Bilbo was sat in the quidditch stands, only vaguely paying attention to his transfiguration homework that Professor Beorn had set. It was extra-curricular work, but transfiguration was one of the hobbit's best subjects.

Beorn had decided that Bilbo would be able to find the animal within himself and bring it into existence. Basically, he wanted Bilbo to become an animagus.

The 16 year old loved the idea, to become something else and be able to move around even more unnoticed by others than he already was. He had actually managed to transform half way into something, but he had gotten stuck. His professor had helped him back to his human self, but now referred to him as 'Little Bunny'. Bilbo seriously hoped the animal he transformed into wasn't actually a rabbit. He had wanted to be something at least slightly more impressive.

He heard cheering and looked up to see Frodo flying towards him.

"New record." Cried his red-cheeked cousin, his eyes alive with the energy he often seemed to feel when he flew. "I caught it in less than a minute."

"Well done, Frodo." Bilbo smiled at him, trying to seem cheerful about this.

Bilbo had not been on a broomstick since he had finished Professor Roäc's flying classes in first year. He could cope with sitting on a branch in a tree, but he liked what he sat on to be attached to the ground.

"Éomer said he thinks we stand a chance against Ravenclaw this time."

"He says that about everyone. Hasn't Legolas just accepted Pippin onto his house team?"

"Yeah." Frodo grinned widely at him. "I wish you and Sam would fly with me."

"You have nearly all of your fellowship flying now anyway. It's only Gimli, Sam and Merry who don't bother. Quite rightly, I think."

"I'd like it if you would play with me over the summer. Mother and Father would buy you a broom…"

"No, thank you. Dwarves share the opinion of most normal hobbits that we should keep our feet on the ground." He teased. Frodo dropped down onto the bench beside him.

"Don't worry, cousin. You're good at other things." Frodo stared at him, bright eyed and determined to bolster Bilbo's self-confidence. "How's the transforming going?"

"I'm going to try again tonight. I've been trying every night by myself after I get back from meeting with Thorin, but I'm not sure I want to do it. What if I get stuck again?"

"You're asking for company here, right?" Bilbo glared at Frodo for a moment, so the younger hobbit changed the subject. "How is meeting with Thorin going?"

"Urgh." Bilbo curled into himself. "It couldn't be worse. He hates me."

"Not according to Gimli." Frodo leaned in and bumped their shoulders together. "He said Thorin talked about you a lot."

"How would he know?" Bilbo pressed his hands to his face, already hating the idea that they had been talking about him.

"His older brothers, Óin and Glóin are part of the company, remember?

"Bet he says nothing good about me anyway." Said the hobbit, but there was a slight blush on his face.

Frodo said nothing, just cuddled into his cousin, one hand grasping at the chain around his neck.

"If I go get changed quickly, can we go down to the Forbidden Forest and practice some transfiguration now?"

"Frodo Baggins, are you trying to get me in trouble?" he chuckled. After all, Beorn was not actually allowed to teach Bilbo how to be an animagus without approval from the ministry, which he did not have. However, the school's headmaster, Professor Gandalf simply turned a blind eye to their lessons.

"Please?"

Of course, Bilbo could not deny his cousin anything. It was the reason he had given the young hobbit his ring, after all…. His precious ring. He had won it in a game of Wizard's Chess when he had been in his first year against an older Slytherin boy. He should have lost, his game play had not been up to par, but his chess pieces were vicious, and when his opponent's pieces game to take a spot, they were destroyed by Bilbo's. Strictly speaking, no rules were broken, but it was considered very bad sportsmanship.

Sméagol had not forgiven him. He glared at the Hufflepuff every time he was in range.

But, when Bilbo had returned for Christmas that year, he had not expected his cousin to cling to him in such a desperate manner. He had realised he hadn't even remembered a Christmas present for the boy, so he had given him the ring he'd won.

More often than he cared to admit, Bilbo dreamt that he had kept that ring for himself, that he could still hold the precious gold in between his fingertips, that he could still polish it, that he could still hear that odd whisper the ring sometimes had…

But no. Because he had given it to Frodo, and it had made Frodo happy.

"We'll have to actually go into the Forbidden Forest. It's too light still."

Frodo grinned and jumped up.

"I'll meet you there then." And hopping onto his broomstick, he flew off.

Bilbo headed out the quidditch pitch at a more sedate pace. It was a nice evening, the air was warm and the heavy rain of the day before had disappeared. He watched three human boys wander past him, a confident swagger to their steps. About a hundred yards behind them, a group of human girls were noisily stalking them, giggling away.

Bilbo wondered if he was missing out on much by not having friends. He knew his family loved him, and his cousin's odd group of friends kept the bullies away from him, but the closest Bilbo had to an actual friend was Ori. However, Ori had his own friends, and Bilbo was just someone he sat with in class.

The hobbit desperately wished he could be the sort of person who could go out and form close friendships with people. Sadly, he was someone everyone liked in a vague, passing sense of the word, but no one ever bothered to stop and get to know.

"Bilbo? Over here." Frodo was already there, back in his school robes but with his broomstick still in his hand.

Bilbo remembered as he headed over to the boy why he had liked the idea of becoming an animal so much anyway. Professor Beorn had said that his mind might take comfort in things that others of its kind did.

For example, Beorn was actually a centaur, but he could become both a human and a bear. He said when he was a bear, he liked to roam the forest and when he was a human, he liked the comfort of a warm bed. As a centaur, he enjoyed astronomy, but it was a joy he shared with neither of his other forms.

Dropping his school satchel next to Frodo once they had headed out the sight of the school, Bilbo sat cross legged on a branch. Nearby, Frodo sat down and pulled out a book. He truly enjoyed his cousin's company, the young hobbit didn't try and interrupt him, or talk to him when he wanted quiet.

He remembered what his teacher had said, about bringing his animal's form to the front of his mind. It was apparently so difficult for new animagi because they did not know the form of their animal… but Bilbo had a feeling he did.

A rabbit…

He glanced over at his cousin, the boy was reading, but his eyes flickered over to Bilbo every now and then. Good. If something went wrong, it would be noticed.

Bilbo shut his eyes and thought about the small body of a rabbit; the ears; the tail; the way they twitch… he considered their speed in hiding. They could fit down little holes in the ground. Hobbits normally lived in holes, Hogwarts hobbits excluded during term time, but their holes were not so small.

He felt as though his muscles were trying to move on their own, his pointed ear tips were twitching slightly, but he wasn't there.

His pointed ears did, however, pick up the sound of chatter. He heard Frodo gasp and jump to his feet, and Bilbo curled in on himself.

"It's The Company." His cousin muttered, worry colouring his tone. Bilbo curled in smaller. He wasn't prepared to meet any dwarves, especially not Thorin. He hadn't combed his hair, and his school robes were probably a state! "Bilbo! You did it."

"What are you doing out here?" Thorin's voice permeated the tense air, and Bilbo kept his eyes shut, not wanting to look at the dwarf.

"Reading." Two hands circled around Bilbo's waist, picking him out. He would have yelled out an objection, but he found he couldn't. He made a squeak, opened his eyes and found himself cradled against Frodo's abnormally large body.

"It's dangerous out here." Thorin replied, irritation flooding his voice.

"Not for a hobbit."

"Students aren't allowed here."

"I'm a prefect."

"You are. So is Balin. No one else there is. Aragorn is Gryffindor's seventh year male prefect. Faramir is Ravenclaw's sixth year prefect. So there is no other slots open." Bilbo hated to imagine his cousin's smug look. Frodo did not like it when those in charge of enforcing rules broke them.

"What's this rabbit for?" and rough pair of hands suddenly pulled Bilbo away from his cousin's comforting scent, and he squeaked loudly.

"Give him back!" Frodo sounded upset, so Bilbo bit the person holding him. He hit the ground, and bolted back to his cousin, who pulled him close.

Having a hand running over his fur was actually very soothing.

"Serves you right, Dwalin." Snapped Frodo.

"Tell your cousin to be at Professor Thranduil's on time tonight." Thorin said, and Bilbo could see he had put himself between the hobbit and his friend.

Frodo didn't answer, he simply picked up Bilbo's book bag, his own broomstick and Bilbo's furry self, before heading deeper into the forest.

Frodo had, at least, been speaking the truth when he had said that the forest wasn't dangerous for hobbits. Hobbits, after all, were little creatures with a magic of their own. Their ability to go unnoticed surpassed that of any human or dwarf; they were better at hiding than even elves. Plus, the forest welcomed them.

Both hobbits and elves were magical creatures who came from forests. The trees were fond of them, and they spoke to them. The Ents too were friendly creatures and they tried to look any students who entered Fangorn Forest on the request of Professor Gandalf.

"Bilbo?" Frodo's soft voice cut into his cousin's musings. "Do you know how to change back?"

Bilbo wriggled his nose and tried to undo what he had done to himself. He tried to imagine himself, his small body and his curly hair… but it was difficult. He liked the idea of being a rabbit, so small and unnoticed. People liked rabbits. They were cuddled and fed and looked after. No one looked at a rabbit and declared it ugly.

Bilbo was aware he wasn't exactly a handsome hobbit. By the standards of men and elves, he was too small. Dwarves viewed him as unusual and unattractive because he was all soft skin… smooth, hairless skin… lacking muscles. Thorin was a beautiful dwarf who would never look twice at a hobbit like him… he wasn't even attractive to other hobbits. They already viewed him as weird for being so keen to leave the Shire to go to Hogwarts, but he was also skinnier than any other hobbit (a result of 3 meals a day, instead of 7, though the house elves were always keen to ply him with more food).

"Bilbo? Please?" Bilbo looked up into his cousin's watery blue eyes.

He had to change back, he realised. Frodo would not be happy if he stayed like this. He considered his own body, he thought about curling up in front of the fire in their common room, or chatting with Ori about whatever homework they had.

He thought about the Shire, and how he actually had to get back there before he could go and explore the lands in rabbit form.

Suddenly, changing back was easy. He felt his bones shift and slide, muscles warping to keep up with the growth of his body. Soon, he was sat on the forest floor, Frodo in his lap, arms wrapped tightly around him.

"I'm alright, boy. Don't worry so." He said calmly, running a hand through his cousin's dark curls.

"I was scared you wouldn't come back."

"I'm not leaving you yet, but we do need to get to dinner. Come on."

He stood on shaky legs and trotted out the forest and towards the great hall, a sudden hunger clenching his stomach.