A/N: So the writer's block is getting better. I basically have two options. One, wait until lord only knows, to have a lightning bolt of inspiration. Or two, keep pushing on. Personally, I hate getting into a story, only to wait for eternity for an update.
Analelle – I also wanted some Orcs, and almost went that direction. Kind of wish I had.
Theundyinglands- I am trying to envision what Hermione would be like emotionally after being on the run for almost a year, then suddenly dropped into M/E. Hermione was always the champion of the underdog. Always trying to find the good in people, no matter how horrible they were. I just can't help but think she may have toughened up just a little. Not that her sense of justice isn't there, it's just been tamed because there's been other things she's been worried about. But she is Hermione, and does have a good heart, so she would feel bad.
Felix02 and Glitter Poisoned My Blood- Ahh yes, wandless magic. There was a mention that she tried to Accio her wand, but I get that there are other things she could also do. I have searched for any other wandless magic she's performed, and it says she can, just not what. There's reason for this, which is coming in slowly.
Mh21- Yes, our darling Draco is in the thick of it. He won't be a major character at this point, but will be brought in slowly, until he has more of a presence.
Thank you to everyone else who left me your kind words and constructive criticism. All are encouraged.
"I am not leaving the tent." Hermione repeated herself for the fifth time that morning, ignoring the disgruntled frown on Gimli's face. "If I could just use my wand, I could-."
"No!" Gimli's eyes grew wide, as his mustache twitched. "Absolutely not. You used that wretched thing on me the last time you had it."
"Which I apologized for." She countered back through clenched teeth, while swinging her attention to where Legolas sat, silently watching the exchange. "I swear to you, I am not leaving this spot without my possessions."
"And how do you suggest we transport it all the way to the White City?" The Dwarf replied slowly, as if he were talking to a child. "There's more furniture in that tent, then in my quarters back at the palace."
"It will all fit into my bag." Using the same tone, Hermione forced a smile on her lips, as she fisted her hands at her side. "That is, if I could use my bloody wand."
"In your bag." Gimli let out a barking laugh, before slapping at his knee. "She thinks it will all fit into her wee bag." Turning to Legolas, Gimli waited for his friend to share in the laughter.
"If I let you use the stick, will you return it afterwards?" Biting into an apple, Legolas watched her intently, as the shock of his words made their impact.
"Y-you'd let me use my wand?" Ignoring Gimli's shout of outrage, Hermione stared unblinkingly, waiting for his reply.
"As long as you return it quickly." Stretching out his legs, he threw the core into the fire.
"Why?" Not precisely the reaction he'd anticipated, Legolas couldn't say he was overly astonished either, nothing about the girl before him had been exactly normal. As far as questions went, it was a valid one, and one he didn't mind answering. "Because my ears are tired of hearing you two bicker over the tent and the contents within. If allowing you to use your stick gets us on our journey, I am willing to take the risk."
What he didn't convey, was how he hoped she would see his action as a peace offering. His way of taking a hesitant step to trusting her.
"Will you two please stop calling it a stick? It's called a wand."
"Of course I would need your word that you will return it to me." She watched as he unfolded himself from the rock he'd been perched upon, wondering how a man so tall could be so graceful.
"You can't seriously be considering this." Gimli spoke up, reminding the two he was still standing there.
"If I wasn't I wouldn't be offering." Turning to his friend, Legolas placed a gentle hand on the Dwarf's shoulder.
Both men seemed to be waiting for her reply, and she had to quickly wonder at Legolas's thought process. Apparently he had no inkling just how simple it would be to flick her wand and render them both useless. She could have her tent neatly packed away, and a decent head start, before either of them could blink an eye.
She would be a big fat liar to say the idea didn't hold a smidgen of appeal. But, she'd only be hurting herself in the end. While dethawing from the previous days bath, she'd come to the conclusion that she was better off at the mercy of Legolas and Gimli, than floundering on her own in an unknown land.
"You have my word." Holding out her hand, palm side up, she waited as Legolas slipped his hand inside his tunic to withdraw her most prized possession. His eyes connected with hers, and for a brief moment she wondered if he was going to change his mind. They both stood still, each watching the other, before finally Legolas placed the wand into her hand.
"I am trusting that your word is good."
Wrapping her fingers around her wand, she closed her eyes and allowed the pulsing magic wash over her. A slow smile stretched across her lips, as she reopened her eyes to a tense Elf. "I guess you'll need to wait and see."
Too consumed in the return of her wand, she hadn't notice the way Gimli edged to the perimeter of the camp, his small eyes glued to her wand arm. Instead, she went to move toward the tent, only to be stopped by a firm grip on her upper arm.
"Where are you going?" Though his tone was rather brisk, she didn't detect any real malice upon Legolas's face.
"To fetch my bag." She answered simply, as she sent him an exasperated glance.
An apologetic look crossed his face, as he loosened his hold on her arm. Looking over to where Gimli was cowering, Legolas sighed. "Retrieve her bag, and anything else from within the tent we may need."
Eyeing the wand clutched in Hermione's hand, Gimli crossed his beefy arms over his barrel chest and shook his head. "Why don't you? I'll stay here with the lass."
"Gimli, we don't have time for the dramatics." Though his grip relaxed some, Legolas still kept hold of Hermione. "You have faced a thousand blood thirsty Orcs, but you balk at retrieving a woman's purse?"
The words had the shorter man muttering under his breath, but he headed to the tent flap none the less. "I want no mischief Elf, or I will seek my revenge."
"I am almost tempted to let you freeze him again." Legolas whispered softly in the shell of her ear, his breath sending a wave of chills down her spine.
"Of all the stupid things, giving her use of that blasted magic stick. I hope she uses it on you this time, or in the very least unleashes that hellish book upon you. It would serve you right you stupid, snot nosed. . . " The Dwarf's words became muffled as he vanished inside the tent, only to come storming out a second later. His eyes immediately went to the wand as he approached, halting a good five feet away. "Your bag."
Unable to stop herself, Hermione felt a smile spread across her lips. "That was very brave of you." Moving to close the distance so she could reclaim her item, she was pulled back when Legolas's hold tightened. Apparently his trust only went so far.
Swallowing the tort reply already on her lips, Hermione reminded herself it would serve no purpose to start in on Legolas over his brutish manners. He was honestly trying, and just because she didn't find his slight bullying to her liking, didn't mean she hadn't gained some ground with him.
"If you could open it slightly, and set it on the ground." Not looking too sure, Gimli did as she asked, nearly tripping over his feet while trying to flee.
Not willing to waste a single second, Hermione cleared her throat before turning her attention back to the tent. With a simple flick of her wrist, she felt the magic bubbling up inside of her before the words Reducio tent slipped from her lips.
Perhaps it had been the time away from her wand, or this strange world she'd been dropped into, but never in her life had she felt her magic as strongly as she did that moment. The tent lifted into the air, while folding in on itself, each fold making it smaller and smaller until it was barely the size of a walnut. Where the folding wasn't exactly new, the small size was, and Hermione felt stunned at this development.
"I have never . . ." Eyes bulging, Gimli took a slight step closer to where the nut sized tent was still floating in the air.
"That is impressive." Not letting go of his hold on her, Legolas watched the hovering item in awe.
"Quite honestly, that's never happened before." Ignoring the startled looks aimed her way, Hermione shook herself from her shock. "I mean it's always folded in on itself, just not so quickly, or so . . . small."
"Perhaps then, it's best you return the stick to Legolas." Gimli insisted.
Her brows pinched together as she tilted her head to the side. "It's just . . . odd."
"Right." The Dwarf grunted. "We're in agreement. What you just did was extremely . . . odd. Now, about the stick."
"Given that Gimli is about to swallow his tongue, why don't we ease his befuddled mind." As gently as he could, Legolas slipped his hand down Hermione's arm until it wrapped around the fist, and magical item.
"But, the tent needs to be placed into the bag, not to mention I need to dismantle the spells around the campsite." Deciding to shelve the odd occurrence until she could process it properly, Hermione looked pointedly up at Legolas.
"Well do it quickly lass." Gimli nearly shouted.
With a roll of her eyes, she waited until Legolas let go of her hand, only to have him latch onto her arm again. His close proximity, along with her wand's strange behavior were having a toll on her nerves, and not wanting to prolong the experience a second longer than necessary, she pointed her wand up in the air.
Once again the magic simmered inside her veins, until it shot up her wand arm, into her wand and sent sparks up into the air. Jolted by the manifestation, Hermione let out a startled yelp and jumped back into the solid mass of Legolas's chest.
"That most definitely wasn't supposed to happen." Her wide eyes went from the shimmering dome which was vanishing rather quickly, to the wand in her hand. "I have never felt that much power behind such a simple spell."
This time Legolas was quick to pluck the wand from her grasp, before slipping it back inside of his tunic. He could feel her body trembling next to his, as she stared wide eyed before her. Looking over her head to Gimli, he took in his friend's anxious expression.
"We shouldn't waste the daylight." His words seemed to chase away the tense mood, as Gimli jerked his head in agreement, looking relieved to leave the campsite.
"It's your turn to hunt for dinner Elf." Struggling to return their dialog onto more familiar footing, Gimli snatch the bag from the ground, before marching off to his pony. "And I expect to feast on something more than a stringy rabbit."
Settling his hands onto Hermione's shoulders, he gently pushed her to Arod. The horse seemed to anticipate the approaching journey and stomped his foot impatiently. "Perhaps I can find some ferns for you to nibble on." The jest fell flat, but Gimli played along.
"I'd rather gnaw on rabbit bones, than rabbit food." Struggling to pull himself up onto the pony's back, Gimli grunted a few times until he righted himself.
Hermione let Legolas maneuver her closer to the large beast, until a warning went off inside her head. Sure they had spoken about the plans to return to their City, but somehow in their discussion she'd missed the vital fact of how they were getting there.
The closer they got to the animal, the slower she became, until she outright halted. "I'm not riding on that thing." Trying to take a step back, she once again found herself bumping to the Elf behind her. Did he have to stand so close?
"That thing you are referring to is Arod." Sounding slightly offended, Legolas moved from behind her, and reached for the horse's harness. "He has seen me through many a battle."
"Take it from me lass." Gimli sighed. "Never insult an Elf's horse. You'll never hear the end of it."
"It's not me she insulted, but Arod." Laugh lines appeared at the corners of Legolas's eyes, as he patted his horse gently.
Turning in his seat upon his pony, Gimli sent Hermione a pleading look. "Just apologize to the stupid beast. Or we'll never reach our destination."
With as much grace as she could muster, Hermione rolled her eyes. "I am sorry I called your horse a thing. With that said, I am still not riding on him."
She watched as the men shared a look. Gimli seemed not to care either way, and simply shrugged his shoulders. "Let her walk."
~H~H~H~
There was a blister on the heel of her right foot, and with each step, Hermione winced at the pinching pain. She had no clue how long she'd been walking, but she knew if they didn't stop soon and rest, she wasn't going to make it much further.
Quite frankly, she'd expected more of a fight over her decision to walk, not that she would've relented. After an hour on foot, with Legolas and Gimli only a few yards ahead, she anticipated to be asked again if she would rather ride. Another two hours, she was feeling rather resentful toward both men, who were perched peacefully on the backs of their mounts, talking quietly to one another. After that she'd hadn't the energy to waste on such foolishness like internal thought. Every step was a struggle.
So when the two halted, and slipped onto the ground, Hermione nearly wept in gratitude. Dropping herself down onto the ground near the men, she quietly took the canteen from Gimli and drank greedily at the water within.
"Apple?" Looking down at the bruised object in Legolas's hand, Hermione didn't think twice before grabbing it.
"It's feels good to be traveling again." Gimli grinned through his beard as he rested his back up against a tree. "We still have enough daylight to gain further ground."
Her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach, as a piece of apple became lodged in Hermione's throat. Coughing, she managed to send a glare at the humored man, before Legolas made it to her side to give her back a few solid pats.
She knew she only had her stubbornness to blame for the pain she was feeling, but it nearly killed her to throw in the towel and admit to defeat. With a heavy sigh, she lifted her eyes to where Legolas sat silently, watching her with those damn piercing blue eyes.
"Perhaps I should ride." Clearing her throat, she felt her blood warm her already reddened cheeks. "We can cover more ground that way."
"If you wish." Legolas bowed his head slightly, making it impossible for her to see the amusement in his eyes. When his head lifted, his face was void of any emotion. "But first I need to inspect your foot."
"My foot?"
"You were limping." Not waiting for permission, he moved to kneel before her and lifted her right foot to rest on his thigh. Her first instinct was to flinch out of his grasp, but one steady look from him, made her keep still. With unimaginable tenderness, he loosed the laces and slipped the sneaker from her foot.
Within seconds she felt her foot swell, as the bottom felt as though a hundred angry bees had attacked. Wincing as he peeled her sock away from her heel, she wasn't at all surprised to see the large spot of blood.
She anticipated a lecture, or some exclamation at her foolishness, instead he reached for his pack and retrieved a pouch from within. "Herbal ointment." He explained as he rubbed the mixture between his fingers before smoothing it over the affected area. "It will ensure your wound doesn't become infected, and will ease the pain."
Half tempted to ask him to rub the goo into the bottoms of her feet to make the pain go away, Hermione mumbled a quick thanks as he pulled a long piece of linen from his bag and wrapped it around her foot.
"We will travel shortly, rest while you can."
Taking another bite of the almost forgotten apple, Hermione let her gaze follow Legolas as he took a seat next to Gimli. It went without saying he was handsome, almost painfully so. He most definitely would be the type of male Parvati and Lavender would have gossiped about until their tongues fell out, as they plotted and schemed on how to get his attention.
But unlike most of the opposite sex who had been blessed with an attractive shell, he seemed to also possess brain matter between his two ears. Sure he was slightly arrogant, and slightly bothersome, but then again, hadn't see been labeled as such by a few of her peers
Then there was Gimli. Moving her eyes to the shorter man, she realized she had a soft spot for the gruff, sometimes abrasive Dwarf. Merlin help her, but his personality reminded her a little of Ron. Proud and boastful, spoke without thinking, but something told her, deep down he was an honorable man.
Pulling her gaze down to the core of the apple, Hermione stiffened as a flash of guilt hit her nerves. It wasn't that she didn't think of her friends, or worry about the impossible mess she'd left them in, because she did until her head would ache. But there were rare times like this, when her mind was preoccupied with other things, making her feel as though she were betraying the boys by not concentrating her efforts on finding a way back to them.
But how did one get back to their time, without the aid of a device, which was now in tiny bits? Then there was the wee problem of two unexpected spells, performed at the precise moment, one with the intentions of killing her, the other . . . well who knew what Malfoy's intentions had been? So unless she could locate two wizards, a properly working time turner, and a suicidal tendency, she would need to start analyzing a plan B. So far, plan B was looking a little impossible.
"Hermione." The sound of Legolas's voice brought her back to her current dilemma, and Hermione pushed back her somber thoughts as she looked up to find him waiting. "If we intend on making it back to the City before the winter months are upon us, we need to continue on."
Though his tone was light and teasing, Hermione knew her pigheadedness that morning had hindered their progress. With a nervous twitch, she wrenched her eyes from where Legolas was waiting, to the mammoth horse who was greedily grazing on some nearby grass. "I should warn you, I have only been on a horse like creature twice in my life."
"Horse like?" Legolas's brows lowered.
"It's quite a long story, but needless to say, both times the circumstances were rather dire." Even though this ride would remain safely on the ground, Hermione violently wished there were some other way.
"I cannot say our circumstances are dire. You still have the option of walking . . ."
He was poking fun at her, though his face was an emotionless mask, his eyes gave him away. "We both know we wouldn't gain another fifty feet if I chose to walk." Grabbing her discarded shoe, she gingerly slipped it on and was astonished when she didn't feel a thing. Apparently the slimy goo really did do wonders for pain, not that she'd acknowledge it.
"Are we going to continue on?" Already atop his ride, Gimli scowled at them.
Knowing the question was directed at her, Hermione let out a defeated sigh. There was no getting around it, neither option held any appeal, but riding sounded a lot less painful. Not wishing to endure any more of Legolas's teasing, she let him lead her over to the horse.
"If you wish you could ride with Gimli." Legolas offered, when he noticed the way her hands started to shake the closer they got to Arod. "His pony is smaller, and has a gentle disposition."
Looking over to where Gimli was still scowling, she couldn't help but notice his mount did seem much less intimidating. Unfortunately, there wasn't much room, and if they truly were going to be riding for hours, it seemed silly that they both suffer.
"There doesn't seem to be much room."
He acknowledged her conclusion with a simple nod, before placing a hand on her lower back to guide her closer to his horse. "Arod has seen me through many dangers, he is a brave and loyal friend."
"I'll take your word for it." Hermione swallowed. Without warning, she felt the Elf's hands on her waist as her feet left the ground. The unexpected action was so swift, she barely had time to breathe, let alone screech her shock.
She wanted to chastise his highhandedness, only it was difficult to speak while fear cut off her ability to breathe. Where the horse was huge from a distance, being atop of the thing was a different matter altogether. So wrapped up in all the potential outcomes, she barely registered Legolas's voice, telling her to stop pulling on the horses mane. It wasn't until his nimble fingers, gently pried hers from the death grip she had on the horse's long white hairs, that she met his concerned eyes.
"I won't allow any harm to befall you." His free hand gently stroked the horse's neck, who seemed to have taken exception to such treatment. For a brief second, Hermione didn't know if he was talking to her or his horse.
With one last caress, Legolas vaulted into position behind her, which only forced her to inch slightly forward. His sigh at her behavior made her feel foolish, and was slightly mortified when he simply wrapped an arm around her middle and easily pulled her back until she could feel the firmness of his chest. "Our weight needs to be properly distributed."
"Are we you two ready yet?" Gimli nudged his pony to turn around so he was facing them.
"Perhaps we should tell Hermione about your first attempts at riding a horse?" Legolas suggested dryly, as he looked over the top of Hermione's head to where Gimli was turning an unbecoming shade of purple. With a silent laugh, Legolas maneuvered Arod past the sputtering Dwarf as he led the way.