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Chapter Text

The sound of frantic footsteps, almost a dozen pairs, followed Cassidy as she raced up the spiral staircase, climbing higher and higher into an area that she was unfamiliar with. Her breath came in pants and she clutched her precious wand tight in her fist. She could feel the pressure of the anti-apparition wards and knew that it would be no use to even attempt to do so. 

As her heartbeat sped up and her pursuers neared, she took comfort in the knowledge that her mission was a success... that the Fletkins were now far from Malfoy Manner and beyond the grasp of the Death Eaters. Within the next twenty minutes, they would reach the portkey that she hid for them and it would wise them straight to the Order headquarters. The husband and wife would be reunited with their 6 year old daughter and they would be able to tell Dumbledore who in the Ministry Voldemort already had under his thumb. 

The information was invaluable, but the risk of breaking someone out of Malfoy Manner was far too great for a large scale Order operation. And thus, Cassidy volunteered, making an offer the Dumbledore couldn't refuse. Now however, it seemed that his hesitancies around the mission were right as they so often were. 

If Cassidy was being completely honest with herself however, she would likely admit that she very well knew that this was the most likely outcome, perhaps the best one that she would hope for. She succeeded in the mission and that was what matters... her own life would end and it would help Dumbledore, the Order, and Harry. They would defeat Voldemort and her tiny, insignificant life would be a part of that. 

"Give it up child," a voice, smooth as silk with all the aristocracy of Pureblood breeding hissed from below her. It was the master of the house projecting his voice through his manor. It must have been a crew of his underlings pursuing her. 

Above her, she saw a wooden trap door and raised her wand without a second thought, 

"Alohamora," she triumphantly watched the door swing open. Leaping upwards and grasping at the sides of the trapdoor, she pulled herself upwards and slammed the wood shut. "Duro, Protego." She quickly turned the door to stone and layered on a protection spell, hoping to buy a little time. 

She looked up and saw that it was no use. Grey stone surrounded her on all sides save a small window slit. She franticly felt along the cold wall and found no chink, no break in the magic. She was utterly trapped. 

Below her, she heard the death eaters reaching the door, throwing curses and hexes against it, the stone door rattled and shook.

There was nowhere to go. 

Taking a deep breath, Cassidy found herself calmer than she thought that she would be. She knew that she was to die soon. The thought was a scary one, but death meant rest. It meant that she would no longer have to sneak out of classes to attend covert meetings, she would no longer have to watch her back for hexes thrown out of nowhere, it meant that she would no longer live her life in fear of a Dark Lord destroying the world that her parents died to protect. 

Ever since that night when she hid in a closet as ordered by her parents, watching as the crew of vile Death Eaters in their ghastly masks used crucio on her parents over and over again, trying to wring the secrets of how to get into Hogwarts from them, ever since that night where she watched her parents die and their bodies turned to burning ash, not even leaving her with a chance to bury them, she knew that this is how it would end. She knew that she would die with a wand in her hand, fighting the beings who killed her family, attempting to bring some semblance of peace back to the land. 

She took another deep breath. The rattling was becoming louder and the Death Eaters were growing impatient. Cassidy weigher her options quickly in her head; if they got thought that door, then she would be captured and tortured. She was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and she knew far too much. She liked to think that she was strong, that she could resist the torture until the Order was able to stage another rescue mission. But, she knew that that was unlikely. Everyone broke under crucio, they broke and told, they broke and went mad, or they broke and died. No matter what though, they broke. 

Her other option was simple. 

It was sad, but it was necessary. 

For the greater good, as Dumbledore said when he sent her out. 

For the greater good, as she said in part of her pledge when joining the order.

For the greater good, as her parents said that night when they made her swear upon her magic that she would remain hidden in the closet, under the shielding of dozens of protective spells. 

Now, it was for the greater good that she would die. 

Taking one last, long look at the moon from the tiny window in the turret where she stood, she watched as the grey clouds parted as if offering her her last chance to see the sky. It was the sky where she felt most free upon the back of a thestral or hypogriff, and it was like the sky was saying goodbye. 

She held up her wand, her beloved companion that she had been inseparable from since the age of eleven. The wood was warm in her hands and seemed to hum with power and grief. She was ready. 

Pointing her wand at the floor directly below her feed, directly above where the Death Eaters pounded, she closed her eyes and felt every fiber of magic in her. She reached deep within herself and pulled each ounce of magic flowing through her veins, any scraps of power that she held... she called on all of it. Pushing as much of it as she could into her wand she cried out a spell with more power than any spell she ever cast in her life. 

"Confringo Maxima!" she cried. 

The floor below her exploded, blasting apart into a ball of fire. Stone and steel flew in every direction, the entire top of the turret was blown to cannon fodder as the spell did its work. 

All twelve Death Eaters that pursued Cassidy were destroyed, blow to bits so small, the Malfoy's would be finding hints of their flesh fertilizing their grounds for generations to come. And Cassidy, well her body was lost to the breeze, turned to ash by being the epicenter of the spell. Her ashes floated across the sky, rising up to join the clouds of the coming storm. 

The Order of the Phoenix would mourn. 

She was another martyr.

Chapter Text

Whoosh

It is a funny thing, how sound seems always to be the first sense to return. 

For Cassidy- it was the sound of wind whistling through trees that awoke her. 

I'm awake, was the first bleary thought in Cassidy's increasingly confused mind.

She had imagined death many times before. One does not watch their parents die at the age of 12 or join a secret armory facing a Dark Lord without seriously pondering death at some point in time. She always imagined it distinctly different from this though. As a realist, she never held out too much hope that it would be peaceful and painless, such was the fate meant for those wise enough to steer away from Albus Dumbledore- she did not blame the wizard, no, but she was a realist. Cassidy knew that her death would be violent, likely painful, and after that... well, such is a hard thing to place. 

The entire affair of the Dark Lord's return and the rising war fully dispelled any beliefs in muggle religion from her mind. No god would ever allow such an abomination to return a second time. Instead of an afterlife, Cassidy always imagined that death would eventually bring nothingness, peace. She thought that her body would decompose and that every element that once made up her form would break apart and return back to the earth, maybe in her more romantic moments she imagined that her soul would travel high into the sky, would dance among the clouds and fly further towards the moon or the sun. 

She never imagined it to feel like a cool wind tugging at her hair, chilling her damp cloths. 

With a sudden, lurching gasp, Cassidy's mind processed the sound of wind, the feeling of the damp earth, and the scent of a rich forest. She sat up, eyes flying open, hand clutching tightly around her wand to remind herself that it was still there. 

She swung her head around, taking in the sights of everything that she never imagined she would find on the other end of that Blasting Curse. 

The wind was indeed whistling a long tune as it blew around the towering trees. Taking her time, Cassidy slowly stood, leaning on one great trunk for support. She looked down at herself, "take stock of yourself first, you must always know your own body, your own mind, what you can and cannot do," she recalled the carefully spoken words as she observed herself in the same clothing that she had set out for the mission in: black jeans, a grey turtleneck, and a black cloak. She was dressed for steal and to blend in among the purebloods if she had to. Her clothing was all covered in a thing layer of mud, and her hair was slowly falling out of its tight braid. She cast a quick examination charm over herself and found that she was surprisingly in good health save a few cuts and scrapes that she received while breaking into Malfoy Manor. Casting a quick cleaning charm, her cloak and underclothes were back to their warm and insulating selves, no more caked in mud. 

"Observe your surroundings, what do you face?" she turned and looked around once more, this time at the forest which she appeared to have miraculously landed in. It was not the Forbidden Forest on the grounds of Hogwarts, a place she knew all too well. Nor was it the forest which Malfoy Manor backed up to. In fact, if Cassidy was the betting sort then she would have staked her first edition copy of Potions, a Complete Text on the fact that it was not a forest in England at all. If she were the type to jump to instinctual conclusions, then she would have claimed that it was no forest on Earth. 

She would save the latter though for much, much later. 

Waving her wand to find the cardinal directions, Cassidy took up walking north, hoping that if she walked long enough then she would find something of use. The air was cold, but her clock held several layers of warming charms that kept the chill away. Her dragon hide boots, spelled to prevent footsteps from making a sound, treaded upon dead leaves without a single crinkle. Reaching under her cloak, Cassidy found the small pouch tied to her belt still secure. She wrapped a hand around it, squeezing it for a moment to take comfort in knowing that she still had it. She had gone into that Manner equipped for absolutely anything. 

As she walked further and further into the forest however, Cassidy's suspicion grew. There was no sign of life, not the chirp of a cricket nor the song of a bird. There was also a strange magic to the forest. It was not the bizarrely unique magic of the Forbidden Forest, which many thought of as dark but was in fact simply different, a place where Cassidy always felt strongly at home. No, this magic was ticklish, like it was trying to slip between Cassidy's defenses as she moved North, like it was up to something. 

"Homino Revelio," she whispered, wand aloft. She watched the little light fly from her wand tip, floating through the air before dissipating. There were no humans in the forest. 

She continued onward, and eventually, she heard it. 

Something was following her. 

She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but she knew by its movements and her previous spell that it certainly wasn't human. The way the things trailed her, hoping from tree to tree with only the slightest hint of a rustle reminded her far too much of the acromantula of the Forbidden Forest. She continued to walk, feigning unawareness while her wand arm tensed slightly. She did exactly as she had been trained in all those years practicing the art of dueling. She exhaled deeply, searched internally to check every joint in her body, and then cleared her mind. She was conscious of every step that she took, every change in the breeze, and every rustle above her head.

More than one, her mind supplied as she realized that the rustling was coming from both in front and behind her. A scuttling in the trees above her head made her cognizant of even more. They had her completely surrounded on all sides, maybe a dozen of them. They moved far faster than a human ever could, they lept from the trees like beasts. 

She increased her walking speed and they increased theirs, she wasn't sure if they knew that she was aware of them yet, but they would figure it out eventually. There were maybe a dozen of them, too close to the number of Death Eaters chasing Cassidy for her to feel in any was secure. 

A though came to her, what if he sent me here? The terrible thought sent her tentative hope crashing down. What if she did not succeed in killing herself and the Death Eaters, but was captured? What if Voldemort tiered of his usual methods of crucio and so sent Cassidy into an illusion of his own making to twist the secrets from her a different way? He won't succeed, she thought with a firm sense of determination. 

Just as that thought came to mind, the one who had been walking in front of Cassidy stilled. It was waiting for her, expecting her to walk right into its trap. She was patient, walking forward as if there was no care in the world until she was less than four feet away from where she knew the creature stood. At the last moment, she whipped out her wand, pointing it directly front of her and cried out,

"Expelliarmus," she cried, causing the creature before her to be stop backwards, "Protego," she added, spinning in a circle around herself to create a bubbled shield. It was just in time too as six more figures stepped out from all sides. Cassidy could hear the slight rustle of more beings in the treetops readjusting their positions. 

The fires were all tall and straight, long, gleaming hair that would put Lucious Malfoy to shame cascaded down their backs, braided in delicate patterns. While their slim forms and sooth faces made Cassidy first assume them to be female, she quickly noticed that most had features far too angular to no be male. They were dressed in garb of greys, greens, and browns that blended perfectly with the forest, and each one present had a wooden bow with an arrow knocked and pointed directly at Cassidy. A quick scan with her wand informed her that there was no magic in the arrows. A child's charm could repel such silly things. She almost laughed. 

The figure that she threw back, lept to its feet and, upon finding their bow missing from their hands, wretched a sword from its scabbard and leveled the blade at Cassidy. When it got a foot away from her, the blade bounded lightly off her charm. She again did her best to hold back her laughter. 

"Who are you witch, and what business have you in the Golden Wood?" he spoke haughtily in the tone of one used to being obeyed. As he spoke however, Cassidy could not help but notice that his ears were of a delicate point. Like the others his hair was straight, skin fair. Cassidy marveled at the thought that these beings may be in some way related to Veelas, but steeled herself once again as she remembered that this was likely all a trick, an absurd fantasy that would cause her to let her guard down. 

"What are you creatures? Are you the dependents of Veela?" she asked. Though she was surrounded, it was obvious that if these creatures did have magic than it was very little. 

"Insolent woman," he hissed in anger. Apparently pretty boy doesn't like people asking him questions. "Isn't it obvious that we are elvenkind. You are trespassing in the Golden Wood and bearing dark magic."

"Elves... you guys are elves?"

"Is that not what I said?"

Cassidy took a moment to let that sink in. These tall, fair beings with beauty unlike anything that she witnessed before... were elves. A rather amusing image of Dobby, with his large flopping ears and bulging eyes, dressed in a find green and brown tunic bearing and elegantly carved bow popped into her mind and her attempts to stave off laughter failed miserably. Cassidy doubled over, laughing so hard that she feared she would drop her wand. Imagine house elves running around Hogwarts "stop, you beez trespassing in da Goldeeen Woods." Cassidy wouldn't stop her mirth, the image of the sweet house elves running about in forests, after days of darkness and despair, leading up to a mission promising certain death... she couldn't remember the last time that she laughed. 

"How dare you mock the Firstborn," his authoritative voice was enough to draw Cassidy from her humor induced stupor.

"Sorry bud... I just can't help it," she coughed lightly to stem any remaining laughs before adjusting her cloak around herself, smoothing it out. "As for your question, I was not aware that I was trespassing, nor that the woods where we stand were known as the 'Golden Wood,' I am lost. How I arrive here I do not know, but I appeared somewhere about two hours from where your party started to follow me." The blond figure appeared to ignore her insulation that he was caught, but continued on none the less. 

"Who are you that casts spells and walks without a sound?"

"Cassidy Oleander, Ravenclaw and proud Mudblood. And who are you?"

"I am Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlorien. The land which you are encroaching upon."

"Well, if Lothlorien is indeed in my current direction, then I believe that I shall continue walking this way for I am quite curious. You may follow along as you wish. Good day Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlorien." With that, Cassidy continued walking forward, smirking lightly in satisfaction as her protego charm bumped Haldier out of the way. The elf remained stuck in place for a moment as if in shock before racing forward and blocking Cassidy's path once more. 

"You cannot continue for your kind are not allowed in Caras Galadhon," he interjected. 

"I care not. I mean you and your kin no harm, but you mustn't try to stop me. I am hungry, tiered, and very very lost. A moment ago I was about to die fighting a Dark Lord's minions and now I'm in a forest of unfriendly elves. It has been a rather harsh week and I think from now on I will go where it pleases me."

With her words the elf in front of her seems to deflate a little, asking her to stop for a moment so that he could consult with the others. She nodded in acquiesce as he stepped to the side and began a whispered conversations with another trio of elves. They spoke in a beautiful and mystic language which sounded an awful lot like singing to Cassidy as she contemplated her situation. If Voldemort was trying to trick her, then he was certainly showing more creativity than she ever imagined he could posses. However, if he wanted to trick her, wouldn't it be in a way that she didn't expect? Pretty elves with little magic might just cause her to let her guard down enough for him to slip into her mind. 

"You have not caused harm to the woods or us though you have had many an opportunity," when Haldir spoke, there was a distinct frown on his face as if the other had come to a conclusion that differed from his own. "Thus, we shall escort you to Caras Galadhon and there you shall be judged by Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. In return you will remain with us at all times and not harm a single elf or mallorn."

Cassidy shrugged and agreed to the terms, taking down her protego when it was obvious that they had no more intentions of skewering her with their arrows. Most of the party melted back into the treetops, but a few remained to walk on the ground with Cassidy. She would have assumed that they were purposely leading her astray, but something about the elves seemed so intrinsically honest that she decided that she could at least trust them to hold up their end of the bargain. 

As they walked fro several more hours, Cassidy found herself growing parched and thus searched her small waist satchel until she found her water bottle. She watched eyes of the elf next to her grow impossibly wide as the pulled the large bottle from the tiny bag. 

"It's a simple spell," she shrugged. "The same one that all the school trunks have."

The elf gave her a puzzled look and a light smile. From up ahead where he was leading the group, Haldir called over his shoulder without looking back,

"He does not speak Common."

"My apologies," she smiled lightly and turned to the gentle looking elf. "Cassidy," she spoke her name slowly, palm pressed against her chest. 

"Rumil," he replied, a light twinkle in his eyes. He made a few gestures, pointing to himself and Haldir several times. 

"Brothers?" she asked, slowly making the connection. 

"Yes, he is my youngest brother," Haldir replied. 

"Well Rumil, it is lowly to meet you," she smirked lightly. 

They lapsed into silence once more until the sun was nearly set. Haldir paused at the base of a giant tree before turning to his brother and instructing him in that strangely musical language. His brother responded and the Marchwarded clambered up the tree as if he were some sort of bowtrukel. 

"Showoff," Cassidy hissed under her breath. Rumil, from beside her, laughed in understanding as she watched the elder elf disappear into the branches. A few moments later, the same elf reappeared with a long, thin rope in hand. 

"We will sleep in the flet tonight, I will assist you upwards," the broad elf explained, arm out as if asking Cassidy to take home of him. She looked unimpressedly at the long, thin rope disappearing into the boughs of the tree. 

"You want me to let you pull me up there?" she asked. 

"I can assure you that you will not fall. Dangerous things may stalk the forest at night, we are safest in the trees."

"I'm assuming there is some sort of platform up there?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then I'll meet you at the top," Cassidy smirked and enjoyed the expression of shock on their faces as she apparated to the platform in the tree. 

When she arrived, there were already a few elf on the platform setting up their bedrolls. They all instantly had their hands on their weapons in shock, but none drew them as they eyes the young girl warily. Before long, with Haldir and Rumil were scrambling over the edge of the platform obvious still slightly in shock. 

"What was that?" Haldir hissed. 

"Relax," she held up her hands placatingly. "I'm seventeen, I've got my apparition license."

Haldir merely snapped something to the other elves who instantly all seemed very occupied with something else. Someone handed Cassidy a bedroll which she took with a gracious smile. Haldir then stepped over and moved her closer to the trunk of the tree, away from the platform's edge and the other elves. He then conspicuously set his own bedroll between Cassidy and the other elves. 

The witch rolled her eyes and transfigured her bedroll into an actual bed, smiling in amusement as Rumil openly gaped at her work. Haldir merely barked out another command causing the younger elf to blush and turn away. Cassidy ignored the exchange. 

"How much longer until we arrive in Caras... ga-"

"Caras Galadhon," he supplied quickly, not making eyes contact with Cassidy as he swept the surroundings. "We should arrive early tomorrow afternoon."

"If you're worried about safety, then I can place a protection charm around us tonight."

"That is not necessary," he said tightly.

"Suit yourself," Cassidy relied lightly. But, before she went to sleep that night, she did indeed place a protection charm around her bed.

She was still wary and her mind was still swimming. One moment she was blasting herself to nothingness and the next, she was here among beautiful elves in a forest of giant trees. She dearly hoped that Voldemort was not somehow behind it all, but she was not naive enough to believe such hope. 

So instead, she ran through her mental defenses, reaffirming her occlumency and checking that there were no kinks in the shielding of her mind. Occlumency was one of the first things that she was taught as a child learning to control her magic. She could do it with or without a wand, and any Legilimens would receive a nasty surprise trying to invade her sanctum. 

Satisfied that she was safe as one could be when possibly in a Dark Lord created illusion, Cassidy fell into a fitful slumber, dreaming of the war and what may become of it. She served her part. She could only hope that Dumbledore and the Order would continue to prevail.

Chapter Text

The next morning was much of the same with Cassidy transfiguring her bed back into a sleeping roll which she handed to a rather nervous looking elf. She assured him that the roll would not suddenly transfigure back while he carried it, but declined her offer to make it lighter. Haldir then informed her that the weight was not a problem among elves, whatever that meant. 

She apparated back to the ground whilst the elves climbed in their impossibly graceful manner and the small group set off. Just as before, most of the elves flew through the trees while Haldir, Rumil, and another who Haldir refereed to as Orophin walked with her. Apparently the tall blond elf had two brothers. I wonder if all elves look like that, she contemplated with a silent smile on her lips.

The forest around them seemed to grow in life and vibrancy as they proceeded, trees of massive proportion and golden vines draped downward. Cassidy found that she couldn't help but marvel at the beauty around her. Not even Professor Sprout's magical greenhouses where all the castle's potion ingredients could compare to these woods which grew wild and strong. She couldn't stop herself from enchanting a passing flower to float from its vine and land delicately in her hair. She of course did not do so without encouraging another blossom to grow on the same vine. 

"How did you do that?" Haldir asked, though his tone sounded more like an accusation. 

"It was a simple summons and a growing charm... I did not harm to tree, look," she pointed to the new blossom as brilliant as the one now shining in her hair. "Another grows just the same."

"These Mallorn trees are sacred," he hissed. 

"Yes, and so I did not harm them."

Orophin whispered something to Haldir and the two engaged in a small argument in their tongue. Cassidy could not hold back a chuckle at the scene. Apparently, no matter where she was, brothers would be brothers. 

The group walked for several more miles, at one point crossing a rather treacherous looking river which Cassidy once more simply apparated across, before they came the edge of a city. At this point, Haldir turned to her and spoke. Even Orophin and the happy Rumil looked grave. 

"You are about to enter Caras Galadhon, the heart of Elvendom on Middle Earth."

"Yes," she pointedly ignored the "Middle" and decided that such was something to worry about in the future. 

"This city is a sanctuary and its protection is my duty. If you seek to harm any in this place I will end you without a thought. Do you understand?"

"I wish no harm upon you or your kin," Cassidy spoke earnestly, dearly hoping that she had indeed found herself somehow in another world and not in a delusion made by Voldemort. She would hate to have to destroy this beautiful place if it were indeed a false vision. 

Haldir seemed to take her answer as satisfactory and thus led her into the city. Cassidy gasped in shock. It was a city build vertically into the trees. The towering giants, larger than the redwoods she once saw on a family vacation, rose up into the sky with hundreds of steps winding around each one, leading to homes build like masterful treehouses. Sunlight rained down through he leaves casting a golden glow over the landscape and hundreds of elves, each as beautiful as the other, walked up stairs and across perilously narrow bridges without a fear in the world. 

It was wonderful. 

The feeling of Haldir pushing lightly on her shoulder brought Cassidy back down to earth and set the sinking fear in her stomach that perhaps this was indeed a dream, for what world- what race could be so beautiful. She was left to her ponderings as Haldir nudged her to a massive staircase leading so high up, that Cassidy could barely spot the platform that it lead to. She frowned at the expansive staircase, lacking railings as is the case at Hogwarts, and had her wand half lifted with the intention of apparating to the top. 

A rather severe glare from Haldir stopped her. 

Thus, Cassidy, Haldir, and his two brothers walked the long trek up the stairs. Up and up they went, Cassidy finding herself eventually out of breath while the elves seemed entirely unaffected by their climb. At several moments, Cassidy had the briefest curiosity as to if the elves ever fell and what they would do if she were to suddenly trip. Unlike the Hogwarts castle, she could not feel any magical barrier to stop a fall from the steps. 

Finally, after what seemed like and eternity, they stopped at the top. Haldir and his brothers immediately dropped to a low bow, kneeling on the floor with their fists against their chests whilst Haldir spoke rapidly, but firmly in their language. Cassidy did not know what he said, but she was certain that she could distinctly hear her name come up. 

Cassidy looked upwards and saw and woman more stunning and beautiful then she had ever seen before with shining hair and glowing eyes. Beside her stood a man with hair as white as hers, but with the slightest sheen of pure white silver in it. The two wore metal circlets around their heads and Cassidy instantly knew that they were the ones in charge of this beautiful kingdom. She briefly glanced down at Haldir and noticed a rather pointed glare that seemed to be commanding her to bow. She did not. The days of bowing in magical England were long gone, the only one who still demanded such supplication was Voldemort himself. She would never bow to those who seek power. 

"Rumil, Orophin, thank you for your assistance. You are dismissed," she spoke warmly and Cassidy couldn't help but notice that even her voice was beautiful. "You are certainly a strange one, miss Cassidy of Oleander," she spoke her name with a slight accent, but Cassidy grinned in response. 

"And so are you, Lady Galadriel," she smirked. Although she could feel Haldir tense behind her, Lady Galadriel merely laughed, her voice light and like the tinkling of a bell. 

"And bold you are too, now tell me child," her face was still gentle, but her tone turned to one with strength behind it. "How does one so young come to bear such power? You have been accused of Dark Magic, though I sense no darkness emanating from you." 

"My magic is not dark," Cassidy corrected, a hint of annoyance in her tone. "It is merely magic. I can see that wherever I am your kin do not have much, if any, but where I am from it is rather common among my kin."

"And where are you from?"

"That, I fear, bears a longer explanation."

"Perhaps, I can shorten this exchange," she smiled warmly. 

Cassidy was puzzled for a moment before she felt it, it was like the power of a natural born Legilimens, warmer and softer than the harsh pry of one trained crudely in the art form, but it was an intrusion nonetheless. Cassidy's instincts immediately kicked in, slamming a wall down to block of her mind, offering nothing that a black pit of endless darkness that the inexperienced could easily become lost in. Then, her mind strode forward in that manner that she had been trained, a sharp state of her energy pushed into the stacking mind, tearing through it like a knife through flesh. 

She heard a gasp and looked up, immediately ceasing her counterattack as Lady Galadriel held a hand to her forehead, falling backwards and being caught by her husband. Instantly Haldir had a blade pointed at Cassidy's neck and Cassidy held her wand aloft in warning. Although Haldir did not know what exactly her wand did, he had been thrown back by it once and was aware that it held some sort of power. It was a standoff. 

Galadriel and Celeborn were speaking quietly to one another in their musical language and Cassidy was itching to find a reference book where she could pinpoint a translation spell. It was quite obvious that the silver haired lord was both concerned for the wellbeing of his wife, and rather angry at Cassidy. She would assume that he did not trust her which was just fine as she did not trust them. A world where elves appeared to have no magic, fight with crude swords and bows, yet their leader was a Legilimens... it was far too suspicious to Cassidy. 

It was a brilliant plan really- create a fantasy world where Cassidy would let her guard down, get her to trust these beautiful beings and make her want them to trust her. And then, have one of them "check" her mind, thus gaining access to all her knowledge of the Order. It was brilliant. A rather intricate illusion, but Voldemort had always held more power than any witch or wizard gave him credit for and thus it was only logical that he would be capable of more than she would initially imagine. 

If Cassidy had to tear this illusion down by the seams then so be it. 

She would not betray her friends. 

"If you wish to access my mind then you will have to try harder than that you servant of the Dark One," she hissed in anger. 

"How dare you attack our Lady and make such accusations," Haldir roared, blade tip digging closer. 

"If you do not back up with that blade this instant then so help me I will blast you back," she hissed at him. Her voice was dangerously low and she was furious. 

"You would not dare..."

"Expelliarmus," she cried out with enough force to send his blade tumbling off the edge of the treehouse's platform and knocking him over. "Now stay down or I will stupefy you."

The guards at the entrance had their hands on their blades and looked as if they were about to make a move when Galadriel held out her hand, calling something in their language that made them pause and return to their posts. 

"I believe we must all calm down a moment," she spoke lightly, gripping her head in pain. "It seems we have several misunderstandings."

"My Lady-"

"I am alright Haldir," she spoke soothingly to both her husband and the Marchwarden before turning to Cassidy. "I have lived a many good years, child of Oleander, but never have I encountered a mortal with the power to push me from their mind, nor one who can attack with merely their consciousness."

"Where I am from, the gift of legilimens, of mind searching, is not quite uncommon. We are at war and we must learn to protect our minds and the secrets they contain." She kept hr explanation brief, anger and distrust evident in her voice. 

"You are rather young to be at war, child."

"I am of age, 17 as of this year."

"Even among Man that is considered young," the silver haired Lord, Celeborn, spoke. 

"Perhaps it it, but there isn't much of a choice when facing a Dark Lord."

"Tell me child, do you hail from Middle Earth?" Her voice was genuine, but Cassidy released a bark of laughter. 

"No, no I do not. I tried to apparate home, but as that did not work I am under one of two assumptions."

"And such are?" Celeborn questioned. 

"I am either in an entirely different world when I should be dead," at those words Cassidy could hear a slight inhale from behind her. "Or, what is more likely, I was captured and this is all an illusion by he-who-shall-not-be-named meant to gain access to my mind as he has apparently grown tired of his usual methods of torture."

"Cassidy, I can assure you that we are not a form of torture, you are indeed on Middle Earth. What would prove such to you?"

Cassidy considered for a moment, thinking of all the things that could possibly be faked, anything that he would be able to recreate. Then, and idea dawned on her, a rather unpleasant but hopeful one. 

"I would access one of your minds and search through it for memories... memories of love," she spoke slowly, considering her words with care. "Many things can be falsely formed, but true love, joy, grief, and loss cannot be faked, especially not by one as dark as he. If you are truly creatures of good, if this place and this world is real, then I will be able to find it in one of those memories."

"And if you think us false illusions?" Galadriel asked.

"Then I will burn this place to the ground until he gives up and pulls me from this fantasy to kill me." She spoke without pause. She had resigned herself to death in that tower when she chose to blow herself up. She would not hesitate now. 

Cassidy heard a sharp inhale of breath behind her, it appeared that Haldir did not approve. 

"Then you shall search my mind," Lord Celeborn spoke, stepping forward. I shall show you the memories of my daughter, my joy at her birth, my despair at her torment, and my sorrow as she left these shores for another. 

"My Lord, I would advise against..."

"It is all right Haldir," Celeborn spoke firmly. He then approached Cassidy, carefully bending to one knee so that she could better look into his eyes for he was much taller than the young girl. 

"Take care with an Eldar mind," Galadriel warned. "We are creatures of eternity and our minds are as vast as the star filled sky in comparison to the mortal's consciousness."

Cassidy nodded, still slightly amazed at the lengths that these beings, if they were indeed real, were willing to go to in order to convince her that they were real. 

"If there is something that you do not wish for me to see, then create a door and I promise that I will not open it," she spoke carefully and he nodded. 

Cassidy took great care in fortifying her own defenses as a mind once opened is far more easily accessed. Then, she tightened her grip on her wand and dove inward. 

She felt his consciousness around her like the folds of an icy blanket- all encompassing and cold. His mind did indeed remind Cassidy of a sky filled with emptiness and bright specks of light. She gently moved forward until she found the memory that he was pushing to the surface. The first memory was bright and gleeful, she eagerly slipped in and watched as Celeborn, by all appearances the same though his eyes told of greater youth, cradling a newborn babe. The child was pale skinned and held the delicately pointed ears of the elves, with bright blue eyes and shining gold hairs, curling lightly against her scalp. She instantly knew that the radiant bundle was a girl as she felt the warmth and affection rolling off of Celeborn in waves as he then handed the child over to Galadriel who looked far too beautiful for right after giving brith. But, the joy was so genuine, Cassidy found herself smiling as she share the memory. 

She then retreated from that one and moved to another, this time the memory held the haze surrounding it that those memories which one tried to forget so often do. She pushed past the old cobwebs and entered it, finding herself as Celeborn, racing through the halls of some unknown building where large, arching windows opened to reveal graceful waterfalls, but her-his eyes were not on the windows. They were on a door which he threw open only to find a delicate form cringing on a bed. She was beautiful, blond and blue eye- Cassidy instantly knew that it was the same child as from before. She was a chid no more though and her eyes were wild with terror. 

"Celebrian," she heard herself- Celeborn, gasp. 

He collapsed to his knees beside her bed as she sobbed softly, trying to reach out to seek comfort from her father, but fear preventing her from doing so. She could feel the stab of pain that Celeborn felt, the naming guilt of self accusations proclaiming himself to be a terrible failure of a father. She felt his utter devastation and helplessness. Then, she found herself looking deeper into the fair maiden on the bed and saw a glowing ember- her soul, growing dimmer. The mind she was in let out a great moan of grief before she pulled backwards. 

She then retreated from the mind, she had seen enough. 

When she fulled pulled herself from the mind of the silver-haired Lord, she found his face as impassive as ever, but she could still sense the lingerings of grief. She looked deep into his eyes, this time only at the surface level, and quietly spoke,

"I am sorry."

He nodded wordlessly and stood, instantly slipping his hand into his wife's as if to draw comfort from her. Galadriel looked deeply into his eyes and the two shared a silent conversation before he nodded and she smiled sadly, turning to Cassidy. 

"Do you believe us to be truthful now?"

"Yes," as Cassidy spoke, she wiped a tear that she had not noticed falling from her eye. "No being of darkness and evil could fake... or even create such a memory. I am very very far from home."

"I sense that you would still be reluctant to allow me access to your mind," Galadriel spoke after a slight pause. Cassidy shook her head. 

"My training... it is of the sort that one does not easily push aside. I fear that I cannot handle an intrusion without attacking in turn. But," and idea struck Cassidy, "I could show you if you have a pensieve. It is a place where one can view memories, usually a stone basin enchanted with old magic."

"My mirror perhaps?" Galadriel then gestured to follow, waving Haldir to come as well. The group slowly made their way back down the endless set of stairs. Cassidy marled slightly at how Galadriel waled so gracefully in her long gown, never tripping on the hem even once. 

The air was growing cool and Cassidy tugged her clock closer around her shoulders, noticing how the elves did not mind the chill in the air, Galadriel even walking barefoot across the damp earth. She did however notice how Celeborn gave a very pointed look at her boots, watching as she walked soundlessly. 

The place where they ended their walk was not what Cassidy was expecting. It was an open area with a large, stone basin in the center. Cassidy felt the familiar warmth of magic which this land seemed to lack and was thus drawn closer to it. The object which Galadriel described as her "mirror" was indeed a pensieve, a rather old one, but beautiful and powerful. 

Cassidy carefully explained the process of what she what she was about to do: how she would pull forth memories from her mind, and all they would have to do with them, would be to lean into the pensieve and they would find themselves in her memories. She reluctantly promised to enter with them as they would need a guide. She would be dumping quite a few memories in there. 

Cassidy placed her wand tip to her forehead, pulling forth a stream of silver thread that she dropped into the swirling water. She did this again and again, pulling forth the memories of her parents first explaining that her mother was a witch, of her summers spent at the dueling dojo in Japan after her temper proved to set off her magic unexpectedly, a brief glimpse of Hogwarts before the darkness set in, of Voldemort rising, an attack of Death Eaters, her on missions for the Order, and finally- she would show them her last memory of her world, of her breaking the prisoners out of Malfoy Manner, fleeing upwards and upon finding no escape, destroying herself int he process. 

Once she was done, she placed her hands on the rim of the cool pensieve stone, watching as Galadriel, Celeborn, and even Haldir after some beckoning did the same. Then, all four plunged forward. For a moment they were trapped in the swirling gyre of her memories, but Cassidy pointed in a direction and they all swam towards it; it was her first memory. This they did for each one, watching the events play out and learning enough about her world and her powers to understand why she was so confused, why she was so untrusting.

During one of the memories, she watched as the stoic Marchwarden turned his head, averting his gaze from the Death Eater performing the crucio on a 4th year student whose parents once fought in the first Wizarding War. That memory ended with Cassidy, Tonks, and Moody breaking up the meeting and rescuing the child, but he would be sent to St. Mungos where he never fully recovered from the effects- the students at school all thought that he moved. 

Finally, when they finished watching the floor explode from below Cassidy, when they felt the burn of fire cascading around them and watched as her world went from a fiery engulf to dark, they were yanked out by Cassidy. Sometimes those inexperienced in reading a pensieve were easily trapped within the gyre of memories. 

An audible silence fell over the group, all attempting to process what they had just witnessed. As usual, Galadriel- the strange elf reminded Cassidy a bit of her friend Luna, Luna Lovegood who never seemed perturbed- was the first to speak. 

"You have been through many trials, more than one should in a lifetime, but especially for one so young. There is much for us to speak of, but that can wait. It is so oft for us elves to forget how mortal tire. Haldir, please guide Cassidy to a guess flet and return to complete your report. Eat, rest, and we call speak on the morrow, Cassidy of Oleander."

Cassidy nodded her head lightly in acknowledgment before following Haldir through the city and up another flight of endless stairs. She was absolutely determined to begin appareting again the second he turned his back. But, as with the walk to Caras Galadhon, the blond elf remained silent. He only spoke once they reached the small house which Cassidy assumed would be temporarily hers. In one corner a large washtub was already filled with steaming water and a fluffy towel sat next to it. A nightgown, hairbrush, slippers were set on a small vanity while a hot plate of what Cassidy could only assume to be dinner was situated on the table nearest the door. What drew Cassidy's eyes most however, was the large and rather plush looking bed. Transfiguration had never quite been her strong suite and the transfigured bed that she slept on the night before was really a lumpy mess. That bed looked like heaven.

"These are to be your accommodations until our Lady sees so fit. If you require anything then you may pull this bell," he gestured to a long, thin rope hanging near the door. "And a maid will come to assist you. Otherwise, you are our guest here, but I would advise against wandering."

The unspoken "I do not trust you and thus will be watching you" was quite clear, but Cassidy had no intentions of wandering that night. Though she was immensely curious about these strange elves, she was not stupid enough to get caught mysteriously lurking around their capital city at night. She thanked Haldir with a genuine smile and watched him nod in acknowledgment before leaving. he still obviously did not trust her, but seemed a bit warmer after watching her memories. I suppose watching someone die does that to a person, she mused. 

Cassidy went about a nightly routine slowly and automatically: eating, bathing, spelling her hair dry, and dressing. She eventually found herself setting at the edge of her bed, trying to will herself to simply collapse into the plush sheets and sleep.

But, a force of sorrow beyond her will crept in and instead she wept.

She wept for her parents, killed when she was a child. 

She wept for her friends, never to know what became of her. 

She wept for the Order, with not enough witches and wizards to fight Voldemort.

And she wept for her world, dancing on the very precipice between good and evil: filled with hatred, ignorance, blame, and suffering. It was her home, and she may never see it again. 

***

From several trees over, a shadow fell across a tree branch. An elf was crouching low, silent as a windless night, listening to the sounds of a mortal girl's anguished tears. The figure listed for several moments before standing and disappearing into the night. 

Chapter Text

"My Lady," Haldir bowed his head as he reentered the receiving room of Lady Galadriel. His Lord was sitting, by all appearances extremely worn from the trials of the evening. 

"You wonder why we yielded so much to gain the trust of a child of Man," Galadriel looked straight through Haldir as she spoke.

"It is not my position to question..."

"Yet you wonder all the same."

"Yes," Haldir admitted with a resigned sigh. "I must confess, my Lady, to first grant her access to Caras Galadhon was more than I expected, but then to allow her to..." he trailed off, still in shock from all that had occurred. When the messenger arrived to alert him that Lady Galadriel requested that he bring the young girl to the city and to see her, he had been in shock. Yet, at the same time, he doubted that his wardens would be capable of pushing her away. Such would likely require the assistance of Lady Galadriel and her ring. 

"What I did was necessary, and I did so gladly," Celeborn cut in, sanding so that he could be aside his wife. 

"This young girl holds more power than we have ever encountered," Galadriel paused in thought. "The raw energy coursing through her alone is enough to bring down the Witch King, I recon even battle Sauron himself."

"My Lady," Haldir's mouth fell open in shock. "You cannot possibly-"

"Have you ever seen one throw a weapon so easily without even touching the other? She bears power beyond our understanding. I have already called for Mithrandir, but we must be cautious until he arrives."

"She is dangerous."

"What makes you say so?" Galadriel's words were tinged with a slight smile, that smile that Haldir was well aware of being an indicator for her knowing more than she was saying. 

"We don't even know what she can do... and she threatened to burn Lothlorien to ash. Do you think she was lying?"

"Not one word."

"Then she is dangerous."

"Perhaps," Celeborn cut into the conversation. "However she was- is frightened. You saw her memories as well, you know that her world too faces a Dark Lord bent on destruction. She was expecting death or torture... finding herself alive she assumed the latter to be her situation."

"She will need a guide while she is staying here," Galadriel held that scheming smile dancing on her lips again. "Inform Orophin that he will be taking over your duties at the boarders for the time being, you are to be her guide and guardian whilst she remains in our city."

Knowing better than to protest, Haldir merely bowed his head and waited until he was dismissed. A gentle nod from his Lady was all it took for him to turn and leave, heading home to the flet he shared with his brothers when they were not on patrol. It was a thing of simple construction, the wood was smoothed by the many years that they had spent traversing across the deck. The sides of the flet held large, open windows that let the natural light- both of sun and stars, into the house. Haldir smiled upon the sight of warm light emanating through the windows and the sound of cups and plates clattering, indicating that his brothers were readying their evening meal. The second Haldir made it through the door though, he was bombarded with questions. 

"Who is she?"

"Is she staying?"

"What did Lady Galdriel find?"

"Is she single?"

"Rumil," Haldir roared in outrage. "How dare you?! She is a child, a mortal, and a witch!"

"She is... interesting," he replied with a sly smile.

"That is enough," Orophin, for once taking Haldir's side, stepped in. "Even for you Rumil, that is enough."

Haldir sighed and plopped rather ungracefully into his chair. His brothers of course noticed how he did not shed his sword belt, but declined to comment on it as he quickly launched into an explanation of what had occurred after the two were dismissed. Both brothers leaned in and listened eagerly as Haldir recounted how the child attacked Lady Galadriel's mind, threw his sword, and threatened to burn their home to the ground. He then went on to explaining how Lord Celeborn allowed her to search his mind, and how she in turn showed them her memories. When they pushed for him to tell them of the memories he saw, Haldir was only willing to share her history, that magic was far more prevalent in her world, and that she too was fighting a Dark Lord. He would not however, recount the horrors that she showed them, the images of torture, the sounds of screams and the scents of burning flesh that no child should know. Those thoughts he locked away. 

After satisfying his brothers' curiosity, Haldir informed them that Orophin would be taking over his duties and that his responsibility was now to guard the young girl. Rumil frowned slightly at this, but did not protest. For all Rumil's foibles, he knew that when orders came from Lady Galadriel herself, they were not to be protested. 

 Finished with his brothers’ questions, Haldir shoveled down a quick dinner and dragged himself to his room where he retired. The moon was high and he could hear the voices of his kin singing a joyful song of the coming autumn festival. The moon would soon be full and they would all be blessed by her beauty. Haldir dearly hoped that the mortal child would be gone before then.

***
“Miss Oleander," a light voice stirred Cassidy from her sleep. 

For a moment upon waking, she forgot where she was, what happened. However, as soon as she felt the linen sheets on the bed and noticed the alarming amount of sunlight shining from the window, she knew that all which had occurred the day before did indeed happen- it wasn’t a dream. 

“Just a moment,” she called back to the voice that she didn’t recognize. Cassidy day up on the bed, stretching her limbs and yawning. She was still in that phase of just waking where absolutely anything was perfectly normal, even wearing a nightgown in a treehouse. She needed her morning tea.

Shuffling slowly over to the door, wand still ever in hand, Cassidy pulled it open to reveal another stunningly beautiful elf. This one was obviously feminine and had golden hair cascading down her back. She wore a simple, yet elegant dress of light green and her smile was simply brilliant. Cassidy openly faked for a moment before composing herself, are they all this beautiful? She couldn’t help but question such a thing.

“Miss Oleander,” she spoke slowly, taking great care with her words. “Tea for your morning as Lady Galadriel requested for you. Master Haldir will be here shortly to- guide you. Do you require assistance?”

Cassidy took the tray of fragrant tea eagerly and smiled at the elf. She was obviously unused to English and had likely rehearsed her speech several times before knocking on Cassidy’s door. She appreciated the effort.

“Thank you,” Cassidy spoke slowly, hoping that the elf would understand. “I am grateful for the tea, and I will not require assistance in readying.” 

The elf nodded and walked away while Cassidy drew the door shut and placed the tray on a little wood table in the “flet.” She carefully poured herself a cup of tea and placed a warming charm on the pot so that she could go back to it later. She then set about scourgifying her clothes so that she could change back into them. There was a dress that appeared to have been roughly tailored to her size on the tray of tea, but she chose to ignore it and instead favored her clothing from the previous night. Besides, the air was chilly and her own clothing was already adorned with warming charms. 

Shortly after she finished changing and taming her hair with a comb, a knock on her door sounded. It was a much firmer and more precise knock, one that she instantly knew would be the stoic Marchwarden. Cassidy schooled her features. These elves were strange indeed, but she had spent many a nights in the Forbidden Forest amongst the races who lived there. Each time she eventually won their trust. This time however, she was hesitant, she didn't know if she wanted to follow her instincts of curiosity... or simply make a run for the hills and a bit of peace. 

"Hello Haldir-" she paused upon opening the door and seeing the elf dressed differently from the previous day. Instead of his uniform, he was wearing what Cassidy could only assume to be normal attire for the elves: a dark grey tunic, green leggings, and soft brown leather boots and belt. "I heard that you are supposed to be my "guide" today?"

"Yes," his tone being decently less excited than Cassidy's. "There are few in Caras Galadhon who are fluent in Common and who my Lady trusts with... watching you."

"Ah, so you're my baby-sitter then? Here to make sure I don't fall out of a tree?" There was a spike of bitterness in her words. Cassidy had spent the last several years of her life fighting Death Eaters in a war to determine the fates of all magical and muggle beings alike. She was no child. 

"I am here to make sure that you don't "burn this forest to the ground" as you so pleasantly suggested," he hissed his words, making Cassidy flinch internally. 

Yah... about that, her mind recalled her words form the night before. But, she would not apologize. She was not sorry for her threats or her actions. She could have thrown a stunning spell on every elf in that tree, she could have obviated them all, but she did not. For that, she believed that she was more than patient with them. 

"Listen, thanks for the hospitality and all-" Cassidy was beginning to realize that they did not get off to the best start, and this elf seemed the type to take first impressions far too seriously. "But it's obvious that I'm not welcome here and I'm in the middle of an existential crisis so I really can't deal with this now. If you'd point me in the direction of the nearest magical settlement then I'll be on my way."

"My Lady has asked that you stay a while whilst we fetch Mithrandir, one of the greatest wizards alive. There are few with such powers and thus being so, there is no "magical settlement" for me to point you to. Come, you are to dine with myself and my brothers this morning."

Cassidy nodded at his icy tone and followed him, closing the door behind her. A slight spark of hope however began to glow in her chest, the Lady was calling a wizard... there were some of her kind in this world. She watched as Haldir strode purposefully ahead, crossing several bridges and leaping up sever more sets of stairs. Cassidy determined that enough was enough, and simply apparated up them. As before, Haldir frowned deeply at this but said nothing. 

He's just jealous, she thought smugly, smirking at him after she beat him to the top of the staircase yet again. 

They eventually arrived at a lovely looking flet and were greeted by Orophin, the other elf who escorted Cassidy to the city. He smiled warmly at her and welcomed her in broken English. She returned his greeting and upon his stepping back to allow her entrance, was swept up by Rumil who held out his arm to escort her with a dashing smile. She laughed in response and pretended not to hear the frustrated noice that Haldir made from behind them. 

Rumil pulled out a seat for her, and pushed it in gently. He then skipped to his place across the table and sat, waiting for his brothers who were still arguing in their musical tongue at the door to join them. He granted Cassidy a conspiring wink and slid a wooden fork onto the chair at the head of the table. Cassidy couldn't help but giggle slightly as he schooled his features into a perfectly innocent smile right as Haldir and Orophin arrived at the table. Orophin appeared to be perfectly calm, but Haldir was practically fuming. Orophin took his seat next to Rumil, and Haldir pulled out his chair and sat down viciously, only to leap up in alarm. 

He glared at Rumil and shouted something which Cassidy could only assume to be some rather unpleasant words before Orophin interjected with a rather resigned tone of voice. Once the two brothers were calm, he turned to Cassidy and offered an apologetic smile,

"Sorry- they can, are" he paused, thinking on his words. "Difficult?"

"I couldn't agree more," Cassidy smiled, once more admiring their effort to communicate with her. 

"Orophin has not traveled as much as I and thus his Common is rather crude, but he is learning," the still slightly fuming Haldir spoke as he viciously stabbed a piece of fruit with his for. Cassidy had the distinct impression that he was imagining a face on that pear slice. Now whether that face was hers or Rumil's, she did not know. 

They all lapsed into silence for several more minutes and Cassidy was uncertain if they were always this quiet with one another, if it was the awkwardness of her arrival, or the inconvenience of the language barrier which prevented speech, but she was beginning to grow annoyed. She could feel three sets of eyes watching her: Haldir with suspicion, Orophin with mild curiosity, and Rumil with an open and mischievous smile. Eventually, she decided that someone aught to try something. 

"So Haldir, babysitter of mine, what's on the agenda for today?" The elf stiffened and both of his brothers turned to look at him expectingly. Although they did not understand what she said, they certainly heard her mention their brother's name. 

"We do not have an agenda set for Lady Galadriel asked only for you to feel free to explore and do what you will with your time whilst waiting for Mithrandir," he replied. 

"Well if you have a library of some sort, I'd love to find a good sample of your writing so that I can rig up a translation spell."

"You think you have a way to learn our language?" Haldir's voice was laced with suspicion. 

"I have a few books of my own with me, so I think I could figure something out."

Haldir turned and spoke with his brothers for a few minutes, another argument obviously took place and Cassidy watched it all with mild amusement. I think they might have the Weasly's beat on dysfunctional family disagreements, she mused silently to herself. 

"I shall escort you to the library." He spoke with a sort of firm finality that made it seem that she had asked him to sacrifice a goat or something for her. 

The rest of the meal lapsed into silence with Rumil occasionally speaking towards Cassidy in what she assumed was a question. Each time he turned to Haldir expectantly, but the elder brother always shook his head, unwilling to translate. None of this seemed to damper the younger's enthusiasm though as he simply continued to pose his questions. 

When they left the flet to travel to the library, Cassidy could not help but notice how fond she had become of the youngest brother. His ever cheerful attitude, smiles, and secret winks as he further irritated his older brother had allowed her to forget about her longing for home during their meal. It was only a short period of time, but it was a relief none the less.

But, now they were heading to the library. Cassidy dearly hoped that the library would be a large one as she was eager to learn the language of these elves, and perhaps even a bit about the strange world that she had fallen into. The Hogwarts library was one of her absolute most favorite places in the world, and Cassidy longed for the warmth of a dusty place with shelves and shelves of velvety parchment, just waiting for someone to pry them open and learn their secrets. Besides, would she even be a proper Ravenclaw if she arrived in a strange land amount a brand new species, and didn't bother to examine their literature or learn their language?

***

Somewhere, near the northern banks of the Celebrant, a Wizard was idly ambling along in a small, wooden cart. His large draft horse pulling the creaky thing was slow, but in a pleasant mood and thus walking amicably. The wizard was smoking pipeweed and humming a pleasant tune as he enjoyed the gentle rustle of the nearby river and the easy breeze blowing through his beard. He would have been happy to continue ambling aimlessly for quite some time if it had not been for the elf riding towards him at great speed.

"Mithrandir," the elf called out, keen elven eyes allowing him to have seen the wizard well in advance.

"Hanon-le," the wizard called back, a good natured wave to accompany the traditional elvish greeting. 

"Hanon-le, Mithrandir," he lept from his horse who, like a true elvish steed, remained still as his rider dismounted. The elf then bowed with a fist to his chest, turning to look up at the great wizard. "My Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn humbly request your assistance in an urgent matter." He then pulled from a pocket of his tunic a roll of parchment bearing a green wax seal of the Mallorn leaf- the seal of Lothlorien.

"Hmmm," the wizard grunted, more to himself than the elf who was speaking to him. "All you creatures are always in such a hurry. Is every matter urgent?" He then began patting the pockets of his robe speaking to himself once more. "Now where are my glasses..."

The elf was then set to truly test his patience as he waited for the wizard to find his glasses so that he could read the note, and hopefully provide him with a response that he could deliver back to his Lady. As the wizard continued to search his pockets, the elf could not help but glance the sun and wonder if he would be returning with a response before the stars were out. 

"Nope... those are old Bill's spectacles... oooh, that's where my spare pipe went," he continued to mumble as he searched his robes. 

The elf let out an audible sigh and stroked his horses neck whispering to him that he could leave to take a drink in the stream and graze upon the nearby grass. It would likely be some time before he got a proper response from the wizard.

"Oh, there's my old pocket watch... I wondered where that one had gone off too..."

Chapter Text

"Haldir," a brunet elf called out just as they were leaving Haldir's flet. 

Haldir returned a greeting and the two elves instantly became engrossed in conversation. Although Cassidy couldn't understand what they were saying, she could tell that their discussion was relatively serious. She could also tell that they were talking about her by the way they kept "subtly" glancing in her direction. 

After the conversation progressed for a while, the other elf gave Haldir a light shove in Cassidy's direction. He frowned briefly at the other elf before turning his attention to Cassidy. 

"Lady Cassidy, my companion here," he gestured towards the other elf who smiled warmly. "Would desire that I assist in this morning's training of our Galadhrim. I informed him that I cannot for I am escorting you this day, and he asked if you would care to join."

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Cassidy lept at the chance to learn something new about these elves. "What are the Galadhrim?"

"The Galadhrim are the elite soldiers who protect Lothlorien's boarders from intruders."

"So your group of elves with the pointy things from yesterday?" Cassidy couldn't help but tease him about the incident. Really, these elves certainly were full of themselves. They reminded Cassidy a bit too much of those older pureblood families. 

"Yes."

"Well, I'm always up for observing new things. Lead the way."

Haldir's companion, who introduced himself as Iallor, guided the pair through a series of winding routes. Much to Cassidy's annoyance, these ones were twisted and they often ended at a place where she did not expect, thus making it impossible for her to apparate. She soon found herself growing mild out of breath as the elves walked on with ease. 

Eventually, they reached a rather large clearing where a group of elves, all dressed in identical grey, brown, and green tunics and leggings stood in a loose formation, stretching and checking weapons. As soon as they saw Haldir and Iallor however, they all snapped smartly to attention. Cassidy watched in fascination as Haldir barked a series of orders to them, resulting in them all breaking off to do what Cassidy could only assume to be some sort of drill. 

Throughout the training, Cassidy couldn't help but be fascinated by the drills that they ran through, the ease and grace with which they moved. Now Cassidy had always considered herself a pretty efficient tree climber, but those elves flew up the trees, barely rustling a single leaf. Oh how Cassidy envied their skills. 

As the practice grew later, a few of the elves set up targets and began to practice archery. Once again they were incredibly efficient, far more accurate than the centers of the Forbidden Forest, and they shot with such precision that Cassidy began to wonder if the elves had more magic than they realized. Her pondering however were interrupted when Iallor wandered over with a bow, offering it to Cassidy with a smile. She could tell by his eyes that he was trying to be kind, but she merely smiled sheepishly and pushed it away. 

"Sorry, but I tried archery once when I was nine at summer camp. Let's just say that I'm pretty sure the camp instilled a new policy after after that."

"Most of these Galadhrim have trained with a bow since they were only seventy years old. It is best for you to not bother. Besides, an elvish bow is far too heavy for you to carry," Haldir pointed out.

"Seventy... how old are you?" Cassidy let the sting slide and her attention was immediately drawn towards the blond elf who was still speaking slowly in his language as she corrected another elf's impeccable form. 

"I stopped counting some time ago..." he hesitated as he titled his head slightly in thought. "I would approximate somewhere around 2,500 years. We elves live much longer than fleeting mortal."

Cassidy decided to let the frankly lame insult slide. She had heard far worse. After pondering over his age however, she suddenly found herself in a rush to scramble through her bag and find a paper and quill. She immediately began jotting down notes on everything she had observed thus far on elvish culture. She was placing them right next to centaurs and merfolk in her journal. She became so engrossed in her activities that she did not notice that an elf, Iallor again, was attempting to speak to her. She finally looked up when he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. He was gesturing over to the elves practicing archery and speaking slowly, obviously attempting to get some point across. Cassidy looked over to Haldir who spoke to Iallor and then eventually translated after an audible sigh.

"He wishes to know if you would like to try as you seemed very interested in watching. He offered to fetch an elfling's bow and to move a target closer. I informed him that such was unnecessary as even an elfling's bow requires more strength than you have in your blood."

In your blood, the words flew through Cassidy's mind and rage began to take over. When she presented with magic to her squib mother and muggle father, they embraced her with joy and were happy to team up with her aunt in introducing her to the magical world. They thought that it would be a fantastic place for her and where thrilled with the prospect of her attending Hogwarts. Sure some of the children, mainly the Slytherin, teased her for her family, but she was able to ignore them, her mother would remind her that it wasn't her blood that made up who she was, it was her mind. 

Then, her parents died, murdered by Death Eaters in front of her and she was left to lie with her Aunt and Uncle. Somehow, the teasings got worse after that and students were more than willing to mock her dead parents. She had spent years defending her blood, defending her magic. Now, this stupid, arrogant, elitist elf was insulting her blood. These creatures with less magic than the merfolk in the Hogwarts Lake. I'll show him strength, she thought. 

She was stuck in some nutty world with hardly any magic, and she was found by a bunch of blond pricks that might has well have been Malfoys. She couldn't speak their language, and the only one who could understand her was a pompous arse. 

Then, without thinking things through quite as much as she usually did. She stood up and stormed her way over to Haldir, drawing her wand in the process. 

"You think I lack strength?!" she hissed. At this point, all the elves in the clearing had stopped practicing and were instead watching the proceedings rather keenly. "Is that what you think? This little girl, this mortal who is oh so young compared to you elves is incapable?"

"I merely stated a fact," he replied cooly. 

"Is is because of my blood?" 

"Your kin are inferior."

Your kin are inferior, those words wrung through her head. Oh she had heard those words so many times before. 

Cassidy laughed. She then raised her wand, pointing it to the furthest target. She leveled her gaze, the target was far, probably too far for a mortal to hit with a gun, but she was dueling champion. 

"Bombarda," she watched with satisfaction as the target was blow far back, exploding in so that nothing was left but a few bits of floating straw. The elves looked at her in shock, but she wasn't finished yet. "Flipendo duo," she cried at the next target, watching as it flew through the air, flipping as it went until it was stopped by hitting a tree so loudly, splinters flew. The elves were shifting nervously, some gripping their bows a little too tightly. Cassidy looked to Haldir and saw his grimace. It wasn't enough. She then looked towards the closest target, still a good 200 meters away. She grinned, almost manically as she had reached that peak of intersection between rage and power when all sense seems to fly away. "Lacarnum Inflamarae," her last spell sent a ball of fire towards the target which, being made of straw, promptly burst into flames. She laughed as the flames flew upwards, crackling and burning. As she smelled the smoke and ash, she remembered her night in Malfoy manor. Instead of fear, for a brief moment she felt joy, she remembered how good that spell felt, the only time she ever called upon so much of her magic at once... oh it was like nothing anyone could ever imagine. 

Immediately the elves scrambled into action, Haldir was barking out orders and for once, Cassidy saw what they looked like when frantic. 

"What's the big fuss about..."

"The trees," Haldir shouted, venom dripping from his tongue. "The Mallorn trees, they will..."

"Aqua Eructo," a jet of water shot out from Cassidy's wand before Haldir could finish his sentence, quickly dousing the flame. "It was a simple inflamarae... it's not like it was gonna light the forest on fire," she grumbled the last part half heartedly, realizing how foolish she had acted. 

When she looked up, Cassidy noticed that the elves were all giving her looks of unease. Even Iallor, who had tried so hard to be kind to her, was standing a decent distance, hand tight on his sheathed sword. The high of anger and injustice that she had been riding fell and she found herself feeling utterly lost. Looking around at the fear and uncertainty, she found that she herself was feeling much of that. 

"It... it was just a little joke," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

With that, she fled. Where to she didn't know, but she was running, racing through the forest contemplating how much she just screwed up. Every summer, every summer since turning ten she spent behind the doors of the dueling dojo, practicing her self control and mastering her emotions. After all that time, all those years, she lets the tiniest bit slip and terrifies everyone around her. I didn't even screw up the spells! She thought. I was in complete control, no mishaps or magical misfires. Indeed, her little stunt would have been nothing at Hogwarts. All the spells except her last one could easily be performed by a fourth year, or even really a talented third year. Even her last one wasn't that impressive for a seventh year during these times of war. 

These elves though of her as weak, but feared her magic. They were the worst of purebloods and muggles combined.

She continued to stumble through the dark, feet dragging along the ground as she pushed away branches and cast extra warming charms over her clothes. She clutched her wand tightly and held it to her chest, listening for any other sounds of the forest. She was lost. Very very very lost and alone. 

That night, just as Cassidy found herself utterly lost and alone in the dark, a figure startled her by leaping from the trees to land directly in front of her. She had her wand out and a blasting spell at the tip of her tongue before she recognized the shape. 

"Rumil?" she questioned. 

"Yes... hellow?" he spoke slowly with his best attempt at English. 

"I'm assuming you've heard about what I did. Come to kick me out of the forest?" she asked with a sigh.

Rumil, not understanding her, tilted his head to the side. He then smiled gently and beckoned her to follow him and the pair walked until they reached the little flet that was supposed to be Cassidy's temporary home. Haldir was standing outside it with his arms crossed and a rather angry expression on his face. Rumil walked ahead and spoke a few words to Haldir in a hushed tone. They made several glances over to Cassidy before Rumil turned to walk away, giving Cassidy one last smile. 

"Thank you," she called to his retreating form. Haldir, thankfully, translated both Cassidy and Rumil's reply of "it was no bother."

"Listen-" she began. But, he held up his hand. 

"It is past, it is forgotten. We go to the library tomorrow. There is food in your kitchen for tonight. I bid you a good evening Lady Cassidy."

With that, he walked away into the night.

Cassidy then found herself stumbling inside. If she was following any sense of normalcy or logic, then she really should have been crying her eyes out. Instead, she was just tired. Soon enough, she was asleep, still wearing her clothes from the day.

***

"It's beautiful," Cassidy marveled in awe as she walked through the massive library. Besides a polite greeting that morning, Haldir had hardly spoken to her, but he seemed to be pretending that the incident the day before didn't happen. Cassidy was content to act the same.

Like everything else in Lothlorian, the library was built high in the trees. The elves were obvious cautious of nature however as they hadn't cut any main branches from the trees, instead they built their sprawling library into the very canopy of the trees. Massive glass panes formed skylights in the being, allowing golden sunlight to filter into the open, cavernous space. The book shelves were arranged in a spiral radiating from the center, creating what felt like a maze of towering volumes of books. I must have found heaven.

"This is the heart of all information of the elven realms," Haldir spoke ever solemnly behind her. "It holds many precious and irreplaceable volumes, most older than mortal civilizations. They are meant to be handled with delicate hands. Take care."

"Humph," Cassidy frowned lightly at the insinuation that Haldir made. "Excuse you, I happen to be one of Madam Pince's favorite students... and she doesn't like many." Cassidy spoke with a huff before casting a simple searching charm that the aforementioned librarian had taught her. The spell was able to quickly locate a rather large dictionary which would be a perfect reference for her spell. She then used accio to summon the book, much to Haldir's displeasure, but she ignored his glare and took the book over to a large desk situated off to the side. 

From the corner of her eye, Cassidy could tell that Haldir was following her like a shadow, but she did her best to ignore him as there was no way that he was going to ruin her fun. There was nothing that Cassidy loved more than this, searching through texts, flipping page after page, book after book in search of hidden knowledge. She reached for her wrist and unclasped her charm bracelet. The delicate, though deceptively strong, silver chain held what appeared to be a series of book shaped charms. Sorting through them, Cassidy found the three most likely to provide answers and unclipped them from her chain. She then placed the charms on the desk and waved her wand above them. 

"Engorgio," she spoke softly on instinct as she was in a library, but the spell worked like a charm and the three charms became three full sized books. 

"How..." Haldir began.

"I'm very protective of my book collection, and you never know when you'll need a reference," Cassidy explained absentmindedly, already flipping through the pages. "It's really a simple shrinking charm. I did it myself so I have to remember to renew it every few weeks, but it keeps my books close so it's definitely worth it."

Haldir lapsed into silence and for once, Cassidy was grateful for it. Despite what Haldir said the night before, she had not forgiven him and she was quite certain that he had not forgiven her. But, she had work to do, she became engrossed in her research, pulling forth a piece of parchment and a quill so that she could make notes, she began cross referencing her texts and pulling together the spell- actually, the potion that she would need to make. The potion was a tricky one as it involved not only a foreign language that no witch or wizard had a record of, but also a completely different species. Such would be a large challenge, but Cassidy was enjoying herself far too much. 

Once several hours had passed and she had made a mess of scribbles on her notes, she closed the books with a satisfied smile, shrinking her own volumes and re-clipping them to her charm bracelet before picking up the library book and tucking it under her arm. 

"We're gonna need to head outside for this one. To create a charm that allows me to understand your language, I'm gonna need to brew a potion and that involves lighting a fire."

"You cannot light a fire in Caras Galadhon," Haldir replied. He had obviously no forgotten about the incident from the previous day.

"Relax, I'll keep it under control. If I can apparate up and down your stupid stairs then I'm sure I can prevent a forest fire from a tiny potion set."

Haldir considered for a moment before nodding stiffly and guiding Cassidy to an open platform a decent ways away from the library. Cassidy then dug through her bag and pulled out her portable potion cauldron and all the ingredients that she needed for the spell. It was a good thing that she was always an over planner. Cassidy pretty much had an entire potions laboratory in her bag at all times. On never knows when they will need such things. 

"Let's see... lacewing flies, everspeak peppers, mandrake extract," she ignored the look of horror on Haldir's face then the latter ingredient let out a high pitched shriek upon her opening the vial. "Veela blood, billywig venom, crushed ashflake... and one more thing..." Cassidy turned to Haldir, a sweet smile on her face. "There's one more ingredient that I need..."

"Yes?" A look of suspicion crossed Haldir's face. 

"Well, as this potion is rather complex... the best stabilizing agent that will also ensure that it is fully effective is... well a strand of hair of a being who understands both languages."

Haldir's expression became horrified and Cassidy swore that she could see him reel back slightly. So I was right, all these elves have long silky hair because they're obsessed with it, she thought to herself. 

"Are you asking for a strand of my hair?" Haldir's question sounded more like an accusation, but Cassidy nodded nonetheless. 

"Well technically, it's a "piece" of a being who speaks both tongues... so an ear or something could do," she shrugged and her smile grew wide as the look of horror spread through Haldir. The elf lifted one hand to his ear and took a half step back. But, when his other hand strayed to his sword, Cassidy tucked her wand back into its sleeve holster and held her hands up placatingly. "I kid, I kid. Jeez, you gotta relax bud, it was a joke. I just need one strand of hair. If you're so protective of whats on your head, then you can run on home and grab a piece off your hairbrush."

"What you ask for... it is not something to take lightly," he hissed.

"Listen, if your hair is sacred or something, then I'm sorry, but I need a piece for the translation spell to work. It'll be consumed in the spell so it's not like I'm gonna be keeping it as some weird talisman, and I promise there are easier ways to put a spell on someone then with their hair."

Haldir looked reproachful for another moment, but after considering his options he must have deemed it worth giving up a strand of hair so that he could stop playing translator. He reached towards the back of his skull, tugging lightly. He then drew forth his hand and offered upon an open palm, a single strand of long, blond hair. 

Cassidy took the offering carefully and smiled lightly at Haldir before setting it down next to her ingredients. Now came her second favorite part of potions. Her first was of course the research into the potion, but her second was most certainly this. She lit the cauldron and rechecked her ingredients, she was ready.

She began working in a methodical flurry: crushing seeds, measuring out liquids, slicing and dicing, pouring her ingredients in precisely the right order. She mumbled quietly to herself as she worked, having gotten into the habit long ago. Professor Snape always considered it annoying, but even that old grouch could not help but be mildly impresses with her skills... Professor Snape... Cassidy tried not to think of him much these days. 

"Always add the Dragon blood to the potion after the mandrake extract... then lacewing..." she counted each stir, careful to not overwork the spell. At the last moment, she dropped in the hair and watched as the potion turned from its light pink color to a warm, golden tinged green. Cassidy then reached into her bag and pulled forth a piece of pure, untainted crystal- the perfect vessel for holding magic. 

She stirred the potion one last time to create a tiny whirlpool which she dropped the crystal into, watching form the corner of her eye as Haldir leaned in mystified as the green potion seemed to be sucked into the crystal, chaining it from its off white color to a brilliant green, shining like the leaves fo Lothlorien's precious Mallorn trees. 

The spell was complete. 

Plucking the already cool crystal from the cauldron, Cassidy set up a simple spell to wrap a little piece of wire around it, forming a pendent which she then hung on a chain around her neck. She noted how Haldir purposefully did not make a comment on he several other crystals, all of various colors, hanging there. 

She looked up to the sky and found that it was almost evening. She had spent so long working on her potion, she had missed lunch. She did have a tendency of getting lost in her work. For a moment, Cassidy regretted that she made Haldir miss lunch, but judging by the way he still stood in the exact same spot he was planted in when they first arrived, Cassidy guessed that he was doing just fine. 

"So... how's my Sindarin?" she asked with a smile. Haldir looked taken aback for a moment. 

"You speak adequately," he said upon composing himself. But, the look that he first gave her was all that Cassidy needed to know.

She had succeeded. 

***

"We should make it to the city by first light," the elf spoke with more excitement than he strictly should. He had not expected the wizard to move so rapidly after reading the letter. 

"Yes, well a wizard can move with haste when necessary," Gandalf pointed out. His little pony was indeed moving with rather rapid speed. "So tell me, have you met this "witch" who Lady Galadriel writes of?"

"Briefly, I was among the party that apprehended her upon her entrance to Lothlorien. She bears a strange stick, much smaller than your staff, and wields magic with ease."

"Hmmm... what kind?"

"It did not seem dark, but powerful. She also seems to have a mortal's temper."

"Sounds like the beginning of an adventure," Gandalf smiled lightly. 

They were indeed close to the city, soon he would be meeting with Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. They had much to discuss.  

Chapter Text

"Lembas, eat and dress. We go to see Lady Galadriel immediately," Cassidy took a minute to blink blearily, her spell translating the elven language faster than her foggy morning mind could comprehend. 

She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, opened them, and took in the scene. 

Haldir was standing at her door holing out a small, leaf wrapped parcel. He was dressed in a similar outfit as the day before, and looked bright and alert as if he had been up for hour. Cassidy rolled her eyes past the broad shouldered elf and glanced at the sky. 

"It's still dark," were the first words that she could muster. 

"The sun will rise within the hour, you have slept for four. Eat, dress." He replied crisply. 

Cassidy's mind wandered to the night before. She had joined Haldir's family for dinner as usual, but Rumil had insisted that they celebrate Cassidy's newfound language abilities and his and orophin's imminent return to the boarder guard. Now, if Cassidy thought that Rumil was fun before she could understand him... he was an absolute riot when she could. The younger elf was a merciless flirt and spent most of the night recounting tales from the family- mainly Haldir's, youth. At one point, he went into a very detailed explanation how when Haldir was but an elfling, he snuck out of their parents' flet and into a feast that the Lord and Lady were hosting to welcome a company of delegates from Greenwood the Great. Midway through Lady Galadriel's welcome speech, tiny Haldir marched up to the high table and declared quite loudly in a rather awed voice "you're vewy pwitty." At that particular story, Haldir shot his brother a glare that was particularly murderous, but Cassidy barely noticed through her tears of laughter. 

It really was a brilliant night, but then, then he broke out the wine. 

Cassidy would swear that she only had one, maybe two... okay maybe three sips of the fruity cordial, but Merlin was that wine strong. After her first sip she could hardly recall the rest of the night. There was a vague memory of Rumil and Haldir breaking out into a heated argument resulting in Orophin guiding Cassidy back to her flet- but she couldn't be certain. 

An impatient cough brought Cassidy back to reality. 

"Off we go then," she grumbled, taking the parcel and slamming the door on Haldir's face. Once alone, she quickly located a sobering potion in her bag to wipe away the fog of the previous night's wine. She always kept them in stock and that morning was particularly grateful for the habit. Of course, while she had technically started drinking a "bit young," but she also joined a war while being a "bit young" so really it wasn't the worst of her habbits. She grimaced slightly at the bitter taste, but sighed in relief as the pounding in her head quieted. 

Upon inspecting the leaf wrapped parcel, she found a strange cake that seemed to fill her up with one bite, so she dropped the rest of the handy food into her expanding pouch. She then set about cleaning her clothes as she found that she was wearing the same outfit as the night previously, supporting her hypothesis about being guided back home by Orophin. She then tugged a brush through her hair for a few seconds before giving up and returning to swing the door open. Haldir was in the exact same spot. It was like he didn't even move an inch. 

"Will you please wear one of the gowns brought to you, we are to be seeing the Lady Galadriel," he glared disapprovingly at her choice in attire. 

"Why? Is it because you want me to look pwitty like her?" She asked, a smirk dancing on her lips. She was feeling much more alert after the sobering potion. Haldir's face turned bright red and he merely turned and began to walk in the direction of the large receiving room that Cassidy was originally brought to upon entering the city. 

They walked in silence and as they walked, Cassidy's nerves began to grow. What if she wishes to speak to me about the archery incident? Cassidy wondered, bitting her lip slightly in nervousness. Such wasn't one of her best moments and the elves were exceedingly picky about their trees. Oh how Cassidy wished that she could simply enjoy her time exploring this strange world. It was so different, so unique... there was so much to learn. 

Instead of exploring or asking questions however, she was stuck inside her own head, driving herself mad with worry. She completed her mission, but what about their war? What will they do without me? We've lost so many...

Cassidy knew that she had to find some way back to her world. There's always a way... always. 

Her ponderings were cut short as they soon reached the base of the stairs to that grand reviving room. By that point Cassidy was far too nervous to go with her usual snark and so dutifully walked up the long and winding staircase. Part of her wondered how Lady Galadriel and the other female elves made it up and down those stairs so often without failing. 

When they reached the top, Haldir knocked dutifully on the door and Cassidy found herself fidgeting. She heard the light and sweet voice of Lady Galadriel beckoning Cassidy in, and Haldir merely opened the door and gestured for her to enter. So, she entered the room alone, hearing the door shut behind her. Haldir, it seemed, would be waiting outside while she spoke with the lady of the woods. Cassidy put on her most pleasant face, inhaled deeply, and walked forward with confidence. I've faced Death Eaters and Dark Lords... what's a couple of elves?

When she came upon Lady Galadriel however, she was surprised to see her sitting at a table with Lord Celeborn and another figure who Cassidy did no know. Her instincts immediately kicked in and she ran her eyes over the rather tall, old man to asses his threat. He was indeed old, hunched over and bearing a grey beard. His clothes were in shambles and he had the most ridiculous pointed hat that screamed "old world wizard." Although his clothes had plant of spots capable of hiding a wand, his hand did not hover over any of them, nor did he favor a particular side... thus he was a wizard with experience in war or at lease dueling. He also seemed to bear a strange staff of knotted wood, perhaps some powerful magical object. 

What comforted Cassidy most however, was the aura around him. She could feel the magic flowing off of him in waves. The elves and the woods all held the lingering feeling of magic, like the kind that comes from creatures made from, but not of, magic. This man however, this wizard had that all encompassing pulse of magic which ebbed and flowed with each breath. He was a wizard through and through. 

"Ahhh," he spoke slowly and with a warm smile breaking across his face. "So you must be miss Cassidy Oleander. The Lady Galadriel has spoken quite a bit about you. From what I've heard... you say you are a wizard?" Cassidy was instantly drawn to the wizard's eyes. She had stood in the presence of many powerful witches and wizards before, and she knew that sharpness in his gaze. He was strong despite his appearance. 

"Witch actually," she grinned and the moldy scandalized look that crossed the face of the Lord Celeborn. "I'll assume by the less than pleasant language that your Marchwarden used when we met in the woods that 'witch' carries some negative connotations around here... but where I'm from we call men with magic wizards and women with magic witches. I'm a witch."

"And I am a Wizard, Gandalf the Grey as I am known to men, of the race of Istari, wielder of the secret fire, and messenger of the Valar for the Free Peoples of Middle Earth," Gandalf spoke, a hint of a challenge in his voice. Okay, Cassidy thought wryly. If you wish for information, then two can play that game.

"And I am Cassidy Oleander," she replied, standing straight and announcing herself as pureblood were so fond of. "Sixth year Ravenclaw Witch of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Captain of the Mahoutokoro Competition Dueling Team, and proud Mudblood."

"Do you carry a staff young witch?"

"Do you carry a wand?"

They stared at each other for several moments, sizing each other up before Gandalf lifted the staff by his side, raising it to the sky and muttering a word in a language that Cassidy was not familiar with, shooting sparks at the clouds. She raised her eyebrows, unimpressed by his little sparklers. 

"Wingarium leviosa," she whispered pulling out her wand and pointing it at the table the three elders were drinking tea at. Cassidy watched with delight as the table lifted, the teacups flying even higher and dancing lightly with each flick of her wand. She played around with them for several moments before placing them back down gently and casting a wordless warming charm on the tea, allowing Gandalf to take a sip of the newly warmed brew. The old wizard smiled. 

"Did I pass your test?" Cassidy smirked. She knew exactly what he was doing. "You know though... if you wanted to see me use magic, you just had to ask. I'm obviously no muggle."

"From what I hear," he spoke in an amicable tone. "You hold the ability to search minds."

"I am more skilled in occlemancy than legilimens, but I have trained in both."

"Unique skills."

"Unfortunately necessary where I'm from." 

"Ahhh, yes," his expression turned turned grim. "The Lady Galadriel and Lord Celebron have explained the things you showed them. Your world is troubled."

"Deeply so... and that is why I was wondering if you could help me find a way back."

The room fell silent and Cassidy swore that she could hear a pin drop. Both Gandalf and Celeborn instantly seemed to be immensely interested in looking anywhere but Cassidy's eyes. The girl turned to lady Galadriel who looked at her in pity. 

"I consulted with Gandalf all night. He is among the most powerful and wise beings to walk Middle Earth and we fear that there is no way for you to return to your world," she spoke gently, her soothing and melodic voice did little however to ease the sharp stab of pain in Cassidy's chest. "I am sorry child, but it seems that you died in your world. One can not return to where they died, daughter of Oleander."

"But... if I'm dead... then how am I here?" she asked. 

"We can only assume that the Valar sent you here. And perhaps, they sent you with a purpose." Gandalf stepped forward once more, ignoring a pointed glare from Lady Galadriel. "In your world you may consider yourself a student, but in Middle Earth, wizards are few and your powers are great. We too are in a war against a Dark Lord of great magic and evil."

"I... listen..." Cassidy's mind was whirling. I can never... never go back? My Aunt and Uncle... my classmates... oh Merlin what about the Order? Everything she ever knew was slipping away. 

"I understand that you are upset," Gandalf continued. "But there is much stirring here in Middle Earth and you must have arrived with a purpose that-"

"Mithrandir," Galadriel's tone was scandalized. "She is a child, even by Edain standards."

"You said yourself, she's fought in a war before. She's-"

"Died," Cassidy corrected. "I fought and died in one war, a war for my world. I don't know anything about this one."

"We are facing a Dark Lord more powerful than any you've ever known-"

"Oh I doubt it," Cassidy cut him off. She found the grip on her wand tightening, the memories of Malfoy Manor no longer seemed so joyous, now they were terrifying. She died- she really truly died and would never see anyone she loved, ever again. She died for the same cause as her parents and those she cared about were stuck without her, fighting Voldemort. Now this wizard wanted her to fight another war. 

"You are upset, I understand. But, now is not the time-"

"Enough," Galadriel interrupted Gandalf. "She is a child who has just learned of her own death, give her a few moments before you begin recruiting her."

"Did you not hear me my Lady?" Gandalf turned his attention back to Lady Galadriel, leaving Cassidy to attempt to gather her bearings on her own. "It is back! He is rising again."

"And so you ask a child to go to war for you?!"

"She is no child!" Gandalf yelled and suddenly pointed his staff at Cassidy, sending a beam of what appeared to be some sort of fire in her direction. On instinct she raised up her wand and wordlessly deflected the spell, sending the fire careening out through the window. 

"I may not be a child," Cassidy finally spoke up. "But this is not my war. I have been preparing for and fighting a war since I was twelve. I died for a war. I am done." 

She began to back up slowly for now she saw the truth in this wizard. His eyes masked a storm quickly surfacing and she could fear the anger of his magic crackling around him. Part of Cassidy wanted to compare this Gandalf to Dumbledoor, an aged and powerful wizard recruiting an army against evil. But, one thing that she always admired about Dumbledore was his temper. He was always controlled, always collected. This wizard had a temper to rival hers and she could feel it brewing in the air. He didn't actually know her capabilities and yet he was willing to toss her into a war that she knew nothing about. She was no Gryffindor, she never made such decisions without thought. In truth, she didn't even know if she was standing on the right side of such war. 

"The fate of Middle Earth may depend on your actions," he spoke gravely, Cassidy could hear the power in his voice. 

"I think that is quite enough, Mithrandir," Lord Celeborn spoke up. It seemed that even he thought that Gandalf was placing too much pressure on Cassidy. 

"My child," Galadriel addressed Cassidy. "You have no obligations towards us. You may leave and perhaps we can speak again once tempers have cooled."

"Mark my words," Gandalf said. "You are needed in this war."

Without further acknowledging anyone in the room, Cassidy fled. Distantly, she could hear Haldir calling for her, but she was running and before she knew it, apparating further away. She could feel tears streaming down her face as she realized how true Lady Galadriel's words were... she was dead. And there was nothing she could do to return to her world. She found her internal monologue running wild as she wandered through a less inhabited section of the woods.

I'm stuck in "Middle Earth" where a temperamental Dumbledore is trying to recruit me into another war! Her mind turned her grief into anger, just as it did when per parents died, for anger burns and scorches while grief crushes the soul. She could deal with the fire, she was always good at dealing with fire. But, she couldn’t afford to crumble.  

She did however ponder her options. While traveling with the wizard Gandalf, the closest to her kin, was her initial plan, plans change. Cassidy wasn’t wiling or ready to engage in another war. She didn’t know enough about the word, the creatures, or the conflict and learning about a war from a general bent on recruitment was never a viable option. If she was gonna be stuck in this world, then she wanted time to adjust. She needed time to get her bearings and maybe, just maybe, lead a normal and insignificant life. She was tiered of prophesies and grand plans- being the child of several minor ones she constantly felt the the pressure weighing down on her and she could never imagine what life was like for Harry who had his destiny proclaimed to the world.

Now, the part of her that wanted to mourn, she crushed that ruthlessly. She just couldn’t deal with the loss of everything, everyone, and all the things she fought for. She was never the best at optimism, so she decided that her best option would be to ignore all memories of her past. She knew that it would come back to haunt her, but she could worry about her soul crushing depression once she found some sort of stability far away from the elves who were scared of her powers, and the wizard who wanted to use them.

Making up her mind, Cassidy apparated back to her flet and gathered up all the supplies that she left. She then found her way to the kitchens and discovered an entire stack of those lovely leaf wrapped bowls. She smiled in triumph at her discovery as she carefully packed them away. Food was the only thing she wouldn’t be able to make out of the contents of her pouch and despite her excellent scores in herbology, she doubted that she would be able to find enough roots and berries to survive.

Before she left the kitchen, Cassidy had a brief moment of guilt for stealing the food. However, she figured that at the end of the day it really couldn’t be that much and the kitchen was huge. It obviously either served Lady Galadriel’s court or a significant portion of the capital city’s population. Plus, Cassidy got the feeling that Lady Galadriel wouldn’t mind her grabbing some food to keep from going hungry. 

Cassidy then apparated to the library where she snuck in and searched form maps of the landscape. A couple spells and speed reading charms later, she found several suitable maps of the area and carefully used a replication spell to copy them onto pieces of her own parchment. She longed to grab a few more tomes to learn more about the cultures of Middle Earth, but she drew the line at stealing books from a library.

With her newly pilfered supplies, Cassidy was ready to leave. She apparated back to her flet one last time so she could leave a note for Haldir. The Marchwarden was obviously unhappy about being given babysitting duty over her, but he had been her guide while she was in the strange elven society and she would’ve felt guilty about running away without letting him know. She carefully tamed her chicken scratch as she apologized for leaving without notice, however she explained that she needed some time to see this new world that she was dropped into and to come to terms with the loss of her world. She didn’t bother to put Gandalf’s name in the letter and she figured that Haldir would certainly show it to Lady Galadriel who would have to understand. She just wasn’t ready to start another fight. 

And so, Cassidy took one last look around the cozy flet high up in the trees before she left, a small, plain crystal on a pendant atop her note as a goodbye gift. She gazed at the treetop house and had a strange moment of sadness. She had only stayed there for a few nights, but somehow the little flet seemed like somewhat of a home. Yet, it was time to set off. Cassidy was only comfortable with apparating to the edge of the city where she took off into the woods.

Picking a direction that looked nice, Cassidy decided to travel North. With no destination in mind and no tasks to complete, she decided that she was on an adventure. She hadn’t the faintest clue where it would take her, but she was going.

Casisdy looked over her shoulder one last time, observing the way the freshly risen sun cast warm yellow light down through the golden tree leaves. The elves of Lothlorien were a beautiful and unique species, but their fear of her magic couldn’t allow her to stay. No, she needed to find either a fresh start where she could hide her magic, or beings who would simply accept her for it. Such was a rare thing, but... she had a whole world to explore.

Chapter Text

"You've wandered rather far.... Haldir will be furious," a light and musical voice chimed from somewhere to Cassidy's right. In an instant she turned, wand held aloft in warning as she scanned the treeline. 

"Who are you?" she demanded. 

"Easy," the voice sounded closer and then a slim figure emerged from the brush. She was an elf, an elf with dark hair and fair skin. For a moment, Cassidy was transfixed as the elf was likely the most beautiful creature that she had ever seen, fairer somehow than all the veela she had met before. "I am Arwen, granddaughter of Lady Galadriel, daughter of Lord Elrond of Imaldris."

"You're her granddaughter?" Cassidy couldn't help but gape slightly. Although both shared an extreme, nearly uncomfortable, level of beauty, Arwen's midnight black hair and grey eyes were complete opposites to Galadriel's golden locks and crystal eyes.

Instead of being offended at Cassidy's tone however, Arwen merely laughed. 

"Ah, I see that you have noticed my Adar's Noldor ancestry. It seems that his blood won out," she smiled lightly and walked closer, unafraid of Cassidy's wand. 

"Why are you following me?" Cassidy asked in elvish this time, testing if it would throw her off or surprise her.

"I was merely curious," she shrugged as she spoke, not perturbed at all by Cassidy's language skills. "I know that it was Haldir who was set to guide you, and you seemed to have purposely abandoned him."

"Did I? Ooops." You could hear the sarcasm thick in Cassidy's voice.

"I should lecture you not to do so..." a mischievous smirk crossed Arwen's lips. "But, I must admit that Grandfather assigned him as my guard when I first arrived in Lothlorien... and I cannot count the number of times I slipped from him. Still... he will be worried." 

"He shouldn't make it so easy then." Once again, Arwen laughed at Cassidy's words and she found the sound of Arwen's laughter to be nearly infectious. 

"Perhaps he should not. We women are far more resourceful than the males often believe."

This words seemed to be the perfect peacemaking terms as Cassidy felt tension slipping from her form. Years of training taught her to quickly measure the make of a being. She could sense no darkness in this elf. After a quick glance over of Arwen, Cassidy deemed her rather safe. She was only wearing a light, close fitting dress with draping sleeves. On her head was a thin circlet, much like Galadriel's, but she walked barefoot and had no apparent weapons. With caution ever in her mind, Cassidy slowly lowered her wand.

"I don't believe we were ever introduced," she switched her voice to an easy candor. "I'm Cassidy Oleander, witch and... not from around here."

"Yes, I've heard of you and your plight... I am sorry."

Cassidy shrugged in response. She was doing her best to ignore it

"What's past is prologue..." she smiled at the thought of the muggle author she was so fond of. "I don't think that saying has ever been more relevant than now."

"Wise words indeed," the two had fallen into step beside each other, between Cassidy's spelled boots and Arwen's elven grace, there was not a sound where their feet fell. "Where are you going?"

"Will you try to stop me?"

"Only if you plan on marching straight to Mordor... however seeing as you travel North, I doubt such to be your plan. Where do you travel?" There was genuine curiosity in Arwen's voice and Cassidy's weakness was always curiosity. 

"I'm not sure. My whole life- whole world is gone. I need to explore and learn more about this one before I make any choices."

"A wise decision indeed... but can't you learn in Lothlorien?"

"Perhaps... if there were not a meddlesome wizard who reminds me too much of one I know- knew before."

"Ah, yes Gandalf," Arwen smiled gently. The birds in the tress were singing and Cassidy could not recall a time in the past few years when she had felt as at ease around a stranger. "He means well... he is just frightened. He was sent to Middle Earth to protect it and, though he will not admit it, he is frightened of failing. My Grandmother however would never force you to fight against your will."

"No, but she would cajole me with sweet words, promises, and guilt."

Arwen fell silent, though did not protest Cassidy's statement. 

"Will I hear from you again?"

Cassidy paused in thought. She could feel the faint glow of elvish power fading and knew that very soon she would be stepping out of he bounds of the magical realm. She turned to Arwen and took one last look at the beautiful elf maiden who could have easily been older than Dumbledore. 

"I would like to say that my intentions are to find some lonely cabin where I can study the creatures and magic of this world in eternal solitude, but I suspect that such an idyllic life is merely a fantasy. If luck from my past life followed me here... then I suppose that trouble will find me and who knows what will occur."

"Then please, accept this gift to aide your passage," Arwen whistled gently and a beautiful mare bearing a thin saddle and bitless bridle approached. She was dappled grey and her wide brown eyes stared into Cassidy's soul. "I suppose you can ride?"

"Well if I can ride a thestral then I think that I can manage," she smiled, allowing the mare to sniff her hand curiously.

"Her name is Gwedal, wind foot. May she carry you forward to greater fortunes than your past." Arwen paused in thought for a moment more. Then, she reached into a pouch tied across her own belt and pulled forth a necklace with a green leaf pendant. "This is the symbol of Lothlorien. Wherever you go, elvenkind will know you to be a friend."

Arwen stepped back, hand to over her heart as she bowed. Cassidy returned the gesture before tucking the necklace into her pocket and mounting Gwedal who nickered in delight as they walked off together. The day was passing quickly, and the sun was still high in the sky when Cassidy decided to eat her lunch while traveling. She reached into the saddle bags that had been tied to Gwedal, pondering as she did how Arwen had planned this, and pleasantly found several small sacks of dried meats, berries, and hard cheeses carefully wrapped up. There was also a flask with a tiny note tied to it, instructing her to add just a few drops to her water skin to aide in healing and strength. 

She tucked all the items away into the safety of her pouch and nibbled on a hunk of cheese and handful of dried berries as she rode. Gwedal was a wonderfully accepting horse, far gentler than a thestral and more obedient than a hypogriff. The horse certainly had a mind of her own, but she took no problem with Cassidy picking their route or asking her to speed up or slow down. 

As she rode, she dug out the necklace that was given to her, turning it over in her palm she found the jewel leaf to perfectly resemble the leaves of the Mallorn trees surrounding them. The necklace was a masterful craft and Cassidy could feel the slightest hints of magical residue clinging to it, like someone had once used a spark of magic in creating the leaf's impossible sparkle. Satisfied that it was not cursed or otherwise burdened with other magic, Cassidy clasped the necklace gently around her throat and allowed for the pendant to fall beneath her shirt. 

Oh how she wished that she could've lingered for a bit longer in the elven realm. An entirely new species, an anomaly compared to her experiences with elves. They lived for centuries, moved with magical grace, and were an incredibly complex society. If only they had not been in the process of recruiting for a war, she would've been content to stay and study their society for quite some time.

Nevertheless, she continued on her journey.

Cassidy had spent the majority of her adolescents in dormitories. During the school year, she attended Hogwarts and lived with he other Ravenclaws, during winter holidays she had a brief respite at her Aunt and Uncle's house, and during the summer she lived in the dormitories of Mahoutokoro as she studied with their dueling team. She was constantly surrounded by people who oftentimes made an extra effort to smother her. While she loved them and appreciated their efforts to lessen the loss of her parents, it could be overwhelming at times. 

For the first time in her recent memory, she was truly alone.

It was just her and Gwedal, wandering the wilds, camping beneath the stars, and cooking her food on an open fire. The horse was an amicable companion, never complaining or getting bored as Cassidy rambled on and on over her latest discovery. And boy did she have a lot of discoveries. 

Middle Earth was a treasure trove of new plants and creatures. She catalogued no fewer than two dozen species that she had never seen before in her life. On top of that, she had few problems with muggles. The majority that she did see appeared to be of the rougher lot- men with scraggly beards and bearing overly large swords. They seemed to be the sort that one would imagine in a fairytale as highway men and rouges. Deciding that it was in her best interest to avoid them, a simple notice-me-not charm was all it took to keep them away. She didn't even need Harry's invisibility cloak. 

This beautiful and peaceful way of living, traveling on the open road and cataloging her findings like New Scamander, one of her personal heroes, did was a delight. The joys she experienced while traveling allowed for her to push aside memories of the war; dreamless sleep potions also helping in a similar manner. 

It was perfect... and of course... it wasn't meant to last. 

On one particular night, the sun happened to fall from the sky a bit faster than Cassidy predicted. Of course, this could have had something to do with her engrossment in observing a mating display between two "Crickadees" as she had named the large, magical insects about the same size and bearing the same song as chickadees. It was actually Gwedal who reminded her that they should get moving with a gentle nudge to her shoulder. 

Cassidy reluctantly complied with the horse and hopped astride her back, intent on riding a but further to the base of a small hill that she had spotted the day before. She figured that such would give her a bit more shelter as the bit of tarp that she was constantly transfiguring into a tent was beginning to wear thin due to the heavy handed magic she was placing on it. 

The night was rather warm and the sky was sparkling as if it were filled with diamonds. The sounds of the night were ticking away with chirps and hoots of all sorts of creatures, some so very new to Cassidy. 

As she neared however, she heard a rather loud commotion. Curiosity overtaking any sense of self preservation, she wandered closer, confident that her notice-me-not charm would keep her safe.

At the base of the very hill that she was intending on camping at was a small campsite already set up, a cheery fire with a rabbit half roasted was situated next to a neatly laid out bedroll. It would've been an idyllic scene had it not been for the fourteen brutish creatures slowly circling a man bearing a sword. 

Cassidy repressed the urge to shudder as she stared at the massive, hulking creatures. While she was certainly not one to judge a book by its cover, she could feel the vileness coming off those creatures. They were not merely ugly of visage, but hints of dark magic could be felt in them. Bulging muscles, tallow gray skin, and crude weapons of clubs and rusted spears made Cassidy assume that they were some stunted relative of trolls. 

The man who they were circling however appeared to be an average muggle. He held his sword loosely in his grip and had his eyes constantly scanning the creatures. He held himself with the ease of a tried warrior- every muscle relaxed and yet tense at the same moment. 

Now in her time wandering Middle Earth, Cassidy witnessed her fair share of violence. Men, especially of the more primitive variety, inevitably fought with men. She had ample evidence that the phrase "honor among thieves" was mute and that that roving bandits constantly picked fights with other roving bandits. However, this man didn't seem like any roving bandit. His bearing was too proud- not the stuck up Slytherin "pure blood" proud, but the stupidly brave Gryffindor "I do what's right" proud. 

Most strange about that man however, was despite the fact that her charm seemed to be working perfectly on the creatures who completely missed her rather close presence, the man spotted her. 

Grey eyes locked onto hers and she knew instantly that somehow, she had been spotted.

Before she could flee, Cassidy was drawn into the intensity of the man's gaze. However, instead of shouting for help, instead of drawing the attention of the creatures to her in order to get them off of him, the man flicked his eyes to the side. Confusion spread through Cassidy and must have been evident on her face as the man then subtly and sharply jerked his chin upwards.

He's telling me to run, it finally clicked in Cassidy's mind. 

This man, this man who she had never met before... he saw through her charm and instead of requesting help, was telling her to flee. He wanted for her to be safe and he knew that the creatures, increasing in their snarling and inching closer to him, were going to kill him. Despite that, he was telling her to leave and save herself.

With that act of courage, Cassidy's mind was made up. She could worry about obliviating the man later.

Drawing forth her wand from her sleeve holster, Cassidy murmured pointed it tip at the nearest creature and let out a familiar and almost soothing spell. 

"Stupefy," she cried out, watching with satisfaction as the creature froze in place and the man stared at her in mild shock. 

Her satisfaction soon diminished as the creature seemed to shake off her spell far quicker than it should have. She immediately went into full attack mode, breathing deeply and centering herself. 

"Impedimenta," her wand flickered with life as she moved to protect her immediate area. "Confringo, confringo," she cast the blasting charm left and right, satisfied by the way the creatures' weapons bursted into flames, quickly consuming the hulking beasts holding them. From the corner of her eye, she could see the man slashing at the beasts with his sword, spilling black blood and taking down more than she honestly expected a muggle to be capable of. 

In a matter of minutes, all the creatures were dead. A foul stench filled the air and Cassidy mournfully realized that by killing all of the creatures, she had no living subject left to study. With a rather put out sigh, she turned to face the muggle who she would now have to obliviate. 

When she faced him however, he was not white faced or quaking as she expected, but instead seemed rather calm- almost curious. Before she had a chance to lift her wand, he spoke. 

"Are you a wizard?"

"Witch."

"Do you know Gandalf?"

... Cassidy froze. If this man knew Gandalf... then he was no ordinary muggle. 

"I'll take your hesitancy as a yes," his voice became less suspicious and adopted a warmer air. "I understand that he can have that effect on people. I'm called Strider. And you are?"

"Cassidy. And what kind of name is Strider?"

He man chuckled and wiped both his sword and hands on the grass, rolled up his bedroll, retrieved his dinner, hefted a sack onto his back, and kicked out the fire. 

"Lumos," she casted a small ball of light at the end of her wand. 

"Well that seems handy," he chuckled lightly as he rose and walked slowly towards Cassidy. "I don't know about you, but I hold no intention of sleeping amidst the orc carcasses. Would you care to join me in finding a new campsite?"

Part of Cassidy knew that this was a bad idea, that if he was a friend of Gandalf, then that meant that he was likely every bit as much trouble as the old wizard. But, despite her best instincts, Cassidy was also incredibly curious. Plus, despite her joys in solitude, several weeks with only a horse for companionship did get a bit lonely. In the end, she determined that she still had the advantage of magic. If the muggle tried anything, she was more than prepared to handle it. 

"Alright, but since I saved your life, you're sharing that rabbit."

"Sounds fair enough," he said with a nod of his head as the pair walked on until they could no longer smell the orcs. 

The man, Strider, immediately set about setting up the pre-gathered firewood from his last campsite which Cassidy easily lit. He then set up his bedroll whilst Cassidy pulled out her own, determining it best that she didn't transfigure the tarp needlessly as there was very little wind to chill her. Once those tasks were done and the rabbit was once gain roasting over the fire, there was nothing more to hide behind. 

Strider sat across the fire from her as his face turned serious. 

"So, what is a witch doing wandering the Anduin at night?"

Chapter Text

Haldir was horrified. In all his years of service to the Golden Wood, he had never failed in so spectacular a manner in so simple a task. 

One young maiden... keep watch over one young maiden... that was all that I was tasked to do...

He had failed.

Utterly and completely failed. 

He had gone to collect Cassidy for an evening meal and she was gone. A note was left for him on her desk claiming that she wished to see more of Middle Earth and that she wished to do so alone. He scoured the woods for hours, recruiting as many Galadrihm as he could spare in the search. Yet, it was fruitless. Somehow the young witch managed to evade all their centuries, lookouts, and searchers. 

As he approached the doorway to Lady Galadriel's receiving room, he suppressed the urge to quake. He would now have to report to his Lady that he failed in the task assigned to him. He breathed deeply, but as usual, Lady Galadriel bid for him to enter before he had a chance to even knock. 

He walked in stiffly, gaze averted before he fell to his knees. 

"My Lady Galadriel, Lord Celeborn... I am sorry, but I have failed-"

"At ease, Marchwarden," Lady Galadriel's voice was light in his mind. 

"You have not failed up Haldir," Lord Celeborn spoke firmly and Haldir raised his head in shock.

As he stood, he noticed Arwen in the corner and flushed lightly as he remembered how he was once assigned as her bodyguard, only for her to make a habit of ditching him at every turn. However, with Lady Arwen she was never lost for more than an hour. Cassidy Oleander was certainly gone. 

"You were assigned to be her guide, Haldir," Lady Galadriel spoke soothingly. "Not her jailor. You could no more hold her hostage than the wind... "

"Nevertheless, I apologize for-"

"You have nothing to apologize for... your task was never meant to keep her here, merely to guide her through her time in our woods."

"I also, did not help in keeping her here," Lady Arwen spoke with a sly grin, so much like her Grandmother's. "I think that Eru however, will guide her back to these woods."

Haldir nodded and upon being dismissed, walked slowly back to his flet. It seemed strangely empty with neither his brothers nor Cassidy chattering through supper. Haldir was then hit by a rather unpleasant realization... he was going to have to tell Rumil that she was gone...

***

"I could pose the same question about a muggle," Cassidy replied bluntly. "But, I'll admit that I'm more curious as to what those creatures are? Did you wander into their territory?"

"Muggle?"

"A person with no magic," she waved the question away lightly. "What were those creatures?"

"They are orc... spawns of the evil of Mordor and Sauron."

"Sauron... that's the 'dark lord' one that everyone's talking about... I suppose that makes those uglier Death Eaters..." she mumbled the last part to herself. "Oh, wait! Did he create this race? Are they inherently evil or just considered so by the average person?"

"As spawns of darkness, they are, at their core, dark. Now," Strider seemed a bit put off by her enthusiastic questioning. "I have seen a great many tricks in this world, but few poses such powers as yours. Who are you?"

"Perhaps I should ask who you are... you claim to know Gandalf and yet that in itself doesn't make you trustworthy. Especially when I gave you my name and you have yet to give me yours."

"I already-"

"Strider isn't a name. I may be unfamiliar with much in this world, but I know a fake name when I see one."

The expression on the man's face fluttered between a myriad of emotions. Cassidy saw a frown, morph into shock, morph into annoyance, and eventually morph into something she found as lying between amusement and a mildly impressed expression. She smirked in satisfaction. Although the elves of Lothlorien were led partially by Lady Galadriel, she assumed from the vaguely Medieval European-esque vibe of Middle Earth that women were probably not offered incredible freedom among the race of men. Perhaps due to her magic, or perhaps due to luck, this man in particular seemed to not be too put off by her biting words.

"I suppose that you're correct. I am Aragorn," he tilted is head and switched languages. "I am a friend of the elves, and your horse is an elvish steed."

"Am I to assume that they don't share their language often?" she responded in the same language. "What if proof that you are who you claim to be?"

"You speak the Gray Tongue very well," as he spoke, he reached into his bag and pulled forth a leaf wrapped pouch which he unwrapped to show Cassidy. "Lembas... the Eldar do not trade with those who they lack trust in. Have you proof that you are indeed a friend?"

Cassidy reached into her tunic and pulled forth the necklace bearing the pendant given to her. The green of the leaf sparkled in the firelight as the pendant shimmered gracefully in her hand. 

"A Leaf of Lothlorien? Who gave you such a thing?"

"The Lady Arwen, she said that all who saw it would know me to be a friend."

The man- Aragorn, broke out into a broad grin.

"Well, any friend of the Lady Arwen is a friend of mine indeed. You must have made quite the impression on her, my Lady Cassidy."

"She's a friend of yours?"

"Yes... very much so."

They lapsed into silence after that. Although Cassidy dearly wished to ask more questions, she got the sense that this was a man who was more comfortable in silence. She allowed the sounds of the night to fill the air, watching as the fire's flames climbed higher and higher. There was an unspoken tension in the air abruptly broken when the sack that Aragorn had placed down earlier gave a rather undignified shout. 

In an instant Cassidy had her wand drawn, alarm bells ringing in her mind.

"What is that?!" her wand hovered precisely between Aragorn and the sack. Years of training, of caution, kicked into high gear as this man... with only vague proof to friendliness now appeared to have someone- or something kicking about and shouting some rather undignified comments. 

"It is nothing you need to concern yourself with," Aragorn attempted to act casual, but Cassidy did not miss his hand straying closer to his sword. 

Cassidy was painfully torn. On one hand, she knew absolutely nothing about the being in the sack and for all she knew, it could be some vicious creature that this man was kindly containing. On the other, it could be that this man was but a wolf in sheep's clothes and he had deceived her the entire night. She did not know enough about either party... about the world that she stood in to pass judgment. So... what was she to do?

"I think that it is my concern," she hissed. "Who- what do you have in there?"

"An errand that I am running for Gandalf. That is all you need to know."

"And so I am supposed to trust you on that alone?"

"You claim to know him."

"I've met him... that certainly doesn't mean that I trust him."

Aragorn frowned. He tilted his head in curiosity and seemed to be appraising Cassidy. His eyes roamed up and down her form, watching her with care. 

"You are... an agent of the Valar though?"

"A what?"

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. I was raised in the house of Lord Elrond... I know of the Valar."

"Ya... that doesn't help."

Somehow, it seemed that the further they conversed, the less they understood each other. It became quite clear to Cassidy that they were having two entirely different conversations... and that he severely overestimated her knowledge and involvement in Middle Earth. Part of her was loath to admit such a thing as it would clearly be a strategical disadvantage... but something in her wanted to trust this man. She wasn't sure what compelled her to honesty, but there was something about that look of honor and integrity in his eyes. He carried himself like a man who held respect that was well earned and not granted lightly. Plus, he was a friend of Lady Arwen who was Lady Galadriel's granddaughter... that meant that he would likely find out eventually. She took a deep breath and launched into an explanation.

"My name is Cassidy Oleander... yes I am a witch... but I'm not the type you might know," she hesitated a moment, wondering if she was doing right by explaining this mess to the man. In the end however, she figured that she could always obliviate him if things went really wrong. "I'm not from... well I'm not from this world. I don't know quite how I got here... but I'm from an entirely different world far into the future where there are many witches and wizards."

"So you aren't Valar sent?"

"I don't know what Valar are."

"Ah," he responded before pulling a pipe out of his traveling pouch,  lighting it, and smoking several long drags. Cassidy watched this with some level of amusement as she realized that some things about different worlds never changed. She still did watch him with a certain measure of care however, for she had not forgotten about the rather angry sack. "I think," he spoke with a tone more grave and serious than before, "that in such a case as this, I must ask you; what master do you serve?"

"Master? What- you're asking... master?" A realization suddenly hit and Cassidy resisted the urge to slap her forehead. "You're wondering if I'm a servant of this 'Sauron' fella huh?"

"Creatures of magic are Valar sent. Some follow the light of Eru, others fall to Morgoth. Which do you serve?"

"Buddy... I don't serve anyone. Like I said... I've been in this world for a few weeks. Where I'm from there are plenty of other witches and wizards and yes... we've got a 'Dark Lord' problem as well... but that guy is an overpowered wizard, not a... god? I think as you imply."

"I you hold no allegiances and you've met Gandalf, then I'd assume..."

"Ya. He tried to recruit me."

"And?"

"I declined. I've fought enough, I've had enough of wars and dark lords and prophesies. I just want to be left alone."

"I see," Aragorn's hand lowered from his sword, but Cassidy kept her wand aloft. 

"Now... why don't you tell me what you've got in that bag."

Aragorn eyes her suspiciously, but relented and untied the sack, reaching in and pulling out a creature bound with silvery rope. The pitiful looking thing was stranded and gaunt. It was thinner than a thestral and had bones so prominent that they appeared sharp. At the same time, the state of his skin and massively sunken eyes indicated that he had been in such a state for a rather long time. And, despite the nasty expression on its face, it looked positively pitiful. In fact, if it weren't for the lack of ears, she would've easily mistaken the creature for one of the less cared for house elves of certain "Noble" wizarding families. 

"Well, hello there," she spoke gently to the creature. "Who are you?"

"We are Gollum... we wants out of nasty ropes!"

"This is your errand?!" she glared at Aragorn with anger in her eyes. 

Cassidy had always been fond of magical creatures, she found them so much more enjoyable company than wizards half the time. Seeing this creature, trussed up in such a way and in such a pitiful state broke her heart. The man however, seemed unaffected by the creature's pleas. He merely rolled his eyes and stuffed it back in the sack as it spout out a round of phrases that Cassidy could only assume to be curses of some sort. 

"He is no innocent creature," Aragorn spoke firmly. "He is a murderer and likely sent doom upon some of the most peaceful creatures to ever live. He has been corrupted by an evil unlike any other and I am taking him to Mirkwood where the wood elves will do what they can to heal him."

"Interesting way to transport a patient."

"Do you know of a better one? I am traveling alone and I would prefer that he is not noticed."

Cassidy pondered on his words for a while before slowly lowering her wand. The man still seemed truthful and honest. Plus, she could sense something off about the creature, there was an essence around it. The feeling reminded Cassidy of the way she felt whenever she was around a Death Eater, she swore that she could feel their Dark Mark... that the evil magic used to create it left a permanent stain upon their magic. She could feel something similar in this Gollum.

She sat and Aragorn seemed to take such as an indication that their disagreement was over. He took another long drag of his pipe and eased back against the tree stump that he was sitting against. For a while he sat there, almost completely still as he gazed upwards towards the stars. Cassidy could see the way his lips moved slightly as they traced across the sky... the way that she would sometimes sit in the astronomy tower to count the stars and name the constellations. He seemed so at ease out there by the fire, so peaceful. 

Eventually, the rabbit finished cooking and they split it, Cassidy taking the smaller part despite Aragorn's attempts to protest. He did relent when Cassidy made the point that he was twice her size and thus needed far more food than she. Plus, she still had a few loaves of Lembas from Lothlorien. As they shared their meal they fell into conversation once more. This time though, it was far easier as words flowed more freely from their lips. Cassidy had deemed Aragorn as at least mildly trustworthy whilst Aragorn seemed to hold about the same amount of trust for Cassidy. 

Aragorn was however filled with stories. There was very little that Cassidy loved more than a good story. He spoke at great length, telling stories of elves and the Valar who he assumed her to be from. He then explained the Maiar and she admitted that no, she was not of their race either. The knowledge that she was gaining from Aragorn however fascinated her. In turn, she told him stories of her world- of a world within a world, filled with magic and wonder. Apparently, magic was known in Middle Earth, but very seldomly practiced. Very few were gifted with such and the wizards of the Maiar were the most common... even then they were very very few. He also told her more tales of the elves, of Gandalf, and explained the important parts of the war. 

Cassidy wasn't entirely convinced, but the evidence of the earlier "orc" attack seemed to corroborate his stories. In a way, she found it amusing that the dark lord of this world chose to create servants in such a manner. She supposed that it made sense and was more efficient in a less advanced world than her own. Voldemort did recruit creatures, but more so he relied on evil witches and wizards... something that Cassidy still somehow found more appalling than the orcs. Perhaps it was because one couldn't quite blame an orc for being evil if it was created only for such purpose. But... a witch or wizard who chooses to serve a dark lord walked willingly into the veil of evil. There were no excuses. 

"Do you travel alone?" Aragorn asked, suddenly interrupting her pondering on orcs and Death Eaters. 

"Just me and Gwedal," she replied. 

"Would you care to join me until we reach Mirkwood? You can resupply there and get a chance to see the Woodland Realm. Very few outsiders are allowed in during these dark times."

Cassidy hesitated- she had intended to travel Middle Earth alone and stay uninvolved. From the way that Aragorn described the wood elves however, despite being isolationists they seemed smack in the middle of the war. She heavily suspected that his invitation was part of a ploy to recruit her... but at the same time she was running a bit low on lembas and wasn't really comfortable enough with the local customs to venture into a village in an attempt to purchase more food. Plus... he did say that Mirkwood rarely allowed visitors... this could be a once in a lifetime chance to see a hidden kingdom. 

What harm can it do?

"I think that I'll take you up on that," she smiled lightly. 

"Good!" his lips too curled to a smile as he sat back on his stool, one hand half rested on his blade. "I'll take first watch then."

Cassidy chuckled a bit, setting up her bedroll close to the fire. She though about letting him stay up half the night, but then decided that it would save both of them a lot of time if she just explained her magic to him early. Thus, she informed him that it wouldn't be necessary before casting a protego charm around the camp site. She had to allow him out of the bubble, re-cast the charm, and watch him strike at the shield before he deemed it acceptable and relented to both of them sleeping. The horses they brought within the bounds of the charm as well before curling up in their bedrolls to sleep. 

They had a long few days of traveling ahead. 

Chapter Text

"-and so if he cast the last one into the sea... then did that break the oath? If he threw it away though... didn't that condemn him to the dark as his oath implied?"

"You've a rather agile mind," Aragorn raised his brow in questioning. 

"Ravenclaw," Cassidy shrugged in reply. 

"In truth, no one knows. Some say that Maglor Feanorian roams the shores of Arda to this day, nevermore dwelling amongst his kin." 

The pair continued to talk as they walked side by side. Cassidy had allowed Aragorn to tie his sack to Gwedal's saddle and dismounted so that they could walk together. He had spent the last several days recounting tales of Middle Earth and Cassidy was thoroughly enthralled by the rich history and mythology of the land. Although Aragorn was very much the stoic and silent type, with enough prodding he became a brilliant story teller. Cassidy mulled over his words as he explained the tale of the Silmarilions, lost to the sky, the sea, and the earth.

"Ah yes... cause elves are basically immortal, right?" A detail from earlier caught in her mind. Aragorn nodded and so she continued. "So then the elflings that Maglor raised, Elrond and Elros... was your foster father named after Elrond?"

"He is Elrond."

"He's that Elrond?! That would make him... I don't even know how old!" she exclaimed in shock. Aragorn chuckled lightly in response. 

"In truth, I doubt that he knows for he has long ago ceased to celebrate his begetting day."

"That's amazing! You were raised in the house of a man- of an elf, who lived through the history of your world!"

"Not to mention Glorfindel," he muttered half to himself. 

"Glorfindel?"

"A tale for another time."

For several more days, their travels were much of the same. Each night as the sun fell, the pair would make camp together. Cassidy was careful to ensure that protective spells were laid in place around their campsite whilst Aragorn would venture out to fetch wood and often hunt for food. The switch from dried fruits and lembas to fresh meat was a welcome change and Cassidy found that after tramping through the wilds all day, a simple roast rabbit or pheasant was nearly as good as Molly Weasley's cooking. Most nights, Aragorn would spend at lest part of his time sitting awake, staring out across the expanse. No matter how many times Cassidy demonstrated the strength of her charms, he still refused to fully trust them. 

The more they traveled though, the more that Cassidy noticed how unused to magic Aragorn was. She was used to a world where magic and muggle were distinct. Everyone was sharp dived between those who knew and those who didn't. This world however was somewhere bizarrely in between. Aragorn was obviously a muggle, but he didn't seem alarmed at the concept of magic and was even a friend of elves who were somehow magical but not nearly as powerful as those of her world. Yet, protective charms and even the simple act of lighting a fire with her wand seemed to startle the man. The wizard that she had met before, Gandalf, seemed competent enough and Aragorn knew him. Hadn't he seen Gandalf perform magic?

Cassidy also learned a plethora of information about Middle Earth, its history, and its peoples. She was fascinated by mentioning of races that seemed similar to magical creatures that she was familiar with from home. Although, they all seemed to hold far less magic than the creatures of her own world. He also spared no details on the struggles of Middle Earth. No matter how many times Cassidy insisted that she merely wished to remain as a neutral traveler, he felt inclined to share with her stories of their own dark lord, Sauron. Apparently, he was originally a servant of the previous dark lord, a being of such great power that it took a host of elves, humans, dwarves, and beings who were somewhere close to gods in power to take him down.

"So..." she continued her long line of questions that emerged with each tale. "If the Valar once banded together to take down Melkor... why can't they just snuff out Sauron. If he's below them in power, he shouldn't be too hard to defeat."

"Ah, the question as old as the Valar themselves," Aragorn smiled ruefully. "The War of Wrath was violent and destructive, so destructive that part of the land sank into the sea. That was the last major interference of the Valar in Middle Earth. We, the children of Iluvatar, must learn to make our own in this world. It is our fate to battle evils or yield to the evils of the world."

"Some parent he is," Cassidy mumbled, half to herself. 

"Tis the consequence of free will."

"It's one thing to allow some bad things and challenges to occur for people to overcome, but it's another thing to allow a dark lord to rise and take over."

"It is not for us to judge," Aragorn looked at Cassidy with an unreadable expression on his face. "It is our duty to fight for what we know to be right and to trust."

"It is always for us to judge," Cassidy raised a brow at the man. She always hated fatalistic acceptance. "That is what free will means. We judge and we question. Those above us must face the consequences of our judgment just as surly as we face the consequences of their action... or their inaction. Tell me Aragorn... if you had the power, would you slay Sauron this day?"

"Yes."

"Would Eru, or the Valar have the power to do so?"

"Perhaps."

"Then why don't you judge them for not?"

"It's not for me to make those judgments."

"Why not?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

Cassidy merely hummed in response to this, that pair falling into another bout of silence. While Cassidy was rather new to the world, she could recognize logical fallacies anywhere. At least with Dumbledoor, she understood his reluctance to use dark magic and his warnings for her. There is such a thing as too much power, and absolutely power corrupts absolutely. Perhaps that was why she always hated legends of the absolutely powerful... the heroes either turned evil or the tales were unrealistic. She much preferred stories of underdogs... the powerless who fought despite everything. 

"We are nearing the boarder of the Woodland Realm," Aragorn spoke suddenly, breaking the silence of their journey. 

At the edge of the horizon, Cassidy could see the faint outline of a thick line of trees. Even at a distance, Cassidy could feel something stirring in the air. It wasn't that pleasant hum of magic that she had felt in Lothlorien... no, it was darker. She obtained that same feeling back at Hogwarts when she would gaze at the Forbidden Forest at night. It wasn't wholly unpleasant to her as she had learned to love the Forbidden Forest, much to Professor Flitwick's annoyance... but that aura coming from an unfamiliar woods was unsettling. At their pace, they would reach the wood's edge by the next morning. 

"It's a home of elves?" Cassidy inquired. 

"Yes... though once known as Greenwood the Great, many have taken to calling it Mirkwood for the shadows that stir. The Necromancer's influence has spread and the elves of the Woodland Realm do all that they can to keep the darkness at bay."

Cassidy nodded in understanding, noting down a few points in her journal. 

"Is there anything that I should know about the differences between these elves and those of Lothlorien?"

Aragorn hesitated for a moment. 

"Yes," he fixed her with a sharp glare as if to remind her to not pass on this information. "It has been said by many that the elves of Silvan origin, most especially those of the Woodland Realm are more dangerous and less wise than their Noldor or Sindarin cousins."

"Hold up," Cassidy paused in mild alarm. "You're saying that they're more dangerous and less wise than the Noldor, the elves that disobeyed their gods, stole ships, crossed icy paths, and waged wars for the sake of three jewels?"

"There are many more Noldor than just the Feanorians," Aragorn corrected bluntly before continuing. "The Woodland realm is almost entirely Silvan, ruled by the Sindarin King Thranduil who is not quite known for his temper. I will warn you... they are a suspicious lot. Darkness is spreading across the land and the elves of the Woodland Realm have sought to look inward, closing themselves off from the world of Man most especially."

"Hmmm... sounds familiar," Cassidy mumbled to herself, recalling how the Wizarding community, each time at the brink of war, would close up even tighter. If only they were more open with the muggle world... perhaps more lives could be saved. 

That night, they made camp under the full moon. They were as close to the edge of Mirkwood as they dared to camp for Aragorn warned Cassidy of the giant spiders. The young girl did her absolute best to present to be solemn at his warning, yet she couldn't help but buzz with excitement. The creatures that he spoke of sounded so akin to Acromantula that she was just itching to get a glimpse at one. Perhaps they were a sign of convergent evolution across universes! As far as Cassidy was concerned, she was the only known wizard to cross universes and she had so many theories and hypotheses about the differences and similarities between them. Even if she never had a chance to return home with her findings, at least she could keep a record of all that she learned. 

The next day, Cassidy took care to cast a protective charm around her, Aragorn, Gwedal and the strange Gollum in Aragorn's sack. She explained the purpose of her charm, but Aragorn still maintained a hand on his sword. Cassidy still wore her boots with their silencing spell, but she was alarmed by how quietly Aragorn managed to walk even as they crossed dead leaves which should have crackled. He was silent in speech as well, having warned Cassidy ahead of time that it would be best if they kept talking to a minimum whilst in the woods for fear of drawing forth unwelcome attention. Cassidy grudgingly obeyed though it did not stop her from occasionally wandering from the thin path in order to collect a specimen of a new plant or bug that she happened to notice. Each time this seemed to thoroughly vex Aragorn who she would often forget was still within her charm which moved with her, causing the muggle to bang into the walls of her protective charm each time she walked too far away. 

They were about four hours into their walk through the woods and around the time when Cassidy was ready to mount Gwedal for she was quickly becoming sick of walking when Aragorn froze. Cassidy, having learned that the muggle was extremely keen on his surroundings, froze as well.

From out of nowhere, an elf dropped directly in front of their path, bow drawn and leveled at Cassidy's chest. 

From the corner of her eye, Cassidy saw more elves appear all round them, a distinct rustling in the tree tops above indicated that they had them surrounded from up high as well. The elves that she could see were dressed in armor made of leather and steel. They all bore bows, but many carried long knives or swords across their backs as well. Finely pointed ears and long brown hair easily identified them as elves of this strange world. 

"If you so much as twitch your fingers, witch," the lead elf spat, "I will shoot you."

"Feren?" Aragorn spoke calmly beside Cassidy, not yet moving towards his sword. "What is the cause of this? She is an elf-friend."

"Estel!" a voice from above cried as another elf, this one of blond hair, dropped beside the elf apparently named Feren. "Step away from the witch, she is dangerous."

"I come meaning no harm," Cassidy spoke carefully. Though she knew that the arrows would be unable to penetrate her charm she hoped that they could resolve their conflict with more peace than a show of power. "I am merely a traveler, aquatinted with your kin in Lothlorien."

"You ride an elvish steed and speak our tongue. How?" the blond elf spat.

"Legolas, what is the meaning of this?" Aragorn asked.

"We have reason to believe that the dark haired witch is an agent of Sauron."

"Oh for the love of Merlin," she rolled her eyes. "I am not in league with anyone. I'm impartial... neutral. Sure I'd love for whatever dark lord you guys are dealing with to be dead but I'm not getting involved with anyone!" 

"I will approach and confiscate you wand," Legolas spoke slowly, steel in his voice. "You will then be taken to the King."

"Um... how about no," Cassidy rolled her eyes, mildly surprised that they even knew how her magic worked. The elves of Lothlorien seemed entirely clueless when dealing with her.

"You should listen to them, Mudblood," an all too familiar voice sneered. Cassidy froze with recognition. "Their arrows fly faster than your draw."

From behind Legolas, the branches rustled lightly, indicating that someone with less grace than the elves was approaching. Cassidy felt a chill run down her spine, cold dread settling in as the speaker approached. 

Chapter Text

"You should listen to them, Mudblood," an all too familiar voice sneered. Cassidy froze with recognition. "Their arrows fly faster than your draw."

The sound of footsteps was almost unfamiliar to Cassidy who had become so used to the company of elves and Aragorn whose footsteps were nearly elven in their silence. But, the voice of the speaker was undoubtably one of a man... a man who Cassidy knew far more thoroughly than she would like to. 

"Are you issuing a challenge?" She called back to the approaching figure. 

"Oh I would delight to see you try," he stepped into the clearing. 

"Malfoy," the sight of the wizard who was largely a cause of her death sent a sharp spike of fear down Cassidy's spine. While she was no stranger to combat, the dark wizard had been practicing curses and hexes long before Cassidy was born. She brutally crushed that fear, masking it with a cocky smirk. "To what do I owe the pleasure? How's the Manor doing? I heard you had a bit of an accident."

The pureblood stood in his usual proud, sneering stance. His white-blond hair was surprisingly similar in color to the elf who Aragorn had addressed as Legolas and he stood slightly behind the bow wielding elf... obviously he had gained their trust. Cassidy acted as she had always been trained. Her eyes scanned up and down the wizard, taking in his slightly ruffled coat and surprisingly under polished boots. Despite his slightly less composed attire, he seemed every bit as prideful and arrogant as usual. 

Cassidy's entire focus was now on the elder Malfoy, the elves surrounding them with arrows barely concerned her for she knew that her shielding charm would easily deflect the crude weapons. The dark wizard however, was a different story. Cassidy knew that Lucious Malfoy was an accomplished duelist and would easily break through her charm. She thought over the upcoming duel and ran through several options in her head. She knew that as soon as she reached for her want, Malfoy would break her shield charm. Her first priority would be to throw up a new protective charm for her sides to prevent the elven arrows from reaching her. She then planned on flinging her wand forward to deflect whichever spell he sent next. She would of course have to be careful to not hit Aragorn with the deflection. As for the elves... well they had clearly chosen a side. She might be friends with the elves of Lothlorien, but Aragorn did indeed warn her that these elves were less wise and more dangerous. They chose their side and they would live or die with it. 

What a war-like mentality, the rather unhelpful voice in her head piped up. 

Cassidy had bee so busy running through her actions for the duel that she was certain would occur soon, that she almost missed one very important detail about Malfoy. 

He had one hand firmly in his coat pocket. Now, for many normal wizards it would be a usual everyday occurrence to store one's wand in their pocket. Those of either "higher breeding" or with any amount of serious training in dueling usually carried their wand in a sleeve holster as Cassidy did. But Malfoy... no Malfoy was too pretentious for even that. Instead, he always carried his wand around with a ridiculous hand grip, slid into the body of a cane. Cassidy knew of only two types of people who used canes: cripples, and those were where as arrogant as they were vain... and neither of them were ever without their cane. 

A thought dawned on Cassidy and her smirk grew in size. 

Oh... she had once feared this wizard... once died to avoid falling into his hands... and now here he was. This wizard who had murdered, kidnapped, and tortured so many. Perhaps he was even present the night that her parents were killed before her. The Death Eaters were cowards who hid behind masks so for all she knew, he could be the very wizard who ended their lives. 

"So, Malfoy... care for a duel?"

"I suggest you don't attempt to reach for your wand, Mudblood," he spat. 

Oh dear... still so sure of yourself.

"Cassidy, Legolas... who is this man?"

"He is from my world-" Cassidy began to reply, her eyes still locked on Lucious when Legolas spoke. 

"He is a new ally of the Woodland Realm. He brought us warning of the dark witch that would come."

Cassidy tossed her head back and laughed. So that was what he had done. On that clever snake... he landed in this world and slithered his way into the favor of the wood elves, told them that she was an enemy, and expected to sit back and watch as she was killed. 

"Oh that's just rich... coming from you of all people Malfoy."

"As I warned... she is loose and unhinged. Madness of course being a symptom of her practicing of dark magic." Lucius spoke with far more confidence than he was about to have. In that moment, Cassidy realized that she didn't care what any of the elves, what Aragorn thought. This was no longer a matter of her exploring and working with the peoples of a new world... no, this went far deeper. This was now a matter of dealing with the consequences of hers, of tying up loose strings. 

"So tell me Malfoy..." her voice dropped to a smooth hiss as rage bubbled within her. "What would happen if I were to draw my wand and cures you where you stand?"

"If you move, Witch," the elf captain from before spat. "Then you shall be struck down."

"Feren please-" Aragorn tried, but Cassidy cut him off. 

"Why don't you draw your own wand and face me like a real wizard... or are you really so much a coward that you won't cross magic with a mudblood child for fear of loosing?"

Cassidy noticed with cold satisfaction how he shifted slightly at her words. 

"Why should I bother?" Came his hurried reply. 

"Because unlike you," that rage that had long bubbled in her chest for Death Eaters reached its boiling point as the one who had ordered her death stood before her with his newfound army of elves. "I currently posses my wand and I had the sense to place up a shielding charm before walking through these woods."

Malfoy's face visibly paled and he moved to run, but Cassidy was quicker. 

"Petrificus Totalus," Cassidy watched in satisfaction as the dark wizard was struck suddenly immobile, falling forward and landing on his face in a rather undignified manner. 

"Fire," she heard the elven captain call, but she hardly paid it any mind as the arrows flew uselessly off the shield surrounding her, Aragorn, and her horse. 

She began walking forward slowly. She watched with delight as Malfoy's eyes shone in fear with each footstep that she approached with. Vaguely, she could hear the elves shouting to each other, firing more arrows which bounced off her shielding charm like raindrops on the castle walls. 

"Incarcarous," she waved her wand idly causing ropes to wrap around the still petrified from of Lucius. 

"Cassidy, what are you doing?!" Aragorn cried. He was still in the bubble of the charm, but he seemed to think that he would be repelled like the arrows around them. 

"Levicorpus," she chuckled as the Death Eater was left dangling by his ankle in the air. "Oh Malfoy... you always took so much delight in your power over us helpless little students... wielding your magic and money over the Ministry. How does it feel now? Oh, right..." she undid her petrification and chuckled as he began to squirm. 

"Release me you stupid Mudblood! You'll pay for this!" Malfoy screamed. 

"Release him, Witch!" Feren called out, his arrow still pointed uselessly at Cassidy. She flicked her eyes over to him and rolled them in annoyance when she spotted the small armory of arrows scattered around the outside of her charm.

"Call off your overgrown house elves, Malfoy... or maybe if my magic is a weak as you've always implied... I might just slip," she flicked her wand and allowed the Death Eater to drop suddenly several feet before she caught him again. 

"I think we should all calm down-" Aragorn tried, but Cassidy turned on him with her wand pointed threateningly. 

"Calm down," her eyes were blazing with fury and rage. "You want me to calm down? Do you know who your friends are now taking orders from?"

As she spoke she summoned Lucius' still bound form over to her, within the walls of her charm. She pulled him up by his hair until he was in a kneeling position and she pressed the tip of her want tight against his throat. She could see the fear building in his eyes, but it did little to dissuade her. Instead, it reminded her of the fear in the eyes of her parents that night when she remained hidden.... watching whilst Death Eaters tortured them. She could hear their screams echoing in the back of her mind... 

"Cassidy, stop," Aragorn ordered, placing a large, strong hand on her wand arm. 

Acting on pure instinct, she fired a quick Flipendo on Aragorn, pushing the man out of the bounds of her charm and thus keeping him out of the way. Her attention was immediately back on Malfoy. 

"I should kill you right here," she hissed, bringing her face centimeters away from Malfoy's. "I should make it long and painful... make you suffer like my parents... like so many did under the hands of you and your bloody friends."

"Do it Mudblood," he spat back... more out of bravado than courage. "Make your precious Dumbledore proud." 

She remained in that position for some time, her wand pressed precariously against the dark wizard's throat, the slightest tremble in her wand arm that she knew her coach would admonish her for. It wasn't fear or nerves which caused the tremble... no, it was uncertainty, barely contained rage trying to push through whilst her long fought for self control battled to take the lead. 

Finally, she pushed him down to a heap at her feet and cast a wordless silencio before addressing the elves around her. They had likely been speaking, shouting orders and warnings at her that entire time... but she had taken no notice. Her focus had been bent on her enemy and she had almost forgotten about the rather large audience around her. 

"So... what lies has he told you? I didn't take the elves as lovers of dark magic."

"Why should I reveal anything to you?" The blond elf- Legolas spoke up. "How do I know it is not you, wielder of magic, who lies?"

"If I wanted to... I could kill every elf in this clearing. You've seen my abilities and yet... I don't. I speak your tongue because I am friends with the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood. Even if you have known him for a few weeks longer, I believe that I have given you more than enough information for you to trust me over him."

"She saved my life, Legolas," Aragorn, who for some reason was coming to her defense, spoke up. "I was beset by orcs at the Anduin and she, from no obligation, saved my life. I have journeyed with her since and have sensed no darkness in her. Please, let us hear both sides of this conflict."

The elf, who seemed to hold authority over the brown haired one who had first spoken, considered Aragorn's words carefully. Finally, he stood up, if even possible, a little straighter. He fixed Cassidy with a withering glare of the type that young hippogriffs used when they were proud but not yet old enough to understand the truth in such pride. 

"He warned us of a terrible threat."

"He lied. What was the threat?"

"How do you know he lied if you do not know the warning?"

"Because I know Malfoy. I'd wager that he is incapable of truth at this point," Cassidy snapped in reply. "Now tell me, what trouble has he started?"

Cassidy was growing impatient, but using every trick she knew to keep her calm. In that moment, there was nothing in the world that she wanted more than to cast the killing curse on the wretch at her feet. But, he had somehow arrived in this strange world that she was stuck in. She needed to know how he arrived, why he had come, and what mess he had started. Cassidy had known Lucius Malfoy for as long as she had known his son... and she had faced him enough times whilst he was behind his Death Eater mask. If he had been in Middle Earth for even a fraction of the time that she was... then there was no doubt in Cassidy's mind that he had started something very very bad. 

"Such matters are between the King and the Wizard. I am not at liberty to discuss." Legolas replied. 

"Fine then. Take me to your King. I'm sure that we will have plenty to discuss," she said, already grasping the reins of Gwedal, ready to march towards whatever palace they had in mind. 

"I will not allow a Witch and her hostage into the Halls of King Thranduil," he replied incredulously. 

"Okay. Bring him to me." Cassidy plopped down right where she stood, sitting and smirking at the elf before her. "We don't have to go to your secret home, but I want answers... and I'm very good at getting answers."

There was a tense moment as the two glared at each other... elf and witch... locking into a battle of wills. Cassidy merely smiled as if she couldn't feel the nearly audible anger in the room as she began to unpack her saddle bag, unrolling a bedroll as the evening was beginning to fall. 

"You must be mad if you think that you can summon the King of Eryn Galen at your behest," his reply was incredulous and Cassidy forced herself not to chuckle at the sheer astonishment in his tone. 

"Well clearly I just have. Be a dear and pass on the message. Until then I'm just fine here." She then turned to Aragorn and appraised her recent friend carefully. "If you would like, you can return to within my charm and we can break camp together as usual, if not you can go and stay with your friend. I care not... but," she made a pointed gesture with her wand at her next words. "If you ever try to grab my wand arm again... it won't be a simple knock-back jinx that I use on you."

Aragorn nodded after sharing a meaningful glance with Legolas who frowned before disappearing into the trees. He turned back to Cassidy and placed a hand over his heart. 

"On my honor I will not."

Good enough for me, Cassidy thought with a shrug. She had grown to almost trust Aragorn during their journeying together and in truth, she was loath to allow the current misfortunes to impede the fragile friendship that they had forged. She waved him in and then reinforced the charm with a Protego Totalum. They set up their camp as usual, Cassidy purposefully ignoring the dozen or so elves who still remained in the treetops above them. She hadn't seen them since they melted back into the forest, but she could sense them like that strange itching one gets at the back of their neck. 

"King Thranduil is a very proud king," Aragorn spoke slowly. He was purposefully ignoring the bound and magically gagged wizard at the edge of their camp. "He will not be pleased with being summoned to a clearing in his own woods."

"Then he shouldn't have conspired with a Death Eater- a dark wizard," Cassidy explained at the slightly questioning look from Aragorn. 

"The King will not cave so easily."

"I am patient," Cassidy replied, as she reclined against Gwedal who had chosen to lay near the fire. "I can wait."

Chapter Text

Cassidy found that the King was indeed a proud and stubborn man for she saw no sign of him over the next two weeks. During that time, she occupied herself with sorting through the various notes of her field journal and organizing all the information that she had on Middle Earth. In truth, she was perfectly happy to be doing so and often found herself lost for hours at a time in her work for there were so many new and fascinating things for her to discover. 

As for her companions, Gwedel was obviously annoyed with the small space and thus she allowed the horse to wander outside the bubble of her spell. For all the elves were, they seemed to be lovers of nature and thus didn't bother the proud mare as she roamed and nibbled on whatever vegetation she could find. Lucius was, as one might predict, not overly thrilled with the scenario. Cassidy did manage to question him several times and his answer, though mostly unhelpful, did at least give her a little insight into his travels in Middle Earth. It seemed that whatever occurred to sweep Cassidy into the strange world, also picked him up. They were merely deposited in different locations. Now Aragorn, that was man unused to sitting still. Every day he seemed to grow more agitated and continued to question Cassidy's choice to remain stubbornly camped in the woods. Each time she reminded him that he was under no obligation to stay, but stay he did. 

For supplies, she wasn't too worried. Water was easy enough to acquire with the right spell and she had enough lembas to sustain her and the man for quite some time still. It was a bit annoying eating nothing but the same wafer every single day, but she had survived on worse before. Overall, she was rather content in her little camp. If the elvenking wanted to out wait her... he had something coming. She always got the answers that she wanted. 

At the end of the first two weeks, the same blond haired elf approached and addressed Aragorn first. 

"Estel, what are you doing here? Why do you remain with her?"

"I come on behalf of Gandalf, it is in important mission. And, she is a friend, Legolas... I truly think she means no harm."

"She is dangerous and holds the wizard captive. If you truly think her to be innocent, then the King shall decide. Have her surrender her weapon and we shall take both wizards before him."

"I'm not giving my wand to anyone," Cassidy jumped into their conversation, rolling her eyes in the process. "Also, did you happen to forget that I speak your language? Remember... elf friend?"

"You must allow us to bring you before the halls of the King," Legolas declared. 

"Listen up Blondie," the shocked and affronted look that spluttered across the elf's face almost made Cassidy lose her train of thought. "I'm a witch... and witches don't just hand over their wands. Your King conspired with one of the worst dark wizards of my world, a man on the opposite side of the war that I've been fighting in for the past six years. I want and explanation and if your King doesn't want me in his home, then fine by me. But, he's going to talk to me."

The blond elf stormed off after that and Aragorn fixed Cassidy with a mildly displeased expression. She merely shrugged. 

"He was asking for it."

*

After the incident with the pretty blond, it seemed that they pulled back most of the elves who surrounded their little camp. This soon proved to be a mild nuisance as Cassidy found herself for the first time encountering the giant spiders that Aragorn warned her about.

It was the middle of the night, the forest was pitch black and the only light around was in the form of the smoldering embers of the little camp fire. The woods were filled with all the usual sounds of a forest at night, owls, crickets, and some wolves howling in the distance. Cassidy was fast asleep when she heard a wild battle cry and felt something shift next to her. Acting on instincts that had been honed over the last few years, she too lept from her bedroll and had her wand held aloft, ready to battle whatever managed to brake through her spell. 

What she found however, where what she would normally swear to be Acromantula circling the bubble of her charm. Aragorn had his sword aloft and was circling from the inside of the bubble, tense and ready for battle. Cassidy merely exhaled loudly and told the man to sit down. He turned and gave her a look that seemed to imply that she was mad, but she merely shook her head. 

With a simple lumos she lit up the area and received her journal, once more taking notes on the giant spiders which surrounded her. The spiders didn't seem to appreciate her light too much and launched into an attack. Aragorn watched in shock as they threw themselves against the invisible walls fo Cassidy's charm, and were bounced back each time. They certainly were determined creatures however as they kept slamming themselves against the invisible barrier. Finally, Aragorn seemed to get the idea that the creatures couldn't harm them and he reluctantly sheathed his sword. 

Cassidy, for her part, was fully engrossed in studying the creatures. She really wanted to examine one up close and perhaps collect a sample of their venom. This being so, she petrified one and brought it within the bounds of her charm. Of course, Aragorn didn't react all too well to this, especially when she had her hands awfully close to the creature's massive fangs. After a rather heated argument over scientific merit however, Aragorn was eventually appeased as she reluctantly allowed him to drive his sword through the creature's head.

At the very least, the dissections as fascinating and gave Cassidy something to do for the next week. 

Cassidy was pretty sure that she saw Aragorn gagging when she pulled out the creature's silk glands. 

*

After another week passed, Cassidy was running out of stuff to do. She had finished her dissection and tossed the corpse far enough away from her charm before hitting it with a blasting curse to get rid of the spider. The elves had seemed to abandon watching her and even the spiders were no longer approaching. I suppose that watching one of their companions get dissected can discourage visitations. 

She had finished organizing her journals several times over and was starting to get bored. She was however... not one to give up from boredom and thus she remained determined to stay in place. That being said, she was used to a rather busy schedule and soon found herself practicing her more complex spell work, much to the annoyance of Aragorn who seemed rather distrusting of several of her attempts. 

After enough time passed though, Cassidy's boredom spurred an idea that she was certain the Weasley twins would be proud of. Digging through her bag, she found the perfect item and, with the help of a muffliato charm she was able to set everything up with Aragorn none the wiser. Using a charm that Cassidy had learned from Dumbledoor several years ago, she set her plan into motion and sat back, a satisfied smirk on her face that Aragorn immediately noticed. 

"What did you do?" He questioned suspiciously. 

Lucius was glaring at her from where he was still bound and silenced, but Cassidy merely smirked at first him, then Aragorn. 

"Oh... I'm sure we'll hear about it soon."

Aragorn chose to ignore those words and go back to sharpening his sword, but not without scanning his eyes cross the tree line. They remained in silence for several hours more, Aragorn sharpening his sword, Cassidy flipping through pages in one of her textbooks, Gwedel grazing, Aragorn's sack spitting the occasional curse, and Lucius glaring fiercely at them all. The peace was soon broken however when a party of elves came flying into the clearing, armed to the teeth and with their bows useless drawn and aimed at the small campsite. 

"Foul Witch! What it the meaning-"

Cassidy held up one finger, abruptly cutting the spluttering elf off halfway through his words. She didn't even bother looking up as she was determined to finish reading that page that she was on before dealing with the rather indignant blond elf who, from the tone of his voice alone, Cassidy was pretty certain had steam pouring from his pointed ears. When she finished her page she slipped the bookmark in, closed the book, and placed it gently on her bedroll before turning to the fuming elf with a sweet smile on her face. 

"Can I help you?" She asked calmly. 

"What," he ground his words out in a voice far more strained from the usual sweet tones of the elves. "In Eru's name is this?!" 

At those words he stilled that hand that he had previously been waving around to reveal a bright red envelop, clearly already opened. Cassidy's smile grew about a mile wide as she realized that her little prank did indeed work. 

"Legolas, what is wrong?" Aragorn asked with concern shining in his eyes. 

"What- what is wrong?" He roared with a note of panic and rage in his tone. "This... this foul witch sent forth a note that flew into the chambers of King Thranduil and screamed obscenities about him which I shall not repeat."

"Ya... well that's what happens when you refuse to open a howler," Cassidy shrugged lightly. 

"The enchanted letter then opened and the witch's voice poured forth, screaming loudly and demanding an audience with the King."

"You obviously weren't passing on my messages... so I sent one myself."

"I should kill you for your words of insult to my King," he looked furious as he spoke. 

"Hey, technically... the only stuff I said was the stuff in my voice. The other 'obscenities' where the howler's invention. It just screams insults until it's opened."

With that, the elf glared daggers at Cassidy before turning his back and leaping into the trees. The young witch took a moment to admire the elf's agility before sitting back down and returning to her book. She could feel the eyes of Aragorn on her and finally, she relented and looked up at him. 

"What did you magic letter say?" He asked, something between concern and curiosity coloring his tone. 

"My guess..." she smiled slightly at the thought, "probably something about a pointy-eared arrogant bastard. I don't choose the words... but it does feed on the sender's thoughts."

Aragorn's eyebrows rose in amusement and she chuckled before returning to her book. 

Patience is a virtue... but sometimes it helps to scream. 

*

After five weeks of camping in a woods filled with spider and elves... it seemed that the King's stubbornness finally wore off. Cassidy was in the middle of spelling her clothes clean and detangling her hair when she heard a hen blown in the distance. 

"The King approaches," Aragorn said as he scrambled to his feet, quickly sheathing his sword and straightening his clothes. 

Cassidy took that as a hint to quickly finish her grooming and grab Lucius who had given up on making a fuss several weeks ago. She whistled lightly and drew Gwedel back into her charm, re-affirming it just in case this elven king turned out to be less than pleasant. She checked a small hand mirror to ensure that she looked decently presentable before sitting calmly with her legs folded beneath her, waiting in the same way she always did at the dojos of Mahoutokoro. She had her wand held lightly in her hand and resting on her knee whilst Aragorn stood smartly to attention. 

There was an easy confidence to the way she sat... neither submission nor pride. She was taught such as it revealed nothing to an opponent. It showed that she neither feared them, nor looked down on them as either could easily be used to ones own advantage. Instead, she was posted and ready, yet relaxed. Cassidy had learned a thing or two about how to face off against the powerful. 

As usual, there was no rumble of a march, and yet elvish warriors appeared all around the camp, half in the trees and half on the ground. They all had arrows nocked, yet none were drawn back. Then, a troop of more warriors emerged and filled the clearing. These wore shining armor and held long, wicked looking swords and rounded shields which remained Cassidy of stories from history books. All the elves in armor wore helmets which obscured their expressions, though all were long of limb and had hair varying in shades of brown. 

At the sound of a sharp whistle, the front lines all took a half step to each side to create a small gap where an elf- the one called Legolas who visited them so often, stepped forth. He was wearing far more armor than they were used to seeing him in. Cassidy couldn't help but find herself fascinated with the mail like leaf shaped scales of the armor which appeared to elegantly match the woods around them. The leather and steel were clearly of fine craft and far superior to the medieval armor that she was familiar with seeing on museum trips. Cassidy also couldn't help but notice that Legolas wasn't wearing a helmet, but instead a thing metal circlet. 

Ah, he did always act important, she smirked as she realized that she had been sparring words with some sort of noble amount the elves. 

"King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm approaches," he declared in a firm and official sounding voice. 

Then, two banner carrying elves approached and stepped to either side, Legolas took a half step back, and Cassidy schooled her expression into neutrality as a massive elk stepped forward. 

The creature was huge, as large as a Hippogriff and with the most impressive rack of antlers that Cassidy had ever seen. More amazing however, was the figure who sat astride the great beast. He was tall, long limbed and fair, white-blond hair spilled down his shoulders, and ice blue eyes glared down at where Cassidy sat in her feigned casualty. He wore a long, trailing cape that covered the back of the elk and a massive crown that appeared to be made of thorns with spring blossoms woven in sat atop his head. 

Well this is certainly the King of the elves, thought Cassidy wryly. 

Beside her, Aragorn bowed, but the only motion that Cassidy made was to tilt her head slightly to the side, watching the elf. She had said quite enough already. What Cassidy really wanted, was to hear him speak. He soon obliged. 

"I do not appreciate being summoned to my own woods," his voice was smooth as silk yet hard as steel. "What business have you here in my realm?"

"Actually, your Majesty," she silently enjoyed the twitch of emotion she saw in his eyes as she spoke their language. "I have a few questions for you."

Chapter Text

"You're very bold for an Edain child," he mused, still looking down at Cassidy who slowly rose to her feet. She remained silent, waiting for him to continue his speech. "So what is it... that gives you the intrepidity to summon me to my own Woods?"

Cassidy took a deep breath. She had a lot of time to think things over and consider her options. In those days of waiting, that white hot rage that bubbled before fading out, leaving behind weariness and frustration. She reminded herself that the elves were likely as confused as her, and being unknowledgeable at her world, were easily fooled by Lucius' silver tongue. She was trying her best to not hold it against them. 

"I would have happily asked for an audience in your home, but I was denied access."

"My warriors disallowed you to come armed."

"I'm not one inclined to give up my wand so easily. Cassidy Oleander, from somewhere... very far away. Nice to meet you."

"I have heard of you, I have seen your sorcery," his tone was icy as he spoke. 

"Oh... ya... the howler," Cassidy chewed on her bottom lip at bit. If she was being honest with herself... that was a bit of a hasty move. "My apologies for the disturbance, I was a bit impatient to meet with you."

"And so you hold a guest of my realm hostage?" One eyebrow arched expectantly, forcing Cassidy to look down towards Lucius, still tied and silenced at her feet. 

"Now he's the reason why I wanted to talk to you," she inhaled deeply, drawing on her patience. "Whatever this man has told you, it's a lie. He's from my world and he's an incredibly dark wizard... evil to his core and the follower of a very powerful, very mad wizard who will so whatever it takes to rule my world. He's slaughtered and tortured hundreds of innocents and he is an expert liar."

"And how do we know that it isn't you who is evil?" Legolas interjected from beside the King. 

Cassidy thought it over. Lucius was many things... but a liar was near the list. He fought on Voldemort's side in the first Wizarding War and somehow came out with his position still intact. He rubbed elbows with his high society Pure Bloods, Death Eaters, and Ministry officials, never batting an eye at the lies he wove. There was one thing however... that would be undeniable. 

"You all have magic within you... it's small, but you're creatures of it."

"Take care with how you speak of the Eldar, witch!" The King hissed his words in anger. 

"You hold the same contempt for me." She pointed out before reaching down to grasp one of Lucius' arms. She drew back the sleeve to reveal his Dark Mark. The elves around her made an audible sound as they saw the stark black lines of a skull with a snake creeping out. She then lifted her arm, ignoring how the elves around her tensed and grasped their bows and swords tighter. "What I'm about to show you is the symbol of his 'Lord,' the one who he follows. He's known as a Death Eater, and this is what they do each time they kill someone and want to brand the corpse like some sick trophy."

Cassidy closed her eyes. She hated to do this, she hated that she knew the words to the evils spell... but she had been on enough Death Eater raids to pick up on a thing or two. Summoning her strength, she ignored the frantic struggles of Lucius as she placed the tip of her wand to his forearm and spoke the words with that grating hiss of dark magic. 

"Morsmordre."

At her words, a dark plume of green smoke rose up from where her want met Lucius' forearm. The smoke swirled up and a horrifying hissing sound filled the air as it grew in height, glittering specks of green like the stars of some twisted constellation merged with he smoke to form a massive skull, snake slithering from the open mouth. The entire forest seemed to grow darker as the sickly green light of the Dark Mark outshined the sun. 

All around her, the elves cringed as if in pain. Many hands fled from their weapons and instead pressed against their foreheads like they struck by some sudden migraine. The King himself flinched under the light of the mark, his own hand gripping the side of his face as he clenched his teeth. Legolas beside him looked like he would be ill, and Aragorn, a regular muggle, seemed more unsettled than ill. Nonetheless, it was clear to everyone what sort of darkness the Mark meant. 

The King was the first to recover. 

"What foul evil do you dare bring into my realm?!"

"It's his magic, his dark brand," Cassidy then lifted the silencio that she had on Lucius, allowing him to speak again. "Let him explain."

The elf King looked down his nose at the thoroughly disheveled wizard kneeling beside Cassidy. She maintained a firm grip on the back of his robes and held her wand ready... just in case. The elf's glare was withering and even the usually proud and pompous Lucius seemed to be stricken by his cool rage. 

"I... I- it's a deception. She is... she is the caster of darkness-"

"That brand itself is foul. I can feel the evil in in." The King seemed decently unimpressed by Lucius' excuses. 

"It was forced on me!" He blurted out, obviously in a panic. "The- the Dark Lord... he's evil and dangerous. He threatened me- and my family. I had no choice but to take the Mark!"

Cassidy's lip curled in disgust. One thing that made her truly and utterly despise Malfoy was his cowardice. He picked the side that fitted most with his twisted ideals of superiority, but when it came down to the wire, he would shirk and whimper for pity as if he had not been a Death Eater leading raids on muggles for the fun of it. But, whenever his precious Lord called again... he would slink back to his side like the worm that he was. 

The elven King however, to his credit, didn't seem to buy Lucius' story one bit. He looked even more disgusted then before as he spoke again. 

"Take care with the lies you spread. I hold little tolerance for such in my Kingdom."

"I'm not-"

"You may silence him again if you wish," the King waved his hadn't lightly and Cassidy obligingly replaced the silenceo. 

"Now do you believe me?" Cassidy asked after a significant pause had passed. The King's eyes were glaring into her and she swore that she could feel the tension emanating from Aragorn behind her. The King's eyes then skirted over Cassidy and Lucius, landing on Cassidy's new friend. 

"And so tell me then, Son of Arathorn- yes I knew your father once. The resemblance is striking," the King had the most peculiar way of speaking. It was as if he was constantly bored and indifferent with who he was addressing, and yet at the same time he maintained a high level of intensity. "But tell me, what is a Ranger doing with a Witch in my land?"

"Your Majesty," he bowed once again. "I come on an errand from Mithrandir. There is a creature who he wished for you to treat and hold prisoner until it may no longer be a threat."

"Then the dungeons of the Woodland Realm will hold two new prisoners this day. Hand the liar over to my guards and we will take care of him from here," as he spoke he was already held turned to leave, but Cassidy stopped him. 

"Wait!" Cassidy paused to breath deeply. Her temper was flaring at the arrogance of this King. "What of me and why should I listen to you? I will not surrender my wand and he's a criminal from my world, it was my people he slaughtered."

The King cocked his head sharply to the side, in the manner that a hawk might as it considers its prey. Cassidy was once more startled by the reminder that these elves were far from human. There was something not just faintly magical, but strongly animalistic about them.

"Legolas, do you trust this Son of Arathorn?" He asked the elf still standing to his side.

"We traveled together amongst the Rangers. He is a good an honorable man whose actions have saved my life several times over. I trust him," Legolas spoke calmly and clearly, all the weight of an important decision heavy in his tone.

"And you, Son of Arathorn, do you trust this Witch?" The King's voice betrayed no emotion and Cassidy resisted the urge to fidget where she stood. 

"Your Majesty," Aragorn spoke, "though this child is strange indeed, she saved my life when she had no cause to, she wears a broach of Lothlorien, and speaks the Grey Tongue as well as any elf-friend. I have never sensed darkness in her."

The King's icy glare fixated on Cassidy once more as he scanned her up and down. She refused to flinch or fidget under his gaze and maintained eye contact with him throughout his inspection. 

"I will allow you to enter my Halls. The liar can be imprisoned in my dungeons until you choose his sentence. His transgressions against your kin seem greater than his transgressions against mine. Prince Legolas will see to the prisoners and escort you to your rooms."

The King turned to leave and Cassidy raised an eyebrow to Aragorn in question. He simply nodded his head as if to indicate that the word of the elves could be trusted. Hesitating for only a moment longer, Cassidy lowered her shield charm and reluctantly handed Lucius over to a wary looking guard. Legolas then walked over and embraced Aragorn who handed over the squirming sack to him, warning the elf that the creature did bite. 

Legolas merely nodded and gestured for them to follow him. Luckily, Cassidy was able to quickly pack up their camp with a simple charm and had everything loaded on Gwedel who seemed rather happy to be finally going someplace. As they walked, several of the elven guards faded into the trees above them and were likely following them from up high. A few remained alongside Legolas who stood at the front, his bow ready as they walked. Now Cassidy new that elves have sharp ears, but she just couldn't help herself as she whispered at a volume that she was certain that the elves would hear. 

"So... he's a prince?" She asked Aragorn. 

"Yes."

"I suppose that means I should stop calling him Blondie then?" She asked. A smirk spread across her face when she saw how Legolas' spine stiffened slightly. There was no doubt that he had heard her. 

"Such would not be the most appropriate address for him."

"He's your friend?"

"We've journeyed much together. He is like a brother to me."

"Then why aren't you catching up right now?"

"He is on duty, as captain of the patrol it is his task to scan for threats for these woods are dangerous. We will have plenty of time to speak once safe in his father's Halls."

"But really?" She pressed. "He's your friend? Even with that massive stick up his ass?"

Cassidy couldn't help but notice how Legolas' hand clenched his bow. His knuckles were nearly white and she saw the slightest tremble in his spine. He was obviously angry, but trying to hide the fact that he could hear their whispered conversation. 

"You know how sharp the ears of the Eldar are, don't you?" He asked, turning sharply towards Cassidy with an expression that was somewhere between amused and annoyed. 

"Why yes, of course I do. How much farther ahead, Blondie?" She called out the last part loudly.

"We will be arriving at the Halls of King Thranduil in a few hours," he spoke stiffly. "I will scout ahead."

Before any of his guards could comment, he took off like a rocket through the trees. The other elves exchanged middle confused glances before they continued to walk. Cassidy assumed that the rest of them didn't speak common as they seemed to have entirely missed Cassidy's comments.

"Do you think it was something I said?" She asked Aragorn with a smile feigning innocence. 

He merely chuckled lightly and shook his head. 

They still had a few hours to go, so Cassidy took the time to comb her fingers through Gwedel's mane. The horse seemed far more at ease when surrounded by the watchful elves and Cassidy's heart was fluttering with each step that she took, closing in on this elven kingdom. The King was leaving the decision of Lucius' fate to her hands. While she had fought alongside the Order many times... she had never taken prisoners, never made judgments on others. 

Lucius was a monster, he was willing to kill and torture any who stood against his twisted agenda. She should kill him, end his life and prevent him from ever harming another again. Yet... could she really? Could she kill someone not in the heat of battle, not in the defense of the innocent, but in cold blood as they laid bound before her? 

She really wasn't sure. 

Chapter Text

As promised, the second they entered the grand halls of the Woodland Realm, Aragorn was swept away by Legolas. A rather kind elf had met them at the door and led Gwedel away with the promise that the mare would be well cared for. While Cassidy was a bit reluctant to be separated from her close friend, it didn't take any magic to tell that this elf cared about the horse. 

Another elf, this one a maiden, came and guided Cassidy to her room. The elf smiled in delight when she realized that a Cassidy spoke Sindarin and the two struck up a conversation about the woods of Lothlorien while they walked. Two guards trailed not too far behind, and Cassidy pretended no to notice them. She understood that she was still untrusted in the Woodland Realm and thus, they were sent to keep her out of trouble. Really it was almost cute that they thought a pair of of swords could prevent her from doing anything. 

I used to sneak out to the Forbidden Forest when Snape was doing night rounds... if they think that they can scare me then they won't know what hit them.

Eventually, she was left alone in a room and occupied herself with shuffling through her bag ignorer to stave off the impending sense of doom. She had gotten her way... she got her audience with the King and convinced him not to trust Lucius... but now the dark wizard's life was in her hands. She would have to decide what to do with him. As she wandered through her newly assigned quarters, desperately trying to ignore the dread of the utter loneliness she felt, she found a side door leading to a bathing chambers. A warm and steamy bath was already drawn and she gratefully shucked off her clothes and sank into it. While she had managed to keep clean with a variety of charms, those never succeed in making her feel truly clean as only hot water and soap could.

She idly levitated a bundle of bubbles and amused herself by waving her wand to form a series of floating shapes. When she was bored of that, she dragged herself out of the tub and used a quick drying charm before changing into a spare set of robes that she had in her bag. She was getting sick of wearing the same clothes that she had on during her mission, but at the same time she was reluctant to try her luck with the long and flowing gown that had been laid out for her. Plus, she figured that the robe was far closer to what these elves seemed to consider "normal" attire. 

After a few hours had passed, a knock at the door admitted the same maid and guards from earlier. The maid informed Cassidy that she was being summoned to King Thranduil's throne room to discuss matters of justice. Cassidy could only assume that this was referring to Lucius and so she nodded and followed the trio. As they walked, she couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful halls. The massively arched ceilings and stone carved into the likeliness of trees was something beautiful to behold. Some of the long, thin pathways and precarious bridges reminded Cassidy so much of Hogwarts that part of her was waiting for one of the staircases to start to move. 

Eventually, the arrived at a frankly ridiculous throne room with a long staircase leading to the King lounging on and antler-crested throne. He was wearing a different and even more elaborate set of robes and had his ridiculously pointed crown on his head. Near the foot of the throne stood both Legolas and Aragorn. The pair had obviously cleaned up and changed into new clothing and Cassidy was frankly surprised. Aragorn cleaned up rather nicely with his shaved beard, clipped hair, and clean face. 

Cassidy nodded in acknowledgment to them before turning to the King. She faced him and waited patiently for she had already guessed that he was the type to enjoying getting both the first and last word. 

She wasn't disappointed. 

"Lady Cassidy of Oleander... welcome to the Woodland Realm. Few mortals are allowed access to these halls, you should consider yourself fortunate."

Cassidy bit back the sarcastic reply and decided that it was time for her to try to play diplomat. She had somehow managed, much to Professor Flitwick's astonishment, to befriend the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest. Their system of government was extraordinary complicated and exceedingly subjective to the capricious nature of the centaurs, so Cassidy figured that dealing with elves really couldn't be too difficult. With that in mind, she smiled politely and bowed lightly to the King. 

"I thank you for your hospitality, your Majesty."

"I see that you have declined the attire that was set for you," he raised a rather unimpressed eyebrow for it seemed that he disapproved of her dark blue robes the she generally wore for non-school excursions into the wizarding world.

"While I appreciate the generosity, I am more comfortable in my own clothing," she inhaled perhaps a but too audibly in frustration. "But, your Majesty, I believe that there is much for us to discuss."

"Yes, Cassidy of Oleander, there is much for us to discuss," he leaned forward in his throne and his voice dropped to a sultry purr. "Let us discuss... who are you?"

"Your Majesty, that is a very long tale to tell and there is some that I would rather not share. To put it simply though..." Cassidy then proceeded to give a very basic overview of the fact that she and Lucius from another world, that magic was far more common in her world, that there was a war against darkness that she was fighting, and that Lucius was rather high up on the chain in the other side. She very briefly touched up on the ideals of Voldemort's followers, the destruction that they waged, the crimes that they committed, and the times that she fought them.

"And they have children fighting this war?" The King looked rather unimpressed with the idea. 

"This year I am of age so by law I am no long a child... in truth I have not been a child since the day I watched my parents killed by the order that Malfoy is a part of." 

He paused for a few moments in thought. Cassidy turned to look at Aragorn who had remained mostly stoic throughout her speech, but he was now frowning softly. She began to shift back and forth on her feet, an annoying habit that the senseis at Mahoutokoro always chided her for. 

Finally, the King once more straighten his back and fixed Cassidy with that fierce gaze. He spoke in a slow and grave voice the echoed in the massive chamber. 

"There is a plain sort of honesty in your words and I think you speak the truth. He has indeed committed great wrongs to you and your people."

"Thank you, for believing me..." Cassidy knew she was about to tread on dangerous ground, but she had to know. "If you pardon me asking, your Majesty," she made certain to throw that title in. "Why... did you originally come to trust Lucius. He appears to have either lost or broken his wand some time ago so I understand that it would be difficult for you to sense the darkness of his magic when he has little... but what did he do to convince you of his honesty?"

Legolas glanced sharply at his father who waved his and in acknowledgment. To Legolas this must have been his cue to speak for he stepped forward and faced Cassidy directly. 

"The wizard was found by our patrol, a bit dazed and hysterical. We originally though he was a rather ill man who wandered from Laketown and we intended to simply drop him off with the nearest settlement of Men along the path of our patrol." He hesitated and looked to his father for reassurance. The King waved for him to continue what must have been at least somewhat sensitive information. "A few nights before we reached the settlement however, we encountered signs of a strange new beast. The wizard was able to identify it and assist us in its capture."

"New?" Cassidy felt a tugging in her mind. "New as in new to your lands or new as in new to your world?"

"Likely a newly birthed beast. Some monstrosity of wolf and man... we believe that it is an invention of Sauron."

Wolf and man... Cassidy felt her mind scream in alarm at the news.

"The night you encountered the creature... was it a full moon?" She asked. 

"Yes."

Oh Merlin... it was a werewolf. There was only one werewolf there that night... The werewolf who actually enjoyed his transformation... one who had a taste for human flesh even when in human form. 

"Where is he?!" She demanded, all pretenses of diplomacy gone. "Where's Greyback?"

If whatever twisted magic that swept her to this world also pulled Lucius, who knows how many of his Death Eater friends who where there that night got pulled along as well? Greyback had been there, he had been one of the guards watching over the Fletkins and he had been one of the first to sniff her out when she approached. She didn't know if he was one of her pursuers up the tower that night, but Lucius too had remained behind in the lower levels of the Manner, perhaps that was why they were both deposited in Mirkwood. 

"Do you know this creature?" Legolas looked somewhere between alarmed and suspicious. 

"I just might. Did you get his name?"

"I cannot recall. We managed to apprehend the creature in the morning and the Wizard took full control of it. He has spend much time since interrogating it."

"Does he interrogate him alone?"

"Yes."

Clever clever Malfoy... There was no doubt in Cassidy's mind that Lucius would sell out one of his fellow Voldemort buddies to gain the trust of the elves. The two of them were probably hatching a plot during those "interrogation" sessions. 

Oh Merlin!

"Are their cells near each other?!" She cried. "Lucius and the Greyback, can they communicate right now?"

"No, we've kept them separate," the unspoken 'I'm not an idiot' practically dripped from Legolas' tongue, but Cassidy paid it no mind. 

"You've got to take me to him now!" Cassidy's heart was racing as she contemplated what this meant... how many Death Eaters were potentially roaming this world. She drew her wand, earning some rather tense looks from the elvish guards, but she paid them no mind. "If he's who I think he is... you're in for a world of trouble."

Legolas looked to the King who nodded. Legolas then took off in a direction which Cassidy was quick to follow, Aragorn trailing silently behind them. They traveled through a series of winding corridors and sharply descending staircases. Usually Cassidy would be marveling at the architecture, but she had no time now. Instead, she was solely focused on the monster she was about to face. 

They moved through a set of heavy, metal doors, the guards opening them without a word. It was only when they got to the last door that the posted guards didn't have the key. Instead, Legolas reached to his belt and pulled off a keyring, selecting one of the larger and heavier keys. As he inserted it into the lock, he turned to warn both Cassidy and Aragorn. 

"We have it in this cell for it is the deepest we posses. Every month it still becomes the beast and it nearly escaped the first moon after we captured it."

Cassidy didn't say a word, didn't even nod her head. Her wand arm was tense as she held it ready. If this was indeed Greyback, then there was a chance that he still possessed his wand and was merely awaiting a signal from Malfoy. If such was the case, then Aragorn and Legolas were at risk. While he wasn't the most skilled wizard there was, Greyback was notoriously fast and brutal. He wouldn't hesitate to attack the muggle or the elf in order to distract Cassidy.

She paused at the door.

"I think it best that I go in alone," she spoke with that deep, empty calm that always came before a battle. It was her mind centering itself as she focused her magic. "Greyback is a savage, but he is an ally of Lucius. They might have been playing a long game. If he still possesses his wand... he's a danger to both of you."

Before either men could protest, she strode into the room and slammed the door behind her, a wordless charm locking it to keep either from following her. 

Once she entered the room, she inhaled deeply and prepared herself. It was a dimly lit stone chamber with flickering torches lining the wall. The room was the only one in the entire underground castle to smell stale and damp. Halfway across the room was a wall bade of thick metal bars. Unlike the almost ornate cell bars that she had seen previously, these ones had no delicate curves of decorations, instead they were each thicker than two of her thumbs and they were set solidly into the ceiling and floor. The full moon was just the night before and she could hear ragged breathing coming from the pile of rags in the corner. When werewolves lacked the ability to roam free during their transformations... it didn't go well. 

Cassidy's wand was poised, ready to strike as she spoke.

"Fenrir Greyback..." There was a shift in the corner of the cell. "You told me that you wanted to taste my flesh... Come and try."

"Cassidy?"

Cassidy felt her heart drop. 

A familiar, light brown head of hair emerged from the rag pile. 

She was barely breathing.

"Remus..."

Chapter Text

Cassidy honestly wasn't quite sure what happened next. One moment she was staring into the green eyes of her former professor and fellow Order member, the next she was flying through the bars of the cell that she presumably opened, and crushing him in a fierce hug. 

Suddenly, a though hit her and she scrambled back, flying from his arms and pressing her back against the door to his cell. She had her wand pointed directly at him and he was still frozen in place, having not moved since he turned to first look at her. 

"Tell me," her voice held the slightest edge of a tremor to it as a new sort of terror coursed through her veins. It was the fear of hope, the terrible dread of frost that may come to destroy a seed of faith that has been newly planted. "Tell me what you said to Dumbledore right before my final mission."

Remus' eyes grew full of sorrow as he slowly shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. He sighed heavily. 

"I said... I told him that he was sending a child to her doom," Remus paused and broke eye contact with Cassidy for a moment. "And I told him to stop using his 'greater good' as an excuse to turn children into soldiers to be sacrificed like lambs." Remus turned to look at Cassidy once more. "And what did you tell me in return?"

"I said," she stiffened slightly at the memory, but continued nevertheless. "I said that I haven't been a child since my parents were murdered... and that my doom has been a long time coming."

They both relaxed and Cassidy once more launched herself at Remus, holding him as tightly as if her life depended on it. For weeks, she believed herself to be alone... she thought that she was trapped in a new world without a trace of home... but now she had a friend. Faintly, she could hear the sounds of both Aragorn and Legolas pounding on the door and demanding to be let in, but she ignored them. She had more important things to be concerned with. 

"How did you..." he voice trailed off as she pulled back to look at Remus. It was obvious that although he had not been deliberately mistreated... his transformations had not been kind to him. Before she could begin her interrogation of him, Cassidy swept her wand in a simple charm to check his injuries. Remus smiled bemusedly and chuckled as he watched her categorize his various scrapes and bruises. 

"I'm starting to think you've spent too much time with Madam Pomfrey," he murmured as Cassidy made quick work of a few of the nastier gashes with healing charms. She then dug through her bag and pulled out a bottle of Murtlap essence which she made Remus apply to any remaining injuries. 

"Cassidy," his voice suddenly took a warning tone as if he just remembered a very important thought. "You must know that-"

"Malfoy is already in custody. I talked to the elves and... well we're not friends per say, but they believed me after I showed them his Dark Mark."

Remus visibly relaxed at those words and clutched Cassidy's hands again. 

"Cassidy," she knew what was coming by the look in his eyes. "I- I followed you to the Manor, I guided the Fletkins to the portkey and I went back to help you... but then I saw the tower... explode." He said the last word with no small amount go reluctance, as if not speaking it would make it any less real. "I barely had time to think before I woke up in the forest... but please," the bags beneath his deep set eyes and heavy scarring across his face became more prominent in the flickering candlelight of the cell as his entire countenance was taken by sorrow. "What happened?"

Cassidy readjusted herself, crossing her legs to sit more comfortably as she settled in. She spent a little while with her eyes roaming the cell that Remus had been locked in for, how long? Two... maybe three months? She could see the deep gouge marks on the stone walls where the beast inside Remus tried to break free and there was evidence of teeth marks in the metal bars. It was a horrid place and a small, smoldering ball of fury settled in the pit of her stomach at the treatment of one who was already so often ill used. She pushed it down for the moment though, to tell her tale. 

"I got the Fletkins out, but I needed a distraction to help them get away... it wasn't hard to convince the Death Eaters to give chase." She took a deep breath, still looking anywhere but Remus. "And well... there's not much to say. I ran, they followed, and eventually I was dumb enough to get stuck at the top of the tower. There was nowhere to go and they were about to break open the door so... I blew it up."

"You... you blew it up? Oh Cassidy," the grief was audible in Remus' voice, but she stood quickly, finally turning to face him with a look pf pure determination in her eyes. 

"Yes, I used the Blasting Curse because I figured that if I was going to go that I would take as many of them with me as possible."

"Cassidy, you could've-"

"I could've what? Let myself be captured and wait for more Order members to risk their lives to save me?" She began pacing back and forth as the fury and frustration of her weeks alone grew. "I could've given in... let myself be tortured until I broke? I know what their torture looks like Remus, I know because I've seen how it breaks a witch or wizard down until they are nothing. We all knew that it was a suicide mission, that's why Dumbledore would only let me do it... because we all knew that I wouldn't be coming back but I'd be damned before I give a sliver of information to Voldemort and his cronies. I know how much you value life Remus, and I know you've never been as much of a soldier as Dumbledore sometimes demands but-"

She was cut off as Remus wrapped her in a hug. For a moment, Cassidy was stunned. Remus had never been fond of touch. Although their relationship at Hogwarts was of course that of a professor and student, they were also at war together. In the Order of the Phoenix, they were soldiers who shared the battlefield and the grieving that came after. Cassidy had stopped calling him professor after a particularly brutal battle where she prevented a Death Eater from taking his head off and he caught Cassidy when she was tossed from her broomstick. She was proud to call him a friend, and he seemed to think himself something of an older brother to her... always fighting with Dumbledore about the danger she was in by fighting with the Order. 

"It's done," he whispered. "Let us move on." Cassidy nodded, but chuckled at Remus' next words. "But, I think your friends are going to want an explanation."

Now that he mentioned it, the angry shouts of both Aragorn and Legolas were getting louder. They seemed to think that she might be in some sort of trouble, a thought that made Cassidy role her eyes a little. She flicked her wand to wordlessly unlock the door and watched in amusement at Aragorn very nearly fell through the newly opened door. Both the elf and man had their weapons drawn and were pointing them at Remus who now had an arm thrown protectively around Cassidy's shoulder. 

"Relax," she cut them off before either could speak. "I was mistaken when you described your 'prisoner.' He's a friend. Legolas, Aragorn, this is Remus Lupin... he was a professor at my magic school and... well he and I fought together in the war in our world."

"He is a beast-" Legolas began, but was cut off my Cassidy whose words came out perhaps a bit too forcefully. 

"He is a good man. It isn't his fault that a curse causes him to transform on the full moon. For the rest of the time, he is completely in control of his mental facilities and is one of the best men I've ever met."

"A curse?" Legolas tilted his head with the question. 

"Yes," Cassidy only now noticed how strained Remus' voice was. "It's call Lycanthropy and I've been plagued with it since childhood. I- I can never quite remember what happens during it and so I apologize for any harm that I've caused."

"I'll have to speak with the King on this, but if what you say is true then I should be the one to apologize for judging you so harshly and not investigating further than what the liar told." Legolas' reply was diplomatic enough as he lead them to speak with King Thranduil who was less than thrilled to be seeing Cassidy again so soon... and with one of his prisoners walking unchained. 

"So," the King's voice drawled almost lazily, but his eye shone with sharpness that gave the distinct impression that he was indeed listening closely. "You come here to claim that my prisoner, who nearly ate a patrol of my guards, is another wizard from your realm... who is good?"

"Yes," Cassidy was done marveling at the arctiecture and this time, she had her eyes fixed to the elven King. 

"She claims," Legolas stepped forward and Cassidy resisted the urge to whip her head backwards in shock. "That it is a curse, inflicted on him against his will."

"What say you?" Thranduil raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he fixed his gaze on Remus. "Let us hear your story."

"Your Majesty," Remus bowed politely before speaking. "It is true. My name is Remus Lupin and I am wizard, although I am also... cursed with Lycanthropy. It makes me a creature known as a werewolf for the full moon forces me to transform into said beast. During that time, I am unable to control the creature and I apologize deeply for any pain or sorrow that I may have caused."

A look of contemplation crossed Thranduil's face before he leaned forward a bit, still locking his eyes to Remus. 

"Tell me then, Wizard," the title dropped from his tongue with no small amount of distain. "Why have I not seen you perform magic?"

"My wand was destroyed when I arrived. Without my wand there is little I can do," Remus shrugged good naturally, but Cassidy couldn't hold back the wince. A wizard's wand was like a piece of their soul... having it broken must have hurt him deeply. 

In an effort to prove that he was indeed a wizard, Remus then performed a simple accio on a nearby vase. The porcelain item flew through the air and landed neatly in his hand before he handed it off to the rather peeved looking elf who Aragorn later identified as Galion, Thranduil's butler. 

The little show seemed to convince Thranduil who offered the lamest of half apologies to Remus for his treatment, and like usual Remus brushed it off as an honest mistake, claiming that he had been treated worse. Cassidy bristled a bit at Remus' words, but she forced herself to remain quiet. While she didn't necessarily agree with the way Remus so easily forgave the thoughtless actions of the elven King, his forgiveness was his to give. It wasn't her place to interject. 

"So now we have two of your race who have been wronged by the traitor," Thranduil now sat up in his throne, suddenly far more serious than moments before. "Bring him forth."

Legolas disappeared and returned with Lucius Malfoy, bound in chains and spitting curses left and right. He was not so skilled in wandless magic as Remus and thus, was little threat without his wand which Remus informed them had broken just as his. Malfoy was pushed to his knees at the base of the throne. He turned and glared fiercely at Remus.

"So I see they let the wolf out of his cage," he spat. "A pity. See that he doesn't get mange all over the furniture," he spat in the direction of no elf in particular. One of the guards being him stuck him at the back of the head with the base of his spear, quickly silencing the angry wizard. 

"Lucius Malfoy," somehow, the elven King managed to say Malfoy's name with even more venom than the man himself used on "mudblood" and Cassidy was admittedly impressed. "You stand accused of lying to the King of the Woodland Realm and of great war crimes against your own kin."

"You are not my Lord," he spat. It seemed that the time in a cell was enough for Lucius to regain some of his signature superiority complex. "When my Lord's rise is complete, your petty woods will burn and you filthy creatures will be brought under the rule of your superiors."

Cassidy noticed how the King's nostrils flared briefly at Malfoy's words, but instead of responding he turned to Cassidy. If possible, his gaze intensified as he seemed to be searching Cassidy's very soul. "So tell me then, Cassidy of Oleander, what would your verdict be to his crime."

"Me?" Her voice came out high pitched in her surprise. She immediately turned to look at Remus. "Why me, why not Remus?"

"You are the one who captured him, you are the one who identified him, and you are the one who was most wronged by him. Consult who you will, but the decision I shall leave in your hands."

Cassidy looked to Remus, but he was shaking his head slowly with a deep frown on his face. 

"At home... it would be the decision of the Wizengamot. They would likely sentence him to Azkaban and the Dementors to punish him and keep him from ever harming a living soul again." He supplied. 

"But you are not home," Thranduil pressed on in that level and eerily calm voice. He turned to Cassidy. "Here you must be judge, jury, and if you so choose- executioner."

"Executioner?" Cassidy asked, though Remus' frown deepened. He never thought that Cassidy should be a part of the Order to begin with, he certainly was not fond of the idea of her killing.

"If your penalty is one of blood then it will be your hands to spill it... I will not ask it of my people. If you wish him imprisoned I will allow him to remain in my dungeons. If you wish him exiled my soldiers will ensure that he never enters our borders again, though he is not welcome either way." Thranduil's voice had an amount of finality to it and she knew that he wouldn't be swayed. 

Cassidy was torn, her eyes flickered between Malfoy, Remus, the King, and Aragorn who stood to the side, silently watching it all. 

"Cassidy-" Remus' voice held a warning tone to it. 

"Oh, so Dumbledore's little soldier is revealed at last," Malfoy spat, a semi manic chuckle spilling forth. "Go on then, tell your pet wolf how dirty you've gotten your hands, what sort of missions your precious Dumbledore has sent you on. This won't be your first kill will it? How old were you when you cast your first Avada Kedavra? I was sixteen, did you beat me?"

"Cassidy-" Remus tried again, but was cut off my Malfoy who continued to struggle in the hold of the elven soldiers. 

"Go on then, tell him, tell him all the dirty little secrets that your precious Headmaster has made you keep. Tell him about how you're-" Lucius suddenly choked. He strained for a bit, but found himself unable to speak and thus settled with a fierce glare. 

"Cassidy," Remus' voice was firm as he gripped her arm, forcing her to look at him. "Listen to me. You are better than this. You aren't a killer. Don't stoop down to his level or you run the risk of becoming just as bad as him."

"If I let him go, who knows what trouble he'll cause. Look at what he's done here... now imagine if he somehow got his hands on a wand. Imagine what he could do to this world!" Cassidy was angry and frustrated and when she looked at Lucius, all she could see were those Death Eater robes as her parents were tortured in front of her. 

"And you think killing him will solve anything? Cassidy, remember what Dumbledore always says... 'It is our choices that show what we truly are.' Show who you truly are Cassidy."

"He's not wrong," she flickered her eyes downward, unable to meet Remus' gaze. "It wouldn't be my first."

A flicker of something emerged on Remus' face: Fear? Doubt? Betrayal? Disappointment? 

Cassidy wasn't sure what it was, but it quickly vanished and was replaced by his ever patient, ever kind gaze that held that hidden steel behind. 

"That won't make it any easier, or any more right."

He slowly allowed Cassidy's arm to slip from his grasp as she walked up to Malfoy till her toes nearly touched his knees where they were planted on the stone floor.

She raised her wand slowly. Neither her arm nor her voice trembled. 

"I, Cassidy Oleander, Daughter of the Squib Ameline Otake and the Muggle Vincent Oleander, two great people murdered by your Death Eater brethren, do hereby sentence you, Lucius Malfoy..."

Chapter Text

"... do hereby sentence you, Lucius Malfoy-"

She could feel how the entire room held their breath. 

"To a lifetime of imprisonment in this world, or until you can be taken before the Ministry of Magic to be sentenced according to Wizarding Law." Cassidy could hear Remus breathing a sigh of relief beside her, but she wasn't finished yet. "And, for the safety of the elves of the Woodland Realm who are to be your jailers, you will have your memory wiped."

Malfoy's head shot up and his eyes glared daggers into Cassidy, but she wasn't fooled. She could feel the fear emanating off of him in waves. He was terrified and he had a right to be so. Memory charms were a tricky thing. 

"Cassidy," Remus' tone was sharp, but he was cut off my Thranduil. 

"So it shall be done," he waved his hand and the elves on either side of Malfoy dragged him to his shaky feet and carried him to the dungeon. "He will be locked in the cell previously belonging to your companion."

"Thank you, I'll be down shortly to perform the wipe. I will do my best to remove any memories of magic from him."

Thranduil nodded and dismissed the semi-formal court that had formed. Legolas and Aragorn left together, presumably to whisper about what had just occurred. But Cassidy took off walking briskly down the corridors. She assumed that she was heading in the direction of the chambers that were assigned to her, but in all honesty she wasn't quite sure. She just needed to move. 

Remus was close behind her. Despite him having a longer stride, he was rushing to keep up with Cassidy's rapid pace as the black cloak that she still wore trailed behind her in a billow of silent fabric. 

"Cassidy," his voice was firm. "Cassidy, wait. You know we need to discuss this."

Thankfully, it seemed that Cassidy did indeed head in the proper direction for she soon found herself facing her door. She entered, but didn't have time to close it before Remus slid in. She did her best to ignore him and pulled a small charm off her bracelet, enlarging it to reveal a book on charms. She began flipping through it. 

"Cassidy Oleander, we both know that this is a poor idea."

"It's done Remus, I've made my decision and I'm sticking to it."

"And what decision is that? You wish to rob him of his memories? Do you remember what happened to Gilderoy Lockhart?" Cassidy tried to ignore him as she found the chapter labeled "Memory Charms: Uses and Practice" and scanned her eyes across the page. "Don't forget Cassidy, I was your teacher and I remember that as much as you've mastered charms, you never did practice memory charms because of how much you hated them."

"Well I'm practicing now."

"Cassidy, your emotions on these are too strong and you know what that does to your magic. Ever since-"

"Don't," she snapped, suddenly her entire focus on Remus. It wasn't until she took a few calming breaths that she realized that she had her wand pointed at him. She slowly lowered it. "Don't talk about that... just don't."

"I'm sorry," he sighed heavily and took a seat on the wooden chair across from her. "But please, you know you shouldn't be performing this spell. I-"

"I would lend you my wand if I could, but it's a bit tempermental. It really doesn't like other handlers and honestly it's more likely to blow up the forest then perform for you."

"I always thought Beech was reasonably supple?" Remus was momentarily taken aback. 

"But Acacia isn't," she replied with a shrug. She was back to flipping through her books and very pointedly not looking at Remus. 

"What? I didn't know Ollivander even made-"

"Well he did, and it picked me. My first was Beech and was destroyed the night my parents were murdered because I was dumb enough to leave it in my bedside drawer. A few days later my aunt took me to Olivander's for a new one and it picked me. I don't think I've ever been without it since."

"That's besides the point," Remus suddenly shifted back to their original topic. "Cassidy, this is wrong and you know it."

"Well what do you want me to do Remus?!" She finally gave up on attempting to read as she threw her hands into the air. "Should I just let him sit in his cell, practicing wandless magic until he can escape? What if his wand isn't really broken? What if he finds the pieces and fixes it? It took him a few hours with the elves to convince them to imprison you and treat him like some visiting lord. Do you really want to risk him running around this world at full strength?" Cassidy took a deep breath, her eyes skittering off to the side where he bag hung from the best post. "Maybe... maybe I should just kill him."

"No," Remus moved around the table so he was back in Cassidy's line of sight. "No, you can't do that. Dumbledore wouldn't-"

"Dumbledore sent me on missions that even you don't know about." Cassidy paused. "I've killed before and I'm just endangering this world by leaving him alive now."

"No, no, he-" Remus was shaking his head as his mind wrestled with Cassidy's words. "It doesn't matter what you've done before. If you kill him in cold blood then you risk turning as dark as he is. You become no better than him and-"

Cassidy had enough. 

"Then I'm performing this charm and whatever happens is no less than he deserves," she snapped, her temper flaring as she resisted the urge to tighten her grip on her wand. 

Breath. In. Out. 

Release your anger. 

Focus.

Cassidy's mind ran over the calming exercises that she was taught as she closed her book and stood up, walking towards the door. Remus was probably right about her emotional state, but waiting wasn't going to change anything. As much as she hated Lucius, as much as she'd done before... she didn't know if she could look a man, chained and defenseless in the eye as she killed him. She was too afraid that it would prove Remus' word's to be correct- she was afraid for what she might not feel.

Remus was still standing there by the little table, his arms crossed and his foot tapping the ground. The expression on his face wasn't the anger that she expected, it was something far worse- disappointment. Cassidy brushed it off and opened the door, informing the guard standing outside that she was ready. She turned back to Remus one more time. 

"I can't risk leaving him without an assurance that he won't repeat the damage that he's already done. I'm sorry, but I've made my choice."

She walked briskly out the door and didn't look back. 

***

"Sometimes I wonder why my father even lets you into this realm," Legolas shook his head lightly as he sipped his wine. Aragorn laughed good naturedly as the jibe as he too sipped his cup. "First," Legolas continued to speak. "You bring a strange creature for me to guard on the whims of a wizard." Aragorn nodded along as Legolas spoke. "Second, you travel in the companionship of an ill tempered 'Witch' who reveals our Wizard to be evil and a monster that we captured to be a Man."

"Tis not my strangest visit," Aragorn replied with a shrug that resulted in both of them laughing.

"Really Estel, my father is beginning to think you do this on purpose," although his words were severe, Aragorn could see the twinkle in his friend's eyes. 

"So is mine."

"I'm offended," Legolas gasped, though his tone was anything but. "How could you ever say such a thing about me? What trouble did I ever bring to Imladris?"

"Hmmm... should I make a list?" Aragorn's smirk grew as he spoke. "What about the time you went on a hunting trip with two perfectly healthy twins and returned with one bearing two broken limbs and another missing his horse."

"That's not fair," Legolas exclaimed. "That was all technically Elladan's idea and the horse did turn up eventually."

"It was Elladan's idea but you picked a pack of wargs instead of simple wolves," he replied. 

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence for a while, both reluctant to discuss what they really needed to. They would much rather regale old stories from their travels and adventures back in more peaceful times than discuss the darkness that they faced ahead. But, darkness was indeed spreading. The Necromancer who had once been driven out seemed to have returned for Mirkwood was growing ever more dark. The spiders were spreading and more and more were they organizing and encroaching close to the elvish settlements. The Halls of Thranduil may be safe, but the outlying homes and villages were under constant threat. 

"I can't stay long this time," Aragorn finally said, breaking the peace and bringing the burden of reality back. "I must reunite with the Dunedain. We are guarding the boarders of the Shire."

"The Halflings?" Legolas' curiosity was peaked. 

"Mithrandir believes that there is a great danger to them, the darkness is rising and the Wizard suspects that it will soon turn its Eye to the Shire and the peaceful creatures who live there."

"And so you have been appointed their guardian?"

"For now."

"You walk a strange path, my friend."

"I think we may all find ourselves walking such strange paths in the days to come."

They both drank to that. 

***

"Thank you both for this information, your courage may well turn the course of this war," Dumbledore smiled warmly at the still trembling pair.

A knock sounded on the door and a tall, red-haired wizard poked his head in. 

"Are you ready sir?"

"Perfect timing as always Bill," Dumbledore smiled as Bill opened the door wider, allowing the Fletkins' children in. They ran to their parents and clutched to them. "Bill here is going to take all of you to a safe house in North America and get you settled in. When all this is through, you can return to England... but not until it is truly finished."

"Thank you sir," Mr. Fletkin shook Dumbledore's hand firmly and the old wizard nodded. 

"It's the least we could do."

Mrs. Fletkin finished drying her eyes and held one child in each arm. Her husband kissed each youth on the head before wrapping a protective arm around his wife's shoulders. They were a little worse from wear as they had only just changed into another set of clothing before speaking with Dumbledore and telling him all that they knew of Ministry employees under the thumb of Voldemort. But, they were alive and they were rescued before Voldemort arrived to torture the information out of them. Mr. Fletkin had received a few rather nasty gashes, but other than that he was well enough. 

"Alright folks, is everyone ready?" Bill was clearly pushing as much enthusiasm into his voice as possible as he held out a chocolate box. "Everyone hold tight. Chocolate frogs."

And with the password the family and Bill Weasley were whisked away. 

The door opened a second time, this time though with no knock. It was Alastor Moody, his wooden leg and staff making a distinct clunking sound as he walked brusquely through the door. He plopped down on the chair across from Dumbledore, his roaming eye doing a quick scan of the entire room before he pulled out a flask and took a long drink. 

"She's gone then," he stated without preamble. Some might have asked such as a question, but not Moody. He was the type to skip past denial and straight to acceptance. One loses soldiers in a war... that's just how they go. 

"I'm afraid so, we'll have to inform the others at the next meeting... she will be missed." Dumbledore's voice was slow and heavy with sorrow. "I presume that I should also inform Miss. Lovegood. They were close."

Moody took another swig of his, presumably fire-whiskey filled, flask before he made a sound something along the lines of a 'hrmph.'

"You could've made that announcement yesterday when you concocted this hair brained plan." His roaming eye was still always scanning the room. "She was as good as dead then."

"I had hoped-"

"You had hoped that she would succeed and she did. The Fletkins are reunited and we have a list of names that'll cripple His chances to infiltrate our protection of Potter. The girl changed the tide of the war and died to do it." In any other, the words would have sounded as an accusation. Indeed, Molly Weasley would certainly have some things to say about Dumbledore authorizing such a mission at the next meeting, but that was a concern for another day. With Moody, these words were simple facts and said in a tone that implied that he would've done much of the same if he were placed in Dumbledore's shoes. They were both Wizards of war. 

With his piece seemingly said, Moody stood and marched to the door, pausing once he got there. He turned slightly to Dumbledore with his hand on the doorknob. 

"One more thing... Lupin hasn't check in yet."

"Since when?" Dumbledore's brow creased with concern. 

"Since the meeting yesterday afternoon. No one's seen him sense."

"Perhaps he is busy," Dumbledore said, an air of ease that most would have difficulty seeing through. 

"Perhaps," Moody, not at all convinced, muttered back before he left. 

Dumbledore was left sitting there in the kitchen, idly stirring his overly sweetened tea. He carefully pulled back his sleeve and examined his ruined hand. It was almost time, the war was drawing to a close and soon, it would be just Harry and his two most loyal friends. The Order would do everything they could to set them up for victory. It seemed that Cassidy just completed her part, soon he would complete his. 

Chapter Text

Cassidy strode back into her room to find Remus still sitting where she left him. He looked up at her, the look in his eyes was resigned. 

"I suppose you did it then?" He asked. 

Cassidy sighed, her eyes flickering around before they rested back on him. 

"Things without all remedy should be without regard: what's done, is done."

"I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more, is none," Remus replied. 

"Perhaps it's a good thing that I'm not a man then," Cassidy said. 

Shakespeare, the muggle author, was a great favorite of Cassidy's. When she was just getting to know Remus, before he was ever her professor, they had bonded over their shared love of Shakespeare. As much as she loved being in the magical community, Cassidy did often feel isolated as she tried to balance her initial muggle upbringing with the magical world that she was introduced to. She never gave up on muggle authors though... and it was rather brilliant to meet a wizard who shared her fondness for them. 

Cassidy plopped down on the bed and found herself reaching for the little flask that she kept on her hip, taking a large swig and sighing with relief. There was a suspicious look in Remus' eye, but before they could settle much further though, there was a knock at the door. Cassidy looked to Remus who seemed just as surprised as she... it's not like either of them were expecting guests. Thus, she shrugged and flicked her wand to open the door. 

It was Aragorn. 

"Cassidy... and Remus, correct?" He spoke warmly. 

"Yes, it's good to meet you," Remus had his usual tired look about him compounded with two or so months in a dungeon, and the emotion weight he bore of Cassidy decisions. In essence, he looked like he had gotten into an argument with a pack of goblins.

"It's good to meet you as well. Prince Legolas wishes to extend his sincerest apologies for the treatment you received here in the Woodland Realm." As he spoke, he entered the room and allowed the door to shut behind him. 

"It's alright," Remus replied with a gentle smile. 

For probably the thousandth time since meeting Remus, Cassidy resisted the urge to make snap back that "it actually isn't fine," but she settle for mumbling that the least the poncy "prince" could do would be to apologize himself. Of course, that only earned a slightly reproachful look from Remus which she ignored... as usual. 

"I came though to inform you that I will be traveling out soon. I journey west of here, to a land known as the Shire." He paused, the slightest hint of a smile that Cassidy had learned to accept as the closest he would get. "I would like to invite both of you to come with me. I could use some traveling companions."

"I take it we're not very welcome here for much longer," an expression that was somehow a combination of bemusement and exhaustion crossed Remus' face.

"King Thranduil is, as a general rule, not fond of outsiders in his realm." Aragorn replied, neatly dodging the question. 

"Is prince-stick-up-his-"

"Cassidy," Remus gave her his best "professor" glare as he cut her off. 

"Legolas won't be joining us. He has other duties to attend to here," that twinge of a smile flickered again and Cassidy didn't resist the urge she had to chuckle. 

"Well," Cassidy knew that she shouldn't... but she had become rather fond of Aragorn's company and she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to part ways with him yet. "That sounds fine to me... what do ya say Remus?"

"I- I'm not sure if-"

"It'll be fine," Cassidy cut him off this time. She knew that he was worried about the wolf and what he could do if they were traveling across the wilds... but Cassidy figured that they could work something out. Aragorn seemed to be the type to know the moon schedule and so long as they were well prepared... Cassidy figured that she could cast some sort of a shielding charm around him to keep him contained. 

For not the first time in her life, Cassidy dearly wished that she could be an animagus... but transfiguration just wasn't her subject and she wasn't ready to play that gamble. She had heard enough horror stories of how the learning process could go wrong. 

"I suppose we have little choice but to move on," Remus said slowly. "And it is kind of you to offer for us to travel with you."

"Nonsense," Cassidy then realize that while it appeared that Aragorn had bathed, he still wore traveler's clothes and a sword. "I owe my life the young Cassidy here. Tis the last I could do." 

"Great, when do we leave?" Cassidy beamed. As much as she wanted to explore the Halls of Thranduil... she had a feeling that he would be decently less tolerant of her explorations than the Lady and Lord of Lothlorien and thus... she figured it was safer to move sooner rather than later. 

"Tomorrow at first light," Aragorn seemed to take notice of the weariness in both Cassidy and Remus as he tilted his head lightly. "A servant shall deliver supper for both of you and I was told that the room next to this one had been prepared for Master Remus. Rest well for we have a long journey ahead."

He gave a short bow before taking his leave. When the door shut, there was a moment of peace in the room. They had one night to recuperate, and then they were off into the wilds of this strange and unknown land. Just as Aragorn promised, it wasn't long before a young maid knocked politely at the door and entered with a large tray of food. Somehow, they had guessed what the two strangers would prefer and even had a rather large, bloody veal steak for Remus. Cassidy just pretended to not notice how much his eyes lit up upon seeing it. 

As they ate, Cassidy relayed all the information that she could about the world they were in for Remus had spent his months there in a cell. She explained what she had learned from her time in Lothlorien, her travels, and the tales that Aragorn told on the road. She watched as Remus' face pinched with worry when she explained how they held their own dark lord problem, a being by the name of Sauron who was something like a wizard and disembodied at the moment... much like Voldemort had been. 

When she got to the part about Gandalf however, Remus' frown deepened significantly. 

"He wanted you to fight?" He asked.

"Yes."

"And you said..."

"I told him that I wanted no part in his war. My goal was simply to travel and explore." She watched some of the tension drain from Remus' spine as she pondered on how concerned he always was for her. "Come on," she added with a smile as she dug through her bag. "We've got an early morning tomorrow."

As she said those words, she tossed him a bottle of Murtlap essence and a Dreamless Sleep potion. He smiled gratefully at the Murtlap essence for it was obvious that the wounds from his most recent transformation were still fresh, but he frowned slightly at the Dreamless Sleep. 

"Cassidy," he began in that warning tone of his. "How often do you take this?"

"...Not very," Cassidy replied after a slight pause. "Listen, I'm fine and actually, I think I'll head to bed right now. Goodnight Remus."

With that, she stood and began arranging her things for bed. The look on Remus' face said that he had no intention of forgetting the matter, but that he was willing to drop it for the moment. With a heavy sigh he stood and wished Cassidy a goodnight, leaving the room to his next door. 

Once he was gone, Cassidy let out a loud exhale and collapsed onto her bed. She finally allowed herself to break down, trembling through all her limbs. There was a reason why she hated memory charms, a reason so deep set and filled with terror that Professor Flitwick had allowed for her to be "sick" and miss class the day that they studied them in 5th year. To date, it was still the only time she ever missed charms. 

Cassidy closed her eyes, trying to hold back the onslaught of emotions that came with her using that charm. Echoes of screams, of dark green flashes of light, the sudden pop of an aparation, then it was a blur of voices, orders being called out, hands and magic wrapping around her, attempting to restrain her. She remembered crying out, screaming and begging for them to release her... but they didn't until she forced them to. 

Crash!

A window shattered and she was running. She was dazed, confused, and completely lost. 

Cassidy forced her eyes open, still panting from the memory. 

Remus knew a bit, Dumbledore had "accidentally" let it slip once. But he didn't really know. If he did, then he would become even more suffocatingly concerned than he already was and Cassidy didn't need a babysitter... she didn't need a healer to hold her hand and "talk her through" what had happened. 

I can deal with it on my own, she thought to herself. 

And thus, she reached into her rather extensive supply of potions and downed one mouthful of Calming Drought, and two of Dreamless Sleep. 

With a wave of her wand, a small, floating clock made of light showed the time in relation to the light outside and was set to wake her an hour before sunrise. She then slipped under the covers, her wand still clutched tight in her hand and tucked under her pillow as she fell into a blissful, potion induced sleep. 

***

A warm glow of light and light birdsongs woke Cassidy from her slumber. She smiled as she vanished the charm that showed a miniature sunrise lighting up the room. As she rose from bed she stretched, once more grateful that she chose comfortable and durable clothing for her mission. The suit and robes had gotten her through many a perilous Order mission. Now, they were accompanying her in this new life. 

Packing was a quick affair as she had hardly removed anything from her bag the night before and soon, she was ready to go. A knock at her door revealed a different elf from the day before, this one bearing a tray of breakfast which Cassidy accepted gratefully. Once more, she surprised the elf with her Sindarin, but they quickly launched into a rather pleasant conversation. If Cassidy had learned anything from her time at Hogwarts with the House Elves... it was that the servants always knew the most about the gossip of any place. 

"I see you're already up," Aragorn, wearing his usual traveler's attire and bearing his sword and bow appeared at the door. 

The maid quickly stood, offering one last wish of farewell to Cassidy before leaving the room. 

"Morning," she greeted Aragorn, surprisingly cheerful. She had a good feeling that particular morning, there was a palpable energy that she could feel. The Halls of King Thranduil were strange... they felt like a glimmer of faded light attempting to push back against something thoroughly black. The woods surrounding them weren't just dark, they were foul and Cassidy was eager to leave them. 

"I suppose we're going then," Remus' head poked through the doorframe and the rest of his body quickly followed. Cassidy was slightly surprised to see that he bore a new pack- perhaps a gift from the elves? It was then that she noticed that Aragorn was shouldering two packs, obviously supplies for their travels ahead. 

"Indeed, Gwedel has already been re-saddled with your tack. I hope you won't mind her carrying our bags for a while," Aragorn spoke as he turned to walk. Remus was able to keep up well enough, but Cassidy was reminded why she often rode Gwedel whilst Aragorn walked beside her- he had a long stride. 

Cassidy hurried to keep up, her dark robes swirling around her as they traveled through the halls. Strangely enough, they hardly saw any elves as they walked. Eventually, Cassidy realized that Aragorn was taking them down a series of side corridors and empty galleries- places unlikely to be occupied so early in the morning. It seemed that they were likely less welcome than they originally thought. 

Their leaving was a quiet affair as only Legolas came to see them off. Gwedel was groomed to perfection and Cassidy was happy to assert that she was indeed well rested and cared for. She busied herself with lightening the packs with a simple Featherweight charm whilst Legolas and Aragorn said farewell, clasping each other tight and pressing their foreheads together for a brief moment. Cassidy filed away that information for later as she figured it was probably a bad time to ask if it was some sort of a custom of either the elves or men. 

"I suppose this is our adventure," Remus muttered, half to himself as they set off. 

Walking through Mirkwood was a somber affair. Aragorn claimed that Legolas and a small troop of warriors were following them from above until they reached the boarders of the forest. Unlike in Lothlorien where she could sense the elves above her, Cassidy couldn't tell that they were there. She wasn't sure if it had more to do with these Silvan elves being more attenuated to the trees or the muddling sense of darkness. Either way, Remus claimed that he could occasionally hear them and Cassidy trusted his enhanced hearing. 

At night they were allowed no fires for Aragorn didn't want to tempt the spiders from their shadowed homes. Despite Cassidy's many shielding charms, Aragorn seemed determined to keep their profile low. Then, when it came to setting up camp Cassidy glared for quite a while at her bedroll. She was immensely tempted to transfigure it into an actual bed with a nice, fluffy down mattress... but she knew it wouldn't be wise. Their journey would likely take some time and she really could keep transfiguring it back and forth. Before long, it would become so worn out that it would be useless. Thus she resigned herself to merely casting a warming charm around herself and her companions. Morning, though still dark and filled with the lurking evil in the atmosphere, was a welcome affair. 

Collectively, they all breathed a sigh of relief once they stepped away from the darkness of Mirkwood. The open air and shining sun was like a balm to the travelers as, despite their journey being rather quick with the aid of their secret guides, it was nonetheless tiring. Aragorn paused to briefly wave to the treetops where Cassidy could only presume the elves to be before they were off. 

"We're behind schedule," Aragorn remarked as they walked. "The quickest way to the Shire is a shortcut. We travel north before crossing the Misty Mountains."

"Something tells me there's a catch to this shortcut," Cassidy mused as she and Remus shared a look. 

"...It shouldn't come to anything," was all Aragorn would reply with. 

Days soon fell into a rather pleasant routine. While Cassidy initially started the journey with the intention to walk beside her two companions, she quickly found that both Remus and Aragorn had a much longer stride than her. It really wasn't fair with how tall the two were. Plus, Remus had his lycanthropy fueling him and Aragorn... well Aragorn seemed something beyond a normal man and he certainly didn't tire very easily. Thus, after a few more sips of her flask Cassidy eventually gave up on walking and climbed atop Gwedel who didn't mind as Cassidy had already lightened her packs. 

As much as the Elven King seemed to dislike both Cassidy and Remus, he had been generous enough with their supplies and they had a fair amount of cheese, fruit, dried meat, and lembas. Setting up camp was left to Cassidy who wove her protective spells whilst Remus would collect firewood and begin cooking. On occasion, Aragorn would venture out with his bow and return with a rabbit or a few brook fish. Each time, he was kind and discrete enough to leave one portion rather undercooked. And Cassidy could feel the silent gratitude from Remus. 

In the evenings, and often during their long walks Aragorn would tell them stories about his world. More and more was Cassidy drawn into her fascination for their land. It seemed that while magical creatures  and muggles were abundant, wizards were rare indeed. Most people were spread out, kingdoms keeping isolated to themselves and many lived in neither one land or the other- wanderers as Aragorn claimed himself to be. The geography was strange and the history of how it came to be was even more so. But, one thing certainly didn't change... there were always those who sought out too much power and didn't care much for how they acquired it. Thus, each time the war was brought up, Cassidy could feel Remus' eyes boring into the back of her skull. Nevertheless, their travels were rather idyllic. 

But, such pleasant days could only last for so long. Their journey after leaving the boarders of Mirkwood was perfectly peaceful... right up until they reached the base of a vast mountain range that Aragorn referred to at "The Misty Mountains." 

It was there that Cassidy learned quite a bit more about the world that she and Remus had been dropped into.

Chapter Text

"Okay, you definitely heard that," Cassidy remarked as yet another grumble sounded from beneath their feet. 

Aragorn insisted on traveling nearly nonstop to make up for lost time. Thus, they were now climbing up the mountains in near darkness. Aragorn refused to allow Cassidy to cast a simple lumos and thus she relied on Gwedel to prevent her from tripping on the sheer cliffside. Remus and Aragorn seemed to be doing just fine in the dark, but she could practically feel the way they were looking at each other. 

Aragorn had brushed off her earlier claims that she could feel something stirring beneath them, but now it was becoming a bit too obvious. Cassidy knew that he, just like Remus, didn't want her to worry. But their efforts were rather pointless as she was perfectly capable of worrying with or without them heeding her words. 

"It may just be the rocks settling," Aragorn kept his voice low as he led them along the winding path. 

"Mmhmm," since there was no light to see her rolling her eyes, Cassidy made sure to push as much sarcasm into her voice as possible. "That's why you've had you hand on our sword for the past two hours... to beat away the settling rocks."

"Hush, it's best to not talk," Aragorn replied. 

"Oh ya, caus the rocks might hear us," Cassidy grumbled, more to herself than anyone. 

In truth, she didn't see Aragorn with his hand on his sword, but judging from the fact that he didn't correct her she could assume that she was right. She was able to presume as much because she had long ago drawn her wand. Something was very very wrong and she had no idea when whatever was following them underground would give up following them and attack. 

Whatever it was, it wasn't just rocks. 

All at once, Remus grew still. Aragorn and Cassidy followed suit and watched as the silhouette of Remus turned his head slightly, sniffing the air. Aragorn tightened his grip on his sword and Cassidy lifted her wand. 

"Something's coming," Remus whispered. 

"Trolls," was the response from Aragorn before he gestured for them to follow him. 

The trio took off, sprinting up the trail, leaping across rocks, and scrambling over fallen slate. Cassidy had one hand on her wand and the other on Gwedel as she desperately attempted to keep up without tripping. They didn't speak as they moved, but the sounds of their heavy breathing and the rocks sliding out from under them seemed to echo across the empty mountains. 

As they turned a sharp and rather precarious corner, there was crash a hairsbreadth from Cassidy's back, the very spot where she had been standing only seconds ago. 

"Expelliarmus!" the spell shot from her lips on sheer instinct and she heard the distinct sound of something rather large and heavy flying backwards. 

"Run," Aragorn yelled, increasing his speed till he was practically flying up the hill. 

Cassidy bit back a sarcastic 'what do you think we're doing?!' and pushed onwards. She had to put all her focus into keeping up and maintaining her footing for both Aragorn and Remus had annoyingly long legs. As they ran, a rumbling sound emerged from behind and Cassidy knew that they were being followed. The further they ran, the louder the rumbling became and the more obvious it was that the apparent trolls were gaining on them. 

"Up ahead," Aragorn called out. "There's a tunnel up ahead, we need to get through!"

By the sounds of it, their pursuers weren't at all perturbed by the near total blackness that they moved in and seemed to have no problem following the sounds of their footsteps. Thus, Cassidy gave up on all pretenses of secrecy as she used a Lumos to light the area around them. 

Her heart rate spiked when she finally saw what was chasing them. 

Encroaching from all sides where the type of creatures best left to linger alone in the shadows. All around them, clambering over rocks and stone were terrible, misshapen beasts in colors ranging from grey to green. There was no obvious intention behind their form for they were all of different shape: some even, some lopsided, most large, some small, some with bulging muscles, and some that looked scrawny and hungry. Many of the creatures carried crude looking weapons of clubs and rusted blades whilst others seemed contend to bear their tusk-like teeth. Cassidy could count at least twelve of them, and she had a sinking feeling that there were more.

"Almost there," Aragorn shouted. 

Several meters up, Cassidy could see a slightly darkened shadow in the rocks and she knew in an instant that she was looking at the entrance to a cave. 

"They'll follow us in!" Remus yelled. 

"It leads through the heart of the mountains," Aragorn replied. "It's our only chance!"

And oh how Cassidy loved hearing those words. That's how you know everything is going just wonderfully, her mind quipped in. Right when someone shouts that out... no better sign that everything's under control. 

Aragorn made it to the entrance first, his sword drawn and a clash ringing out as his blade made contact with one of the creatures. Remus was quickly behind him and he unsheathed a long dagger that had apparently been gifted to him sometime before they left the Woodland Realm. Cassidy's old professor guarded Aragorn's back swinging the blade wildly in an attempt to deter any more of the creatures from approaching. The man was brave, but clearly unused to muggle weapons and it was painfully obvious that even the trolls knew he wasn't much of a threat with the blade. 

Cassidy eventually caught up, Remus grabbing her by her arm and yanking her up to the slight shelf that stood in front of the entrance to the tunnel just as she was about to slip. As soon as Cassidy was on two feet, she whirled around to face the encroaching monsters. 

"Ventus!" she cried out as she swirled her wand creating a strong gust of wind that pushed the closest troll out of the way."Protego!" she also threw in, having little faith that the simple shield would stop the hulking trolls. 

One glance at the troll that Aragorn was battling showed Cassidy that this wouldn't be an easy fight. His sword rang true and fast, but each blow seemed to glance off the creature's skin as if it were made of iron. A myriad of spells ran through Cassidy's mind, most being unsafe to perform in the limited space of the tunnel. She couldn't use any blasting curses, no fire, nothing that could damage the mount of stones around them. 

One spell came to mind and she prayed that it would work on the seemingly impenetrable skin of the troll. She was about to warn Aragorn to duck when the troll managed to swing one arm around unexpectedly, knocking Aragorn through the air until his flight was abruptly stopped by the walls of the tunnel. A disconcerting thud was sounded as his back crashed into the unforgiving stone and Cassidy knew that she had one shot.

"Sectumsempra!" she screamed out the spell that she once learned from a borrowed library book, her wand directing deep, gouging slashes around the beast's chest, hoping that his heart was places somewhat like a human's. 

To her relief, the spell worked and the troll gave a roaring cry of pain as deep wounds opened up. Taking a chance, Remus dashed forward and shoved his blade into one of the gouges before being knocked back. Aragorn, seemingly well despite his crash, leapt to his feet. His sword had been pushed aside but it made no difference as he surged forward and grabbed the long dagger already in the troll, twisting it as the beast cried in pain. 

A crash sounded from behind and Cassidy turned to see several more trolls encroaching on the entrance to the cave. She looked around frantically, but knew that she didn't have time to cast any effective shielding charms. Thus, she pointed her wand at the rocks above the entrance to their tunnel. 

"Descendo."

At her spell, the rocks tumbled downwards, effectively blocking the trolls out and them in. As the rocks fell, she used a Lumos to light the area and take stock of damages. 

They were all panting for breath; a combination of fear, adrenaline, running up the cliffside, and exhaustion from their battle weighed on all of them. The troll was splayed out, clearly dead with the blade's hilt still protruding from its chest. Cassidy finally had a chance to get a good look at the creature and she couldn't help but compare it to the troll that once wandered into the Hogwarts dungeons during her first year. While that creature had been large and stupid as well, it was nowhere near as strong and vicious as this troll was. 

Cassidy held her wand high, allowing the light to illuminate the cavern where they were now stuck. Remus was already walking towards her, seemingly checking her for injuries when he was the one who was just battered into the wall by a troll. 

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she brushed off Remus' worried looks as she cast a simple medi-witch charm to check for any immediate damages to him. "You okay?"

"A few bruises, nothing I haven't dealt with before," he remarked. There was a slight burn on his hand that Cassidy made a mental note to check up on later before turning with the intent to help Aragorn. 

"And where did you learn that particular curse?" Remus asked. Cassidy didn't even bother feigning ignorance as to which spell he was referring to. 

"I found it my fourth year when I was studying a borrowed copy of Advanced Potion-Making," Cassidy brushed it off. She knew very well which professor's handwriting was scribbled all over the book. She'd seen it in markings on her essays enough times. "I had a passible enough understanding of Latin to test it on a tree and I've used it sparingly since."

"Sparingly?" Remus frowned, but Cassidy ignored him and turned her attention to Aragorn.

The man was still standing, but he leaned heavily upon the wall and had one hand clutched to his side. If the slight wheeze of his breath indicated anything, it seemed highly likely that the man had broken, or at least cracked, a few ribs. As Cassidy stepped closer, she noticed that he had acidic burns trailing up his arms and splashed over his face and neck. Looking at the pattern, she quickly realized that the troll's blood was some sort of acid, possibly magic. As usual, Cassidy opened up her bag and began rummaging through it. 

"You did well," Aragorn seemed to be speaking to both Cassidy and Remus as he pushed himself to a full standing. "But we need to keep moving. The trolls are strong, and they'll eventually clear the entrance."

"No no no," Cassidy interrupted, still digging through her pouch. "There is no way you two are traveling while you're still injured."

"Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of time to wait for us to mend," Aragorn had a terse sort of patience in his voice. "If we-"

"Here," Cassidy cried out, triumphantly digging the bottle of Burn-Healing Paste from her bag. She handed the bright orange jar to Remus who liberally applied it to his hand in demonstration before passing it off to Aragorn. "Apply that to the burns," she instructed. 

"This is troll blood," he replied grimly. "It's slow to heal and most herbs-"

"If it works on dragon fire, I'm pretty sure it'll be fine for troll blood," Cassidy cut him off, already searching her bag for another item. 

Aragorn took a suspicious sniff of the paste before deciding that it was worth a try. He used several globs to coat his forearms and neck where the troll's blood had caused the wounds. When Aragorn finished applying the paste, Cassidy then retrieved another vial of Murtlap Essence. She ordered Remus to turn around and, upon seeing the determination in her eyes, the man obliged. He lifted the hem of his shirt to reveal already coloring bruises which she sprinkled with the Murtlap Essence, instantly causing the blossoming purple to fade. 

"How much healing supplies do you carry?" Remus asked, suspicion coloring his tone. 

"I like to be prepared," she brushed off.

"And how often do you need to-"

"Your ribs," Cassidy abruptly turned her attention to Aragorn who was looking at the paste on his arms in shock. "Broken?"

"Only one- maybe two," he admitted as he shifted and grimaced in pain. "I'll bind them and-"

"Stay still, this might sting," she warned. Cassidy focused her attention on his torso, squinting her eyes in concentration. This wasn't a particularly difficult spell, but it could very very easily go wrong. She was carefully to maintain a light, swaying motion as she uttered out, "Emendo."

There was a sharp crack and Aragorn gasped, suddenly straightening as his ribs were pushed back into place and healed.

"I see you've been spending time with Madame Pomfrey," Remus remarked. 

"After Lockhart's disaster, I made sure that I knew how to perform it properly," Cassidy replied as Remus chuckled at her answer. 

There was a loud shifting of the stones behind them and all three turned in alarm. Even Gwedel seemed apprehensive, though Aragorn whispered a few words that seemed to sooth the horse. 

"Protego Maxima," Cassidy held her wand firmly pointed as she set up a shield on the fallen rocks. "I'm not sure if that's gonna last..."

"We should get moving," Aragorn replied abruptly, sheathing his sword and walking further into the darkness of the tunnel. "Keep your light up and follow me."

Cassidy knew that Aragorn still had some pretty severe bruising that she would really like to treat, but she also knew when to shut up and listen. Thus, she quickly packed the Murtlap Essence and Burn-Healing Paste in her bag, rushing to keep up. Though they had been traveling for a good number of hours, there was obviously no time to rest when the trolls may still be attempting to come after them.

As they walked, Cassidy holding up her wand to project light on the tunnel, she soon found her hand straying to her belt where she took a deep swig of her flask. She sighed heavily and leaned one arm on Gwedel who seemed surprisingly calm after what happened. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Remus shooting her a look that very clearly said 'we're going to be talking about this later,' but at the moment, Cassidy really couldn't find it in herself to care. 

She was tired, wrung out, and frankly... they still had a lot of walking to do. 

Chapter Text

After their "incident," as it was kindly called, with the trolls, the rest of their journey was surprisingly uneventful. They crossed through the mountains and Aragorn made a few grumbles about "skipping Imladris" due to the multiple setbacks that they had, but they continued on. It was a lot of walking and riding across open planes and hills with Remus' werewolf stamina becoming an obvious advantage. 

Something that Cassidy couldn't help but notice however, was the Aragorn never seemed to tire. Now she knew that he was obviously a warrior, a "Ranger" as he called himself, but the amount of stamina that he exhorted seemed extreme no matter what training he had. There were a good few night when supplies ran a bit low and he slipped some of his portion to Remus and herself when he though that they weren't paying attention and he always took the longest watch shifts. Cassidy generally relied on the protective charms that she established around the camp and thus was comfortable taking a sip of Dreamless Sleep at night, but he was ever cautious. 

Deciding that these were worthwhile things to take note of, and being the curious and slightly meticulous individual that she was, Cassidy began to write the observations down. She trusted Aragorn, mostly. She trusted him in the way that she trusted Moody, he would have her back in a fight and she never suspected that he would turn his weapon on her, but he certainly had a past that he wasn't ready to share. There was something lurking under the surface of that man and Cassidy was determined to find out what. 

"In a few nights, we should make Bree," Aragorn broke the usual silence that they traveled in. Cassidy had quickly learned that the further they were from the elves, and the closer they were to other men, the more silent Aragorn became. 

"Is it pretty abandoned out here?" Cassidy asked casually, her eyes straying towards Remus. 

"For today, and possibly tomorrow," Aragorn's eyes were scanning the horizon. "After that we'll start to run into other travelers... and it's probably best to not be waving your wand about then."

"I see..." Cassidy not saw Remus' eyes on her and she chewed her lip for a bit as she thought of how to phrase her next words. "Perhaps we can pause here for a night... or two."

"And why would we do that?" Aragorn has a hint of a bemused smile on his lips. Cassidy had a feeling that he thought her tired and was mocking her. 

"Because I'd rather not transform into a beast and terrorize an entire town," Remus stepped into the conversation. "The full moon is tonight."

"Ah, my apologies," all hints of mirth were gone from Aragorn's eyes. 

Cassidy and Remus had worked out a pretty solid plan over the past few days of travel, mostly discussion whilst Aragon was off hunting or scouting ahead. 

"You can go on ahead. We'll move a ways off the road and make camp. We'll catch up to you tomorrow afternoon... evening depending on how the night goes," Remus explained. 

"I'll stay with you," Aragorn replied. "These roads aren't safe and I don't want you two getting lost."

"If anyone is going to be in danger tonight, it's you," Cassidy snapped. 

"I know that you have your magic but-"

"Aragorn," Remus' eyes were weary as he spoke. "I understand, and I appreciate your concern, but you should not stay. When the transformation takes over, I can't control myself. It is not me, but a beast that will kill anyone who stands in its way."

"And it's my duty to see that the people who live near these parts are safe," Aragorn seemed to end the conversation at that, leading them off the path. 

The meaning of Aragorn's words hit Cassidy and a rush of fury surged through her. She couldn't believe what he was insinuating. 

"How dare you-"

"Cassidy," Remus held out his hand to stop her. "It's fine, and he's right. I'm lucky the elves ever let me leave when they learned how dangerous I am."

"Remus! You can't mean-"

"It's fine," he gave her a reassuring smile and followed Aragorn. Cassidy would never be able to understand how easily Remus seemed to take prejudice against his condition. The man seemed to not only accept it, but expect it and always acquiesce to any demands. 

The evening turned out to be easier than expected. After a bit of discussion with Remus, Cassidy created a deep pit with steep walls. She lowered Remus into it and cast a few shielding charms over the pit. Aragorn set up a sparse camp, not daring to light a fire as they really didn't need any more attention on them that night. He also stayed awake, one hand near the hilt of his sword as they listened to the terrible cries and howling from the pit. Cassidy spent most of the night at the edge of the enclosure, conjuring illusions of prey animals for the werewolf to chase and attack, hopefully to keep him from tearing himself. 

The next morning, Cassidy helped Remus with his wounds and insisted that he ride Gwedel as the transformation was always draining. She then did her best to keep up with Aragorn's long strides, but she was exhausted due to a combination of their long journey and her staying up all night previously. Aragorn once again amazed her by being seemingly unaffected by his night on guard. Perhaps Cassidy drank a bit too much from her flask, but Remus was far too tired and distracted to notice. 

After another few nights, they came upon a set of dilapidated wood fencing which surrounded a town. It was funny how familiar and yet foreign the sight of those buildings were. Most wizarding houses tended to look somewhat like a gale had attempted to destroy it. Aside from the wealthy pureblood, most wizards relied on heavy-handed spells to prop up their collapsing buildings and had the crumbling wood together. The homes often looked so much like those half collapsed buildings in the town ahead, but Cassidy knew that there was no magic propping them up, that they were all one heavy storm away from collapsing. There were no gleefully cast glamour charms to paint the walls, just the muted browns and grays, colors earned with time and weathering. 

"Welcome to Bree," Aragorn muttered under his breath. "Around these parts, I'm known as Strider."

Cassidy and Remus nodded in understanding as the man pulled his hood over his head. Cassidy and Remus followed suit, Remus with his Mirkwood cloak and Cassidy with her black, spelled hood. They passed the suspicious gatekeeper who took one look at "Strider" and allowed him entrance without question. Cassidy dismounted and handed off Gwedel's reigns to Aragorn so she could flit back and forth, exploring everything in the town. She hadn't come across many towns on her travels, a few villages and small communities, but nothing of the size of Bree. It was clear that Bree was a unique hub of activity. Merchants hawked "exotic" goods whilst craftsmen advertised their unique wares. The scent of baked goods wafted from windows and tempted Cassidy further. 

One particular window proved to be too tempting, and thus she found herself rushing into the shop and darting back out, a delectable smelling meat pie in hand. She dodged around a cart with a creaky wheel and lept back towards her group, taking a large bite as she did. 

"Remus! You've got to try this! I swear it might even beat the Hogwarts pasties," she explained as she thrust the flakey pastry into Remus' hands. 

"Where... where did you get this?" He asked, looking at the pie that he had just been handed. 

"Arwen was pretty generous when she outfitted Gwedel's saddlebags. I found a pouch of their currency in it."

Cassidy swore that she heard a "hmm" sound from Aragorn, but she was quickly distracted by Remus hesitantly tasting the pie. He smiled and Cassidy pushed it into his hand to finish as she'd already purchased a second one. They continued to make their way down the streets for a while longer when Cassidy couldn't help but notice how everyone shirked away from them. Quite a few would take one look at the, admittedly quit raggedly looking, trio and immediately avert their eyes, stepping quickly out of the way. 

Cassidy looked over herself and while her trousers and black cloak might not have been the most typical attire, it didn't explain the wary looks. Remus still looked like he had just been dragged behind a horse, but so did several fo the people in the town. That of course left Aragorn as the only sense of their discomfort, but he didn't look too different from anyone else. 

"Uh, Strider," Cassidy used the fake name he had instructed them on. "Is there a reason why the people seem to act as if you're going to carry away their children in the night?"

Aragorn snorted, but didn't reply. Cassidy's eyebrows rose higher at the non answer despite the sharp glare that Remus sent her way which clearly said "drop it." But of course, if Cassidy were to type to be so easily deterred she would've never learned half the spells in her repertoire. 

After she witnessed the third window being snapped shut at their passing, Cassidy pushed further. 

"So... why are we here? Any particular reason for Bree?"

"I'm on an errand." He paused, tilting his head as if listening for something that Cassidy couldn't hear. "For Gandalf."

The spring in Cassidy's step faltered slightly at the mention of the wizard, but she was quick to cover it. That wizard was steeped in the war and the last thing that Cassidy needed was to get involved. Still she couldn't help her curiosity. 

"What kind of errand?"

"I'm to meet someone and bring them to Imladris... an elven realm."

"Ah yes, I've heard."

"If you desire, we may part here," there was a note of hesitation in Aragorn's voice. "However, Imladris is home to Lord Elrond. I understand that you are in a... difficult situation. But, aside from Lady Galadriel, he is the most likely to bear answers for you."

Cassidy contemplated his words for a few minutes, looking to Remus who had a wary grin. It seemed that they were alike in thinking that perhaps this Imladris would be the best idea. Sure, they would have to accompany Aragorn on his errand for Gandalf... but its was just one errand... it didn't meant where involved. 

They reached an inn with a large sign declaring it to be "The Prancing Pony," a name which Cassidy wasn't sure if it was annoying or amusing. But, nonetheless the innkeeper seemed as close to friendly as anyone had been towards Aragorn all day as he rented a room. To save money, all three of them were going to be packing into one and Cassidy didn't really mind. They stabled Gwedel and Aragorn noticeably kept everything packed as he tucked their bags into a corner of the room whilst Cassidy and Remus scrubbed the dirt of travel from their faces. 

"So then... Strider," the name sounded ridiculous in Cassidy's mind and she couldn't help the way it rolled out off her tongue. "Anything we should know as we wait for this friend of yours? Will the patrons of the inn be as cheerfully welcoming as the rest of Bree?" 

"She means to ask if there's anything that we should know to ensure safety," Remus corrected. 

"Oh you're no fun," she used her wand to flick a slim leather tie at Remus's head. He batted the object away with a repressed smile of exasperation. 

"Don't be throwing your magic around," Aragorn was frowning at Cassidy's wand which she quickly tucked into her sleeve. "And we should be concerned... there's been... talk about strange things in town. People around these parts are suspicious of Rangers in general, but they're on high alert for anything strange." He made a pointed look to the sleeve where Cassidy's wand had disappeared and she nodded in understanding. 

"Understood," she wiggled her fingers to show that she wasn't holding her want. "No magic."

Aragorn nodded and soon, all three headed downstairs. Aragorn immediately made his way to a corner table where he sat facing the entire room, his hood pulled down low over his head. Like before, Cassidy and Remus followed his example. They ate, drank, and returned to their room. For several nights the cycle repeated. 

Then, one night, after Remus had gone to bed early complaining about the noise of the tavern, a group of four small individuals marched through the door. Cassidy was pleasantly surprised to be seeing a new species. Over their nights in the inn, she had met many men and several Dwarves who reminded her a but of the Goblin bankers back home, but never anyone like these. They were slightly shorter than the Dwarves and less burley. It took Cassidy a moment to realize that none wore shoes on their large, hairy feet. And, despite all four looking ragged and exhausted, it didn't take long for them to tuck into massive portions of food and likely more ale than their bodies could physically hold. 

"They're Hobbits," Aragorn's voice was so low that Cassidy almost didn't hear it. "One should be going by the name Mr. Underhill... he's the one we're looking for."

"You're not..." the word kidnapping sprang to mind as her eyes flickered between the nervous but sweet looking little men and Aragorn's shadow clad form. 

"I have no intention of harming them," Aragorn lifted his pint to his lips to mask the way they moved. "All of them, but one in particular, are in grave danger. I'm taking them to Imladris where they'll be safe."

Cassidy nodded in understanding, watching in amusement as two of them climbed atop a table and began to sing and dance. The commotion continued until one, the most nervous looking one, rose up through the crowd shouting about something. 

Then, he vanished. 

Gone. 

There was a moment of shocked silence before the crowd began to roar. Some in fear, some in confusion, but it was utter chaos. Aragorn cursed something under his breath and Cassidy discreetly sipped her wand out, casting a revelio charm in the general direction that the Hobbit had disappeared in. 

It was a powerful charm, but it didn't quite work. There was a flash, a slight glimmer outlining a crouched form that quickly vanished. But, it was enough for Aragorn who swept forward and grasped the still invisible figure by the back of his cloak, hauling him up the stairs and behind the backs of the still confused patrons. 

Cassidy followed suit, her wand in hand and hidden by the folds of her cloak. 

Something told her that this wasn't part of the plan. 

Chapter Text

When they arrived at their room it was obvious that Remus had been awoken by the chaos downstairs as he already had the candles lit. Aragorn had tossed one of the queer little folk with big feet, Hobbits, into the corner of the room. He was checking each window and had one hadn't on his sword as he surveyed the area before he turned and pressed his face alarmingly close to the frankly terrified looking Hobbit. 

"Who- who are you... what do you want?" The Hobbit's voice trembled but Cassidy couldn't help to admire the courage it took to speak centimeters away from a furious Aragorn.

"I am called many names Mr. Underhill," with the way Aragorn said the name, Cassidy could only assume it to be a very poor fake... not that he had any ground to stand on with the moniker of Strider. "And as of now, I'm very interested in the little trick you just pulled. That is no mere trinket you carry."

"I- I don't know what you..." the Hobbit's eyes were darting around the room as he looked for an escape.

Remus raised his eyebrows in a clearly questioning look and Cassidy just shrugged. She really had no idea what was going on at the moment but she had half a mind to tear the man away from the terrified Hobbit. Whatever vanishing spell or object he used, he was clearly no threat. Then, Remus suddenly looked up, his eyes focusing on the door. 

"Someone's coming," he warned.

Aragorn had his sword drawn in hand in a second and Cassidy quickly followed with her wand. They heard a pattering of footsteps when the door flew open to reveal the other three Hobbits from downstairs. They bore an interesting array of weapons with one holding a candlestick, another a dulled cutlery knife, and the third and frontmost holding up his fists in a gesture that would've been far more intimidating if he weren't sizing up Aragorn who was the height of two and a half of him stacked atop each other.

"Let 'im go Longshanks!" He yelled in what Cassidy assumed to be his best attempt at a bluster. 

For a few more seconds, Cassidy kept her wand aloft. While the Hobbit didn't appear to be a threat, she had spent enough time surrounded by magical creatures to know that not everyone was as they first appeared. But, Aragorn seemed to relax when he saw that no one else had followed the Hobbits as he sheathed his sword, prompting Cassidy to do the same with her wand. She saw from the corner of her eye how Remus too relaxed. In the short time that they had known Aragorn, it seemed that they trusted him enough to determine threats for them. 

"You have a stout heart, little one," he reached over their heads to shut the door. "But you can no longer wait for Gandalf."

"You know Gandalf?" The Hobbit that he threatened asked. 

"What do you want with us?!" One of the Hobbits who and come running through the door asked. 

"A little more caution-"

"You leave Fro- Mr. Underhill alone!"

"You'll 'ave to go through me first-"

"Perhaps we should all take a moment to calm down and speak with one another," Remus cut into the argument. 

He always did have a level head. 

"There's no time, you're being hunted," Aragorn moved around the room as he spoke, extinguishing candles. 

"You said you know Gandalf?" The first Hobbit asked, his head tilted in question. Cassidy could practically see the calculations his brain was making. 

"Yes, he sent me to fetch you, Frodo Baggins."

The Hobbit stared at the man for several minutes more before nodding his head. Apparently, that was enough for him to trust Aragorn and soon, all seven of them were bustling out of the room. Still cloaked in darkness, they slipped out the back entrance of the inn and into a building across the street. There, they rented a new room with a few extra coins to the innkeeper for his silence.

"What's going on?" Cassidy hissed out the question as soon as they got all four Hobbits situated in the bed. "What kind of an errand is this?"

Aragorn kept glancing out the window, never meeting Cassidy's eyes as he spoke. 

"These Hobbits have something that Sauron wants... he has sent creatures to hunt them down."

"And you think they're close?" Remus, who had been listening carefully from where he guarded the door, asked. 

"I know they are never far."

Aragorn's eyes kept darting back and forth between the Hobbits in the bed and the room across the street at the inn that they had come from. Remus watched this with an appraising look before he stood. 

"If there's something you need to do... we can watch over them." He gestured vaguely to the Hobbits. 

Aragorn seemed to consider this for a few moments, eyeing both Cassidy and Remus before he nodded his head and stood. On his way out the door, he handed Remus a dagger which he instinctively gripped like a wand. Once Aragorn was gone, there was only the sound of the whistling wind coming from the cracked window and the steady breathing of the four Hobbits in the bed. 

Cassidy's hands idly fingered her wand and she couldn't help but glance at Remus in the low light of the single candle they had lit. He looked haggard, far more than usual. She knew that he was no stranger to hardship, but this time on the road in this strange land was having its effects on him. Even more so, she couldn't imagine how he felt being in this world without a wand. Cassidy had gained hers at an young age for she came into her magic at six and received her first wand at seven. Such was an unusual thing in Wizarding Britain, but her Grandmother had trained at the Mahoutokoro School of Magic in Japan where students started at seven years of age. Apparently, it was a common trait of Japanese Witches and Wizards to come into their magic at an early age. She had lost her wand once, and that was when she was much younger. The pain had felt like someone carved a piece out of her heart. 

She should only imagine what if felt like for Remus. 

"Do you think we can trust him?" Cassidy asked in a whisper. 

"You've known him longer than I," Remus replied. 

Cassidy nodded in acknowledgment but said no more. 

Eventually, Aragorn returned and reclaimed his seat by the window, his sword laid across his lap. He sat there, still as a statue and watching the window. It was clear that he expected an attack. 

"These creatures hunting them... do they have magic?"

Aragorn nodded silently in response to Cassidy's question. Remus looked to her with a grave look, he knew what she had to do. 

Thus, Cassidy withdrew her wand and held it aloft. She inhaled deeply and reached for her magic. 

"Protego totalum. Fianto Duri. Protego totalum. Fianto Duri. Protego totalum. Fianto Duri." She chanted the words and watched as a slight shimmer emerged around the room, sealing away magical harm. It wasn't perfect, but it would repel most spells and hexes aside from the most powerful. 

"I'm not sure if those will work," Aragorn said. 

"Neither am I. But-"

Cassidy's next words were cut off as a horrifying shriek echoed through the air. In an instant the Hobbits were all awake and Remus tensed his grip on the dagger. The terrible cries seemed to settle in their very bones. 

"They're here," Aragorn whispered. 

Then, from the blackness of the night they came, four black steeds thundering through the cobblestone streets. On their backs rode figures cloaked in black cloth and shadows, they seemed nearly formless, but you spot the glint of steel in the blades they held. As they rode a chilling fog swept at their feet and Cassidy could feel a sense of dread and doom seeping into her. 

"Dementors," she and Remus both whispered at the same time. 

Oh how she knew Dementors well. It was a Dementor who first awoke her magic. She hated the time when they occupied Hogwarts during her third year there. At that time, it had only been a year since she was forced to watch her parents be tortured to death. For the entire time those Dementors haunted Hogwarts, she was forced to listen to the screams of her parents dying over and over again. 

"Nazgul," Aragorn replied, finally turning to look at them as they saw the shadowed figures sweep into the room that had previously been occupied by the Hobbits who were now wide awake and terribly frightened. "They were once nine great Kings of Men. But then Sauron came and offered to them nine rings of power. They blindly accepted these and one by one... fell to his dark influences. They are neither living nor dead, slaves to Sauron's will." He paused as the beasts released another ear-splitting shriek. "Rest, tomorrow we move at dawn."

Cassidy nodded, but no matter what Aragorn called them, she knew what Dementors felt like. She could feel the taint of their dark magic as they combed the streets. She knew that deep and unsettling chill anywhere. 

She wouldn't be sleeping much that night. 

The next morning they were up at the crack of dawn. When they went back to the inn they found that the stables had been opened and most of the horses, including that ponies that the Hobbits had brought with them, had been chased off. Luckily, Gwedel was a faithful steed and alone still stood in her box. Aragorn smiled at the sight and murmured something about "elvish horses" before packing on their supplies onto her back. They slipped out of town and took off down the road. 

From there, their journey was rather straightforward. There were a few snags at the beginning at the Hobbits seemed slow to trust Aragorn, but Cassidy soon found herself spending more and more time with the four curious new arrivals. They were unique in a way that Cassidy hadn't seen before: curious, steady, humorous, oddly charming, and rather endearing. It didn't take long for her to spot the burden that Frodo bore, to bond with Sam over cooking, and to join Merry and Pippin in making a general nuisance of themselves. 

She was a bit alarmed to hear the Hobbits complaining about eating only two to three meals a day, but eventually they gave up on whining when they realized that Aragorn wasn't effected by their best puppy dog eyes. 

Despite a few scattered moments of lightness though, Cassidy could feel the tension in the air and she knew that Remus could sense it too. The Dementor impersonators, or Nazgul as Aragorn called them, were following. They never seemed to be able to move fast enough and every night they huddled under Cassidy's charms and Aragorn's sword as they heard the terrible shrieks of the creatures chasing them. Luckily, Cassidy's magic came in handy as she had plenty of experience with avoiding dark creatures trying to hunt her down. Evasion was a bit of a specialty for her and soon enough, it seemed that they had lost their shadowy tail. 

They were relying on stealth and speed until they reached this Imladris that Aragorn spoke of. Apparently the creatures wouldn't be able to follow them there and it was where Cassidy and Remus could part ways from whatever spurred this insane quest.

Cassidy almost believed that things were going well, that they would not encounter the creatures again so long as they remained discrete. That was of course until night began to fall over their sparse campsite and Cassidy reached into her pouch only to pull out an empty vial. She froze as she realized that there wasn't even a full sip left of the potion. She scrambled in her little sack and found only more empty vials.

How could I be so careless?!

"Aragorn... do you think it's safe for me to light a fire... I need to brew something," there was an edge of panic creeping into her voice and Remus was gazing at her with suspicion. 

"No fires... we just lost them," he was scanning the horizon as always. "It'll be dark soon and we mustn't be spotted."

"It'll be quick... please I- I need-"

"It's too dangerous."

And so, that night, Cassidy took first watch. She never woke Remus or Aragorn for their turn and instead sipped on Wide-Eye potion, one that she still had a stash of, all night. This continued for one more night before Remus caught on. He was... less than pleased.

"When was the last time you slept?" He asked. 

The true answer was two nights ago. Cassidy kept her eyes fixed on the horizon as she shrugged instead of answering. 

"I'm taking first watch," Aragorn said as he unsheathed his sword, resting it across his knees. "Sleep, you'll need your strength."

It was an order, an order given in a voice that was used to being obeyed. Cassidy soon found herself confronted with both Aragorn and Remus' disapproving glares and thus was forced to curl up in her bedroll. She was determined to stay awake. Aragorn had claimed the night previously that they were getting close to Imladris. That meant that it would only be a few nights more before it would be safe enough for her to restock her potions. She could last... 

But, for two nights she had sat awake, artificial energy coursing through her veins. The days had been long, hard, and stressful. Her entire body ached and craved nothing more than rest. And so, despite her best efforts, she soon found herself being pulled beneath the tide of sleep. 

The night was beautiful and still, a gentle steadiness settled across the landscape. Owls gently called out in the distance whilst crickets sang to a tune conducted by the ancient spirits of the nature. It was the night of the new moon and so the stars were shining even more beautifully than normal. Everything was peaceful...

Until it wasn't. 

Chapter Text

The stillness of the night was broken by a piercing scream. 

In an instant, the entire camp was awake. Aragorn sprang to his feet, sword in hand as he spun around, searching for the source of the shrieking. The hobbits were scrambling from their bedrolls, rubbing sleep from their eyes as Remus stubbed towards the only one still on the ground. 

"Cassidy!" he yelled, but the girl didn't wake. 

The young witch was writhing on the ground as if in pain, horrid screams wretched forth from her lungs. Her back arched up and her arms extended as if she were possessed as she continued to scream. 

"What's going-"

Sam's words were cut off as Aragorn dove to knock him to the ground, just in time to miss a bolt of lighting that shot out of Cassidy's wand. Remus had atempted to shake her awake, but that only seemed to escalate her nightmare. Her eyes were closed, yet magic seemed to crackle in the air as her wand swung wildly. 

"Cassidy-" Remus had a hand to his head, a small cut sluggishly leaking blood as he picked himself off the ground. "It's just a dream! They aren't here!"

Another cry tore from her lips and a blast of fire shot into the air, hot enough for the hobbits below to feel the heat on their cheeks. Aragorn swore and immediately began to pack the camp, throwing things together and tying the bedrolls, one eye constantly scanning the horizon. 

"What's wrong with-"

Aragorn made a move to approach Cassidy again, but Remus stoped him with one hand on the man's shoulder. Aragorn nodded his assent and began herding the hobbits towards Gwedel, tying their bags to the horse as an eerie shriek sounded in the distance. The sound grasped everyone's attention... their pursuers were on their scent. 

"They have our location now, we must wake her and move," Aragorn was obviously speaking to Remus, but his eyes were on the young girl who was still screaming, multicolored lighting shooting off in varying directions, some barely missing members of the party. 

Remus took a deep breath and then, without warning, charged forward. He dove straight for Cassidy and latched himself around her, pinning her to the ground with his own body weight and pressing her arms against her side to prevent her from wielding her wand. He held on for dear life as she writhed and screamed, her struggles growing more and more violent as she felt herself being constricted. Remus persisted, whispering words into her ear that slowly seemed to register. 

"They're not here, they're not here," his words were chanted smoothly and slowly. "It's just you, it's just me. They can't touch you, you're in control, you're in control."

Finally, it was like a chord had been snapped and Cassidy's eyes flew open. She looked around, eyes scanning the terrified hobbits crouching together, Aragorn with his sword drawn but pointed at nothing, and Remus slowly climbing off her. She turned to look at the grass to her right, singed from the fire that she had conjured, the smell of smoke heavy in the air. 

"I-" her voice was shaky, but she was cut off by another howling shriek.

"We have to move," Aragorn ordered, turning around and ushering the petrified hobbits forward. 

"I'm-" but the words died on Cassidy's lips as she quickly gathered her things and tossed them onto Gwedel's back. Even the mare snorted and stamped her feet, apprehensive around her for the first time since she met her. 

"Quickly, they know where we are," Aragorn barely looked at Cassidy as he swept through the camp, gathering any lingering items and gesturing for Remus to take up the head of the group so that he could guard the rear. 

Cassidy scurried towards the front, intent on being near the hobbits to help protect them, but as soon as she approached, Pippin's eyes went wide and he ducked slightly behind Merry. Sam, sweet Sam who was always so kind and generous, had his eyes locked on Cassidy's right had where her wand that, unbeknownst to her, had nearly taken his head off, usually sat. Cassidy fell back a few steps and tucked her wand into her sleeve, crossing her arms against her chest ad ducking her head down. 

Stupid stupid stupid, she silently berated herself. You've already ruined everything. 

They were moving as silently as they could, stumbling through the darkness. Aragorn's long strides covered twice the distance of the hobbits who were scrambling to keep up. No one said a word, but there was a palpable tension in the air. Cassidy kept looking back and forth between Aragorn and the hobbits, every now and then opening her mouth as if to say something. But, each time her jaw clicked shut and she returned her eyes the the ground in front of her, head tucked down so she wouldn't have to see the fear in the hobbits' eyes. 

They marched on through the night, through dawn, only stopping at midday when Merry collapsed for the fourth time in an hour. Everyone, save Aragorn, threw themselves to the ground in exhaustion. Cassidy was guzzling water at a frankly alarming rate whilst the hobbits seemed almost ready to pass out. Even Remus with his enhanced stamina was slumped towards the ground, wand hand twitching with what Cassidy knew was a largely instinctual desire for the comfort of solid wand-wood in hand.  

Digging through her bag, Cassidy pulled out a bottle of Pepper Up potion, taking a large swig before holding it out to the person sitting closest to her. Merry flinched backwards when Cassidy's hand neared him and Cassidy flinched back as well. 

"I- it's just..." Cassidy saw the hesitation in their eyes as all four of the hobbits and even Aragorn looked at her like she was some dangerous beast. "It'll help..." she finally whispered rather lamely. 

It soon became obvious that none of the hobbits were planning on taking her offer. Remus sighed audibly before taking the potion and knocking back a swig, passing it off to Aragorn who sniffed it hesitantly before taking a small sip. Aragorn, deeming the potion suitable, then passed it around to the four hobbits who very reluctantly sampled the brew. 

"Where's the smoke?" Remus asked, noticing how the signature smoke wasn't pouring out of anyone's ears. 

Cassidy chuckled, shaking her head.

"Adding a half ounce of dragon claw prevents the smoke. Madam Pomfrey just has Snape leave it out so she can track the students who've been taking Pepper Up instead of sleeping during final examinations."

Remus managed a brief smile before freezing, tilting his head to listen to something in the distance. Cassidy sighed, knowing that look too well. 

"I can hear them... they're closer than before," he looked to Aragorn who gave him a tight nod in response. 

"We keep moving." His face was grim as he surveyed their rag-tag group. "If we make it to Weathertop, we'll be able to make a stand."

"You're going to fight them?" Sam's eyes were round with terror and shock. 

"We are going to fight them," his eyes swept the group, though they lingered on Cassidy. "We have no choice. We can't outrun them to Imladris and stealth is gone. Ready whatever weapons you have, the height of Weathertop will give us our best chance of victory."

The rest of the hobbits nodded silently, eyes fearful and fully awake between the news and Pepper Up potion. Cassidy saw the way their small hands gripped the handles of their daggers tight. She tried to ignore the sinking feeling of guilt in her stomach and the sharp pain in her chest as their breath hitched each time they caught her looking at them. 

Of course they're afraid of me... why wouldn't they be? 

And so the group pressed on until they reached a high outcrop of rocks. Obviously the structure had once been magnificent, but now it was reduced to crumbling ruins of stone. Together they scrambled up the crumbling walls, eventually reaching the top where they found an empty fire pit. Whilst most of the group took a chance to rest, Aragorn quickly gathered wood and started a fire which he fed continuously. 

"Strider-" Frodo began, a question on his tongue. 

"They know where we are, there's no use hiding," he kept his eyes on his hands as he tore apart a tunic, dipping the strips of cloth into oil and tying them to sticks to create torches. "But Ringwraiths aren't awfully fond of fire. It'll help."

Cassidy began silently aiding Aragorn in his task before she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, Remus was frowning slightly and shaking his head. Cassidy sighed. She knew exactly what he wanted her to do, exactly what she should have been doing. Remus took over her spot and Cassidy slowly walked to the center of the camp, drawing her wand and ignoring the way the hobbits, previously fascinated with her magic and eager to swap stories, avoided the sight. 

"Protego totalum. Fianto Duri. Protego totalum. Fianto Duri. Protego totalum. Fianto Duri."

A slight blue shimmer emerged from her wand as a bubble encased their campsite. With each repetition, another layer of the spell was added, strengthening its hold. She didn't know if it would work, but it was their best shot. 

"They're coming," Remus warned.

He picked up a torch from the pile, lighting it in the flames and lifting it high. In his other hand he had a long dagger borrowed from Aragorn. Frodo drew his short sword, gripping it tight with two hands. His companions all drew short daggers, huddling close together behind the fire. Cassidy held her wand high, breathing deeply to clear her mind. And Aragorn, Aragorn lifted a torch from the fire and stepped to the front of their group. In one hand he held the burning torch and in the other his sword gleamed in the dull light of the fire. There was a steely set to his shoulders, a curve in his spine that Cassidy knew all too well. She was watching warrior. 

The terrible screeching that they had heard previously in Bree grew louder and louder until they could also hear the thundering of hooves. At once, five shadows surrounded their camp, screeching and beating themselves against Cassidy's shield. They circled the group like wolves stalking their prey. Every few moments, one of them would strike at the protective charm with either their body or blade. Each time, Cassidy watched as blue sparks flew, indicating that the shield was growing weaker. 

Perhaps the charm was a mistake. Perhaps by putting it up, Cassidy had merely given the creatures a chance to observe them before attacking, a chance to size up their opponents. 

"It won't hold for much longer," Cassidy warned. 

"Then drop it."

"What?"

"Drop it, right in front of me," Aragorn ordered. 

Cassidy nodded once, sharing a last glance with Remus before lowering her charm directly in front of Aragorn. The Nazgul wasted no time in pouring in through the opening, the first one being buffeted back by Aragorn's blade. As the second charged Aragorn, the third tried to slip past and was knocked down by Remus' wild swinging of his torch. Meanwhile, Cassidy was throwing hexes, jinxes, and charms as fast as she could. 

"Expelliarmus, stupefy!" She knocked the blade out of one Nazgul's hand before tossing him off the edge of the cliff. "Confringo, lacarnum inflamari!" She watched a one creature's cloak was lit aflame before he too was tossed backwards. 

But, every time they pushed the monsters back, they returned. The Nazgul latched onto the cliffside with dagger-like claws as they pulled themselves back up time and time again. They didn't seem to tire, endlessly climbing up the cliffside and attacking without hesitation. Several times Cassidy watched a sword nearly take Remus' head. 

"Cassidy!" Remus screamed. "Cast a Patronus!"

No! She couldn't. She glanced behind herself to see the hobbits still huddled together, Merry and Pippin cowering in fear as the scent of burning cloth and the clang of swords rang out all around them. They're already terrified... I can't.

She looked to Aragorn and saw him far too involved in the battle to take notice. Taking a deep breath, she flicked her wand and summoned an incorporeal Patronus, watching as a wisp of blue light fluttered towards the nearest Nazgul who shrunk back with a screech. 

"It works! Cassidy cast a full one!" Remus screamed, still swinging his torch in a wild arc. 

Cassidy could tell that both he and Aragorn were tiring. They had been running non stop since Cassidy's nightmare and she knew that Aragorn was weary. They couldn't hold out much longer. Her Patronus was their only hope. Cassidy closed her eyes for a second, trying her best to tune out the clangs and screams of battle, the acrid scent of fear and fire in the air as she searched her mind for her happiest memory. 

But, each time she tried to reach for it, it slipped away like sand between her fingers. Instead, she saw shadows from her nightmare, voices that she wished to- needed to- forget swirling in her mind. She saw fear in the eyes of her classmates when she returned to Hogwarts after the death of her parents, she heard them whispering how she was cursed, uncontrollable and dangerous. 

A scream tore her from her self loathings. 

Cassidy's eyes snapped open just in time to witness one of the Nazgul's blades piercing Frodo's shoulder. Aragorn cried out in alarm and moved to defend the young hobbit, but he was blocked by another Nagzul whose blade sliced at his arm. The man was quick and dodged aside, but the foe's blade still managed to barely scrape his shoulder. The wound should have been minor, but Aragorn released a furious cry of pain as if his arm had been sliced off. 

The sight of Frodo and Aragorn's wounds were enough to knock Cassidy back into focus as the memory of the first time a hippogriff bowed to her popped into her mind. Ignoring her fears of showing the others her Patronus, she flicked her wand and cried out the charm that had once been her favorite, but that she had not performed in front of others in nearly six years. 

"Expecto Patronum!" 

With a burst of blue light, a four legged creature appeared from the tip of her wand, head down it charged the Nagzul leaning over Frodo and gave a thundering war cry as it tossed the shadowy figure away. Cries of distress emerged from the cloaked figures as the magical beast: a massive, skeletal horse with bat-like wings and a wicked, draconian face. The creature, a thestral, threw its head back and uttered a screeching cry before turning sharply and attacking the Nazgul once more. 

The Nazgul cried out in alarm as they swung their swords wide but, nothing could harm the Patronus. The being of pure magic was impervious to the dark creatures as it stomped its powerful front legs down upon the nearest Nazgul who shrieked as if it had been burned. The glittering, blue-lit thestral was made all the more eerie with its pure white eyes shining in the dark as it gave chase to the retreating foes. Its powerful wings propelled it forward with a strength that its skeletal appearance belied. The night was alive with terrible shrieks and cries, both from the Nazgul and their pursuing thestral, the sounds of their chase growing dimmer the further they ran.

All at once, Weathertop was still and silent. 

"You-" Remus began, but seemed to think better of it as she went to check on Aragorn who seemed to be unconscious.

Meanwhile, Cassidy dropped to her knees beside Frodo, holding her hands up as she saw Sam rise up with a protective gleam in his eyes. 

"I promise, I just want to help," she whispered. 

Much to Cassidy's surprise, Sam nodded once before removing his hand from his dagger, instead threading it through his unconscious friend's. Cassidy rushed forward and pushed aside Frodo's shirt to examine the wound. 

"It was the big one that got 'im," Sam's voice was shaking and voice in the back of Cassidy's mind told her that he was going into shock. "He- he just... collapsed. Will he be alright Miss. Cassidy?"

Cassidy felt her chest clench at the sight of dark black surrounding the wound. The injury itself shouldn't have been too bad, but the black spreading around it, trickling through his veins... Cassidy knew the signs of dark magic when she saw them. It was also impossible to not notice the direction the the black veins were creeping in. They were headed straight for the hobbit's heart. 

"Remus, the wound it's-"

"A dark curse," he finished her sentence for her. "Aragorn's wound has black veins emerging. I don't want to know what will happen then they reach his heart."

Cassidy looked down at Frodo's small, limp form. Even unconscious, his face was scrunched up in pain. The hobbit was so small... the black veins didn't have too far of a distance before they reached his heart.

Cassidy's heart sank. 

What have I done?