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**Speaking through the mind: Bold Italics.

Chapter 12:

Twinkling gray orbs scrutinized the massacre left behind by the enigmatic witch with unveiled interest and no small amount of trepidation; a fortnight ago, if one inquired after the meek, depressed human girl, the Gray Wanderer would have responded with a plethora of depictions in regards to her personae, but never would the omnipresent wizened wizard claim Lux-Vita to have an affinity for butchery.

After the infuriated wizard chose to segregate himself from the horde of dwarves, particularly, a stubborn dwarf from the Line of Durin, Gandalf ambled over to an isolated section away from the ominous, decrepit shack and lounged on a lone boulder, unwinding himself from his irritated disposition. Retreating into the recess of his mind and meditating with the aid of the silent ambience and seductive, calm breeze, his moment of tranquility was suddenly interrupted by the familiar diaphanous articulation of the revered Lady Galadriel. The all-knowing elleth jubilantly imparted the Keeper of the Realms arrival in timely fashion due to the Company landing themselves in a perilous situation. With a surprising agility for one of his age, Gandalf made haste toward the deserted campsite and stealthily loitered in close proximity of the dim-witted trolls where he remained hidden; watching with incredulous awe as Lux-Vita deftly slaughtered them with quick and expert ease in just under a minute.

Detaching his orbs from the mutilated corpses, they twinkled merrily at the endearing sight of Lux-Vita laughing boisterously, surrounded by Fíli, Kíli, Ori and Bilbo, the four striplings from Thorin Oakenshield's Company, all of whom portrayed the most propinquity to the former stuttering and alleged weakling from the Race of Men. Yes, Lady Galadriel assumed correctly; Lux-Vita's soul has indeed healed sufficiently, which is why the urgency in locating her godfather must take priority alongside their lengthy journey to Erebor, preferably unscathed.

Sensing Thorin approaching from behind, Gandalf thumped one of the decapitated troll heads with his staff, unable to withstand the gloating smile from appearing on his visage due to the cantankerous expression radiating from the uncrowned King. Thorin crossed his arms against his chest, disregarding the carnage surrounding him as his icy eyes pierced the smug wizard, "Where did you go, if I may ask?"

"To look ahead," was the simple response given; Thorin rolled his eyes – Tharkûn and his riddles, "What brought you back?"

The wizened face morphed into a humorous smirk and he cheekily instigated eye-contact with the grouchy dwarf, "Looking behind. Nasty business. Still, you are in one piece," and Thorin didn't fail to notice the fond look directed at the vibrant redhead who was currently listening to the Halfling's hushed diatribe, consuming him with an alien emotion, and he couldn't repress the biting remark, "No thanks to your burglar!"

Two sets of graying bushy eyebrows rose impressively, "He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that," the wizard chided softly, ensuring his words remained only for the stubborn uncrowned King's ears, "I thought perhaps you may have learnt your lesson by now to not judge a person rashly." The hidden implication was loud and clear as Thorin growled lowly in his throat, his glacier orbs immediately searching for and connecting with the enigmatic form of the human girl, but despite the growl of annoyance, Thorin did indeed look repentant and just as emeralds shone at him, he snapped his gaze away and back to Gandalf who looked peculiarly amused. Deciding to cut the penitent dwarf some slack, Gandalf returned to examining the massacre by his feet, "They must have come from the Ettenmoors."

Grateful for the rapid change of subject, Thorin sent Gandalf a baffled glance, "Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?"

"Not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands," Gandalf ominously replied, the nuance of his voice lowering into a whisper, and both dwarf and wizard shared meaningful stares. "They could not have moved in daylight," he added, vigilant gray orbs instantly perusing the premises. Thorin perked up in cognizance, and he too began scouring their surroundings, stubbornly ignoring the melodious resonance of the human girl, "There must be a cave nearby. …Nori, Bofur, Glóin!" he suddenly barked out, and the three proclaimed dwarves immediately rose from where they had been lounging on the flourishing grass, "Come! Let us locate the troll horde."

Twenty tantalizing minutes later, the group of five successfully unearthed the troll horde by having their nose follow the putrid stench. Thorin was greatly impressed with the innumerable amount of treasure the trolls had been hoarding, and while he and Gandalf examined the miscellaneous weapons, Nori, Bofur and Glóin greedily pilfered the chests filled with gold and ornate trinkets in between coughs and retches, their eyes watering due to the overpowering pungence. In the midst of his exploring, Thorin halted in his footsteps as his eyes settled onto two magnificent swords completely covered in cobwebs, and was unable to hide the awe from his tone once an inquisitive Gandalf approached him, "These swords were not made by any troll, Tharkûn."

Gandalf reverently accepted one of the offered swords and scrutinized its meticulous craftsmanship, "Nor were they made by any smith among men." He slowly drew the sword out of its sheath a few inches, a sharp intake of breath escaping his lips at his discovery, "They were forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age." The wizened wizard however, found himself unable to suppress his eyes from rolling in exasperation once Thorin accordingly pushed the sword away as though he had been burned, a look of utter revulsion plastered on his handsome, aristocratic mien. Once again piercing the uncrowned King with his astute gray orbs, Gandalf fervently chastised him, "You could not wish for a finer blade."

Unwillingly and begrudgingly, Thorin held onto the sword firmly until his knuckles whitened, and parroting Gandalf's previous action, drew out the sword from its sheath before nodding his head in resentful acceptance. The two of them ambled out of the cave and Thorin paused near the exit, a black eyebrow lifting as he regarded the three dwarves who were all kneeling on the ground and ransacking anything shiny from within arm's reach. "Let's get out of this foul place. Hurry along," Thorin grunted, deftly hiding his amusement.

"We're making a long term deposit," Glóin gruffly retorted, his dark eyes gleaming with greed.

Gandalf chuckled at their collective insatiability, "Leave them be, Thorin. Their pilfering may come of good use during the tiring journey. Come, Bombur is nearly done cooking breakfast, I believe it best if we rest for the remaining day."

Thorin's retort of not wanting to waste time was promptly cut off as the sound of uncontrollable melodious laughter permeated the air, combined with the rowdy guffaws of his kin and fellow dwarves; curious in regards to their source of laughter, and enraged that his Company was mucking around, the uncrowned King stomped over to the group congregated around the human girl, ignoring the meddlesome wizard's knowing smile. The human girl had actually collapsed and was rolling on the ground, tears of mirth streaming down her ivory complexion, her cheeks rosy due to her continual laughter and her ringing giggles encompassing the group of dwarves and the Halfling, all of whom were laughing alongside her infectious laughter – all but Fíli whose head was ducked sheepishly, his lips pressed in a mulish line.

As Thorin drew nearer to them, he heard the human girl choke out through strings of laughter, "Hoot twice … like a … barn owl … once like … a brown owl. Priceless! O-oh, F-Fíli!" and she resumed her childish laughter until he stood directly in front of her with a stern visage, an eyebrow cocked up in unamusement, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Actually yeah, you are," Lux-Vita replied letting out a few last giggles and wiping the tears from her face. But to Thorin's chagrin, the human barely spared him a glance as she focused her complete attention on his mulish nephew, his icy eyes hardening like steel when she interlaced her hands with Fíli's, "Oh, Fíli. What were you thinking? 'If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl.' that's a shitty thing to say, completely unhelpful for poor Bilbo. A barn owl and a brown owl both hoot the same."

"Well, how would you know?" Fíli pouted, avoiding eye-contact with everyone, especially his brother's amused chocolate orbs and the pair of entrancing emerald green, yet he remained holding hands with her; for some perplexing reason, he felt safe and loved around the human girl who saved their lives despite three-quarters of the Company's ultimate cruelty toward her. Devoid speechless, the King under the Mountain stared intently at the human girl who held his nephew's hand with such intimacy, her cheeks growing very pink, and her eyes squeezed into little crescents of mirth, "I know, Fíli, because I am constantly surrounded by owls since the age of eleven, and they all sound exactly the same, unless of course you are comparing a matured owl with a fledgling."

Thorin scoffed derisively, unwilling to believe her fabled tales of magic despite the fact that he had personally observed her produce a jet of water from that bizarre wooden stick.

Ori, ever the scholar suffering from a colossal thirst for knowledge, perked up in excitement, his soft eyes inquiring her kind yet haunted emeralds, "Why are you constantly surrounded by owls Lady Lux-Vita?" But at that precise moment, an elated Bombur announced in loud tones that breakfast was ready, and Nori, Bofur and Glóin immediately took a break from their insatiable pilfering and pounced.

"Mmhmm," Lux-Vita moaned, her reaction peculiarly prompting Thorin to shift uncomfortably from his spot between Balin and Dwalin, a large distance away from the human girl who was famous amongst his Company as they all unconsciously gravitated toward her, "Bombur, you'd give the house-elves a run for their money back in my Realm. Scrumptious as always," she kindly complimented the rotund chef, eliciting a bashful smile in return and a stammered thanks. Thorin however, ignored his unease as a certain word grabbed his attention and he barked out, "House-elves? Those pointy-eared fiends exist in your Realm as well?!" and try as he may, Thorin was vehemently perplexed when her brows furrowed together in disapproval; he did however, comprehend Gandalf's silent disappointing glare.

Settling her cutlery into the bowl with a soft clang, Lux-Vita lightly bit her plump lips between her pearly front teeth, pondering for an easy way to explain the species of elves that exist in Earth; "If you are referring to elves such as Lady Galadriel, then no. No, their kind does not exist in Earth. House-elves are not immortal, nor are they majestic with flawless, perpetual beauty; they are short, bald and skinny and basically, to put it bluntly, fucking ugly-"

"Language! Oh my-, such uncouth language for a Lady," Dori began hyperventilating, interjecting Lux-Vita's explanation and provoking every individual in the vicinity to roll their eyes and communally exhale annoyed breaths until Nori finally elbowed his brother to shut up. Once Dori ceased his henpecking, Lux-Vita smoothly carried on where she had left off, "Right, so… uh, house-elves are magical creatures immensely devoted and loyal to the one designated as their master. They are bound by magic to serve their wizarding family, which in turn strengthens their own brand of potent wandless magic."

The dwarves all erupted into fits of raucous laughter, and Glóin gruffly spoke in a mocking voice, "Those proud tree-shaggers look down upon us when they are considered to be nothing but dirt in her Realm. Serves them right!"

"HEY!" Lux-Vita yelled, her emerald orbs smoldering with apoplectic anger, "You think it's funny?! It isn't a laughing matter. I don't know what your deal is regarding Elves, but I despise bigotry. I already have enough of that in my world! Yes, house-elves are deemed to be lowly slaves in my Realm, but they are powerful and underappreciated. They are forced into obedience and cruel treatment. The elves that are enslaved by a dark household are terribly abused." Her words succeeded in quieting down the malicious laughter, and once appeased by most of the contrite miens staring back at her, Lux-Vita took a few calming breaths and continued in a softer tone, "When I was twelve, before I started my second year at Hogwarts, a supporter of Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy, plotted a scheme to kill children, and his house-elf, Dobby began pestering me to not attend Hogwarts that year," nearly everyone paused from devouring their meal as they stared at her in rapt attention, "You see… Dobby was horrendously mistreated and urged by Mr. Malfoy to incessantly punish himself, yet the little blighter had a disturbing adoration toward me and found a loophole in his Master's orders and when he found his chance, came to me. He spent the whole school year trying to protect me – abysmally I might add," she snorted, recalling the blocking of the barrier and the damn rogue Bludger, "In the end of the year, I tricked Malfoy into liberating him. You see, house-elves can only be freed if they are given an article of clothing by their Master, even something as meager as a sock. Of course, Malfoy tried killing me and in turn Dobby protected me."

In a comical fashion, Kíli slowly raised a hand in the air, "So this Luscious Malfoo, is he related to that boy you mentioned earlier?"

Lux-Vita sniggered into the palm of her hand before grinning at the exuberant dwarf she felt a strong bond with, "Lucius Malfoy, and yes, he is the father of my nemesis, Draco Malfoy. Mostly wizards belonging to an ancient, wealthy family has ownership over house-elves. My best friend, Ron, he comes from an ancient pureblooded family and has six siblings but his family is poor so they can't afford one, but I digress…"

"Seven?!" Balin whistled in awe, "Children are rare to us. Even Elves are unable to procreate as many children. Three is the maximum number; Bombur is one of the lucky ones."

The rotund dwarf beamed proudly as he slurped his stew, "My beloved Aniel is carrying our twelfth child." Lux-Vita clapped her hands in joy, "Wow, congratulations Bombur!"

"So, you're saying that elves are… good in your Realm?" Ori asked hesitantly, not wanting to anger the elders due to their utter loathing of elves, especially the Woodland Elves. Lux-Vita's cheerful visage darkened in an instant and she spat out with such loathing, "No. Not all. Kreacher for instance is the elf belonging to the Blacks, my godfather's family, and he betrayed him. Kreacher played a huge part in Siriu- in Sirius' probable death. I don't want to talk about it!" she snapped, effectively ending the subject as she busied herself with her meal, allowing the cacophony of chattering to wash over her as the dwarves slowly entertained each other with inane topics.

Gandalf suggested, more like insisted, that the Company take a reprieve from the perilous quest to Erebor and remain in the safety of the campsite now that the trolls were dealt with, and although Thorin vehemently argued his case, he was forced to agree once he chanced a glance at the weary and bedraggled dwarves. One by one, each dwarf succumbed to sleep despite the scorching sunlight, all but Gandalf and Thorin who stubbornly insisted on keeping watch, the excitement of the day eviscerating all remnants of sleep from the uncrowned King.

Lux-Vita leaned against a hollow tree with her arms crossed and although her eyes were aware, flickering onto each unconscious dwarf in the vicinity, her thoughts were miles away, erratically reliving the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the look of utter surprise on her godfather's handsome yet gaunt mien as he was forcibly banished into the Veil of Death, and the suspicious actions of Malfoy. Just as the ruby-haired witch was pondering over the time difference between Middle Earth and Earth, the sounds of a muffled voice permeated the air, successfully interrupting the hushed conversation between Thorin and Gandalf as they both snapped their attention toward her.

"Girl! What is that noise?" Thorin rudely demanded; instead of giving in to her desire of scolding the dwarf for his rudeness, Lux-Vita busied herself with trying to decipher where the peculiar sound was coming from, managing to slowly awaken a few of the light sleepers. Yawning widely, Fíli wearily pointed a finger toward the ground underneath her feet, "I think it's coming from your shoe, Lux-Vita." Gandalf chuckled at the lack of formality while Thorin scowled, unhappy with the intimacy between his nephews and the human girl.

"Oh shit!" Lux-Vita comically smacked her forehead and proceeded to magically engorge her beaded bag from her right sock, much to the dwarves' astonishment and the wizened wizard's amused curiosity. Ignoring the myriad of awakening dwarves, the ruby-haired witch immersed her whole hand into the bag and with a sound of triumph, plucked out a medium-sized compact mirror. Thorin stared in wonder as the human girl's face lit up like the sun, the haunted quality in her emerald orbs diminishing slightly as she ecstatically shouted, "Ron?! Holy crap, I can't believe this thing works between Realms!"

And to the Middle-Earthians palpable shock, a masculine voice echoed around them from inside the mirror!

"Bloody hell, neither did I, but Mione insisted we give it a try," the voice –Ron, breathed out in awe; simultaneously, a bossy feminine voice echoed around them, "Oh, Lux, thank Merlin it worked. How are you? Is everything okay there? Are they giving you any trouble? I swear, I'll go to the library and find a way to transport myself down there and give them a piece of my mind. Oh, Lux, tell me, how's everything, and –"

"Woah! Mione calm down, take a small breather," Lux-Vita laughed, her smile threatening to split her face in two as her eyes met the familiar faces of her best friends, "I miss you guys. But it's barely been a day here. Why are you guys calling… did anything happen?" None of the dwarves could mistake the sound of authority in her voice, and it was utterly clear to them that the human girl had leadership qualities.

Fíli, Kíli and Ori managed to snap their gaping jaws shut, and Kíli, ever the curious lad, excitedly blurted out, "Lux-Vita, how did you manage to get your mirror to talk back?"

"Who's that? Oh, Lux, you aren't alone, are you?" Hermione asked sheepishly. With a quick roll of her eyes, Lux-Vita dryly retorted, "Now, what gave you that idea?"

"Blimey Hermione, it was kind of obvious. And they call you the smartest witch of our generation… well, you and Lux, that is," Ron quipped. The ruby-haired witch began banging her head lightly against the tree as her two best friends began arguing again, their angry voices permeating the air. Deciding on an effective way to shut them up, Lux-Vita whipped the mirror around to face the astonished, speechless dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf, and said, "Ron, Hermione, say hello!" In the blink of an eye, they snapped their mouths shut, eyes widening at the gaping group in front of them and they both mumbled out a stifled greeting.

"And who are these two enchanting young individuals, Lux-Vita?" Gandalf smiled benignly, the only one who had managed to gain usage over his voice chord. Beaming, Lux-Vita proudly introduced them, "These are the best friends a girl can have. Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. You two, that is Gandalf the Gray, one of the five wizards in Middle Earth."

"Bloody hell. You were right, Lux, he does look like Dumbledore. Is he also off his rockers?" Ron tactlessly asked, eliciting a scolding from Hermione, "Ronald! You can't just say things like that! Dumbledore is the most respectable and powerful wizard in the century!"

"So bloody what? He's still off his rocker, ain't he?!" Ron retorted, prompting Fíli and Kíli to burst out into uproarious laughter, especially once they witnessed the baffled look on Gandalf's face. Lux-Vita dragged a hand into her thick hair and shrugged, "Sorry about them Gandalf. Ron lacks a mouth filter and has no tact whatsoever."

"Oi!" Ron yelled out in offense.

"Girl!" Thorin bellowed once he recovered from his shock, "What is this magic?"

Hermione bristled from within the mirror and focused her whiskey-colored orbs intently on Thorin, "Watch it! I don't care who you think you are, but you do not get to talk to Lux with such disrespect! She has a name, use it! King or not, how do you expect people to respect you if you show no respect to them!?"

Tension filled the air at Hermione's harsh yet veritable words and Lux-Vita quickly interceded before a heated debacle could break out, "Woah, Mione chill, I can handle him; you know I'm not some damsel in distress. Now, why did you call me? Is everything okay at Hogwarts?"

Groaning in annoyance, Ron took charge of the situation since Hermione was still bristling over Thorin's obnoxious attitude, "We did like you asked, Lux. Mione and I checked the Map for Malfoy, but that ferret disappeared like you said. We can't locate his name anywhere."

"Seriously? You cannot just disappear off the Marauders Map, and there's no bloody way in hell Malfoy snuck out of the castle," Lux-Vita whined, smacking her hand hard on the ground, and Thorin noticed how her emerald orbs were blazing with fury and confusion. The Company all sidled to her side, too curious for their own good as they tried peeking into the mirror.

Ron shrugged from within the mirror, "Maybe he disapparated-"

"You cannot apparate or disapparate in Hogwarts! How many times must we tell you!" both Lux-Vita and Hermione snapped in unison, exasperation seeping into their tone, and a few dwarves laughed while Gandalf chuckled as Ron quickly retorted, "Blimey, I forgot, cut me some slack."

Huffing at Ron, Hermione gave him the stink-eye before staring softly at Lux-Vita, "Look, Lux, I think we should put pause on stalking Malfoy. You're getting obsessed. Ever since we followed Malfoy into Borgin and Burkes you've been obsessing over him, it's unhealthy."

Lux-Vita glared at her best friend, "I'm telling you Hermione, something isn't right with Malfoy. I'd bet my Firebolt he's a Death Eater-, don't look at me like that Ron-"

"Lux, Malfoy a Death Eater. He's an idiot, an arrogant, slimy git. No way would You-Know-Who brand him with the Dark Mark," Ron cynically shook his head.

Thorin and his Company were all absorbed in the conversation taking place, despite the uncrowned King's irritation with the human girl and her bizarre artifacts, he couldn't contain his insatiable curiosity and he was captivated by the apoplectic anger visible on her beautiful features in response to the human boy's words. Clenching her fists, Lux-Vita snapped, "You know what? Fine! Don't believe me; no bloody way would Voldemort-"

"Don't say his name!" Ron hissed in fright.

"-Would VOLDEMORT," Lux-Vita yelled, ignoring Ron's violent flinch, "Leave the Malfoys scot-free, especially after the events that happened end of last year. Mark my words; now that Lucius Malfoy is rotting in a cell in Azkaban, Draco is taking his place. And I'll prove it to you!"

Hermione sighed dolefully as though she feared for Lux-Vita's sanity, "Lux you're in another Realm, and unless you can tail Malfoy twenty-four seven around the castl… what? I know that look, Lux? What are you planning?" Hermione's voice turned shrilly as she stared warily at the redhead; Lux-Vita honestly couldn't blame her, most of her ideas tended to gravitate toward the dangerous side and proved more harm than good. But she was too excited to eloquently give her bookworm friend a response and so, she hurriedly chirped out, "Brilliant! You Hermione Jean Granger are brilliant! Oh, I could kiss you! I'll talk to you guys later, Ciao!" and she stuffed the mirror back into her beaded bag, ignoring Ron and Hermione's words of caution.

"My dear, could you perhaps explain to us what currently happened?" Gandalf inquired, his gray orbs scrutinizing her as though she were an insect he was itching to dissect and examine. But the vivacious redhead merely shook her head rapidly, "No time to exp-"

"I demand you include us, girl!" Thorin boomed, he hated being kept in the dark, and this human was an enigma to him. Thorin despised it when he was confused, and this girl was adamant in angering him.

"Uncle," Fíli wearily uttered, but the damage was already done, for Lux-Vita glared at him, her emeralds resembling the fiery pits of hell, "You demand. You DEMAND? Well, I demand you to shut the bloody hell up. I'm not one of your people, I don't bow down to you! I will never bow down to anyone. You may be a King, but you are not my King. So when I bloody tell you to wait, WAIT!" and without giving the incensed King under the Mountain a chance to retort, she called out in an authoritative, articulate tone, "Kreacher!"

A beat of silence ensued around the congregated group when suddenly, there was a very loud crack followed by the sounds of scuffling and squeaks invading the tension-filled premises. All but Thorin and Gandalf yelped loudly, jumping onto their feet and withdrawing their weapons at the two abnormal creatures that appeared out of thin air and into their midst. One short figure was donned in a shrunken maroon jumper with several woolly hats perched on its bald head, while the other was dressed in a filthy old rag strung over its hips like a loincloth – both of them were rolling on the ground and throttling one another while throwing in a few punches.

"Mahal! What are they?" Balin gasped out; simultaneously, Thorin barked out demandingly, "Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!" while swinging his recently attained sword above his head in a combat stance. Lux-Vita was immediately startled into action, lest the paranoid dwarf managed to decapitate the two house-elves heads clean off their necks. She stood in front of the still scuffling elves in a protective stance and extended her arms wide out, glaring at Thorin in annoyance, "Jesus Christ! Hold your horses. You could seriously give Mad-Eye Moody a run for his money with your paranoia! Put your weapons down!" With a menacing glare, Thorin slowly dropped his sword, yet kept it unsheathed; sufficiently pleased, Lux-Vita focused her attention on Kreacher and Dobby, her words going unheard as they began using their words instead of their tiny fists.

"Kreacher will not insult Lux-Vita Potter in front of Dobby, no he won't, or Dobby will shut Kreacher's mouth for him!" Dobby cried in a high-pitched voice and while it caused a few of the Company to wince, most of them finally understood the gist of the two abnormal creatures scuffle and began smirking at the exasperated human girl.

Kreacher glared maliciously at Dobby and retorted in a hoarse shrill cry, "Kreacher will say what he likes about his mistress, oh yes, and what a mistress she is, filthy friend of Mudbloods, oh, what would poor Kreacher's mistress say -?" Exactly what Kreacher's poor anonymous mistress would have said, the audience were unable to find out, for at that moment, Dobby sank his knobbly little fist into Kreacher's mouth and knocked out half his teeth, prompting the dwarves to yell out in a mixture of surprise and excitement.

"Woah! Woah! That's enough! ENOUGH!" Lux-Vita screamed as they began brawling again. Sending a pleading glance at the Company, Kíli smirked, his mirthful eyes gleaming as he acquiesced to her silent plea. Lux-Vita wrenched the two elves apart and firmly grabbed Kreacher by his filthy rag while Fíli and Kíli joyfully kept a hold on each of Dobby's wiry arm. Despite the fact that they were no longer having skin contact, the two incensed house-elves continued to try and kick and punch each other, contacting nothing but thin air.

Twisting Kreacher's wizened arm into a half-nelson, Lux-Vita, with as much authority as possible, yelled, "STOP FIGHTING!"

In a perfect replica of a puppet with its strings cut off, Kreacher became immobile and half-collapsed onto the ground. Gruffly, Dwalin stated, "I'm assuming these are house-elves you previously mentioned."

"That's Dobby! The one you told us about," Bofur grinned, prompting Lux-Vita to groan loudly as Dobby's giant tennis ball orbs stared adoringly at her, "The great Lux-Vita Potter spoke of Dobby?" and began bawling at the top of his lungs, bewildering Thorin Oakenshield and Company. Five minutes later, once Dobby managed to calm down, Lux-Vita squared her shoulders and addressed the two elves as though they were misbehaving toddlers, "Right. I'm forbidding you to fight each other!" eliciting many raised eyebrows due to her commanding tone. "Well, Kreacher you're forbidden to fight Dobby. Dobby, I know I'm not allowed to give you orders –"

But Dobby quickly interjected, "Dobby is a free house-elf and he can obey anyone he likes. Dobby will do whatever Lux-Vita Potter wants him to do!" Speechless at the complete devotion and reverence in the curious creature's tone, Thorin, Dwalin and Balin gaped at the tears streaming down the shriveled face and onto the maroon jumper.

"How did they manage to transport into Middle Earth?" Thorin barked out, trying to keep the demanding tone in his voice to a minimum, and going by the smiles on Gandalf and Balin's wizened miens, he succeeded. Scratching the nape of her neck, Lux-Vita pursed her lips together in thought, "Well, elves have a different brand of magic. I'm not that knowledgeable about it as most wizards never bothered to study them and how they differ from our magic, but they have a bond with me. If I call they answer, it's just how it works, I never questioned it before."

Kreacher's ugly face twisted into one of utter loathing, even as he sunk into a proper bow and croaked out, "Mistress called me?" Gandalf, Thorin, Balin, Fíli and Kíli frowned at the expression on his face when addressing the ruby-haired witch; it was as though he were wishing her a painful death. Lux-Vita noticed and aggressively rolled her eyes before piercing him with a look of paramount malice- after all, that backstabbing shit was the reason for Sirius' probable death.

"I did. I've got a job for you," her voice was cold, devoid of any emotion, prompting Thorin and Company to flinch violently while Gandalf glanced at her in disapproval, a reaction that Lux-Vita indignantly ignored.

"Kreacher will do whatever Mistress wants," Kreacher uttered, sinking so low that his lips almost touched his gnarled toes, "Because Kreacher has no choice, but Kreacher is ashamed to have such a Mistress, yes –"

"Dobby will do it, Lux-Vita Potter!" Dobby interjected in his regular squeaky voice, tears still swimming in his huge orbs, "Dobby would be honored to help Lux-Vita Potter!"

Lux-Vita beamed at her favorite elf, but sighed inwardly; Dobby's words would definitely get the dwarves curious. She knew that Lady Galadriel had them witness the memory of Voldemort's rebirth and her defilement – that coupled with Dobby's sycophantic words and she knew without a doubt that once the two elves retuned to Hogwarts, she would be bombarded with a plethora of nosy questions, or in Thorin's case, self-righteous demands. "Come to think of it, it would be good to have both of you. I want you to tail Draco Malfoy." It was comical really, how much her words had an effect on both house-elves, but she adamantly continued, "I want to know where he's going, who he's meeting, and what he's doing. I want you to follow him around the clock – but of course take care of yourselves, I don't want you exhausting yourselves over this," she hastily added, knowing very well by now that Dobby would take her order to heart and kill himself over this mission.

"Yes, Lux-Vita Potter!" Dobby agreed at once, his huge orbs shining with exuberance, "And if Dobby does it wrong, Dobby will throw himself off the topmost tower, Lux-Vita Potter!" A cacophony of perplexed and shocked mutterings erupted from the Company at Dobby's over-the-top words, and Thorin was astounded with the amount of power the human girl had, and the adoring respect the creature freely gave her, to the point of death.

Lux-Vita blanched visibly, her plump, petal-shaped lips forming a huge, perfectly sized 'O' and she hastily shook her head while flapping her hands hysterically, "There won't be any need for that, Dobby. I don't want to hear that you've been harming yourself! I'm nothing like the Malfoys." Dobby burst out into tears of adoration once again, eliciting not only a weary groan from the ruby-haired witch, but ones of exasperation from the other spectators.

"Mistress wants me to follow the youngest of the Malfoys?" Kreacher slowly croaked out with a lethal glare, "Mistress wants me to spy upon the pureblood great-nephew of my old mistress?"

"This won't be good," Kíli muttered to Fíli, who nodded in vehement agreement, prompting their uncle to run a weary hand over his handsome visage; that human girl would be the death of him. Her blasphemous ways and drama were ensnaring his heirs into her web! And that will not do!

Lux-Vita narrowed her eyes until they turned into slits as she foresaw a great danger and was determined to prevent it in a heartbeat, knowing the sneaky elf and his underhanded methods, he would find a loophole. "That's the one, Draco bloody Malfoy, Kreacher! And you're forbidden to tip him off or to show him what you're up to, or to talk to him at all, or to write him messages, or to contact him in any way. If you think I'm going to allow you to betray me like you did Sirius, you're sorely mistaken. Got it?" her command was uttered frigidly, a warning clear in her tone and Gandalf finally comprehended the kind girl's perplexing attitude, and could not fault her – that was the house-elf she accidentally informed them of, the one who aided in her cherished godfather's downfall.

It was palpably clear to every individual that Kreacher was struggling to locate a loophole in Lux-Vita's instructions; the ruby-haired witch on the other hand, had her arms crossed patiently, a look of smug satisfaction on her gorgeous face. Finally, Kreacher bowed deeply in defeat and with bitter resentment, croaked, "Mistress thinks of everything, and Kreacher must obey her even though Kreacher would much rather be the servant of the Malfoy boy, oh yes…"

Lux-Vita sneered at the despicable creature, and to the Middle-Earthians, the expression didn't fit well with her kind and beautiful features. "Yes, how about you shut up and ask Dobby how tormenting it is to serve the Malfoys," she snapped with distaste before beaming benignly at Dobby, "That's settled then. I'll want regular reports, but make sure I'm not surrounded by people when you turn up. In this Realm it's alright, and if I'm back at Hogwarts, then only around Ron and Hermione. And don't tell anyone what you're doing. Just stick to Malfoy like a couple of wart plasters."

A grunt of agreement was the only response given by Kreacher before he disappeared with a loud crack, much to the Company and Gandalf's incredulous awe – for even Gandalf and the other four wizards in Middle Earth were incapable of vanishing into thin air. In contrast, Dobby squealed and raced over to Lux-Vita, his knobbly arms engulfing her knees in a tight grip. His wrinkled face tilted upwards and he squeaked, "Dobby will do as the great Lux-Vita Potter ordered. And if Lux-Vita Potter needs anything, then call Dobby and Dobby will appear at once, for you are the greatest and most honorable witch Dobby had the honor of meeting. Goodbye Lux-Vita Potter!" and with another loud crack, the exuberant elf disappeared from Middle Earth, leaving a complete silence in his wake.

"Well," Lux-Vita innocently grinned, inching away from the fifteen gaping individuals, "That was a success. So, I'm just going to –"

"Tell us what in Mahal's name is happening! Yes you will," Thorin interjected impatiently; in response, the ruby-haired witch massaged her temples in torturously slow circles and groaned, "What do you want to know, your Highness," the scorn evident in her tone.

Knowing that Lux-Vita would only avoid giving up answers if Thorin continued to speak crudely with her, Gandalf cleared his throat, effectively ceasing Thorin's next words, and he softly spoke up, ensuring that he maintained eye-contact with the pair of wary emerald orbs, "My dear child, I understand you are cagey when it comes to sharing your story with others for we have already bullied ourselves into a matter of great privacy; the memory you allowed Lady Galadriel to share with myself and the Company. However, I assure you, we are to be trusted. After all, we are all journeying alongside each other and helping one another in our own quests. We will find ourselves at an impasse if we continue to keep each other at arm's length."

Wincing at the reminder of Cedric's death and being raped by Voldemort, Lux-Vita gave them a diminutive nod; other than Thorin, the Girl-Who-Lived had no grudge against any of them, and if the stubborn King under the Mountain would cease his incessant pestering and speaking down at her as though she were a lowly freak, especially the way he adamantly called her girl, violently reminding her of Uncle Vernon, then Lux-Vita would have no ill-will with the prideful dwarf either. Moreover, they were to help her in locating Sirius if he indeed landed in Middle Earth, and trust could not be established if she withheld information.

"How about I rest for a while, and at night, during dinner, I answer all your inquiries to the best of my ability?" It was a fair proposal, and Lux-Vita let out a loud sigh of relief when Thorin grudgingly nodded in affirmative, allowing the tired witch to return to her spot under the hollow tree. Some of the dwarves returned to their interrupted nap, while others entertained each other with inane conversation or practiced with their weapons.

Lux-Vita however, was struck with a sudden brainwave thanks to Ron and Hermione, and before she allowed herself to succumb into a restless slumber, she once again pulled out her compact mirror from her beaded bag, and choked out, "Sirius Black!" in an articulate tone. One tormented minute later and nothing happened; "Padfoot?!" Lux-Vita tried again – but to no avail and finally, the sixteen-year-old witch allowed herself to give in to her emotions as she lay down onto the ground, curled into herself and clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, muffling her anguished cries.

Either Sirius really was dead, or he left the mirror at Grimmauld when he departed to the Ministry. But Lux-Vita knew, deep down inside, she just knew … her treasured godfather would have never allowed the mirror to be out of his reach, not when Lux-Vita held the brother piece. And so, Lux-Vita cried herself to sleep over morbid thoughts of her godfather actually being dead, not knowing that a mulish uncrowned King's icy orbs hadn't once disconnected from her pitiful form, and in turn, a pair of shrewd gray orbs were focused intently on the abrasive King under the Mountain with a deep amount of interest and foreknowledge.

***Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter***

"Sirius Black!"

Eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and a lithe figure swiveled his head around in search for the person whose melodious and desperate yell belonged to as it echoed around him. With his uncanny hearing, the lithe figure stealthily ambled toward the direction where he pinpointed the voice to have come from.

"Padfoot?!" the melodious voice cried, and the lithe figure felt his heart crumble in response to the agonizing grief palpable in the anonymous woman's tone. Nothing could be heard but the soothing sounds of the waterfall from nearby and finally, a triumphant gleam was visible in a pair of onyx orbs as they connected with an odd compact mirror that was facing the lush and fertile grass.

Cautiously, he picked up the circular artifact and scrutinized it with immense confusion; he could have sworn – with his impeccable hearing – that the feminine voice had erupted from this peculiar mirror.

"What an odd enchantment," the musical voice belonging to the lithe figure murmured beneath his breath.

Knowing that his Lord was intellectually knowledgeable in the intricacies of magic and priceless artifacts passed down throughout many a years, the lithe figure held the compact mirror close to his chest and he swiftly retreated towards his Lord's private library.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter?! XD

First of all; this was more of a filler chapter. You see, I don't want to rush into things and jump from action to action. I want to slowly portray how Lux-Vita (Now that she isn't depressed and suicidal) becomes friends and formulates relationships with Thorin Oakenshield and Company. I'm sorry there weren't any Bilbo scenes, but next chapter for sure!

I also wanted to somehow add Ron and Hermione into Middle Earth and the two-way mirror is an important factor to my plotline. Also! Kreacher and Dobby play an important role in the future chapters and I wanted to introduce them to the dwarves (I couldn't resist introducing the dwarves to a different species of their enemies, LOL).

In my story, I don't want to separate Harry Potter Universe from Middle Earth. I will try and blend them in together somehow to make my story more exciting. So I am sorry if you don't like filler chapters and just want to rush into the action, but my plot doesn't work that way. Sorry again!

Next chapter: Will Lux-Vita finally reveal a few personal facts about her history? And what happened to Sirius? Who picked up the mirror and why was it there without his body – wherever Sirius is? Why do Fíli and Kíli feel an intimate connection with Lux-Vita? And why on earth is Thorin so rude to Lux-Vita? ;) …Stay tuned, Dear Readers! There are many surprises on the way, and I will try and get the next chapter out soon! Cheers!

R&R.