Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

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
- 21
- 22
- 23
Authors’ Note – I owe all of you a large apology. While Rogercat has been productive on her own independent projects, things have stalled me here. I hit a period of serious depression where inspiration and motivation were not there at all; I haven’t written on my own independent projects either, and I’m suffering from it since writing is important to me. I’m doing my best to try to move past it, and I thought editing and posting the next chapter of our project might help kick me into productivity again. Thank you so much for your patience, and we hope that you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer – We do not own “Harry Potter,” “The Hobbit,” or “the Silmarillion.” We definitely are not making money from this either.

Chapter Twenty-Two - Meeting A Bear

The company had eaten a minimal breakfast, thanks to the reduced state of their supplies, and Acacia could tell most had not rested well due to injuries taken from the encounter with the goblins and orcs. She hoped they wouldn’t have to go far because she wanted to see them rest and heal properly before starting onto the next leg of their journey.

She tugged on her pack when the orders came to move out and blinked in surprise when it was Thorin who started walking beside her. He hadn’t done so very often during this journey, preferring to take the lead.

“Were you hurt yesterday?”

“Hari managed to keep me safe,” she answered, being honest with him. “A few bumps and bruises but nothing terrible.”

“I am pleased to hear you are not seriously harmed,” he told her, meeting her eyes as they walked together. “I also wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize,” Acacia asked, feeling a bit startled. This was something she rarely heard from the other as a king should not show signs of weakness to anyone or so she had been told by the dwarrow she had befriended over the years.

“For frightening you so terribly,” Thorin confessed, his shame rather obvious now when he had time to think over his actions. “I lost all sense when I spotted Azog. All I could think of was keeping him from harming the rest of my family. He has a taste for Durin blood, and I want to end him before he turns his eyes to Fili, Kili, or Dis.”

“I understand that,” she told him. “The problem is that you didn’t think tactically when it came to standing against him. He wasn’t your typical orc; he was incredibly large and strong. I’m not sure he could have been destroyed by one person alone; thankfully we won’t have to test that thought since Fili and Kili killed him.”

The king-in-exile nodded, able to see her point. He hated admitting that something was too big for him to fight alone, but Azog had not been a small orc. He remembered feeling rather stunned when he’d first laid eyes on the creature during Azanulbizar, thinking that it would take a group of dwarrow warriors to take the thing down.

“I will heed your words from this moment on,” he promised, heartened when he spied the worry fade from her eyes. “If another of his size crosses paths with ours, I will ensure that a team of dwarrow work together to kill it. No more going after over-large orcs on my own again.”

The hobbit lass sighed, feeling reassured now, and the rest of the walk passed with minimal conversation between the two of them. The couple was pleased to have put the anger and fears behind them, allowing them to move forward in the building relationship.

The large cottage was soon sighted in the middle of what seemed to be large fruit trees, big beehives, and a farm where many animals lived. It was when Oin, despite his difficulty hearing, spotted something in the edges of the forest they just had passed.

“Lads, lasses, we better start running!”

The warning came not a moment too soon as a giant of a bear burst out onto the open space. Cursing, Thorin pushed Acacia to have her run in front of him so he could protect her if the need arose. Hari, being more towards the back, used a spell to try and confuse the bear so they would get to the cottage in time. If this was the animal form of their possible host, it would be a bad first start if she put a spell on him but there was no choice if they were to get to shelter unharmed.

The spell bought a few precious seconds as it distracted the massive animal before it followed its nose and rushed towards the company. Those seconds were what they needed and no sooner had the door closed when the bear hit the wooden door, making the cottage shudder from the force of the impact.

“What in Mahal’s name was that,” Dwalin asked, eyes wide as he kept a hold on his axes.

“That was our host,” Gandalf answered, sounding winded from the sprint.

“Gandalf, when you said he was a skin-changer, you neglected to mention what his form was,” Fili panted, making sure Hari was all right before sheathing his blades. “It was rather startling being chased by a bear, especially one that size.”

“I will admit, I should have mentioned his form,” the Istar acknowledged, sinking onto a chair. “I was distracted by the worries of restocking our supplies, and it slipped my mind when it shouldn’t have.”

Acacia climbed onto a chair that was wide enough to sit two people, and Thorin sat beside her. Fili and Hari took another chair across from them, and the blond dwarf spoke to the witch as the other company members explored and made sure the cottage was secure.

“You did something to distract him, didn’t you?”

The witch nodded, a little chagrined that it hadn’t worked as well as she had wanted. She had hoped to buy them more time.

“I used a spell to make it seem like we were going in three different directions,” she answered, rubbing her forehead. “It didn’t work as well as I would have liked.”

“It gave us a few more seconds we wouldn’t have,” Balin stated, hearing his sister’s words. “For a beast of that size, he was remarkably quick.”

“Too damned quick,” Gloin said grumpily.

“We should rest while we can,” Thorin said softly. “I just hope Gandalf can explain things or we will be heading to Mirkwood without the supplies and repairs we need.”

“I will do my best,” Gandalf said from his seat, staff within reach and hat on the table. “I believe it may come down to Hari, you, and Acacia to soften him towards the company.”

“Bad manners to be rude when ladies are around, is it?” Hari asked, taking her boots and socks off so she could air her feet a bit.

“That and it’s my hope that the relationship between Thorin and Acacia will soften him too,” the wizard acknowledged. “If he sees that there is care between a dwarf and another, it may prove to him that dwarrow can care for things other than the wealth a mountain can provide.”

Most of the Company nodded in agreement to that, hoping that it would prove to be true.

“I am going to sleep so if you value a night without more injuries, do not wake me unless it’s a dire emergency,” Hari warned as she laid out her sleeping roll on some straw and used a larger handkerchief as a kind of sleeping mask to block out the setting sunlight.

Her actions soon had others retiring with Fili and Balin keeping watch. Once he knew everyone was sound asleep, the prince looked at his cousin.

“Balin, I wanted to ask you something,” he began softly, continuing only when the elder nodded. “I would very much like your permission to approach Hari and present myself as her suitor, asking her for her permission to allow me to court her.”

The older dwarf tilted his head, watching his cousin for several long moments. He knew Fili had a tie to the young woman Balin and Dwalin had adopted as their sister, and he and his brother had chatted about this shortly after the ritual with Hari.

“Is it Narvi who wishes this or Fili?”

“I have Narvi’s memories and soul,” Fili answered. “But it is Fili, son of Dis, who wishes it. I will not follow the mistakes made in a past life and lose a treasure of a lifetime.”

A smile curved his lips, making something inside the blond prince relax.

“You have our permission, Fili, but know this. If you hurt our sister, Dwalin and I will gut you, heir to the throne or not.”

“If I purposefully hurt her, I will not fight either of you when it comes to punishment,” Fili stated. “I will do my best to not hurt her, but relationships are not easy or without their turbulence.”

“Wise words, cousin,” he answered. “Remember them and your relationship with her will be less problematic.”

“I intend to,” he agreed.

“Have you what you need to present to her when you ask her about courting,” Balin asked.

“I made a set of courting and marriage beads when I realized how important she is to me before I realized the Valar had brought her to our world,” Fili shared. “As for a gift, it depends on what I find here. I am going to remake her sword for her, but that’s not what I want to give her.”

That was true, being who she had been in the past, it would be seen as disrespectful if Hari were not given a courting gift worthy that of a queen. It was not pressure that worried Fili, but rather that he would not find any suitable materials to create the gift from. Courting was a serious part of his culture, considering how rarely dams were born, and the Maker help any poor fellow who socially disrespected a potential wife by giving her a poorly-made gift.

Following his suspicions regarding his cousin’s concerns, Balin pulled out a small pouch he kept with him since before the fall of Erebor; the contents had been given to him by his father, and he was more than willing to pass it to Fili as he was craft wed and would never have need of the gift.

“My father passed a measure of this to me and to Dwalin to use to craft our courtship gifts when the time came,” he said. “I am craft-wed so will never need this, and I would be more than pleased to see this come alive under your hands to create the gift for my sister.”

Fili opened the pouch to find several small ingots of mithril, and he looked up at his cousin with both awe and gratitude.

“Balin, I couldn’t possibly.”

“You can and will,” the older dwarf said firmly. “Your uncle should have a few gems hidden on him so go talk to him later to see if he has any that call to you. There should be enough ore there for you to craft something special for her. If anyone deserves mithril, it’s Hari.”

Fili gave his cousin a hug, then carefully pocketed the pouch. There was no way he would lose this; it was much too precious and what his beloved One deserved. He made a resolution to talk to his uncle once he woke, hoping Thorin had the gems he would need to craft the gift.

He soon fell asleep, thinking of what he would craft for his One. It was a restful sleep, and he was grateful for it when he woke and found himself very refreshed.

When the company woke the next morning, all of them could hear the thudding of an ax into lumber. Thorin straightened his appearance, noticing Acacia doing the same, and once ready, he offered his arm to her.

“Hari, if you would come with us,” he asked, ignoring Gandalf, who was rising to his feet.

Thorin escorted the two outside and strengthened his resolve when he spotted the massive male cutting firewood. He guided the women towards him, waiting until the man paused in his actions.

“Who are you?”

“I am Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, and this is my betrothed, Acacia Baggins, and our friend, Harriett Potter,” he introduced, bowing while the girls curtseyed.

“At your service, Master Beorn,” the two chimed in unison, and Thorin continued before Gandalf could take over.

“I apologize for our intrusion, Master Beorn, but we have had a rough time of it while crossing the Misty Mountains and after.”

“I know your name,” the skin-changer answered with a deep rumbling voice. “I know who is after you so I have no doubt that you have had a rough time of it.”

“We did run into that foul creature,” Hari said, standing beside Acacia. “Two members of our company, Thorin’s sister-sons, ended the life of Azog when we were attacked. I don’t doubt the ones who were loyal to that wretch will try to find a way to avenge him.”

Hopefully, the escape provided by the eagles would add some time for them to get far ahead of Azog’s group. If they could get to Mirkwood before the orcs caught up with them, the witch knew that the elves there would handle the awful beings since both races were mortal enemies.

Beorn nodded, leaning against his ax. He watched the trio, noticing how Thorin kept Acacia close by, and he tilted his head.

“I will be willing to allow you and your company to remain, but I want the stories behind your quest, the betrothal of two people who seem unlikely to be together, and how this other lady came to join this quest of yours as payment.”

It was a demand that Thorin could accept, and he looked at his betrothed. Acacia was an amazing storyteller, and she would be able to spin the stories for the skin-changer. When she saw the look, the hobbit began sharing the tale of how she had met Thorin and the betrothal.

Hari remained in the background, just in case the others got worried and rushed into action. She spotted Fili in the window, watching them, and she smiled at him to let him know that everything was all right. He nodded, smiling back before turning to talk to someone behind him, and she knew he was telling the others that everything was fine for the moment.

Once Acacia had finished with her story, the witch began telling hers. She shared about her past in the other world and her more ancient tie to this particular world. Hari could see his keen interest and after she’d finished, the giant man nodded.

“You both have spoken truthfully,” Beorn said, turning his gaze to Thorin. “And you, do you go after the mountain and risk the dragon for treasure?”

“I would still be doing this even if my grandfather had never amassed that hoard of treasure,” he said to the other honestly. “My people are not flourishing in Ered Luin. Most of them have to live outside the mountain, exposed to dangers despite my best attempts at keeping them safe. We don’t earn enough to improve the quality of life there. I want my people safe, happy, and healthy, Master Beorn, and I cannot do it in the Blue Mountains. Erebor is the only place I know that can provide that.”

“There is no other place for you to go?”

“No,” Thorin replied in badly-hidden grief. “Khazad-dûm is forever barred to us; my cousin spied Durin’s Bane before the doors began to close, and I will not make an attempt against a balrog. Enough of our people were lost alongside Durin VI when it fell in the year 1980 of this Third Age of the Sun. Dain, the lord of the Iron Hills, cannot take more of my people in and there would be a power struggle should I try to do so since my line is more direct than his. I would not do that to him. The other kingdoms that have fallen are out of our reach as well. Erebor is my only hope.”

Beorn watched him for several long moments before reaching his decision.

“You may take sanctuary here, rest and repair your equipment before going on. I will supply you as best as I can.”

“You have my thanks, Master Beorn,” the exiled king told their host. “I am grateful for your generosity and would like to repay it somehow. Are there any repairs or assistance to you that we can provide during our stay here?”

“That would be a good trade,” the skin-changer agreed.

Beorn proved to be right as he needed a couple of repairs on his tools as well as needing aid with readying the cabin for winter. Living alone did not make some of the work easy, as it at times needed several pairs of hands to be done properly. The company found that he was good at basic smithing, but the dwarrow were famous for those skills thanks to their Maker.

Fili used the time at the forge to make a new sword for Hari since hers had been so badly damaged. He’d used the metal of the old one, melting it down so he could have the proper metal for the work. Thorin helped as well, being a master blacksmith, and he was grateful for the assistance.

The new blade was forged, and it was a gorgeous piece. The blade held a blue tinge to it with dwarven runes etched into the blade for strength, protection, accuracy, and speed. The edges of the blade and the runes were in silver which shone brightly against the blue color of the business end of the weapon.

He and Thorin had decided to redo the hilt to complete the unique look of the sword as well as the altered length, going to a hand and a half, and the hand grip was twisted in a unique spiral shape and was red in the center of the grip. The ends that went into the pommel and hand guard were a blue gray in color. The hand guard was almost squarish in design but the ends bent downwards in a rounded manner. They used a red stone in the center of it, and the pommel also held one.

All in all, it was a unique sword that was a mix of elvish and dwarvish. Fili knew she would love it, and he was grateful for his uncle’s help with this particular project. Thorin had ruffled his hair, acknowledging the gratitude, and told him that he wanted to see Hari’s reaction to it later.

Fili had agreed to give the blade to her when they were with the company, and Thorin had gone to see if Beorn had the materials for a sheath. He had promised to make a unique one to fit the beauty of the blade, and the blond haired dwarf knew he could leave this in the capable hands of his uncle.

Once he was alone in the forge, the blond haired dwarf turned his attention to the piece he wanted to make Hari as a courting gift. His uncle had gems in his possession, and Fili had chosen sapphires for the gift.

He spent a great deal of time working on it, wanting it to be perfect for her. Fili ensured the setting was solid since he didn’t want the gem to come loose. Most of the bracelet looped, most of them simply polished. There were a few parts that were intricately filigreed with delicate runes that spoke of love, friendship, and eternal devotion. He poured his whole heart and soul into the crafting, wanting this to be absolutely perfect for her.

“A heart for a heart, a soul for soul,” Fili chanted, unconsciously reciting an ancient dwarven spell of protection. It was rumored to have been created by Durin the Deathless himself while he was focused on his search for a wife. Legend said that Eru the All-father had interrupted the Maker just before he had gotten to start on creating the wife for Durin, and thus Durin had awoken without a bride at his side. None of the dwarrow could have blamed Mahal for his hesitation when he had not wished to make Eru disappointed so soon again after that his children had been given spirits of their own by Eru.

No one really knew for sure who it had been that Durin had given his heart to, but Skadi had uncovered another tale that had intrigued the immediate family. According to her research, the Maker had purposefully left Durin without a bride so that he could gift him to His own wife.

Yavanna had been enchanted by the dwarf, and She had created a unique bride for him. This particular female would ensure her husband’s people would respect the earth they dug in, and she was gifted with wisdom as well as the ability to see beyond the Veil that separated this world from those wandering aimlessly in search of Mandos’ Halls.

This tale had intrigued all of them after Thorin had announced his betrothal to the granddaughter of the Thain of the Shire. It seemed appropriate that the king of the Longbeard clan would once more take a daughter of Yavanna as his bride, especially once Thorin had shared the secret of why Acacia Baggins had been chosen.

Only the immediate family as well as Balin and Dwalin knew of the hobbit lass’s talents, and Thorin had compromised with his betrothed on when the announcement should go out. It was a concern Fili could understand given his own situation.

To have Yavanna’s chosen joining their clan once more as well as the return of a dearest friend was a sign that the Maker had not turned their backs on them. He knew his cousins were praying it was a good omen for the future, but Fili knew that the future would be successful only with hard work and determination. That was something he was not afraid of, and he knew his uncle was the same way. They would ensure the future of their people and work to be worthy of the gifts their Maker had bestowed upon them.

Authors’ End Notes – Rogercat and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I am posting pictures of the sword and arm band we chose to inspire the pieces crafted for this chapter. The link to my tumblr account is on my profile so head there to find it. If not, look for LadyLaran on tumblr! Thank you all, and we shall see you next chapter! ~Laran and Rogercat
- 21
- 22
- 23
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Shadows of the Past