Disclaimer: I own the plot, though I apologize if it's been done before. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, Lord of the Rings belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.
AN: I'd like to thank my beta-reader, Shadowsong, for all her hard work.
There and Back Again
Chapter 15: Quentele
By Jess S
Harry stopped, a frown that easily melded puzzlement with fear gracing his youthful features. "Hauta..." {Stop}
He didn't need to raise his voice from above that slight whisper; barely loud enough to be heard even by Elven ears, for the twins had also sensed that something was amiss. They could feel it in their bones, just as he could, though certainly in a different way.
The wizard's eyes rose from the near-invisible trail they'd been following across the snowy landscape, up to the mountain those tracks led to: the great, towering Red Horn.
That was where the Fellowship was...
And that was where the wrongness was.
"Man ta?" Camthalion inquired after several hushed moments.
He wasn't asking why they'd stopped, he was questioning what it was that made the very air around them disquiet. Everyone there knew that, but that didn't mean either of those he offered the inquiry to knew the answer.
"Quiet..." Harry murmured, closing his eyes and falling into a light trance in order to reach outward with his thoughts, to make his inquiry of the elements.
This world was far kinder then his own. It had not been wronged as his was, which was undoubtedly the reason he felt at ease while handling it. He'd grown from that incident on his native world, his mind had become that much more confident, his vision that much farther, his magic that much stronger. And that was surely what made reaching out to this world so easy.
Ilúvatar's creation offered no real resistance and certainly no hostility towards him. It welcomed him, and swiftly brought the information he sought to his attention.
The twins waited patiently, if a bit nervously for him to finish his investigation. Their identical gazes looked all the more alike as a result of their similar frames of mind.
"Elerossë? Man ta?" Rúmil asked a few moments after his eyes had flown open.
Harry shook his head to clear it, a deep frown quickly overriding his formerly neutral expression. "Raika..." {Trouble}
The Fellowship had seen many things since they set out from Lord Elrond's city, and many of its members had seen a great deal in the years before this quest, but there are few things that can compare to nature's unleashed wrath. The avalanche when they were near Caradhras' peak was nothing compared to this. There, they'd been at least partially sheltered by the mountain itself, and the calamity had been over soon after it had begun, as had the other natural avalanche's they'd seen while climbing, before they'd learned not to shout in the heights. This was different...
On this part of the mountain, it was still steep enough to make travel difficult, but it offered no shelter whatsoever. The wave of snow that rolled towards them seemed unstoppable; a white wall of impending doom. Time seemed to slow as it came; the coming avalanche overpowered all sound with its mind-numbing roar, even as the air somehow became crisper and cooler, offering no assistance whatsoever.
"Move closer together!" Gandalf ordered the rest of the Fellowship, hastily throwing a shielding spell out around their group, to protect all of them from the monstrosity that was coming their way. But it wouldn't be able to block much of anything at the lengths and angles it was stretched, which was why he wanted all of them to move closer together before bracing themselves for the coming onslaught.
The other members of the Fellowship scrambled to obey. Legolas offered what help he could to the others, gathering around Gandalf with as much speed as was possible. Gimli refused his help, and the Elf didn't press the point, as the dwarf was closer to the proper destination then all of the hobbits were. Instead, he raced sure-footedly over the treacherous slope to where Merry and Pippin were struggling up a particularly steep part of the slope, grabbing both of them, by an arm each; he half dragged them up the slope to where Gandalf was strengthening his shield.
That done, he turned next to hurry the short distance across the slope it was to Sam, who was trying to make the pony, Bill, overcome his terror at the approaching terror in order to reach safety. When he reached them, Legolas quickly helped Sam mount the pony and with Aragorn's help, and Boromir's once they reached him, they managed to move the frightened creature to safety.
And then a solid mass of snow slammed into the shield, pushing it downhill towards them several feet before Gandalf finally managed to bring it to a halt. This continued for some time, as the snow hurtled against their shelter, rolling over and around their safe haven, making their bones rattle as it made the land they were crouched down upon tremble. Nevertheless, several minutes later complete silence and utter stillness reigned over them, and they found themselves incased in a small, dome shaped building of snow, which was packed tightly around them on all sides, as well as on top of the, where it had come to rest as it lost momentum.
Very slowly, they all rose, looking to Gandalf for direction. And after a moment, the wizard nodded. "It is over," he told them, relief clear in his voice as he slowly let most of the shield fall, only leaving enough in place to make sure the snow didn't cave in on them. He looked down the slope a few feet to where the rear wall of snow was. "We should dig out there, as that is where the snow is thinnest--"
"Mr. Gandalf?"
With a sigh, the Istari turned towards the inquiring hobbit. "Yes, Samwise?"
"Wh-Where's Frodo?"
"Solmenique..." {An avalanche} Camthalion shook his head, offering his friend a skeptical look, "Le mere nornoro men ampende, lenwa an solmenique?" {You want us to run up a mountain, directly into an avalanche?}
"Laume," {No,} Harry shook his head, smirking slightly as he reached a hand into one of his inner pockets. He drew his wand with the other, and released the objects he took from his hand, only to point his wand at the small floating items, returning them to their original, usable size with a simple, "Engorgio."
Rúmil nodded his approval as he stepped forward to take one of the brooms, "That will work."
Camthalion rolled his eyes but otherwise offered no comment as he took the one remaining broomstick. "We'd best be going," he commented, eyeing the wave of snow that was rolling towards them at increasing velocities. "This location won't be safe much longer."
The others nodded, and then both twins followed Harry's lead as he kicked up off the ground, rising quickly into the chill air.
Though there were still some differences between the three of them, innate distinctions that made them who they were, one of the many topics all three of them could agree one was flying. Before Harry came, there wasn't really anyway one of the Eldar could simply take to the air and fly of there own accord. On magical broomsticks they were free to explore Manwe's realm with ease, drifting to and fro over the lands the Valar had carved so long ago.
But now was not the time for sightseeing or anything of the sort. They knew that the Fellowship was somewhere on that mountain and they had to find them, or at the very least find the Ring bearer…
The twins were silent as they followed the Lady's foster son higher and higher up the mountain, closer and closer to the avalanche that had already rolled halfway down the steep incline. When he stopped only to hover, muttering words under his breath, they came up alongside him, scanning the mountain with the Elven eyesight.
Seeing nothing aside from a large amount of snow moving at high speed, both turned towards the wizard questioningly, and Rúmil chose to break the silence. "Elerossë?"
Harry's brow was furrowed in concentrations. "They're up there… Mithrandir has a magical dome around them, protecting them…But there are only eight within it, and the Ring is not with them…" he grimaced, and both twins' expressions echoed his.
"So the Ring bearer has been separated from them," Camthalion summarized.
"Uma," Harry nodded. "We have to find him… The fall alone could kill him, and being buried under several feet of hard-packed snow won't help him if he survives the avalanche itself… I can find him with a tracking spell, but he's going to need to be warmed up, and some pepper-up potion would probably be a good idea to."
Both twins nodded again, frowning slightly, "We could set camp if you don't need our help…But shouldn't we aid the Fellowship?"
Harry shook his head, "Lau, they're fine as they are now…they should be able to dig themselves out with little trouble… Mr. Baggins will be in considerably more danger."
"Then we should and shall do our best to aid the young one," Rúmil spoke this time, turning slightly back the way they came. "We should probably wait for the avalanche to end, before setting camp, if we want to stay near the mountain."
"Don't bother," Harry told them, "fly over to one of the hills about a few hours walk away from here and set camp on one of the ones that has water and offers a good view of its surroundings. The Fellowship can follow the smoke of our campfire to us tomorrow, and it's only a few minutes in flight."
"As you will it, heru nin," the twins replied in unison, nodding respectfully before turning and heading off in the direction he'd bid them.
"Right," Harry sighed, shaking his head. "Now we need a locator spell..." he frowned, considering the numerous spells he'd come across for this stipulation. After several moments he winced, shaking his head in a self-depreciating manner as he drew his wand. "Sometimes the simplest way's the best... Point me to Frodo Baggins."
His wand spun in his hands once before, narrowing its search down to the mountain, sweeping to and fro, each sweeps smaller than its predecessor, until it was finally pointing down to the eastern side of the mountain, a short distance from where the snow-slide appeared to be ending.
"Ducis Lumos," the wizard murmured when wand stopped, while moving in that general direction. After a small ball of light had bloomed out of the end of his wand, he took hold of the wand again, to return it to the empty holder on his left arm. "Let's go," he nodded to the hovering ball of white light, which promptly shot off in the direction his wand had been pointing.
If he wasn't a natural seeker and flyer, Harry probably would have had trouble keeping up with the indicator, that or keeping an eye on it while keeping up. But he managed.
A short time later, it stopped, hovering over some of the newly settled snow.
Coming up beside it, Harry nodded, drawing his wand again, to dismiss it. "Finite Incantatum…" After a moment of looking over the area, he shook his head before moving through a series of spell, waving, flicking and pointing his wand when necessary. After the faint anti-gravity mist he'd started with ensured that the snow would not start to move again when he removed some, he pointed at the area the light had been hovering over, loosening the snow with a quick flick, and summoning his prey to him, "Accio Frodo Baggins."
The snow easily moved out of the way as his magic pulled the near-frozen and unconscious hobbit to the surface. Once the hobbit was clear of the snow and hovering near him, he put the levitation charm to use, in order to guarantee his present safety.
The wizard sighed, shaking his head, as he looked the younger being over. They were going to have to pay close attention to his hands and feet, less he loose them to frostbite. Why the hobbits didn't wear footwear even in this climate was beyond him.
With another sigh he banished some of the snow from the now shivering form, heating the air around him slightly before transfiguring some of the snow into a thick white blanket to wrap around his new charge.
Seeing nothing else he could do here, Harry spelled the snow back into place slightly, though didn't really bother trying to hide the fact that he'd changed it. Then he headed off towards the campsite again.
The Lord of Imladris sighed as he gently pushed the door to his only daughter's room open, pausing only a short moment, to see if she was still aware enough to send him away.
She hadn't taken the news any better then he'd expected. How could she have been expected to? She and Ránëwén Galathil had been the best of friends from childhood; sharing a bond deeper then most siblings bore.
What's more, now all of them worried for Elerossë, and how his wife's passing may affect him.
Thus far, Galadriel had apparently been able to pull him out of his depressed state with the small hope that the maiden of the twilight may yet be alive...but how long could that hope last? How long could the Galadhrim's foster prince go without seeing his wife, alive, and still believing that the chance she might actually be such was anything more then a hopeful illusion?
The other news his foster mother had sent had done nothing to ease their worries of course, far from it... The theories he'd discussed with Elerossë and other Elven warriors several centuries before now seemed far too abstract when they might need to be put to the test. Wizarding warfare? Could one truly fight against and or with magic?
Elrond shook his head slightly, emitting a soft sigh as he made his way over to his still silent daughter, to where she sat, grieving on the bench of her balcony, which overlooked her mother's gardens...
This was where she grieved, after all. It was where she'd spent so much of her time when Celebrían had departed for the Undying Lands. It was a lovely view to be sure. Beyond the perpetually nascent garden, the city of Imladris stretched far across the valley, backed by distant mountains and forests, which were now the frame for the setting sun, a masterpiece that Arien had never failed to offer at the end of each day since the first dawn.
"Sina luu în..." {This was her time}
Though he may very well have been startled by his daughter's sudden, quiet words, the Half-Elven Lord did not show it.
"I yuukale... Eä na oio în..." {The twilight... It was always hers}
"Uma," Elrond nodded, offering a kind smile as he sat down beside his child.
The Evenstar was silent once more for several uncounted moments, before she turned towards her father. The tears that seeped out of her dark eyes did not stain the beauty of her fair features. No, Arwen Undómiel was not regarded as the fairest of her kind for nothing, even in tears she was a wonder to behold.
But her beauty meant nothing to her father, who only saw the pained expression those fair features were set in, and the grief that those tears represented.
"Nai Vala," he sighed as he reached out, to pull her into a gentle embrace.
That was all it took to release the seemingly endless flow of misery that had been hiding just beneath the surface of her salient gaze. It flowed out of her eyes in tiny streams and rivers that poured down her enchanting face, which was otherwise only marred by the grieving, pained expression it now bore. Those tears escaped the tight prison they'd been born of to eventually reach the shoulder their creator now wept upon. He obviously didn't care though, and didn't seem to pay his soaked robe any mind even as she pulled away from him sometime later, well after the sun had sent, darkness had ascended, and the first stars began to appear in the sky.
"A melin selde nin...nwalme le haya umart o mine nessa. Ná ungwale o nin veela nwalya le..." {My dear child... you have suffered far too much for one so young. It hurts me so to see you suffer so}
The younger Elf made an obvious effort to suppress a sob before replying quietly. "il-(leave) nin, Ada. Im nauta á--" {I can not leave, father. I am bound to--}
"Aragorn asked you to leave this land, to make for the immortal shore with the rest of your people, did he not? He therefore does not want you to stay."
"Perhaps..." Arwen shook her head, looking up slightly as she pulled farther away from him, to meet his gaze. "But I cannot leave him, Ada."
"You must...the Darkness is killing you...Your light is failing!"
"Then so be it...For I cannot leave. Not while there is still hope."
"Nothing is certain now... Victory is as likely as defeat."
"Some things are certain," she objected, shaking her head she rose to her feet, taking his hand to pull him up with her. "Ada... if I leave him now, I will regret it forever... That is something I cannot do, just as Ránëwén could not leave Elerossë, she died for him, willingly--"
"Which only served to bring him misery--"
"And happiness! Without some amount of pain, you cannot know true happiness... If a mortal death is the price I have to pay in order to love the other half of my soul, then so be it... Whatever the risks may be... I will not be leaving when the ships are ready to sail... Edhored nin, Ada, dan útir nin..." {I am sorry, Father, but I cannot...}
It wasn't all that cold anymore...
That was the first thing that Frodo noticed upon awakening. There was still a slight chill to the air, but he seemed to be almost completely protected from it. That was something he hadn't been able to find during the last few weeks of their journey; refuge from the cold.
Apparently they'd found it now...
Were they off the mountain? Was that it?
He could remember turning back. He could remember when Gandalf made him choose the Fellowship's course of action. When he'd look back to see that most of his companions, Merry and Pippin especially, looked as cold as he felt…
But why did this feel so strange? He'd been away from the comforts provided by civilization, but he was still outside, on a bed-mat....
Only it certainly wasn't the one he'd been sleeping on as of late... It was far too comfortable. Soft...warm...cushioning and supportive...
No, something had changed...but what?
"Good evening, Mr. Baggins."
The Ring Bearer froze as the pleasant greeting met his ears. It was not a voice he knew: the voice of a man, but one that sounded too young to be Aragorn or Boromir. And those were the only two men in the Fellowship.
"You have no reason to fear, you are in no danger here."
His use of the Common Tongue was strange. He sounded more like an Elf than a Man, but his voice lacked the melodic quality all those with Elven blood possessed. He had a strange accent, too. Not hideously so, but certainly foreign.
When the stranger didn't speak again, Frodo sighed. His host was clearly waiting for a response from him, so the Heir of Bags End forced his eyes open slowly, with more then a little difficulty.
The sky above them was dark, as only night could be, with the stars and moon hidden behind dark clouds. But there was a strange kind of light...Light and warmth radiated from a short distance away, that wasn't what was odd. The night's air was cool, a campfire was a good idea...But one that was...blue?
With a frown he turned his aching form in the direction of the warmth, and his eyes widened as they fell upon a campfire that really was just as blue as his eyes. It was like only the heart of the flames resided atop the ground, offering its heat and light, but fueled by nothing apart from its own inner might.
His host was sitting across the fire from him. It was hard for his eyes to make out much of him in the strange lighting, but the stranger was probably young, for his skin was as smooth as any Elves, which was only so upon the youths of Men. He was probably rather tall, if the length of his muscular legs and arms was any indication, though that too was difficult to decipher, as he was sitting down, and a dark cloak hid most of his form from view. But he could make out the youthful, aristocratically carves face, the slight quirk on his lips, which displayed the slight softness that remained in the faces of young men. And he could almost make out his eyes. He couldn't tell if they were green or blue, but he was inclined to think that they were a deep, exotic green, offset by the deceptive sapphire light the campfire offered.
"Bluebell flames."
Frodo blinked, glancing at the flames before returning his gaze to his host, curiosity plain in his eyes.
"If you were wondering," the young man continued, as he reached forward to stir whatever was in the pot that rested atop the flames. "That's what these are called; bluebell flames. Portable, waterproof flames that require no fuel, they're named after a flower in my homeland, for their color."
"I am not familiar with the term," the Hobbit offered slowly, glancing around to find that they were the only ones in the campsite, though there was clearly room for more. He didn't think he'd be able to escape though, if he wanted to. The man before him may be young, but he was clearly quite fit, and his youth would only serve as an advantage in such a chase, as would the length of his legs.
"No, you wouldn't be, my homeland is far away from here." He drifted into pleasant silence as he picked up one of the mugs beside the fire and carefully ladled some of the brew he'd been watching into it. After a moment of letting it cool, he took a cautious sip, swirled it around his mouth, swallowed, considered, and then nodded with a satisfactory smile. Setting the cup down beside him, he picked up another one, which he also filled. Once that cup was full he rose to his feet, therein confirming the Hobbits earlier suspicion that he was very tall, and made his way around the fire to the Hobbit. "Here," he offered, kneeling down by the tired Halfling. "It's pepper-up, a warming brew, to fight off cold. It'll help warm up, and make you feel better."
The stranger certainly looked warm. Even in the almost elegant attire that adorned his graceful frame, clothing that looked a lot like what Legolas had taken to wearing for the journey. But this man was not an Elf, and he still looked more than warm enough in the Elven clothes. There was even steam rising from him, which Frodo would later realize, was a bit odd, but at the time, his tired mind had simply registered it as a sign of warmth.
"Thank you," the Hobbit replied politely, while reaching out to accept the proffered drink. He meant to take in the beverage with caution, but after the first tiny sip of the steaming liquid rinsed over his chilled yet dry tongue, such thoughts left his mind, and he drained the small mug in a few short gulps.
He gasped as a warming sensation built up suddenly inside him, reaching from his center outward to the rest of his body, heating it and causing steam to rise from his very skin as he did so. It was over in a few short moments, and the sigh he released at the sensations departure was more then a little disappointed…
"Feel better?" the stranger asked kindly.
Frodo blinked, and took a few moments to answer the question, as he spent a while considering it. But after a minute or so he realized that yes, he did feel better. The remaining shred of coldness that had managed to infest his body was gone. The aches and soreness were reasonably depleted, and he seemed to have somehow gained a whole new source of energy…
"Yes..." the Ring bearer managed slowly, nodding. "Yes, thank you..."
"What is that?" Pippin asked his companions as they neared a strange light not too far in the distance. He didn't know why Gandalf had decided to lead them this way, he hoped some kind of magic was leading them to his cousin, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to go near that light…
It was almost like the lighting of a campfire, which all of them had become well acquainted with throughout the course of their journey…but it was the wrong color. Instead of the warm, golden glow they were used to seeing, it was different hues and shades of blue. You would think that that would make it seem cold, but oddly enough, it didn't; it just made it decidedly strange.
"Legolas?" Aragorn inquired softly, showing a barely noticeable amount of anxiety as they awaited the information available due to the Elf's superior vision.
The Woodland Prince didn't answer for several moments, and the near-silent sigh he began with, accompanied by a decided frown, did little to ease their fears. "I cannot tell. It would think that it might be some kind of fire...over salt-soaked or oiled wood, but that is more colorful, not one constant color...and I do not detect any smoke...by sight or scent..."
"Agreed," Aragorn sighed, shaking his head. He glanced over at the Grey Wizard, who seemed to be staring at the light in puzzlement, or something very like it. "Gandalf?"
The wizard gave a noticeable start before turning towards him, a questioning eyebrow raised.
"Are you certain we can not... go around this... anomaly?" The heir of Isilduir requested, "I would very much like to avoid any unnecessary confrontations at this time... particularly when we have no idea of what... it, may be."
After a few moments the grey pilgrim sighed, and shook his head. "From what I can tell, Frodo is very near, possibly right over there," he nodded towards the strange light. "This confrontation may be very necessary."
"For Merlin's sake, Sirius, stop that!"
The Azkaban escapee stopped, and turned to stare at his friend blinkingly, "Stop what?"
"Pacing, thank you." Remus replied with a sigh, shaking his head as he returned his attention to the translated text he'd been studying for the better part of that day. "You've been pacing for the last twenty minutes, back and forth, back and forth, across the room," he demonstrated with rapid hand motions with his right hand, before bringing it back to his brow. "And to be quite frank with you, it was driving me mad. So please, cease and desist."
"Oh...Okay..." the heir of the Black family fortune sighed, making his way over to the lounge chair beside the one his friend had taken and sighing. "I'm sorry, Moony... I guess I'm just..."
"Worried?" the werewolf offered at his friend's barely noticeable hesitation.
"Yes... It's just that..." he suddenly lost the fragile control he'd apparently had on his emotions, and said loss brought his right fist slamming down onto the coffee table between them, hard.
The former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor jumped slightly, before turning to look at his black haired friend with a frown, while he set the text he'd been reading aside for later use. "...Padfoot?" he eyed his friend for several moments before he spoke again. "It's about Harry, isn't it?"
"Of course it is!" the other wizard roared, shaking with suppressed emotion. "I-I can't take it, Moony. We should be there! I should be there, helping him... I should have been there when he was taking -- I should have stopped it -- No! I should have been there from the beginning, so it never would have happened! If I hadn't gone after the rat--"
"Silencio..."
It took several moments for the hysterical wizard to realize that his rant was no longer audible, and when he did, his mouth snapped shut with an inaudible click, while he sank back into his chair wearily with an inaudible sigh.
After a few deep breaths, he turned dark, questioning eyes upon his living best friend.
Remus offered a soft, reassuring smile while beginning his own, far calmer lecture. "You can't blame yourself for any of that, Sirius. Uh-uh," he shook his head again when the other wizard showed silent signs of obvious disagreement. "Even if you are at fault for some of that, the fault does not rest with you completely, and blaming yourself doesn't help at all." He shook his head again, before flicking his wand at his friend again and releasing him from the silencing spell with, "Finite Incantatum."
"I..." Sirius paused, clearly thinking over what he was about to say, before shaking his head a few moments later. "I guess you're right..." he jumped slightly as they heard a horn sound in the distance."Suppertime? Already?"
"I suppose so," Remus confirmed with a shrug as he rose to his feet, sending the text he'd been reading one last, wistful look, before making his way to the door, his friend only a few steps behind him.
The area the wizards had come to use for general dining purposes wasn't far away. A talan that was fairly close to all of the talans they were staying in; set up for relaxation and conversation in some of the rooms, while the main one was obviously a fairly informal dining hall.
They were, however, the last to arrive. Entering just in time to join everyone else in sitting down around the table as the Elven servants that the Lord and Lady had assigned to them entered, bearing large silver trays, laden with various Elven dishes.
Dumbledore smiled as he looked around at all of them, before turning his attention the Elf that had stopped by his side, as she had done many nights, to ask him to taste the wine, to be sure it was fit to be served, though there had never been anything wrong with it. And once again, of course, the headmaster smiled as he nodded approval of the first sip. "Delightful, my dear, thank you."
The Elf girl bowed slightly, before making her rounds of the table, pouring wine into every goblet. Thankfully, to the adults at least, she'd learned by now that the children were not permitted to drink alcohol. This meant that they were not to be served wine. She didn't have to worry about it now though, as the staff had obviously taken to only putting out goblets for the adults, so she simply filled all of the goblets that were there, which the adults were in possession of.
Everyone began eating almost as soon as their meal was placed in front of them. No one spoke, beyond requesting various dishes or spices. And it wasn't until their Elven assistants had left that that changed.
"Is something wrong, Molly?"
The redheaded witch looked up in surprise, reddening slightly as the Headmaster's question brought the focus of the entire table to her. "Wh-What? N-No, of course not--" she stopped, then after a moment's pause, shook her head and began again with a sigh. "Yes, yes... I'm afraid I'm a bit worried... for Harry."
"I believe we all are," Dumbledore offered in reply, while bringing his knife down on his venison, to slice it away from the whole piece he'd taken and pop the smaller portion into his mouth.
"Yes, well, it... It just isn't right, Albus!" Mrs. Weasley shook her head, setting her serving utensils down as she watched him for a more animated response, any response. "He's so young! I wouldn't let any of my boys go off like that--"
"Young?" Draco Malfoy interrupted, ignoring the outraged and semi-venomous looks most of the other redheads in the room sent him. "How exactly is Potter young?"
"He's only--"
"Tell me, Mrs. Weasley," he offered, his tone almost courteous. "Say someone in their... early twenties, found some way to stop aging, like the Elixir of Life, or something of the sort, and began taking in their early twenties. A century later, they'd still look like they were in their early twenties, but would you still treat them as though they were?"
"No, of course n..." The Weasley matriarch stopped, blinking in apparent confusion before realization spread across her face again. "That's right...I-I'd forgotten."
"I think most of you, if not all of you, did." Draco said looking around. "Potter is almost over two thousand years old. He's been married for over a millennia, for Merlin's sake! And he may be a widower. I think it's safe to say that he's a grown boy, and he can take care of himself, don't you?"
No one replied. And they remained silent, trapped within their own thoughts until supper ended, some befuddled, others confused, others pained, while still others were mixtures of all three. Each left once they'd finished their supper, not bothering to bid the others a good night as they continued thinking.
'Our forces are ready?'
"Yes, Sauron. They have been ready for some time. Perhaps now might be the opportune time to send them out?" Voldemort inquired, a barely noticeable trace of sarcasm in his voice even as he replied to a voice that echoed inside his head from...nowhere.
'No... Now is not the time.' The age-old evil returned, clearly ignoring the other's emotions in favor of the words his 'ally' spoke. 'You must go to Isengard...'
"What?"
'Go to Isengard... Saruman will be waiting for you... In the meantime, send out a small force of your own fighters, to retrieve the RING... The one that bears it is somewhere near the Red Horn Mountain...'
"But--"
'GO! To Isengard! And MY RING! NOW!' the fallen Maiar ordered, sending waves of pain-inducing power through the wizard's brain.
"A-As you w-wish," the Heir of Slytherin yielded upon finding that his mental shields and abilities were nowhere near strong enough to keep the angered phantom at bay. As soon as he was released though, he drew himself up; leaving the room without bowing to the empty throne he'd been meaning to claim for his own a short time before. "But as soon as I have this Ring, we will not be giving out orders..."
Frodo frowned as he glanced over at his host again. After several moments though, the reason he recognized the other suddenly became clear to him. "Wait! Aren't you..." the Hobbit shook his head, frowning once more. "No. That's impossible..."
"What is?"
"Begging your pardon...sir, but you look an awful lot like the Man whose portrait was placed in the Hobbiton Town Hall a long time ago...for protecting the Shire from Orcs..."
"Oh yes, that...Took them an awful long to sketch it. I didn't bother staying around to wait for them to finish painting it.… It came out well, though? There's a likeness?"
"Yes--Wait..." Frodo shook his head again, "That's impossible... That'd make you... Over a thousand years old!"
"It would, wouldn't it?"
"So you're not a Man?" the Ring bearer clarified.
"No, I'm a Wizard...Though not the kind you know of. I've practiced some of the Istari arts, but they certainly aren't my specialty." Harry offered a kind smile, "The Elves know me as Elerossë Tinehtelë, and I'm somewhat of a paradox really, still that's worked to our advantage so far... My birth name's Harry, but I answer to either one."
"Elerossë or Harry?"
Harry nodded, but his attention was focused on the far side of the camp, or rather, past it, in the woods beyond. "Yes...And I do believe your companions have managed to find us..."
End Chapter 15.
Translations:
Quentele - TalkingMan ta? - What is it?
Laume - No, of course not
Uma - Yes
Heru nin - My lord
Nai Vala - By the Valar
Ada - Father
Talans - Elven tree houses...kind of
Response to Reviews:
Hoshi-tachi - LOL, I know that feeling. I'd say sorry...but the chapters will be around to read, and you can review whenever you want.
...Just a little... Good point.
LOL...Yes, big chance.
We'll see the actual meeting next time though.
No, Mithrandir does not know Harry himself, but he does know about Harry... He found out about him, but Harry was traveling so much that they never met, and he was gone after a few millennia... He undoubtedly would have made a point of meeting him, if he'd had the chance. But Gandalf was known for disappearing and reappearing all the time. He's hard to contact. And Harry's particular existence is one of the Elves most closely guarded secrets... The Elves that live in the Galadhrim know, some of Elrond's inner circle and his family, Legolas's father and a few of his advisors know to, but not Legolas himself.
Sayonara! Gomen nasai, for the lateness.
Nimohtar - Glad to hear it.
LOL, OK, OK, continuing... Hmm, who would I pair? ... You know, I'm really not sure? Your right, Harry's out of the question...So whom do you think?
Clouded Nines - LOL, it is, isn't it? ...Right now there's obviously some problems, but it should get better... or, technically, worse, since they're the bad guys...
Yeah, lol, sorry about that...Like I said, that was supposed to be in this chapter, but I honestly got sick of trying to write that scene...I'm still working on it though, and the next chapter should be out MUCH sooner, since I'm out of school and whatnot...
Thank you, glad you think so!
Nyoko - LOL, that's okay. I'm glad you like it.
No, Harry will be meeting the Fellowship in the next chapter, I promise...He was supposed to meet them in this chapter, but the stupid scene wouldn't cooperate!
Lunawolf - Thank you.
Yes, you were partially right, obviously.
Thank you, I'm particularly proud of that part of the last chapter...Although it was a bit long. And yes, I like him too...
Musicstarlover - LOL...OK, so the question was a bit stupid.
But it got quite a few responses.
Chocolate? Looks around Where chocolate?
Laen - Thanx...
Umm...maybe...
LOL, yes that should be fun...and it's kind of inevitable... I mean, I suppose Draco could stay hidden in Lothlórien the whole time, but what fun would that be?
Angelwings6117 - Thank you.
Yes, character development is important, and it kind of needed to be done.
Nope, Moria's still coming though...And we'll see what fate holds in store for Gandalf...
Rogue1615 - Hmm...I think that's a uniquely Elven ability...Though Harry has learned some, and I think his magic could probably make up for the genetic differences...
Franky - LOL, sorry. I really was going to have them meet up in this chapter...But that didn't work out…. Next chapter, I promise.
Hmm...That's kind of hard to determine, different magic's and all. Gandalf definitely has more experience and ability with the Istari stuff, but like I've said before, that doesn't really focus around combat at all...I mean, yes, as Gandalf and Saruman demonstrated, they can fight, but it's not quite the same thing...
Not answering all of those... but remember the book that Hermione sent him in the beginning? A book that had all of the information in Hogwarts' library in it? He had that. And centuries to study it...
Small fry - Thank you.
LOL, yes...next chapter, promise...
Yup, yup, Draco's scene was a fave of mine...some parts were hard, but all in all it fit together pretty well...
Hmm, you think so? I guess... Though you really can't expect Harry to just 'get over' the loss of his soul mate...ever. So Violet will still come up a lot... I'm sorry if that bothers you...
Metropolis-Rising - Thanx. Sigh Yes...I hate errors like that...sorry...
Yeah, I like Violet too...but I didn't want the story to focus around their relationship too much...
LOL, yes, that should be fun.
Thank you.
SithelfJen - Flinches I honestly didn't mean it like that...I know that can be terrible, but I can see why it happens...It can be discouraging to post something and not receive many responses...I know, some of my fics aren't even in the double-digits review-wise. Sorry.
Liath - LOL, OK...Yes, pop ups can be annoying, I admit.
Wandering's OK...Especially where cute little children are concern.
Sorry if this chapter was disappointing...A lot just had to get done, and I wanted Harry and the twins to meet the Fellowship in this chapter...But it really wasn't working out...Sorry pouts
Too much, LOL, not at all... Talk as much as you like!
But, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
See? You're not last here, you're first...because you were first to begin with... Bye!
Jeni Black - LOL, thanx...
That's cool. I have a few friends who are almost that close...One lives right down the street, so we've been friends for ages...
Yeah, they are adorable, aren't they? Though I feel a little bad for the parents. They just made it through the terrible two stage a little while ago, while having to worry about a baby at the same time, and now they're going into it again. Best of luck to them!
And thank you. Teel really is SO sweet...I got to feed her last weekend! (Part of the reason I didn't update this week -- I spent all of Sunday late morning and afternoon watching her).
John Ruel? Really? Weird...
Like I told Liath...and almost every other reviewer...they were going to meet up in this chapter...but that didn't work out, sorry...the next chapter should be ready MUCH sooner...
Bye!
The Great Sarini - Yeah, there are a lot of fics like that, aren't there? I find them incredibly annoying...Especially since no one finishes them. They get up to an important part in the LotRs plotline and stop, because they didn't bother figuring out how the HP crew, or ever just Harry would fit it...
Anyway, I'm glad you like it. :-)
And sorry about the wait. :-(
Raven - LOL... Yes, this does save us a lot of trouble, doesn't it?
Thank you, glad to hear it.
Shirley - I'm glad you like the plot line...
And I am sorry if the Elvish bothers you so much, but I happen to be immensely fond of it...It holds my interest in writing the story when the plot line itself can't.
Yes, Elves speak Common...But so do a lot of people from foreign countries, and they don't just forget they're native languages simply because others don't know or use it.
No, Harry wouldn't have known any Elvish there, but he probably would have been too traumatized to respond to English/Common anyway, and Elvish is a semi-magical language in its own right...So that's why Galadriel would use it. To soothe Harry's fears before trying to explain things to him...
GShans - Thank you, glad to hear it.
LOL, don't worry. Harry will be meeting up with the Fellowship in the next chapter.
Thanx again, and I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit of a let down...the next one should be better, and it will be out sooner too.
Celebwen Telcontar - My name's Jessica...At school, there are over a dozen other Jessica's. In 4th grade, there were six of us all together. The teacher had to actually give some of us numbers. My OC (original character) Elrohir has the same name as Elrond's son, but they are not one and the same...which should have been pretty obvious a while back.
Yes, cousins, VERY VERY VERY far off...so much so that most would say they're not cousins... Even Isildur would be too far down the line to be directly connected to Arwen.
Insanechildfanfic - Thank you... No problem.… I know all about computer problems, believe me... It's one of the reasons this took so long...
Lindiel Eryn - Glad to hear it.
Shrugs Some parts need to be...
I know, I know...I already said that I'd be ignoring the timeline stuff... If you watch the extended edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo says that it starts in the year 3434, and Frodo says in Return of the King that the whole series was a little over a year long (13 months). Sorry for the confusion that may cause...But that's why I'm ignoring time lines now...I almost stopped writing this fic a few months ago because of how much the timelines were confusing me.
Dadaiiro - Yup, they've definitely caught up...
Harry can apparate, but only so far, with so many people. And it's really not safe to Apparate to a place he doesn't know well... Those are semi-cannon rules that I'm sticking to.
...Moony's transformation should be soon.… And yes, Padfoot should be interesting.
Sorry, you'll have to wait and see. :-P
Raymomofo - Thank you, I'm glad you think so. And I appreciate the compliment.
The next update should be sooner, sorry about the wait and the semi-lack of content. :-(
Laughing Cat - Glad you think so
LOL, of course.
Sorry, I haven't read the books in...Well, years, so I'm a little iffy on some of it... It's just that I happen to like it. They're so pretty! Pouts And I like blonde-Legolas.
Like I said, I read the books a LONG time ago...but most of the information in the story is based on LOTS of research. Hours and hours of it... I have half a dozen books about LotRs and you wouldn't believe some of the sites I've found online, they're incredible.
Thanks!
Sorry if this chapter was a bit of let down, the next one will be out much sooner.
Christiane - Wow, glad to hear it. Thanks for the compliments.
LOL, yes, Elvish is hard to gage.
You're right, the movies have done a good job with creating the misconception... I haven't read the books in a long time, so I don't remember everything... but I happen to like the blonde Elves, especially Legolas...Orlando Bloom's Legolas is just too perfect to change. pouts
That's the other part of the problem. Now almost everyone who writes LotRs fan fiction prefers the movies and/or ignores the books completely... It's a fanon thing, there isn't really much to do about it. Few people mention it at all, and most people don't read the AN's anyway, so a lot of people are ignorant.
I don't want to ignore the books, but I honestly prefer the blonde Elves.
Don't worry about it. I like long reviews.
Sorry if this is disappointing. :-(
Veggie's Brat - LOL, OK... I'm actually making some progress with Fate & Destiny.
Just trying running a search for "Elvish" online, that's what I did.
There are dozens of sites out there.
For information on LotRs in general, I definitely have to recommend
Lord of the Rings Fanatics Library MsoNormal>It's not done yet, but there's a lot there anyway. (And they have quite a few links to other sites, including ones with Elvish)
For help with Elvish names, go to:
Chris Wetherell's Elvish Name Generator MsoNormal>One Elvish site that's pretty good is: Lothlórien (http:lothlorien.freewebsitehosting.com)
There are MANY others though. It can take a bit of work to find them, but that just makes you appreciate them all the more.
What's your story about, anyway? Have you started it? Posted anything? Or is it still in the outlining stage?
Well, anyway, thank you. And good luck with your story!
Paul - Yes, I like her to... We'll see.
Wow, thanx, I'm glad you think so.
Lina Thanatos - Run a search online. Google's pretty good. Like I told VB, there are dozens, maybe even hundred of sites, you just have to look.
I will recommend these three though:
1. Lord of the Rings Fanatics Library General info, very good... time lines can be confusing though...Especially since it's not quite done. Lot of good links too though.
2. Chris Wetherell's Elvish Name Generator Names
3. Lothlórien Elvish
Best of luck!
Thanks to:
Athenakitty
Starlight Dreams
DeFox
Heather-Hezzer-and-Honaluki
Maxennce
Jenelf
The angelic vampire
HAZZAGRIFF
Kevin-McKay
Tara-Yo - Next chapter
Maethoriell Uini Tawar
Shawn Pickett
Fate
Star estrella
The Lady Reaper of the Shadows
Fiery Pheonix
Blahblah104 - Yes, thanx
Hi
UnoeWho - LOL, nice name
Tezbuzz
GinnyPotter5
AN: Wow guys, 50 reviews, well done... I was kind of asking for that last time, when I asked if I should continue... It's just that otherwise a lot of people seemed to read, but not bother reviewing. A LOT of people did that anyway though.
Honestly, I put hours, sometimes even days, of my time into writing these chapters. Is 5, 10 minutes in response too much to ask?
As a word of warning though... Sometimes you have to guilt trip me into writing. And honestly, the only way you can do that is by reviewing. If around 50 or more people review (I do notice when 1 person reviews more then once, doesn't work, sorry) then I feel guilty for not posting. If not...Well I might not, so I might not bother spending that much time with the story... I might move on to a different story. I've left quite a few hanging. I really should update some of those. The reason this one isn't hanging is because so many people seem to like it. That's all. If the reviewing drops off, I'll just go to another fic for awhile. Just thought you should be aware of that.
I hope this chapter wasn't a let down... It was supposed to be longer, but I'm having some trouble with the Fellowship part...And I really wanted to get this out. It's sort of filler, but the next chapter should be out soon.
REVIEW, please?
Bye!
Jess S