UPDATED/REVISED: 22/04/2013
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, though I do own any OC's that may pop up along the way (I just can't resist)
All mistakes are my own and I'm not changing the characters even if they do seem OOCish.
Elvish Tongue(bold/underline)
/ Speaking telepathically /
Fred and George: Water
Severus: Earth
Sirius: Air
Harry: Fire
You'll understand why I let you know now so as it makes more sense later on.
ENJOY!
~*~*~ The Crossing Of Worlds: Chapter 5 ~*~*~
Fog clouded the air as they trekked further on into the dark, dank valley that lead to the Mines of Moria. Harry shivered at the cold wind that slowly drifted through, chilling him to the bone. The sensation sent a morbid thrill through his body. Like death was in the air.
Gandalf lead the way as they walked along the edge of, what could only be called, a small lake. The path was damp and slippery. Frodo slipped slightly into the water, gasping in shock before righting himself.
Gandalf stopped to look at a section of the blank rock face, muttering to himself about moonlight and the stars.
As the clouds passed over, the full moon was revealed, its silvery-white light falling down into the darkness. The Doors of Moria glowed to reveal themselves to their weary eyes, giving them a little hope in the darkness. They watched on as Gandalf looked up at the words etched around the glowing markings of the door.
"It reads, The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria: speak 'friend' and enter," Gandalf stated.
The group sat around the edge of the valley as they watched Gandalf try and try again to open the doors. Yet with each passing minute, the attempts seemed futile to all and their hopes began to dwindle.
Sam and Aragorn stood on the edge of the group, letting Bill the Pony go as 'the Mines were no place for a pony', or at least that is what Aragorn told Sam.
The plops of rock hitting water, echoed through the area as Merry and Pippin kept themselves entertained by throwing rocks into the water, disturbing the silence and peace of the water by the ripples that followed.
Just as Pippin was about to throw another rock, Aragorn grabbed his arm. The look on his face showed much wariness and almost anger at the Hobbit before turning his gaze out to the water. A look of fear flashing across the man's rugged face before being hidden behinds its cold mask.
"Do not disturb the water!" Aragorn stated, before letting the Hobbit go.
Nearby, Gandalf muttered to himself once again as he threw his staff down and took his hat off his head, his resolution dissolving as much as his hope to open the door.
Harry looked up from his fire manipulations to glance at Gandalf, the small fire wolves running about above his hands. The images were at least entertaining to him and Frodo.
"I hate riddles," Sirius whined as he leaned against a rock face.
"Only because you are too dumb to figure it out," Severus teased mockingly.
"Hey!" Sirius cried out indignantly.
"He got you there, mate," Fred chuckled while George just snickered.
Harry snickered on as well at his Godfather's outburst. Yet one of Sirius' words spoke out to him.
"Riddles?" Harry whispered before standing up to face the door.
All but Aragorn and Boromir turned to look at him. The two Men were watching warily as the water rippled with movement from the beneath the surface of the lake. The two grabbed the pommels of their swords, ready to draw arms at any moment.
"It's a riddle," Harry whispers, looking at the door.
Frodo stood up, walking to stand beside him, "Speak friend and enter? Gandalf, what is the Elvish word for 'friend'?
"Mellon."
The creak and groan of old stone door hinges rang through the air as the Doors of Moria opened.
Sirius cried out in happiness, "Finally!"
Severus just sighed and rushed to catch up.
Darkness greeted them as they moved inside, the four Hobbits stayed inside the doorway, not quite brave enough to move into the darkness of the Mines just yet.
"Soon Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli boasted proudly to the Elf.
As Gimli spoke, Gandalf placed a crystal atop his staff, blowing softly on the crystal to bring light into it so it could be shed upon the mine entrance.
Harry gasped at the sight before him. Rotten, war torn skeletons of dwarves littered the floors. Death seemed to be the only thing was lead with this path.
"This is no mine. It's a tomb," Boromir said.
The Hobbits jumped at the sight of skeletons by their feet. Gimli cried out in anguish at the sight of so many of his fallen brethren.
Legolas pulled out an arrow from a corpse and cried, "Goblins."
All weapons were draw as they looked around for the signs of more Goblin forces, slowly retreating back to the entrance. Harry stood before the Hobbits, his sword raised high and his magic pent up for release if it was needed. None of the four would be harmed on his watch.
"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here," Boromir cried.
Harry pushed the Hobbits back into the moonlight, not wanting them to see anymore of the carnage and death before them. Fred and George joined his position, ready to defend the Hobbits as well.
"Now get out of here! Get out!" Boromir shouted.
A loud cry rang from behind him, Harry turned to see that Frodo had been grabbed by a tentacle from the lake, the dark shape pulling him towards the watery depths.
"Strider!" Sam called.
Harry, Aragorn and Boromir rushed forward to help the Hobbits. Sam chopped away at the tentacle holding Frodo before it unlatched itself.
The air seemed to calm for a moment before all hell broke loose.
A torrent of flailing tentacles rushed towards them, grabbing onto anything it could hold onto.
Harry shouted out in pain as one of the limbs smashed against a rock, flinging shrapnel into their group. Sharp edges tore at Harry's muscles, carving a giant wound in his side but he didn't stop. He swung at any of the limbs he could reach. The Kraken-like creature brought its head above the water, opening its wide jaws to be ready to swallow Frodo whole.
The two Men swung at the limbs, cutting any in their path until Aragorn cut the one holding Frodo. The creature roared in pain as Frodo fell into the arms of the Ranger.
"Into the Mines!" Gandalf cried, urging everyone inside.
In a rush of limbs, swords and water, they ran back inside the caves with the Kraken chasing after them. The creature's tentacles flailed so wildly that the doors and cave entrance fell onto the beast, collapsing the entrance on top of it. As they rushed away from the rubble, darkness befell the cave, trapping them inside the darkness of the Mines of Moria.
"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria," Gandalf said as he lit up the crystal upon his staff, leading the way into the mine.
"Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."
"Just go and sugar coat it why don't you?" Harry muttered looking back at the frightened Hobbits.
Gandalf glared at the Hybrid.
"Quietly now. It is a four-day journey to the other side. Let's hope that our presence here goes unnoticed," Gandalf stated as he started down the path.
Before the others could start, Harry dropped to his knees, gritting his teeth with a hiss of pain as the adrenalin had finished burning through his body, leaving behind the reminder that he was badly wounded. Fire burned in his veins from the pain his nerves were receiving.
"HARRY!" Sirius cried, rushing to his godson's side.
Gandalf and Aragorn rushed in as well to help in their aide, pushing Harry onto his back. The crystal upon the istari's staff began to shed more like as the old man inspected the bleeding wound.
"You fool! Why did you not say something?" Gandalf cried as he began to put pressure of the wound to stem the bleeding.
Harry chuckled, his breath hitching slightly as the pain increased, "I was more worried about getting Frodo out alive and away from the beast. The adrenalins only just burned off and reminded me that I could be on Death's doorstep."
Sirius shook his head at the morbid humour before beginning to unleash his healing magic.
Harry gritted his teeth as the magic started to heal his wounds, the pain almost unbearable. Severus knelt down by his face and brought a potion vial to his lips, urging him to drink. Harry swallowed dutifully, knowing it would help with the pain.
A soft warm hand appeared in his, squeezing it reassuringly. Harry's vision was beginning to dim from the blood loss and the potion but before he blacked out, Harry could have sworn that it was Aragorn holding his hand and the Evenstar necklace was no longer present around the Ranger's neck.
~*~*~ The Crossing of Worlds ~*~*~
"The time is near Little One, the time to choose to embrace your inner strength," a voice whispered amongst the darkness of Harry's mind.
Harry turned to the voice yet only darkness greeted him in every direction.
"Fire may often be used as a symbol of death but also a symbol of life for it is warmth, comfort and light. Embrace you Inner Fire and you will have a power like no other."
"I do not want more power, it only bring more pain and suffering for those I care about when those who want my power stop at nothing to get to it," Harry cried to the darkness in anger.
The voice chuckled softly, the laughter soft and gentle. 'A woman.'
"And with this, I know you are the best to wield it. Your powers cannot be accessed by anyone but yourself. You are the True Wielder of the Fire," the voice echoed, "Do not worry about your loved ones. They have more power than you realise."
Harry gulped and looked around, hoping to catch a glance of the owner of the voice.
"How will I know when?" he asked.
"You will know. Trust me, you will know. But you will not be alone in this – not this time, I will be here to guide your way on the path you seek," the voice vowed.
Harry nodded in acceptance, grateful for the guidance.
He could feel himself fading away once again.
"WAIT! WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" he shouted to the darkness.
Just as his conscious drifted off again, the voice replied.
"My name is Mithridel; I am one of the Valar, the Goddess of Wisdom and Peace."
~*~*~ The Crossing of Worlds ~*~*~
Harry blinked his eyes softly as he awoke to dark, dank caves of Moria. He was resting upon a roll of blankets near an open fire.
Still half-dazed from hi healing sleep, he looked around.
Merry, Pippin and Gimli were sitting against a rock face, glancing every now and then to Gandalf, who was muttering away to himself as he looked about the three doorways that loomed before him. Legolas was looking out into the darkness with the twins beside him, both silent for once. Boromir and Sirius were talking softly on the other side of the fire. Severus and Sam were sitting quietly, watching Frodo make his way to Gandalf's side. The only one he could not see was Aragorn.
A hand was placed on his shoulder, making him jump in fright before he grabbed a dagger from his belt in instinct, swinging it at his 'attacker'.
Another hand grabbed his, stopping him from hitting the person with his dagger. Emerald eyes caught steel-blue eyes. Startled, Harry dropped his dagger.
"Aragorn! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to -" Harry started to ramble away in his apology only to be stopped by a finger being placed upon his lips.
Aragorn just chuckled and smiled, "You need to apologise Harry. I startled you and you reacted as a reflex. A good reaction in times like these, do not apologise for defending yourself against the unknown."
Harry blushed at the compliment, turning bright red. He lowered his head, trying to hide the scarlet colour behind a curtain of black silk strands.
Aragorn chuckled at Harry's reaction to the compliment before reaching up to caress the soft black hair. Warmth spread up his arm as he touched Harry.
The pleasant feeling tingled through his body and blood rushed to his groin.
Aragorn quickly removed his hand from Harry's head, shifting his legs to hide his erection. He was oblivious to the fact that his touch had the same effect on Harry.
As Harry felt the heat fade from his face, he turned to look curiously at the Ranger.
"How long have I been asleep?"
Aragorn looked at him before speaking, "Two days. Gandalf cannot seem to remember the way from here, so we have been stuck here for at least a few hours," the Gondorian prince sighed, "I was so worried about you, as were your brethren. Not many people can survive losing that much blood but you seemed to hold on. I carried you for most of the journey."
Harry stared wide-eyed at the Ranger's last words. Aragorn had been worried about HIM.
"Why were you so worried? Surely, Sirius or Severus told you I would be alright," Harry whispered.
Aragorn coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment for worrying so much, "They did, yet I could not help but worry about you. I have never seen you so – so weak and vulnerable. It's not in your nature to be that way. Seeing you like that – it scared me Harry, it scared me because I thought I would lose you and I've come to realise that I care a lot about you."
Before Harry could reply, a cry rang through the group.
Gandalf cried "Oh! It's that way,"
They all turned to look at the old istari.
"He's remembered," Merry cried.
"No but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose," Gandalf told Merry before leading the way down into the darkness.
Harry sighed, stretching his stiff limbs. With a flick of his wrist, his bed rolls returned to his pack. Before he went to follow the others, Harry placed a chaste kiss on the man's cheek and dashed away to catch up with the rest of the group.
Gandalf lead them to a large cavern, held up by thousands of stone columns. The crystal upon Gandalf's staff illuminated the sight. He mumbled about adding a little more light.
"Behold, the great Realm of the Dwarf City of Dwarrowdelf," Gandalf pronounced for the group.
They all looked on in awe and amazement.
"Well there's an eye opener, make no mistake," Sam stated.
Slowly yet surely, Gandalf led the way through the large hall. It wasn't until they almost passed a large doorway that they stopped. To their horror, skeletons littered the path to a doorway that was illuminated by a light from inside.
Before anyone could stop him, Gimli ran towards the door. They raced towards, hoping to stop him and continue on but it was in vain.
Inside the room, a large stone coffin resided in the middle of the room, illuminated by the only sunlight present in the whole tomb. Corpses of the fallen dwarfs littered the floor.
Gimli knelt before the tomb of his brethren, crying out in sorrow and pain.
Gandalf read the inscription on the top of the stone aloud for them to hear, "Here lies Balin, son of Huddin, Lord of Moria."
Gimli cried louder in anguish for the death of his cousin.
"He is dead then," Gandalf stated, "It's as I feared."
As Gimli's cries rang through the room, the other looked around the room warily, almost afraid that something would attack them in the vulnerable position.
Beside the stone coffin was a fallen Dwarf with a large tome book in his hand, covered in dust and spider webs. Gandalf titled his head in curiosity.
Handing his staff and hat to Pippin who was the nearest to him, Gandalf leant down and picked up the book.
"We must move on. We cannot linger here," Legolas whispered to Aragorn.
Gandalf, ignoring or not noticing Legolas' words, blew upon the dusty tome pages before beginning to utter the last remaining words that the dwarf Scribe had written before his death.
"They have taken the Bridge. And the second Hall," Gandalf began, "We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. The Shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming!"
Gandalf's ominous words from the tome sent shivers down Harry's spine. The hybrid stepped closer to his mate's shadow unconsciously, wanting to be shielded from the danger.
They turned at the noise and ringing of something falling down the well. Pippin turned back around to see their stares haunting him just as the rest of the skeleton falls down the well ringing with each clank and clash as it falls into darkness. He seemed to flinch as he each clanking sound that echoed back to them.
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf cried, swiping his hat and staff back from the Hobbit.
"Give it a rest Gandalf, it does not change what has happened," Sirius cried, stepping towards the Halfling's side.
Pippin looked up gratefully at the older man. Gandalf just scoffed at the duo.
The group listened on, hoping for silence to follow the Hobbit's mistake. Yet their hopes remained in vain, as the sounds of drums, cries of animalistic creatures and clanking metal rang throughout to the halls of the mountain signalling that the Orcs and Goblins had found them.
The battle was coming to them!
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Now as the Road Runner said to the Coyote before dashing off "BEEP BEEP!"