Disclaimer: I am the owner of nothing. I am poor.

AN: I will take my time with my fictions. I use these to relieve stress from my life and my job. I will take as long as I feel like with them. My apologies if that isn't your speed. PSA - I will deviate a bit here.

Chapter 3 - Happy Birthday Bilbo!

The day of the celebration for Bilbo's 111th birthday was finally there. Frodo had wondered off to have a few minutes to himself. He was a young hobbit full of spirit and adventure. He wanted a few minutes of quiet though. Harry had thanked Bilbo profusely for allowing them to stay with him until the day after his party. He was more than happy to allow it. Ginny and Hermione were going to go to Erebor with Harry after the party. The ladies had caught up and learned of everything that occurred on both of their sides. It was a little odd for Thorin to know that Ginny had been madly in love with his wife when she was originally born a man. Which was not something Thorin really ever thought about. Now that Harry was a girl, Ginny found herself with a slight crush on female Harry. Hell, Hermione admitted that she had a bit of a crush on Harry as well. But her attention was being pulled away by the dwarven prince Fili.

Hermione would find herself more often than not reading in the garden with Fili chopping wood, shirtless. He was very distracting. And well built. A...an..and just damn distracting. And he knew it! He knew what he was doing. He was coming for her hard. Harry had explained something to her about soul bonds in this world. She had shown her marks to her. They had shown up the day she was reborn into Middle-Earth. Thorin's and Thranduil's had also shown up when she had become part of the world. After that information had come to her, Hermione would randomly look at Fili to see if her name had shown up on him anywhere. She believed what Harry had said was silly but if there was an off chance that it was true, she wanted proof.

Raised voices caused Hermione to turn her gaze from Fili's bare chest as he swung the ax down onto the wood. Harry popped her head out and waved her over. Hermione dusted herself off as she stood and made her way to the Hobbit hole that was her temporary abode. Entering the home, she saw Albus Dumbledore, all dressed in gray robes instead of his outlandish and bright robes she was used to seeing him in. She came in just in time to see him slam his forehead into a beam of the house. She fought a smile trying to climb on her face.

"Professor!" Ginny's voice came out as she entered the home.

"Miss Weasley, Miss Granger." he said in greeting as Bilbo fussed around getting drinks for the guests.

Just as everyone was sitting for drinks a loud knock came to the door. An obnoxious voice was behind it. The voice was feminine and that of Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. She was a very covetous hobbit and wanted nothing more than to have the respect and wealth of Bilbo Baggins and the home of BagEnd. They had all heard the story of Bilbo's missing silverware set and how she and her husband, Otho, had tried to auction off BagEnd and all the contents inside. Harry had been tempted to come to the Shire and hex the greedy woman.

Frodo had popped in to ask for help getting the tents and banners hoisted for the evening's festivities. Everyone had left to help but Gandalf and Bilbo. They had some important things to discuss. It wasn't too long before the party was in full swing, and everyone was in attendance. Food steamed and piled on to plates. Drink flowed. Bilbo was telling stories to the little hobbits about his adventures with Thorin and his Company with Lady Harry. The littles were enraptured at the part where the Trolls had captured the company and was going to sit on them. To squash them into jelly. It was about this moment that Merryweather Brandybuck and Peregrin Took had decided that the festivities were not lively enough for them. They had decided to pillage Gandalf's fireworks and had taken a large one that when they shot it off had turned into a dragon.

Most everyone was screaming and had begun to run from the fiery beast. Ginny had taken the beast in hand. Using her wand, she used a whip of light to tame the beast. The fiery beast circled around her, making her flaming locks seem to be made from the very fire of its being. Then it shot up into the air in a spectacular display of color, sparkle, and fire. Everyone cheered and clapped before dispersing back to the festivities and merriment at hand. Gandalf had caught the mischief makers and had set them to clean up duty under his supervision with a couple of the town matriarchs.

It was well into the merriment and most everyone was beginning to get tipsy from the wine and ale when most were calling for Bilbo to make a speech. Speech was chanted amongst the hobbits. With a good-natured chuckle Bilbo stood before them. It was a few moments in when the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up. She grabbed Thorin's hand.

"My dear?" he asked.

"Something's not right." she whispered and nodded towards Bilbo.

Thorin nodded and looked back. He felt off to him as well. Then their friend suddenly disappeared. Harry and Thorin was startled. They looked around for Gandalf and noticed him heading towards BagEnd. They followed. Fili, Hermione, Frodo, and Ginny were right behind them. They could hear Bilbo chortling as they moved closer to the hobbit hole. They entered the home just in time to hear Gandalf scold Bilbo.

"Professor?" Hermione voiced aloud.

No one spoke as Bilbo and Gandalf had their little back and forth. Bilbo was leaving. He was tired of being cooped up in the Shire, he wished to live with the Elves. He wished to return to Rivendale. He said his goodbyes and just before he left, he took from his pocket, on Gandalf's insistence, and dropped a ring. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny all hissed under their breath. They could feel the malcontent emanating off the ring. Frodo went to pick it up after his uncle left the hole. Hermione told him not to. Harry levitated the ring up as Hermione conjure up a pouch to place it in.

"It's a horcrux." Hermione hissed to Ginny and Harry.

"It needs to be destroyed." Ginny said.

"We must go to Rivendale." Gandalf said, "I must go to the higher of my order, Saruman. Thorin, it is the one ring."

Thorin had frozen into place. That piece of malcontent had finally resurfaced, and Bilbo had it all this time. All these years it had been missing and it was here in the peaceful shire, and no one had been the wiser. Gandalf explained everything to Frodo and Fili. There was a shuffling under the window at the garden. Gandalf reached out and snatched in young Samwise Gamgee as Merry and Pippin stood yelling. They had heard everything. Gandalf had charged them with being companions to Frodo as they all travelled to Rivendale. Gandalf also told them all of a Dunedain that would meet them at Rivendale. He stressed to Harry and the other's that he was very important.

Harry had them all reach out and take hold of a portkey that kept on her person in case she needed to get to Rivendale quickly. Without further ado they were transported right into the gardens of Rivendale.