Harry Potter and the Price of Freedom
Written by Becca
Disclaimer: All HP Characters and places belong to JK Rowling. All LOTR Characters and Places belong to JRR Tolkien. I own nothing you recognise.
Summary: -HP/LOTR Crossover- Rated for later chapters- Harry's life in the Wizarding world comes to an end yet he is given a second chance to find happiness in another world. Pairings: Harry/Erestor, maybe some Harry/Erestor/Haldir
Chapter One
Harry grumbled as he opened his eyes and then immediately slammed them shut again as his head started pounding. He tried just lying still for a minute but when that didn't ease the pain, he slowly climbed to his feet and then cracked his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was that he still had two holes in his shoulders where his daggers had struck and a pretty nasty cut on his finger. He glared at the dry blood before looking up at the sky and scowled
"You could at least have taken the headache away! Stupid friggin people...the Valar" he said and then snorted, shaking his head "There is no hope for us" he looked around at his surroundings and arched an eyebrow, there didn't seem to be any form of civilization as far as his eye could see, and that was saying something. He did notice a few things scattered around him though and a good ten minutes away he saw a horse trotting towards him, beautiful white stallion with bags tied to the saddle.
Harry shook his head and then pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering an incantation under his breath and slowly, the blinding pain behind his eyes faded and he could see clearly without squinting. He looked at the items around him and sighed, there was a beautiful long sword with a light brown handle. On the side of the handle were engraved dark green leaved and some writing written in a language he didn't know.
He put the sword on his belt and then picked up two matching daggers, three matching throwing knives and a bow with over twenty arrows. He placed the daggers and knives on his belt and strapped the bow around his shoulder and then arched an eyebrow "Is there something you forgot to tell me? Why should I need weapons when I am supposed to forget the despair of war?" he asked no one in particular before picking up a small bag, inside was what looked like weird bread wrapped in a leaf.
He frowned and pulled it out before snapping a bit off the bread-like-thing and putting it in his mouth, chewing lazily whilst watched the horse come closer. He was pleasantly surprised to see the bag had refilled itself and then he closed his eyes. Not only did this bread appear to keep his strength up but it also seemed to have an unusual replacement for blood as one of the ingredients, therefore fulfilling his vampiric needs. He thanked the gods for that, literally. He hadn't been looking forward to having to feed again, Severus's replacement, Remus Lupin had always made him a bloodlust potion and so he hadn't had to for a while.
The horse stopped in front of him and snorted whilst pawing the ground and Harry sighed. Why on earth would he need a horse when he could simply apparate? Maybe it was best to keep his magic to a minimum though, just in case it was different here. It was hard to accept that he was in fact in another world. Maybe he should just have gone with Sev anyway, it would just be his luck if he were the only living being around here...besides horses, obviously. He eyed the horse disdainfully for a minute and then sighed before checking he had everything he needed. Satisfied he studied the saddle on the beast and frowned
"I haven't the faintest idea how to ride you," he muttered under his breath but then he slipped his foot in what was obviously the stirrup and then swung his leg around. He grinned when he was sat down and had the reins in his hand "See. I can do this. Eaaaaasay" just as he was on that last word, the horse took off at a run and Harry for the life of him couldn't work out how to take control. He tugged harshly on the reins and groaned when the beast reared upwards, kicking its front legs in the air before stopping suddenly. He clung onto the things neck for dear life and then took a deep breath "How 'bout we go slower this time hmm?" he whispered into the things ear and was surprised when it actually listened.
"I hope you know where you're going because I don't" he just sat back and let the horse go where it wanted to and after a good few hours, when it became apparent that the thing was just going to lead him in a circle, he took control of the reins and managed to figure them out. He headed forward, no idea where it led too but hoping it actually went somewhere, he made sure not to change course and just kept going. When night fell he didn't even stop, but when the horse became tired, he jumped down and started to walk, pulling the thing along slowly.
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Two full days of travelling without rest and Harry could see nothing in the direction he was going but mountains, they didn't look very friendly either but he was pretty damned sure he wasn't going to turn around after all this time and so when night fell, he stopped for a rest, sitting on a large stone. He watched as the horse plopped down and smirked, never had he seen a horse lay or even rest, they always seemed to be running. Unsure of whether he should sleep in case the thing decided to run off, Harry sat on the floor and leant back, using the horse's stomach as a pillow.
He slept then and for once had pleasant dreams, he dreamt of back home as his friends and family rebuilt the Wizarding world after the last war. He dreamt them moving on with their lives and he couldn't help but smile at that. He hoped what he had seen was true; they deserved the peace and happiness now even if he couldn't be there to share it with them. He had even been able to see as Ron finally got on his knee and proposed to Hermione, yes, he definitely hoped he dreamt the truth.
When he awoke, it seemed to be only hours after and the horse was still asleep. Harry laughed and climbed to his feet, feeling happier and livelier than he had since the beginning. He checked through the four bags the horse had carried and found some food for the beast. He seriously would have to think up a name for it. He stared at it for a minute and then smiled, Aldóra. Yes, that's what he would call her. It meant winged gift in Greek and also meant beautiful. She was a pretty horse; he just hoped that it actually was a she. He was sure he was the only person who ever had to wake a horse before. He mused at the irony of it for a minute and then slapped her on the stomach, not hard enough to hurt but just enough to wake her.
He laughed as she kicked herself to her feet and he was sure that if a horse could glare, that one did. She turned her back to him and snorted loudly "Oh fine, you sulk then. I'll just eat your food shall I?" he teased and then laughed again as she turned around quickly, her eyes searching for the food. Harry watched her eat for a minute with a smile on his face before he stroked her "Would you mind if I called you Aldóra? It is a beautiful name for a beautiful horse" he said and grinned when she neighed and shook her head.
He sat back down and pulled out another piece of bread from his never ending bag and munched on it for a minute, eyeing the mountains in the distance. He would seriously just have to scream if there was no way through them, he couldn't be arsed going over but he definitely was not going back. Annoyed by not being able to see anything else, Harry levitated himself into the air and squinted through the mists of the morning. It appeared that the mountain he would be reaching ahead of him also ran all the way down his right hand side and to his left was what looked like a river but other than that, he could see nothing.
"Where should we go Aldóra hmm? Should we continue on straight ahead or should we turn right and hope for an opening?" he asked, well, if he had nobody else to talk too, his horse would just have to do. He grinned when she pawed at the ground and actually seemed to nod in a direction. Again, he thanked the gods for giving him an animal with brains "Straight ahead then? That's what I was thinking too" he finished his bread and gathered all of his things together before attaching the bags to Aldóra's saddle again "Ready to continue?" he asked as he jumped lightly onto her back and without his even having to guide her, she walked on.
After a while, Harry was once again bored out of his mind and he wondered if he would be able to conjure a book or something. He closed his eyes and pictured the book he had been reading before he died, he wasn't in the least surprised when it didn't turn up and so he settled for looking around, watching the scenery. They were drawing closer to the river now as he could actually see it without squinting too much. To his fight the mountains poked out rather a lot and so that was clearer but still, when night fell, Harry paused again.
He didn't know why, he wasn't even tired but he set up camp... As much as one could without a tent, and allowed Aldóra to go off munching on grass for a while whilst he looked around. In his fifth year, Harry had come into heritage as it was called and had also come into power. He found out by default that he was an elf; of course, the pointy ears had nothing to do with him reaching this decision. He had been trained by the few real elves in his world that still existed who explained that Lily was apparently adopted at birth was in fact a real elf. Her parents had been killed in the war against Grindlewald as had most of their Elven kin and Lily had been left to the humans, thought dead.
Then of course, at the end of sixth year, Harry had once again been kidnapped by Voldemort and had duelled with him. Harry had actually had the advantage considering the Dark Lord did not know of his Elven heritage and had underestimated him but when Severus was killed trying to help him, Harry faltered and Voldemort took advantage of that. He had tortured Harry for hours on end before he had gone so far as to have a vampire turn him. Pretty soon after that, Harry had escaped with his lover's body to Hogwarts and then fallen unconscious as his body fought with this curse.
Never before had an elf been turned, or if they had, there was no record of such a thing happening and so no one knew if Harry would survive. Two weeks of unconsciousness, Harry's body had no choice but to accept the curse and it had morphed Harry's abilities brilliantly. Of course, Lord Voldemort learnt to regret it as Harry's senses returned to him better than ever, his speed was unbeatable and his strength was amazing. His power also seemed to have morphed as the core of his wand had moulded with his body and his magic seemed to pour through his skin in waves. That was a bitch to control but made him the most powerful wizard alive.
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A sense of wariness had awoken inside Harry now though and he opened his senses fully. He could feel Aldóra not so far away but he could also hear the sound of many feet scurrying closer. He returned to his camp, his mind recalling what the middleman of the Valar had said. "Live, as you are now, in another world amongst others of your race, well, what your race was before you were turned." Therefore Harry was hoping to see the Elves he had been promised but he wanted to be careful. He called Aldóra closer to him and pressed a finger to his lips before crouching low in the darkness with his bow out and an arrow cocked and aimed.
What he saw though made him stand straight and wrinkle his nose in disgust, unintentionally lowering his weapon at the same time. "That wasn't funny middleman!" he whispered, "I am totally insulted, I have never even come close to their race. What the hell are they?" he added, tilting his head to the side. He stepped forward and was about to speak when an arrow stabbed him right in the stomach. He looked down at it and blinked before his face fell into a mask of cold fury and without any hesitation at all, he cocked his arrow again and started firing.
He managed to kill at least ten of the things before any got close enough and then he quickly drew his sword and started fighting. He was pissed off, he was tired and he needed a bath, he was sooo not in the mood for this. There were only five left after he put his arrows away anyway and so he lifted his sword just in time to stop a blow and then thrust his dagger through the things stomach before moving on to the next. His horse had fucking run away, he couldn't believe it but then again, he could hardly blame her.
He killed another of the things before spinning around in time to stop another attack. As he killed that one, he turned to another and winced as he felt teeth sink in to his neck and a sword into his side but he did not stop. Five minutes later there was nothing moving around him and he scowled at himself for getting hurt. He couldn't afford to heal himself right now though because he was too tired and he needed to feel safe when he concentrated on his healing powers and so he gathered up everything he could carry, leaving nothing behind and then set off again, walking towards the mountain.
His Elven blood had mixed with the curse when his body had stopped fighting and whilst his powers had both gone out of control and doubled, the whole instant healing thing all vampires and most elves had had instead mixed with his magic and so he could only heal himself when he concentrated enough and looked deep within himself for that power. It was only a minor setback considering everything else that had happened but this was the one time in which Harry cursed his luck.
He still hadn't stopped staggering along when the sun rose, he had his senses fully opened and was looking everywhere, all the time cursing the Valar and everything about it. A little warning would have been appreciated but hey, at least now he knew why he needed the weapons. He was getting weak from lack of blood and whilst he knew he could not die, there was nothing to stop him falling unconscious. He had nearly reached the mountains now though and for some reason, he knew that he didn't have far to go before he was safe.
He tripped over his own foot and cursed himself as he went down, not having enough strength to push himself back to his feet and so he just lay there for a minute, listening. He could hear the faint sound of hooves and knew his Aldóra was coming back to him. He rolled himself over and watched as she drew nearer and nearer and then she was before him, nuzzling against his cheek apologetically. Harry smiled at her and forced himself to his feet as she knelt down to let him climb on her easily. He attached the bags to her again before sliding onto the saddle and leaning his head against her neck as she stood back up
"Get us to the mountain girl, I think you know where I'm going better than I do" he mumbled and then gripped on to her tightly "I need you to hurry, don't stop until we get somewhere safe" he added, knowing that she could understand him and then he shut his eyes as she galloped off. He didn't allow himself to fall to sleep though and instead broke off some of that bread stuff and chewed on it lazily, smiling as his strength returned slightly and he was able to sit up.
The only thing that was making him hurry now was the fact that he didn't want another night full of fighting. The pain he could deal with and he had already lost what little blood he had inside him. All that showed he was injured where the large red patches on his shirt, two on the shoulder, one on the stomach, one on the side and some on his collar. He straightened up more when they came to the mountains but Aldóra didn't pause to let him admire the totally spookiness of the view, she galloped through an opening and then slowed to a trot.
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As night fell, they rode deep into the foothills of the mountains and when Aldóra slowed to a walk, Harry peered around her head and just stared in awe. Never would he have imagined a place as beautiful as this held between the scariest mountains he had ever seen. For as far as the eye could see there was green land where the grass was as green as could be imagined, a river ran straight through the middle of it and there were patches of trees here and there.
Aldóra followed a path past some trees and Harry pulled her reins to stop her when he heard voices and laughter. He cocked his bow before anyone could blink and then listened "Please tell me it's none of those hideous black things" he groaned loudly and arched an eyebrow when he heard muffled laughter again
"A young lord who doesn't even know where he is let alone what we are," a voice whispered and Harry sighed
"Obviously not or I would not be asking now would I?"
"O! Where are you going?
The stars are a glowing
The river is a flowing
O! Tra-la-la-lally
Here down in the valley
Ha! Ha!
O! What are you seeking
And why aren't you speaking?
Your shoulders a leaking
Why aren't you shrieking?
O! Tra-la-la-leery
The valley is cheery!
He! He!
O! Will you be staying?
Or will you be swaying
Your horse is a weary
But that's just our theory
The day is now over
So what of our rover?
Will he laugh or will he sing
Will he fly unto our king?
Will he stay or will he go
He may decide before the snow
Ha! Ha!"
Harry just stared blankly into the trees and whoever was there dissolved into another fit of giggles. That song just had to have been the biggest load of shit he had heard, was he sure he wanted to stay when these beings would probably drive him mental in a day or two. Maybe he should ask what they were on and if he could have some. He noticed Aldóra had perked up at their voices though and he frowned
"Yes. Very funny" he said dryly and then rolled his eyes "I resent being called Rover though!" he huffed after a minute and then groaned as they went into more fits of laughter. He shook his head and turned away, stroking Aldóra's head. "Come on girl, I'll carry the bags and walk, not far to go now and I'll find us a place to rest" he said gently, deciding to ignore the whatever they were in the trees.
He jumped down and winced slightly at the pain in his side, but he held his hand over it for a minute, applying pressure to the wound and then he unhooked the bags from his horse and slung them over his shoulders before holding her reins loosely to guide her along. But before he moved, he looked over his shoulder into the trees again and sighed, "Can you at least give me a straight answer? What were those black creatures and why did they attack me?"
"O! Rovers had a run in
Much to his chagrin
With creatures of the dark
A bite less than their bark
O! Rover is upset
But here there is no threat
So laugh and sing and smile
A stay here is worthwhile
Ha! Ha!
O! Rover is of our kin
From distant lands and skin
O! All here is jolly
Down in the valley..."
"Yeah, yeah. I get the picture. Shut up" Harry grumbled half way through their song. He was in no mood for this and whilst it may have been amusing at first, he wasn't going to get any answers out of them and so he shook his head and walked off, leading Aldóra behind him.