Why are we always running for our lives? Hermione wondered as she urged her tired, shaking legs to continue running. One foot in front of the other, she willed. Her heart was pounding within her chest. The wargs were coming, and sure enough they burst out from the trees and snapped at the company's heels.
"Up! Into the trees!" Gandalf commanded.
Hermione swerved to her right where she saw Kili and Fili scramble up a tree. She gripped a branch and with her remaining strength managed to haul herself onto the lowest branch. Thank Merlin she was small. A warg jumped at her and she let out a little scream as its wide jaws ripped off a portion of her robe. Fili and Kili both grabbed her and lifter her into a higher branch that was out of the wargs' reach.
Suddenly, a white warg emerged from the shadows, and there upon its back was Azog the Defiler. His pale body gleamed in the night and the scars that ran across his body were horrific. He smiled maliciously at Thorin and said something Hermione guessed was insulting in Black Speech.
Thorin had stiffened in what Hermione perceived to be a mixture of shock, disbelief, and most definitely fear. Azog pointed his weapon at Thorin and yelled. The wargs were snapping and growling in even more ferocity at them. They jumped on the pine tree, which swayed dangerously with their weight. But it became too much for the tree and it creaked and groaned before tilting to its side. Kili grabbed a hold of her robes and tossed her to his brother who had already jumped into the other tree.
All the trees began toppling with the domino effect, and the dwarves were all forced to huddle in the last tree on the edge of the cliff. Gandalf threw a firing pinecone at the wargs, which succeeded in driving them back. Hermione shot flames from her wand with incendio and lit the ground around the tree on fire. Her and Malfoy shot flames while the dwarves were throwing flaming pinecones. They were sending the wargs back. Until, of course, the tree they were in fell.
Everyone was now clinging desperately to the tree that was only holding by a couple of roots to the cliff. Ori slipped and grabbed onto Dori's legs, but Dori couldn't hold the combined weight of himself and his brother. With pleads of help towards Gandalf, Dori's hands slipped.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Hermione screamed.
The brothers floated in the air for just enough time for Dori to grasp onto the end of Gandalf's staff.
Azog only sat there though, and sneered at the company. Hermione fearfully watched as Thorin pulled himself to his feet and stood on the tree. He thrust his shoulders back and walked confidently towards Azog. Hermione could not describe it any other way. Thorin was truly royalty that night as he took on the pale orc to save his people.
But no matter how royal Thorin looked, he still was no match against Azog and his white warg. Azog struck Thorin down and Hermione winced as the warg sunk its deadly teeth into Thorin's armor. The Pale Orc said something to one of the other orcs, and Hermione watched in horror as it prepared to kill Thorin.
There was a small movement to her side, and suddenly Bilbo was running towards Thorin. With a brave little yell, he launched himself at the orc and stabbed it repeatedly. Azog bared his teeth and turned to Bilbo, preparing to kill the little hobbit that had prevented Thorin from dying.
That was all it took for the dwarves to find the strength to heave themselves up and attack the wargs to protect Thorin. Hermione knew she had to help them, she was a witch for goodness's sakes, and she could take on a few of the big bad wolves. She let go of the branch she was grasping, and twisted midair. A little bit of apparation wouldn't effect the outcome of the journey, she reassured herself.
With a crack, she appeared in the midst of the battle and began shooting spell after spell towards the wargs. Out of her peripheral vision she saw Malfoy join the fighting. There was a rush of wings behind her, and as she spun around abruptly the ground beneath her feet vanished. The witch let out a surprised shriek as she was tossed off the edge of the cliff. Her scream was cut off short as she landed on the back of a giant eagle. The eagles! She thought gleefully. A moment later, her eagle made a hairpin dive, and Malfoy was dropped beside her.
"What the bloody hell?" He muttered to himself as his hands grasped onto the soft grey feathers of the eagle.
"The Great Eagles, Malfoy." Hermione hummed happily.
"Of course the would have giant eagles that save the day," He rolled his eyes sarcastically.
"They save the day quite often in Tolkien's world." Hermione informed him.
Malfoy only snorted in response. They rode on in silence until the sun began to come up and the sky was painted beautiful shades of orange. The guilt that was gnawing on Hermione's stomach suddenly began chewing much more ferociously and she knew that she just had to apologize for her row with Malfoy.
"Listen, Malfoy," she began.
"Draco, call me Draco. We've been through a whole bloody lot and still aren't on first name terms."
"Right, erm..Draco. I'm sorry." She stared down, and refused to meet his eyes.
He didn't reply for a while, and Hermione chanced a glance up at him. He had a pale eyebrow raised in a gesture to continue.
"Bloody hell," she swore. His eyebrow raised itself even higher, if it was possible. "You're gonna make me…Fine. I'm sorry I acted so selfishly back in Rivendell. I was being thoughtless and just blurted a whole bunch of crap about you that wasn't true, I know you've gotten over your previous prejudices, and I should too. I'm sorry, truly."
Malfoy smirked, then heaved a giant sigh. "You are forgiven," He pompously said in a way that reminded her of Percy Weasley.
"Git." She muttered.
"You wound me, Granger," He pressed a hand mockingly to his heart.
"Hermione," she told him. "If I have to call you Draco, then you should probably call me Hermione."
"As you wish, Lady Hermione." He mimicked a bow the dwarves gave upon meeting someone. "You like that, don't you? Lady Hermione, I've seen the way you blush when the dark haired dwarf calls you that." Draco said slyly.
"I have no idea what you are rambling on about. Are you sure you haven't hit your head somewhere?" She looked away. "Oh look! We're landing!"
Hermione was determined not to let the telltale blush creep to her cheeks when Draco mentioned Kili. Yes, he was a handsome dwarf, and quite a tall one at that. But she did not want to fall in love on this journey. Falling in love only made you more vulnerable. And Hermione was done being vulnerable.
The eagles dropped the company off on the Carrock and they all immediately rushed towards Thorin who was laid gently down by the eagle carrying him. Gandalf kneeled by his side and muttered a spell, running his hand over Thorin's face. His eyes slowly opened and the dwarves along with Hermione let out a relived sigh.
"The Halfling?" Thorin asked as Kili helped him up.
"Bilbo is right here, quite safe." Gandalf assured Thorin who now hobbled towards Bilbo.
"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden, that you would not survive in the wild and that you have no place amongst us?" Hermione frowned. Bilbo had just saved Thorin's life! And here he was reproaching Bilbo, who was staring at the ground with a frown playing across his face. "I have never been so wrong in all my life."
Thorin embraced Bilbo, who looked surprised that the dwarf that doubted him the most was now admitting that he had been wrong. Bilbo awkwardly patted Thorin on the back.
"Forgive me for doubting you." Thorin apologized.
"No, it's fine." Bilbo quickly said, "I would have doubted me too, I'm not a hero, nor a warrior. Not even a burglar."
Hermione chuckled at the humble hobbit. They were amazing creatures indeed. Perhaps that was why they were the most resilient to the pull of the ring. The ring! Hermione's eyes widened. It was sitting in Bilbo's pocket this very instant! She contemplated informing Gandalf, although she was fairly sure that he already knew. However, the ring would be used by Bilbo to save the company later on, and it had it's own adventure.
"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asked as the company peered out into the distance at, by Merlin! Hermione gazed at the mighty mountain that stood in the distance. Erebor…
"Erebor! The Lonely Mountain. The last of the Great Dwarf Kingdoms of Middle Earth." Claimed Gandalf.
"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain!" Oin shouted gleefully.
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush." Gandalf pointed out.
"Then we'll take it as a sign, a good omen." Thorin smiled down at Bilbo.
"I do believe the worst is behind us," Bilbo concluded optimistically.
Hermione felt herself saddened at Bilbo's naïve statement. If only he knew, she sighed, the worst is yet to come.