Chapter 2 is up! The response was mostly positive and I had only a few people complain that Harry had lost his magic. I feel that this will give him more of a chance to fit in and besides, his control over fire and air, once he gets it, will allow him to do most spells that he would do with a wand. Also, the story line will pretty much be the same with more details and maybe I'll alter a few things. I will keep the original story The Lost Elfling up but will probably delete The Elf Prince because I don't like that story and the rewrite of that will be completely different.

I don't own anything and no money is being made by me writing this. It's just for my own amusement.

The Immortal Hero

Chapter 2

Harry opened his eyes to darkness. He heard the rustle of wind through the leaves of a tree and the splash of water against the shore of a calm lake. He imagined that he could hear Shadow walking around and Hedwig fluttering her wings in the stillness. He groaned softly, alerting his two companions of his return to consciousness.

He sat up slowly and felt Shadow brace him from behind and push him into sitting position. His green eyes, free of glasses from the beginning of his sixth year, gazed around impassively. As far as first impressions went, he wasn't impressed with what he could see of Middle Earth.

He was sitting next to a dark lake that spanned across the horizon, dead trees lay in the water and a giant bridge made of rock spanned partway across the distance. It looked like it had been blown apart and the ruins left undisturbed for many years.

The ground was made of rock but there was only a maximum distance of six metres from the lake to the wall. The wall was even bigger that the bridge and completely flat, not a single outcropping could be seen. The wall stretched across the horizon, unchanging the entire time. The only difference that Harry could see was that he was sitting between two large trees that formed an arch over a section of the wall. Far off in the distance appeared to be a forest and Harry decided that he would travel in that direction after he had caught his breath and gained enough motivation to actually get started in looking for the Fellowship.

He held out his arm for Hedwig to see her land gracefully on the extended body part. She gazed at him with a mothering gaze to see if he was alright. Harry gazed back at her and saw part of his reflection in her wide amber eyes. He saw part of his more youthful appearance and slowly started to crawl to the lake to gaze into its still depths.

What gazed back at him was a child, no more than eight years old. His eyes were still green, just dulled with the horrors he had faced in his short life. There was more child fat on his face giving it a more rounded appearance than he was used to seeing but he still looked like he had seen far too much hardship in his life. His skin, however, was still pale white and had streaks of dried blood on it. His ears, hidden by his slightly longer black hair, were pointed quite noticeably. His hair he noticed, as he pulled it in front of his eyes for a closer look, had a reddish tint to it that he figured would be quite distinct in the right light.

Harry stood up slowly after he finished examining his reflection and almost let out a groan of horror. The cloak he had stolen from one of the bodies in the Hall, the one that had been a foot too big for him, now hung from his much smaller frame. He couldn't see his arms under the sleeves of the cloak and the bottom of the cloak dragged behind him by at least a metre. He was relieved, however, to find that his pants still fit him and now brushed the top of his feet instead of ending below the knee. All he needed to do was tighten the waist so they wouldn't drop.

Sighing unhappily, Harry started to rip the bottom of the cloak to use as a bandage around his ribs and his ripped the sleeves to tie around his feet. After his feet were tied up did Harry begin to notice how cold it was. He wrapped his arms around Shadow to draw warmth from his coat while Hedwig landed on his shoulder to watch the surrounding area.

After drawing comfort from his familiars Harry lifted the hood of the cloak and allowed it to fall across his features, hiding everything in shadow. He grimaced when he realised that it also restricted his vision slightly.

Shadow growled softly at him in warning which caused him to turn around in surprise. Hedwig flew up as her perch was disrupted but settled into one of the branches of the tree above him.

Harry started to gasp in fear as he spotted nine people moving towards him. He lurched backwards and tripped on his cloak which sent him stumbling into the water. He jumped out quickly with a gasp and ran away from the water to hide behind one of the trees. Shadow continued to growl at the new-comers, only turning his head to watch where Harry had run off to. Hidden in the shadows as he was, Harry was able to study the group of nine without being spotted.

At the front of the group was an older man with a grey cloak and a graying beard. He carried in his hand a tall staff and there was a sword attached to his belt. Harry nearly sniggered at the tall pointed hat he wore, reminding him of the hats he had been forced to wear at the start of term every year.

He must be an Istari the woman spoke about, Harry thought.

Next in line was a small man with a red beard. He was half the size of the first, older man but he seemed that much more menacing with the axe he held ready in his hand. The small man appeared to be a warrior of some kind, with his armor and helmet.

Maybe he's a dwarf, or a goblin, Harry continued thinking. Shadow was still growling but none of the group had spotted him yet.

Next in line was a man, a warrior who had fought many battles. He had reddish hair as well but he also carried a shield and a sword. He looked like what Harry imagined a knight would look like. Behind him walked what appeared to be four children. One of the children was slightly fat and appeared rather attached to the small pony trailing along behind them. Next to him walked a slightly younger one who appeared to be worried more than the rest of them. In front of them walked two much happier children, they appeared to be joking around and laughing.

Could they Halflings? Harry thought curiously.

Behind them was another two men, they both had bow and arrows on their backs. One had long blond hair and walked with an innate grace that would make anyone jealous. The other man had short dark hair and wore a silver necklace that glowed with an inner light.

Then the nine noticed Shadow.

The blond man pulled out his bow while the others pulled out swords. Harry gasped in shock

"No," Harry whispered in horror. He threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Shadow's neck. The nine looked shocked at his actions and hesitated.

Harry started to drag the wolf backwards, all the while whispering the word 'no' over and over again. Shadow calmed down at his touch and willingly moved backwards against the tree with him, his body heat warming Harry after his unintentional dip in the water.

The old man motioned for the others to drop their weapons and walked closer to the trees.

The others were reluctant but while they did lower their weapons, they didn't put them away. Harry slid in behind the tree, his small body easily becoming obscured in the shadows.

Aside from the frequent glances at the tree and the grip the strangers had on their weapons, they pretty ignored Harry and Shadow's presence. The old man was speaking to his companions but Harry couldn't understand what he was saying. He gasped softly when the moon shone on the wall and the outline of a door appeared in the flat rock. The old man nodded in satisfaction and turned to speak with his companions before focusing on the door again. Harry could tell that he had switched languages as the words started to sound familiar but was still indecipherable.

Must be a form of elvish, Harry thought as he remembered what the woman had told him before he woke up. The old man was clearly waiting for something to happen as he was disappointed when nothing did. He kept up his efforts though, speaking clearly and using different words but he soon gave up, tossing his staff to the ground before slouching down on a rock.

Harry watched him curiously as he scratched Shadow's ears. The others seemed to be tired as they were all sitting in various places on the ground, but still far from where Harry was hidden.

The only one who appeared to have any energy was one of the Halflings, who was throwing rocks into the water. Harry shivered with each splash. Aside from being a fire elemental and uncomfortable around large quantities of water, Harry knew that there was something in the water that shouldn't be woken up. The dark haired man seemed to think the same as he moved in to stop the Halfling from throwing more rocks.

The worried, young Halfling from earlier moved closer to the old man and started to speak with him, clearly asking a question. The old man replied in elvish as Harry could understand what was being said.

"Friend."

The highlighted door in the wall swung outwards as if on well-oiled hinges. There was a resounding cheer from the assembled group as they started to pack their belongings to move off again. Harry noticed that the small pony one of the Halflings had been leading had been set free, making the others carry more weight.

The old man led the way into the newly revealed cave, only hesitating briefly to stare at the shadows where Harry was still crouched. The dwarf was in next, his expression eager, like a child about to enter a candy store. The three men followed next, all of them wary and not excited in the least. The four Halflings went in last but they didn't move in much further than the door, staring around with open expressions of curiosity and fear.

Harry figured that he should follow them as he didn't want to end up on his own and if this was the Fellowship then they'd be able to help him get to Lothlorien. He was about to move out of the shadows when Shadow started to growl warningly. He spun around, ignoring the slight pain in his chest, and gasped as he saw the lake.

The still waters were rippling ominously while one long tentacle slithered out of the water towards the four Halflings. Harry knew that he was taking a risk but he knew that he'd feel guilty later if he sat aside and did nothing. He had enough guilt in him after watching Voldemort torture various people – wizards, muggles and children alike – and doing nothing to stop him.

He darted out from behind the tree, ignoring Shadow's bark, and pushed one of the Halflings in the back. The Halfling let out a startled scream that drew everyone's attention and turned to face his "attacker". Harry ignored the attention he got from the Fellowship and focused on the tentacle that continued on its path. He stepped in front of it and gasped as it wrapped around his ankle, instantly pulling him back into the water.

Shadow barked and tried to attack the tentacle, succeeding briefly and causing the wounded tentacle to retreat into the water again.

Harry sighed in relief as his foot was released but was soon horrorstruck as the water erupted and several more tentacles appeared. The Fellowship was shouting, Shadow was barking, but Harry was frozen as his body was wrapped up in wet binds and lifted clean into the air. It was only as he looked down into what he imagined to be the body of the creature did he scream.

The tentacles that were getting tighter around his small body stretched down under the water where a grotesque head was sitting. Harry was reminded of the Giant Squid at the bottom of the lake at Hogwarts, but where the Squid wouldn't harm a student, this monster appeared to be starving and more than willing to cause an injury.

Arrows rained down upon the monster and Harry was startled to see that the members of the Fellowship were trying to help him. He was confused briefly before all thought was erased from his mind as the tentacles holding him covered his face and tightened over his chest.

When he could breathe again, his first thought was that he was falling. He was unable to stop himself but he could hear the monster's agonized screams as it was hit by the arrows. Harry tried to brace himself for when he hit the water and as such was unprepared for when two strong arms wrapped around him, halting his fall and holding him protectively.

Harry tried to curl in on himself, his mind reverting to when he was a prisoner back in his own world.

When the world around him went dark he started to struggle, his panicked breaths loud in the sudden silence. The arms holding him wouldn't let him go and a soft voice was whispering in his ear. Harry imagined that it was to calm him down but the words were unfamiliar and had little effect on him.

It was only when a light appeared that Harry started to relax. He wasn't trapped in a small room with no light and no sound, he was in Middle Earth with the Fellowship. He tried to take a calming breath but his heart wouldn't cooperate. A gentle hand on his back allowed him to concentrate on something other that how difficult it was to breathe. His breathing calmed down and he went limp in the arms holding him.

There were voices around him but he was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and didn't pay any attention to them. He focused when he heard Shadow's soft whine though and let his arm hang low, his fingers brushing along a wet snout.

He was startled when his position was adjusted so that he was sitting on someone's hip, his injured body held against a broad chest and his legs circling his holder's waist. His arms hung limply and his head dropped onto a shoulder. He had never been held like this before, so safe and secure, that he knew he was away from Death Eaters.

A familiar hoot was all the warning he got before a weight settled on his leg and a small head nuzzled his arm. Harry opened his eyes and smiled softly as he spotted Hedwig sitting on his leg. He lifted his hand and rested it lightly on her head in silent gratitude. Her white coat was almost luminescent in the soft light that Harry could see was coming from the old man's staff. He looked up at the man holding him and directly into his dark blue eyes.

The man looked concerned, his forehead creased as he stared down at the too light child in his arms. Harry recognised him as the dark haired man with the bow and the sword but couldn't find it in him to be afraid. There was no hate in the man's eyes, just sympathy and concern. Harry dropped his head back down onto the man's shoulder and closed his eyes. He just wanted to sleep and wake up to find that he was still at Number 4 and that this was just some nightmare that he would forget about.

Hedwig left her perch on his leg as the Fellowship started moving again. Shadow stayed close to the man carrying Harry, his concern for the small child clear for all members of the Fellowship to see.

Harry fell asleep to the gentle movements of his carrier, oblivious to the concerned and worried expressions aimed at him and feeling safe for the first time since Dumbledore's death many months ago.

Was it better? Worse? Did I miss anything? Push the review button and leave your thoughts! :P