Disclaimers: See Chapter 1 for more info.
Frodo lay facedown on the ground. His nostrils caught the sweet forest smell. Had he gone back to the original timeline? No. Very clearly, his mind told him that he was in the alternate timeline. What happened now in the original timeline would take its course. He knew his job in the alternate timeline wasn't done. Sauron still needed to be defeated. If it weren't for Gollum breaking the connection in the original timeline, Frodo wouldn't have been where he was today. No! Frodo wasn't going to risk suffering under the One Ring's powers again. He'd just got used to being free of the horcrux. It was time to move on.
"My Lords," Bellatrix said in the near distance. Frodo guessed she was speaking to Voldemort and Sauron. "My Lords…."
"I do not need your assistance," Voldemort said coldly.
"I'm fine!" Sauron growled. "I feel… mortal. That's not right!" He asked aloud, "Go and check on him. See if Baggins is dead!"
Frodo could feel his left arm move close to his body. The Killing Curse did its work, bruising him with an iron-clad punch.
"Lotho," it was Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, whispering to him in desperation, "is he alive? Is Lotho alive?"
Lobelia's arm protected him, giving him the chance to whisper, Yes.
"Frodo Baggins is dead!" Lobelia lied to Sauron, convincingly.
"Fair enough." Sauron said, his footsteps creeping up behind Frodo. "Then I shall have to check and make sure myself."
Frodo feigned death, doing his best to keep his composure and his mouth still. The Cruciatus Curse came upon him. To his surprise, Frodo didn't feel anything. Nothing! Like he was alright. He was lifted into the air, tossed around a few times. His muscles ached. He couldn't even itch. He just had to pretend that he was dead. Eventually, he was set down on the cold, hard ground again, doing his best to lay still.
"Fair enough!" Sauron repeated. "You! Cat, you will carry the boy."
Frodo kept his eyes shut. His neck ached. Something bit down on his jacket, the teeth nearly breaking through the skin. He was lifted off the ground, this time onto a warm, furry body. It was the body of a lioness. There were tears and sniffling noises. It must have been Melena, crying over his loss. He didn't know where he was headed. The forest sounds died away. Eventually, soft breezes whipped through his hair. What was going on now?
There were more voices. Startled voices. Voldemort gave his speech. Then Sauron joined in.
"Frodo Baggins is dead!" Sauron cackled triumphantly.
"NOOO! YOU MONSTER!" Aria cried, jolting back for a split second.
"You – do you know what this means?" Sauron cried out in excitement. "It means, you will bow before me and Voldemort. Oh yes! I have done my triumph well. In ridding the world of Frodo Baggins, the only timeline that will come to pass will be this one! You wretches, thinking you can defeat me? The all-powerful Maia who so gladly created the timeline when hobbits and authors would come? Me, who saved you all from danger? Frodo Baggins is dead! Now I ask all hobbits and authors to step forward and claim what is theirs!"
Frodo's fingers tingled with exhilaration. His wand hung from his breeches' pocket. He was ready. He hoped that Sam or Aria would step up, face Sauron for who he was and send out a rallying call. For hope. For everyone they loved.
"Ah!" Sauron cried. "A hobbit has stepped forward. Tell me, what is your name? Why do you wish to join?"
"My name is Samwise Gamgee." Sam's voice protruded in the air. "You will not win today, Sauron."
"Dumbledore's Army!" Neville cried, amazing the crowd.
Frodo's fingers tingled once more, almost going numb. He could hear fire and so many things going on at once. Grawp appearing on the scene. Neville aflame. Screams all over the place. Frodo couldn't waste any more time. He had to act. He had to do something! In his haste, he opened his eyes and caught Harry pulling on his Invisibility Cloak. Frodo waved his hand at his body, becoming invisible through hand magic.
He slid off Melena's lioness form, bolting into the Great Hall, in time to see Neville chop Nagini's head off. Screaming faces protruded from the snake, evaporating into the air. They were Voldemort's faces.
Frodo spun around, watching the three duels take place in the middle of the Great Hall. Sauron against Melena; Voldemort against McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley; and Bellatrix against Hermione, Ginny, and Luna. Mrs. Weasley stepped in, dueling Bellatrix head on. Both women were set to kill.
It was over in minutes. Mrs. Weasley won the battle with a curse, smacking Bellatrix's heart with it. Bellatrix crumpled and fell, becoming lifeless and rigid.
Enough was enough! As soon as he saw Melena knocked down, Frodo pulled out his wand and jetted a spell in the middle of the hall, next to Harry and Voldemort, shielding them all. Sauron searched and searched for the source of the spellcaster. Frodo waved his hand over his body, making himself visible.
"He's alive!" one of the students cried.
"They both are!" Aria said, overjoyed.
"NO!" Frodo pulled away from Sam. "I have to do this! It has to be me. I've got to do this, Sam."
"You're right." Sam said, backing away. He turned to Aria and said, "It's going to be all right. I trust him."
"You do?" Aria asked, stunned.
"HA!" Sauron called, egging Frodo on. "You sure you don't want anyone to shield you, after I kill you?"
"Sauron, there aren't anymore Horcruxes. It's just us. In the end, one of us will be dead. For good this time."
"I am a Maia. The Elder Wand is mine!" Sauron called, cackling. "I took it, changed time! It's…" The Elder Wand faded in and out. "It's still fading. NOO! This wand belongs to me!"
Frodo shrugged. "Yeah, you're right. You did take it." He sighed. "That is why I am giving you a chance to surrender, a chance for a fresh start. Stop this killing spree! Become a hero!"
"Oh, my time is long gone." Sauron snickered. "Hasn't anyone told you this?" He snickered. "I bet you don't have the heart to – beat – me!"
"Mairon, you're not listening!" Frodo said, trying to coax Sauron back to the light. "Please, stop this! Join us. Be good." Maybe there was hope for Sauron. "Please?"
"I don't take orders from you!" Sauron snarled, readying his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
The spells collided. Frodo felt the pull and tug of both spells in action. He hardly noticed Harry and Voldemort doing the exactly same thing. The green jets met with Harry and Frodo's own spells. The Elder Wands flew in the air, joining in the middle, and at last were caught by Harry. Voldemort and Sauron fell backwards, their eyes rolling up, their bodies becoming feeble and shrunken. All that was left were empty shells.
There was a shivering second of silence, and then the tumult broke with rounds of applause, roars, and cheering from the watchers standing in the hall. The new sun dazzled in the windows. Frodo was joined by the crowd, congratulating him on this victory. He was their leader and symbol, much like Harry was now. Neither had slept. The sun climbed higher in the sky. For Frodo, all he wanted was time alone with a few people. He knew which ones he wanted to meet with first.
"Go. I'll distract them." Luna whispered to Frodo and Harry. Frodo understood, waiting until after Luna distracted the crowd, before waving his hand over his body, casting the invisibility spell once again.
Frodo moved through the Great Hall with ease, watching people gather in small groups. Frodo was fine with this. He would have hours, days, maybe years to talk to those he cared about. This was his home. This was where he belonged.
"It's me." Frodo whispered to Sam and Aria. "Can we talk alone?"
"We can follow Harry, Ron, and Hermione!" Aria suggested, standing up.
"Yes. I think that would be wise." Sam said, joining them.
Frodo didn't hesitate to follow his friends out into the courtyard. There was the statue. He followed them up the stairs and into the office. There was Dumbledore's portrait. Frodo waved his hand over his body, making himself visible.
"There was something else that didn't make sense." Ron said, casually. "How come the Elder Wand reacted to Frodo? It didn't work for Sauron."
"That's what makes this interesting." Frodo said, getting his friends' attention. "Sauron grabbed the Elder Wand when the timelines were jarred. What he didn't get was the Elder Wand never belonged to him. It wasn't his master. And for this reason, I must tell you five something: when the connection between the One Ring and myself was broken by Gollum, I became connected to Harry, in ways I have yet to understand."
"Draco disarmed Dumbledore that night in the Astronomy Tower. That much is certain. My guess is since Harry disarmed Draco, the Elder Wand belongs to us. What makes this more interesting is both Elder Wands joined together, after Sauron and Voldemort were killed. The Elder Wand belongs to Harry." Frodo added, "I don't think it belongs to me anymore." He grinned, relief washing over him.
"What are we gonna do with it?" Aria asked, curious.
"What?" Sam asked, surprised. "Aria, how could you say that?! Think on it?"
"What?! It's the Elder Wand!" Aria said, stunned but smiling. "I mean, it's a powerful wand! Quite frankly, we can use it. Maybe to repair a wand."
"Yeah. That's what I thought." Harry said, understanding. He pulled out his broken wand, using the Elder Wand to repair it. A miracle! His old wand was whole again! Harry grinned, satisfied. "I'm done with adventures. Now, I wonder where Kreacher has gone off to? I'd like for him to make me a sandwich." Harry said, leaving the office with Ron and Hermione.
Frodo raised an eyebrow, knowingly. "Well, I say the adventure's just beginning." He smiled at Aria. "Was that doubt I heard earlier? Did you think I couldn't do it? That I couldn't defeat Sauron on my own?"
"How did you defeat Sauron?" Aria asked, confused. "I mean, I hoped you would survive. I just… feared for your life. I shouldn't have doubted you."
"Hey. I would have doubted it myself, if Frodo hadn't survived." Sam recovered, "But he did! So, I'm relieved."
Frodo chuckled. "Sauron was mortal. He was an even match for me. It was the only way I could… defeat him. Believe me, I wanted him to come back, let him see things on the good things in life." He sighed, "We'll never know." He grinned at Aria. "I don't want the adventuring to stop." He added with hopefulness and joy, "I'm rather looking forward to the next one."
"And I'm willing to share it with you. Together." Aria added, smiling back at him.
"Together." Frodo said with a nod.
Thanks for reading. :)