::ahem:: please don't hurt me…I got it out eventually didn't I? Hmm…mental note: don't promise to update within a week and then take months….not a good decision….he he he….

Woo hoo no more classes!!!! I cant believe it!!! Officially on summer break…oh yeeeeaaah….gotta luv it…

Now for the next installment….once again special thanks to laure for pelting me with the ::ahem:: semi-threatening e-mails….he he he…see that's the kinda motivation I need!!

Disclaimer: me? Dude, I don't own diddly squat let alone the lord of the rings…

Chapter 13

"All squad cars be on the lookout for three suspicious characters, armed and dangerous. Wanted for assault, kidnapping, breaking and entering…"

"Down!"

Ron felt a hand grasp the back of his shirt and pull him roughly to the floor just as he heard the warning. Mere seconds later the headlights of a police car swept the area above the shrubberies where Ron's head had previously been.

Wanting to ask the elf how he had known that the car was coming before either Harry or he had spotted it, but knowing full well he would only be rudely shushed for his curiosity, Ron simply glared at the ancient being and waited for the danger to pass.

The trio had been evading the local police for quite a time now and while the first few hours had been rather exciting, experiencing the pleasure of hiding in various maggoty dumpsters and bug-ridden dirt beds had quickly tempered the young wizards' excitement.

'Though,' Harry noted to himself as he observed his elfin friend crouched to the ground, a wild looking in his eye, waiting to spring away in a moments notice, 'Legolas certainly doesn't seem to mind so very much. If I had to guess I'd even say he's enjoying this!'

Sensing Harry's gaze, Legolas gave a quick cheeky smile and said "The danger is behind us for now. Come," and bound away into the shadows.

As no member of this trio was currently boasting a watch, Harry and Ron took Legolas' word for it when he said the time was quickly reaching 3 o'clock in the morning. Astonished that their flight has lasted as long as it had, the teenagers begged to be given a chance to catch even a few hours of sleep. Even if Legolas wasn't, the boys were utterly exhausted, which is especially understandable when you consider that they had been lugging Harry's trunk between the two of them for the entire trip.

"You will be able to sleep as long as you like once we reach our destination," assured Legolas once he had denied their wishes for the umpteenth time.

"Where are we going, anyway?" asked Harry, deciding that this elf was too stubborn to bother asking for a rest stop once more.

"Well, we'd be going to Grimmuald Place, wouldn't…ARRGH!! What the hell was that for?! That's the toe I just crushed, you idiot!!" cried Ron as he stopped to try and rub his now even more mangled toe through his shoe.

Harry, however, was unfazed by his friend's exclamations and said pointedly, "You're not supposed to talk about you know where," glancing at Legolas through the corner of his eye.

Legolas simply knelt before Ron and began unlacing his shoe. "Worry not, Harry. I have long known the whereabouts of the headquarters to the Order. Neither of you have said anything you ought not."

The ancient prince went on to take Ron's now bare foot in his hands, rubbing the toe softly and muttering softly in a tongue unfamiliar to both young wizards. At these ministrations Ron's grimace of pain faded and his shoulders slumped in relief.

"Thanks, mate," sighed Ron as he replaced his sock and shoe, not seeming to find the fact that Legolas had apparently healed his toe at all strange.

Before Harry could inquire as to what had just happened, Legolas asked if he knew the nearest station for the Underground.

"Um, no," said Harry, taking a good look around him for the first time. "I really have no idea where we are."

Sighing lightly, Legolas said, "Yes, I did not truly expect you to know. My attempt at loosing those mortal law keepers has apparently proved fruitful, yet in doing so I am afraid we have become hopelessly lost."

Sharing a worried glance with Ron, Harry said, "Well, um, what are we going to do?"

"I suppose we shall have to wait for sunrise and find a mortal who can give us directions, though I am loathe to waste our time so frivolously."

"Well at least we could take the time to rest up a bit, couldn't we?" asked Harry

"Harry, consider what you say," began Legolas seriously, "Do you think it likely that Voldemort would pass up such a prime opportunity to attack you?"

"I guess I hadn't thought about it like that," said Harry. Up to now, Harry had been considering this flight largely a means of escape from his tyrannical relatives, with the somewhat exciting element of the police thrown in unplanned. Yet now he was forced to consider the state of the world into which he was escaping and with the harsh reality of the situation brought to view, Harry couldn't stop a shiver of fear from snaking down his spine.

The young wizard sent a mental thank you to Ron when he broke up the uncomfortable silence which had been ruling for the last few minutes by saying, "I know from experience that its not a very enjoyable ride," spoke up Ron, "but there's always the Knight Bus."

"The night bus?" asked Legolas

"I don't see that we have many other choices," agreed Harry, though his stomach began to church even at the thought of the several extremely uncomfortable rides he had taken using that mode of transportation.

"What exactly is this Knight Bus, and why have you left it unmentioned until now?" inquired the elf.

"It's a way for witches and wizards to get around when they need a ride," explained Harry, "And I had honestly forgotten about it until Ron brought it up."

"Yeah, I think I tried to block out the memory of that trip," said Ron with a roll of his eyes.

At Legolas' confused look, Harry said, "Er, you see, it isn't the smoothest, most comfortable ride you've ever had…"

Legolas, feeling a bit exasperated that his young friends hadn't thought to bring up this Knight Bus earlier, said, "Well, how do we find this bus?"

"All you do is thrust out your wand hand like so," said Harry as he stretched his right hand, "and…"

All three jumped back as the ear numbing roar of an engine echoed through the deserted early morning street, a large purple breaking the darkness of the lane with the brilliance of his monstrous headlights. Harry, who was expecting Stan Shunpike to jump out and greet them as he had on Harry's previous rides, was surprised to see a plump, pretty young witch dressed in the same gaudy purple uniform hop off the bus.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, e-emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard," recited the witch slowly, her eyes closed tightly as she tried to remember the words, "Just stick out your wand hand….um….step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Rubella Evangeline, and I will be your conductor this evening."

Nodding her head slightly and smiling to herself, Rubella finally opened her eyes and what was the first thing she should see but Legolas. To the surprise of Harry and Ron, rather than melting into a simpering pile of girlish fancy, she gave a small scream and backed up into the side of the bus, positioning her arms protectively in front of her face.

"P-please don't hurt me!! I s-swear I haven't done anything!!" whimpered the witch, dark blue eyes alight with fear.

Harry and Ron, being very confused by this unusual display, looked over their shoulders to see Legolas standing with his head cocked slightly to the side, clearly as confused as the wizards, holding in each hand what was either a very long knife or a short sword.

"Legolas!" hissed Ron, as he made a downward motion with his hands, trying to tell him to put the dangerous looking weapons away.

Legolas, at the shock of seeing this extremely large and disturbingly purple thing seemingly fall out of the sky, had pulled out the elvish long knives he had hidden in a pack on his back. After all of the wars and training he had been through over thousands of years, doing so had become more of a involuntary reflex than anything else.

Realizing that there was no danger at the moment, Legolas quickly sheathed his knives and bowed slightly to the young lady.

"My most sincere apologies, good witch, my intentions where not to frighten you. I pray you forgive me my apparent use of uncessary caution, yet, truly, in these dark days how can one be considered overly vigilant in their struggle against the enemy?" said Legolas valiantly, moving forward to take the girl's hand and bow over it politely. Straightening, the noble elf continued, "Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Legolas Thranduilion, a lone elf traveling in a world of wizards, and finding that world most accommodating," ended Legolas with a suggestive grin.

"Oh, you!" blushed Rubella, her eyes glazing over slightly. "Aren't you a charmer?"

"I am afraid I simply cannot refrain from behaving thusly when I am around beautiful women," bemoaned Legolas.

Giggling and swatting at Legolas playfully, Rubella's thoughts were interrupted by the driver of the Knight Bus, Ernie Prang, yelling out, "Rubella! C'mon now, lass, we 'avent got all night, 'ave we?"

Blushing even harder due to the mixture of embarrassment and admiration for this (seemingly) young elf, Rubella said, "Right then, sorry about that. My first night as a conductor, you see. Follow me!" Leading the trio into the bus, the witch situated them each at their beds, collected their fares and trotted off to tell Ernie where to head next.

As soon as Rubella was out of the range of hearing, Harry and Ron both leaned towards Legolas and Harry asked, "Legolas, why are we going to Diagon Alley? What happened to…you know where?"

Looking around quickly, Legolas said, "This is neither the time nor the place to discuss delicate matters such as you know where. We shall talk…" Legolas was stopped as the bus suddenly started with a great lunge forward. Not expecting such a sudden violent movement, Legolas was nearly thrown from the bed and only his finely toned elvish reflexes saved him the embarrassment of becoming a heap on the floor. However, both Ron and Harry had preparing themselves for the ride and merely shared looks of evil delight. Neither could disguise their amusement at the thought of their dignified, princely friend sprawled face first on the ugly shag carpet of the Knight Bus.

As Rubella made her way over to the trio, offering hot cocoa for no extra fee, Harry asked what had happened to the previous conductor, Stan Shunpike.

"Hmm?" asked Rubella dreamily, still gazing at the elf, "What? Oh, Stan? He's working for the Ministry. Couldn't say what he does exactly, but he thought he'd do his bit. You know, what with the war," added Miss Evangeline in a conspiratory whisper, glancing around as if there were a death eater over her shoulder. "Though, I don't know how much help he could be, really," her gaze began to wander back over towards Legolas, who was paying more attention to the movements of the oversized bus than the conductor. "All he knew was conducting…"

"Well, every little bit helps, right?" asked Ron, grinning widely at the girl's obvious admiration.

"Oh yes, every little bit…"

"I suppose you might consider joining the ministry as well?"

"Oh yes…that is very likely…" sighed Rubella, all of her attention now focused on Legolas.

"I expect you'll be running for Minister?

"umm hmm…" mumbled the witch in a daze

Rolling his eyes, Ron turned to Harry and said, "Well, I'll say this for having Legolas around, at least no one's staring at your scar."

"Yeah," agreed Harry, settling back to enjoy the trip as much as possible, "I guess I hadn't thought of that."

"Farewell, Legolas!" cried Rubellas as the Knight Bus pulled rapidly away. "Write me…."

"How do you do it?" asked Ron of Legolas, clearly admiring the elf's way with women.

Winking cheekily, Legolas said, "It's a gift."

Pausing so that Ron could lift the other side of his trunk, Harry said with a sneaky grin, "Yeah and I'm sure Gilethiel would be very glad to hear how often you have been using that gift lately."

Once he was over his shock at hearing this statement from Harry, who had been a bit sullen lately, Legolas said in mock anger, "Is that a threat, Harry Potter?"

"Let's just say its something I'll keep in mind…"

Amid peals of musical laughter, Legolas shook his head amiably and breezed past the snickering wizards, heading into the Leaky Cauldron.

The groups of whispering wizards and witches, most huddled together over tankards of a curiously smoking drink, fell silent as they watched the trio enter the famous wizarding pub. While a few spared lingering glances over Legolas, the majority quickly went back to their murmurings and their drinks. Making their way through the clouds of smoke to the bar, Harry was able to gather from snatches of conversations that the wizarding world was no longer debating the validity of Voldemort's purported return. Voices heavy with worry accentuated the fear evident in hunched shoulders, guarded expressions and furtive glances around the small room every few moments.

As Legolas made arrangements for the safe keeping of the trunk with the barkeep, a kindly man named Tom, his movements were watched intensely by a lone man sitting in a corner, swathed in a mixture of shadowy darkness, pungent smoke and a heavy black mantle. Pulling at his hood so as to ensure that his features were carefully hidden, the stranger smoothly unfolded himself from the short-legged chair and weaved his way through the crowd surrounding the bar until he was but a few short steps away from the lightly glowing ethereal being…

'Finally,' he thought, 'the chance I have waited years for…Always so very cocky, thinking no one would ever be able to catch him…Now he will know with whom he is dealing…'

Dun dun dunn….omg, wats gnna happen? He he he…don't worry I already started the next chapter!!! Ill have it up asap…really!

Emma- he he he if you love Orlando bloom as much as I do that's a really huge compliment…thankx!!

Izzybelle- thankx so much!! Im glad you're enjoying….yeah I totally understand your critique…I think I just write too fast and I never proof read…eek I know bad habit…he he he but thanks for pointing that out im definitely gnna make more of an effort in that dept…thanks again!!

Empress of Alvarra- he he he yeah um upating…is um…a problem…he he he and wats horrible is that I always freak out when the fics im reading aren't updated regularly…eeks!!! Im such a hypocrite…he he he…thanks for the review!

Slytherin wolf- im sure there will be more dursley bashing at some point…honestly I have no idea…he he he….but im sure everyone would lyk to see it…heck I know I would…thanks so much for the reviews…I really do live for them u know….

I love kitties- gaah thank u sooooo much for the comment about updating…very true…hope you're enjoying!!

Digi bonds- well thanks…I think…

Rhyllen- thanks…glad u liked it!! Meep sorry about the name…however I notice its different now…curious…he he he

Yana5- thanks for the review!! Poor Vernon indeed…hah!

Gancomer- lucius malfoy you say….interesting….very interesting,…..me likey…he he he you just might see one!!

Moonlady- bad evil dursleys…why I oughta…he he he yeah I totally lyk the rescue harry from his evil family fics…especially the ones that make me cry ::wipes tear from eye:: really fics make me cry ALL the time…its kinda pathetic…he he he but u know rite, the ones where they're just really sad and lyk…sad…and u feel so bad for harry…::sob::…feh legolas probably was off…I really should start proof reading my fics…oh well…thanks for the review!!

Tap dancing Widow- it is a funny image isn't it…he he he…look at 'um go…he he he…

Alida-Fruit- phew…so glad u approve….yeah I realized that legolas is just far too noble and watnot…he he he I had to add one last petunia-legolas moment…irresistible…….yeah im kinda wondering where this is headed too…meep!!

Just another stupid idiot- ya know I really lyk your name…it speaks volumes…he he he…ahh man a 10 page essay…well that sucks major…well im glad it was worth it…though maybe u should wait till break or u get home next time, hmm? He he he just a suggestion…thanks again!!

Aragorn and Arwen - yay im glad u liked it…cant really remember what I wrote at the moment but it musta been kewl!! He he he…thanks again for the eldarion idea!!! U rock!! Woo hoo!!

Lady Phoenix Slytherin- many thanks…sorry for the wait!!

Sovushka- gaah so many reviews thank you thank you thank you…even though u did call me evil ::mutter::mutter::…he he he…im soooooooo sorry about the wait….horrible of me, I know…but yeah wats funny is that this story came to be when I was reading the latest hp book and umbridge was being a ::ahem:: bad lady…and I was soooo picturing legolas just blasting her…no idea where that came from but there ya go….yeah I luved that part w/Dudley too…I thought it was just so him…thanks again!! Im soooooorrrryyyy…..

Darkcloud02- wow!!! Thanks!! that's really really nice to hear…especially for someone lyk me who is ultra self-conscience about putting up fics…phew…thanks so much…major self-esteem boost rite there…u rock!!