Disclaimer: Harry Potter and related characters and settings belong to J. K. Rowling. The Lord of the Rings and related mythology belong to the heirs of J. R. R. Tolkien.
A/N The Sindarin title of this chapter is absolutely straightforward. It's "The Elves return to Middle-Earth". Easy isn't it?
Chapter 22: Eldar Rinno na Edorath
Within the halls of Hogwarts, the Orcs suddenly stopped attacking. Looking around bewildered, they suddenly took off out of the castle as if called by something.
"What? What is going on?" asked Remus.
"I-I don't know," said Tonks. "They just... left." And a good thing it was for the last of their defenses had just collapsed.
"Professor Lupin! Tonks!" The pair looked up to see Ginny Weasley running toward them. Behind her was Neville carrying what looked like a large spear. "What happened? Why did the Orcs just leave?"
"We have no idea," said Tonks.
It was then that they heard an excited chatter from nearby. House Elves suddenly appeared, excitedly chanting together, "They're back! They're back! They're back! They're back!"
Dobby arrived on the scene and made his way toward them. "We has been saved!" he exclaimed. "Orcses have been called outside to fight those who have returned!"
"Who? Who's returned?" asked Neville.
"The Eldar sir!" said Dobby excitedly. "The Eldar have returned to Middle-Earth!"
* * *
Outside, on the vast grounds surrounding the castle of Hogwarts, the Army of Elves was marching up to the opposing army of Orcs. Most of them were an infantry on foot but there was also a cavalry of Elves riding ahead of them on the most beautiful, silver horses one could ever see. At the head of the Army was the Elvish Commander, riding a pure white horse, wearing golden armor, his black hair swaying in the wind. His eyes shone with a passion of fire for he was of the Noldor Elves, like his kin whom had come to fight with him.
Trotting his horse around, the Elvish Commander surveyed the Orcish Army ahead of him. Noting the Death Eaters, the Trolls, even the Nazgul and Dementors flying through the air. He turned his horse around to the Elves and shouted in his native Elvish Tongue:
"Eldar! Noldor! My brothers! Look before us, the army of Sauron marches upon the grounds of Middle-Earth once more. Vanquished we thought our ancient enemy was yet he has returned to threaten our brothers in arms, the Numenoreans once more. But now, we stand on this soil: Middle-Earth, the home of our parents and grandparents. There were many who said we should ignore the return of Sauron. That he was no longer our concern; that the old alliances are dead. And yet, many have heard the call of I Gilrandir, to save our old friends and to fight our ancient enemy. We have given up our lives of eternal bliss and happiness in Valinor. Yet, should the choice be made available to me once more, I would make the same one! Would any of you?"
"We would choose to save Middle-Earth again!" declared the Elves in a single voice.
"Death to Orcs!" shouted Gilrandir.
The Elves shouted, "Gurth 'ni yrch!" Death to Orcs.
"Death to Orcs!"
"Gurth 'ni yrch!"
"Noldor!" shouted Gilrandir, drawing forth his sword. "Charge!"
With a mighty cry, the Elvish infantry and cavalry began a charge toward the opposing Orcs. Most of the Death Eaters were unfazed by this. "The fools," said Jugson. "Kill them! Avada Kedavra!" The bright green lights of a hundred killing curses flashed toward the Elves. Yet, the Elves shrugged it off like it was nothing.
"What? Impossible! The Killing Curse is supposed to be unbeatable!" said Jugson. "Avada Kedavra!" Jugson's killing curse hit Gilrandir full on yet the Elvish Commander merely shrugged it off.
"Jugson you brainless moron!" shouted Bellatrix. "Elves are immortal: they're immune to the Killing curse! Archers, shoot them down."
Orcish archers lined up and drew their arrows. Before they could fire however, Elvish archers stationed right behind the charging infantry fired their arrows, taking down the Orcish archers with precise Elvish accuracy.
The Army of Darkness was now left defenseless before the oncoming Elves. Panic set in as the Death Eaters and the Orcs now fled before their oncoming adversaries. "Cowards!" shouted Bellatrix. "You dare run from the face of battle!" Screaming loudly, Bellatrix charged at Gilrandir, only to have Gilrandir's sword slash into her midsection, making her the first, but by no means the last to fall on the battlefield.
And thus, the Elves were upon the Dark Army. Elvish swords and spears slashed down Orc, troll, and Death Eater, many of them not even being able to counteract the superior combat ability of the Elves. Elvish Archers meanwhile started firing at the vampires and Dementors that flew around in the air. Vampires fell like rain and the Dementors too were routed for their soul sucking abilities didn't work on the Elves.
"I don't believe it," said Ginny, looking over the ramparts of the castle toward the battle below. With her were Neville, Tonks, and a still weary Lupin. "They really did come."
"It is a miracle indeed." The group turned around to find that Dumbledore had come up behind them, Fawkes perched on his shoulder. "Or perhaps," said Dumbledore stroking his beard, "It is somebody's wish coming true."
"A wish coming true? What are you talking about?" asked Lupin.
"Now that, is the big question, isn't it?" said Dumbledore with a wink.
Down on the Quidditch Pitch, the Dwarves had been relieved of most of their battles. "Bah, Elves. Who needs them?" grumbled Angnathron. The sentiment was shared amongst his kin, yet it was somehow obvious that in truth the Dwarves were grateful for the Elves' help. The goblins and the centaurs regarded the Elves with suspicion, yet they too were motivated once more to fight and contributed their part to the slaughter of the Dark Army.
"Wipe them out! Don't let them escape!" shouted Gilrandir in Elvish. The Elves continued slashing down the Orcs but as there were so many of them, they couldn't keep up with the fleeing Orcs and Death Eaters. Even so, the castle was soon cleared of the Dark Army and a jubilant cheer arose from the Dwarves, goblins, centaurs, and humans within the castle and grounds.
"Hogwarts is saved!" declared Lupin. He quickly changed his mind however when he noticed that the Elves were reforming ranks, as if anticipating another attack. Indeed he and the others soon saw what the Elves with their sharper eyes could see before them coming from the direction that the Orcs had fled to: the next wave of the attack comprised of giants.
12 giants, each at least 22 feet tall were lumbering toward Hogwarts. They wore no armor save the occasional few whom had helmets, but they all carried clubs as thick as cedar trees (which was likely what they were).
"This can't be good," said Neville. Before anybody could stop him, Neville took off through the castle.
"Neville? Where are you going?" shouted Ginny.
"Perhaps Fawkes, we must lend a hand as well," said Dumbledore to his phoenix.
Though the giants were intimidating, the Elves were not frightened by them. Bravely leaping forth, the Elves menaced the giants like annoying fleas, leaping back and forth, hacking at their skin, shooting at their eyes. Yet, the giants' large size meant that the Elves could do very little actual damage to them and some of the Elves ended up being crushed by the clubs wielded by enraged giants.
"Aim for their eyes!" ordered Gilrandir. "At the very least, blind them!" He would've directed another attack on the giants had not one of the Nazgul flew down right on him. Gilrandir's horse was killed instantly as the Elvish Commander was flung into the air but he had also managed fatally stab the Nazgul's Fell Beast which collapsed dead next to the horse. The Fell Beast's rider, none other than the Nazgul leader Khumul stood up with a sword in his hand as Gilrandir landed on his feet and left hand, his sword ready in his right.
"You should've stayed in Valinor, Eldar," hissed Khumul. "Then perhaps your immortal life wouldn't have to be cut short."
"At the least I can call my immortal life natural, Ring-Wraith," said Gilrandir. "Isn't it about time that your unnatural life came to its end?"
Unleashing the Nazgul scream, Khumul slashed at Gilrandir. Gilrandir easily parried the attack and in return slashed at Khumul with a whirling attack. Khumul dodged the first two slashes and deflected the third. He made a long swipe at the Gilrandir but the Elf dodged it. Gilrandir leapt forth and slashed downward toward the Ring-Wraith. Khumul caught the blade with his own and held it there, the two combatants pushing on their blades with all their strength. Gilrandir quickly broke the contest and started slashing at Khumul at high speeds. Khumul however easily parried and deflected all of the attacks.
It was at that moment when Buckbeak the hippogriff arrived on the scene. From his back, Harry surveyed the scene that was before him ad to say he was surprised was an understatement.
"What in God's name is going on?" he exclaimed. "Are those Elves? Eldar? Not that I'm complaining but since when did the Elves return?"
"Oh my," said Hermione from behind him. "I think my first wish just came true."
"What?"
"While we were flying back, I didn't actually wish for it. But I thought that I wish help would come to Hogwarts. That's what Gandalf must've meant when he said that I wouldn't be aware of making the wish until after it came true."
"Well wish or no wish, I'll accept any help we can get," said Harry. "And I'm going to do everything I can to help out as well!" Before Hermione could stop him, Harry leapt off of Buckbeak and drew forth Anduril. He performed the spell that transformed his wand into armor and slashed at one of the giants as he landed on the ground. So powerful was the slashing of Harry's sword that the giant screamed in pain and toppled over.
"Put me down Buckbeak," commanded Hermione. Buckbeak squawked and landed nearby Harry whom was now hacking and slashing at the Orcs surrounding him. Hermione drew out Sting and started stabbing some of the Orcs surrounding Harry.
"What are you doing?" hollered Harry as he beheaded one of the Orcs. "Get to the castle! It's safer there!"
"I'm not leaving you out here alone!" retorted Hermione as she stabbed another Orc. "This is my fight as well! We're in this together, remember?"
Harry was about to retort when he felt a presence behind him. He spun around swinging his sword only to have it hit a large spear.
"Neville?" exclaimed Harry when he saw who was holding he spear.
"Harry? Hermione?" said Neville. "What are you two..." It was then that Harry's sword and Neville's spear radiated a blinding light. With the sound of a vast explosion, the light burst forth from the two weapons and bathed the entire Hogwarts Grounds. Screams of torturous pain sounded throughout the grounds but were soon consumed by silence. When the light had subsided, all that remained of the Orcs, trolls, and vampires were charred corpses, the surviving Death Eaters and giants were out cold, and the Dementors and Nazgul had fled. The unharmed Elves, looked around confused.
Neville sank to the ground. "W-what in the world just happened?" he stuttered.
"Good Lord," muttered Harry, looking rather pale. "Neville, where did you get that spear?"
"This spear?" said Neville. "Er, it just materialized in my hands. What about it?"
"Um Neville," said Harry. "I think that spear is Aiglos the 'Icicle', the spear of Erenion Gilgalad, last High King of the Elves on Middle-Earth."
"What?" exclaimed Neville.
"Oh my," said Hermione. "Aiglos, the 'Icicle'. Anduril, the 'Flame of the West'. I think that's the answer to Gandalf's riddle: 'I believe that the armies of darkness can only truly be defeated when the Icicle and the Flame are reunited.'"
"Indeed." The three looked up to see Dumbledore approach them, Fawkes perched on his shoulder. "It looks as if the reunion of two very old friends has saved us all."
To be continued...
A/N OK, I know H/H shippers were disappointed by HBP not to mention feeling insulted by the interviews tat followed but this JKR bashing is starting to get ridiculous. We wouldn't be any kind of shippers if it wasn't for her. Instead of just languishing in bitterness and anger why not try something positive like writing to JKR and making a case for H/Hr (remaining as polite, cordial, and intelligent as ever) like I am. I other areas, I'm so sorry for the delay of this chapter. I recently finally started writing my original novel and I had so much fun writing it that I let this fanfiction slide. Not to worry, I won't forget about this fic.