Hello everyone! I am so very very sorry it has been SO long since I updated. So I am uploading this straight away, it hasn't been beta'd and for that I am also sorry.

(Usual Disclaimer: insert here)

Chapter 17 – Lapse in Concentration

Thorin brought the company to a halt at a hidden field just a few metres from the road as the day drew to a close. Within the field lay the ruins of a small farm house, and judging by the damage it had happened fairly recently.

"We will make camp here for the night. Fili, Kili you watch over the ponies. Oin get a fire going." Oin began to grumble about damp wood & hopeless effort, Hermione hearing this, took it upon herself to summon enough branches, cast a drying charm on them, hovered them to the centre of the field and caused the pile to catch alight. Hermione just did it without even taking a second to think and from the shocked looks on the dwarves' faces it was obviously a bit much for them to handle. She knew that people feared what they did not understand and understood that the people here had seen little of magic so she had to limit what she did visible as to not 'scare' them away that is until Bofur piped in,

"So my Lady, is there any chance you could dry us and somehow warm us up?" Hermione wasn't sure if he was joking or not but cast a drying and heating charm on Bofur.

"That's amazing!" he exclaimed in excitement. Eventually each of the others asked for the same treatment although a few of the older members were a bit hesitant to be on the receiving end of Hermione's wand, except Balin who was second to be dried and warmed. Thorin was last of the dwarves for Hermione to dry, he approached her slowly, almost with caution before turning his palms out gesturing for her to commence.

Thorin held his breath as the water swiftly evaporated from his being, his back rigid with (trepidation) as a warm sensation ran through his veins. He could feel himself warm from the inside out, watching as the goosebumps on his tough skin faded away as the warmth encompassed his body. He stood there silently examining his skin, before the hobbits voice drew his attention.

"Thank you Hermione," Bilbo uttered in astonishment. Hermione watched as his blue lips turned back into a soft pink and his pale complexion gain some colour again. Thorin didn't like how close the two had become so quickly, still not trusting these strangers with the fate of his quest. He watched as Gandalf walked passed Hermione & Bilbo in a sort of daze, staring around at the ruins.

"Gandalf?" But he didn't hear Bilbo call to him.

"This place ..." He walked towards it mumbling under his breath as he examined the ruins. "I think it would be wiser to move on." He said loudly, only to receive a less than positive response from the leader.

Thorin and Gandalf discussed their choice of campsite in hushed tones while the company busied themselves with their evening duties not wanting to be on the receiving end of Thorin's temper. Hermione too had walked towards the ruins, she was squatting in the door frame examining four gashes in the wooden frame. She raised her hand to them and placed a finger on each line and followed them along the width of the frame until the wood ended and she saw the remains of a broken and bloodied fingernail still wedged in the frame. She quickly stood and backed away from the dilapidated ruins before her. Hermione jumped as her back made contact with something solid. She spun as fast as she could, withdrawing her wand and training it on the object.

"Put that away Lassie," Dwalin's deep voice said as he subtly stepped out of the firing line of Hermione's wand. "What's got you so worked up?"

"Something terrible happened here, the evidence suggests that it was quite recent. This place is NOT safe, I recommend we move on to the next best location right now…" Hermione's voice must have carried because the whole camp was looking at her.

"We stay here tonight!" Thorin shouted from the ruins causing the company to hastily return to what they were doing. The only one to hesitate was Dwalin who had seen the worry in Hermione's eyes but he too eventually went back to his 'chores'.

A very angry Gandalf approached Hermione before taking her arm leading her away from the dwarf camp. Grumbling away to himself.

"Gandalf where are you going? And why are you taking Hermione with you?" Bilbo asked a little frightened at the wizards sudden anger.

"To seek the company of the only ones that have any sense around here Mr Baggins."

"Whose tha.."

"Hermione & Myself! I've had enough of dwarves for one day and I wouldn't inflict the stubbornness of dwarves on Hermione any longer for today either." Gandalf thundered as he stormed off dragging poor Hermione along with him. She looked back over her shoulder only to catch the thunderous glare that Thorin was sending their way. Hermione sighed at this, as she had quite liked riding with Thorin and had considered asking if she could ride with him again tomorrow, but now, seeing the look on his face, it was out of the question.

"Bombur we're hungry!" he shouted, still glaring at Hermione & Gandalf's retreating forms.

The night grew late and there was still no sign of Hermione & Gandalf, Bilbo was starting to show his worry for them.

"Don't worry about them. Wizards come and they go when they like. I'm sure they're fine although Hermione might have a sore shoulder tomorrow seeing how hard Gandalf was dragging her with him." Bofur said as he saw Bilbo glance in the direction they disappeared in, for the hundredth time.

"Bilbo." Bofur called, "Could you take these to the lads." He held out two bowls of dinner. "Here." He handed the bowls to Bilbo, "It will keep your mind off it."

Bilbo found Fili and Kili stood with their backs to him. Something was up, the brothers were never this quiet. Bilbo could feel his stomach start to knot with worry.

"What's wrong?" he asked, stepping between them.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies." Kili muttered.

"Only we've encounter a slight problem." Fili looked at Bilbo worry written all over his face. "We had 16, now there are 14."

"Hey, there's a light ahead." Fili called to Bilbo & Kili who were recounting the herd. It was dull, and hard to make out due to the overgrown flora. The brothers took off towards it leaving Bilbo no other choice but to follow. Bilbo managed to catch up still holding the now half empty dinner bowls.

They crouched behind a log as the trees up ahead creaked and began snapping under a horrendous weight, it was then that they heard the raucous voices could.

"What is it?" Bilbo began to shake at the possibilities.

"Trolls," Kili said as he off again, Bilbo & Fili at his flanks.

The troll had to have been over 10 feet tall, stocky with skin cracked like dry mud. Every step it took was slow and wobbly. It appeared to have difficulty balancing its weight that's when Bilbo saw a pony under each of its arms struggling to break free.

"He's got Murtle and Mindy… I think they're going to eat them! We have to do something." Bilbo said to the boys as he watched his horse disappear through the foliage.

"Yes." Kili swapped places with him meaning Bilbo was now squatting in front of Fili as Kili addressed him, giving him a little nudge in the direction of the Trolls. "Trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small and quiet, they'll never see you and we'll be right behind you."

Fili whispered drawing Bilbo's slightly paling face to his direction, "If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl."

Bilbo started in the direction of the Trolls but then realise what he was doing, turning back he asked, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" But when he looked back, they were gone.

Bilbo hesitated again, weighing up his options but he knew that he would continue to be an outsider until he proved himself worthy & realised this was his chance to do just that. He took a shaky breath and quietly scampered towards the flickering light.

"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and if it isn't mutton again today" Bilbo heard one of them whinging as the Troll carrying his horse walked into the clearing.

"Quit ya groaning, these ain't sheep, these is Westnads."

"Ohh, there's never enough fat on 'em." The smallest of the trolls sniffled, wiping his nose on a filthy cloth about the size of a bed sheet. Bilbo watched on horrified as the two ponies were placed in a large pen with the other missing ponies. Bilbo noticed the horse pen's advantageous location behind the troll's camp. Crouching, he slinked along the tree line around logs and boulders, constantly aware of his proximity to the troll's, his hears on high alert for any sign that he was discovered.

"Well they'll be better than that farmer & his family, I'm still picking bits outta me teeth." Grunted the older looking one, as he picked his teeth using the bone of a human leg. Bilbo felt his dinner burning his throat as it threatened to come backup, as he realised that the tooth pick was probably the poor farmer's leg.

"Achoo!" The sick one had sneezed right into the pot and to Bilbo's horror the troll's appreciated the new addition to their meal in the hopes that it would enhance the flavour.

"I hope ur gonna gut em, I don't like the stinky parts" sniffled the sick one, as he looked over to the pen, forcing Bilbo to stop his attempt at undoing the rope keeping the pen together, but it was too thick for him to undo with his bare hands. That's when Bilbo noticed the gutting knife strapped the back of one of the trolls clothing. Knowing that h wasn't capble of freeing the horses without assistance, Bilbo knew this was his chance. Crouching as low as he could, Bilbo crept towards the troll, holding his breath, he reached for the blade. As his hand met the ginormous sheath he felt a massive hand envelop him in a damp cloth, only to then be covered in the entire contents of the sick trolls nostrils.

"Bert! Look what come out of me hoota! It's got arms and legs and everythin!"

"What is it?"

"I don't know but I don't like the way it wriggles around!" The troll threw him to the ground.

"What are you then? An over-sized squirrel?"

"No I'm a burglar… hobbit." Bilbo stumbled with fear as he looked down the blade of the older troll.

"A burgelahobbit? Can we cook it?"

"We can try."

"Grab it!"

Each one tried to catch him, but they were slow, their movements sloppy with their oversized limbs swinging carelessly through the air. Bilbo tried to dodge them, almost making it to the tree line when he felt harsh skin grasp his leg. The troll dangled him high above the ground, prodding his belly with the tip of his knife.

"Here, are there anymore of you hiding out 'ere?"

Bilbo could feel the pressure of his head filling with blood as he hanged by his leg. "No."

"It's lying, hold it over the fire. Make it squeal like a pig." The sick one sneered.

Just in the nick of time, Kili jumped from his hiding place,

"Drop him!"

The trolls looked a little dumbfounded, "You what?"

"I said, drop him." Kili's raise his sword ready to fight,

Bilbo flew through the air, plummeting right into Kili who was knocked off his feet. The tree line broke with the force of the dwarves charging into the clearing, weapons raised as the battle cries ripped from their throats. Thorin led the charge the rest only a step behind him, Kili joined the onslaught once Bilbo got off him.

Bilbo used the chaos around him as another chance to free the ponies. Finding the troll's discarded knife, Bilbo began cutting the ropes, but the ponies were all frightened each barging against the pen door trying to break free, and they did as quickly as their legs could carry them the moment Bilbo severed the ropes.

Completely wrapped up in setting the horses free Bilbo forgot to watch his back that was until a thick hand wrapped around him, again.

"That's enough!" The large troll bellowed and bring the battle to a halt, two of the trolls were now holding Bilbo up by his arms and legs.

"Bilbo!" Kili shouted as he tried to charge forward, but was held back by Thorin.

"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off!" Thorin knew he had no choice but to surrender as he thrust his sword into the ground. The other dwarves followed their leader's example, Kili was last to lay down his weapon, slamming it on the ground in frustration.

…

"Gandalf was that really necessary? Dragging me like that, I am capable of keeping up all on my own you know." Hermione groaned as she rubbed her aching shoulder, looking down at the handprint shaped bruise that was forming quickly on her forearm.

"I apologise Lady Hermione… I just lost my temper. Thorin's pride will be his downfall." Gandalf sighed in defeat.

"Pride? I thought you were saving me from the stubbornness of dwarves this evening…" Hermione raised her eyebrow in question already aware that there was more to his outburst than Thorin's stubbornness.

"I gave counsel that we take refuge in Rivendell, home of elves," Gandalf looked down seeing Hermione's brow furrow in confusion. "Thorin Oakenshield has a deeply ingrained grudge against all elves even those who haven't wronged him…"

"Oh," was all Hermione said looking up towards the sky watching as the moon slowly lowered towards the horizon. Suddenly Hermione's had a terrible feeling, she knew something bad was about to happen. She could feel the pull of darkness strengthening in the night. Hermione leapt to her feet and ran as fast as she could in the direction of the dwarf camp hoping once again that this time she would be wrong. That the sense of danger in relation to the dwarf company was wrong and that they were all sleeping around the campfire, but deep down Hermione knew better.

…

"Don't bother cooking 'em, let's just sit on 'em turn 'em into jelly."

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkling of sage."

"Oh, that does sound quite nice."

Half the company were stripped to their skins and tied to a spit over the fire by two of the trolls as the rest lay bound in potato sacks.

"Never mind the seasoning, it'll be dawn soon and I don't fancy being turned to stone."

Bilbo looked up seeing that the sky was already brighter, he knew he just had to bide them some time and they may make it out of this alive, if the legends were true.

"Wait! I'm afraid you're making a very bad mistake!" he shouted. The trolls turned around and stared down at the hobbit.

"You can't reason with them, they're halfwits!" Dori cried from the turning spit.

"Halfwits? What does that make us?" Bofur added sarcastically.

"What I meant was your choice of seasoning." Bilbo continued ignoring the dwarves, as the trolls stopped turning the spit.

"What about the seasoning?" He asked genuinely curious as to what Bilbo had to say.

"Well, have you smelt them yet… You're going to need something a little stronger than sage to cover up their stink." The dwarves took great offense to this not understanding what he was trying to do and their insults weren't helping.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" The largest troll growled at him but the cook interrupted, "Shut up and let the burgelahobbit talk."

"The ah ... proper way to cook dwarves is… ah… to skin them first."

"What?!"

"Traitor!"

Bilbo rolled his eyes at the dwarves reactions thinking about how Kili had said that trolls were the slow ones.

"Tom, get me filleting knife." The troll called to the sick one. Bilbo spotted Gandalf sneaking through the undergrowth, but the sun had yet to rise of the boulders, glimmers of it seeping through the foliage.

"What a load of rubbish. There's nuffing like a bit of raw dwarf." Tom stomped over to the pile and picked up Bombur, "Nice and crunchy."

The troll liked his lips and dangled Bombur above him, ready to eat him. Bilbo panicked shouting before thinking, "Not him, he's infected!"

That stopped him, "What?'

"Ah yes. He's got worms ... in his tubes."

Tom dropped Bombur back onto the pile in disgust.

"In fact, if he's infected I wouldn't be surprised if all of them are infected with all sorts of parasites."

For some reason, the dwarves took great offense to this. "We don't have parasites, you have parasites!"

At this moment Thorin put two and two together and with one swift kick, the dwarves stopped realising Bilbo's intention themselves.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm." Oin claimed.

"Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!"

"I've got them too!"

"We're riddled!"

"What would you have us do then? Let them all go?" He pushed the cook away and stood over Bilbo threateningly. Unfortunately Bilbo didn't manage to think quick enough this time causing the large one to get angry.

"You don't think I know what you are up to? The little ferret is taking us for fools."

"The Dawn will take you!" Gandalf appeared next to a large boulder above the troll camp.

"Who's that?"

"No idea."

"Can we eat him too?"

Just then everyone in the clearing heard rustling in the bushes moving fast and heading straight for them. All present turned just in time to see Hermione burst through the tree line, leap over the bagged dwarves pointing her want at the boulder and scream, "BOMBARDA!"

Shards of rock flew in every direction each followed by rays of sunlight and within a second the entire clearing was bathed in sunlight. Everyone watched in astonishment as the trolls skin cracked and turned to stone, their bodies groaned as they attempted to shield their faces from the light, before they froze where they stood.

The dwarves began cheering, some for their lives and others shouted about how amazing Hermione & her magic were, thanking her profusely. Hermione turned to look at the bagged dwarves and just caught a glimpse of a most beautiful and rare sight, Thorin smile.

Hope that was satisfactory. I am aware some of you wish me to divert more from the story and I promise I do, but certain scenes must stay relatively similar for the story to progress correctly