James was unusually silent as he rode along on his horse. It was the same creature that had brought him from Rivendell to Mirkwood. The blond elf Prince had walked into the stables and requested that his own horse be prepared along with his guests' and nobody thought twice about questioning him. Fili and Kili had received some unusual looks from passing elves as they both struggled to climb atop the horse they had shared; however, in a rare display of kindness towards the smaller race, Prince Legolas had helped them up with not too much protest from the brothers.

James thought back to the conversation the group had had with Elrond's twin sons. Despite wanting to accompany them to Laketown, the twins had respectfully refused to abandon their father, not forgetting the fact that they were guests of the realm and did not want to offend the King. From the little that James had gathered, Thranduil was an elf who was easy to anger and was not to be disrespected. It seemed that Prince Legolas however had had no such qualms; he appeared to be taking the Orc attack within Mirkwood as a personal insult and wanted to wipe every single one of the creatures out.

They had set out from Mirkwood in the evening, after the sun had set, and ridden through the night, stopping only for short breaks to rest. During that time, Prince Legolas had spoken at length with the two dwarf brothers and James. Despite some initial tension, the wizard could see the elf slowly warming to Fili and Kili, and he smiled to himself, thinking of the similarities back home between wizards and muggles (or most of them, anyway).

As the first light of dawn began to show itself, out of the distance James could see a small town appear at the edge of the huge lake they had been travelling around. But as they got closer, his heart stopped. He could see that most of the wooden houses that hovered above the water were little more than smouldering ruins, and a thick grey smoke clouded the air. On the shore, there were dozens of people, some able to stand, some not moving at all.

"Sirius" he croaked.

A look of alarm passed between the four riders as they fully comprehended the sight before them.

"Come quickly" said Prince Legolas. "We must find out what has happened here". He whispered to his horse in Elvish and rode on ahead, the others close behind.

The smell of death and destruction when they reached the shore was overwhelming. James was reminded of the pictures he had seen in the Daily Prophet of the aftermath of the Death Eater's attacks, but to see it in real life was a whole different story. The atmosphere was thick and penetrating; there was an aura of grief and desperation that could be heard through the cries of the people around them.

Legolas, who had already jumped down from his horse, spotted a man dressed in a guard's uniform and went to speak to him, pressing a silver coin into the man's hand as he did so. Fili, Kili and James waited anxiously with bated breath as they conversed. When he returned, Legolas spoke solemnly, his face grim.

"The dwarves and the other wizard did indeed pass through here" he said swiftly. "They stopped for a short time before making their way up towards the Lonely Mountain. No-one heard anything, until suddenly the earth itself shook, and the dragon was released from inside the mountain. It seems that Smaug caused a great deal of destruction until he was eventually shot down with a black arrow by a man named Bard."

James let out a breath that he did not realise he had been holding. He was beyond grateful that Sirius had not been caught up in the terrible destruction that had occurred here.

"They will be alright" said Fili shakily, a smile on his face. "We must ride up to Erebor with all haste".

"I would prepare yourself for many outcomes, Master Dwarf, both positive and negative" said Legolas cautiously. "The man told me that the dragon had been terribly enraged when he reached the town. It seems as though he had encountered the dwarves within the mountain."

James' heart sank as he heard the elf speak. He dreaded to think what had happened to Sirius and the other dwarves, having been in such a confined space. Fili and Kili's smiles vanished, before being replaced with a look of determination.

"I appreciate your words of wisdom, Master Elf, but I must not give up hope" said Fili determinedly. "We will ride to Erebor with all haste, for there is nothing we can do for these people here. Will you accompany us?"

"Nay, this is where we must part, for now at least" said Legolas. "I have some measure of healing abilities; therefore, I will help the wounded as best I can before I continue to hunt for the Orc filth that penetrated my lands. I wish you the best of luck for the rest of your journey."

With that, he moved away into the crowds of people, taking his horse with him.

"Well then" said Kili, "we must head to Erebor with all haste. I know we are all tired, but I for one cannot rest until I know what has befallen my kin."

James and Fili nodded their heads in agreement. Despite feeling rather exhausted, the young wizard knew he would not stop worrying until he had seen Sirius, alive and well in front of him. The three turned their horses away from the shore and headed in the direction of the Lonely Mountain, which loomed over the hills as though to represent their increasing apprehension.

None were aware of the army of Elves, led by King Thranduil and accompanied by Elrond and his sons, headed towards Laketown.

Nor were they aware of the army of orcs and goblins, headed towards Erebor from the Misty Mountains, bent on destruction and chaos.

Nor were they aware of the fight that was yet to come.

HPTHHPTHHPTHHPTHHPTHHPTHHPTH

A/N: I have made some small alterations regarding the timings of the events in my story, in Chapter 9 and 10. Feel free to go back and take a look if you want to! I am writing this story as AU, meaning that I am taking quite a few liberties. There will be aspects from the books, aspects from the movies, and aspects that are my own. Hope that you are enjoying reading it so far; any reviews would be greatly appreciated!