DeRanged: I am so sorry for not updating sooner! You would think with this pandemic going around that I would have more time to write, but I got bit by the procrastination bug and put off writing and posting. I want to reassure all of you that I am NOT abandoning this fic or the revision of the series, but I will be asking for your patience as I get the story out on the internet.

Thank you all for sticking with me – and for those of you just joining: welcome to the mad house!

Enjoy, and as always: I do not own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings!

Chapter Ten: The Journey Begins

"The Ringbearer is setting out on a quest to Mt. Doom," Elrond's voice carried throughout the silent clearing they were currently congregated in.

On one side stood the Fellowship all dressed in traveling clothes – packs and weapons thrown over shoulders and Bill the Pony, who was grazing nearby. Across from them stood a gathering of Elves dressed in finery – Elrond's children stood at the forefront with only the circlets on their heads to denote their status. The Elvin Lord stood in the gap between the two gatherings where he was addressing those who would be setting out for Mordor.

"On you who travel with him," Elrond's icy gaze met each of their own, "neither oath nor bond is laid, to go further than you will."

Harry's gaze was sweeping over those present with an almost predator-like laziness when he noticed the almost longing stare being shared between Arwen and Aragorn. Fighting the urge to flinch back, Harry quickly snapped his attention back to their – soon-to-be former – host while trying to push back his feelings of hurt and jealousy. What he hadn't seen was that the longing seemed to be coming primarily from the She-Elf, but a pair of molten gold pools caught it all.

"Farewell," Elrond continued on, "Hold to your purpose," he said, meeting each of their eyes with a soul-piercing gaze, "May the blessings of Elves," he looked directly at Legolas here, "Men," his gaze moved between Boromir, Remus, and Harry, "Free Folk," when the Elf's gaze landed on Gimli, Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes, "go with you."

Legolas offered an Elvin salute while the rest bowed their heads briefly in thanks before Gandalf spoke up formally, "The Fellowship awaits the Ringbearer."

Harry watched as Frodo's gaze scanned over the people gathered, as if searching for someone. Following his hunch his own gaze zeroed in on the balcony nearby before nudging the brunet Hobbit at his side and jerking his chin in its direction. Seeing the relief and joy that filled Frodo's face the moment the young Hobbit saw his Uncle, Harry knew he had done the right thing.

As Frodo turned to lead the way out of Rivendell, Harry took a moment to meet Bilbo's eyes hoping to convey his promise to the elder through their joined gaze before turning to follow yet another friend into the unknown.

"What do you think will occur if you succeed in taking the Ring to Gondor?" Harry didn't even glance at the Man walking beside him – emerald eyes sharply trained on his small companions for any sign of weariness. They had been traveling for most of the day over ever-changing terrain with very few rests in between, something he knew the Hobbits were unaccustomed to.

He ignored the sharp gaze that whipped over to him, though he could feel the gaze boring into the side of his head, "How exactly will you use it against its creator?"

He waited patiently for the Gondorian to respond, letting the silence stretch until it almost seemed uncomfortable, "Had you not planned that far ahead?" he finally turned his gaze to meet hazel pools that seemed to light up with defiance, but flickered with doubt, "And yet you are so sure it will help you against the enemy – hm."

Leaving that thoughtful sentence hanging in the air between them, Harry returned his gaze to the fore and had every plan to continue forward in silence. The large, calloused hand gripping at his shoulder – in what he was sure was meant to be an intimidating grip, but came off more as desperate – and the Gondorian forcing himself in front of the wizard quickly changed those plans.

"What do you know of it?" the Man's tone was harsh, but his eyes were desperately searching Harry's own for an answer.

Unconcerned, Harry waved at Remus who had stopped to turn an inquiring gaze back towards his godson and the strange Man that posed an intimidating figure over the smaller Man. With one last glance over the situation, Remus nodded and urged on the others who had also stopped to take in the scene.

Once the younger wizard was sure that everyone was far enough out of earshot, he began speaking in an unconcerned tone and meeting hazel with calm emerald, "Tell me, warrior of Gondor, do you know what the Ring is?"

The Man's mouth opened slightly, but no sound escaped. Sympathy warmed Harry's gaze as he silently urged the Man to continue walking, "When Sauron created the Ring," he began without prompting after a few steps made in silence, talking into the air before him rather than looking towards the suddenly vulnerable Man now beside him, "he ripped a piece of his very soul out and forged the metal around it. It is no paltry bauble with magic infused into it," he gave a cynical twist of his lips, "It is a piece of the darkness that makes up Sauron's very being and constantly yearns to return to its place, and will do so by any means necessary."

He let those words hang heavy between them as they continued to bring up the rear of their traveling group, eyes scanning his surroundings in an unconscious habit.

"How do you know this?" the Man's voice wavered, but when Harry glanced over the Man's gaze was steel.

Respect for the Man building, Harry offered him a sad smile, "I'm sure it hasn't escaped your notice that Remus and I aren't from Middle Earth," he phrased it more as a statement than a question, "Where we come from, there was a Dark Lord not dissimilar to Sauron," a shiver made its way down Harry's spine as he recalled the chilling laughter and the flashes of acidic green that still haunted his thoughts even now, "The difference was, this Man had torn his soul so many times through thoughtless murder he could no longer be called a Man – he made seven items that were not so different from the Ring."

He watched the Gondorian's face lost all color and a look of horror cross the Man's features from the corner of his eye, "Some dear friends and I set out to destroy these items, but at the beginning of our journey we had no knowledge of how to destroy them. So we carried them with us until we could determine a manner in which to get rid of them for good.

Unconsciously, his hand rose to rest over his collarbone where he could just make out the raised scar tissue left behind by the locket he once wore, "One item in particular was a locket," he brought up his hands to show the size, "It was large and gaudy," his eyes became glazed as he remembered the high tension and the barely restrained, foreign anger, "And we would pass it between ourselves to wear around our necks as we moved from place to place. We didn't realize it at the time – especially when we wore it – but it was manipulating us, pushing its darkness into our very beings. The longer you wore it, the more exposed you became."

Sadness filled Harry as he remembered the fight between Ron and himself, remembered the dawning horror that filled him when Ron was gone and Hermione held the locket, "It held a particularly strong hold over my best mate – Ron," he said, choking a bit on his friend's name – his loss still so fresh, "We hadn't realized it but he would wear it most often, it's whispers twisting him up until we had a large fight and he left us," a large knot formed in Harry's throat as he desperately fought back tears, "It found every insecurity and each small bit of darkness he had shoved to the back of his mind and clawed it to the forefront. He was the youngest son of seven children with five older brothers and a younger sister, and was often overlooked or forgotten. His best mate was famous and formed yet another shadow over him, just as his brothers had done before they'd met. You can imagine just how much unconscious resentment and jealousy formed."

He turned to meet wide, sympathetic hazel eyes trained solely on him now and couldn't help but smile, "You remind me so much of him, you know," he said in a whisper, "Despite everything that had happened, the moment his mind cleared he searched for us again – and saved my life when he did. It was he who destroyed the locket in the end," he moved his eyes to scan over their misfit group once more, "He was a Man – one with a mean temper and so much jealousy, but one with a loyalty that was humbling and a sharp mind, that if given enough time, could devise a strategy that ended with the enemy caught unawares and your victory. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to stand by my side in the end."

So caught up in his memories and roiling emotions, Harry almost didn't catch the Man's hesitant question, "What happened to him?"

Harry turned haunted jade towards the Man that still kept pace with him, though he noticed the Gondorian seemed to be walking a bit closer to him than before, "We were captured by the enemy in a completely accidental turn of events," he said, voice lowering into a mournful whisper, "He was tortured and murdered in front of the love of his life, leaving a shell of a woman in the place of the fiery woman I had befriended so long ago."

Once again, silence hung heavy over their heads and Harry forced his emotions back under tight control – there was a time and a place to let loose his grief and it certainly was not now.

"Why," he turned to gaze at the bowed head of the Man beside him, "Why have you told me this?"

Desperate hazel eyes shot up to meet Harry's, and the wizard offered a warm smile, "I told you, warrior of Gondor, you remind me of him. I wanted to show you that even now as the Ring whispers directly to your dark desires, you have the strength to fight back and do what is right – rather than what is easy – just as he did. I can see Ron's same struggle within you, but I also see his unassuming courage within you," reaching across the smaller space between them, Harry rested a reassuring hand against the warrior's bicep, "You are strong enough to resist its pathetic whispering, warrior of Gondor, or you would not have joined your path with ours."

With those last ringing words, Harry let his hand drop and hastened his pace to join Remus toward the center of the group oblivious to the dark, stormy pools that followed his movements with an indecipherable emotion.

He was not too far when he heard the Man he had left behind murmur, "Boromir," the wizard turned once more to stare at the Gondorian who gazed at him with a gaze torn between darkness and hope, "My name is Boromir."

Tilting his chin down in acknowledgement, "Harry," he said before he turned to cover the last bit of distance between himself and his honorary godfather.

"Alright, cub?" Remus kept his eyes trained forward, but slung a familial arm around the younger Man's shoulders when they became even.

"In time," Harry said while leaning into the older man with a weary hum, "I think I will be."

Days passed quickly, full of endless walking with only brief moments of reprieve and nights spent making a small camp to rest in before morning came and they repeated the process again. Throughout the travels, Harry noticed that Boromir seemed to warm to him and even more so towards Merry and Pippin who flocked towards the Man with a familiar awed gleam in their eyes – and the Man could often be found walking silently beside Harry or laughing uproariously between two grinning, mischievous Hobbits. The wizard could feel his fondness for the Man grow with each passing moment, especially when the Gondorian dropped his emotional shield enough to talk about his younger brother – letting his endless devotion and pride shine through every words spoken about the other Man.

When not with the Gondorian, Harry found that the ginger dwarf seemed to gravitate towards him as well, though they had not spoken as of yet. It seemed that would end today, as the Dwarf quickly drew even with Harry's long stride – though the Man subtly shortened it for the smaller being beside him – and spoke in a gruff tone.

"You tell quite a tale, lad," he said, shifting his ax to his left hand so it would not hit Harry's leg while they walked, "I was hoping you might share another to make this journey more bearable."

Harry almost tripped over his feet in his surprise – that was why the Dwarf seemed to dog his steps some days, he was waiting for another story? The wizard didn't know whether to be amused or disconcerted so he settled for a state of bemusement.

"Well-," before he could speak he heard an excited shout from behind him.

"Harry's telling a story?"

Harry felt a dreadful sense of déjà vu as he turned to see Pippin and Merry's eager faces, and could only sigh as they sprinted forward to walk near him.

"Well?"

"Are you telling a story, 'Ry?"

Harry turned his gaze to the clear sky above him, "What did my ancestors ever do to incur your wrath?" he said into the air, arms out as if entreating some entity for an answer, "Have I not suffered enough?"

Remus rolled his eyes at his godson's dramatics, fondly remembering James doing something similar while snorting as their companions sent concerned looks towards the younger wizard.

"So," Sam drew the "o" out hesitantly as he walked up to be closer to the Harry and the others, "there won't be a story?"

Harry lowered his gaze in mock betrayal only to throw his hands up in exasperation when he saw everyone either slowing or increasing their step to be closer to him and thus hear him better.

"My stories aren't all that great," he said, eyes roving over all of his new companions before landing on Remus with a confused pleading in his gaze, "Do you really want another one?"

"Yes!"

"Please."

"They are quiet entertaining."

None of them missed Harry's genuine shock at their enthusiastic responses or the embarrassed flush that turned the tips of his ears pink. It was Frodo's quiet voice that finally decided it.

"Please, 'Ry?" the brunet Hobbit slowed to walk beside the Man, unconsciously leaning towards his warmth, "Maybe one of those wizard's tales you told us in the Shire?"

With an exaggerated sigh of defeat, Harry cast a fond, amused gaze down towards the smaller being at his side, "Little sneak," he said in a low voice, though he placed a brotherly arm around the Ringbearer's shoulders to soften his words.

"Very well," his raised his voice just loud enough for all his companions to hear, but low enough to not give away their position to any enemies, "A wizard's tale you said?"

Frodo nodded while Sam spoke up from behind where he was leading Bill, "Like the one with the fountain."

"Or the cackling stump!" Merry said from beside the ginger dwarf on Harry's other side.

Harry chuckled, but nodded, "Alright, alright," he raised a placating hand while keeping his arm around Frodo's shoulders, "but I won't be able to narrate them like I usually do."

"Aw."

"But, why?"

"That's half the fun, though!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh with Remus as their small companions began to protest loudly while the others stared on in confusion.

"How do you usually narrate them?" Boromir asked from where he had lengthened his stride to walk beside Sam.

Harry opened his mouth to answer when Pippin jumped in enthusiastically to explain, "He makes these shapes in smoke and things so we can see what he's telling us – it's amazing!"

Gandalf looked intrigued from where he led the group, though his steps were slower and he was closer to the middle now, "Smoke you say?"

Pippin nodded quickly, curls flopping around his forehead and eyes in his enthusiasm, "Yeah – too bad we don't have a fire or anything," his shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Would pipe smoke work?" Aragorn said from the back of their group.

This time it was Remus who answered, "There wouldn't be enough, it would fade too quickly," he said, his tone reminding Harry of his classes with the former-werewolf at Hogwarts, "With fire there is a constant supply of smoke as long as the fire is going," the Hobbits' shoulders slumped in disappointment causing a smile to twitch over the elder wizard's lips, "However, there is a spell."

Here he flicked his wrist and his cypress wand entered his hand where he then twirled and stabbed it into the air before a cloud of thick, colored smoke left the tip and floated in the air towards Harry.

Coughing and waving his hand through the maroon cloud, Harry turned a curious gaze towards his honorary godfather, "Isn't that the spell used for smoke cover in battles? How did you manage to control the amount?" emerald eyes twinkled with curiosity and reminded Remus so much of the Man's mother when she was about to learn something new.

"Like any spell, the effects of the spell are dependent on the amount of magic you pour into it," he said, fighting back the emotions caused from the fond memory of Lily.

Harry nodded, before turning back to the fading, but still present, cloud of maroon. He hummed as he began to move his hands through the cloud and slowly let his magic slip from his fingertips to see if he could shape the smoke. After a few moments of playing with it – and a few images of phoenixes, basilisks, and even a Dementor – Harry nodded in satisfaction.

"This will work," his words were quickly followed by loud shouts and cheers from his Hobbit companions making him huff in laughter.

He turned to Remus, "Can you control the color?" when he noticed Remus's raised brow, he shrugged, "I may have known about the spell, but never had a chance to try it," he said to the Man's unasked question.

Remus nodded both to Harry's explanation and his question, "What color do you want it?" he asked, raising his wand in preparation.

"Hm, wait," Harry waved his hand through the remaining wisps of maroon that had finally begun to disperse, manipulating it towards his chest. With a thoughtful gaze, Harry tried one last manipulation – maroon became acidic green and then white.

Nodding to himself, Harry finally turned back to Remus and waved away the last wisps of maroon into the open air where if finally disappeared, "A large cloud of grey about the size of two quaffles," he said in a definitive tone, "I'll take it from there."

Remus nodded and set about conjuring the smoke cloud while Harry finally turned towards his eagerly waiting audience, "Alright, the tale I am going to tell you is about three brothers."

Here he pulled used his magic to pull out three, small gray clouds of smoke about the size of his hand, slowly the smoke began to take shape of three Men – each with subtle differences to set them apart. The tallest of the smoke figures had a small beard and lithe frame, "This is Antioch, the eldest of the brothers," the next smoke figure was almost as tall as the other and had hair that went to his shoulders with smooth, aristocratic features, "The middle brother was Cadmus," and the final figure was short and lanky with a mop of tangled hair, "and the youngest was Ignotus."

Seeing nods from his companions, Harry continued, "Now, these three brothers were traveling – where, I know not – and twilight was upon them," he made the three smoke figures walk in place as if they were traveling, "Finally, after some time, the brothers came to a river," here Harry pulled a bit of smoke, making a rough, navy ribbon form before the three figures who stopped before it, "The river was too deep and treacherous to go through," the ribbon began to move in choppy, wave-like movements, "but these brothers were no ordinary Men – they were wizards," here Harry made the smoke figures pull out small approximations of wands and begin waving them at the navy ribbon before them.

"The three built a bridge," here, wisps of smoke from the main cloud began to form a bridge across the ribbon as if following the waving of the smoke figures' wands, "and began to make their way across."

Harry glanced around to see if everyone was still following only to mentally chuckle when he realized everyone was watching the smoke figures, captivated – even Gandalf's gaze followed the figures more than it did the path ahead of them.

Shaking his thoughts away, Harry continued before his pause became too noticeable, "The brothers were almost to the other shore when a large, hooded figure appeared and blocked their way," here a cloaked, black figure took shape, towering over the shadows of the three brothers, "Death was not pleased to be cheated out of three new victims – you see, travelers usually drowned in the river – but he was cunning and patient," Harry paused to take a sip from his water pouch before continuing, "So Death pretended to congratulate the Men on their clever use of magic, stating that they each deserved a prize as a reward for besting him."

Harry pushed the tallest smoke figure closer to the large, intimidating form of Death, "The eldest brother – a combative and arrogant Man – requested a wand, but not just any wand," Harry said, "A wand more powerful than any in existence, one that would prove he had conquered Death," Harry made the Antioch smoke-figure puff up and make dramatic gestures towards the towering form of Death, "Death obliged, and crossed to a tall, elder tree resting on the bank," here Harry created a tree just as tall as Death with intertwining branches and white flowers sprouting through its foliage, "where he snapped off a small branch he then fashioned into a wand," he made the Death do just as he stated before the smoky Elder Wand floated towards the figure of the eldest brother who snatched it from the air and began waving it about pompously while the elder tree disappeared.

Harry watched as his companions watched the smoky figure's actions with varying degrees of disgust and irritation, with a smile he continued his tale, "Now the second brother was just as – if not more – arrogant than his elder, and wanted to humiliate Death further," Cadmus's figure came forward before Death in the center of the bridge over the navy ribbon of the river, seeming to look down his nose at the towering being before him, "He asked for the power to recall others who had already entered Death's grasp."

Gasps came from all around him, but Harry continued over the noise, "Once again, Death obliged," he made the towering figure walk towards the navy ribbon, "he plucked a smooth stone from the riverbank," here a small, round cloud of smoke floated towards the pretentious figure of Cadmus who accepted it with a toss of his hair and a sneer while clutching it covetously close to his chest, "and told the brother it would have the ability to bring back the dead."

Many of the elders of the group shook their heads at the smoky figure's actions, even Remus was reacting as if he was hearing the story for the first time – much to Harry's silent amusement. Smiling fondly at the varying reactions, Harry took another sip from his pouch before he once again continued.

"Finally, Death turned to the youngest brother," here the towering figures hood turned as if turning its attention to the last shadowy figure who stood tall, but with no arrogance in his frame, "But though he was the youngest, he was also the wisest – he did not trust Death," here he made the youngest brother's shadow-puppet bow to the figure of Death, "He asked for something that would allow him to leave the river without being followed by Death."

Many murmurs passed through the group but quickly stopped when Harry continued, "Reluctantly, Death cut a swatch from his own Cloak of Invisibility and handed it to the youngest brother," here the towering figure hesitantly cut a piece from the sleeve of his robe and the fabric floated towards the smallest figure who took the gift with gentle hands and a bow, "before stepping aside to allow the three brothers to continue on their journey."

The towering figure moved to the side and the three brothers smoky forms finally finished crossing the bridge before walking in place once more as if traveling while the smoky forms of the river, bridge, and Death disappeared once more into the main cloud of smoke Harry was using for his tale.

"As the three brothers walked they discussed the wondrous adventure they had just had and admired the gifts Death had given them," the smoky figures began to gesture towards each other while walking, the eldest two more boisterously than the youngest until they came to a stop, "In time, the brothers reached the point where they would go their separate ways – each to their own destination."

Once more Harry stopped to take a couple mouthfuls of water to wet his parched throat before continuing – eyes scanning over their surroundings and noticing the growing shadows cast by the sun's light, "Antioch travelled for some time before reaching a distant village where a fellow wizard and rival waited," the forms of Cadmus and Ignotus disappeared into the main reservoir of smoke before a faceless, shadowy form came forward to stand in front of Antioch's own figure, both raising their wands towards the other, "The duel that followed was short – naturally so with the most powerful wand at Antioch's disposal," the faceless form dropped before the eldest brother's boastful form, "and, with his rival dead, the eldest brother went to an inn where he drank and boasted."

Harry waved his hand and multiple, shapeless figures surrounded Antioch as the figure gestured and held his wand out proudly, "He told all who would listen how he had bested Death, and snatched the powerful wand from the being's clutches making him invincible," beside him Frodo scoffed before stepping closer to Harry and lifting a hand to grip at the back of the Man's tunic while watching the show.

Harry squeezed the Hobbit's shoulders while he continued, "That very night, while Antioch lay drunk and defenseless in his bed, a thief broke into his room," a sly figure moved smoothly around the sleeping form of the eldest brother, "He stole the Elder Wand, and to insure he would not be followed – he slit Antioch's throat," Antioch's smoky figure became faded – almost like pipe smoke drifting off into the ether – while the sly figure walked away with the wand and the towering, dark form of Death reappeared seeming to draw the wisps of what remained of Antioch's smoky form into his cloak, "And so Death took the first brother, and the Elder Wand cut a bloody path through history."

Harry cast his gaze around his captivated audience, smiling slightly at what he saw: Boromir and Aragorn walked side-by-side towards the rear, eyes scanning their surroundings every now and then before returning to the smoky story before them; Merry, Pippin, and Sam walked around Bill the Pony right behind Harry tripping and stumbling because they refused to remove their gaze from the show; the Dwarf and Elf walked to Harry's left, unaware of just how close they stood next to the other as their focus was entirely on the story unfolding before them; Frodo and Remus walked to Harry's right, and it was only their hold on Frodo that kept the Hobbit from tripping; and Gandalf was ahead, glancing back towards the front to ensure they were still going in the right direction before glancing back once more towards Harry's smoky puppet-show.

Chuckling silently to himself, Harry took a quick swig from his pouch before he continued, "Meanwhile, the second brother traveled back to his home where he lived alone," the smoky figure of Cadmus reappeared before them standing and staring down at the river stone in his hand, "He took the stone that could recall the dead and turned it thrice in his hand," the smoky figure followed Harry's words before a wispy, hazy form of a woman appeared before the brother, "To his amazed delight, the woman he had planned to marry before her untimely death appeared before him – but she wasn't as he remembered. She was sad and cold, it was almost as if a veil still separated them despite the fact that she was before him," the smoky Cadmus reached entreatingly out towards the woman, his hand stopping a hairsbreadth from her cheek before passing through it, "For though she was in the mortal world once more, she did not belong – she suffered," the woman's form seemed to slump as her hands passed through objects and faceless forms passed around and through her without noticing her presence.

Sympathetic gazes stared at the smoky puppet of the nameless woman, sad for her plight, "Driven mad with hopeless longing for something only he could see, but could not touch – the second brother took his own life," Cadmus's smoky figure dangled from a rope around his neck and the stone dropped to the floor where it was picked up by a child and taken away before the large figure of Death appeared once more gathering the fading form of Cadmus into his cloak, "And so Death took the second brother, and the Stone was passed through the family with its powers forgotten."

Harry paused once more to take a long drink from his pouch when Pippin spoke up impatiently, "What about Ig-Igna-," he struggled a bit before throwing his hands up, "What about the youngest brother?"

Snorting at the youngest Hobbit, Harry debated delaying his story further but decided against it when he saw the sun dipping closer to the horizon – they would be setting camp soon.

"Death searched and searched for the Ignotus," Harry enunciated the youngest brother's name slowly for Pippin as he made Death's large figure look around, "over years and years, but he was unable to find the youngest brother. It was only when the Man had reached a great age," here Ignotus's form appeared before the audience slowly changing and aging before their eyes, "with a family and a wife who had already passed into the next adventure, that the youngest brother removed Death's Cloak of Invisibility to pass to his eldest son," here Ignotus's form threw a cloak over the smoky shoulders of a younger Man who bowed to kiss the elder's cheek before walking away.

"When Death arrived, Ignotus greeted him as an old friend," the towering form of Death appeared before Ignotus and the two smoky figures embraced as if two friends seeing each other after a long stretch of time, "and went with him gladly, and – as equals – the two departed," the two figures, arm-in-arm turned as one and faded out of existence along with the reservoir of smoke Harry had been pulling from with his tale, "And so Death finally had the three brothers who had cheated him, and the Cloak of Invisibility passed down from father to son unfailingly."

Silence followed the end of Harry's tale, and continued until the group set up camp on a small hilltop sprinkled with multiple boulders that provided some cover for them.

The next morning found the Fellowship puttering about the camp packing it up as they finished with breakfast – only the fire and Sam's cooking supplies remained. Gandalf stood leaning against one of the larger boulders littering their small camp, pipe in mouth and staff in hand as he gazed thoughtfully up at the cloudless sky while ignoring a grumbling Gimli standing nearby. The blond Elvin prince, Legolas, jumped from boulder to boulder with sharp blue eyes alternating between horizon and sky – the Elf hadn't stopped moving since he had finished his own breakfast of oatmeal, berries, and bread.

Harry sat eating in silent amusement as Boromir attempted to train Merry and Pippin in the way of the sword while Remus, Sam, and Frodo laughed from their perches on a large boulder nearby that overlooked the flat space.

"Three, one, five," Boromir called out while slowing his sword swings so Pippin could better meet them.

"Move your feet," Aragorn's quiet voice came from behind Harry causing the younger wizard to jump slightly as the Man moved to stand beside where he sat, "May I?" the Man asked while gesturing towards the spot beside Harry with a cautious, stormy gaze.

Harry quickly gathered the small knapsack he had been carrying and moved it to his other side, "Of course," he said while trying to avoid the penetrating gaze of the Ranger knowing he was on the cusp of turning red already under the Man's attention.

Seemingly oblivious, Aragorn sat in the cleared spot while pulling his pipe from his belt and turning his attention back to the Gondorian and two Hobbits in front of them. The two Men sat in silence for a while, Harry nibbling at the remaining sausages on his plate and Aragorn puffing thoughtfully on his pipe when the Ranger finally broke the silence.

"Have I done something to anger you, Harry?" the Man's tone was low and his gaze remained on Boromir and the Hobbits, his teeth grinding against the stem of his pipe was the only sign of the Man's distress.

Harry's head shot around to the Man and his mouth gaped, "Wha-? Why would you-? I'm not-," Harry forced himself to stop stuttering and took a deep breath, clenching his eyes shut briefly. It was only once he felt he was calm enough that he tried again, "Why do you think I'm angry at you?"

Aragorn pulled the pipe from his mouth and cradled it in both hands where they dangled between his legs, elbows on his knees, "I feel as though you have been avoiding me since the Council meeting in Rivendell."

Harry opened his mouth with an immediate denial on the tip of his tongue before he realized that he had, in fact, been avoiding the Man beside him since he had witnessed the late night meeting between the hidden heir of Gondor and Elrond's daughter – even if only subconsciously. The wizard began to mentally berate himself – so scared you'd lose the Man because of your feelings, and you almost lost him because you reacted like a bloody repressed Gryffindor – as he quickly spoke up to reassure the Ranger, "I assure you, it wasn't my intention to avoid you."

Aragorn's shoulders slumped slightly, partly relief and partly defeat, "But you are angry with me?"

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion, "Have you done something that might anger me?" he asked, not meaning to be obtuse but genuinely confused at the Man's reasoning.

Aragorn shifted uncomfortably, moving his pipe around in his hands while turning his gaze down to his weathered boots, "I thought, perhaps, you might resent me for lying about my heritage," he said in almost a mutter.

Harry nearly choked on the bite of sausage he had just taken, turning a disbelieving gaze to the bowed head of the Man beside him, "Hah?" was all he could manage.

The Man's head seemed to fall further and his shoulders were almost up around his ears, "I led you to believe I was a mere Ranger – I lied to you about who I was," Harry could see the Man was working himself up and was quick to cut off any further words that might escape the Man's mouth.

"But you didn't – lie that is," Harry said, forcing himself to meet the Man's eyes despite the riot of butterflies that seemed to be throwing a party in his stomach, "You may have given us another name, but unless you took on a completely different persona while leading us to Rivendell – you never lied about who you were."

Aragorn's features seemed to smooth with his growing relief, "So you are not angry with me?" he had to ask one last time to be sure.

Harry rolled his eyes in fond exasperation, "Aragorn," the wizard was oblivious to the small jolt that went down the Ranger's spine at hearing the other say his true name, "you are completely within your rights to keep your secrets – they are yours to share," he said, making sure to enunciate his words slowly so there would be no confusion between them, "So no, I am not angry with you – for that or any other reason."

Aragorn heaved a large sigh of relief, eyes crinkling as he grinned wide and pulled the pipe back to his lips and puffing on it happily – he was extremely grateful not to lose his growing connection to the young wizard beside him. His gut told him the loss of that connection would be far more devastating than any other loss in his life, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why that was.

Harry snorted at the Man's reaction and turned back to his plate in silence for a few moments before he gathered enough of his Gryffindor courage to ask the question that had been niggling at his mind, "If I may ask, you seem very uncomfortable and reluctant when anyone mentions your heritage – why is that?" he had a feeling drawing from his own experiences, but didn't want to assume.

Aragorn's shoulders tensed slightly before relaxing once more as he slowly blew out a cloud of pipe smoke before answering, "Fear," he turned his gaze up toward the endless blue of the morning sky, "Isildur's blood runs in my veins."

Harry nodded thoughtfully as he waved his hand to send his plate floating over to the rest of the dirty dishes, "But blood does not make the Man, experience does," he said, emerald pools glazed as he remembered his own experiences.

Aragorn quickly smothered the leaves within the pipe's bowl and shoved it into his pack that rested at his feet with abrupt, jerky movements, "His weaknesses are my own," he said, tone indicating he had heard similar before and refused to believe it.

Harry shook his head, eyes clearing as he turned to the Man beside him, "His weaknesses are not exclusive to his blood," he said, gesturing towards Boromir's back where the Man continued with Merry and Pippin, "Boromir still struggles with the Ring's whispers, as does Frodo," he nodded to where Frodo leaned against Remus listening fondly to what seemed to be a spirited debate between the former werewolf and gardener, "So you see," here his gaze became teasing and a small smirk twitched across his lips, "you are not so special."

Aragorn's eyes widened minutely before a huff of laughter seemed to escape him against his will though he quickly sobered again, "But-," Harry gave a slightly irritated huff – was this what his friends felt like when he had stepped up onto his soapbox? How had they put up with his bullshit for so long? – and quickly interrupted the other Man, "Tell me, who are you?"

The Ranger's brow furrowed in confusion, "Aragorn, son of-," he stopped speaking when Harry raised a hand up, palm towards him in a silent gesture to stop.

"I asked whoyou were – not who your father was, not who your grandfather was – who are you?"

Aragorn didn't speak for a few seconds, staring at Harry with a slightly open mouth before answering slowly as if questioning the wizard's sanity, "Aragorn?"

Harry nodded, "Exactly," he said, "Just Aragorn – a Man with the hands of a healer, the arms of a warrior, the heart of an Elf, and the air of a King who chose to live in the woods and protect those who could not protect themselves rather than risk repeating history," he instinctually placed a warm hand on the other Man's thigh, needing to touch to insure he had the other's full attention, "That is who you are, Aragorn – those are the things that define you, not some ancestor who died years ago."

Aragorn felt frozen in place beneath the glowing, penetrating gaze of the other Man while his thigh seemed to burn beneath Harry's hand – the wizard's words seemed to permeate his mind, filling every space within and leaving no other thoughts room to intrude. Could the other be right?

Harry refused to move until he saw the small spark of understanding beginning to grow in the Ranger's eyes. Nodding in satisfaction, he gave the thigh beneath his hand a few awkward pats as he turned his gaze just in time to see Boromir nick Pippin's knuckles.

The youngest Hobbit cried out in pain and Boromir immediately dropped his defenses to begin apologizing profusely completely missing the glint of mischief in both Hobbits' gazes that had Harry leaning forward in anticipation for what might come next.

With a loud war cry, Merry dropped his own sword to lunge for the back of the Man's knees, "For the Shire!"

Boromir gave a shout of shock as he felt his legs being forced to buckle beneath him and his sudden descent to the Earth below. Harry laughed softly at the ensuing wrestling match that became infinitely more interesting when Pippin jumped in with a shout of his own.

The merriment was cut short however, when he heard Sam's question over the muffled shouts and laughter, "What is that?"

Harry turned to follow the golden Hobbit's gaze where a wispy shadow was moving steadily closer towards their position, eyes narrowing.

"Just a whiff of cloud," Gimli said in a dismissive huff, ready to return to his argument with Gandalf about taking the path through Moria.

Harry stood quickly, eyes never leaving the quickly approaching shadow, "It's moving awfully fast for a cloud," he said, suspicious.

Remus spoke from where he now stood at the base of the boulder he had been sitting on with Frodo and Sam, "And it's moving against the wind," his frame tense in preparation for anything.

It was Legolas's cry that set them all into motion, "Crebain, form Dunland!"

"Hide!"

Harry quickly snapped his wrist causing his holly wand to appear in his hand and – with one grand wave – everyone's packs were quickly packed and shoved beneath overhangs around them while the fire was smothered and its ashes scattered with no visible signs it had even existed. Once sure there was no material sign they were there, he stored his wand back in its holster just in time to catch Frodo who had been thrown towards him by Remus who now had Sam in his arms. Readjusting his hold on the still reeling Hobbit, Harry quickly grabbed Aragorn and pulled him close before summoning his Invisibility Cloak from his pack and throwing it over them the moment he felt the gauzy silk touch his fingertips.

"Keep quiet and still," he ordered in a low tone that left no room for argument as his gaze quickly scanned their campsite to make sure none of them could be seen. Once satisfied they were all hidden his gaze returned once more to the approaching shadow that quickly took on the shape of a large murder of large crows.

Soon enough the birds were flying low around them, and Harry felt himself holding his breath and clutching Frodo closer to his chest where the Hobbit had turned to bury his face in the Man's neck. He nearly jumped when he felt Aragorn's arm snake around his waist and clutch him close to the Ranger's side, but managed to stop himself in time. The two watched with bated breath as the birds circled them a few times before finally turning to leave.

No one moved until even the smallest hint of the crows was gone.

"It seems our path is being watched," Remus said where he reappeared with Sam from where he had disillusioned them both near where they had been sitting.

Harry set Frodo down at his side gently before pulling his Cloak from around them and Aragorn, draping the Cloak gently over his arm, "Not surprising, this is the first path most would think of if they were inclined to travel to Mordor," he said, subtly putting a bit of space between himself and Aragorn whose arm still rested around his waist.

Gandalf pulled himself from his own hiding space and nodded, grey eyes glinting with determination, "We'll have to change our course slightly, and go through the Pass of Caradhras," he said picking up his staff and hat from where he had thrown them down.

A shiver of dread quickly climbed Harry's spine before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared while the others began gathering their gear and packs from where Harry's magic had stored them – Harry had a sinking feeling something was going to happen on their journey through the Pass, and he didn't think it would be good.

"Harry?" Aragorn's voice drew the wizard from his thoughts, "Are you alright?" the Ranger had finally dropped his grip on the other Man and now held out the small knapsack that belonged to the Man for the wizard to grab.

Harry shook his head and reached out to grab his bag while carefully storing his Invisibility Cloak back within the expanded depths of his pack before throwing it over his shoulder, "Just a bad feeling," he said, voice low so as not to be overheard.

The Ranger tensed and stepped closer while lowering his voice, "Should we discuss a different path with Gandalf?" his gaze was now scanning their surroundings while he threw his own pack over his shoulder.

Harry felt warmth slowly edge out the cold dread in his chest at the Ranger's trust in him, "No," he shook his head definitively and turned his gaze to where Frodo stood surrounded by the other Hobbits, "Just keep an eye out for trouble."

Aragorn nodded, both unaware of just how much they would regret this choice in the near future.

DeRanged: Once again: sorry for how long it's been since I've updated, but hopefully this makes up for it. I also plan to get another chapter out fairly soon, but please don't quote me on that.

Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading!