Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings.

Chapter 11: Gifts and Goodbyes

"Harry? Harry?"

Harry groaned and rolled over in his sleep.

"Harry? Harry, come on, wake up," the voices insisted.

Harry pretended not to hear.

Pippin turned to his friends. "It's not working," he said.

"I've got an idea," said Fred, "But it will involve me hexing all of you."

"What is it?" asked Merry.

Fred whispered it to the others. They all nodded. Fred and George pointed their wands at their throats and muttered "Sonorous!" Then they did the same to Merry and Pippin. Fred raised his finger as a signal, and together they all yelled at the same time:

"WAKE UP HARRY!"

Harry bolted up with a yell and looked around wildly. He found all four of them laughing hysterically and pointing at him.

"You should've seen the look on your face!" said George, wiping tears from his eyes.

"What was that for?" asked Harry furiously.

"Everyone else is up. It's time to leave," said Merry.

"Already?" groaned Harry. He loved Lothlorien and didn't want to go so soon.

"Harry, we've been here for two months," said Fred, "It's about time we kept going. The sooner this journey ends, the better."

"Two months?" asked Harry disbelievingly, "It feels more like two days!"

"Well, time passes more quickly when you're in Lorien," said Pippin, "At least, that's what Aragorn says."

"Anyway, you'd better hurry mate, they've packed all the boats and Galadriel wants to give us each something before we go," said George.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Dunno," said Fred, "I guess something to help us on our journey."

Harry quickly dressed and went with the others to one of the borders of Lothlorien, the great Anduin River. The elves were waiting for them, and they gave the Fellowship elven cloaks, which worked a bit like the invisibility cloak, except it just allowed them to blend in with their surroundings. Then Galadriel presented them each with a gift. Legolas received a bow of the Galadhrim, Merry and Pippin got elven daggers, Sam got some elven rope, and Boromir got a belt of gold. She gave Hermione a special brooch.

"If you are ever in danger, put your hand over it, and your friends will know and come to your aid," she said.

"Thank you my lady," said Hermione, bowing and leaving.

Galadriel turned to Fred and George. "Here," she said, smiling and handing them both pouches. Inside was some powder.

"What does it do?" asked Fred.

"It's fire powder," said Galadriel, "If you throw it on something, it causes that thing to explode. I thought you might find it useful for a distraction." The twins stared at the pouches as if all their dreams had come true. "But remember, use it wisely," she warned, before turning to Harry.

"I have a special gift for you," she said, "I'm sure you remember using this." She pulled out a long sword. On its hilt were giant rubies, and a name was engraved on the blade. There was no doubt to Harry what it was.

"That's Godric Gryffindor's sword," he breathed, "How did you get that!"

"I summoned it," she said simply, "I can summon things between worlds if I need to. I believe you shall need this sword before this war is over. Namarie Harry Potter." And she turned to the next member, leaving Harry to gape at his gift.

The Fellowship was leaving by elven boats. Aragorn, Frodo, and Sam were in one boat, Hermione, Legolas, and Gimli were in another, Boromir, Merry, and Pippin were in the third, and Harry, Fred, and George were in the last. They waved to Celeborn and Galadriel, then rounded a bend, and soon Lothlorien began to fade from sight, but not before the group heard bangs and explosions in the distance. Everyone except Fred, George, Merry, and Pippin turned to see what was happening. They couldn't see too much, except for a few colorful sparks here and there.

"What's happening?" asked Hermione fearfully.

Legolas narrowed his eyes to see the orange shape moving above the trees in the distance. "It looks like a…dragon," he said.

Pippin couldn't control himself. He let out a very audible snort.

Everyone looked at him. "What?" asked Aragorn sternly.

"Nothing," said George innocently, "Keep rowing!"

"What did you four do?" asked Hermione.

"Just a little parting prank," said Fred, "They'll be able to put it out in no time!"

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"Fireworks," said Fred, "In memory of Gandalf!" All four boys roared with laughter.

"I hope the elves can put them out," said Hermione.

"Oh they will, it's not that hard," said George.

By now most of the Fellowship was trying to hold back grins. If it hadn't have been for these four, their journey would be much more boring and nerve-wracking. But their light-hearted moment didn't last long as they continued a rather uneventful journey on the river. There was no one around, but Harry had the feeling they were being followed.

One night he found out what it was. They were camped on a beach along the river, and most of the Company had fallen asleep. Boromir was peering around a rock and staring at the river. "What is it?" asked Harry.

"Look," he said, pointing. There was a log floating on the other side. And Harry thought it looked like something was on it, something that looked horribly like a hand.

"What is that thing?" he gasped.

"It's Gollum," said Aragorn from behind them. The two jumped and turned around. "I hoped we'd lose him on the river, but he's too clever a waterman."

"Why's he following us?" asked Harry.

"Why is anyone following us? He's after the Ring!" said Boromir. He looked uncertainly at Aragorn, "You know, we could do what I suggested the first place, and bring the Ring to Minas Tirith…"

"No," said Aragorn sharply.

"But it's close to Mordor," insisted Boromir, "We could regroup, and strike out from a place of strength!"

"No!" said Aragorn, "I won't lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city!"

Boromir opened his mouth to argue, but Harry told him to stop. "Aragorn knows what he's doing," he said simply.

Aragorn now looked very upset. He turned and walked off on his own. Harry followed.

"Aragorn?" he asked hesitantly, "Did I say something wrong? What's the matter?"

Aragorn looked thoroughly miserable. "You don't understand Harry," he said sadly, "I have no idea what I'm doing!"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"When we first started out, Gandalf was supposed to be the leader. Not me. I don't know what he meant to do, or if I'm doing the right thing, and everyone looks up to me, and expects me to make it all right, but how can I when I don't know how?"

"I know how you feel Aragorn," said Harry quietly, "I go through this a lot at home. Just because Voldemort failed to kill me when I was a baby, everyone expects me to be the hero. But I don't think I can do it!"

"You're still young," said Aragorn, "I'm sure as you grow older you will experience things that will help you."

"I think I'm experiencing something like that right now!"

"Well, I'll always be there for you if you need me," said Aragorn.

"And I'll try to be there for you," said Harry.

Aragorn smiled at him. "I thought we had a lot in common when we first met," he said, "I think I was right. Thank you for your advice."

The next morning the boats approached the Falls of Rauros. They had to pass two gigantic statues with their hands outstretched first. They were the pillars of two great kings of Gondor, in a place called Argonath. Aragorn was gazing in awe at the statues; they were his ancestors after all. Hermione was also amazed.

"I wonder how long it took to carve those?" she asked.

"Who knows?" said Legolas, "I don't know anything about stone-work."

"I do," said Gimli, "And I must say, I'm impressed by these pillars. They look like they took a decade to build at least."

All three of them had become good friends despite their obvious differences. Hermione kept the two boys entertained for hours with stories about Hogwarts. They pressed her for every detail, and she enjoyed giving it to them. Legolas loved hearing about the grounds, the lake, the Forest, even the greenhouses. Gimli wanted to know more about the building itself.

"Fascinating," he would say, "Are there hidden passageways in the school too?"

"Yes," said Hermione, "Though I don't know where all of them are, you'd have to ask Fred and George."

"I will," said Gimli.

"Tell me more about the Forest," Legolas insisted. "I want to know more about the centaurs. They sound a little bit like my own people."

"You've already had her talking about that bloody forest for over an hour," grumbled Gimli, "You had your turn, now let me hear about the school itself!" But he was never really angry at the elf; their relationship had gotten passed that. Hermione would just laugh as she watched them go back and forth; they reminded her of Harry and Ron a little bit.

Once they got to the Falls of Rauros, the Fellowship stopped and made camp by the beach. Aragorn had a feeling there were orcs on the other side, and he wanted to make sure that it was dark before they crossed and continued the rest of their journey on foot.

Sam got out the cooking utensils again, and started to light a fire. Pippin quickly stole some lembas bread, a type of elvish food used for long journeys, and gave it to his friends, where they sat in corner away from the others, munching contentedly. Frodo waited until he thought no one was looking before wandering off on his own. Legolas was too busy staring into the woods with a worried expression on his face. Hermione and Aragorn made their way towards him.

"What's the matter?" asked Hermione.

"There's something out there," he replied, "I can feel it."

"What do you think it is?" asked Aragorn.

"I don't know," said Legolas, "But I'd rather not find out. I think we should leave now."

"I already told you, we can't," said Aragorn.

"But if there's something here," said Hermione, "I'd rather take my chances with the orcs."

Aragorn just shook his head and left them.

Harry was the first to realize who was missing in the group. "Where are Frodo and Boromir?"

Aragorn looked around. "I'd better go find them," he said.

"I'll help you," said Harry.

"Me too," said Hermione.

"All right," said Aragorn, "We'll split up and meet back here in a few minutes. The rest of you please stay here. I don't want us all getting lost."

Aragorn headed in the center direction, Hermione went to the left, and Harry to the right. He hadn't gone far when he heard shouts. Dashing in the direction of the noises, he thought he felt something rush by him near his feet. He looked around but saw nothing. With a sudden sickening feeling, he realized what it had been.

"Frodo?" he called. No answer. Harry turned and ran in the direction he thought Frodo had most likely gone. "Frodo? Frodo?" He finally reached a clearing, where he found the frightened looking hobbit on the ground. "Frodo!" he called, "Are you all right? What happened? Why did you use the Ring?"

Frodo turned to look at him. His eyes were wide with fear. "It has taken Boromir," he replied.

Harry gasped. "What? When? What happened? Did he try to take it from you? Did he attack you?"

Numbly, Frodo nodded.

"Are you ok?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied. Then he looked directly into Harry's eyes. Harry knew what he was about to say.

"It's ok," he said, "I know. I understand."

"You do?" asked Frodo in surprise.

"Yeah. Galadriel told me."

They were silent for a few seconds. Neither wanted to face the inevitable, but they knew in their hearts what they each had to do. Then Aragorn came up from behind them.

"Boys?" he asked, "Are you all right?"

"It took Boromir," said Harry simply, "Frodo has to leave."

Aragorn nodded. He too understood. He placed Frodo's hand in his and looked into the hobbit's eyes. "I would've gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor."

"I know," said Frodo.

The silence was suddenly interrupted by a crashing noise to their right. Someone was dashing as fast as they could towards the three. Aragorn, Harry, and Frodo drew their swords as the thing came nearer and nearer…


While all this had been happening, Hermione had been searching for Frodo and Boromir along the left path. She had not gone far when she heard voices. But these were not her friends' voices. These were harsh orc-like voices. Actually, they weren't orcs, they were Uruk-hai. Hermione crept closer, straining to catch what they were saying.

"We are approaching their camp. Remember the Master's orders: find the Halflings and the wizards, kill the others."

Hermione felt a chill run down her spine as she listened.

"How do we know which are which?"

"The Halflings are smaller than the others, except they don't have beards, that would be a dwarf."

"I know what dwarves are…"

"The wizards, I am told, carry wooden sticks with magic in them. If they start waving them and casting spells, you will know what they are. I believe Saruman also got some sort of description from the Great Eye himself, a boy with black hair, and two boys with red hair and freckles that look identical."

There was some muttering at this. With a jolt Hermione realized they hadn't mentioned her. The explanation was simple. The Ringwraiths had never encountered her, so they couldn't report her to Sauron.

Hermione didn't know any of this, but she didn't care. Somewhere in the woods, Harry and Frodo were wandering around, possibly alone and unprotected. And the others were still at the beach without any knowledge whatsoever about the Uruks' presence, if you didn't count Legolas. Without thinking further, Hermione dashed off to find Harry, Aragorn, Frodo, and Boromir. She had to warn them all as quickly as possible!

A/N: MUHAHAHAHA! I'm so evil! Thanks for your reviews! I updated faster than I expected to.

Infallallthingsaremadesplendid: Sorry, but I can't give you further clues about their wherabouts because I'd spoil everything! As for what Galadriel wanted to tell Harry, remember he definitley has heard the last part before. So either go back and read the series again, 'cause I'm not telling you which book it's in, or wait 'til the Epilouge, where I tie up loose ends!

Kaladelia Undomiel: Ah, I want to tell you whether you're right or not, but I can't! I just reviewed for your story, and I liked it!

Radzilla: Like I said to infallallthingsaremadesplendid, I can't give even one hint because then you'd know right away. You'll just have to be patient. So sorry!

anianka: Thanks, I love my cliffhangers too! Don't worry, Ron isn't in Mordor, though now that you mention it, I never even thought of that! That would've made an interesting plot twister though!

moonlight and starlight: Wow, my story's one of the good crossovers? Thanks so much, that makes me feel good! I'll continue to update when I can!

Eclipse: (from now on I'll just refer to you as that) Ooo, I wanna tell you so bad! But fir the sake of the story's suspense, I won't. You'll find out in a chapter ot two.

BTW, Namarie means "Farewell" in Elvish for those who didn't know. And I am working on Ch. 12 now!