Next chapter will be up on Sunday.

Review Responses:

Panther28, a late Happy Halloween to you, too. You'll just have to see who goes where. I've got several plans and I don't want to give too much away.

Buffy Fan, sounds to me like someone is picking up on some of my subtle hints. Read on to see who goes where.

John, actually Tobold has no relation. But when I reread that section of the book, I just had to put it in. I can honestly see those little hobbits going on and on about pipeweed while destruction reigns behind them. :)

Harmoni, you know me, love to torture my characters. Things will get worse for her before they get better.

Kyra2, the hobbits are adorable aren't they?

Thank you guys so much for your reviews! You guys rock!

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Twenty-Four

The Palantir

After introducing everybody, they all sat down to eat. Merry and Pippin told them the story of their capture and how they met Treebeard, the leader of the Ents. They all listen in fascination to the story of how the Ents attacked Isengard and trapped Saruman in his tower.

"What I don't understand is why you're back," Merry said around his pipe. "Not that I'm complaining mind you, it is good to see you again. But I thought you had your own problems back home."

"We do," Buffy answered. "Our bad guy tried to catch Frodo, Sam, and the ring."

"What?" Pippin asked.

"Frodo and Sam are somewhere in our world and it wasn't safe for Harry there. So we came here."

"Why not?" Merry asked. "What's so important about him?"

"It's what I'd like to know," Harry muttered so low that only Buffy and Spike could hear him.

"Moldy Wart, our bad guy, is kind of after him. Combine evil wizard with evil ring of power and you've got a lot of badness," Buffy explained while she examined the fruit on one of the plates. "We brought him here to he could be safe."

"Yes, because being in the middle of a war is any safer," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

"But there's no mad wizard with a ring after you here either," Dawn pointed out.

"Voldemort doesn't have the ring either," Harry countered.

"I thought you said he did," Merry said, trying to keep pace with the conversation.

Buffy shook her head. "He tried to get it, but things went crazy. Frodo and Sam got pulled to somewhere else with the ring. Willow is looking for them."

"Is that safe?" Pippin asked with big eyes. "She got kind of scary the last time she was near it."

"Only because she wasn't prepared," Spike said. "She knows how to prevent that from happening again."

Gandalf chose that moment to ride up to them with Théoden and his men. "I hope you companions have all rested and refreshed yourselves?" The old wizard asked.

"Yup," Dawn said, rubbing her stomach. "Belly is all full."

"I have one last task to do before I go. I must pay Saruman a farewell visit. Dangerous and probably useless, but it must be done. Those of you who wish may come with me - but beware! And do not jest! This is not the time for it."

They all stood to go, but Gandalf stopped them. "Perhaps it would be wise if you and your friends remained here, Lady Buffy. I do not know yet how Saruman is sending information to Sauron, and I would like to keep the knowledge of your presence here a secret for as long as possible."

"Hey, sounds good to me. If it helps keep Harry safe, then we're good to go," Buffy said with a smile. At Gandalf's confused look, she clarified, "It means we'll stay. You guys go, we'll stay here."

The six other worlders sat down and watched their friends ride off to meet the former White Wizard.

scenebreak

Neville anxiously paced his bedroom. What the hell had he been thinking when he invited Blaise to go to Hogsmeade with him? Was it some sort of sign that an apocalypse was fast approaching? He had asked a girl out!

Now granted, he told her that they'd be hanging out with his friends, but still. He. Asked. A. Girl. Out. And at the time he hadn't even been nervous about it. Which was odd in and of itself because he had never asked a girl out before.

She was smart, quite beautiful, and at times she intimidated him. But when he had asked her to go to Hogsmeade, it had seemed very easy and natural. However, now as he thought about it, he began to panic.

What were they supposed to talk about? Where were they supposed to go? It wasn't like neither of them had never been to Hogsmeade before, but it was different this time. He'd be there with a girl. Him. With a girl.

"Oh, this is so not good," he muttered. Maybe he should just tell her he can't go, that he was sick. No, she'd never believe that. All the work he had done to try and make her feel more comfortable would be thrown out the window.

No, he was going to have to go to Hogsmeade with her. He only hoped his friends wouldn't pick on him too much. Hopefully, with her actually being there, they'd lay off some. Especially since she could probably kick all of their asses. Yeah, that would help.

His breathing slowed and he sat down on the edge of his bed. He would be fine. As long as he remained calm and didn't think about how beautiful she was, he would be just fine. Yeah, right.

scenebreak

Some time later, the company returned with dour looks on their faces. Merry was riding behind Gandalf, while Pippin was with Aragorn.

"We must ride back to Helm's Deep," Gandalf said.

While they got on their horses, two of the king's men rode out before them and soon passed out of sight. The rest followed at an easier pace.

"How long are we riding tonight?" Draco asked.

"Just for a few hours. But tomorrow we need to ride faster," Gandalf informed him.

True to Gandalf's word, they stopped only a few hours later and made camp. The sun had set just an hour before.

As Dawn snuggled into Draco's arms she whispered, "I think this was the easiest day we've had since we got here. No running, no fighting, met up with Merry and Pippin. Yeah, good day."

"And it will probably be our last one," Draco said with a sigh as they both drifted off to sleep.

It was several hours later that the entire camp was woken by Pippin's screams. Everyone came instantly awake to find the hobbit lying rigidly on the ground with a glowing crystal orb next to him.

Gandalf quickly threw his cloak over the orb and cried, "So this is the thief! But you, Pippin. This is a grievous turn to things." He knelt by the prone hobbit. A worried look appeared on the wizards' face for Pippin's eyes stared up unseeingly. "The devilry! What mischief has he done to himself, and to all of us?"

He spent several long minutes examining the hobbit while the others anxiously waited. Pippin suddenly relaxed and turned his eyes to the wizard. "Gandalf! Gandalf, forgive me."

"Forgive you? Tell me first what you've done," Gandalf ordered.

"I... I took the ball and looked in it and I saw things that frightened me. And I wanted to go away, but I couldn't. And then he came and questioned me; and he looked at me, and, and, that is all I remember."

"That won't do," Gandalf said. "What did you see, and what did you say?"

Pippin shut his eyes and shivered. "I saw him. He asked who I was and I told him that I was a hobbit. He laughed at me. It was cruel. It was like being stabbed with knives. Then he gloated over me. I felt I was falling to pieces. I don't remember anything else."

"Look at me," said Gandalf.

The hobbit looked straight into his eyes. The wizard held his gaze for a minute. Then his face grew gentler, and a shadow of a smile appeared.

"All right, say no more. You have taken no harm. There is no lie in your eyes, as I feared. But he did not speak long with you. A fool, but an honest fool you remain Peregrin Took." He let the hobbit lay back on the ground. "Stay here and rest if you can. Trust me. If you feel and itch in your palms again, tell me of it. These things can be cured."

Then Gandalf turned to the others and led them a short distance away.

"How is he?" Dawn asked, concern written on her face.

"I think all will be well now. He was not held long, and hobbits have an amazing power of recovery. The memory, or the horror of it, will probably fade quickly." Gandalf turned to Aragorn. "Will you, Aragorn, take the Orthanc-stone and guard it? It is a dangerous charge."

Buffy watched the Ranger carefully as he struggled over his decision. She could see that the time for him to claim the crown was fast approaching and this was a major step on that road. It wasn't clear to her how she knew it, but her slayer sense told her that the stone was important.

Finally the man nodded and held out his hands to receive it. "Dangerous indeed, but not to all. There is one who may claim it by right. For this assuredly is the palantír of Orthanc from the treasury of Elendil, set here by the Kings of Gondor. Now my hour draws near. I will take it."

Gandalf looked at Aragorn, and then, to the surprise of the others, he lifted the covered stone, and bowed as he presented it. "Receive it, lord. In earnest of other things that shall be given back. But if I may counsel you in the use of your own, do not use it - yet! Be wary."

"When have I been hasty or unwary, who have waited and prepared for so many long years?" Aragorn asked as he took the stone.

"Never yet. But then do not stumble at the end of the road. But at least keep this thing secret." Gandalf cautioned him. He looked out into the night. "The neighborhood of Isengard is no place now to linger in. I will ride ahead at once with Pippin to Minas Tirith. It will be better for him then lying in the dark while others sleep."

"I will keep Éomer and ten Riders," said Théoden. "They shall ride with me at early day. The rest may go with Aragorn and ride as soon as they have a mind."

"As you will," said Gandalf. "But make all the speed you may to the cover of the hills to Helm's Deep."

Harry suddenly cried out. He clutched his hands to his head and dropped to the ground. Ginny's face was tight as she knelt next to him.

Buffy felt goosebumps going up her arms and she looked around trying to find the source of them. Many of the people in the camp were cowering in fear, although none as badly as Harry. Then just as quickly as it started, it was gone and Harry sagged against Ginny in relief.

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say - what the hell was that?" Buffy asked, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Nazgûl," Gandalf answered. "A messenger of Mordor. The Nazgûl have crossed the River. Ride! Wait not for the dawn! Ride now!" He went to Shadowfax and camp quickly began to break.

"Come Pippin, we must ride," Gandalf said, leading the large white horse over to the hobbit.

"I'm going with you, and so is Harry," Buffy said, gathering her things.

"We don't have time for this," Gandalf argued.

"What?" Everyone cried around her.

Buffy looked at Dawn. "I'm going to ride ahead with him, that way we can keep in touch. Maybe we'll be able to coordinate and attack against Sour Puss. Since Harry is my charge, he's coming with me. 'Sides, this place is a city; we should be able to protect him better there."

Gandalf studied her for a moment and nodded. "Quickly, we must leave now."

Harry turned to Ginny and pulled her into his arms. "I love you," he whispered. "Be safe."

"I love you, too," she said, then released him and watched him walk away. The heaviness that she felt in her heart caused by her actions during the battle just two nights prior hadn't left her. She was now tainted with dark magic. Perhaps she should have let him break things off earlier.

As the four figures rode into the night, Draco commented to Dawn, "You just had to mention how peaceful things were, didn't you?"

She just turned and stuck her tongue out at him.