Summoned to Middle Earth

Ch. 3

When Thorin woke up; he told his men to get ready and pack up. As his men were doing that, he picked Hermione up with his two strong arms and carried her outside of the Hobbit home. He walked a little ways until he had reached his horse; which he had seen his nephew Kili making sure that the saddle was securely upon the horse, before Thorin had reached it.

Thorin grumbled, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, uncle. Everything is alright with your horse. Is it true, uncle? About her riding a dragon and everything," Kili was keeping his voice down, as he saw that Hermione Granger was still asleep, and in Thorin's arms.

Thorin sighed; he know that one of his nephews were going to start asking him questions about the mystery girl, "Yes Kili; she had spoken as she was asleep, and she rode a dragon to save her friends from their enemy. I don't know if I were to do the same, I would kill it, rather than ride it."

Kili seemed to be satisfied with his uncle's answer and went to his own horse, to get it ready for the journey. Bofur had come over to where his leader was and saw that he was facing a problem and stood next to Thorin.

"Yea want me to hold onto the Lassie, while you get upon your horse?"

Thorin grumbled, "Yeah that would be great, Bofur." Thorin handed Hermione over to one of his men, then he climbed upon his pony and settled into his saddle, then he reached down to where Bofur was able to hand over the young woman to Thorin.

"Is there anything else, yea wanted done, Thorin?"

"No Bofur; just make sure that we packed everything. We should be heading out, in a few minutes."

All the Dwarves had managed to get all of their stuff upon their ponies and were ready to head out; even Gandalf was ready to get upon the road. The grey wizard led the company out of the Shire and into the nearby woods, where they were nearing the outskirts of the Shire, when Bilbo Baggins had caught up with them and was put upon a pony of his own.

This was when Hermione Granger woke up; upon a horse, and in front of Thorin Oakenshield. Who she found had his left arm tightly around her waist; making sure that she was not going to fall off of the horse that they were on, she was nearly hyperventilating when she had no idea that it was Thorin that had his arm around her.

Gandalf; who was riding next to them, spoke up, "Hermione; calm down! Don't you remember what went on last night?"

Hermione was gasping, "Who am I with?"

"Thorin Oakenshield."

She ended up coughing for a bit and said, "Next time; wake me up before putting me upon a horse with another person. I don't do well; not knowing where I am at, I guess it's because I have been on the run for nearly a year."

Gandalf sighed, "I'm sorry Hermione that you and your friends had to go and finish my work for me, but I need to know; what or who have you brought along with you to this world?" Hermione closed her eyes for a moment and then brought out her beaded bag from her pocket and dug out a silver mirror and handed it to the old wizard. Once he looked into the mirror and saw Severus Snape, who did not look so happy to see him. "Oh Severus; what have you done to yourself?"

"I have done nothing, Albus. I was willing to die for what you wanted me to do for Mr. Potter; but as I was dying, I had found myself trapped into my mother's mirror."

Gandalf sighed, "I have made many mistakes and one of them was to bring Tom Riddle to the wizarding world, I wish now that I have left him where he was. As for you Severus; I need you to stay with Hermione and become a mirror of knowledge for this world and aid her on this journey. Together; the two of you will help the Dwarves and bring back their homeland. Can I trust you to do that, Severus?"

Professor Snape growled at his old friend, "You know you can trust me, Albus. The question is; can Miss Granger and myself, trust you?"

Gandalf then handed the mirror back to Hermione, who looked into the mirror and said, "Sorry, professor but he wanted to see you sooner than you had wished it."

Thorin was looking over the young woman's shoulder and asked, "Who is he and how did he end up being inside the mirror?"

Hermione smiled, "This is Professor Severus Snape, he my teacher of potions. He was a well know Potions Master from where I'm from."

Severus made himself bigger and gloated, "I'm also a welder of Black Magic and I can fly in the air without an aid of a broomstick."

The whole company was hearing them talking, when Dwalin spoke up, "Flying broomsticks don't exsist!"

Fili laughed, "That would of have been great to see, wouldn't brother. Just imagine; flying pieces of woods flying around, carrying people as they go."

Gloin grumbled, "That's all we need. The boys to want something like that to cause trouble. I don't know about you Thorin, but I wouldn't have it."

Thorin chuckled, "I wouldn't either Gloin, but be glade that they're not able to go to Lady Granger's homeland and ride one. I wouldn't know who to be sorrier if they had one, us or our enemies."

Bofur spoke up, "What potions did your master make in your world, lassie?"

Hermione laughed, "He is not my master, he was just my teacher and he was one of the greatest that we had at the school, even though his attitude was nothing to go on. He said that he could get up to put a stopper to death and brew glory."

It was at this time that Severus Snape spoke up from his mirror, "With all the things that I have done to try to keep people alive, I have done a grand job by keeping death from coming to those people. As for brewing glory, I have made some new potions and I have made a lot of money from those."

Thorin smiled, "I bet you have, Master Snape. I think it's time for me to go back into your bag, Lady Granger and let us enjoy the ride as it were."

Hermione was getting chills from the was Thorin was talking and the way his voice seemed to vibrate across her neck, shoulder, and back. Severus saw the exchange, he really did not like to see his student getting involved with a small man, who seemed older than he was, but did not look it.

Severus mouthed to Hermione, 'Watch yourself.'

She was wondering if it was because that her teacher did not know anything about Thorin or if he knew something that she did not. But Hermione did what she was told and put her old potions professor into her beaded bag and back into her pocket. As she looked around; she saw that every dwarf was wearing some kind of armor; even Thorin had chainmail upon his body.

She asked Gandalf, "Why are all the Dwarves wearing armor, are they at war or something?"

The grey wizard looked at her with weary, "You never know who is on the side that is right or the side that it is easy, it would do you some good to make your own armor Hermione. I would suggest from an oaken tree, it will be a good foundation to make your armor from. You want to know how Thorin is also known as Oakenshield."

Hermione shook her head, for did not know how that the leader of the company of Dwarves was known as that.

Balin was the one who spoke, "It was during the heat of battle that Thorin picked up a an old oaken branch and used it as shield, as he charged against a pale orc; who had just slain Thorin's grandfather in front of him."

Hermione went pale, "What is an orc?"

Dwalin grumbled, "Big human node type creatures, who are ugly and hard to kill. You would need to wield a sharp blade and speed to master to kill them off, and it would be best to do it at their necks. All the orcs that we have faced are all male and deadly."

Thorin had felt Hermione starting to shake; either from the description from the orcs, or facing her own war that she was taken away from. He had wanted to ask her about it, but since he felt her shaking; he knew that it was not the time. He barked for all the quiet and keep their eyes and ears out, he knew that they would be facing the orcs soon, and he did not want to be ambushed just to do it.