A/N - I wasn't able to find a map of middle earth with a scale but a line from the second Hobbit movie I was rewatching gave me a clue. "Two hundred miles north or 400 south" to get around Mirkwood which implies the 100 miles to get to Lothlorien was much too low. I've decided to split the difference and say it was closer to 150 miles and Hermione misjudged how fast she was going.

P.S. I bet y'all thought I'd have the ring turn her evil, didn't'cha.

4.4

With a show of feline grace I swung myself up onto the broom. I was almost thankful for the werewolf attack last year since it was the reason I knew that spell. Nearly getting ripped limb from limb convinced me to thoroughly practice some defensive spells rather than just focus on theory and acing my classes. That particular spell was designed to block strong physical hits that would pierce right through other shield spells. It wasn't designed for repeated hits though and it was only my high retreating velocity that had allowed it success.

Thinking about it I had to admit that Harry was a large part of why my practical spells had suffered in the first place. I'd been a bit annoyed when I was younger that his spells always turned out stronger even though I cast mine perfectly. Frankly it still annoyed me but now that I had an extra couple years on him the difference in our magical core strength was less significant. I hadn't actually tested that since becoming part spider though… Well, even if my altered magic had made the barrier spell dark purple instead of the light green it had been when I first learned the spell it had worked just fine.

I wouldn't call the encounter with the elfs a success but it wasn't precisely a failure. I doubted they'd consider me their mortal enemy or any- "EEEK!" I was much, much higher than I was comfortable with. Even if my feline traits helped me land on my feet it wouldn't do any good from so great a height. Though still wary of the elfs below I started descending. The moment I reached the river I dropped further still, and not a moment too soon as I felt my hindquarters burst out of my robes as I became an octaped once more. I maintained my balance for about three seconds before tumbling end over end into the river.

The water churned around me, tearing the broom from my grasp. I thought I'd be swept away as well but my leg-claws speared into the pebbled riverbed and held me firm, legs extending until I reached a height of eight feet and my head broke the surface. From there I proceeded like an ice climber, one spiked foot after another carrying my up onto the bank opposite the golden forest. Learning to swim could wait for calmer waters, I was taking no chances here.

I basked in the sunlight for a time. Normally I found the sun to be a bit too bright ever since I became part spider but I relished it now as it warmed my wet robes. The slight stinging the light caused my skin and eyes was a small price to pay for the warmth. The sounds of horns across the river had me moving again all too shortly though. An eight-footed lope carried me swiftly across the plains, the dark spider woods perhaps twenty miles distant. "Accio broomstick."

It didn't come. Either my familiarity with it was gone now that I was in my real body or the river had broken it into bits. Either that or it had used its extremely limited sentience and decided I was bad news. It was a long way back to Hogwarts without a broom...

The wet robes kept catching on my spider-knees as I ran. Deciding that they weren't doing me any good I took the time turner out before casting them off. I had too long a journey ahead of me to carry around dead weight. A drying charm and a reversal of the transfiguration I'd done on my shirt and bra and I was feeling much more appropriately dressed for the occasion. My tattered shorts were completely ruined by my latest transformation but with the polyjuice potion lost in the river it wasn't like I'd be needing them any time soon.

Much more comfortably dressed I pondered which way to go. Following the river would keep me from getting lost and was a source of fresh water but left me in plain view if any elfs followed. The forest of spiders on the other hand would be more difficult to navigate but I might meet some friends along the way.

My deliberation was cut short as I spotted something moving through the tall grasses. I backpedaled as I realized it was no simple animal, but a small humanoid much like the one that had injured me after I saved it from the spiders. His beard resembled tree roots, scraggly and full of dirt. I saw insects and birds crawling in his beard and hair and nearly threw up as I saw a cricket leap from his mouth. It was clear this one was just as unhinged as the last one.

I ran backwards with surprising speed in the direction of the elfs I'd just escaped but the small creature kept barreling towards me through the grass. My control of my eight legs failed me as one struck a gopher hole. Tumbling backwards I barely retained the presence of mind to draw my wand and fire a stunner.

It went wide as he dodged with surprising agility. Unable to run any further with my legs all muddled up I prepared to cast another stunning spell. Shockingly I felt foreleg break as a concussive blast of air struck it. I reeled back, casting "Protego!" as I released that the stick he was holding was in fact a wizard's staff like Merlin of old.

My human torso resting against the ground I noticed frightfully that he wasn't nearly so small as he'd seemed now that he wasn't slouching. There was a palpable presence to him that made him seem even greater still. Continuing his charge he burst through the shield with one blow of his staff, a flash of light half blinding me. I shielded my head with my arms, wary of the blow to come, but the only thing that hit me was a spray of hot liquid.

I opened my eyes to see his pain-stricken face in front of mine. He gasped for breath, flecks of blood on his lips. Looking down I was horrified to see one of my own spider-talons in his lung. Not only that, now that I wasn't paralyzed with terror I could actually feel him hanging off it. Hurriedly I retracted the talon only to realize that that only made things worse.

"Just hold on, I can fix this." I'd never healed anything remotely so life-threatening but I had to try. The pain of my broken leg was nothing compared to my need to heal him before he expired. "Episk…" The spell died on my lips. I could see something inside him that wasn't read. Past the blood and bone and gristle was something bright and hot. "What are you?" I hissed, unknowingly falling into the tongue of spiders. I wasn't sure whether I was speaking to him or the thing I saw inside.

&* Rated M for gore *&

A forgotten memory surfaced as I bent closer to his chest. I'd seen something like this before, a white-blue orb of fire and light that made my mouth water. Saliva dripped from my fangs as his inner light spread from a tiny ball out along through his arteries in an attempt to heal the damage. The last time I'd encountered such a thing it had been in the belly of freshly-fed dementors but this was infinitely more grand in comparison. And this time I wouldn't be interrupted.

My animagus transformation-strengthened hands sank into his wound and ripped his ribs open wide. His blood was hot on my chin as I drank and devoured. His fëa burnt my lips and throat like hard liquor but I couldn't get enough. It roiled in his blood and lungs, attempting to escape its prison of flesh, but my tongue and fangs followed it relentlessly. I kept devouring until all his light was gone and then kept going for some time thereafter.

*&* End chap *&*

A/N And so dies Radagast as he rushes to Galadriel to warn her of Dol Guldur. In all fairness Hermione might have done him a favor.