I'm soooooo sorry you guys. I don't have an excuse besides being caught up in real life drama and losing the will to write for a while. Hopefully I'm back for good this time. :( To make up for my long absence, this is a longer chapter than usual.

Chapter 7: Lothlorien

It was just beginning to get dark when they crossed into the forest. Harry instantly felt as if time had stopped. He knew that he stood in a place that was incredibly ancient. All around him stood thick, tall trees with large golden leaves. Curiously, he saw no fallen leaves on the forest floor, despite the fact that fall had passed and winter was in full-swing.

There was something else odd about the forest. The air itself seemed to hum with some indefinable power. Here, he felt as if the evils of the world could not possibly hope to harm them. Next to him, Legolas' eyes were shining with wonder and amazement.

Gimli, however, wasn't quite so at-ease. "Stay close young Hobbits!" he hissed. "They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf Witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell...And are never seen again."

Frodo suddenly jerked as if slapped. He looked around wildly and a moment later, Harry knew why.

"Harry Potter..." said a voice. It had spoken inside his head. "Boy Who Lived and child of Hogwarts. Be not afraid. We shall meet soon."

Harry glanced at Draco, but he gave no sign that he had heard the voice.

"Well," Gimli was saying. "Here's one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox...Oh!" He stopped suddenly, nearly running into the arrow pointed at his head. They found that they were suddenly surrounded. Harry went to draw his wand, but Aragorn stopped him.

One of the Elves, a tall, haughty-looking being, stepped forward. "The Dwarf breathes so loudly, we could have shot him in the dark."

"Haldir of Lorien," said Aragorn with a low bow. "We have come to Lorien seeking your aid."

Haldir studied his face for a moment. "Ah, Aragorn of the Dunedain. You are known to us and are welcome here, as is Prince Legolas. But you know our laws. Why have you brought strangers to our forest?"

Gimli was standing still as a statue, but he said, "Aragorn, these woods are perilous! We should go back..."

Haldir stuck his chest out. "You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back." He looked at each of the Fellowship in turn, his brow furrowing slightly when he saw Harry and Draco, but when he at last came to Frodo, he gasped and said, "You bring great evil with you... You can go no further."

The Elves had led them to a place where they had platforms set up in the trees. Aragorn seemed to be pleading with Haldir in Elvish while the Fellowship rested. There was no other sound besides Aragorn and Haldir. The Fellowship was still thinking on Gandalf's death and wondering what would become of them without their leader. Harry suddenly saw Draco get up and go over to Frodo.

"Frodo, I know how you must feel." he said. "But you can't blame yourself. Gandalf died to save us. You're carrying a heavy burden. He wouldn't want you carrying a burden of guilt on top of that."

Harry wondered what was with Draco's sudden soft side, but he couldn't wonder for long because Haldir suddenly stomped towards them. "You will follow me." he said shortly.

They descended from the platform and walked a little ways into the woods. After about an hour, Haldir stopped and faced them. "Here, we must stop for a moment. We have entered the Naith of Lorien. We allow no strangers to view our secrets, so I will blindfold Gimli, Son of Gloin-"

Gimli's eyes went wide. "Over my dead body!" he cried.

Haldir's face hardened. "If need be. No strangers may walk unblindfolded in our land and since we have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days,-"

"And do you know what this Dwarf says to that?" growled Gimli. "Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!"

Aragorn pursed his lips and grabbed the Dwarf roughly by the shoulder. "THAT was not no courteous!"

"Alright shut up!" shouted Harry suddenly. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "We're getting nowhere standing here arguing. We'll ALL go blindfolded."

Gimli sighed. "Well, I will concede if Legolas is blindfolded as well."

The Elf laughed shortly. "I am an Elf and kinsman here!"

"Enough!" snapped Aragorn. "Harry is right. ALL of us will go blindfolded."

The Elves produces cloth strips which they tied around the eyes of the Fellowship. Harry heard Draco say, "If I trip or run into anything, I'll hex those pointy ears off."

And so the Fellowship set off, blind, into the Woods of Lothlorien.

After sever hours, the Elves removed the blindfolds. Haldir beckoned them forward. Spread out before them was what looked to be almost a separate forest inside Lothlorien. "Caras Galadhon," said Haldir with a smile of pride. "This is the very heart of Elvendom in Middle Earth. Here dwells the Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel."

Caras Galadhon was, by far, the most beautiful place Harry had ever seen. The trees were as tall as Muggle skyscrapers and shone with a warm golden light. Haldir told him that they were called Mallorn Trees and that they had come from the ancestral home of the Elves, far across the sea. Nestled in the trees were houses built in the same design as Rivendell. It appeared that not even a twig had been moved to make way for their construction. They harmonized perfectly with nature.

Haldir led the Fellowship up a staircase which wound upwards around what seemed to be the largest of the Mallorn Trees. At the top was an elaborately constructed building hung with silver lanterns.

Haldir instructed the Fellowship to wait in what Harry supposed was a sort of lobby. He wondered briefly if they would be kept waiting, like at a doctor's office, but his question was answered when what looked to be two beings made of pure light stepped out at the top of the stairs in front of them. As they got closer, the light faded to reveal them. The first was an Elven man with platinum hair, even more lustrous than Draco's on his best day. He had steely gray eyes and a noble jaw. The second was a lady with shining golden hair and stunning, deep blue eyes which all present felt they might drown in if they stared into them too long.

Harry, Gimli and the Hobbits all gazed upon the Lady Galadriel with mouths hanging open. Aragorn and Legolas gave very respectful bows. Only Boromir and Draco did not seem spellbound by her. Both looked upon her with heavy mistrust in their eyes.

Celeborn drew them out of their reverie. "The Enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone..." here, he trailed off and looked around the group. His brow furrowed. "Ten there are here, yet eleven set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar."

Harry noticed that Galadriel was staring intently at Aragorn and the Ranger sighed and lowered his eyes.

When she spoke, her voice was rich and musical."Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land...He has fallen into shadow."

Celeborn's eyes widened, and he gazed at Galadriel, but her eyes were still staring at Aragorn and were now filled with tears.

Harry plucked up his courage. "We were running from Goblins when a giant demon overtook us. Gandalf stood on the Bridge of Khazad Dum and bought us time to escape. He threw it into the abyss, but it took him with it."

Celeborn frowned. "A great demon, you say?"

"Aye." said Legolas. "It was both shadow and flame: A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria."

Galadriel smiled sadly at him. "Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose. Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad Dum fill your heart, Gimli, Son of Gloin," she said as her gaze fell on the Dwarf. "For the world has grown full of peril, and in all lands, love is now mingled with grief..." she fell silent and fixed her stare on Draco. The young wizard tried to meet her gaze, but within a few seconds, tears welled up in his eyes and he looked away.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost." said Celeborn.

"Indeed," said Galadriel. "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." For a reason he could not explain, she stared at Harry as she said this. Finally, she looked away. Harry could not shake the feeling that she had been looking inside his mind. She smiled as she looked upon Sam. "Yet hope remains, while the company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace."

The Fellowship bowed to them and prepared to follow Haldir.

But at the last moment, Harry again heard Galadriel's voice inside his mind.

I will summon you soon, Boy Who Lived. Be ready to heed my call.

The Elves consented to allow the Fellowship to sleep on the ground at the Hobbits request, although, it was clear that they thought this was a very odd request. They brought bedding and pillows. After having slept on nothing but solid ground for weeks, the soft linen seemed more comfortable to Harry than his four-poster at Hogwarts ever had.

But he was not ready to sleep yet. He simply laid back and stared up at the stars, twinkling through the trees. He almost fancied that they were singing. Then he realized that he actually could hear singing. He sat up and listened. Every Elven voice seemed to be raised in a slow, mournful song. Harry couldn't understand the words, but he could feel the sorrow behind them deep down in his soul.

Legolas was standing nearby, listening. "A lament for Gandalf." he said.

"What do they say about him?" asked Merry.

Legolas smiled sadly. "I have not the heart to tell you. For me, the grief is still too near."

Harry got up and walked away, not wanting to think about it. But he couldn't help it. Over and over, he played the scene of Gandalf's last stand in his mind. He kept wondering if there was something, anything he could have done. His mind also mulled over various increasingly fanciful scenarios where the great wizard survived and returned to lead them. But try as he might, he just couldn't bring himself to hold onto that thin strand of hope. He looked up suddenly and saw Draco sitting on a bench, looking out over the forest. He walked over and sat down next to him, not speaking, but giving him a chance to talk about whatever was bothering him.

" I heard her voice in my head, Harry." He knew that Draco was talking about Galadriel. "She talked about my father and everything he expects of me. She said that even now there is hope. She said I don't have to become like him. But she doesn't understand. I want to make him proud to have me as his son. But..."

"But you don't like doing what it takes to make him proud." Harry finished, looking at his old nemesis in an entirely new light.

Draco nodded. "I don't suppose you could imagine what it's like, having someone like him as a father. He gives me everything I want, but I know it's all conditional. If I ever became something different than what he expects of me, he'd chuck me out. He'd disown me. You think I hate Muggle Borns, Harry? Why should I? But my father tells me to hate them, so I act like I do. I don't even want to be in Slytherin. I hate it there. I hate the people. Each and every one of them would stab me in the back if it would get them something they wanted. But I put up with it because of my father. You're lucky, you know, living with those awful Muggles."

Harry snorted. "Lucky? They hate me. They hate everything about me."

"Yes, but they will hate you no matter what you do, so you don't have to work your ass off to please them. You don't have to lose any chance of having a real friend your entire life, just so you can stay in their house. You can do whatever you want and it won't make a lick of difference."

"But you have friends. Crabbe and Goyle-"

"Are goons." Draco cut in. "They don't give a damn about me. They see me as a way to stay popular. Everyone's afraid of my father, so they are forced to respect me. But I don't have a single friend."

Harry put a hand on his shoulder. "You do now."

Draco finally looked him in the eyes. For the first time, Harry noticed that his eyes were a stormy grey color with just a few lines of blue. The effect was quite beautiful. Without consciously thinking about it, he moved closer. Draco did not move, but he did not pull away either. He just felt the warmth of Draco's breath on his lips when the Elven song ended, blanketing the forest in silence. Harry and Draco both blinked and pulled away.

Harry found that his heart was thudding rapidly against his chest. So many conflicting feelings washed over him at once that he had to close his eyes and rub his temples.

He heard Draco slowly stand and walk away, but he stayed where he was for a long while.

Suddenly, he became aware of someone walking across the lawn ahead of him. He opened his eyes.

The Lady Galadriel seemed almost to glide. She didn't even look in his direction, but he knew she was calling him. Slowly, he stood and followed her. She led him down past where the Fellowship slept and across a wide lawn. Suddenly she turned and disappeared down a stone staircase. Curious, he followed. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found he was in a deep green hollow. In the middle of it was a low pedestal carved like a branching tree. Upon the pedestal was a shallow silver basin. Galadriel took a silver pitcher and dipped it into a stream of clear water. She turned and emptied the pitcher into the basin.

At last, she looked at Harry.

"Here is the Mirror of Galadriel." she said. "I have brought you here so that you might look in it, if you will."

Harry, who instantly remembered the Mirror of Erised, knew that she didn't mean just any regular mirror.

"What will I see?" he asked.

"Many things, I can command the mirror to reveal," she answered. "To some, it shows what they desire to see. But the Mirror will also show things unbidden, and those are often stranger and more profitable than the things we wish to behold. What will you see if you leave the Mirror free to work? I cannot tell. To those who gaze into its depths, it shows things that were, things that are, and some things...that have not yet come to pass. Do you wish to look?"

Harry swallowed hard. He knew that this wasn't to be taken lightly. But in the end, he nodded to Galadriel.

"Then step up and look in." she said. "Do not touch the water."

Harry stepped up on the pedestal and gazed into the dark water. At first, all he saw was his own reflection and the stars above. Then, the water seemed to shimmer and when it resolved, he found himself looking at what was unmistakably Hogwarts in the winter. He saw Hagrid trudging across the snow, dragging a huge Christmas tree. Also coming into view were two students, one with bushy brown hair and the other with bright red.

"Hi Hagrid," said Ron, though his voice sounded distant to Harry.

"A'righ' you two?" asked Hagrid, obviously trying to sound cheerful, but somewhat failing.

Hermione nodded, and Harry could see that tears were in her eyes.

"I know." said Hagrid. "I miss 'im too."

Harry had the sudden realization that they meant him.

The mirror shimmered again, and he saw Sirius sitting next to Buckbeak the Hyppogriff. His eyes were very red and he appeared gloomier than Harry had ever seen him. There was a soft knock on the door and Lupin entered.

"Hello, Sirius." he said.

Sirius didn't answer.

"Padfoot, you have to come down. Everyone is worried sick about you. You haven't eaten in days. Starving yourself won't bring him back."

"What would you know about it?" said Sirius, his voice cracking and tears welling up in his eyes. "James was like my brother and I lost him. Then, I found a son in Harry and now, he's gone too."

Once again, the imaged wavered and he was looking again at Hogwarts. Only this wasn't Hogwarts as he had ever seen it. On every parapet and balcony and terrace, and in every window, there were wizards with wands at the ready and even Muggles with guns. The reason for this state was obvious. A seething black mass of Orcs was marching up through the Forbidden Forest towards the castle. At the head of the army were Death Eaters atop black horses. Swooping over their heads were more Dementors than Harry had ever seen in one place. But the most terrible part of the army rode at the head. The first was a tall black-cloaked figure atop a massive black horse. Atop his head was a helm of cruel steel. The second was a man with a face like a snake and red slits for eyes. The Wraith raised his sword and Voldemort raised his wand. The mirror wavered again and the next scene was of Hogwarts in flames. He looked in horror as Gryffindor tower fell in on the rest of the school. He saw Ron and Hermione trying to flee, but even as they did, Voldemort appeared before them. Hermione raised her wand and fired a stunning spell. Voldemort laughed and blocked it. He also casually flicked away Ron's disarming spell. He raised his own wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!" Harry shouted, throwing himself away from the mirror.

He landed, breathing as if he had just run a marathon.

"So you understand now." said Galadriel.

Harry jumped. He had almost forgotten she was there.

"If Frodo fails, not only Middle Earth is doomed. Sauron now knows of your home. Should Frodo fail, all will come to ruin. You must do all you can for the Ringbearer." Galadriel gazed at him. "It is not only a matter of defending him from Orcs and Nazgul. The biggest threat will come from within. You know of whom I speak. The desire for it has already wormed its way into his mind. Eventually, he will be able to stand it no longer. He will try and take the Ring from Frodo. And only you will be able to stop him."

Harry sat down against the base of the mirror. "I can't do this." Everything that had happened welled up within him and, for the first time since he had landed in Middle earth, he cried.

Galadriel laid a soft hand on his cheek and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing, Harry Potter. You have already proven your strength and your worth. You have suffered terrible loss and come out stronger. You can do this. Trust in yourself."

Harry didn't think he would sleep after that, but to his surprise, he dropped off instantly. But when he slept, he was troubled by strange dreams in which he fought Voldemort. But when he killed the Dark Lord, he turned into Draco.