I have decided to alter the flow of the story. This goes off on a tangent, starting with Neville Longbottom.

I thoroughly hope you enjoy the way I'm leading this tale.

- xHx

Neville followed the four Gryffindor students, dressed in clothes that he couldn't name, to the headmaster's office. Sadly, the gargoyle would not let him past without the last password he had been given, which Neville did not know. So he simply settled down beside the stone figure, waiting for someone to walk by.

Only eight minutes later, Professor McGonagall walked by.

"Professor," Neville shouted as he jumped up.

"What is it, Mr. Longbottom?"

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went up to the headmaster's office, and they haven't come down yet. I'm worried," he said. "Who knows what could've happened?"

"I'm sure they're all right," Minerva said, walking to the gargoyle. "Sugar quills."

The gargoyle leapt aside, and the student and teacher walked up the stairs together.

Of course, Minerva was unprepared for the sight she found. Four students wounded and slowly oozing blood, despite the fact that they were healing quite quickly, and one who seemed to be struggling for breath, even in her unconscious state. Neville, unfortunately, could not handle it and passed out against the doorframe.

"Minerva."

The woman's eyes found the portrait of Albus Dumbledore.

"Yes, Albus?"

"They will be fine. Call Madame Pomfrey and tell her of this situation. She is to let them wake on their own," he said, blue eyes twinkling. "Also, contact Arthur and tell him to hasten the project he was given."

"Certainly, Albus…but, why has this happened?"

"Miss Granger has finally been enlightened to her true destiny, her true fate. It would not surprise me if she has also found happiness."

"You mean..?"

"Yes, that is what I mean, Minerva. Hermione Granger will find that her future is not in this world, that her fate lies in Valinor and her destiny in Mirkwood."

"I thought you said –?"

"Yes, her family is in Imladris, but her destiny lies with an Elf of Mirkwood."

Minerva nodded and raised her wand, whispering a spell. One tabby-cat Patronus burst from its tip, running to locate Madame Pomfrey.

"Oh, did Mr. Longbottom follow them here?"

"Yes he did, Albus. I think he's passed out from the shock of seeing five of his friends in this state," Minerva said.

"Ah," the portrait replied.

When Ginny woke up, she was face-to-face with Harry, who wore a silk scarf around his neck, which he tugged at every few seconds while he read the Daily Prophet.

"Hello, sleepy-head," he said while turning a page, green eyes meeting brown.

"I wasn't asleep," she replied, stretching and sitting up, her left hand rubbing roughly at her throat.

"I know that, but Madame Pomfrey doesn't. She's been pressing Ron, Luna, and I for information." He set aside the newspaper, tightened the scarf, and leaned forward. "We can't tell her."

Ginny looked at the bed to her direct right and saw Hermione Jean Granger, wearing a soft peach dressing gown. Her blue Elvish gown lay folded on the table at her bedside, and her arms folded tightly over her middle.

"She's been muttering in Sindarin since Luna woke up. Madame Pomfrey's been begging me for translations and what-not, but I only know what Lord Elrond taught me for the battle. Stuff like dartho,pendraith, herio…simple Sindarin words and phrases, really," Harry said, shoving his blankets away.

"I might be able to understand it, but I'm not sure."

Just then, Hermione rolled onto her right side and muttered, "Le melin."

Ginny's eyebrows rose.

"That's one of the most common phrases," Harry said. "Followed immediately by goheno nin. Not sure what she means by either of them."

"Ah. So, Harry, what happened to you?" Ginny smiled, leaning back.

"Beheaded by an Uruk-hai during a nightmarish battle at Helm's Deep, the refuge of the people of Rohan," he replied, pulling the scarf from his neck to reveal a jagged pink scar around the base of his neck. Ginny could not help but gasp. "It's nothing. Luna got shot through the neck, one side to the other, clean through. She has two round scars on the sides of her neck." He traced tiny circles on his neck in demonstration. "How about you?"

"It's a long story."

Treebeard was still moving south through the forest, and he quite literally would not stop talking. Ginny had taken to watching the west with her gift from Lady Galadriel, the Eye of Lúnirë. It was because of this that she did not see what lay ahead.

"And those little family of field mice that climb up sometimes and they tickle me awfully. They're always trying to somewhere where they…"

They had passed the last full-height tree in the southern range of Fangorn Forest. Ginny very nearly dropped the gift.

"Bloody hell," she muttered, reminding herself of Ron.

"Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn," the Ent said.

"I'm sorry, Treebeard," Pippin said.

"They had voices of their own," Treebeard said, very softly, before his tone turned harsh. "Saruman. A wizard should know better! There is no curse in Elvish, Entish or the tongues of Men for this treachery." And then he roared.

The three heard a noise from the tree-line. Pippin turned. "Look! The trees! They're moving!"

"Where are they going?" Merry asked.

"They have business with the Orcs," the Ent said matter-of-factly. "My business is with Isengard tonight with a rock and stone."

"Yes," Merry said.

"Finally," Ginny muttered. "I've wanted to kick some Orc butt."

"Come, my friends. The Ents are going to war. It is likely that we go to our doom. Last march of the Ents," Treebeard said. "Rosmir…"

"Yes, Treebeard?" Ginny replied.

"Would mind so terribly if I handed you to another?"

"Not at all."

The Ent's large, knotted hand reached up. She clung to his finger as he swung her toward another, slightly smaller Ent.

"Rosmir, meet Oakwood," Treebeard said, settling the redhead on a branch. "He will take good care of you."

Harry laughed. "Talking trees?"

"They are not trees, Harry. The name of their race is Ent. They take offense to being called trees. What they are is the race of tree-herders. Shepherds of the forest," Ginny said, picking up a ribbon. "Oakwood is probably the youngest one of the race, since they lost the Ent-wives."

"What, are they dead?"

"No, just missing. But let me finish to the story!"

One of the Ents who looked like a willow-tree battled with quite a number of creatures who flung flames at him. Ginny growled viciously and shouted, "Incendio!" setting flame to one of the offenders.

"Good, Rosmir! Keep that up!" Oakwood said as he kicked and stepped on the creatures.

"If I had a strap holding me down it'd be better. Whoa!" She barely caught herself on one of his branches, now dangling three stories above the earth.

"Break the dam!" Treebeard ordered. "Release the river!"

Oh, crap, Ginny thought. Just my luck that I lose my balance right before he orders that the field be flooded! She started swinging, trying to gain momentum as the river gushed.

"Ginny!" Pippin shouted.

"Don't worry about me, Pip! I told you, it'll be fine!" she hollered in reply. "Focus on your own fight!" And she lost her grip as a wave of water rushed under Oakwood. She screamed, but the sound was lost as she landed with a vicious splash.

"No!"

"Ginny!"

And she was under the water, rolling and pitching. She couldn't remember which way was up, north, south, east, or west. She tried to hold her breath, but when her back slammed into a wall in the caverns of Isengard the air in her lungs escaped in a rush of silvery bubbles. In a reflexive action, she tried to breathe, but only inhaled water. It hurt her throat. She closed her eyes.

"You drowned, Ginny?"

"Yeah, isn't that what it's called when you die underwater? Where's Madame Pomfrey?"

"She's probably at dinner."

"I'm thirsty. My throat hurts."

"I think it'll continue to hurt for the rest of your life. My neck bothers me a lot, so Madame Pomfrey enchanted the scarf to alleviate the discomfort." He tied the blue scarf over his neck, like an ascot.

The hospital wing was dark when Hermione finally awoke. She clung to the memory, the sight of her friends around her, and of the blue eyes of her Elf prince, so filled with sorrow and longing.

Finally, she had to face it and open her eyes. She pulled the covers tight around her and looked out the window at the round, full moon and spoke softly. "Legolas, le velui a hael. Galo Anor erin râd lîn. Oltho vê." She smiled, laying back down and closing her eyes, to remember the last few days she spent with Legolas.

Uh-oh, cliffhanger! I seriously wanted to do this another way, but this is working incredibly for me. I love this idea so much that I don't care that I'm being mean!

Hermione's little thing is in reference to a private joke that she and Legolas share that upon her return to Hogwarts, she will be forced to resume a natural sleep schedule – for humans, at least. "Legolas, you are lovely and wise. May the Sun shine upon your path. Sweet dreams."

I also realize that I kind of made errors in the canon. I'm going to completely ignore that.

I think this is the first time Hermione's only been active for less than one Microsoft Word page…ah, well. First time for everything, eh?

Just one more chapter for part one. Please, suggest titles for part two. "The Second Second War" kind of sounds stupid.

- xHx