A/N Anyone who's read my Severus Snape and the Art of War fic knows that I'm obsessed with having an accurate timeline portrayal. In this fic however, I'm afraid I'll have to let that go. In the books, Frodo doesn't leave the Shire for another twenty-two years at the age of fifty after inheriting the One Ring from Bilbo. They didn't do this in the movies to prevent things from getting too stretched out. Since I want this story to be as movie friendly as possible, time will have to surpass a little differently.

p.s. English is not my native language. If you find any grammatical errors, please feel free to point them out so I can edit the chapter. The better the flow, the more enjoyable it'll be for readers yet to come.

The River Brandywine

Sunlight was burning into his eyelids. Though very strange and peculiar, Severus could feel that he was floating upriver, drifting against the current of the stream. The sound of water, songbirds and the rustle of leaves filled his ears with sweet delight. Lily, find me! His last words to her echoed through his mind. Lily.

With a gentle nudge he knew he had hit a rock with his shoulder and opened his eyes. Above him, the image of an arched bridge appeared. He could hear voices speaking to one another but could not make out what they were saying. Their accent was one he had never heard before.

Lily. The comfort of the gentle sound around him shattered like a stone hurled through glass. He pulled himself out onto the riverbank and leaned against the damp stones of the arch. All the memories from before started flooding back to him. The Gillyweed. The rain. Lily lying at the bottom of the Lake, looking up at him. The self-restraint it took not to kiss her there, in the private comfort of the deep. The ring.

He could feel he was still holding on to the ring, the leaves of the ring pricking into the skin of his clenched fist. It could not have been a Portkey. It if had been, it would have taken him back by now. Slowly he opened his hand, revealing that the ring was indeed still there, shining even brighter now that it was out in the open air. Lily.

Quickly he shoved the ring into his pocket as his hands started to tremble. There was no sign of her red hair around him. He remembered the imprint of her hand, tightly wrapped around his, desperate to hold on, but she had been swept away by a different current.

What if she had drowned? What if she had been found elsewhere? With all the strength he could muster, he pulled himself from the steep riverbank to the road above him. Several of the little people dressed in strange clothing took notice of him. Little?

'Has anyone seen a girl?' he asked. 'About my age. Very pale. Red curly hair. Green eyes, loads of freckles.'

No-one answered. It appeared the people before him were just as surprised about his presence as he was with them. 'I lost her,' he continued, the desperation prominent in his voice. 'Has anyone seen her?'

'Are you an elf, sir?' asked a particularly brave looking little man.

Severus hurled his eyebrows together, wondering why on earth anyone would compare him to some ugly pointy-eared house-elf. 'Have you seen her?'

The little man was taken aback by the fury in Severus's eyes. 'I have not met a woman of such description, no sir,' he said hastily. 'Perhaps you should ask at the Prancing Pony.'

'what's the Prancing Pony?'

'It's an Inn to the Northeast. In Bree, sir. Up the river and through the Old Forest. You'll find more people of your stature in there.'

His heart started pounding in his chest. The fact that there were more people around that looked like himself at least confirmed that he had not completely lost his mind. Without uttering another word, he started running, following the road along the river, the water from his clothes still dripping down to the heels of his bare feet.

The surroundings he encountered were entirely foreign to him. He passed many green hills and small lakes, which reminded him of the English midlands, but still there was something about it that did not entirely fit. There were no signs of any cars by neither sight nor sound. The few houses he encountered were all made of wood and stone and had thatched roofs, and some were even built into the hills and had large round doors in various colours. From the lack of streetlights down to the dirt road, it all felt very medieval to him.

Having spent years mastering the art of hiding, Severus would frequently duck behind trees whenever he encountered another group of the little people and would wait until he was certain they were out of sight. Some had ponies and wagons filled with various farm items. Others were gossiping amongst each other about some "Baggins" and strange riders, and talk of breakfast and supper also seemed to be frequently discussed among these strange people. All the while Severus did not dare to tear his eyes away from the river, hoping to catch of glimpse of red.

Severus did not stop until he encountered the edge of the forest the strange little man had mentioned. The ash and oak trees stood mighty tall against the bright blue sky. Its tangled crowns leaving very little light to reach the forest floor. The river he had followed appeared to fork straight into the forest, and he knew there was no other way than making it through it if he wanted to reach this place called Bree. Knowing he could not run any further without catching a break, he sat down and leaned against an oak, trying his hardest to recollect his thoughts.

His hands were still shaking. Nothing was making any sense and he was trying to suppress any form of panic as far as his mind allowed him to. His clothes had nearly dried up from the cold river water, but he still felt chills running up and down his spine as he gazed into the forest. He understood why the strange little man had called it the Old Forest. There was something deeply ancient about it. Much more so than the Forbidden Forest at the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, and dark. So dark that it appeared night had already fallen. He was familiar with most magical creatures that dwelled in the Forbidden Forest, but since he did not know where he was, he could not figure out what to expect, and that thought frightened him. And then there were the sounds. Rumblings, as though low deep breaths were drawn and released, echoed through the rustling leaves. The creaking of the branches was sharp and eerily. There was old magic involved in these woods. He could sense it in the thick mist that lingered over the ground, hiding the trees' roots.

Still securely fastened in the strap up his sleeve, Severus pulled out his wand. 'Lumos,' he muttered into the air. A faint white light appeared at the tip of his wand, but it diffused into smoke like a moth that had been drawn into flame. 'Lumos,' he repeated, a little louder this time. The faint white light disappeared as quickly as it had come. He swallowed hard. His wand was not working, but whether his wand was refusing on its own accord, or other forces were at play, he did not know. 'Expecto Patronum,' he cried out in a final desperate attempt. Again, a mere faint whisp of light vaporised before him.

Tears started streaming down his face as he looked behind the tree his was still leaning against. The sun had started to set, and soon he would be surrounded by darkness. Severus shoved his wand back into the strap and understood in his heart that he could not linger near the edge of the forest if he wanted to continue his search for Lily. He forced himself back up and felt that his feet were tired and cold but ready to start walking. If the strange little man was true to his word, then all he needed to do was continue following the river until he reached the other end of the forest. But how big was this forest? It could take days – weeks, even, until he reached the other side. And even then, he did not know how long the road to Bree would be. The river could provide him with water, but what would he eat? His fondness for Herbology lessons has taught him how to separate edible plants from poisonous ones, but he had no clue as to where he could find them within this strange forest, and straying too far away from the river didn't strike him as a smart thing to do.

As Severus took his first step forward, he felt the ring in his pocket pushing against his leg. He took it out and saw that the yellow stone that adorned the shimming elm leaves of the band shone bright from the inside out. Its golden colour illuminated the tops of the trees and all that surrounded him, awakening several birds and other creatures, who cried out in annoyance. The ring, perhaps the strangest thing of all strange things that have happened since he dove into the Great Lake, was revealing the path before him where his wand could not. He placed the ring around his finger, and it filled him with a sense of serenity and peace. The darkness of the forest ahead of him did not frighten him as much as it did before, and with that, he continued to step forward.

Several hours must have passed. Sometimes he caught sight of a single star shimmering through the canopies, but most he heard the flowing of the gentle river, and the continuous low rumbling sound that seemed to come from the depths of the earth underneath his feet. Despite the beautiful golden light the ring was providing for him, Severus felt that his eyes were growing weary. The tees grew thicker, taller, and darker with each passing step, and his pace was slow as he now had to climb over the roots of the enormous trees, rather than stepping over them.

He did not want to rest until he had found a trace of Lily's whereabouts. He would take any sign or hint by now that she was out there, somewhere. Something that told him that she was elsewhere, alive and cared for – and safe above all. And yet, rest was something that his body was desperately desiring. The soles of his feet, not used to being bare on soil, were burning from the cuts and bruises caused by sharp broken branches on the ground.

As he lowered himself from a root down onto the ground again, he noticed that he had entered a circle of trees, secluding a pond that had formed in the middle. The place felt safe from all the darkness of the forest, and yet Severus also understood perfectly well that safety was a mere illusion amongst these trees. He walked up to the edge of the pond, went down on his knees and cupped his hands to let the clear cold water flow in between his fingers. As he watched his hands fill up, a single petal of a white flower drifted into his hands. A moment later, a whole flower followed. Water lilies.

Severus looked up and saw that the entire pond was filled with white water lilies. He looked up even further and his heart started pounding vividly in his chest, as a pair of bright-blue eyes were staring right back at him. With a swift motion of his hand, he grabbed his wand from underneath his sleeve and pointed it straight at the person in front of him. 'Who are you?' he shouted and demanded while shifting around uncomfortably on his feet. The woman on the other side of the pond seemed unphased by Severus's fear and outburst, and smiled a radiant smile illuminated by the light of the ring.

'I am the daughter of the River,' she answered. 'Though most folks in these parts refer to me by my other name; Goldberry.' Her voice was beautiful and musical, and her long golden-yellow hair flowed down in waves. She was wearing a gown in the colours of spring and a golden belt adorned with lilies and forget-me-nots. 'And who might you be, Stranger from a strange Land?'

'I'm Severus,' said Severus, refusing to lower his wand. 'I'm lost, and I have lost my friend. Have you seen her? Heard from her? She's the same age as I am, flaming red hair and has freckles all over.'

Goldberry shook her head. 'Feel free to lower whatever it is that you are holding up against me, Severus from a strange land,' she said while holding up her hand. 'If you are exhausted and weary, I can take you to my home. There I can provide you with a bed and food and drink, and we can speak of this friend that you have lost.'

Severus hesitated, but lowered his wand nonetheless. 'I fear for her life,' he said with a quiver in his voice. 'And I fear for my own as well. I don't know where I am.'

'You are asking the wrong questions,' said Goldberry, still smiling. She picked up a pottery jug filled with water lilies from the forest ground. 'Follow me if you wish. One cannot think well if one has not dined well. My home is not far from here and I believe you still have strength in you left. Also, it is going to rain soon.'

Severus had to make the choice to either stay out here in the darkness, or follow her, and chose the latter. They travelled further up the river, side by side, in silence. Along the way the path became clearer as it was bordered with stones, and the grass under his feet felt shorter and neatly trimmed. At last, they arrived in front of a wooden house with a white stone threshold. As they entered, he was met with the warmth of a hearth and the scent of baked goods. Homely, comfortable, and safe. It reminded him of the home of Lily's family.

Goldberry led Severus to another part of the house, where a large dark wooden table still bore the evidence of scraps and leftovers from previous company. She placed the pottery jug with water lilies onto the table and said, 'I shall go into the kitchen to fashion you something. Feel free to take a seat and rest.'

Severus did as he was told and set down at the table. His body welcomed the warmth that seemed to radiate throughout the house and relaxed as he leaned his elbows on the table, carrying the weight of his burdened body. There were not just water lilies in the jug, they were everywhere. In other jugs and pots and jars they stoodscattered throughout the house, floating in their own pool of water. It reminded him of the conversation he had had with Lily on top of the Hufflepuff tower.

Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants by Selina Sapworthy. Do we need this for Potions or Herbology?'

'Preferably both.'

'Preferably?'

'Most of the ingredients we use for our Potions are of European origin. This is all about African water plants that were collected by Sir Winogrand.'

'It's got a water lily on the cover.'

'Those are native to the African continent, yes.'

'I got my name because of Claude Monet's water lily paintings, did you know?'

'I didn't.'

Goldberry returned to the table with a large bowl of mushroom soup and a platter of bread and butter. 'I'm afraid to say our previous guests have nearly cleared out our pantry,' she said as she placed it down in front of him. 'I hope this will suffice.'

'It is perfect,' said Severus as he started buttering the bread. 'Thank you.'

Pleased by Severus's answer, Goldberry started to speak. 'The water lilies are a tradition between my husband and I,' she said, as if she had somehow understood that Severus was looking for answers related to the water lilies. Tom Bombadil, as is his name, came upon a band of travellers a few days ago as he went to pick the last water lilies of the season for me. As is by Eru's will, he is now guiding them out of the Old Forest.'

'Eru?' Severus asked as he looked up from his soup.

Goldberry looked Severus in the eye and took a moment to answer. 'Stranger from a strange land,' she said again, as though confirming it to herself. 'Eru Illúvatar is the Father of All. The All-Powerful. The One whose realm is in the Timeless Halls. He and He alone created the Holy Ones in his thoughts, and they were named the Ainur by the elves. Through the Flame Imparishable, He and the Ainur created Arda, the Earth as we know it. The Ainur did so through the Ainulindalë, the Great Music. They sang the theme of Illúvatar through keys and harps. Through lutes and pipes and trumpets. Through violins and organs, and most of all through choirs and words of song. And all the melodies wove into harmony that passed beyond hearing into the depths and into the heights, and the dwelling of Illúvatar was filled to overflowing, and the music and the echo of the music went out into the Void, and it was not void.'

Many words were spoken by Goldberry that Severus had never heard before, and for a moment he had forgotten to eat as her telling brought comfort to his ears.

'I believe that it was also at the will of Eru that I needed to go back to the pond,' she continued, 'believing in my heart that not all water lilies have found their way back home yet. Stretch out the palm of your hand for me if you will.' Severus did as she asked. From a pocket of her gown, she pulled out a dried-up water lily bud and placed it in the palm of his hand. 'Just watch and be patient.'

Slowly, bit by bit, the brown leaves were painting themselves back to white. They unfurled one by one, as if dancing, and bloomed as if the sun had finally given her blessing of life. This, too, reminded Severus of an old memory. Of the time he had first seen Lily at the playground, opening and closing the petals of a dandelion in the palm of her hand, just as he were doing now.

'Are you a witch?' he asked as he handed the water lily back to Goldberry. Goldberry shook her head. 'I am the daughter of the River,' she said, 'as I have told you when we first met. And what that means is not of importance to you. I am, however, rather curious as to what you are. You strike me as an elf, and yet you are not an elf. You strike me as a man, and yet you are not a man. What are you?'

'I'm a wizard,' said Severus, wondering if he wasn't breaking the Statute of Secrecy by revealing so. 'I'm from England, and my school is in Scotland. I was there last until I got here.'

A wizard,' Goldberry repeated. 'I have only known of five wizards who have ever roamed these lands. Together they form the Heren Istarion, the Order of Wizards. They are Maiar, servants of the Valar, who entered Arda after its creation to give order to the world. The Valar brought the Maiar to the world to help remind the free people that they were not forgotten. Their names are Curumo, Olórin, Aiwendil, Mohrinehtar and Rómestámo. By the free people they are known as Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown, and the Ithryn Luin, the Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando. The latter two have long been forgotten since they went East…'

Goldberry looked up as though she was trying to remember something from ancient times. 'But a wizard,' she continued. 'Is that why you carry that branch with you?'

Severus pulled out his wand from his sleeve. 'This is my wand,' he said as he placed it in front of her at the table. 'It is how I channel my powers. Only it doesn't seem to be working since I arrived in this place.' The fact that his wand didn't work left a sour taste in his mouth. It felt as though an extension of his being had given up on him, and it made him feel unprotected and insecure.

'There are other forces at work,' Goldberry explained while eying the wand with curiosity. 'Forces greater than the simple mind can comprehend. Being a wizard is not something that is taken lightly by those who roam these lands. I see that you have finished your supper?'

Slightly taken aback by the sudden disruption of the conversation, Severus nodded in agreement.

'We shall continue this conversation tomorrow, for we have yet to discuss the ring around your finger, amongst other things,' she insured Severus with a graceful smile. 'For now, you must rest, for the road ahead of you is dark and full of danger.'

She led Severus up a flight of stairs and into a cosy little room. Pulling a room dividing curtain to the side, she revealed a tub already filled with hot water, and on the other side of the room stood a bed with fresh linen sheets and candles burning at each side. 'Refresh yourself, and sleep,' she said, 'for it is how we help our mind connect the things that don't make sense when we are awake.'

'Thank you,' Severus muttered to her. His gratitude for her kindness extended far beyond the words that he was able to speak, but he was too exhausted to express otherwise. As Goldberry closed the door behind her, he undressed himself and lowered himself into the tub. There, he stared up at the wooden ceiling. The many words that Goldberry had spoken started swirling in his mind. Of Eru and the Flame Imparishable. Of the Valar and the Ainur and the Council of Wizards. Of wizards Blue and Grey. And of being the daughter of the River, whatever that might be. And then there was the water lily that she had handed to him, bursting out into bloom in the palm of his hand. It had given him strange comfort, as though it somehow confirmed that Lily was still alive out there – somewhere.

Certain that all the dirt and sweat had been scrubbed from his hair and body, he dried himself off with a cloth and looked out of the small window into the Old Forest. Since the surroundings of the house were cleared of any trees, more stars could be seen than he had before. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that he was no longer in Great Britain, nor on the continent for that matter. He had been teleported by the ring to some place else entirely. Some place that had not been drawn on any map of the world that he knew.

In the far distance, Severus caught a glimpse of a dark figure moving swiftly amongst the trees. Not wanting to burden himself with even more fear and suspicion, he closed the curtain, blew out the candles, and fell into a chaotic and troubling slumber.

A/N Goldberry and her husband Tom Bombadil were excluded from the movies. Most likely because they would be more of a disruption in the continuation of the movie rather than an addition. In the Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Tolkien described Goldberry as the seasonal changes in nature, and Tom Bombadil as the nature spirit of the English countryside.