Disclaimer: I do not own in any way, shape or form Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.

A/N: This story has been floating around in my head for a while now. Hope you guys like! :)

Prologue:

"Protego!" Harry yelled as he cast the shield charm.

With seething anger Voldemort looked around the room for the person who cast the spell. His snake-like face was contorted in fury at having lost Nagini. Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off and let it slide to the floor. His heart fluttered as cheers erupted around the room. But as quick as it had come the cheers died down into silence as Voldemort and Harry started circling each other. While Harry's face showed determination and confidence Voldemort had grown angrier and if looks could kill everyone in the hall would be dead.

"I don't want anyone else to try to help," Harry said loudly through the room. Through the silence Harry could have whispered and everyone would still have heard it. Ron and Hermione made their way to the front of the crowd that surrounded Harry and Voldemort. The looks on their faces told Harry that they would help no matter what.

"It's got to be like this. It's got to be me," Harry said loudly once again but mostly talking to his two best friends. He gave them a meaningful look, staring them down. Hermione placed her hand on Ron's arm and after a look between them Ron nodded to Harry.

"Potter doesn't mean that. That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?" Voldemort hissed with his eyes wide.

"Nobody," Harry simply said. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good…"

Harry was interrupted by Voldemort's laugh. His face showed no more anger but instead showed an uncontained glee as if he had succeeded.

"You cannot kill me, Potter. I have gone further than anyone to conquer death," he cackled.

Harry became slightly unnerved. Worry was building up in his stomach, had they missed something?

He knows he has lost and he's just toying with me.

"Now you, Harry Potter, will die," Voldemort sneered as he raised his wand, "Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!" the unforgivable curse left Harry's lips before he was even conscious of saying them.

With a leap Harry jumped to the side out of the way of the green flash of light that was coming his way. He cried out in pain as he landed on his shoulder as his wand flew from his hand and looked up to see his curse hit Voldemort square in the chest.

Time seemed to stand still. Voldemort's eyes were wide as if he didn't believe he had gotten hit. The crowd all seemed to be holding their breaths. It was so silent that they could hear the birds in the distance. Voldemort's lifeless body fell to the floor.

Harry made his way towards Voldemort's fallen form and turned him over to see if the dark Lord was actually dead. Ron and Hermione had run up behind Harry and placed their hands on his shoulders for support while pointing their wands at Voldemort's motionless form.

Without warning a gale force wind picked up encasing Harry, Ron, Hermione and Voldemort's body in an impenetrable shell of air. Ron and Hermione cried as their wands were whipped from their hands. The wind around them blew faster and faster and it took everything the trio had to hold on to each other.

Harry's heart dropped as a grey mist rose from Voldemort's body. The grey was unmistakably the spirit of Voldemort and the spirit's eyes seemed to be laughing at him. A heavy weight settled in his stomach as he realised that they had missed a horcrux. After all that time and effort Voldemort had another one and Harry had no idea what the horcrux could have been.

The wind changed direction and started swirling around them like a whirlpool. Their wind shell was so thick that the trio could only see vague blurry figures on the outside. The wind whipped around them roaring in their ears. Then Harry felt the familiar sensation of a portkey. He couldn't breathe as he was sucked through a miniscule tube barely aware that Hermione and Ron were with him.

Chapter 1:

There was silence. Harry shot up from where he landed on the floor. Ron and Hermione were stirring next to him. The grey mist of Voldemort fled from the little clearing that they had landed in. It took Harry everything he had to not run after Voldemort's spirit. His breathing was heavy as he stood hopeless within the clearing.

It was night and the moon was full which cast a silvery glow. It seemed that the trio had landed in a small clearing in the middle of an old forest. The trees were ancient and gnarled with dark green leaves that looked black in the night. The ground was hard dirt with no grass and thick roots from the trees crept across the ground. Harry was reminded of the forbidden forest at Hogwarts. Perhaps that's where they were? But no, something about this place felt different. The very atmosphere was more threatening and dangerous. This wasn't the forbidden forest.

"Bloody hell, what happened? Where are we?" Ron asked as he came to stand beside Harry.

"It seems as though we missed a horcrux," Harry replied lightly but inside he was barely containing the anger at their defeat.

Hermione picked herself from the ground with a gasp of pain. She had landed on a sharp rock and now had a nasty cut on her leg. Thick red blood ran down her calf in small rivers.

"Shit Hermione, your leg," Ron panicked.

"Don't worry about me, it's nothing that can't be easily fixed. What happened to Voldemort?" Hermione replied as she started ripping her shirt for a bandage.

Despite her dismissal Ron took the ripped cloth from her and started bandaging her leg. Hermione looked unnaturally pale in the moonlight and Harry started to worry. None of them had their wands and they were in an unknown place with Voldemort's spirit on the loose.

"Well Voldemort fled in that direction," Harry gestured.

They all turned to look at the darkness between the trees where Harry pointed. They all knew how bad their situation was. Ron was panicking, Hermione's brain was in overdrive and Harry was oddly calm after his anger faded away.

A shiver went down Harry's spine putting him on full alert. His muscles tensed and he rose on the balls of his feet. He listened with intensity as his eyes searched through the darkness. Then he heard it, a slight twang that he would've missed if he wasn't listening. Harry then heard the rushing of an object fly through the darkness. It was the sound of an arrow. He remembered the sound from the arrows that the centaurs used. The arrow was flying towards them, or rather, towards him.

Harry let his instincts take over. As the arrow came closer he moved his muscles and adjusted his position. The black arrow burst into the clearing and before Ron and Hermione had even registered anything they started from his sudden movement and saw Harry standing with an oddly serene look on his face and a black arrow clutched lightly in his hand.

"What? Harry! Are you alright?" Hermione yelped when she saw the arrow.

Harry held up his hand for silence. He could smell them, hear them. A group of foul creatures was moving towards them, with silent haste. They smelt rank of sweat and gore. Their breaths were heavy but he knew Ron and Hermione couldn't hear them. Whatever they were Harry didn't want to find out.

"Run!" Harry whispered urgently as he pointed Ron and Hermione away from the creatures.

Years of trust caused Ron and Hermione to run without question. Harry followed behind them the arrow still clutched in his hand. As they left the clearing 15 arrows sped after them hitting trees and the ground near their feet. No arrows hit the trio but Ron and Hermione ran with new vigour. Looming trees sped past them as the trio ran for their lives. They could hear the group of creatures pursuing them as their attackers felt no more need for secrecy.

Occasionally an arrow or two would be fired through the air at them but their attackers concentrated on catching up to their prey. Hermione was falling behind due to her leg injury and Harry knew that they could not keep this up for long. Ron was doing his best to help Hermione but their attackers were catching up, fast.

Harry heard another arrow fly towards them. He could have easily sidestepped it but Hermione was in the line of fire. He knew it was dangerous and couldn't possibly catch the arrow as he ran but he had to save her. Call it his Gryffindor recklessness if you will. As the arrow grew closer Harry stopped, turned and threw his hands up in an attempt to catch it.

Burning pain erupted in his left hand but Harry started running again. He could feel the warm flow of blood and looked down. His stomach lurched as he saw that the arrow had passed straight through his hand, blood pooling around the shaft. Harry looked up again to find his view ahead clear. Panic exploded within his chest, where were Ron and Hermione? He came to a stop and did a 360 turn looking for them. His two best friends were nowhere to be seen. Dread settled deep within him.

Berating himself for losing them, Harry started off running again just as a flurry of arrows hit the ground he had just vacated. The worry for his friends burned within him taking his mind off of his injuries. He didn't know where they were, they were on their own. Harry told himself that if he got out of this mess he would search night and day until he found them.

His breath came in ragged gasps as his feet pounded the hard ground. Harry's eyes strained from looking out for the roots in the dark so he didn't trip. Every beat of his heart sent a shoot of pain through his tired body. His legs felt heavy and his body also ached with exhaustion.

The creatures behind him had lessened but Harry guessed that there were around five still chasing him. No arrows had been fired in a while and Harry hoped that it meant they had run out. It was still dark but the moon was nearing the end of its journey across the sky.

Harry glanced behind him. He could see the outlines of the creatures in the trees. Using whatever energy he had left Harry put on a burst of speed. The grunts from behind him meant that the creatures put on a burst of speed also.

I don't think I can last much longer, Harry thought with despair.

Images of Ron and Hermione came to him. He thought of Ginny and the rest of his friends. He couldn't give up, not until Voldemort is dead for good. Harry was determined and if Voldemort couldn't kill him then these creatures stood no chance.

Preparing himself Harry gripped the arrow he had caught earlier in his good hand. It was the only weapon he had so he had to make it count. After clearing his mind Harry planted his feet and spun around. Before the creatures could react he ran towards them and thrust the arrow through the eye and into the brain of the first creature. It fell limp and Harry pulled the arrow back out to do the same thing to the next creature.

Two of the creatures fell dead to the ground before the other three reacted. The surprise of Harry's attack was spent and the rest of the creatures drew their weapons and attacked. Harry ducked to the ground to avoid the three weapons and rolled. As he jumped back up Harry took a spear from one of the dead creatures and thrust it into the closest attacker then jumped to the side to avoid the other two.

Now Harry had felled three of his attackers he stood a better chance of survival. The two remaining creatures were taking no chances and were on guard. It would take some effort for Harry to kill these two.

With two identical grunts the creatures closed in on Harry. Jumping to the left so he didn't get speared Harry wasn't quick enough to totally avoid the other's weapon. The cool metal slid across his stomach leaving the skin burning and weeping blood. Harry twisted to get out of the way and at the same time swung his leg around and swept the creature off its feet. As quick as a flash Harry tore the spear from the creature's hands and plunged it into the exposed flesh of its neck.

The last creature left swung it's sword to decapitate the young human as it felled another of its kin. At the last second Harry sensed the blade coming towards him and ducked. The blade passed over his head and came back down this time aimed for Harry's heart. With a last cry Harry felt the magic within him explode out. Harry watched as the creature before him burst into flames and crumpled in a pile of ash. His vision grew dark as he was pulled into unconsciousness.

Ron ran as he gripped Hermione's arm. She was fading and fast. Her face was so white that it seemed to glow in the moonlight and she was barely staying conscious. She had lost so much blood from her leg wound. They had been running for what seemed like hours and it was only a couple of minutes ago that he realised Harry was no longer behind them. Ron had no idea when his best friend had fallen behind but he prayed that Harry was ok. He knew that despite what happened Harry would want him to continue on and look out for Hermione.

There were three creatures behind them and Ron was glad that the other's seemed to have buggered off. The creatures were unlike anything Ron had ever seen. No textbook had ever mentioned them and not even Hagrid had told them about these things. They had a human figure but that's the only thing they have in common with humans. Ron could only make out a few things in the dark but the smell is what stood out to him. The smell of death burned his nose. The creatures sounded like feral animals.

Ron tripped as Hermione's leg gave out and fell to the ground. Without thinking he jumped up and put himself between the monsters and Hermione. The creatures snarled showing razor sharp teeth as they drew their weapons. Ron could see in their eyes that these creatures would take sick pleasure in torturing and killing them.

"Ron," Hermione weakly cried.

"Run Hermione, go!" Ron ordered. Hermione would not suffer at the hands of these monsters.

Hermione picked herself up off the ground trying her best to ignore the pain and exhaustion that burned through her body. She wanted to stay and help Ron but she knew that there was nothing that she could do to help. So with a last glance at Ron Hermione continued running with new determination. It wasn't long before she heard Ron cry out in pain but she continued on even as tears fell from her eyes.

The sun was rising when Hermione fell to the ground in a heap, unable to go any further. The last few hours were a haze of pain and despair. Every movement she made caused her body to erupt in searing pain. She was lying in between the roots of an old tree not caring if any of those creatures were still chasing her. Tears were still falling from her eyes not just for Ron but for Harry, wondering if she would see them again and the fact that they had failed in killing Voldemort. She tuned out her surroundings as she let hopelessness, fear and despair wash over her. The trees groaned and swayed around her. Hermione eventually fell into a fitful sleep plagued with nightmares.

As soon as she was asleep the trees groaned and swayed as they talked to each other. Sunlight streamed in through the canopy of leaves and by the time the trees stopped groaning the sun had well and truly risen. One of the trees in the area started moving and bent down to pick up Hermione and started walking.

The trees heard the whispers from their brethren saying that three young Istari had appeared out of nowhere with a burst of magic and were being chased by a pack of orcs. They were unconcerned with this matter, as most of the Istari in the lands had turned from nature and only wished that the orcs left them alone. But when a young female Istari had stumbled into sight emitting waves of wild magic before falling to the ground, Treebeard felt it was his duty to aid her.

As isolated as the trees and Ents were, Treebeard felt in his weary limbs that Middle Earth was approaching a great darkness. The three mysterious Istari were destined to play a major part in the coming war, whether for good or for evil.

So Treebeard had picked up the young Istari and travelled to the edge of the Forest where he knew a group of humans with horses were camped. Her fate now rested in their hands.

Harry woke with a start. He wrinkled his nose in disgust from the rank bodies of the creatures he killed. His body ached from exertion and his limbs felt heavy and weak. As he sat up the slash on his stomach began to bleed again but thankfully the wound was not deep. The arrow that had penetrated his hand was still there and thick blood still oozed from the wound. Other than those injuries Harry only had a few cuts and bruises.

Knowing he had to take care of his wounds Harry searched the creatures' bodies for anything that could help. There was nothing of use to be found except the weapons and with a pained sigh he leant against the trunk of a tree. Harry was lightheaded and weak with blood loss. If only he had his wand Harry could heal himself. But thankfully Hermione had insisted that they learnt Muggle first aid back when they were training for the war.

Harry closed his eyes and listened. In the distance he could hear the small trickle of a stream. Picking up the sword he scavenged Harry slowly and painfully made his way over to the stream. When he got there Harry lay against a tree and regained the little energy that he could.

Moving next to the stream Harry shed his robes leaving him in only his jeans. As carefully as he could Harry ripped several strips of cloth from his robes. Taking his white shirt Harry wet it and started cleaning the slash on his stomach. Pushing past the pain Harry cleaned it until he was satisfied that he wouldn't get an infection from the blade. Using some of the strips of cloth he bandaged the freely bleeding cut.

Looking at his left hand in dread Harry gulped. Removing the arrow would be painful. After taking a few deep breaths Harry snapped the shaft. A torrent of searing pain erupted from the wound. Before he could chicken out Harry pulled the arrow from his hand with a cry of pain, almost blacking out. His hand was now heavily bleeding and throbbed in agony.

Harry plunged his hand in the stream hoping that the cool water would provide some relief. Picking up the shirt Harry scrubbed at his wound and watched as the red blood mixed with the water. Using the rest of the strips of cloth he bound his hand as tight of he could.

He lay back against the tree by the stream and closed his eyes. Just cleaning and dressing his wounds had exhausted all his energy. Harry's hand was throbbing and he knew that the bandage would do little good.

If only I had my wand, he thought bitterly.

But then Harry thought back to when he killed that last creature. He had used his magic, not consciously, but perhaps he could use it again. Harry had never attempted wandless magic but now is as good a time as any.

He relaxed his whole body concentrating solely on his magical core. Harry spent his time analysing and getting a feel for his core. With his mind he willed his magic to heal his hand but was disappointed when his magic barely stirred. Harry thought about the feeling of casting magic with his wand. It was effortless but he remembered back in his first year at Hogwarts how hard it was for him to change that matchstick into a needle.

Determined to try again Harry concentrated on his magical core. He visualised his magic to be in a cocoon and to use it he had to make a gap for the magic to exit the cocoon so it could be used and manipulated. Harry mustered up his willpower and tried to push his magic from inside the cocoon but it evaded his attempts.

Harry was getting slightly annoyed but it was only his second try and the only person who he knew could do wandless magic was Dumbledore and young children who do accidental magic. He thought back to the times when he had cast accidental magic. He had used magic when he was under threat or his emotions were running high, like extreme anger. Thinking of a moment when he was angry Harry tried to use his emotions to fuel his magic. Yet again nothing happened.

He needed some way for his magic to escape the cocoon so he could use it. Visualising a doorway on the cocoon Harry tried to coerce his magic to go through the door. With excitement he felt his magic stir, awaiting his command. Harry mentally urged the tendrils of magic to travel down his arm into his hand. He could feel it, the magic sitting in the palm of his hand beneath his skin just ready to be used.

Heal the wound, Harry thought to his magic.

Slowly his wound began to close up as his hand was knitted back together by the magic. Once it was done his magic sat in his palm once more waiting for another command. The use of wandless magic drained whatever energy Harry had and he felt exhausted. He released the hold that his mind had on his magic and he felt it drain away back to his core.

Undoing the bandage on his hand Harry saw the flawless skin. There was no sign that the arrow had been there. Harry was elated, he had used wandless magic. With some practice he was sure that he could become and expert at using it. With a smile Harry succumbed to the darkness of sleep beneath the tree by the stream.

When Harry awoke he was feeling much better. While he slept his stomach wound had closed and the tired ache had mostly faded from his muscles. He thought that his magic had helped heal his wounds while he was sleeping or that there was something in the water. With the absence of pain he became aware of the gnawing hunger, thirst and the cold that sapped his warmth. Looking around him Harry took in his surroundings as he had not done when he first came to the stream.

The trees here looked older than the trees he had first seen. They were taller and their trunks were thick and broad. Their roots were about as thick as Harry himself and they dug deep into the cold hard ground. The thick canopy blocked out most sunlight so Harry couldn't tell what time of day it was. There was a slight mist that blanketed the ground which stole away any warmth.

Harry knelt down by the stream and drank some water. It was cool, refreshing and tasted earthy. As it quenched his thirst the water stopped him from feeling quite so hungry. It was fine for now but Harry knew that he needed to eat something soon or he would die of starvation. After putting his the remains of his robes back on and strapping the sword to his belt Harry set off in search for food.

Ron had accepted the fact that he was going to die. He was wandless, without a weapon and up against three unknown and intimidating creatures with weapons. Fighting was futile if he wanted to live. But determination burned in his eyes. It took all of his courage and bravery to not flee when every fibre of his body was screaming to run. He wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing though. If he could only hold them off long enough for Hermione to escape then dying would be worth it.

Instead of cutting him down on the spot, like he expected, the creatures slowed to a stop and drew their weapons, a wicked glint in their eyes. The middle creature started saying something to Ron but he couldn't understand. It was talking in a harsh guttural tongue and was waiting for a reply with what seemed like an evil grin. The two creatures that were flanking the middle were laughing with malice.

I need to keep them here for as long as I can, Ron thought to himself.

The middle creature repeated what it said with a kind of sadistic glee.

"Hey mate I don't understand you. Try speaking English," Ron chuckled mockingly.

The creatures couldn't understand what Ron had said but they didn't like his tone and growled low raising their swords as a threat.

The two outside creatures raised their weapons and with a growl they were to attack. The middle creature spoke to them and they lowered their weapons as they glared at Ron. The middle creature said something else which caused sadistic grins to form. Ron could tell that he would've been killed right there if the middle creature hadn't stopped them, but why? What else did these creatures have in store for him?

The monsters spoke a few more words to each other while keeping an eye on Ron in case he started to run. They then turned to Ron and before he knew what was happening the middle creature had struck out. With a cry Ron slumped to the ground unconscious now at the mercy of the creatures.

A/N: There's the first chapter! Please tell me what you guys think! :)