Hi everybody… Sorry if it took me such a long time to update, but school is horrible right now and I'm also very busy with my hunt for Christmas presents…

Olwyen: sorry if I didn't update sooner… however, this story/series is gonna be quite long, so you won't be disappointed.

Alassea2: THANK YOU! Your reviews always make me so happy!

Celebwen Telcontar: Thank you, I'm glad you find it interesting.

Tinkerbell033: Wow, that's a lot of thing to answer… sweat drops Ok, let's start… ( I suggest you to grab a cup of coffee because I have a tendency to write/talk too much when I'm trying to explain something I like )

Review to chapter 8: you're right, in HP books Slytherin are always mean and narrow minded. However, in the books there's only a small group of recurring Slythering characters – which also applies to the other Houses, since it would be impossible to talk about every single student in Hogwarts, so I guess J. K. Rowling just decided to follow a representative group of students for every House.

My point is: can a whole House be evil? I don't think so. However, belonging to a certain House or a certain family can result in people perceiving you in a certain way even though they don't know you. You're right when you said that most Slytherin have prejudices against Muggleborns and Muggles – but that's because of the way they were brought up in their families. And speaking of prejudices, the other Houses don't perceive them as evil just because of the House they belong to? In the first book there's even Harry Potter thinking that all the members of the House of Slytherin look ugly and disagreeable. The books are obviously written in the Hero's POV, but, as I said before, they don't – and can't – cover for everyone. I'm not changing canon, I'm only writing form the POV of a Slytherin who was not evil, but has been treated as such.

I don't think I understand what you mean with "Slytherins joining the other Houses": you mean in the fight against Lord Voldemort – or whatever Dark Lord feels up for world domination this week – or while they are in school? Maybe it was just an impression, but I felt a good amount of rivalry between all the four Houses – Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor seems to team up together only when they can do something against big bad Slytherins. If you meant against the Dark Lord, well, Snape joined the fight, didn't he? And also some of Victoria's Housemates wanted to fight for Dumbledore – but they never had the chance…

Anyway, I think you should read the first stories of the whole "Victoria" series, if you want to. They're called "Drops of water wearing through the stone" and "She stayed" and you can find them in my profile. I remember that in the initial author note I said it wasn't necessary because I would explain everything during "The ten walkers" – however summing up another story has evidently proved more difficult than I thought. I'm sure that they could help you with some of your doubts – I'm really sorry I couldn't solve them properly in the story, but sometimes it's hard to realize if you had said anything a reader should know.

For the Malfoy/Legolas question… Anybody with fine features and bright blonde hair would immediately spark Victoria's mind about Draco, since she was so in love with him when he died and she still feels guilty about his death because she thought she could have stopped him somehow.

Review Chapter 15: As strange as it may sound, I think it's pretty disgusting as well – however, when I started working on the "new" Victoria, I decided to gave her an habit that would make her look more like a bad girl and less like a Mary Sue: in the end, smoking won. Being a fictional character, she'll be lucky enough to eschew smoking-linked diseases unless I decide otherwise. Err…I don't know if you noticed, but she's not the only one who smokes: we see ( or read of ) Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli and possibly the whole Hobbit community smoking.

Chapter 16: Ehm…Sorry, but I don't think I really understood your comment. Is it about Torey and Boromir's chat in the woods? I don't think she's acting "Gryffindoringly" toward the Elves: she does not refuse to talk to them or to work with them just because they are Elves, she does not think they're automatically in league with Sauron because they fell into his trap once. She hasn't killed any Elf…yet ( just kidding ). Anyway, it's not that she doesn't like Elves – she made friends with Legolas after all – she doesn't like Galadriel. She was talking about the Elves' faults just to cheer Boromir up and make him recover some of his self-esteem.

I hope I managed to set things straight with all my rambling…

Lady Iorny: though I doubt you'll ever read my reply, I'll write it here nonetheless – I'd have emailed you, but your review was "anonymous" and you didn't leave any address. I know that 9 was symbolic (nine walkers Vs nine riders) but that was the only half decent title I could come up with ( I leave the others to your imagination… ). "Tenth Ringwraith"? 00 What tenth Ringwraith? Was there a tenth Ringwrait? I didn't see him. You said that my character is a Mary Sue and that she upstages the Fellowship, but from your comment, I gained the impression that, though it was posted to Chapter one, you only read the title and not the actual chapter or at least the author notes. I also wish you'd be more clear with your suggestions: OFUM and PPC must be fanfiction – I'd gladly read them, only I don't know how to find them since I don't have the complete titles. I'm not English nor American, but even if I was, I doubt I could find them in the huge ocean of stories that's If I sounded "rude and childish" as you predicted, I'm sorry for I just meant to answer you, however you had no right of accusing me since it's the very first time you write me.

CHAPTER XIX: THROUGH THE MIRROR

Victoria turned on her side, stubbornly keeping her eyes closed. Sleep just wouldn't come, even if she was tired from working with the others to get ready for their imminent departure. Her companions had done so quite reluctantly, but it hadn't been her case.

"How weird that I can't sleep neither the first nor the last day I spend in this Goddamned place…That's surely bad luck since I can't recover tomorrow!"

A faint rustling of blankets near her caught her attention. She stiffened, almost holding her breath. She cautiously cracked one eye open and saw somebody standing in the tent. After all the mishaps they had faced together, she had learned to recognize her companions in the dark, even if she didn't have the sight of an Elf, simply from small details: the way they walked, they way they carried their bags…and then, in Lothlorien it was never really dark, even when the sun had gone down. Her heart jumped in her chest. "Frodo…"

She saw him slip outside, careful not to wake the others, as if attracted by an invisible call.

As soon as he was far enough, she slipped out of her pallet and followed him, careful not to be seen and not to make any noise.

"Where is he going? And why?"

A sharp bend of the path provided an answer to her question. Victoria covered behind a tree, watching the Lady of the Golden Wood walking barefoot on the green lawn.

"That's her again!"

Hiding behind the trees, she kept on following them until she saw her climbing down a stair. The Hobbit was some meters behind them. Without realizing it, Victoria had been faster than him and now she was right between the two of them.

The girl barely suppressed a swear when the Lady disappeared from her sight. "Now how the Hell can I follow them down there without being seen?"

She heard a faint sound behind her. Turning around swiftly, she let out a low sigh of relief when she saw that it was just Duke. The hawk flapped his wings and took off, then stopped on a branch not far away and turned to look at her. That was enough.

Frodo climbed down the stairs slowly, watching every move of the Elf queen. He saw her immersing a silver amphora in a spring welling up nearby. By now, he had reached the bottom of the stairs. He kept on walking, half-circling the strange basin placed on the small column.

Will you look into the mirror? the Lady asked, holding the amphora between her hands.

What will I see? the Hobbit asked, uncertain and suspicious.

The faintest smile graced her lips. Even the wisest cannot tell. She started pouring water into the basin, holding the urn high. For the mirror shows many things. Things that were… she lowered the amphora until it almost grazed the water. …things that are… She slowly raised it again as the last drops fell into the basin. …and some things that have not yet come to pass.

Frodo studied her for a moment, then, slowly, came near and rose on his tip-toes to reach the mirror. At first he saw nothing but his own reflection. The Hobbit raised his gaze on the Lady and saw her staring at him calmly. He lowered his gaze on the mirror and the water was shaken by tiny ripples. New images showed themselves to his eyes. First he saw Legolas, his eyes full of weariness as he had never seen them before. Then Merry and Pippin dropping with exhaustion. Then Sam, with that tired look in his eyes as well, and Victoria, who was looking at him with empty eyes and a broken gaze. He saw the Shire, his peaceful and serene Shire, submerged with a dark shadow, its houses on fire, its inhabitants chained and beaten, its green fields transformed into a desolate and barren moor…and from those images of ruin and destruction, like the moon behind the treetops, rose the great Eye of flame, vigilant, evil, frightening, real…So real that the Ring was attracted by it, slipping out form underneath the shirt's collar and stretching downward, as if he wanted to pass through the mirror and commune with that blazing eye. Or maybe not, maybe it would be enough for the Ring to graze the mirror and they would be immediately localized. It was growing heavier, like a stone, and pulling him down, toward the Eye…With immense effort, Frodo grasped the Ring and pushed himself back, moving away from those images and that cursed Eye. He fell on the ground, panting and terrified, fighting to get back his self-control and a regular breathing.

I know what it is you saw, Galadriel said. For it is also in my mind. Her lips closed, but her voice was still speaking. Frodo could hear her clearly…he could hear her in his head.

"It is what will come to pass if you should fail. The Fellowship is breaking. It has already begun. He will try to take the Ring. You know of whom I speak. One by one, It will destroy them all."

"If you ask it of me…" Frodo replied, slowly opening his fist. "…I will give you the One Ring."

Galadriel's gaze was captured by the jewel. You offer it to me freely… she said as she approached, like a moth that's attracted to a flame and yet tries to resist it. She stretched out her right hand toward it, but it was shaking, like her voice was. I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this. She stopped, raising her arms toward the sky. In place of a Dark Lord, you will have a queen! An immense and terrible light sprang from her, wrapping her completely, almost erasing all the things around them. Her voice became loud as the roar of a waterfall and deep like the sky, filling every corner of the Earth and every molecule of air. Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Treacherous as the sea! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!

The light grew weak and died out. The storm was gone as fast as it had begun, leaving the queen of the Galadhrim shaking and troubled, but somehow calm and happy. I passed the test! I will diminish and go into the West…and remain Galadriel. She closed her eyes, relieved.

Frodo spoke up in an uncertain voice. I cannot do this alone.

The queen's blue eyes opened up again and stared back at him. You are a Ring Bearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of Power is to be alone. More sweetly, with a strange melancholy, she added. This task was appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one will.

Then, I know what I must do, the Hobbit murmured. It's just…I'm afraid to do it. He couldn't stop thinking about the others, about his companions. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir who fought for their people; Sam Merry and Pippin who had wanted to come with him at all costs; Victoria…Aye. Victoria.

Galadriel leaned over him. Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. Frodo nodded softly, closing his fingers over the Ring. The Lady laid a hand on his cheek. Now go to rest, little Hobbit, and pluck up your courage. Many trials still await you.

Thank you, Lady. He excused himself with a quick nod and climbed up the stairs, walking away between the trees.

Galadriel watched him go until she could not see him anymore, then spoke out loud, without even turning around. He cannot see you now. You can show yourself. A faint sound of leaves and grass trampled down was heard, then a feminine figure slowly came out from the shadows of the trees. You are stubborn, Victoria of Slytherin.

I am a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, she replied proudly. And it's my duty to protect the Ring Bearer from any enemy.

But will you be able to perform this task to the end? the Elf shot back.

Victoria didn't answer immediately, watching her menacingly behind her half-close eyelids, her right hand still clutching her wand. You Elves underestimate the strength of Men.

And you trust it too much.

Maybe yes and maybe no, but right now none of us can claim to be right.

Galadriel pursed her lips. Do as you wish, girl.

With your leave, your majesty, I retire. She turned and moved to leave, but the Lady's voice held her back.

You love him deeply, don't you?

Who are talking about? Victoria asked.

Frodo. Galadriel slowly approached her. You do worry a lot about him, don't you?

Yeah. I care for him, not just because he's the Bearer of that trice-be-damned Ring. She shook her head. It shouldn't have gone to him. He doesn't deserve all that has happened, nor all that will happen.

A bolt of steel flashed for a moment in the eyes of the queen. What do you know exactly of the things that await you?

The girl shrugged her shoulders. Not much. I'm no seer…At least, it's not me. They're just feelings I can't decipher. Probably no one could.

Galadriel nodded. Too little is the blood of Gawain Morgan1 in your veins, it does not allow you more. Yet you should know that it was his destiny, that he was meant to have the Ring…

I don't believe in destiny, remember? Only in choices.

And tonight you have made one, she said solemnly. You were ready to do anything to protect him. You would have killed me, but you did not do that.

The girl ran her hands through her tangled hair. That's because you didn't menace him in any way…at least physically. Her gaze hardened. But in the very moment you would have tried to take the Ring or to hurt him…Well, I was ready to cast a spell. Luckily there was no need of that. She shook her head. After all, I'm not a killer, but I'm not afraid to become one.

Oh, really? Are you sure?

Victoria glared at her. Don't you dare trying it! she hissed between her clenched teeth. I know what you're implying…It's about my father, isn't it? Well, let me tell you a thing, Lady: I could have hit you as soon as you started babbling but I didn't, I waited to see if you would have come back to your senses or not…

What if I hadn't? Galadriel cut her off.

Then I would have stopped you. But the spell that would have hit you wouldn't be the Killing Curse. Victoria looked at her in the eyes. There's more than one way to stop somebody, Lady Galadriel…and you should know this.

I hope you will make the right choice, girl, she remarked.

You can't judge it. Whatever happens, it will be my choice. And even now, I declare myself ready to be held responsible for it,

Do as you wish, then. But think before you act, she warned her.

I don't need you to tell me that, the girl replied, then she turned and walked away. The hawk followed her, as usual.

Galadriel watched her go. She already knew that Victoria had decided that she wouldn't allow Frodo to bear the burden of the Ring and the pain on his own. But with all her power, she couldn't tell if it was a good thing or not.

1 Gawain Morgan: he has been briefly cited in the previous chapters. He was a Seer, but he was only a Second Year when the Slytherins were killed on April 30th, so he had not started Divination Classes yet. He had had blurry visions of the attack, but could not decipher them in time, thus being killed with his Housemates. For his blood in Victoria's veins, see chapter 12.