Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or the Hobbit. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.
Note: Due to the positive response to this idea, I have published the first chapter of a Harry Potter / Sons of Anarchy crossover. I've already written the first five chapters of it so updates should be pretty quick.
-I've also posted my latest chapter to a Wizard at Nevermore.
Chapter Thirteen - Laketown's Master
Like a breath of wind Harry leapt from shadow to shadow, always waiting for a turned back or blinking eyes to shield his passage. In this way he passed through the town, listened, and learned. There were so many different stories and people. He learned that Bard was a favored hero of the people, that the master of the city was reviled though not as much as his lackey Alfrid, and he also learned that the people were desperate for change, any change. They were just too scared of the city guard and the possibility of lost trade should the current master be deposed. Well he could deal with that.
With all this newfound info it didn't take long to find the Master's house. It was the biggest building at the highest point after all. Where else would a clear megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur choose to live? He waited for a couple of hours to make sure the appointments for the day were done before making his move. There was a pretty healthy flow of guards coming and going and it wouldn't do to be interrupted. It almost seemed poetic then that the stream of bodies trickled off around sunset. His favorite part of the day.
Like a secret he whispered through the door, up the steps, and into the rafters of the top floor, staring down with his crimson eyes dilating the pupils to insane degrees as they took in everything in view below. A large desk weighed down with plates of gold coins, several decanters of what smelled like brandy (many of which were already empty), and a few bowls of…. animal testicles? What the hell kind of palette did this man have?
The Master himself was present, and snoozing in his chair. He was an ugly specimen of a human. His torso was obscenely round, his hair was thinning to the point of being nonexistent, he had a noticeable underbite of the jaw, and the absolute worst stringing mustache the vampire had ever seen in his life. If he had to say at least one positive thing about the man it was that he wore nicely cut clothing. That was it.
Genuinely abhorring what he was about to do (the man looked like he would taste like utter shit), Harry dropped soundlessly to the ground and approached the deplorable man. When he was less than a foot away he shot his hand out, pulled one of the other man's limp wrists to his mouth, and bit deep into the veins. At once the Master woke and tried to scream for help, but Harry's gaze locked onto his own and his body locked solidly in place, unable to move a muscle.
Good, it was time for the brain drain. Harry began to drink the crimson fluid down and with it came the man's memories. So short and meaningless had his life been that he only needed a couple mouthfuls before he had everything and released the wrist without dropping his gaze. "You are an utter idiot aren't you? A right deplorable asshole of the highest degree." Harry shuddered and spat on the ground nearby, "Even your blood tastes foul, like spoiled beer splashed with vodka, yuk!"
Harry couldn't help it, he reached into his coat and pulled out his flask to swish some mead around his mouth before spitting it out again, feeling much better as a result for doing so. "Though I have to give it to you and your family, you actually managed to convince this town that you in fact owned the wine fields and trade routes. You lied your way into the greatest office of power here."
As he spoke, the Master's eyes grew huge and watery as they leapt left and right, searching for aid of any variety. "No help is coming, Vincent, can I call you Vincent? I think I will. You see, I'm going to kill you Vincent. No, don't despair too badly, I'll make it quick. Not because you deserve a quick death, mind you, but because your presence is so utterly odious that I don't want to spend anymore time here with you than I have to."
Finally, Harry blinked, giving the man before him just enough freedom to twitch away with the hope of running, before his hand rose once more, slicing his nails cleanly through his jugular. The fat man fell to the floor with a sickeningly wet thump, and twitched once, twice, and fell still forever more. It wasn't finished though. Harry couldn't leave a body. He closed his eyes and sent out a pulse of his will and command. It wasn't even a second until answering howls rose into the night. The wolves would be here soon enough to handle the mess. Nevertheless he did banish the fallen blood away for good measure. Letting it stain would be just rude to the next owner of this home.
Speaking of the owner… the vampire crossed the room to a nearby clothing chest and ripped it from the floor before kicking in the floorboards beneath. Inside was a smaller box that he quickly placed into one of his pockets before leaving the way he came. The wolves would handle the mess, but for now he needed to meet back up with Bard.
Tracking him down proved a bit more difficult than looking for the Master, but nevertheless he succeeded. Of course that was after entering three other homes and witnessing some intimate moments that would scar him for life. Who knew there were so many bargemen on the same street?
Though when he found Bard's home he knew it to be the right place. Mainly because Tauriel's shock of crimson hair was visible from the window. As he had with the Master's home he shifted up the side of the building and through the window, but this time he continued all the way to Tauriel's side and swept her into his arms, intent on twirling her about. That idea was halted as her knife materialized out of nowhere to point at his face.
"Harry!" The knife disappeared and Tauriel wrapped her own arms around his neck. "Where were you?"
"Oh, you know, exploring, listening, butchering the Master of Laketown, the usual."
"What!" Thorin exclaimed from a chair beside them.
"What!" Bilbo yelped from a place on the ground where he was reading to Bard's daughters.
"What!" Bard himself exclaimed as he rose from the table where he was teaching his son to tie a net. "You murdered the Master?"
Still not looking away from Tauriel's deeply amused eyes, Harry answered, "Well murder is the wrong word, Bard. I butchered him like the pig he was. The man had no true claim to his title, and actively worked to subjugate Laketown for his own benefit. In fact, he knew who the true master was and didn't acknowledge him. Just as his father did and his father before him."
The wizard reached into his extended pocket and pulled out the small box he'd just taken before tossing it to Bard. "Your ancestor was Girion, the last lord of Dale, wasn't he?"
"Yes, how did you know tha-" Bard cut off as he opened the box and began to peruse the documents tied together inside; his jaw dropping further with every page read. "Are these real?"
"Yes indeed. You see Girion apparently had a great many ventures this far from Dale. In fact he was very big into trade. You own the vineyards that trade wine to the elves, Bard, not the Master. Your family name is on this town's trade agreements, not the Master's. Hell, you technically own the land that this town sits upon, not the Master. Do you understand what I am saying, Bard? You are the true ruler of this town, and what I have done in silencing Vincent is clear the way right for you."
Bard's hands were shaking, crinkling the papers in the process. "This is too much, Harry. I never sought leadership."
"Clearly, but the people of this town know you, they respect you, and they would follow you in a heartbeat. So answer me honestly, what would be the better scenario for your people here? Alfrid Lickspittle taking his Master's seat of power and using the guard as his enforcers, or you taking charge with the guards under you, serving as a true peacekeeping force?"
"Obviously I would utilize them better, and work to increase the quality of life for the people, but the guard will serve whoever pays them. They won't care about a few pieces of paper."
Harry chuckled deeply and reached into his pocket, intent on pulling out his handfuls of gold again, only to get ore blocked by Gandalf.
"Harry is incredibly wealthy and more than capable of paying these guards for the time being."
"Ugh, thanks for ruining my play there, old man." He pulled his hand free, Took Tauriel's and led her to a nearby chair to sit beside him. Much as before, she came willingly and welcomed his touch. They were making progress, and it made him smile as much it made Luna preen in his mind.
"I'm not that old." Gandalf huffed around his pipe stem, knowing that no one was buying it.
Bard didn't really know what to make of all these strange guests, but he did know that they were offering the best chance his people had had in oh so many decades. "What must we do?"
Harry nodded happily at his clear resolve. "Now, you must rest and sleep. Tonight I will… convince the city guard to support you and your claim, and tomorrow you will enter the Master's home and claim it as your own. Your rule begins now."
That night everyone went to bed with expectations for the next day. Harry teasingly offered to share his bed mat with Tauriel, but she merely smirked knowingly at him and unrolled her own right next to him. "You have not earned that right yet, Harry."
"Really? Then what must I do?"
"Oh, I don't know… slay a dragon?"
Harry grinned, "What if I've already done that?"
The elf blinked, "I've seen your memories, Harry. That dragon in the Triwizard Tournament practically killed itself, and it was a far cry from the great serpents of this world. You'll have to try a bit harder." She practically sang that last sentence before closing her eyes to fall asleep. For his part, since he did not necessarily need to sleep, Harry spent his time watching the lines of her face. It was a face that a man could easily fall in love with, and he knew deeply that some part of him already had. It was a part that was growing stronger every day.
Once he was sure everyone was sleeping well he soundlessly rose and exited back out the window, tracking down the guard captains in all their homes. Typical, the grunts had to patrol at night while these assholes slept peacefully. In each case he woke and froze the men in their beds with an eye lock. Then he proceeded to place a stack of gold coins on all of their end tables along with the same message. 'Support Bard's ascension to Master of Laketown and thrive, or deny him and die by my hand.' By the end he had agreements from pretty much all of them. It kind of worried Harry how easy it was to convince these men to switch sides, but hey, good men were hard to find.
In the morning he returned and cooked a light breakfast for everyone. In Tauriel's case he made a bowl of salad. "Good morning, sleepyheads." Harry cheerfully greeted the grouchy party of Thorin Oakenshield. Dwarves were not early risers by any stretch of the word. In contrast, Tauriel and Gandalf were remarkably chipper and ready for the day.
Bard entered next, eyed the plates of his eggs all laid out on his table and shrugged before sitting down and digging into his own. "How was your night, Master Vampire?"
Harry smirked, "Fruitful. The guard is yours. All you need to do is move into the mansion and the town is yours as well. Then you can start fixing things for the better and we can get on our way with the full support of Laketown behind us."
The bowman eyed his fanged benefactor shrewdly, "Not that I am not grateful, but I find it strange that you would do all of this for me and my people just out of the goodness of your heart."
"Oh, you should be wary. I have a price in mind. There are many dark forces in this world, Bard, and someday, perhaps someday soon, I will call on you for help to fight them. When that day comes, I will expect you to answer the summons."
"I-I will of course." This request sounded rather reasonable to Bard. Why would they not help to destroy dark forces when they presented themselves? In fact, as he and the others finished their breakfast he couldn't think of a single thing wrong with it. If all that was required was a good and noble deed, then what was the problem?
After the meal, the group left his home with Bard at their head and marched with his family across the town to the Master's mansion. With every step townspeople joined them in droves, and by the time they finally arrived at their destination it seemed the entire population was behind them. Alfrid was already there of course, the lickspittle had somehow weaseled out that the Master was gone and tried to assume control, but at the sight of the guard facing him with weapons drawn and not Bard, he ran for the hills. The man always was a coward.
"My people, hear me!" Bard announced in a loud voice as he took his place at the top of the stairs and brandished Harry's stolen papers high. "I have here the deeds to our town's vineyards, proof of our trade agreements, and everything else we need to run this town. I swear to you now that as the new Master of Laketown I will bring forth a time of plenty for us all. Let us move into this brighter future together!"
The cheers at his words were near monumentous, and by the end the bowman was carried off on the shoulders of his grateful townsfolk.
"What now, brother?" Thorin asked.
"Now we carry on our way. We have received passage, I bought supplies last night, and we have a grateful town behind us. Waiting around will only invite questions we do not want to deal with."
"He's right." Gandalf agreed. "We should carry on our way with all haste."
Balin was confused, "We still have plenty of time to reach the mountain, we could take a day or two to rest."
Thorin shook his head, "No, we cannot. We have rested enough in the woodland realm already, and who knows how long it will take to find the keyhole? We must away to have the best chance. The mountain pass is wide and we only have so long to search."
The others agreed readily enough once their king said his piece, and it was soon decided to be on their way. Harry reanimated the ornery horses and ponies, and soon enough they were back on the road. It took three days to reach the mountain from there and in that time Bilbo endeared himself once more to the group. It seemed he'd taken it upon himself to purchase a wheel of cheese while in Laketown, and everyone cheered his name as they added it to their favorite of his creations, Second Breakfast.
Soon enough however they came to the base of the mountain, and for the first time Harry and Bilbo realized just how truly massive the mass was. Oh sure, it had looked large enough from a distance, but up close it was something else. The peak extended up so far it actually cut through the cloud cover and seemed as though it were piercing the heavens. Truly, it was one of the most majestic structures the vampire had ever seen, far above Hogwarts, and the massive statues of dwarven warriors inching up the side only added to the aesthetic.
"Thorin, have I told you yet that your home is awesome?"
"No, but you could do so now." The dwarf king in all but name said smugly.
"Your home is awesome."
"Say it again."
"Don't push it. So how are we to scale this behemoth and begin our search?"
In answer, Balin and Dwalin moved to the massive stone dwarves and gestured to a space behind them. Upon looking closer the travelers took note of the steep incline of large stairs provided for climbing.
"Isn't this a defensive risk?" Bilbo wondered aloud.
"Hardly." Dwalin huffed. "You'd need to pull yourself up every step, a feat that would exhaust any enemy in the time taken to reach the top. What is more, there is no visible doorway. I always assumed these were just here for the stone carvers to have a place to moor themselves and work from. Apparently they were meant for something else."
"You think the door is up there?"
Gandalf craned his neck to look up above and nodded, "It would make sense. Out of the way, easily defensible, and still with a path of approach if it was needed. It is where I would post a secret entrance. Especially since only one key in the world can open it."
Thorin palmed his chest pocket at those words, as if to reassure himself that the key was still secure. "Enough talk, we must begin the climb. The map said we had to reach the keyhole by the last light of Durin's Day. That implies that it should be visible until nightfall on that day."
A thought occurred to Harry though. "That is one interpretation, Thorin. But it could also literally mean the last light of Durin's Day as well. Hell, it could even be referring to moonlight until Durin's Day. That is a form of light as well."
"A good point, Laddie." Balin nodded at the vampire's logic. "I think I understand. You are saying we should not despair upon not finding the keyhole in the daylight of our arrival because it could be hidden under misunderstood circumstances."
"Exactly. Well, that or what was written could have been misheard. We should just keep an open mind."
The group agreed to his logic and set off up the high steps. It took eight whole hours to climb to the top, and by then everyone was cursing the names Harry and Tauriel as those two were the only ones not dead tired by the effort. Indeed, they were laughing and joking around with each other the entire time.
"Damned elves and vampires." Dwalin groused as he bodily rolled over the last step. "Nothing should have that much energy."
"You're just jealous, you hammer wielding grump." Harry shot back. "Now, get the camp set up. Tauriel, Bilbo, and I will start searching for the keyhole."
"We will?" Bilbo asked, nervously. He'd honestly been hoping to grab a quick bite to eat after all of that climbing.
"We will." Harry confirmed. "Come along, Master Baggins, we've a door to track down." So saying, the trio took off over the rocky terrain to make their search. It was a good thing the three of them were first, as it turned out that the path was quite treacherous, and their surefootedness helped in plotting out where it was safest to roam.
Regardless, they found nothing that first night, nor the next day. By the third they began to lose hope, until Gandalf did something with his staff that illuminated the rock wall and depicted the most miniscule of chisel marks, long swept away in great detail by the ravages of time. Why else would construction have taken place on this wall if not to put something there?
So there they were, a location found, but no keyhole in sight. The more they searched, the more certain they became that the clue must truly have meant the last light of Durin's Day itself. So they had a few more days to kill. The group spent it discussing their lives, beliefs, hopes, and dreams, and in Harry's case, cuddling Tauriel. More and more he found himself wishing to be near her, to be holding her, to place his mouth upon her own. Was it the mating bond? Or was she just so amazing that he couldn't have helped his attraction if he'd tried. Either way, the two were practically joined at the hip until Durin's day finally came, waned, and the light of the moon illuminated them all in azure brilliance.
At once all of their eyes flitted to the wall, and there it was. A small indentation in the surface that had most assuredly not been there before. Their portal was ready.
Almost reverently, the group formed two lines and as Thorin passed between them with key in hand to the wall, he stopped. "Fili, kili, my sister's sons. Stand beside me."
"Yes, uncle."
"Of course, uncle."
They placed their hands upon his shoulders and Thorin stuck the key in its lock and twisted. The action created a loud crunching of stone on stone before a large rectangular section separated itself, pulling free from the rest and revealing a dark passage. The door was open.
"Onward!" Thorin proclaimed, only to be halted by a sharp nailed hand on his shoulder. "Yes, Harry?"
"Hold but a second, brother." Harry reached into his pockets and pulled out four items that he proceeded to place on the dwarf. A headband of red silk, a gold ring with a silver stone, a brass wristlet, and a necklace of interlocking silver chains. It escaped no one's notice that every inch of all of the articles was covered in intricate inscriptions.
"Each of these are runically powered to shield your mind from any outside influences."
Thorin's gaze hardened. "You think the gold sickness could take my mind?"
Harry took his brother's hands and said simply, "I worry more about the influence Smaug has had on the gold itself. I have spoken to Gandalf at length, and he has told me that the great serpents of this world can create a curse on their hoard with their mere presence. The gold could ensnare you, trap you, make you a prisoner in your own mind while your body goes on to search for ever more wealth no matter the cost. We could slay one dragon while you would become another in spirit. These items will prevent that from happening. Any one of them would do the job, but I believe in redundancy, so you have three spares. Once we have dealt with Smaug, if he lives, Gandalf and I will lift whatever curse he left behind on your people's wealth. I swear it."
Thorin's gaze evened out and softened at those words. "Always looking out for me, ey?" He started to chuckle. "If you keep this up, people are going to start thinking you are the older of us."
"I do what I can. Now, allow me to outfit the rest as well. I gather there's a lot of gold scattered around inside and touching any one piece unprotected could provide the same result for the others." So the rest of the company was similarly outfitted, with the exception of Harry and Gandalf. Both were fully capable of protecting their minds without it. Then it was time to go inside.
One after another they filed into the passage with Harry taking up the rear, and when the door began to close after him he placed a large rock in its path to hold it open a bit. Rule number one in his experience was to always know your way out of hostile situations. It only took three steps inside for Harry to stop short, a sudden realization pulsing through his body."
"Harry?" Tauriel slid back along the tight confines of the hall to take his hand, "What is it?"
Visibly shaking, Harry answered, "I can't feel anything living inside these caverns, Tauriel. There are no rats, no birds, no flies… there are no bats."