AN: THIS IS MY LORD OF THE RINGS HARRY POTTER CROSSOVER. I WROTE THIS AGES AGO AND FOUND IT IN MY DRAWER LAST NIGHT. UPDATES ARE GOING TO BE PRETTY SCETCHY NOW, BECAUSE OF SCHOOL AND THE AWFUL AMOUNT OF HOMEWORK OUR EVIL TEACHERS SET.
DISCLAIMER: DO I LOOK LIKE I OWN HARRY POTTER OR LORD OF THE RINGS? (REMEMBERS THAT READERS CAN'T SEE HER) ANYWAY, I DON'T AND THE CHANCES OF ME EVER DOING SO ARE SLIGHT TO SAY THE LEAST.
Hogwarts, Year1
Chapter 1: Arrival and Explanations
Albus Dumbledore stood by the window in his study, looking out over Hogwarts grounds. He was very interested in the letter he held in his hand. More precisely, he was interested in the address that was written on the letter. It was the Harry Potter's acceptance letter for Hogwarts. Ten years ago, Voldemort had attacked the Potter family. He had killed Lily and James Potter with the same ease that he had killed countless over witches and wizards. Then he had turned his wand onto one-year-old Harry. Miraculously, Harry had somehow survived the curse that had killed many powerful adult wizards. He had survived with only a small lightening bolt scar on his forehead and Voldemort had been forced to flee, his body destroyed and his powers diminished.
He had sent Hagrid to pick up Harry from the rubble of Godrick's hollow, where the young family had been living. The half-giant had brought the baby to where Albus Dumbledore was waiting at number 4 Privet Drive. He had decided that Harry would live with his mother's family where he would be safest. Everything had gone as planned and the venerable old wizard had left Harry on the doorstep with a note explaining to his family about what had happened.
The next day he checked the wards to discover that baby Harry was not in the Dursley's house and was nowhere to be found. After a couple of months, when Harry still couldn't be found anywhere, he had to admit that it was probable that Harry was dead. The wizarding world went into mourning for their young hero and, eventually, life went on.
Now, ten years later, he had been sending out the invitations to all eleven-year-old wizards and witches. He had been looking over the names, checking if there would be any problems in persuading students to attend, when he noticed something that shouldn't be there. Hogwarts letters were never sent to dead people, but there was a letter in the pile addressed to one Harry Potter. He was even more confused by the address on the letter, he had never heard of any of the places on the envelope and the ancient wizard knew most places. The address read as follows;
Mr Harry Potter,
His quarters,
The house of Elrond,
Imladris,
Arda.
The venerable old wizard was still contemplating this strange turn of events when he noticed something strange moving across the Hogwarts grounds, approaching the castle doors. He rang a bell and, within seconds, a female house-elf appeared in the room.
"Is master Dumbledore wanting anything?"
"Yes Binky," Dumbledore replied, "Could you go and get Minerva for me?"
The house elf nodded and bobbed a curtsey before disappearing with a pop to find the transfiguration professor.
Ten minutes later the door swung open to reveal a harassed looking Minerva McGonagel.
"What is it Albus?" She asked in a distinctly frazzled tone.
Albus smiled, Minerva always got like this in the summer, when she was very busy sending out letters, arranging liaisons with muggle born families, receiving replies and also attempting to prepare her class schedule for the next term. Seeing the normally unflappable deputy headmistress in such a state never failed to amuse the old wizard. Minerva was still dressed in a tartan dressing gown, despite the fact that it was three o'clock in the afternoon, and her grey hair, which was normally pulled into a tight bun, hung in disarray around her shoulders. Her spectacles were slightly askew and there were smudges of ink on her fingers and face. Minerva flushed slightly when she noticed her state and then attempted to regain a business-like manner. She reiterated her previous enquiry.
"Is there a problem with something Albus?"
The venerable old wizard smiled and wordlessly handed her the envelope he had been holding in his hands. He watched as she read it, her face blanched and she swayed on her feet for a minute. After a moment, she regained enough composure to ask,
"Surely it can't be true. I saw you place him at his relatives' house and he isn't there, even your spells couldn't find him. There can't be any chance he's alive, can there? I mean, there is an annual day of mourning for him; even you said he was probably dead. How do you know this was not just a mean trick played by some supporter of you-know-who that managed to escape Azkaban? I didn't even write that letter."
Albus nodded gently,
"I was as sure that he was dead as you are. But you don't write the addresses to the students, except when it's for muggle-borns, when you have to make special contact with the family. Harry was down for Hogwarts when he was born and only death can take him off that list. If there's a letter for him, then he is alive. However, that wasn't why I called you up here. I do believe we are about to receive a guest and I would like you to bring the up to meet me…"
Albus didn't finish, while he was speaking, the figure that he had seen moving effortlessly across the ground had entered his office without the wizard, whom many considered omniscient, even noticing his presence. When he was speaking of him, the guest interrupted smoothly,
"Excuse me, sir, the will be no need for this lady to escort me to meet you, as I am already in your presence."
The two whirled around to face the intruder. Both highly esteemed professors gaped; they had never seen anyone quite like the person who had entered the office. He was tall, almost extraordinarily so, and had a sort of ethereal beauty that made Minerva's breath hitch in her throat. His long black hair hung loose down his back except for two elegant braids which encircled his head like a crown, it seemed to be glowing and was extraordinarily long. His skin also had an ethereal quality to it and his bone structure was regal and almost feminine. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue that made Albus feel slightly uncomfortable and naked under his gaze. He was dressed in a blue tunic embroidered with silver and leggings of the same material wrapped his long legs. He had the lithe figure of a dancer and moved with an unnatural grace, somehow managing to be quiet, despite the black leather boots he wore. He wore a cloak made of a soft silvery material and clasped at the neck with a silver clasp in the shape of a nightingale. He was smiling softly and his face seemed to be glowing with a preternatural light. When he spoke his voice was like no other Minerva had ever heard; it seemed to be made of two tones, one deep and booming, dangerous and powerful as the stormy sea, the other was light and beautiful, full of joy and wonder. His face seemed to be eternally young, but there was the saddened wisdom of the old in his deep azure eyes. Albus managed to regain his composure and said,
"I take it you wish to talk with me then?"
The stranger nodded and there seemed to be a half-smile on his face as he took the seat Albus offered him and kindly accepted the lemon drop the headmaster proffered (LOL, only Albus Dumbledore would offer a lemon drop in these circumstances). The headmaster cleared his throat and spoke again,
"I am afraid we must get down to business. May I enquire ask you a few questions before you explain your purposes?"
The stranger smiled ambiguously again and replied in his beautiful lilting voice,
"You may enquire, I am not here to place a restriction on your right to ask questions. Whether you receive an answer depends, of course, on the questions that you ask."
Minerva bristled slightly at the stranger's attitude, but Dumbledore placed a gentle hand on her arm, restraining her from commenting, he spoke in reply amiably and conversationally,
"I understand your hesitance, there are questions I assume you would not wish to answer. I ask you these questions would you lie to me?"
The stranger's eyes twinkled even brighter now,
"You are correct in your assumption that there are certain dangerous and personal truths I would not wish to disclose. However, I would not lie. However dangerous the truth can be, in the long term, a lie is much more damaging. If you asked me a question I did not wish to answer, I would say neither yes or no."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in response,
"I am in agreement with your explanations. If you would permit it, I will begin to ask my questions now."
It was a statement more than a question, but the stranger nodded his acceptance anyway.
"What is your name?"
The stranger smiled slightly,
"I have two, I will tell you my blood name first and inform you of the other later. I am known as Amaneldaron, second son of Luthien Tinuviel and Beren son of Beregond."
Dumbledore seemed to accept this answer, knowing that it was the only one he would receive until the stranger decided to impart any other.
"Why are you here?"
Amaneldaron smirked slightly and replied,
"I received an invitation to attend your school as a first year and decided it would be more convenient in the long term for me to deliver my reply in person."
The two merely gaped at him, he smirked even wider; he had obviously been expecting a reaction like this,
"Perhaps it would be easier if I showed you my letter of invitation."
It was a statement and, in any case, the two were obviously still too shocked to be able to put together a cohesive answer. Amaneldaron lent down and extracted a neatly folded piece of parchment from a bag that he had obviously placed on the floor when he entered the room. Smoothing out the creases, he unfolded it and slid it across the table to the two shell-shocked professors. Shaking himself out of his momentary lapse, Albus picked up the parchment and read:
Dear Mr Potter…
He stared, 'Mr Potter'?
"Yes." The stranger, no Amaneldaron, no Harry, said. Albus started, he hadn't even realised that he had spoken aloud until Harry spoke. He passed the letter to Minerva and attempted to regain a controlled composure,
"I hope you are going to accept the invitation, Harry."
The boy, no, man, started at the name, as if he were unused to being addressed by it.
"I would love to attend, except I suppose you are waiting for an explanation."
It was a statement that required no answer and none was given, Amaneldaron sighed and began his tale,
"My name, as I said, is Amaneldaron. I was born to Luthien Tinuviel in the first age of middle earth. I am, as you may have noticed, not entirely human. My mother, Luthien Tinuviel, was born King Thingol of the Doriath and Melian, who was one of the valar, she was an elf of the highest lineage. My father was Beren, son of Beregond; he was one of the edain, a mortal man. The elves are blessed with immortality and men are doomed all to die. My father and mother married after many troubles which would take too long to recount and a great knowledge of the history of my people to understand.
My elder brother was called Dior and his daughter was called Elwing. They were the first of the half-elven. My niece married Earendil, the half-elven son of Idril, an elf, and Tuor, one of the edain. My niece had two sons; twins named Elros and Elrond. The half-elven have always had the choice between mortality and immortality and Elros chose the life of mortal men, dooming himself to an eventual death, whilst Elrond chose the way of the eldar and the two were eternally separated. Elros was gifted with long life and his kin have been the rulers of men for as long as they have lived. What happens next is boring and spanning the course of hundreds of years, but let me merely say that the line of men has dwindled and the blood of Elros diminished, the king has disappeared and his descendants live on in relative anonymity. The heir of Elendil, who was the first of the Numenoreans to come to middle earth from the destruction of Numenor and the first king of both the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, lives under no knowledge of his heritage in the house of my great-nephew. There is relative peace, but evil is stirring and I can tell that it is not long before the peace is broken irrevocably.
The istari are the wizards of my world and it was discovered centuries ago that I had an even greater power than they did. Mithrandir heard of the prophecy concerning the Potter family, as he hears most things, and he knew that the child of Lily and James Potter was a girl, who would be born stillborn. He requested that I come to this world with him and explain the circumstances to the Potters. Lily and James were devastated to hear about their daughter, but were amenable to the plan that Mithrandir suggested. The plan was this; Lily and James were to continue as normal throughout Lily's pregnancy, when the time came for the birth, it would be at home. When the girl was born, I was to be transfigured into a baby by James, who was good enough at transfiguration to attempt such a thing. Of course, he didn't know I was able to change back at any moment if I had so desired. Everything went exactly according to the plan and you know the events that took place afterwards. After you had dropped me on the doorstep of number four Privet drive, I transformed back and returned to my world, as I had pressing matters to be attended to there, such as my foster great-great nephew, who is actually the heir of Isildur and Elendil.
I opened the portal at the beginning of the summer and have been screening for the letter ever since, when I received it I made up my mind to come here and tell you the truth of what happened ten years ago. I would very much like to attend your school if you are amenable to such an arrangement."
Dumbledore and Minerva gaped at him in astonishment. They had never heard such an extraordinary story in all their lives and they had heard some particularly good ones before. They would have never believed it if it weren't for the utter honesty in his voice when he spoke and the fact that they could think of no other possible explanation for what had happened ten years ago. After the professors had managed to scrape their jaws off of the floor of Dumbledore's office, Albus nodded his acceptance of Harry's, no, Amaneldaron's, request to attend the school.
The elf smiled slightly at the acceptance of his request and the consternation his story had induced. I mean, sure, he may be thousands of years old, but that doesn't mean he can't take pleasure in other peoples' confusion for once. After a brief interval, Harry raised his eyes to look at the two mortals before him and asked politely,
"I would request that I be permitted to stay here for the remainder of the summer as I informed my family that I would not return until the winter. It would be possible for me to return, but I would not to like things much more complicated for my great-nephew than they already are. I must check in at regular intervals to make sure that nothing too disastrous happens during by absence, but I would like to continue my education here in things that none could teach me at home.
I would also like to honour the wish of Lily and James Potter that any child of theirs' should attend this school if possible. Despite the fact that I was in no way related to them and was several millennia their senior, they treated me very well and were as to me parents as none had been since my mother and father departed to the halls of Mandos.
I would also wish to learn more of this world before I begin my education as I believe it will be beneficial if I know about the culture and technology of this world so that I do not appear as a fool to my peers. So, if it were not any trouble to you, I would wish to remain here for the remainder of the vacation. Would that be feasible?"
Professor Dumbledore finally regained his ability of speech and answered,
"It would not be possible for you to stay in the school until September, but it could be arranged for you to stay in the Leaky Cauldron until the term begins. Lily and James left you a considerable amount of money, which I still have no doubt that they would want you to use. You can wander around Diagon Alley and learn about this world and do your school shopping at the same time. I merely have one more question for you. Do you wish to enter this school as your true self or as Harry Potter?"
Amaneldaron considered this for a moment before he responded.
"That is a good question. I think it would be better for me to attend as my own self, not as Harry Potter, and to explain my evanescent stay here as Harry Potter at a later time and at my own discretion. As to your suggestion that I spend the rest of my vacation in London, it is an exemplary one. If you will arrange for the accommodation, I will depart immediately. I hope this will not inconvenience you too much."
Albus shook his head.
"No, not at all. I will make the arrangements for you directly. I will see you in September with the rest of the students then?"
Amaneldaron nodded,
"Most definitely. Thank you for your time and consideration, professors. Farewell."
And with that comment, the immortal swept out of the room and departed from the school. Leaving the two professors to continue with their business as normal.
"Well," McGonagall said, "This year is certainly going to be very interesting."
