A/N: This one is a little further AU, and features something that is implied if not stated in the HP books, that Harry is related, however distantly, to Godric Gryffindor. Since Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin, and both are descended from different parts of the Peveril line, as well as Ignotus Peveril (Harry's ancestor) being buried in Godric's Hollow, where Harry was born, it seems too good to miss.
I also always wondered why Bill only appeared when he was being set free, and have given it a humorous poke here.
The fires had burned out, and little was left of the wargs and Legolas' arrows, leaving him with only about 5. At the elf's pointed stare, Harry had duplicated another 50, partially to annoy Legolas as they barely fit in his quiver.
Pippin had found out if the ash was cool enough to walk on by absently wandering over it and examining the scorched warg corpses as Sam cooked breakfast. Boromir was sitting on a burnt tree stump and carefully cleaning and sharpening his sword. He looked up briefly when Aragorn came and sat down beside him, but did nothing further to acknowledge the Ranger's presence. Aragorn merely got out his pipe and lit it, puffing out small clouds of smoke. Boromir wrinkled his nose slightly at the smoke, but said nothing, continuing to sharpen his sword with the same smooth strokes of his whetstone.
"You saved my life last night, for that you have my undying thanks." Aragorn said slowing, taking another puff from his pipe. "But I detected something more. The intensity… as if you had faced wargs before, and failed to save someone."
Boromir cursed and his hand slipped, slicing into his thumb. He swore and stuck his thumb in his mouth, dropping his sword with a thump. How had that Ranger read his mind so easily? he thought furiously. Aragorn waited patiently for Boromir's answer, which was slow and stilted.
"I was sent to Rohan, to learn the art of fighting on horseback from the best. I was 17 and hadn't seen any real fighting before and was excited; looking for tales of battle, maybe even a sight or story of the legendary Captain Thorongil. Of course, if he wasn't dead then, he surely is now."
So absorbed was he in his tale that he did not notice Aragorn nearly drop his pipe, an understandable reaction considering he was Thorongil, and alias he had used fighting for King Thengel and Steward Ecthelion. That identity was dead now, but its ghost still had memories, good and bad.
"They partnered me with a veteran called… I forget his name; it was so long ago now, I think it was quite short and started with the letter T. Anyway, he was a very big man, with a luxurious red beard and he preferred to wield a massive hammer in combat. I will never know how he lifted the bloody thing." Boromir chuckled darkly.
"His job was to keep an eye on me, correct me if I went wrong. We were on patrol when we were assaulted by warg riders. One was coming straight for me, death in the form of a massive tawny coloured beast with a mouthful of enormous fangs, its rider screaming murder and… I froze. I was going to die at the age of 17 at the teeth of a warg. It was then my protector got involved, staving the creature's skull in with one blow of that hammer of his, and in its death throes it knocked him and its rider from the saddle. The orc recovered first and ran him through while he was trying to get up. All this happened in a matter of moments. Once it had killed him, it looked up at me and… it laughed. That was when something within me snapped. I drew my sword and swiped its head off in one blow."
Boromir said quietly, and drew breath to finish his story, "When we returned to Edoras, I ensured his body was treated with the highest honour, and I gave his family as much money as I could. He left behind a widow and two sons. The oldest and the mother soon died of illness with no living relatives. So I had the youngest adopted by a well to do merchant's family in Gondor. He serves in the Palace Guard now, and I have never been able to look him in the eye. Because I failed to save his father, a brave man and a comrade out of my own cowardice. Maybe I will be able to now. And while I do not think Gondor needs her King, you are a brave man and my comrade." He stood and clapped his hand on Aragorn's shoulder, collecting his sword.
"Boromir. You are not and have never been a coward. You would not be the first or last man to freeze in their first battle. I was one of them, and I am no coward." Aragorn said calmly, continuing to smoke while looking Boromir straight in the eye. The other man nodded jerkily, and slammed his newly sharpened sword into its scabbard. Aragorn puffed thoughtfully. There was rather more to Boromir than he had previously seen.
"I see you've been counselling our Gondorian friend." Came an amused voice from right behind him. Only through long experience of elves and their uncanny ability to sneak up on people did he restrain himself from jumping in surprise.
"You're silencing your feet again." He replied levelly.
"Yes I am. A very useful trick indeed, especially when hunting orcs. With wargs it makes no difference, they can smell you from a mile off." Harry said, sitting down on the recently vacated stump.
"I did not know he was hiding something that big though." Harry added thoughtfully. "I knew there was something on his mind, but it was hard to tell what with the Ring tempting him and all."
"I knew." Aragorn said, then added with a sly grin. "As to how, you'll learn when you grow up."
Then he yelped. He was currently hanging by his ankle in mid-air, which was something of a new experience for him.
"How did you do that? I didn't see your lips or your wand move." Aragorn gasped. A pair of amused, dancing green eyes appeared in his somewhat restricted field of view.
"You'll learn." Harry paused deliberately. "When you're older." As he sauntered back to the fire, peals of laughter broke out from all those watching.
"I think Aragorn that you have learnt never to meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are mischievous and not very subtle." Legolas said in between his chuckles.
"Aye laddie, the elf has it right." Gimli said with a grin.
"Since when did you two start conspiring against me?" Aragorn lamented plaintively, as his face began to turn bright red.
Gandalf stood up, and said, "As amusing as this is, we still have many miles to cover if we wish to reach Moria by nightfall, and we cannot do that if one of the party is hanging in mid-air."
"Couldn't we just pull him along behind us?" Pippin asked curiously.
"No, Peregrin Took!" And Gandalf stomped off muttering about Hobbits and lack of propriety, pausing only to break Harry's enchantment, setting Aragorn down again with a thump.
The rest of the Fellowship exchanged looks, then burst into laughter once more. Once the moment of levity was over however, they cleared up the camp, not bothering to remove the evidence of their presence. Anyone following them would find a large clearing of burnt trees a little hard to miss.
They trekked across mixed terrain, sometimes rocky, sometimes grassy, much to the relief of the Hobbits. Harry looked to be deep in thought, as did Boromir, the two once more covering the rear.
Soon afterwards they reached the walls of Moria, which, Harry thought, looked much like any other cliffs, and were flanked by two old trees. Being made of Holly, they made Harry's wand start vibrating, causing him to let out a startled yelp. The Fellowship turned as one to see the formerly unflappable wizard pull out his wand, which was vibrating rapidly and stare at it, and then examine the trees.
"What type of tree is this Gandalf?" he asked.
"They're Holly trees, planted to repel evil from these lands and as a symbol of the two trees of Valinor. They would have been planted by Celebrimbor of Hollin, when he worked among the dwarves." This last was aimed rather pointedly at Gimli and Legolas.
"It was not the fault of the elves that the relationship failed." Legolas said with a touch of asperity.
"I heard it was not the fault of the dwarves." Gimli grumbled.
"And now you are on the quest together, you can seek to repair the relationship." Gandalf snapped, reprimanding the two as if they were children, afterwards turning to Harry.
"I take it your wand is made of the same wood?"
Harry nodded. "I remember Lady Galadriel talked of the trees once, one of silver and one of gold, right?"
"Yes, before Ungoliant killed them, eating their light." Gandalf confirmed, wondering where this was going.
Harry simply turned, deep in thought for moment. Then he waved his wand at one tree whispering, "Lumos Aurum," then at the other, "Lumos Argentum." In response the two trees flashed, then glowed with a gentle light, gold and silver respectively.
Gandalf chuckled. "Very impressive Harry. And at least this time they didn't catch fire."
Legolas smiled softly at the light, and Gimli clapped saying, "You are full of surprises Master Wizard."
Aragorn gently touched the silver tree, and looked surprised as his tunic was overlaid with the tree and seven stars of Gondor, embossed in silver light. He looked startled at Harry, who shrugged, and said, "That one wasn't me."
"I suspect it was the original enchantments tree recognising Aragorn's heritage. Celebrimbor always liked to leave unusual enchantments on his creations, and I suspect this is one of his." Gandalf said. Once more Boromir looked slightly uneasy.
Harry reached out a hand and touched the tree of gold. Light leapt from the tree and materialised on his chest, in the shape of a rampant Lion.
"That is a Lion," Aragorn breathed, still touching the silver tree. "I saw one during my travels in the south, a magnificent creature indeed. What significance does it have to you?"
"At my school, there were 4 houses, one for each founder. Slytherin, with the sign of a green and silver snake. They prized ambition, resourcefulness, an affinity for breaking the rules and cunning. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a lot of dark wizards, not all, but most, came from Slytherin. Ravenclaw, a blue and bronze eagle. They prized cleverness and quick wits. Hufflepuff, a yellow and black badger. They prized hard work and loyalty, and were generally seen as the least important house, which was far from true."
Harry sighed. "When there was a tournament in my 4th year, those of age could enter and a magical device called the Goblet of Fire would choose the best qualified, and it chose a Hufflepuff. It chose me as well, but I had been put under a separate category by a madman who used me to unwilling resurrect his master and my nemesis. But that is another story. Finally, my House, Gryffindor, a red and gold lion, whose founder might have been one of my ancestors. We prized bravery and daring. Students who joined the school put on the Sorting Hat, a wizards hat that had been granted the ability to assess the students and chose which house they would go to. It took your wishes into account though, and it wasn't always right. The bravest man I ever knew was a Slytherin, and two of the cleverest people I have ever known were- no, are, Gryffindors. My mentor, Professor Dumbledore and my friend, Hermione."
"It seems as if everyone on this quest has a famous lineage," Gandalf said dryly, "Boromir descendant from the line of stewards and Numenor, Aragorn and Legolas, descendants of Kings, Gimli descended from mighty Dwarf Lords, and all of the Hobbits are descended from Bandobras the Bullroarer in one fashion or another and various Thain's of Buckland to boot. Now, if you lot have had enough of staring at the trees, we have ground to cover once we enter the mines." The Fellowship groaned slightly, and sat down in anticipation of rest. Gimli was rhapsodising about the doors to Moria, saying, "Often the doors were so well hidden that you could not see them if you did not know where to look!"
"This would account for why, more often than not, their owners forgot where they were." Legolas sniped quietly, drawing stifled giggles from Merry and Pippin.
"Be quiet! You can both help me by looking for the door. You too, Harry. Harry?" Gandalf said, looking over at the younger wizard, who was giving the pool of dark, still and disturbing water a thoughtful look.
"Hmm?" he replied vaguely.
"Could you help us find the door instead of staring into that pool as if you expect to find your heart's desire?" Gandalf said irritably. His mood softened slightly when he saw Harry freeze at the words 'heart's desire'.
"There was an object, a mirror, which showed you your heart's desire." Harry said quietly. "Men would apparently go mad staring at it and pining for what they could not have. The Mirror of Erised showed me my family surrounding me. I was only 11, so that would have probably changed." He shook himself, and added in a normal tone of voice. "I'm not that good at finding things, but," he shrugged and waved his wand, muttering "Revelio." The Fellowship waited with bated breath, but nothing happened.
"It is as I suspected." Gandalf said, no longer looking at the cliff face, but at the night sky, in which the moon was rising. Soon a beam of moonlight lit up the cliff face, and a door formed, outlined in silver light with intricate spirals and elegantly written Quenya script at the top.
"It mirrors starlight and moonlight: The words mean, 'The Doors Durin, Lord of Moria: Speak friend, and enter'." Gandalf continued, not fazed in the slightest.
"And what does that mean?" Merry asked.
"Well it is quite simple, if you are a friend you speak the password and the doors will open." Gandalf said, examining the door.
"Cockroach cluster." Harry said with a grin. Unsurprisingly the doors failed to open.
Gimli turned and asked, exasperated, "And what was that about laddie?"
"It was one of the many passwords to my Headmasters office, and a sweet in the Wizarding world." Harry said, unabashed. "I figured it was worth a try."
"Harry, what worked in your world is unlikely to work here." Gandalf said patiently.
"My magic does." Harry replied.
"Yes but-"
"And the door is magic."
"Yes but-"
"So it has a reasonable chance of working, does it not?"
"I doubt Celebrimbor or any of the Lords of Moria had an interest in sweets from your world."
"Do you know that for certain?"
"Yes. I knew each and every one of them personally."
"Oh. You should have mentioned." Harry said admonishingly.
Gandalf opened his mouth, then shut it again. When Harry was being this irreverent it was best just to ignore him. He turned back to the door and began speaking words and phrases in Quenya. Harry smirked, while the Hobbits sniggered and Aragorn rolled his eyes and began to smoke his pipe.
After some time, he moved over to Sam, and patted Bill, removing his bridle and saying gently, "The mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill."
"Bye-bye Bill." Sam whispered, and the now unburdened pony walked purposefully away at Aragorn's urging, hopefully, Sam thought, to Rivendell.
"Don't worry Sam. He knows the way home." Aragorn said consolingly. He was then surprised when Harry stood up and moved to intercept Bill, taking his bridle and tapping him on the head, causing the pony to slowly disappear. Harry patted the space where Bill had been, and if Aragorn looked carefully, he could see movement.
"Disillusionment charm. It should make it a little easier for him to get back home, and it wears off eventually." Harry greeted them.
"Thanks Harry." Sam said quietly. Harry nodded, and sat down again, lost in thought.
Merry meanwhile was staring moodily at the still and ominous waters of the Mirrormere. Staring at the glowing trees was an activity that soon caused boredom, unless one was Legolas, who was examining them constantly. On an impulse, he picked up a reasonably sized stone and lobbed it into the water with a loud splash, and then another. Pippin made to follow suit, and they were both about to continue before Aragorn caught Pippin's arm and hissed, "Do not disturb the water." The two turned away, slightly reluctantly as Gandalf continued chanting in various languages at the door, and Harry was staring at a medium sized rock, and muttering, occasionally tapping it with his wand as the two trees glowed softly.
Time passed, and Gandalf sat down, hurling his staff aside. "Oh it is useless."
Frodo peered at the script, and then asked tentatively, "Gandalf, what is the elven word for friend?"
"Mellon." Gandalf solemnly intoned, and the doors opened, and the Fellowship scrambled to their feet as behind them something moved in the water.
"Ah. It was a riddle." He said.
"Statement of the blindingly obvious." Harry muttered, as he stretched. Legolas, who was the only who heard him, laughed softly.
The entry to Moria was cold, dank, dusty and dirty, which seemed to go unnoticed by Gimli who was off in his own little world and saying derisively, "They call it a mine. A mine!"
Boromir popped his bubble rather sharply, looking around in horror as he said, "This is no mine… this is a tomb."
The skeletons of dwarf warriors in armour littered the atrium, and black arrows were scattered everywhere.
"No. NOOOO!" Gimli, bubble popped, moaned in utter despair. Meanwhile Legolas picked one of the arrows out of the walls, examined it for a moment, then hurled it away like it was a poisonous snake.
"Goblins." He hissed.
"We should never have come here! We should make for the Gap of Rohan!" Boromir said, apparently on the point of panicking. Before Aragorn or Gandalf could reply, the Watcher made its move.
"SAM!" Frodo screamed as he was hauled off his feet by a tentacle. The valiant gardener sprang to his master's defence, drawing his sword and hacking at the tentacles, and was joined by Boromir and Aragorn, while Harry fired an ineffectual stunner at the creature, not being possessed of a sword. Aragorn cleaved the tentacle holding Frodo in two and Boromir caught him.
"Legolas, Harry, now!" Aragorn yelled as soon as they clear. Legolas fired an arrow and Harry called, "Sectumsempra," slashing his wand at the beast, then flicking his wand at the trees, which suddenly glowed with incandescent glory, causing the beast to shy away briefly, letting the Fellowship escape into Moria.
It was a pyrrhic victory however, as the Watcher lashed out with its tentacles, collapsing the entrance to the mines. After a few moments, Gandalf started a light in the crystal of his staff, which Harry answered with a Lumos, partially lighting their path.
"We shall pass through the Long Dark of Moria. There older and fouler things than orcs in the depths of the world." Gandalf paused for a beat, then added grimly, "Let us hope our presence may go unnoticed."
Harry lifted his invisibility cloak from his pack, and tied it to his belt, then moved his elven dagger, seldom used these days, to within easier reach. He had a feeling that he might need both before this was over.