Chapter 1: Insight into the Unknown World

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Anything related to Lord of the Rings is J.R.R. Tolkien's and Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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'Well, I believe I should start from the beginning...' Dumbledore said, deliberating on where to begin.

'It is typically the best place to start,' Haldir agreed, and Legolas nodded.

Dumbledore chuckled. 'Yes, well, I think I'll start by telling you the forest you are presently residing in is the Forbidden Forest. It is next to a castle which is, in fact, the school I am Headmaster of. The school is Hogwarts, and it is a place where young witches and wizards can come to learn all there is to know about the Wizarding World,' he began, pacing in front of them. 'The reason I came in here was because I felt a peculiar disturbance and came to investigate. It could have been one of my students disobeying the rules, as they know this forest has its namesake for a reason. It seems the Magic keeping you concealed was wearing off and this, I can only assume, is what triggered it,' he clarified, and the two Elves nodded in understanding. 'Now, to begin my proposal, and the story of why I am going to ask you only to consider it. Give me an answer as you see fit,' he told them.

Legolas shifted a little. 'That seems reasonable. Please, continue,' he said, gesturing for the old wizard to speak again.

'There is a young boy at the tender age of sixteen who is part of a prophecy to complete a task which would seem impossible at such an early age. The prophecy consists of a simple rule; one lives, and one dies. It is a sad truth, but I fear he may fail in the end. His name is Harry Potter, and he is a remarkable wizard who is also, lamentably, an orphan. The man he needs to kill murdered his parents when he was only a year old. This year, I have seen to it he will be receiving proper training from specialists in the arts of many combat attributes,' he paused, letting the words sink in.

Legolas frowned. 'What does this have to do with us?' he questioned, fingering the bow he received from the Lady of Light many years ago.

Dumbledore smiled. 'With two Elves on our side, I trust Harry will find the confidence and strength he needs to defeat the Dark Lord.'

At the last words, the two Elves became rigid. 'Dark Lord!?' Haldir asked in disbelief, and Legolas' expression turned to one of worry.

Dumbledore frowned at their reaction. 'Yes, is something the matter?' he probed, peering at them in interest and confusion at their reaction.

'You cannot mean Sauron!' Legolas said with fear. 'We destroyed him! We fought in that battle and succeeded,' he said more to himself than Dumbledore.

'Sauron? Who is that?' Dumbledore asked in bewilderment.

Legolas and Haldir exchanged a fleeting glance. 'He was a Dark Lord of long past who forged a ring of power which he put his cruelty, malice, and evil so he could control all the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. It seems this Dark Lord you speak of is not the same, so please continue,' Haldir said, and the two Elves visibly relaxed.

Dumbledore nodded, though he was still puzzled, and continued, 'The Dark Lord of our time calls himself Voldemort. He is an extraordinary wizard with tremendous power and control over many of the magical creatures inhabiting the planet,' he clarified, and then his expression became one of utter seriousness. 'All I ask is you stall your fading for only a short while and guard young Harry from the threats he is bound to face in the upcoming year. Alas, he tends to rush into danger without thinking it through first. He has only recently come back to Hogwarts, but I fear danger may be only just around the corner. This is my proposition for you both,' he concluded, falling silent while he waited patiently for either of them to speak.

Haldir and Legolas stood for a moment in silence, both judging how this proposal could benefit them, and of the negative aspects of it. Eventually, they murmured in Elvish, discussing and offering their thoughts and feelings to the matter. It was only a short while before they turned back to Dumbledore. 'We have spoken of your proposition, agreeing to guard the boy, but only for a short time. We grow weary of this existence, and we wish to see the back of it,' Haldir told him firmly.

'We also want your word if we would like to depart at any time so we may fade, you will let us go with no dispute,' Legolas said, staring hard at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded promptly. 'You have my word,' he said sincerely, bowing his head a little.

'What is it you wish us to do? Should we remain here or follow?' Haldir asked.

'If you would follow me back to Hogwarts, I will introduce the both of you to the staff and students. Also, if it is alright with you both, I will tell them you are both Elves,' Dumbledore said.

Haldir nodded, 'Agreed.'

Dumbledore stood patiently, watching the two Elves quickly gather their belongings. They trailed him through the forest they had come to know as a temporary home.

It wasn't long before the sky started to darken, and they could see tiny pinpricks through the trees indicating there were lights up ahead. Legolas and Haldir became quite cautious of this because they weren't sure what to expect upon leaving the forest.

Legolas glanced around before looking at Dumbledore. 'What are we to expect in this changed era?' he asked him, moving to walk next to him.

Dumbledore glanced at him. 'Well, I don't know. Probably more advanced technology than in your time, I can assure you,' he answered, finally reaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and visible in front of them was an enormous castle. Legolas and Haldir halted right at the perimeter without leaving the forest, both staring at the castle in awe. Dumbledore continued walking but turned upon realising the two Elves were not following. 'Are you coming? You have nothing to fear. Also, if we hurry, we will be able to get to the Great Hall before the students and staff arrive for dinner. I can announce you then,' he told them, and they nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Legolas and Haldir stepped out of the safety of the forest, feeling the soft wet grass beneath their feet. As they walked, they looked around for any immediate danger. The castle didn't startle them, they were around in Middle-Earth, but the architect of it was still a lot more advanced than they were back then.

Legolas looked up when they reached the main doors leading into the castle, observing a large clock, and he looked at it in awe, not knowing what it was. He turned to Dumbledore, indicating to the clock. 'What is that?' he asked.

Dumbledore glanced up at the clock with a smile. 'That, Legolas, is a clock. It tells what time of the day it is.'

Legolas frowned. 'I need no clock to tell time,' he whispered while they entered the castle.

'What do you use to tell the time?' Dumbledore asked curiously, leading them to another set of double doors and pausing to watch them eye the entrance hall in awe.

Legolas looked at him. 'We can tell what time it is by the position of the sun or moon in the sky.'

Dumbledore raised his eyes in interest. 'Ah, so it is much like how I tell the time. Then my watch will interest you,' he told them, pulling up the sleeve of his robe, uncovering his watch which had little planets orbiting the sun. Legolas and Haldir ogled at it in amazement, and Dumbledore smiled at them. 'This is how I tell time when I do not have a regular clock in my immediate vicinity,' he told them, turning to open the double doors.

The hall the three companions entered reminded Legolas of the Golden Hall of Edoras in Rohan, but only because of the size, and the throne-like chair that was sitting on a raised platform. Only it was behind a vast oak table with chairs lining each side of it. The four rather long tables spanning the length of the hall in front of them baffled him, and he became equally confused by the four banners hanging above them arrayed in different colours. Above the throne chair at the back of the hall was another banner with a shield split into four sections, depicting four different species of animals in each. They were set on different coloured backgrounds which seemed to relate to the four banners hanging above the four tables.

'What do these banners represent?' Haldir questioned, scanning the ceiling, which he only now saw there were floating candles, and he gasped in surprise.

Dumbledore smiled at the curiosity of the two Elves. 'The four different banners separate the four Houses in Hogwarts. The green and silver one with the serpent is for Slytherin. The blue and bronze one with the eagle is for Ravenclaw. The yellow and black one with the badger is for Hufflepuff. And last, is the scarlet and gold with the lion for Gryffindor,' Dumbledore clarified, pointing to each as he spoke. 'The larger one portraying all the emblems of the houses is the main banner of Hogwarts. The quote underneath, 'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus' means-'

Haldir cut him off. 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon?' he asked, looking at Dumbledore in confusion.

'How is it you know what it means?' Dumbledore asked in bewilderment.

Legolas was the one who answered, 'It is part of a song we once sang amongst our kin long past. It was well-known in Mirkwood, Rivendell, and Lothlórien.'

'That is fascinating,' Dumbledore muttered to himself more than to them, but he shrugged it off and led them to the staff table. 'I will arrange seats for you both on either side of me. There is another small favour I will ask you both if it is not too much trouble,' he said to them, while the staff started entering from a side door. They all stopped upon seeing the Elves with Dumbledore, looking on curiously.

'What is it you wish of us?' Haldir inquired in a lowered voice.

'Will you take up the position of becoming the Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers while you are here. I failed in finding a suitable person, so the class is on hold for the moment. It is not normal to have two Professors for the same class, but in this case, I will make an exception. Will you take up this task?' he asked them.

Legolas and Haldir glanced at each other fleetingly before frowning at the Headmaster. 'We would not know what to do,' Legolas countered, while the members of staff in the background began taking their seats except for an elderly woman wearing emerald green robes and a black clad man with greasy black hair.

'Teach them defensive techniques you know, and I will give you books to read on to help but teach them your way of fighting if you are willing,' Dumbledore explained.

The two Elves shared another glance, looking towards the doors on the other side of the hall when they opened. Students filed in, walking to their designated tables while looking up at the staff table. Legolas sighed, turning away, while Haldir kept his eyes on the students. They turned to each other, once again conferring their thoughts on the matter in Elvish, and, at length, they turned back to Dumbledore. 'It is settled, we will take it upon ourselves to teach the children everything we know about our ways of fighting,' Haldir told him, bowing his head.

'I am in your debt,' Dumbledore said, smiling, and he turned towards the elderly woman and the man who were still standing looking on in confusion. 'Ah, Minerva, Severus, I would like to introduce to you two Elves of the Woodland Realm,' he told them, and their eyes widened, both taking in the two blonde Elves. Dumbledore gestured to Haldir first. 'This is Haldir of Lórien, was it?' he invited the Elf, receiving a nod in return. 'And this is Legolas, the Prince of Mirkwood,' he told them, smiling.

Minerva eyed them interestedly. 'Pleasure. What is it you are here for?' she asked them.

'To teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, and to guard a young Harry Potter,' Haldir replied, bowing his head.

'Interesting choice in Professors, Headmaster,' Severus said to Dumbledore who only smiled in return. The two Professors took their seats, noticing there were two extra on either side of Dumbledore's chair for the Elves.

While all the students filed in, the chatter and whispering died down to complete silence. Dumbledore stood tall at a podium near the edge of the platform with the two Elves standing either side of him. 'A few announcements to make before we devour our lovely feast. I must express caution; the third floor is out of bounds to all students again for reasons I will not divulge. Only it is perilous to go there unless you wish to die most gruesomely.' At this there was murmurs from the students, which halted as Dumbledore raised his hand for silence.

'On a lighter note, Defence Against the Dark Arts classes will start again tomorrow. I have found two Professors perfectly capable of teaching it,' he told them, and the students whispered amongst themselves at the thought of two Professors teaching the same class until Dumbledore hushed them again. 'I would like to introduce you all to Haldir and Legolas, of the Woodland Realm. They are Wood-Elves and are in no way related to the House-Elves,' he explained, and more hushed whispers broke out amongst the students. Dumbledore waved his hand and food materialized on the tables, alarming Legolas and Haldir. They looked up when the floating candles started to glow, illuminating the hall with their radiance. Dumbledore smiled at them, turning back to the students. 'That is all,' he said, leading his companions to their chairs, and they sat down, eyeing the foreign-looking food with curiosity.

Legolas scanned the hall, observing the children eating and talking about trivial things, but his eyes were drawn to three curious looking students. Two of them huddled close together on one side of the table, while the third was on the other, and they were talking in whispers, glancing up at Haldir and himself every now and again. Even with his enhanced hearing, he could not make out what they were saying, but the girl with them glanced up, and her eyes locked on to his for a few moments before she went back to talking to her companions.