A/N: My thanks to everyone who sent in reviews or comments. Sorry this chapter and the next took so long, and as always, the characters in the Hobbit and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective authors. In other words, not me.

Interlude: The White Council

Lothlórien - Some time after Gandalf leaves the company at the entrance to Mirkwood

Gandalf was sitting in an open glade, smoking his pipe when a figure approached him. "I see you made it here safely Mithrandir. All is well with the Dwarves I hope?"

Gandalf smiled. "All is well with them Master Elrond, or as well as can be expected. We had some difficulties with the Goblins when we were crossing the mountains, but we managed. I just hope they don't encounter any further problems in Mirkwood."

"Mirkwood Forest is a dangerous place," Elrond replied solemnly. "and I would be much surprised if they didn't encounter problems."

"Well I advised Mr. Potter to contact the King Thranduil if anything serious happens. I didn't bother telling this to Thorin as it would have done no good." Then almost as an afterthought he asked "Have the others arrived yet?"

"Yes. Saruman and Radagast have arrived. The Council is set to start shortly."

"Well we better be off then. It wouldn't do to be late."

Elrond simply nodded, the expression on his face never changing.

-=ooo000ooo=-

"I tell you, we must do something. The pass alone the Grey Mountains has become all but un-passable, and if something is not done, the Necromancer will expand his dominion into Mirkwood itself, and then farther South." Gandalf told the assembled group. "If we don't do something, then what is the point of this council?"

"Gandalf my old friend," began an old man sitting to his left, "it is not our duty to right all the wrongs in Middle Earth. That is not why we were sent here."

"Saruman, we were sent here to inspire the people here to resist the growing power of Sauron. But there are no people East of Mirkwood to inspire. They are all under the Necromancer's sway, and I will also tell you this. I am beginning to have doubts about who this Necromancer really is."

"What do you mean Mithrandir?" asked the soft spoken woman facing them.

"When I went looking for Thrain, the father of Thorin Oakenshield, I found him in the dungeons of Dol Guldur. He had been there for many years and his mind was mostly gone, but some of what he did manage to tell me leads me to believe that the Necromancer is none other than Sauron, our enemy of old."

This statement caused a gasp from most of those assembled. Only Saruman seemed to be unfazed, something no one noticed.

"How can you be sure Mithrandir?" asked Elrond.

"I cannot for certain, but look at what has happened. When Sauron was defeated, Mordor was emptied of his followers, and shortly afterwards, the Necromancer first appeared."

"This proves nothing." replied Saruman.

"By itself, no. You are correct. But there is also what I managed to get out of Thrain. He told me that the Necromancer has nine servants that enforce his will in the Grey Mountains. Servants all clad in Black, and that move as shadows and strike fear into anyone who comes close to them. Does that remind you of anything?"

"This is still not proof Gandalf." Saruman almost snapped.

Galdalf slammed his hand down on the table. "Saruman, whether it is Sauron or not, something must be done! Right now, the Necromancer is still vulnerable, and if all of us put forth the power we command, we can drive him out of North before Dol Guldur becomes an even more impenetrateable fortress than it is. Or do you not remember what happened when we failed to do this with Sauron? Furthermore, if the Necromancer is indeed Sauron, as I suspect, it would not surprise me if he has his servants searching for the One Ring even as we sit here."

"That," began Saruman, "would be useless. Have I not devoted countless years to the research of the One Ring? It fell into Anduin the Great long ago, and while Sauron slept, it was rolled down the River and into the Sea. There let it lie until the end of time. The One will never again be found in Middle-earth. So I do not see the need…"

"I do Saruman." replied Galadriel softly. "Mithrandir is correct. It matters not whether the Necromancer is Sauron or some other dark lord. He is gaining power, and unless he is stopped soon, he will become too powerful for even this group to stop easily. We should do everything in our power to drive him out."

"I agree." said Elrond simply. "We were all granted great powers by the Eldar," he began, "Powers to set right great wrongs and to protect the peoples of Middle Earth when necessary. That was the task of the White Council. A task we all agreed to when we joined. If we do not take action now, we will have failed in that task."

Saruman look less than pleased by Elrond's words, and he was silent for a long while. Finally he looked at the fifth member of their group. "And what of you Radagast? You haven't said anything so far."

"I haven't said anything up till now because I was listening to all of you." He faced Gandalf. "Gandalf I agree that there is not enough proof that this Necromancer is Sauron."

Saruman couldn't help the smug look that started to appear on his face.

"And the fact that he appeared shortly after Sauron's fall with nine servants is also not proof. It could simply be that he is trying to emulate Sauron, or to make people believe that he is far more powerful than he truly is. Fear is a very powerful weapon after all. Perhaps the most powerful."

Gandalf started to say something, but Radsgast held up both his hands to stop him. "However, I also agree with Lady Galadriel that he must be stopped. It matters not who he is if he gains control over all of Middle Earth."

Saruman's smug look disappeared.

"So I also agree that we should act."

Gandalf looked again to Saruman. "Well Saruman, will you aid us, or will you continue to block our efforts?"

Saruman scowled at the assembled group, but after a few moments he said, "I do not agree with this course of action. I think it is un-necessary. But I will aid you in this since you all seem to be convinced otherwise."

-=ooo000ooo=-

A/N 2: I've received some comments from readers who've said that I'm keeping too close to the original Hobbit story, and there for, this is nothing very original. Well, in some ways they're right. But there's a reason for this, and the reason is the character of Bilbo. The Hobbit, when you come right down to it, is a coming of age story, even though the character that's coming of age is 50 years old.

Tolkien wrote in his descriptions of Hobbits, that most never ventured beyond the Shire their entire lives. An adventurous one might go as far as Buckland or maybe Bree. But that's it. But here we have a very conservative (even for a Hobbit) character, who not only leaves the Shire, but leaves to fight dragons, spiders, goblins, etc, all in the name of adventure and treasure.

So how do you write a crossover with a character like that and still maintain their integrity? With their abilities, Harry and Luna could do everything, but that would leave Bilbo in the background, little more that another name in the story.

Then there's Harry and Luna themselves. Two very emotionally scarred young people who watched as their entire world tore itself to shreds over something as stupid as bigotry. Two people who, in going along on this quest, are finding not only find themselves, but each other as well.

So yes, I am following the original material closely because Bilbo needs it to grow as a character, and if I ever do the sequel, it will allow me the opportunity to loosen it up considerably, because Bilbo will have raised Frodo to be a lot more independent and open minded than most Hobbits, as Tolkien made him.