Chapter 4: All That Glitters Part 1

Harry made great time. had only been flying for a couple of days but already he had traveled a great distance. Just like predicted flying at night and finding a safe place to sleep during the day had him a great distance quickly on his journey. He only hoped that the dwarves were having a good trip as well. Harry missed Fili and Kili, and part of him still wished he had decided to go with them instead going off on his own.

On his fourth night his flight was disturbed. He’d been flying over a forest when the smell of smoke assaulted his senses. It wasn’t long before he actually saw flames, and heard screams. Against his better judgment he flew towards the disturbance. In a small clearing there was house on fire with three large trolls carrying a small family of humans from the wreckage. Harry’s sharp eyes could easily pick out struggling children in the arms of the thick-skinned creatures.

Of course he knew what he had to do. Harry couldn’t just leave them to their fate especially with the trolls fighting over how they were planning to cook them. Harry dove towards the ground. He pulled up at the last minute, the harsh gusts from his wings flattening the three trolls on their backs, and keeping them from witnessing his landing.

“What was that?” cried one of the trolls, flailing on his back.

“Is there a storm coming?” wailed another.

“Grab the meat, and let’s get back to the cave,” snarled the largest, clambering to his feet. He held the still kicking and screaming patriarch of the family securely in his flabby arms.

“Drop the humans,” Harry snarled.

All three trolls jumped, eyes instantly locked on Harry’s form. His back came up to around the trolls’ heads. His long neck and tail, and his wings added to his size, making him appear even larger. Harry made sure his crown of horns were sticking up to make himself look even fiercer. His fiery gold eyes were glowing like hot coals in the night. The trolls were appropriately horrified. Their faces were frozen in shocked disbelief.

“D-d-dra-DRAGON!” screamed one of the trolls.

The cry was all it took for them to completely panic. They started running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They started bumping into one another, and tripping over themselves. Harry was afraid they were going to crush the people before he even got the chance to get them away from the trolls.

“Stop!” Harry bellowed.

The trolls froze.

“Let the humans go, and I’ll let you go,” Harry explained slowly. From what he noticed of these troll’s intelligence, they seemed to be only slightly smarter than the trolls of Earth. Harry was going to have to speak to them as if he were speaking to Dudley, which meant speaking slowly and using small words.

“Why should we go giving our hard earned supper to you, dragon?” one of the trolls spoke up, having finally gotten his wits about him. He seemed to be the leader of the trio.

“I’ll burn you if you don’t,” Harry threatened. He wouldn’t really because they were still carrying the family but the trolls didn’t have to know that.

“That seems like a fair trade, don’t it, Bill?” murmured another troll, glancing hopefully at the leader.

“Shut up, Bert, I’ll handle this. I didn’t think there were any more dragons left, at least not this far south of the Grey Mountains. Only old Smaug, and everyone figures he must be dead up there in the Lonely Mountain,” the leader, Bill, said, glaring at Harry.

“Well, there are. So are you going to hand them over peacefully or are you going to make it hard on yourselves?” Harry demanded, staunchly ignoring the comment that Smaug might actually be dead.

“There are three of us and just one of you,” pointed out the last troll, who still remained nameless.

“True, but can any of you breathe fire?” Harry flicked his tail impatiently.

The trolls frowned and looked at one another almost as if they were actually questioning whether or not they were capable of it.

“No…” Bert finally answered.

Harry sighed this was getting him nowhere. He decided to try a different tactic in a language they might actually understand. Harry roared, and flashed his teeth at the trolls. They all cried out and cringed away from him.

“For the last time, drop the humans!” Harry snarled, making his chest glow ominously. He swung his tail causing several trees to fall over, which added to the effect he was going for.

“Fine,” Bill snapped. “You heard him, boys. Bert, Tom, drop the humans.”

Harry tensed at Bill’s tone. But watched as all of the trolls dropped the small family.

“Get him!” Bill commanded.

Bert and Tom lunged at Harry with Bill right behind them. Bill had pulled out a large metal ladle to wield it as a weapon. Harry snarled and quickly twisted out of the way. Even though he was on the ground he was much faster than these trolls. But there were three of them, and he couldn’t avoid all of them at the same time. Harry’s hide was strong but the trolls’ fists were thick and their blows were hard. Harry had no choice but to go on the defensive. He may have been comfortable and instinctively knew how to use his body but he’d never had to fight and defend himself in it.

Harry twisted, using his tail like a beater’s bat to send Bert flying back into the trees. He quickly had to dodge out of the way of Bill’s massive ladle. He didn’t quite manage, and it clipped him a bit.

Harry roared in pain. The large metal spoon would leave him with some nasty bruising from the force Bill put behind it. Harry lunged forward to lock his jaws around the arm Bill was using to hold the ladle to prevent him from using it to hit him again.

Bill cried out in agony and tried to desperately shake Harry off. Harry refused to let go despite the disgusting taste of troll blood in his mouth. Unfortunately this left him open for an attack from Tom who charged into him like a battering ram. Harry still kept a firm grip on Bill’s arm leading to all three of them crashing to the ground. Harry was the first to reclaim his feet. Still holding tight to Bill’s arm, he gathered all of his strength and flung Bill away. The troll joined Bert in crashing through the trees. That left only Tom still standing, who, seeing that he was alone quickly took off into the trees.

Harry felt a rush of triumph fill him at having defeated them. In the next moment he was wincing in pain at the bruises he was going to be left behind with. But he’d had worse before, and shrugged it off. He would heal quickly enough, and he wanted to check on the family, if they were still around.

The small family hadn’t run off during the fight. They were far too terrified for that. They were all huddled together on the ground far off to the side of the clearing. Harry hated seeing the fear in their eyes as they stared up at him. He gently rested his head on the ground in hopes of looking less threatening. The thought of changing back to his human form crossed his mind but was just as quickly discarded. Transforming might just make them more afraid, and of course he would have been naked.

“Are you all right?” Harry asked them.

The man just gaped up at him in shock. His wife timidly nodded.

“Good, that’s good. Well, I suppose it would be best if you found a new place to live. One without trolls, of course. I would give you something to help but I don’t really have anything to give,” Harry said awkwardly. He only had his own small pack of essentials, which he kept securely tied to his back leg.

“You’re letting us go?” the man rasped.

“Yes, of course,” Harry nodded.

“Oh, thank you,” the wife cried.

Harry flicked his tail, embarrassed at the praise. “Will you be all right to travel?”

“We’ll be fine,” the man assured, holding his family close.

“Then I hope you all find a safe place to stay.”

Before they could respond Harry bunched his muscles and took off back into the sky. He didn’t fly much further that night. He was too sore. He decided it would be better to take the rest of the night to rest up, and hopefully he would be recovered from the worst of the bruising for an easier flight the next night.

Harry found a hollowed out tree to sleep in for the night and following day. Pleased with himself over saving the family, he settled in to sleep.

He didn’t wake up again until sometime around the middle of the day if he went by the sunlight filtering through the tree trunk. Harry was confused for a moment as to why he had woken up. It wasn’t long before his sharp ears picked up the sound of a horse’s soft steps through the undergrowth.

Harry scented the air and caught an unfamiliar scent on the breeze. There was someone nearby, and they were riding a horse. Their scent was woodsy yet with the undercurrent of fresh, crisp air. Harry peeked out of his hiding spot to see if he could catch sight of whoever was approaching.

There was a man riding on a horse. Or at first glance Harry thought he was a man. On his second glance he didn’t know how he could have ever mistaken him for being a human. To be fair it was his first time ever seeing an elf before. This elf certainly lived up to the description of the elves Ori had told him about. Ori had taken the liberty of providing him a more accurate explanation of them after learning what Kili and Fili had told him about them.

The elf had long flowing golden hair with a couple of simple braids, and delicately pointed ears. He was quite tall, although not as skinny as Fili and Kili had reported them to be. It was easy to see lean muscle through his simple travel clothing, and if what Ori had told him was true he would be stronger and faster than his size suggested. As the elf continued to draw closer Harry withdrew into his hiding spot hoping that the elf would just pass him by. Of course Harry’s luck could never be that good.

“I know you are there,” the elf called in a sharp, lilting voice from directly outside the tree.

Seeing no other option Harry carefully climbed out of the tree. The elf had dismounted from his horse, and was standing calmly in front of the tree as he waited for Harry to emerge. He didn’t look hostile and from what Ori had told him elves were considered a peaceful people who didn’t often get involved with the affairs of others. In fact they had completely ignored the dwarves’ calls for help after Erebor had been taken. Not that Harry was anyone to judge considering Smaug had been the one to kick them out in the first place.

“Hello,” Harry offered an uncertain smile.

“I am Glorfindel of Imladris,” the golden haired elf stated looking Harry over closely.

“I’m Harry,” he replied, feeling strangely uncomfortable under the elf’s probing gaze. His blue eyes betrayed his youthful features and seemed to prove just how ancient he truly was. It made Harry feel like he could see inside his soul, and he the irrational fear that he knew exactly what Harry was.

“Are you traveling all by yourself, Harry?” Glorfindel asked.

“Yes,” Harry nodded.

“You look quite young to be traveling all on your own. There have been several orc packs roaming the lands of late, and even trolls have been spotted coming down from the mountains,” Glorfindel informed him.

“I’m all right. I’m used to doing things on my own,” Harry assured him, thinking of facing Voldemort in his first year, the Chamber in his second, and of course the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

“I see, I would still like to offer you an invitation to return with me to Rivendell. You look wary and travelers are always welcome in Rivendell,” Glorfindel offered.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m fine just staying here,” Harry replied, wondering where Rivendell was exactly.

“Nonsense, you’re sleeping in a tree, and Rivendell has several beds you can make use of instead. We are a safe haven for those in need, and it is not far from here. Besides, as I said, there are orcs roaming these lands and you are not safe sleeping here on your own where the foul creatures may sneak up on you,” Glorfindel insisted.

The thought of orcs coming upon him had him really considering the offer. If there were several confirmed sightings of them Harry didn’t want to risk them coming after him. He was more prepared to deal with them now but that still didn’t mean that he wanted to face the horrible creatures. Harry thought he could recall Ori mentioning something about Rivendell. It was home to an elf lord who was considered one of the wisest in all of Middle Earth. He’d been around during the Last Alliance of Men and Elves. He was even on some sort of council committed to the protection of Middle Earth. If it was close by then Harry thought it couldn’t hurt to stay there for the day rather than chance being attacked by orcs.

“All right, I’ll come with you. Thank you,” Harry smiled, sleeping in a real bed would also be a nice change of pace.

“Of course,” Glorfindel gave him a quick smile in turn. “Grab your belongings. I will help you mount Asfaloth.”

“Oh, right,” Harry agreed, nervously glancing at the elf’s horse.

Harry slowly grabbed his pack, and cautiously made his way over to the horse. As soon as the horse got a good whiff of him it snorted and tried to back up a few paces.

“It’s all right, Asfaloth,” Glorfindel settled the horse, placing a soothing hand on the horse’s flank. The horse immediately calmed under its rider’s touch, trusting him implicitly.

“Horses and I don’t really get on well,” Harry laughed nervously.

“It will be fine,” Glorfindel assured.

But Harry had caught the suspicious look in his eyes when he’d turned back to look at him. It was gone in an instant, covered by a warm smile, leaving Harry wondering if it had even really been there at all or just the product of his own paranoia.

Glorfindel helped him up onto the large horse’s back before swinging up in front of him. To Harry’s surprise the horse didn’t have any further protests about allowing Harry close to him. The horse must have been exceptionally well trained. Without any further problems the two of them were off.

“Where are you traveling, Harry?” Glorfindel asked.

“Laketown,” Harry answered easily.

“Laketown? That is quite the long journey to make by yourself. Why the need to travel so far?” Glorfindel questioned curiously.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Visiting family,” Harry explained. It was the truth after all.

“Do you have no one to travel with you?” Glorfindel probed.

“I don’t have any other family. Just my father. Who I am going to visit but I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Harry decided to divulge.

“I see. You are worried about what sort of reception you shall receive,” Glorfindel deduced.

“A bit,” Harry admitted.

Harry hadn’t told Fili and Kili about his worries. They were already worried enough about him going off on his own. He’d had to keep up a confident front so they wouldn’t realize just how uncertain he was about actually facing Smaug again.

“I wish you luck then in your search for your father,” Glorfindel stated.

“Thank you. Were you traveling too?” Harry asked curiously, wondering how the elf had come upon him.

“As I mentioned before, there have been several orc sightings. I and several others have been going out on frequent scouting missions to keep an eye out for them so that we may quickly drive them from our lands. We elves are not fond of orcs and vice versus,” Glorfindel explained.

“I wonder why there are so many around?” Harry asked, hoping that maybe the elf would know something more about the orcs’ master.

“We have been wondering this ourselves. There has not been this much orc movement in a long while. It is troubling,” Glorfindel murmured.

Harry caught the slight furrowing of his brow as he turned his head to look out across the open fields they were now traveling through. It was disheartening that he didn’t know anything new. But Harry was beginning to get the impression that he was never going to get the chance to find out unless he went looking for this master person himself. Harry would like to think he knew better than to do something so reckless now. For now he would resist his burning curiosity, and focus on getting just getting to his father.

It took less then an hour to reach their destination. Harry hadn’t realized just how close he had been to civilization not that he would have attempted to visit even if he had known. He didn’t need supplies since he’d been hunting on his own and there were plenty of streams and rivers around to quench his thirst. Harry couldn’t deny that he was interested in learning a little bit about the elves firsthand.

The sight of the valley alone was enough for him to believe that coming had been a good idea. Nestled in the cliffs among large flowing waterfalls was the most beautiful city Harry had ever seen. Everything was carved from glistening white stone, and vines artfully grew along the structure making it appear as if it had grown from the cliffs.

Glorfindel led Harry up the stone steps and through the open hallways. They finally came to a stop in an open area that overlooked the city. There were white pillars with an intricately carven roof but other than that there were no walls obstructing the beautiful view around them. Another elf was waiting for them there. There was a strong sense of calm around this elf. He had long dark hair and his gray eyes radiated wisdom. He wore elaborate slivery robes, and was very obviously the lord that the elves had told him they would bring him to.

“My Lord, we have a guest coming to stay with us for a short while,” Glorfindel called.

“Do we now?” the dark haired elf quirked an eyebrow as he looked Harry over. Harry was surprised to see a flash of recognition pass across his eyes.

“Indeed, he was traveling on his own, and I thought that he could use a bit of comfort from the road,” Glorfindel explained.

“Welcome to the Valley of Imladris, the Last Homely House East of the Sea or as it is more commonly known, Rivendell. I am Lord Elrond,” the dark haired elf informed him warmly.

“Nice to meet you, Lord Elrond. I’m Harry, thank you for letting me stay for a bit,” Harry nodded to the elf lord.

“Certainly Harry, Rivendell is always welcome to those in need,” Lord Elrond smiled.

“Glorfindel will show you to your room, and I hope that you will join us for supper this evening?” Elrond questioned.

“Yes, thank you, again,” Harry followed Glorfindel to his room.

It was a beautiful room, which Harry was more than grateful for. He took a short nap. While his bruises were better, they still weren’t quite entirely healed yet.

Once he was awake he cautiously left his room and set about exploring the city. Glorfindel assured him that he was free to explore and if he got lost to ask anyone he happened across for directions. Harry walked through a couple of gardens and eventually settled down to watch some of the elves practicing with their longbows. Their aim was incredible, something that probably took hundreds of years to perfect, and Harry ended up watching them until dinnertime.

Dinner was held outside, and Harry sat beside Elrond and his twin sons Elrohir and Elladan. Glorfindel also joined them along with several others. Dinner with the elves was definitely a much different affair than all of his dinners with the dwarves or really any of the meals he’d had in the Great Hall in Hogwarts. The elves were much more reserved. Not that they were bad company of course. They were kind, and knew many interesting things about history considering most of them had been around for the events. It was just different, and had Harry missing his friends both human and dwarf.

After dinner, Lord Elrond asked Harry to go for a walk with him. Harry agreed of course, and the two of them started on a leisurely stroll through Rivendell. The sun was just beginning to set and elves were preparing lanterns to provide light throughout the city. Harry had wanted to leave tonight but Lord Elrond had insisted that he stay just one more day. He had agreed because he wasn’t entirely healed yet. Harry had also been making good time, and thought he could spare a few days to rest. After all there was no way that the Company on their horses could have caught up to him by now.

“I must be honest with you, Harry, I was aware of your impending arrival,” Lord Elrond began.

“What do you mean, you were aware of my impending arrival?” Harry frowned, instantly on guard.

“A messenger arrived from Lothlorien a little over a week ago. It was a message from the Lady Galadriel herself explaining who you are, and to keep an eye out for a young traveler fitting your description making his way towards the Lonely Mountain. I have asked my scouts to keep an eye out for you to ensure you did not run afoul of any orcs,” Lord Elrond explained.

Harry knew who Lady Galadriel was. She came up quite a bit in the history books that Ori had read with him. Galadriel was the Lady of Lothlorien, and had many gifts including the ability of seeing visions of the future. She was also on the White Council, and supposed to be very wise and knowledgeable.

“What did she say about me exactly?” Harry questioned.

Inside he was panicking about just how much they knew, and what they were planning on doing with that information. Lord Elrond didn’t seem openly hostile but considering how long the elves’ lives were they could have just perfected their poker faces.

“Have no fear, Harry, you are safe here. We mean you no harm. Lady Galadriel explained your situation to me. Not everything but enough to understand why you here. She herself has not seen every detail of your life, only the necessary pieces. I know that you have grown up in another world, and that you have only recently returned to Arda. I know that you are now journeying to reunite with your father in the Lonely Mountain,” Lord Elrond told him carefully.

“So you know what I am?” Harry asked, feeling a surge of ice rush through his veins.

“Yes, I am aware that you are a dragon,” Lord Elrond held his gaze so that Harry could see there was no condemnation in his own eyes.

“What do you want from me? Who else knows?” Harry demanded.

“Please, Harry. I promise you have nothing to fear from me or anyone else here. Only Lady Galadriel and I are aware of this truth, and as I said we do not know every intimate detail of your life. We want nothing from you. Lady Galadriel contacted me only because she wanted me to take the chance to speak with you. She also wished to make sure I knew that I could put my trust in your quest to reach Erebor. She feared what might have happened had my scouts spotted you, and learned the truth without knowing to trust you. Certainly we would have done our best to stop you even if it meant ending your life.” Lord Elrond calmly informed him.

“I suppose I wouldn’t blame you. From what I’ve learned dragons aren’t exactly the most well liked beings in Middle Earth,” Harry muttered. He wanted to know just how much this Lady Galadriel knew about him.

“I admit it was a bit difficult to accept this information at first. Dragons as a race are vicious, dark creatures. Bred only for destruction. I trust Lady Galadriel’s judgment. From my own observations today, I can sense that you are not like the others of your kind. It is curious how this came about. I wonder if this is due to the influence of your human upbringing. Even now you are able to retain the shape of one,” Lord Elrond mused.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t have any memories of what happened or who did this to me. Did Lady Galadriel say anything about how I became human or ended up in another world? Do you know anything about it?” Harry asked, hoping that he would finally get some answers.

“I’m afraid not, Harry. The reasons behind your abduction were unclear. I do not know who could have possibly done this or what purpose it could have possibly served them,” Lord Elrond frowned. It obviously bothered him that he didn’t know the reasons behind it.

“So Lady Galadriel wants me to meet with Smaug? Does she know how it will turn out?” Harry probed.

“She is certain that if you do not go, disaster will befall all those involved in waking Smaug,” Lord Elrond explained. “However it was not clear how much better your presence would influence matters. I suppose it depends entirely on the choices that you make during your reunion.”

“Well, then I suppose I should make sure I don’t mess up,” Harry muttered.

He couldn’t deny that this did make him nervous. If Harry decided to never approach Smaug did that mean he would have killed the dwarves who woke him? Would they kill Smaug? It made Harry even more determined to reach the mountain. Even if seeing Smaug might not meet his expectations.

“You want to see Smaug, yet you feel guilty for it,” Elrond stated knowingly.

“I do, why wouldn’t I after all the things I’ve learned about him? He’s a monster who doesn’t seem to care about anyone but himself and gold. But I still want to meet him,” Harry explained.

“To you, Smaug was not a monster. He was a loving father. It is not wrong for you to want to seek him out. To want to meet the one who loved and cared for you in your youth. His own transgressions are not your own. Perhaps seeing you again will remind him of better times,” Lord Elrond purposed.

“And if it doesn’t?” Harry demanded. He couldn’t help but be wonder. As Elrond had said dragons were vicious and self-serving. Would Harry prove to be too human for Smaug to accept?

Lord Elrond gazed at him steadily. “Then I fear there will be great repercussions, and many lives will be lost. I would have been quite against the dwarves returning to the mountain if you were not here. Waking Smaug would not be an intelligent decision with an entire army at their backs let alone the small force they have at their disposal. Waking him would no doubt cause a rampage, which we are ill equipped to deal with. With you there upon his waking the outcome may be quite different.”

“Wonderful,” Harry sighed.

“Do not lose hope. Lady Galadriel believes reuniting with Smaug will give everyone their best chance of survival,” Lord Elrond reminded him.

“Right,” Harry nodded, feeling a bit more confident about the upcoming confrontation. “Maybe you can tell me a little bit more about dragons while I’m here? It could be helpful when I meet with Smaug.”

“What do you know of dragons?” he countered.

“Pretty much nothing,” Harry sighed.

Lord Elrond nodded looking thoughtful before he began to explain about the creation of dragons. Of course to understand it he had to tell him all about the history and creation of Arda. He told Harry about Eru Iluvatar, the creator of everything, and his Ainur or as the elves called them the Valar. They had created the landscape of Middle Earth, and its people. Harry had wondered if they were responsible for Harry’s traveling between worlds. Lord Elrond didn’t know but told him that it was certainly possible. They had the power and ability to do so. It was a lot to take in to know for certain that this world had actual god-like beings watching over them.

There were fifteen Valar originally but only fourteen after Melkor who later went by Morgoth split from them. He started some great war, which led to him eventually creating dragons in hopes of using them to destroy his enemies. The first winged dragon Morgoth created was Ancalagon who was undoubtedly the mightiest of all winged firedrakes. He was apparently so large that when he was struck down he crushed an entire range of volcanoes. Lord Elrond’s father, Earendil the Mariner, was actually the one to put a stop to his reign of terror.

“That name sounds familiar, and not because the first half is my birth name,” said Harry with a frown as he tried to recall where he had heard.

“Yes, it is interesting that Smaug would have decided to name you after Ancalagon,” Lord Elrond nodded.

“I remember! It was on my genealogy chart. The list with my ancestors,” Harry grinned, pleased that he had remembered.

“I believe all firedrakes hold some connection to Ancalagon the Black,” Elrond informed him.

“No, he wasn’t very far down on my chart. I think… No, I know he was my grandfather. My mother’s father,” Harry said with utter conviction.

“You are certain?” Lord Elrond demanded.

“Positive. My birth mother’s name was Ancia. But I don’t have any memories of her.”

“I have of heard of her. Ancia the Elegant, I believe she was known as, for the stately way she conducted herself. She was the last surviving daughter of Ancalagon. Ancia was a very proud dragon from what I know of her, and did not deign to involve herself in the fights and struggles of her kind. Of course none dared to go against knowing her strength and fierceness,” Lord Elrond explained.

“I don’t think she was involved in raising me,” Harry told him, not sure what he felt towards his birth mother who never wanted him, and who he no longer had the chance of confronting.

“No, but it seems you had a good mother in Lily Potter, if only for a short time,” Lord Elrond perceived.

“Very true, I had three great parents. I didn’t need her,” Harry smiled.

Harry turned the topic of conversation to something more pleasant. He asked Lord Elrond about his magic. Harry’s magic hadn’t been working with his wand the same as it had before the spell on him was lifted. There was a new, wilder element to his magic that didn’t quite bond with his phoenix feather wand in the same manner. He could still perform spells but it had been like using a wand that wasn’t his.

Since he’d been in Middle Earth, Harry had been trying to perform wandless magic. So far he’d only had success with fire spells, and Harry wasn’t even sure if they could be consider wandless magic as he was a dragon capable of breathing fire. He’d slowed down the knife the assassin had thrown at Fili but that had been accidental magic born from his pure terror of Fili being murdered before his very eyes. Harry had tried to recreate some semblance of moving or slowing down objects since without any success. It was frustrating not being able to rely on his magic.

“Perhaps you need a new focus for your magic,” Lord Elrond observed.

“That’s what my godfather thought. But where could I get a wand in Middle Earth?” Harry asked.

“The wizards of our world wield staffs to focus their magic, and they are a part of them. The wands of the world you came from were crafted using wood merged with a token from a magical being, correct?” Lord Elrond stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Harry nodded.

“I do not think wood would be a wise choice for you to use any longer,” Elrond murmured.

“Why not?” Harry asked curiously.

“Dragon and wood, is not always the best of combinations,” Lord Elrond pointed out.

“I can’t argue with that logic,” Harry chuckled.

Lord Elrond smiled as well.

Harry once again changed the subject of their conversation. He was a bit worn out by everything they had discussed. It was a lot to take in. But he was actually glad Lord Elrond already knew the truth about him. He had provided helpful feedback and information about his situation, and was even willing to help him further.

“I suppose I really have to make sure I reach Erebor sooner rather than later,” Harry murmured, thinking back to Lady Galadriel’s insistence that Harry should be the one to wake Smaug.

“Yes, but I believe that you still have some time, and I ask that you stay for at least a fortnight,” Lord Elrond requested.

Harry glanced at him in confusion.

“I have something that I would like to try in regards to your magic. Something that could be a large advantage should things with Smaug not go the way you planned,” Lord Elrond stated cryptically.

“All right, I will,” Harry agreed. His interest was piqued, and he couldn’t deny that he was interested in learning just what Lord Elrond might have planned.

Over the next several days Harry stayed with the elves. Glorfindel often spent a lot of time with him showing him around. The golden haired elf, while having decided that Harry wasn’t an immediate threat, was still suspicious of him, and wanted to keep an eye on him. Glorfindel didn’t know that Harry was in fact really a dragon. But he seemed to know that there was something more to him than met the eye. It was no doubt because of the reactions Harry tended to get from animals. A normal person didn’t cause animals to flee in terror. Glorfindel wasn’t openly hostile and was actually pretty good company.

Harry spent some time with Lord Elrond, too. The more time he spent with him the more he grew to trust the elf. The Lord of Rivendell was just as kind as Harry first suspected. He was also ancient and intelligent. Eventually Harry found himself telling Lord Elrond about his life in full. He already knew the important parts; Harry thought it couldn’t hurt if he knew about everything.

The elf lord listened quietly, and respectively. Only when Harry was finished did Elrond weigh in his thoughts.

“You have been through much, Harry, in your short life,” Elrond appeared impressed.

The two of them were sitting in one of the higher points in Rivendell. It was a beautiful view, one that Harry would always treasure. Just like he treasured the view from the top of Hogwarts’ Astronomy Tower.

“Yeah, I suppose I have. And isn’t that strange? Hundreds of years have passed here while it’s only been a little over a decade for me?” Harry asked.

“Not as strange as you would think. Only those who live above this mortal plane of being truly understand the grand workings of the worlds. It is possible that time passes more quickly in our world than in the one you have grown up in. Or perhaps you were sent forward in time when you were returned here,” Elrond explained.

“How did I end up there? Do you think the master the orcs were talking about is the same one who took me the first time?” Harry asked.

Elrond turned his gaze towards the buildings below, a contemplative look on his face.

“I am afraid I do not have the answers to your questions, Harry. I can however look through old texts and search for a way to return you to the world you grew up in. If this is what you wish?”

“I would like to go back eventually. I’d like to see my friends again, and make sure they know I’m all right. But…”

“You have grown fond of this world as well,” Lord Elrond nodded sagely.

“Yeah, I have, which complicates things,” Harry murmured.

“You have time, there is no need to worry over such things now,” Lord Elrond soothed.

“Right, of course. I should really be focusing on Smaug, and how I’m going to convince him to give back Erebor,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“I do not know Smaug. I know that he was considered to be quite deadly even among his own kind. I understand now from what you have said that losing you caused him to grow even crueler than he once was,” Lord Elrond began.

“But that’s not the only reason right? Like you said before, dragons were made to be creatures of destruction,” Harry said disparagingly.

“It is true, dragons were made to be instruments of war and devastation. The only things they care for are their hoards and themselves, and they were only ever loyal to the one who created them. Rarely do they even enjoy the company of others of their kind, and only ever spent much time in another’s presence for mating purposes or to raise their young. Some, like Smaug did with you, form attachments to their young, and would spend their lives together even after the little one was grown,” Lord Elrond explained.

“Why am I so different?” Harry questioned.

“I know not. Perhaps it is just your particular personality. Perhaps it is the influence of the spell that made you human in the first place. It is possible that it has altered you,” Lord Elrond surmised.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. He couldn’t help but think what he would have been like if he had grown up as a dragon.