards all. It does seem puzzling now I have time to consider it," said Legolas, not moving towards her.
Hermione frowned a little and she noticed Legolas' smile widen a bit. He always told her she was cute when she frowned. After a moment Hermione found the need to change the subject. "How is Gimli?" she asked.
Legolas shook his head. "Still reeling that I have beaten his count. It has been hours yet he will not let it go." Said the elf.
Hermione giggled, thinking of the stubborn dwarf. "Will he ever be satisfied with his results even if they do not outscore your own?"
"Not likely," said Legolas. "That dwarf is the most stubborn of his kind that I have ever had the opportunity to meet."
"Stubbornness seems to be a trait shared between the two of you," giggled Hermione.
"I am not stubborn." Said Legolas firmly, looking upon his love with jesting eyes.
"You have your moments," said Hermione, gazing right back at him.
"Just like someone else I know," Legolas said, smiling at her once again.
Hermione opened her mouth and closed it again, looking at the elf from the corner of her eye. She stepped towards him, coming to stand beside him and they stood there for a long while. Despite their acute hearing and wonderful eyesight the world and all its sounds seemed to melt away for the moment and all that they could see and hear were each other. They didn't speak, they didn't move, but after some time, before anyone could interrupt them, Legolas turned slightly and captured Hermione's lips in his own. It was a soft kiss, slow and wonderful, and Hermione welcomed it joyfully. They had a moment of peace.
*
"How could you have been so careless? How could you have let you emotions take control of you? You could have ruined everything because of some silly feud between you and Malfoy. You could not let it go, give him the upper hand for once, no. You had to tell the whole school that Hermione was gone. You might not have used the exact words, but you did just that. Why did you have to be so stupid?" cried Lavender.
After being chewed out by the Headmaster, Harry and Ron had sat back in their dorms being told off by Lavender Brown. She was absolutely furious at their little display that they had made in the Great Hall that morning, and even after a half hour she was still going on about it. Classes were about to start, the first in quite some time that would not include Hermione, and despite all that had occurred they were a little sad at that. She had always loved her classes; wanting to know as much as humanly possible and when that was not enough she would retreat to the library where she would learn more. As potions class drew nearer and nearer with every second, the thought that she would not be there to either help them with their brewing or keep them from murdering Professor Snape was saddening. After all, she was the only one to have a voice in that class, and the silence would be quite unbearable without her to fill the void.
"Lavender, we understand. It was stupid and rash and we will think next time before we act or speak. Can we go to class now?" said Harry as Lavender had paused for breath.
"Class? Oh, right," said Lavender, having forgotten about it completely with Hermione to remind her.
The group who had been sitting in the dorm grudgely made their way to the dungeons where they would spend two torturing periods with one Professor Severus Snape. When they arrived, it seemed that the professor was still mulling things over in his head about what had occurred in the Great Hall that morning. Dumbledore had not gotten around to informing the staff of the situation, as so much had happened between that time and now.
"As the potions we have been making need this extra time I shall here no complaining or whining from you all, do I make myself clear?" said Snape, glaring at the class with his cold black eyes.
The class nodded glumly, their Sunday now wasted on a difficult potions assignment. "Now find your partners from the previous lessons and get your potions from the store cupboard. And be quick about it!" said Snape.
Harry and Ron rose from their seats and walked over to the cupboard along with the rest of their classmates and grabbed their cauldron. When they sat back down they noticed a forlorn looking Neville, starring blankly at the pages of his textbook. After a moment the pair realised something; Hermione had been his partner for the short period of time that she had attended class.
"Mr. Longbottum, who is your partner?" asked Snape, glaring down at the poor boy.
"H-Hermione Granger, sir," said Neville, still frightened of the potions master.
"Ah, Miss. Granger seemed to be the topic of discussion this morning. Does anyone know where she is?" said Snape, turning to look at Harry and Ron. "Potter, Weasley, where is Miss. Granger?"
Ron gulped, not knowing what to tell him. However, Harry came to the rescue as he often did. "That is not something we are allowed to tell you, sir. The Headmaster should tell you."
Snape snarled at them, turned around and walked back to his desk. He sat down with a great flourish and began to write on some parchment, leaving his class to their assignment. It seems a talk with the Headmaster was direly needed, and he was not the only staff member who thought so.
Once the seventh years had finished attending to their potions, Severus locked up this classroom and made his way to the staff room. On his way there he met other fellow professors, Minerva McGonagall, Fidilus Flitwick and Hagrid among them. When they arrived they found the Headmaster to be there already, sitting at the head of the long table with his hands folded neatly in front of him. He smiled and greeted them upon their entrance and Severus sat down next to Silvia Sinistra who had been there before him. Once all were seated, Dumbledore began.
"As all of you heard this morning at breakfast, Miss. Hermione Granger is missing from Hogwarts." Said Dumbledore. "Her whereabouts have been privileged to myself and her friends, the Messer's Potter, Weasley, Longbottum, Finnigin and Thomas and the Misses Brown, Weasley and Patil."
"Where has she gone, Albus? She would never leave this school out of her own free will in such dark times." Said Minerva, who had always taken a shine to the child.
"Over the past year Miss. Granger has attended few classes and has not been herself. Even in these times we had no idea what she might have done." Said Albus.
"But where has she gone? Is she safe? What has happened to her?" asked Fidilus, hovering a few feet off his chair.
Albus smiled sadly and began to inform his staff of exactly who Hermione was and where she came from. He tried to divulge as little about the world as possible, yet also tried to put their minds at ease. It seemed the Hermione had affected not only the students, but the teachers as well. She had left a lasting imprint on the school of Hogwarts that would stay with the school forever more. When he had finished his speech, the professors were left in a stunned silence. All were worried about the young she-elf, even Severus Snape.
"Should we go after her? Try to bring her back?" asked Severus, earning surprised glances from his fellow co-workers.
"She brings great talent to Middle-Earth, Severus. To take that away in a time of crisis might do great damage to the world." Said Albus, facing the man.
One by one the staff dispersed, leaving to roam the hallways, to their offices or their private chambers. However, those members of the Order of the Phoenix stayed behind. With Hermione's talent and knowledge they had thought she could be a vital member of the Order, along with Harry Potter. She had worked with them on and off for the past two years before she had stopped caring about this world. She had spent many long nights looking over scrolls and large dusty volumes to get any information they had needed at the time. She was now a part of their team, of their cause.
"What about the Order, Albus?" asked Minerva.
"Yes. She may or may not return to this world, so nothing is clearly set if she will continue her work. Contact Sirius and Remus and tell them they will no longer receive information from her, but should not come to the school. They will be informed at the meeting in two weeks time." Said Albus, stroking his beard as he spoke.
Remus Lupin and Sirius Black had been roaming the country for the past two years, following Death Eaters, listening in on their meetings and acting as spies, reporting it all back to the Order at Hogwarts. Anything that they needed cleared up such as magical articles, spells or anything of the like was researched by Hermione and the information sent back to them. At present the pair were now somewhere in Ireland, tracking the movements of a couple of Death Eaters and would most likely send a need for information soon. Yet as Albus told his deputy-headmistress of what to send them, he knew that their concern would send them here no matter what they were told.
"You know that Sirius and Remus will want to come back Albus," said Silvia. "They care too much for the safety of Harry, Ron and Hermione to stay away when something goes wrong with one of them."
"They will be here within days," Said Fidilus.
"Minerva, I would like it if you would inform them. Try to be as discreet as possible so as not to cause alarm." Said Albus.
"But-" started Minerva.
"No. They will be fully informed when they arrive for the next meeting. Until then Hermione is either ill, visiting family, overloaded with schoolwork or anything else you wish to tell them. Nothing more." Albus said firmly.
With a sad nod Minerva left the room to go to her office where she would write a letter to her former pupils telling them of Hermione's illness and her Head duties keeping her from working with the Order. She would send it off and then sit in her office, grading papers half-heartedly while she thought of the girl and the dangers she would be facing.
The professors would not be as harsh on their students that day. They would not scold or give out detentions or take off points. Even though Hermione had attended very little class that year she had still been at Hogwarts. She was still seen at meal times and wandering the halls. During the winter she was seen at the back of the classroom or doing her work with little spirit. Now she was no longer on the grounds or even in this world, and the spirited and bright student that used to grace the halls of Hogwarts and make the professors proud that they had chosen this profession was no more. She was gone and a piece of Hogwarts had gone with her.
*
Harry Potter sat outside on the grounds, underneath a tree that sat beside the lake. The giant squid was lazily waving its tentacles in the air, sending out a light spray with them. Harry was not looking at anything in particular. He was not hearing the birds or noticing that Fang, Hagrid's large boarhound was barking loudly only half a mile away. He barely noticed Ginny walk over and sit beside him, the sister of his best friend. All he cared or thought about was his best friend Hermione and what she was doing, far off in another world.
"Harry, Harry," said Ginny next to him, resting a hand on his arm. "You should come inside, lunch is starting soon."
Harry didn't make any move to even look at her. Going to lunch this afternoon was of little matter to him. As he made no response, Ginny made another attempt. "Harry, please come inside. No one has seen you since this morning and we're all worried that you've gone and done something stupid now that Hermione's gone." She said softly.
"I read everything in that book, Gin. Every last bit of it. They have a dark lord, just like us, and he is a million times worse. And she's there. In a world where she could die without a thought of those damn creatures, Orcs or whatever they're called." Said Harry, his eyes on the ground.
"She knows the world, Harry. She has lived there for eleven years and through most of the summers that she wasn't at the Burrow. She...should be alright." Said Ginny.
"But what if she's not? What if something's happened and she has no way to call for help. What if-" said Harry, stopping as tears formed in his eye's. For the past few days he had been angry with Hermione for keeping such a large secret and for leaving, but now he was scared. Scared for her and scared for himself. Scared that he may never see her again.
Ginny was quite shocked when Harry broke down. He had been through so much, was going through so much that it had all been too much for him. Yet, through all of the struggle and through all of the pain he had made it, but it wasn't until now that she knew why. It was because of his friends that he had found a reason to live and to fight, a reason to be strong and keep going when all seemed so hopeless. They were his backbone, his light, and now one was gone, the one who had been through it all. She had been through fire, through fights, through petrifaction and through time all for him. Ever since first year Hermione had been they're for him, only one fight in there third year tearing them apart for a period of time. Now she might never come back. He might lose what he was fighting to protect, what had kept him fighting.
"Oh Harry," said Ginny, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a hug. After a few moments Harry pulled her towards him and buried his face in her shoulder. Ginny felt his tears wet her robes, but she didn't mind. It only took a few seconds to realise that she, too, was crying.
"I'm sorry," said Harry once he had pulled away, whipping his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Don't be. You deserve to have a good cry, after all, she was-is your best friend." Said Ginny, smiling slightly and thankful that her slip-up hadn't been noticed.
"I shouldn't be getting all weepy in front of you though. I'm supposed to be the strong one, right?" he said, smiling to himself.
"You don't have to be every minute of every day. You are just like anyone who has lost their best friend in some form. You have a right to be upset and cry just like everyone else." Said Ginny, still sitting in front of him.
Harry sighed; being a normal teenager for once didn't seem to be in the cards for him. It seemed that he never would be normal. "I guess you're right Gin. I mean, I should get to drop the whole 'boy-who-lived' thing at least once eh?"
"Of course," said Ginny, most tears falling down her face and both began to laugh. Tears fell down their cheeks; sadness was in both their hearts, yet they laughed. They laughed and they cried together.
A/N: Here is the fifth chapter! I really hope you like it. Oh, and in case you're confused, the Harry Potter part takes place right after it left off. It's not in-sync with the LOTR part of the fic.
Hermione did not know how long she slept or what happened during that time, but when she awoke she was alone in the hall. Legolas and Gimli were gone, as were Aragorn, Théoden and his men. The stone hall was as silent as a tomb, the only sound reaching Hermione's elven ears being that of birds and the distant clamour of armour. Rising from the wooden bench she walked towards the closed doors, opening them to find many of the surviving people of Rohan mourning their dead. The stench of decay lay heavy in the air, as well as the stench of sadness. Many had died that night, fighting bravely for family and home. Hermione walked out towards a lookout post, where one of Théoden's men had previously stood, and gazed out over the bloodstained land. The once brown soil was now black and red and all who looked upon it felt a great sadness placed upon their hearts. For the valiant, and at times innocent, men who had fought against the hoard of Uruk-hai were all but dead, leaving behind families, friends, and their homes as they had left this mortal coil. Few were the times that Hermione had seen death. The most recent and vivid being the death of Cedric Diggory, his lifeless body being clutched in Harry's hand. The soulless eyes wide and horrified at the last words that he had heard; "Kill the spare". Yes she knew. Harry had told her everything that had happened and even now it was difficult to believe that one boy of fourteen had survived it when most full-grown wizards would have fallen.
"Bring him over to the right! That's it, steady on," Said a man far off in the distance, carrying a body of one of Théoden's men.
Sighing heavily Hermione walked away from the post and down the steps to the open and partially destroyed gate. There she could see two piles, one of men and elves and the other of Uruk's. Mixing the dead would have been disrespectful, as putting such creatures of goodness and valour with ones of such evil and disdain would do. As she took a step forward, Hermione saw a man carrying the body of a small boy, no more than twelve. His arms hung limply towards the ground and his blonde head rested easily on the man's forearm. His eyes had been closed, the blue never able to see light again, but moments before they were full of sadness and helplessness. The boy had been too young to fight, too inexperienced in the ways of battle. Upon meeting his fate, in the hands of one horrible Uruk-hai, his last thoughts had been of his mother whom he wished to see more than anything. He had wished to be in her arms, letting her sing him to sleep, instead of being cut across the chest by one gruesome and bloodthirsty beast. He was then placed upon the pile, his mother, sister and smaller brother crying for him as they had done for his father who now lay next to him.
Hermione turned her head, feeling tears forming once again. As horrible an ordeal as this had been, she did not want to cry. Crying would mean reverting back to the young, weak little girl that she had first been upon arriving at Hogwarts. The one who threw her arms around her best friends neck before he walked to face the Dark Lord. The one who had cried upon seeing her other friend lying on the marble of a giant chessboard. The one who had locked herself up in her room, crying herself to sleep once she had gotten Ron safely to the Hospital Wing and herself healed. She would not be that little girl, who was learning first hand the cruelty of the world outside the House of Elrond.
Behind her she heard footsteps, those that she knew so well, those of her father. Hermione turned around and looked at him, the kind yet gruff features that she knew so well looking at her with a comforting gaze. He knew what she saw and what she was thinking of, he always seemed to know. He had gone to check on her when he had found her down here. He had been helping to lye the elves and men, sifting through the foul and broken Uruk's. Many young men he had found, many elves that he had known or spoken to and many old men who had seen far to many winters. Yet he would not tell her of that. He would not speak of the decay that surrounded him and his daughter.
"Well rested I would hope," said Aragorn, smiling softly at her.
"Yes. I would sleep for a thousand years if I was not needed, but in the while between now and the end of the battle I feel better than before I departed from Hogwarts." Said Hermione, failing to return the smile.
Aragorn saw the sorrowful look in her blue eyes and put a hand on her shoulder, giving a light squeeze. "Do not feel saddened, Hermione. They fought and perished for the freedom of all. Their deaths were not in vain." He said.
"One would assume I would know this but," she said, pausing to look out at the destruction. "How would victory come from such a killing?"
"A wise question, but one that can be answered in many ways and is not up to one person," said Aragorn, kissing the top of her head gently. "I must help, but we are to leave soon after everything is sorted out. Prepare for a quick departure."
Aragorn walked off, leaving Hermione standing in the gateway looking out after him. It seemed that much had been decided while she had been regaining her lost strength. With one last look she turned away and walked to the stables to prepare Anya to set out. Upon arriving she found the person whom she was most unlikely to meet. Lady Eowyn, niece to the king prepared her uncles horse. She laid a parcel of food and water in a leather satchel, attaching it to the saddle, and when she looked up she nearly screamed of fright. The soundless steps of Hermione were not heard and seeing her there so suddenly was quite a shock and one that was unexpected. When she had composed herself, Eowyn nodded to her and spoke,
"My lady, what brings you to the stables?"
"I am here to prepare my horse for the upcoming departure from the Hornburg." Said Hermione in a most regal fashion.
There was silence as Hermione walked over to Anya and began to brush her with a borrowed comb. "They say that you fought as well as any man. They say that you were weakened terribly in the battle." Said Eowyn, watching her for a moment.
"What they say is true, yet I thought I proved myself more to your uncle than to them." Said Hermione, not looking up at the white lady.
"What exactly do you mean?" asked Eowyn, puzzled.
"I was not permitted to partake in the battle, as was your uncles wishes and even when I was he seemed quite displeased. I assume I have changed his mind on such matters," said Hermione, looking up for a moment.
At that Eowyn ceased her questions and quickly finished preparing Théoden's horse. When she had finished she began to walk towards the entrance to the stables, but before she had made it to the door, she stopped. She looked at Hermione, taking in the dark haired elf in the stall next to her. "No woman has ever been able to partake in battle under the kings very nose, yet you showed bravery and I will give you that, but no one has spoken to me in such a manner." She said for the tones they had used were cold and unwelcoming.
"In times of war and after battles such as these, a pleasantry between strangers seems rather trivial." Said Hermione, looking at the white lady a glare making it's way to her fine features.
"Strangers we are, and it seems that strangers we will remain," said Eowyn, walking out of the stables. Her dress billowed out behind her, and even in the seriousness of the day Hermione was reminded of Snape and his dramatic way of leaving a room.
"Estel informed me you had awoken," said a new voice, Legolas.
Hermione turned to him and smiled. He was fully healed from the battle, not a scratch marring his princely features, and he walked over to her, leaning against the post near the stall. Hermione felt somewhat relieved at seeing him, for she had not seen Legolas since she had fallen asleep, and not even the elf's moving had awoken her previously that morning. She stopped her brushing when he spoke and the pair began to let relief set in at seeing the other alive and well after such toil.
"It seems you have not taken kindly to the white lady," said Legolas, smiling.
"It puzzles me why I do not like her, but no one can get along with everyone." Said Hermione, setting the comb down.
"That is true, yet you are usually a friendly person towards all. It does seem puzzling now I have time to consider it," said Legolas, not moving towards her.
Hermione frowned a little and she noticed Legolas' smile widen a bit. He always told her she was cute when she frowned. After a moment Hermione found the need to change the subject. "How is Gimli?" she asked.
Legolas shook his head. "Still reeling that I have beaten his count. It has been hours yet he will not let it go." Said the elf.
Hermione giggled, thinking of the stubborn dwarf. "Will he ever be satisfied with his results even if they do not outscore your own?"
"Not likely," said Legolas. "That dwarf is the most stubborn of his kind that I have ever had the opportunity to meet."
"Stubbornness seems to be a trait shared between the two of you," giggled Hermione.
"I am not stubborn." Said Legolas firmly, looking upon his love with jesting eyes.
"You have your moments," said Hermione, gazing right back at him.
"Just like someone else I know," Legolas said, smiling at her once again.
Hermione opened her mouth and closed it again, looking at the elf from the corner of her eye. She stepped towards him, coming to stand beside him and they stood there for a long while. Despite their acute hearing and wonderful eyesight the world and all its sounds seemed to melt away for the moment and all that they could see and hear were each other. They didn't speak, they didn't move, but after some time, before anyone could interrupt them, Legolas turned slightly and captured Hermione's lips in his own. It was a soft kiss, slow and wonderful, and Hermione welcomed it joyfully. They had a moment of peace.
*
"How could you have been so careless? How could you have let you emotions take control of you? You could have ruined everything because of some silly feud between you and Malfoy. You could not let it go, give him the upper hand for once, no. You had to tell the whole school that Hermione was gone. You might not have used the exact words, but you did just that. Why did you have to be so stupid?" cried Lavender.
After being chewed out by the Headmaster, Harry and Ron had sat back in their dorms being told off by Lavender Brown. She was absolutely furious at their little display that they had made in the Great Hall that morning, and even after a half hour she was still going on about it. Classes were about to start, the first in quite some time that would not include Hermione, and despite all that had occurred they were a little sad at that. She had always loved her classes; wanting to know as much as humanly possible and when that was not enough she would retreat to the library where she would learn more. As potions class drew nearer and nearer with every second, the thought that she would not be there to either help them with their brewing or keep them from murdering Professor Snape was saddening. After all, she was the only one to have a voice in that class, and the silence would be quite unbearable without her to fill the void.
"Lavender, we understand. It was stupid and rash and we will think next time before we act or speak. Can we go to class now?" said Harry as Lavender had paused for breath.
"Class? Oh, right," said Lavender, having forgotten about it completely with Hermione to remind her.
The group who had been sitting in the dorm grudgely made their way to the dungeons where they would spend two torturing periods with one Professor Severus Snape. When they arrived, it seemed that the professor was still mulling things over in his head about what had occurred in the Great Hall that morning. Dumbledore had not gotten around to informing the staff of the situation, as so much had happened between that time and now.
"As the potions we have been making need this extra time I shall here no complaining or whining from you all, do I make myself clear?" said Snape, glaring at the class with his cold black eyes.
The class nodded glumly, their Sunday now wasted on a difficult potions assignment. "Now find your partners from the previous lessons and get your potions from the store cupboard. And be quick about it!" said Snape.
Harry and Ron rose from their seats and walked over to the cupboard along with the rest of their classmates and grabbed their cauldron. When they sat back down they noticed a forlorn looking Neville, starring blankly at the pages of his textbook. After a moment the pair realised something; Hermione had been his partner for the short period of time that she had attended class.
"Mr. Longbottum, who is your partner?" asked Snape, glaring down at the poor boy.
"H-Hermione Granger, sir," said Neville, still frightened of the potions master.
"Ah, Miss. Granger seemed to be the topic of discussion this morning. Does anyone know where she is?" said Snape, turning to look at Harry and Ron. "Potter, Weasley, where is Miss. Granger?"
Ron gulped, not knowing what to tell him. However, Harry came to the rescue as he often did. "That is not something we are allowed to tell you, sir. The Headmaster should tell you."
Snape snarled at them, turned around and walked back to his desk. He sat down with a great flourish and began to write on some parchment, leaving his class to their assignment. It seems a talk with the Headmaster was direly needed, and he was not the only staff member who thought so.
Once the seventh years had finished attending to their potions, Severus locked up this classroom and made his way to the staff room. On his way there he met other fellow professors, Minerva McGonagall, Fidilus Flitwick and Hagrid among them. When they arrived they found the Headmaster to be there already, sitting at the head of the long table with his hands folded neatly in front of him. He smiled and greeted them upon their entrance and Severus sat down next to Silvia Sinistra who had been there before him. Once all were seated, Dumbledore began.
"As all of you heard this morning at breakfast, Miss. Hermione Granger is missing from Hogwarts." Said Dumbledore. "Her whereabouts have been privileged to myself and her friends, the Messer's Potter, Weasley, Longbottum, Finnigin and Thomas and the Misses Brown, Weasley and Patil."
"Where has she gone, Albus? She would never leave this school out of her own free will in such dark times." Said Minerva, who had always taken a shine to the child.
"Over the past year Miss. Granger has attended few classes and has not been herself. Even in these times we had no idea what she might have done." Said Albus.
"But where has she gone? Is she safe? What has happened to her?" asked Fidilus, hovering a few feet off his chair.
Albus smiled sadly and began to inform his staff of exactly who Hermione was and where she came from. He tried to divulge as little about the world as possible, yet also tried to put their minds at ease. It seemed the Hermione had affected not only the students, but the teachers as well. She had left a lasting imprint on the school of Hogwarts that would stay with the school forever more. When he had finished his speech, the professors were left in a stunned silence. All were worried about the young she-elf, even Severus Snape.
"Should we go after her? Try to bring her back?" asked Severus, earning surprised glances from his fellow co-workers.
"She brings great talent to Middle-Earth, Severus. To take that away in a time of crisis might do great damage to the world." Said Albus, facing the man.
One by one the staff dispersed, leaving to roam the hallways, to their offices or their private chambers. However, those members of the Order of the Phoenix stayed behind. With Hermione's talent and knowledge they had thought she could be a vital member of the Order, along with Harry Potter. She had worked with them on and off for the past two years before she had stopped caring about this world. She had spent many long nights looking over scrolls and large dusty volumes to get any information they had needed at the time. She was now a part of their team, of their cause.
"What about the Order, Albus?" asked Minerva.
"Yes. She may or may not return to this world, so nothing is clearly set if she will continue her work. Contact Sirius and Remus and tell them they will no longer receive information from her, but should not come to the school. They will be informed at the meeting in two weeks time." Said Albus, stroking his beard as he spoke.
Remus Lupin and Sirius Black had been roaming the country for the past two years, following Death Eaters, listening in on their meetings and acting as spies, reporting it all back to the Order at Hogwarts. Anything that they needed cleared up such as magical articles, spells or anything of the like was researched by Hermione and the information sent back to them. At present the pair were now somewhere in Ireland, tracking the movements of a couple of Death Eaters and would most likely send a need for information soon. Yet as Albus told his deputy-headmistress of what to send them, he knew that their concern would send them here no matter what they were told.
"You know that Sirius and Remus will want to come back Albus," said Silvia. "They care too much for the safety of Harry, Ron and Hermione to stay away when something goes wrong with one of them."
"They will be here within days," Said Fidilus.
"Minerva, I would like it if you would inform them. Try to be as discreet as possible so as not to cause alarm." Said Albus.
"But-" started Minerva.
"No. They will be fully informed when they arrive for the next meeting. Until then Hermione is either ill, visiting family, overloaded with schoolwork or anything else you wish to tell them. Nothing more." Albus said firmly.
With a sad nod Minerva left the room to go to her office where she would write a letter to her former pupils telling them of Hermione's illness and her Head duties keeping her from working with the Order. She would send it off and then sit in her office, grading papers half-heartedly while she thought of the girl and the dangers she would be facing.
The professors would not be as harsh on their students that day. They would not scold or give out detentions or take off points. Even though Hermione had attended very little class that year she had still been at Hogwarts. She was still seen at meal times and wandering the halls. During the winter she was seen at the back of the classroom or doing her work with little spirit. Now she was no longer on the grounds or even in this world, and the spirited and bright student that used to grace the halls of Hogwarts and make the professors proud that they had chosen this profession was no more. She was gone and a piece of Hogwarts had gone with her.
*
Harry Potter sat outside on the grounds, underneath a tree that sat beside the lake. The giant squid was lazily waving its tentacles in the air, sending out a light spray with them. Harry was not looking at anything in particular. He was not hearing the birds or noticing that Fang, Hagrid's large boarhound was barking loudly only half a mile away. He barely noticed Ginny walk over and sit beside him, the sister of his best friend. All he cared or thought about was his best friend Hermione and what she was doing, far off in another world.
"Harry, Harry," said Ginny next to him, resting a hand on his arm. "You should come inside, lunch is starting soon."
Harry didn't make any move to even look at her. Going to lunch this afternoon was of little matter to him. As he made no response, Ginny made another attempt. "Harry, please come inside. No one has seen you since this morning and we're all worried that you've gone and done something stupid now that Hermione's gone." She said softly.
"I read everything in that book, Gin. Every last bit of it. They have a dark lord, just like us, and he is a million times worse. And she's there. In a world where she could die without a thought of those damn creatures, Orcs or whatever they're called." Said Harry, his eyes on the ground.
"She knows the world, Harry. She has lived there for eleven years and through most of the summers that she wasn't at the Burrow. She...should be alright." Said Ginny.
"But what if she's not? What if something's happened and she has no way to call for help. What if-" said Harry, stopping as tears formed in his eye's. For the past few days he had been angry with Hermione for keeping such a large secret and for leaving, but now he was scared. Scared for her and scared for himself. Scared that he may never see her again.
Ginny was quite shocked when Harry broke down. He had been through so much, was going through so much that it had all been too much for him. Yet, through all of the struggle and through all of the pain he had made it, but it wasn't until now that she knew why. It was because of his friends that he had found a reason to live and to fight, a reason to be strong and keep going when all seemed so hopeless. They were his backbone, his light, and now one was gone, the one who had been through it all. She had been through fire, through fights, through petrifaction and through time all for him. Ever since first year Hermione had been they're for him, only one fight in there third year tearing them apart for a period of time. Now she might never come back. He might lose what he was fighting to protect, what had kept him fighting.
"Oh Harry," said Ginny, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a hug. After a few moments Harry pulled her towards him and buried his face in her shoulder. Ginny felt his tears wet her robes, but she didn't mind. It only took a few seconds to realise that she, too, was crying.
"I'm sorry," said Harry once he had pulled away, whipping his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Don't be. You deserve to have a good cry, after all, she was-is your best friend." Said Ginny, smiling slightly and thankful that her slip-up hadn't been noticed.
"I shouldn't be getting all weepy in front of you though. I'm supposed to be the strong one, right?" he said, smiling to himself.
"You don't have to be every minute of every day. You are just like anyone who has lost their best friend in some form. You have a right to be upset and cry just like everyone else." Said Ginny, still sitting in front of him.
Harry sighed; being a normal teenager for once didn't seem to be in the cards for him. It seemed that he never would be normal. "I guess you're right Gin. I mean, I should get to drop the whole 'boy-who-lived' thing at least once eh?"
"Of course," said Ginny, most tears falling down her face and both began to laugh. Tears fell down their cheeks; sadness was in both their hearts, yet they laughed. They laughed and they cried together.
A/N: Here is the fifth chapter! I really hope you like it. Oh, and in case you're confused, the Harry Potter part takes place right after it left off. It's not in-sync with the LOTR part of the fic.