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Shadows of the Past	By : LadyLaran Category: Harry Potter Crossovers > Het - Male/Female Views: 12317 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Disclaimer – We do not own “Harry Potter,” “the Silmarillion,” and “the Hobbit.” We don't make any money for this story.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
Authors’ Note – We have to apologize for the delay, and I take most of the blame. Writing has been a challenge with everything going on, and I know Rogercat has been involved with other projects too. She also lost her maternal grandmother in July so please keep her in your thoughts.

We have been working on this tale and plan to keep on until it’s done. Maybe the muses will inspire us to work more together, who knows? I just know we’re both enjoying this, and it makes us happy to know that everyone else is too.

Disclaimer – We do not own “the Hobbit” or “Harry Potter,” and we do not make any money from this.

Chapter Twenty – Misty Mountain Mishaps

The journey through the Misty Mountains was as treacherous as the dwarrow had warned, and Acacia found herself grateful for the protective nature of Thorin and his kin. There had been a few times where she had nearly miss-stepped to find herself sliding on loose gravel that she hadn’t seen. Thorin or Kili had steadied her until she had regained her footing before moving onward.

“We’re not going to have to climb Erebor, are we?” she asked during a short break that had been called when they had found a small alcove that was safe enough to rest in.

“It depends on where the door is,” Thorin answered. “Hopefully, my ancestors arranged it so the path to the door isn’t as dangerous as this is.”

“I hope so,” the hobbit murmured, leaning into the king-in-exile. “I don’t mind mountains but climbing them isn’t exactly on my list of favorite things to do.”

“Yes, I am still not too comfortable around high places since falling off a flying broom in the middle of a thunderstorm. That was all thanks to some soul-sucking creatures causing past life memories of my death to return, and they weren’t too pleasant to experience,” Hari commented in a low voice from where she was casting spells to dry and warm everyone. The company was soaked to the bones, and all of them were grateful for some break from the rain.

The warming charms held as they eventually made their way back out onto the path, and it seemed like everything would be all right when Dwalin pulled the witch firmly against the wall. Everyone was tugging someone to safety in order to avoid the giant boulders flying through the air.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Hari shouted, taken aback by what she was seeing.

“This is no thunderstorm,” Balin shouted. “It’s a thunder battle!”

All of them stared in shocked disbelief as they watched the stone giants fight each other, and Thorin was quick to get the company moving again. He knew they could not stay on the path with this going on and would not put his people at risk.

It didn’t take long before a cave was found, and the group found themselves grateful for Hari’s abilities as she dried all of them with a spell before renewing the warming charms since she knew a fire would draw attention.

“All right,” Dwalin asked his sister as she sat between him and Balin.

“I am,” she assured her brother. “I think it’s safe to say that none of us were expecting to be caught in such a battle.”

“Storm giants are legends,” Bofur said after swallowing his mouthful of lembas. “I don’t think a dwarf has seen this kind of thing in a very long time.”

“There are stories,” Ori shared. “I think we will be the first dwarrow and non-dwarrow to document this.”

“I wonder why there weren’t signs posted to warn travelers that the mountains have these things in them,” Acacia pondered from where she was sitting between Fili and Kili.

“I don’t know,” Thorin said, his voice a low rumble. “I do want them added to our maps so any traveler will know to be extra cautious.”

The scribe nodded, knowing he would make the adjustments and ensure the cartographers did the same once everyone was in Erebor. He made a note in his journal to ensure the caravans were told of the danger so they could plan to avoid the giants in case there were more battles between the massive behemoths.

The company soon laid down to rest, and Bofur had first watch as none of the dwarrow trusted the safety of the caves in the Misty Mountains. He settled himself for what he hoped would be a quiet night, keeping an eye on the cave as well as the entry to their sanctuary for the night.

Sometime during the night, Hari woke up and quickly realized what had disturbed her rest. With a small groan of distaste, she dragged her bag closer and began to look through it. After a few moments, she found what she needed but realized that it was too dark to do this on her own. The witch hurried to where the other female of the company slept, being careful not to wake Thorin or Fili as they slept on either side of the small woman.

“Acacia, can you help me with something quickly?” she whispered, after waking the hobbit.

Acacia quickly agreed, grabbing hold of the small lantern that was usually used for those needing latrine breaks in the middle of the night. She didn’t have a chance to light it when something distracted both women. The hobbit’s sword was glowing blue, blazing brightly in warning, and both spotted a line forming in the sand.

“WAKE UP!! WAKE UP, EVERYONE!!”

The sound of the women’s voices shouting in unison was enough to bring all the dwarrow out of sleep. There was not enough time to leave the cave when the floor suddenly was divided in half, dropping everyone through the trapdoor.

As they fell, Hari tried to prevent possible injuries by trapping everyone in a magical bubble, hoping to soften the impact as well as not having their bags hit them on the way down. Granted, they still landed in a leap on top of each other when they finally reached the bottom, but it could have been far worse.

“Would you ladies please move a bit?” asked an embarrassed Ori. He was able to see Acacia’s shocked face in front of his own as well as an unexpected glimpse down her blouse.

Fili helped both of the women to their feet, then focused on getting the rest of the company up so they could defend themselves if necessary.

Thorin, who had managed to get up first due to landing at the top of the pile, cursed at seeing the new trouble that was rapidly approaching. He growled when he spotted the pack of goblins, knowing this was trouble they really didn’t need.

“Keep the ladies in the back!”

The company tried to obey, but the pack of foul beings attacked before they could ensure the two females were safe. The dwarrow were mobbed and wound up moving away to leave gaps in their position, leaving the women accessible. Hari and Acacia tried to keep the goblins off them, using their weapons as best as they could in such cramped conditions. One goblin grabbed the hobbit from behind as she killed another that had her attention and was about to push her over the edge, forcing Hari to prevent that from happening.

“Hands off my bride!” snarled Thorin as Hari used her staff to send that goblin flying into the rest of the goblin pack.

When some other goblins were set on fire by the angry witch, something became very noticeable to some of the dwarrow. Hari’s trousers were bloody in a private area, worrying those who spotted the problem.

“Human version of the ruby days for dwarrowdams?” Kili wondered aloud, which Fili heard despite all the noise.

“Ruby days,” he agreed when he realized what had gotten his brother’s worried attention. He was worried as well because the scent of the blood would draw goblins and other predators to Hari instead of focusing on the company.

“Acacia,” Hari called, grabbing her friend’s hand when the hobbit moved closer.

Jumping over to a cliff close to the walkway was probably not the brightest of ideas but if they could avoid being captured, they had a better chance of rescuing the company later.

“Run, you two, run!” Fili and Thorin shouted, wanting the pair to escape.

Some goblins were almost in position to prevent an escape and realizing that the only possible escape way was further down, the two females nodded in unspoken agreement. The witch quickly summoned all of the packs and gear that had been dropped and left behind, shrinking them and putting them into her pocket quickly.

Once that was done, Hari pushed the approaching goblins off of the cliff with a wave of focused magic before letting her staff return to its hidden state as a piece of jewelry. She grabbed a hold of Acacia, who held onto her friend tightly, and pulled on her magic to form another bubble around them. Seconds later, the two were falling into the darkness that lay below them.

The fall seemed to go on forever, and the witch kept her magic focused so they would not be harmed. Eventually, they landed in what looked to be a bed of overgrown mushrooms.

The magic was soon dispelled, and Acacia made it out of the mushrooms first. She drew her blade, staring at the metal for a moment as the blue light flickered out.

“The goblins that were close by are dead,” she murmured softly as Hari set her bag at her feet.

“Hold your hand out,” the taller female instructed.

When Acacia held her free hand out, there was a soft word that the hobbit didn’t catch before purple flames were set onto her palm. She cupped her hand, not letting the fire fall and was amazed that there was no heat from it.

“I played around with a spell during my first year and changed the color from blue to purple,” she admitted, digging in her pack. “I hate using it now because we have no idea what’s down here, and the light could draw them to us. I have no choice though because I’ve got to get this taken care of before the smell draws something worse to us.”

Acacia didn’t have to ask what it was the other was worried about when she spotted the bundle of rags familiar to any woman. She looked away to give Hari some form of privacy while ensuring her hand was close enough to give enough light so the clean-up could be properly taken care of.

Hari used a cleaning spell to remove the blood from her undergarments, skin, and trousers before putting the rags in place. She also used another spell to eliminate any smell that accompanied this time of the month. Once everything was handled, she straightened her clothing and shrank her bag, putting it in her pocket with the others.

“Bad timing,” she grumbled after letting Acacia know she was done.

“Moon bleeding never comes at convenient times,” she agreed, looking around to get some form of idea as to where they needed to go next.

“My very first one decided to happen in the middle of a game,” Hari shared with a shake of her head. “My teammates freaked out after the game when they spotted the mess. Thankfully, two of them were girls and were able to help me after smacking the boys for their stupidity.”

The hobbit laughed softly, then sobered as she examined their surroundings. Something was pushing at her barriers, causing her own magic to react, and Acacia was unsettled by it.

“Makes me wish I had the gift of stone sense,” she commented, chewing on her lower lip for a moment. “It’d be nice to be able to get out of here quickly; I really don’t like it here.”

Hari met her friend’s eyes for a moment, realizing that something was making the smaller woman very uncomfortable. Given the mountain was full of goblins, death would be a common thing and she knew Acacia’s abilities were very connected to death. It was time to get out of there before the other was overwhelmed, and they needed a safe spot to come up with a plan to rescue the others.

“Fortunately for us, I have a spell that can show us how to get to the exit,” she said, spying the relief on the hobbit’s face that appeared when she shared that information.

The witch cast the point-me spell, which she had augmented for her use, and the pair began traversing the dark tunnels. The purple flames only lit up a small area, which was good so it wouldn’t draw attention, and the light was helping them as they made their way to the exit.

They traveled for a while before Acacia froze and broke the silence that had fallen over the two.

“Who are you,” she whispered, staring at something Hari couldn’t see.

“Acacia, what is it?”

“It’s the shade of a man,” the hobbit answered, staring up at the spirit. “He’s dressed in armor; I think he was a king because he has a crown. What’s strange is that he has a broken sword in his hand, but there’s a nicer one still in the scabbard at his belt. I could swear I’ve seen this man before but don’t know where.”

The witch frowned, wishing she could see what her friend was seeing. This was unusual because she knew, from her studies and past memories, that the Misty Mountains had not been a place for the nobility or royalty of Men.

“Is he saying anything?”

“He is trying to speak but can’t,” she answered. “He’s pointing with the broken sword.”

Acacia took two steps to her left, following the direction the shattered sword. A soft sound of surprise was heard.

“There’s a ring here,” she said, turning her head to face the spirit. “Is this what you want me to find?”

The hobbit bent over, picking up the piece of jewelry, and Hari put a hand on Acacia’s shoulder after she straightened up. She looked down to see what it was her friend had been guided to find and when her eyes fell on the plain gold band, her magic started screaming as well as the memories of the past.

The need to get out of the darkness was overwhelming, and Hari’s hand tightened as she apparated both of them out of the tunnels and into the sunlight. She staggered a few paces away before she lost control, dropping to her knees as she began throwing up.

“Hari!”

It was all she could do not to sob from the immense pressure and chaos her magic and memories were causing. Hari threw up everything in her stomach, gagging as the urge to vomit continued for a short while later.

Once she was done, Acacia drew her away from the mess and sat her down, wiping the other’s face with a damp handkerchief. Her blue eyes shone with concern as she helped her friend.

“What happened?” she asked, handing Hari a skin of water.

Hari drank slowly, struggling to clear her mind. Her voice was rough when she was finally able to answer.

“Until we can see if someone has a spare chain, put that ring into a pocket and make sure it doesn’t fall out. Acacia, I don’t care what happens but never put that thing on, never use it.”

She tucked the ring into a pocket, buttoning it so the item wouldn’t fall out, and the hobbit stared at her companion.

“I promise I won’t use it,” she said softly. “Hari, what’s going on?”

“I’ll explain later,” the witch said in a voice just as quiet. “I can’t right now, and I don’t want to do this twice so I’ll share what’s going on after we have everyone with us and we’re in a safe place.”

Acacia nodded, accepting it and knowing that her friend was right. They had other problems right then, and they had to focus on that.

“All right, any ideas on how to rescue the others?”

The two women were contemplating what to do when there was a crashing sound from inside the mountain; they stared at each other for several long moments before heading towards the opening. They had only made a few steps towards it when a group of dwarrow, along with one wizard, ran through the opening in the stone.

“Thorin!”

Acacia had never been more thankful to see the dwarf lord than she had at that moment. He looked exhausted and a bit battered, as did the rest of the company, but he was alive and well. She made her way to him, cupping his cheek as he did the same for her.

“You are all right,” he breathed out, looking relieved. “I was worried, even with Hari’s magic.”

“We kept each other safe,” she assured him, eyes closing for a moment when his forehead touched hers.

As he reassured himself of her safety and well being, Fili went straight to Hari. His friend looked pale, which worried him. He took her hand, guiding her a few steps away.

“Are you all right,” he asked her, concern growing when he felt her hand trembling in his.

“Not really but can’t explain until we’re safely away from here,” she answered, squeezing his hand gently.

“We should not linger here,” Balin said once they had made certain everyone was not harmed. “The goblin king sent word out, and we should hurry before the orcs arrive.”

Thorin nodded, and the company headed out. As they left the area, both the witch and hobbit shared what had happened. By unspoken agreement, they made no mention of the ring that had been found. Acacia was following her friend’s lead, and Hari wanted to explain their findings once they had reached a place where it could be spoken of without being overheard. She remembered that even animals could be used as spies for the enemy, and she was determined to ensure that this discovery was kept secret until a plan could be constructed to destroy the item her friend was carrying.

“After we landed and got ourselves together, we received some help from an unexpected ghost of a man, possibly someone who died in this area and had not found the way to the afterlife. Sadly, we did not have time to help him find that road,” Acacia told them while they started to hurrying towards lower ground, but the hobbit silently wondered why the Man had somewhat resembled young Estel in his looks.

“The Misty Mountains were often used as a travel road when Arnor was still a kingdom, just like Gondor, so it is not too unlikely that it was a ghost of some poor fellow who was unfortunate enough to happen to meet orcs and was killed while he was out on a journey. Knights were often sent as guards to protect important nobles on journey,” Balin took the chance to explain while they ran downwards the hill.

“I don’t know,” she stated, recalling the image of the man in her mind. “He seemed more important that a mere guard; his armor was of higher quality.”

Being the betrothed of a king, who was also a master blacksmith, meant that Acacia had learned a great deal about the craft, something she had set herself to do so that she would understand what Thorin was talking about when he spoke of something created in a forge. She had also devoted quite a bit of her time learning to defend herself so the lessons about his craft wound up being quite useful when sparring with others.

The sound of wargs howling drew her from her thoughts, and she heard Gandalf swear in a tongue she didn’t recognize before ordering the company to quicken their pace. The hobbit hoped that this would not have a bad ending; Thorin seemed to be wound tighter than usual which typically meant that something was dreadfully wrong. She sent a prayer to Yavanna and Mahal, focusing on keeping up with the others.

Before long, all of them were in the trees and Acacia was muttering another prayer to both Yavanna and Vána, begging them to strengthen the trees. She knew the weight of all of them in such thin soil as well as the impact from the wargs trying to get into the trees would weaken the roots quickly. The hobbit very nearly screamed curses at the Istar when he began throwing flaming pine-cones at the wargs, knowing just how much damage the fire could cause to the trees they were taking shelter in.

Already stressed from the situation, her heart nearly stopped when she spotted the pale orc with a missing lower left arm astride a white warg. She knew the stories of Azanulbizar too well, having heard them from Thorin as well as Dis and Balin. This orc had a blood-lust for the dwarrow she considered family, seeking the end of the Line of Durin, and she was absolutely terrified now.

“It cannot be,” she heard the king-in-exile exhale, voice broken with denial and pain.

Her prayers went to both of the Valier of nature as well as the Maker of the Dwarrow as the trees began to buckle under the weight of the company as well as the damage from wargs and fire. Dwalin made sure to help her jump from one tree to another, and both were shouting the name of a certain dwarf lord when Thorin decided to head down the trunk to attack the orc.

“Thorin! No, don’t,” she shouted, voice combining with those of the others who spotted what their leader was doing.

Thankfully, Hari prevented anything bad from happening straight away. She used her magic to make a barrier that Thorin ran straight into and caused himself to land flat on his back. The witch half-yelled in anger and fear, voice carrying over the din surrounding them.

“I don’t know why you insist on attacking that pale orc, but do you want to be known as a king who threw his life away in the middle of a fight for our lives!?”

The fact that her voice half-melded with the voice of Celebrimbor seemed to give the words some extra weight. Also the way her magic smacked him on his forehead had had reminded him of something Acacia or Dis sometimes needed to give Thorin to make him stop brooding or doing something they considered foolish.

He wasn’t able to comment as the orcs tried to draw nearer. Thorin could hear his company moving, realizing that some of them had managed to climb down to join him. A quick look at his future queen told him he’d be in serious trouble later, but Azog’s approach drew his attention back to his foes.

The barricade formed by Hari’s magic disappeared as she, Acacia, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, and Bifur rushed alongside their king to dispatch the orcs. Fili and Hari fought well, moving in tandem as their blades ripped through the orcs and wargs that approached them. They could hear the bow singing as Kili fired on the targets, trying to thin out the numbers for the company members who could fight against their enemy.

Hari looked around with worry against the burning parts of the tree. If the flames were not extinguished quickly, those still stranded would fall. She reached out with her magic, casting a spell to extinguish the fires. The flames died out, and she was able to focus her attention back on the orcs.

As she pivoted, blocking a strike from hitting Fili, the witch spotted the pale orc moving to Thorin. Her heart rose in her throat as Acacia put herself in between the foul creature and the king. The hobbit blocked the heavy mace aimed at Thorin, falling over from the sheer force of impact. Azog drew the weapon back to kill the one who had prevented him from getting to his target, but the blow never fell when an arrow sank into his chest and a throwing axe hit the creature between the eyes at the same time.

The pale orc hit the ground, never to be a threat to the line of Durin again, and the orcs soon dispersed when their leader fell.

The company barely had time to retrieve their weapons when the eagles of Manwë appeared, lifting them from their positions and flying away from the scene of the battle.

Everyone took the time to try to relax as they were carried far across the Misty Mountains, and Hari used one of the meditation exercises Ron had taught her so long ago. She was rattled by everything that had happened in the last few hours and knew she would have to share the truth once they found a safe location. It was a frightening thought to know that the Ring of Sauron had survived and been found; she just hoped Acacia could carry it without difficulty until they could ensure it was destroyed.

The witch forced herself to relax as the thought of Sauron even regaining strength terrified her. Despite all the work she had done with Elrond and Glorfindel regarding her past, it was difficult not to fear the evil Maia. The torment she had gone through as Celebrimbor haunted her sleep at times, and she knew it probably would even once the ring and its creator were destroyed. At least that would mean she was finally safe from Sauron, only haunted by the memories.

Hari eventually lost herself in the exercises, coming out of the peaceful meditation when she felt the eagle began to descend. She slid off of the magnificent bird when it landed on the stone structure, and the witch gave him a smile and word of thanks.

The sound of a loud slap, followed by something sounding like a pair of ears getting boxed, pulled her attention away from the departing eagles. The young woman turned to find Thorin holding one hand to his cheek and the other to an ear as he stared at the irate figure of the hobbit in front of him.

“Did you even stop to think about what would happen to us if you had been killed? No, you didn’t! All you could think about was your damned revenge! What would have happened if you had died? Did you think about that? Did you think about what that loss would do to your family, your friends, your people, and me?”

“Fili would have been able to take my place to continue the quest and guide our people,” Thorin began, ducking when the furious lass struck out at him again.

For the height difference between them, Acacia proved that Hobbits did not need to be strong in order to land serious hits on someone. Now she proved some of the sharp tongue a Hobbit could master in a bad mood.

“He might make a great king in the future, but what would happen to me? I don’t want to be a widow before I even have a chance of being your wife. You are such a careless idiot! Getting widowed before the official wedding day is among the worst fates a female can have!”

Acacia stomped her way to where the odd stairs began and started making her way down them. Hari could see the tears she was trying to hold back and hurried after her, not wanting her to be alone. With the way her eyes were filling with tears, the witch feared her friend would fall due to not being able to see properly.

“Talk later, all of you! Right now we need some small talk between ladies so give us some time before you follow us down,” Hari called before she too vanished out of sight.

She easily caught up to Acacia, who was silently weeping; it was a skill that was familiar to the small human as she’d had to hide her own tears during painful moments in her childhood. Hari said nothing, climbing down the carrock beside her friend.

“I can’t believe he did that,” the hobbit said in a tight voice. “Thorin has always been the one to stress keeping your head in situations where emotions run high. I can’t tell you how many times he had to stop Fili or Kili’s lessons because the boys would react emotionally and remind them to stay calm and rational. Then he just went after that damned orc as if he doesn’t have to follow his own teachings.”

“Some people forget that teachers lose the respect of their students when they do something that goes against what they have been teaching. Do as I say, not as I do is never a good thing to demonstrate,” the green eyed female stated.

“Exactly,” she huffed, still climbing. “Azog could have killed him, and that would have hurt his family so very much. That orc killed his grandfather Thror, and there is an unconfirmed fear in the Durin family that he may even have slain Thorin’s younger brother Frerin in the same battle.”

The part of Hari, which once had been Celebrimbor, felt a wave of pity and sadness pass though her heart. She did not know what to say so, she could only nod in understanding.

“He may not understand why you’re angry at him for a while,” she finally told the other female.

“Oh I know,” Acacia said, wiping at her face before continuing her downwards journey. Taking the chance, Hari told how Celebrimbor and his father Curufin had grown so much apart over the Oath that Curufin had seemed unable to fully realize why his only child would refuse to follow him. It had become even worse once they had entered their infamous fall-out in the elven city Nargothrond back in the First Age.

“The Oath destroyed my family members from what they once had been in Valinor,” Hari gasped, trying to keep up with the upset Hobbit. “I am unsure if they realized it at first, but it brought out the darker sides of their personalities. Father was infamous for being almost a copy of my grandfather Fëanor in nearly every sense, in looks and personality, so for his own son...me, back as Celebrimbor, to break away. I doubt that he even had realized how different I was in character. I did not want to swear an Oath which would doom my family, and I did not want to be caught in their madness!”

Acacia listened sympathetically as she kept climbing downwards beside Hari, occasionally accepting aid when some of the steps were a bit too large for her. The witch continued talking as they made their way down.

“The Oath ripped everything apart,” she said. “My family turned their backs on me when I refused to take it along with them. I kept warning them the Silmarils were nothing but trouble. Those horrible things pushed my family into kin-slaying, laying curses on our bloodline for every life they took.

“When I finally crossed into Middle Earth, it was everything I could do to ensure the others saw me as Celebrimbor instead of the grandson of Fëanor. Meeting Narvi was my saving grace,” she admitted.

Hari was quiet for a moment before speaking again.

“He saw me simply as another elf and helped push me to broaden my skills even further,” she said. “It was a long time before I even told him about what my kin had done, and he told me that we don’t choose our kin but we can choose our family. That confused me for quite sometime since dwarrow are very particular about their families.”

“They are,” the hobbit agreed, wiping more tears from her cheeks before focusing on the climb down.

“Galadriel and her husband, Celeborn, were the first of the elves I allowed to approach and befriend me,” the witch said. “She and I are distant related, but I was too hurt to try to return the familial feelings. Narvi and some of the dwarrow that worked with us, Durin included, became my family. It’s a lesson I never forgot because I formed a family of the heart after being reborn.”

“Thorin and the others are my family,” Acacia said, finally getting to part of the pain she’d been carrying for so long. “My gift manifested young, and my mother spoke to her father about it. She and Papa tried to protect me, but they died when I reached my fifth year. The Baggins family had heard rumors of my gift and shunned me for it; some were even calling for me to be put down like a sick animal. Grandpapa took me to Tuckborough after the funeral and while the Tooks and Brandybucks remembered that this gift manifested at times, the rest of the Shire wasn’t so understanding.”

Here Hari actually stopped for a moment, staring with wide eyes as that comment had hit pretty close to a memory of Vernon’s sister Marge saying that weak newborn puppies should be drowned, hinting to what she thought about Hari and her parents.

“I was in my early twenties when Thorin and his party came to the Shire, looking for work as well as trade between the hobbits and his people. I often went to watch them since they had taken over the forge near my family’s smial; Thorin realized how young I was and never minded when I asked questions. I think he had a feeling something was different about me but never did anything to make me feel anything other than a tween girl who was trying to learn more about the world outside of the Shire.”

Acacia was quiet for a few breaths before continuing, grateful when Hari helped her through the rougher areas. She aided her friend too, knowing her sturdy frame would help anchor the other at times.

“Thorin and the others would come up to the smial to discuss trade once business hours had finished,” she continued. “Grandmama didn’t mind it since she appreciated having others to enjoy her cooking, and she knew that this could be important for both people. I think she was the one who encouraged Grandpapa in making the decisions he did once he had a good measure of Thorin’s character.

“Grandpapa had written up an agreement, promising food and raw materials for the crafters who needed wool or other materials for their trade, opening up our markets for dwarven traders, and all he asked for was for the dwarrow to come to their aid should the Shire need help in defending their borders. Thorin actually protested the trade agreement because he felt the hobbits were not getting full value for what they were giving.”

She stopped a moment, taking a drink of water from her water-skin before passing it to Hari to have a drink.

“Grandpapa can be stubborn when he wants to be, and he finally managed to talk Thorin into agreeing to the trade treaty. When it came down to how to seal the treaty so this would be binding, Grandpapa brought up a way to ensure the agreement would be honored for generations. He wanted a dwarf to marry me once I came of age; this would make the dwarrow family, which is usually the most important thing to a hobbit. Because our people were connected by family, no one could break the treaty unless one of the terms had not been carried through.

“Thorin was concerned about why my hand had been offered; I was his little friend, and I think he didn’t want me bartered away like some mathom. Grandpapa then explained about my gift and the problems that were growing as I aged. He was worried about me and wanted me to have a chance to find a husband I could love since he and Grandmama knew I wouldn’t find that in the Shire.”

She tucked the skin back into her pack and resumed her climbing, speaking as she did so.

“Thorin was furious when he heard about all of this, getting angrier when he was told about what the other families would do whenever I left the safety of Tuckborough. He told Grandpapa that his people would welcome someone who had been as blessed by the Valar as I have and since he was the only dwarf of rank who was of age and not wed or betrothed, he would seal the treaty by betrothing himself to me.

“I wasn’t too pleased about it but with each summer I spent in Ered Luin, I realized that these dwarrow were my family. They taught me another meaning of it, accepting me for who I am and teaching me to defend myself as well as how to accept and use my gifts. I took everything they had to teach me to heart so seeing Thorin throw everything away to focus on his revenge, it hurt.”

“Because you have so much to lose,” Hari said, watching as the hobbit nodded.

She could understand that feeling, especially in how Dumbledore had attempted to control her life into bringing Voldemort down once for all while basically killing herself as well. That was not why Lily and James had died, they had wanted her to live and be safe from the danger he had symbolized. No doubt that they would beat up Dumbledore in the afterlife for that stupid idea that she was the only one able to defeat Voldemort, if Sirius’ and Remus’ tales of their personalities was true. Surely there must have been others born on the same date, fully grown adults who knew how to fight with magic? Surely it could be have been someone born outside the United Kingdom or even someone from those born at the end of the seventh lunar month?! Surely Dumbledore, who was said to have been so wise thanks his advanced age, could have thought about such possibilities instead of pushing her into a role she had not even been trained for?

“Sometimes people just make no sense.”

“Oh I agree,” the witch commented. “It’s frustrating when you try to understand someone and when you think you have finally gotten there, you realize that what you thought you knew was completely different from what you’re looking at now. I hate it when that happens because it makes me want to become a hermit and just hide away from everyone.”

“Only if there’s plenty of books and sweets,” Acacia stated. “Then I think I could handle that.”

“That works for me,” Hari agreed, hopping down to the ground from the last step. She helped Acacia down.

“They’re going to be a while so we should find a place to camp,” the hobbit said, looking around at their surroundings.

Luckily, it was a rather good area around the base of the cliff with a stream nearby and well protected by rocks strewn around. As long as they kept a sharp eye out during watch and didn’t allow the fire to be too large, the company should be well protected.

“I think this will do for a campsite,” Acacia commented. “I’ll go look for wood for a fire.”

Hari used her magic, creating a pit for the fire, before finding stones to line around it. She had put a tracking spell on her friend, not wanting to allow her to wander for firewood without one. Once the pit was ready and after restoring the gear to their proper sizes, the witch began foraging for food as she knew their supplies would be low and the company would need a good meal after everything they had endured.

By the time the company had finished their descent from the carrock, the dwarrow were pleased to discover a small fire going as well as the two women sorting through the vegetables and herbs they’d been able to forage. Hari had gotten fish as well, having used magic to summon them from the water as she didn’t have the patience to fish in the traditional way. It was a waste of time they could not afford after a sleepless night and stressful day like the one they just had been going though.

“You two have been busy,” Kili said, heading to where the fish were laying after setting what little gear he’d been carrying down.

“Someone had to ensure we had a good campsite,” Hari answered, going through the herbs and sorting the medicinal one from those used in cooking.

The dark haired dwarf nodded, carrying the fish off to clean and get ready to be cooked. Since the two had ensured the company had food and a campsite, he was more than glad to take that chore from them.

Acacia said nothing to the group, pulling out the vegetables and mushrooms for cooking. She could sense the eyes of the others on her and was glad when Balin hustled them into finishing up with the preparations of camp for the night. While her chat with Hari had helped, she was not ready to talk to anyone yet until she managed to get her mind calmed down and that would not happen for some time yet.

Authors’ End Note – We hope you enjoyed this installment of the story; please let us know what you think by leaving a comment! We really enjoy reading them as it helps us with inspiration. See you all next chapter! ~Rogercat and Laran
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Shadows of the Past