For the rest of the day Harry did his best to forget the incident with the ring. It was just a flare up of his own dragon-induced desire for gold. The ring was the first new piece of gold he'd seen in months. It was bound to stir up his gold lust.
However, that night, as he lay down to sleep a shadowy figure, and a fiery eye plagued his dreams. The figure was calling to him, whispering to him in the same voice the ring had spoken to him in. It crooned to him, weaving heavy chains of magic around him, turning his mind sluggish and foggy until he didn't know what was real, and what was a dream. It told him to come to him, and so Harry did.
He flew far and fast over the dark and shadowy land until he reached the ruins of an old fortress. A horde of orcs was marching from the ruins but they all froze when Harry circled overhead. He paid them no mind, he had another destination in mind. Harry dropped down into the courtyard where the shadowed figure waited for him.
"Finally, you are returned to me," the shadow man spoke in the grating tongue of Black Speech.
Harry didn't speak. He couldn't speak even though a part of him was starting to wake up, to realize that this may be more than just a dream.
"I had so much planned for you. All ruined by a mistake," the shadow man hissed as he moved around Harry.
Harry clawed against the fogginess of his own mind. He was waking up but he was still trapped inside himself. His body wasn't his to command anymore. It was worse than being under the Imperius because he was aware of what was happening but he simply had no control over his own body, and Harry could not fight it.
"I needed a vessel strong enough to anchor me to this mortal world until I could find the Ring. You are the grandchild of Ancalagon, the winged firedrake forged by Morgoth himself, one of the few viable vessels who would be able to contain me. Now you are returned to me, and soon I will no longer be formless. I am not nearly as weak as I once was, and using your form will anchor me to this world making me even stronger," the shadow man crooned.
The man made of darkness began to chant. Harry gasped in pain as his body began folding in on itself. Soon he was left panting in his human form, curling into a ball on the rough black stone. The dark magic around him was pressing down on him, making him feel weak and sick to his stomach. But it was also familiar. He'd felt this magic before, felt it as it forced his body to take on a shape that was unnatural to it.
The shadow man had been the one to take him and remake him. The reason Harry hadn't been able to make out his shape in his nightmares was because he didn't have one. The creature didn't actually have a body. He had wanted to use Harry's.
"Once I have the Ring and my own body is restored to me. You can serve me as your grandfather served Morgoth. You will help me bring about the Age of Orc. You will bring fire and death to Middle Earth in my name," the shadow man purred.
A voice rang out through the fortress ruins. The shadow man hissed, and his form scattered into the surrounding shadows. A burst of light swept through the ruins. It washed over Harry, and helped to weaken the hold the dark chains of magic had over him. A second pulse of magic had him sitting up, and shaking off even more of its hold.
For the first time he was really able to grasp that this wasn't a dream. This was real. Somehow the shadow man had controlled his unconscious mind, and brought him here.
"Harry," a voice called.
The wizard, Gandalf made his way into his view. Harry looked up at the wizard.
"Are you all right, child? How did you come to find yourself in such a foul place?" Gandalf questioned in concern.
He pulled out a small cloak that had been tucked into his belt, and wrapped it around Harry's bare shoulders. Harry gripped the cloak tightly.
"Him," Harry pointed behind the gray wizard where the shadows were gathering back into the vague form of a man.
Gandalf whirled around to face the shadow man.
"There is no light, wizard, that can defeat the darkness," the shadow man hissed.
A swell of dark, shadowy magic swarmed towards the old man. The wizard raised his staff and a dome of bright white magic surrounded Harry and the wizard. The wizard couldn't hold it. The shadows were relentless in slamming against the white dome of magic. Harry wanted to help him. But he didn't know any shielding spells, and at the moment he didn't have pants let alone his wand.
The shield shattered. Gandalf was slammed against the stone wall behind them, and pinned there by the dark magic from the shadow man. Harry watched as the shadow man's form caught fire making him glow within the swarm of shadows around him.
"Sauron!" Gandalf cried.
The now named Sauron laughed, his laughter ringing through the ruins of the fortress.
"I have returned, and soon my darkness will spread to all the corners of Middle Earth," Sauron boasted.
"You hold no power here without the Ring," Gandalf glared.
"I don't have it, yet. Soon I will have a body, and I will have Erebor as a stronghold. The dragon Smaug will aid me in this endeavor, and his son will lend me his form. The Kingdom of Angmar shall rise again," Sauron claimed.
"Son?" Gandalf frowned.
"Let me introduce you to Ancal, the son of Smaug, grandson of Ancalagon the Black," Sauron swept a fiery arm towards Harry.
Harry had managed to climb to his feet so at the very least he didn't look like he was cowering on the ground.
"How?" The wizard's bushy gray eyebrows rose in shock.
"Centuries ago I captured him. I used what little power I had collected to mold his dragon form into a suitable vessel for myself. However, I misjudged my strength, and control. Before I could complete the spell, my power weakened the wall between worlds, and Ancal was pulled through to another realm. I had given him up as a lost course of action until recently. I felt his presence when he passed into the realm of the dead, being close to death myself. I was able to locate him in another world and pull him back to this one," Sauron explained.
Gandalf's brows drew into a frown.
Harry's eyes widened. Voldemort killing him had made it possible for Sauron to find him. Why were Dark Lords always after him? Sauron wasn't like Voldemort. The dark wizard had been powerful and the terror of wizarding Britain. But Sauron was different. Harry didn't know a lot about him but he knew enough that Sauron was more powerful than any wizard or witch from Earth even without his body. He was a different sort of being, and he was ancient, even older than Smaug.
Harry was realistic enough to know he couldn't hold a candle to Sauron. But he knew that he wouldn't let Sauron use his body. He had to do something. All of the times he'd faced Voldemort he'd been facing situations far beyond his own abilities. Of course the only way he'd survived was sheer dumb luck, and his reckless bravery. Hopefully that luck had transferred over with him.
The only spells he was capable of performing without his wand were fire spells. If he could distract Sauron maybe Gandalf would be able to break free. Once free the more experienced wizard might be able to find a way to get the two of them out of here.
Harry gathered the well of strength inside him. He was fairly certain he would only have one shot at this before he was completely magically exhausted.
"Incendio," Harry hissed, and directed every bit of fire inside him surging towards Sauron.
Harry was surprised by the sheer size of the flames that burst from him. The fire blasted towards Sauron like a tidal wave, and completely surrounded him. Harry could only hear Gandalf hit the ground. He didn't dare let his focus waver from the flames he was directing towards the Dark Lord to check on the wizard.
A spear of darkness shot through Harry's flames, and slammed into him. Harry flew through the air, and landed in a heap by Gandalf's feet. The wizard was leaning heavily on his staff as he tried rallying his strength.
"Valiant effort, but your power is nothing compared to mine," Sauron hissed.
"I won't let you use me," Harry snarled, jutting out his chin stubbornly.
"Neither will I," Gandalf moved to stand between Sauron and Harry.
"You can't stand against me either, wizard," Sauron spat.
"I can," a soft, lilting female voice responded.
Harry turned to see an ethereally beautiful woman or rather elf as it turned out due to her pointed ears. She had long flowing golden blonde hair that blended in with her pristine flowing white dress. She stood out, almost glowing amongst the darkness of this oppressing place.
"Lady Galadriel," Gandalf breathed in awe.
Harry remembered her. She had been the one to tell Elrond about Harry. She was the Lady of Lothlorien. He felt hope rise inside his chest.
She threw up her hand, and the entire fortress shuddered. She had broken the dark, oppressive magic that surrounded the fortress. As the magic faded so did the magic holding Harry in his human form.
"You still cannot defeat me alone," Sauron growled.
Harry watched as metal clad ghosts separated themselves from the walls of the fortress.
"I am not alone," Lady Galadriel smiled serenely.
Harry watched as a man dressed in white, with a long white, and a black staff swept into the courtyard. It was easy to guess that he must have been a wizard as well. The other figure that strode into the courtyard was someone Harry knew. Lord Elrond looked fierce in his shining gold armor. He only sent Harry a quick smile before focusing his attention completely on fighting the dark ghosts. Harry was fairly certain they were the infamous Ring Wraiths, mortal kings who were bound to Sauron through the rings of power he had given them.
"Harry, take Gandalf back with you to Erebor. They will need both of you there. An army of Orcs is marching upon it, and your father will be quite distraught once he realizes you are missing. Let's try to avoid such a fate shall we?" Lady Galadriel smiled.
Harry nodded. He knew better than to argue about this. This was not his fight. He would only get in the way, and after all it was Harry that Sauron wanted to turn into his own personal suit.
It was Gandalf who protested, "My lady."
"Go Mithrandir, you are needed elsewhere. You must go," Lady Galadriel insisted.
Harry didn't waste any time and he shifted.
"And Harry will get you there in no time at all. After all how many can say they flew upon a dragon's back," Lady Galadriel smirked before turning her full attention back to Sauron.
Gandalf looked Harry over with incredulity. Harry supposed he shouldn't give the wizard anymore time to think about it, and did to him what he often did to Fili. He grabbed him up by the back of his robes, and deposited him on his shoulders much to the wizard's displeasure.
Harry didn't waste any time waiting around. He launched himself into the air. Gandalf yelped but the wizard kept his seat. Sauron attempted to stop his flight but Lady Galadriel threw up a shining wall of protection between them.
Harry safely made their escape into the air. He climbed high up into the sky putting a good distance between them and Sauron.
"What direction am I going?" Harry asked.
"Follow the light," Gandalf ordered.
An orb of light appeared before Harry. It shot off to the left, and Harry turned to follow. The faster Harry flew the faster the orb zipped ahead of him. Harry could almost pretend he was playing Quidditch, and trying to catch the Snitch. He pushed himself to fly faster than he ever had before.
Soon Harry was able to recognize that they were flying over the Mirkwood. Two hours later, and he was able to catch sight of the Long Lake in the distance. Before long they crossed the lake, and were making their way towards Dale.
"I think it would be best, Harry, that you keep your distance from Dale. It seems occupied at the moment, and a dragon flying over it might cause quite a panic. You can drop me off here if you would be so kind," Gandalf brought up.
"Right," Harry agreed.
He dropped towards the ground, and landed on the shore of the lake.
"Thank you for the swift journey, Harry," Gandalf nodded to him.
"You're welcome," Harry nodded back. "I'm going to go back up to the mountain before my father realizes I'm gone, and comes out to burn Dale and Laketown to the ground... Again."
"A wise decision, I should think," Gandalf smiled.
"Will you talk to the elves and men of Laketown?" Harry questioned. "If there are Orcs coming I don't exactly think it would be the best idea for them to start a fight with the dwarves."
"I wholeheartedly agree. We can't be divided with an army of orcs coming our way. I will see what they want, and do my best to try to dissuade them from attacking the mountain. I assume you and your father are guarding it?"
"We've come to an agreement with the dwarves," Harry nodded.
"Good, we will speak more you and I about what has occurred when the threat of war isn't quite so pressing. I would be interested to hear of your experiences, and I might be able to answer some questions you may still have," Gandalf offered.
"I would like that," Harry agreed.
"It's settled then. Until next we meet," Gandalf smiled, and started off towards Dale.
"Bye," Harry called, and shot back into the air.
He climbed higher into the clouds then he had been flying before. The sun was beginning to peek above the horizon but it was still dark enough for Harry to hide if he went above the clouds.
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Harry slipped through the front gates of Erebor. It seemed he had broken out that way in his rush to get to Sauron, and destroyed the barriers he'd worked to put up earlier. He quickly worked to carefully put the barriers back up.
"Harry, you're up early."
Harry whirled to see Oin behind him.
"Yeah, I just wanted to check on the barriers," Harry explained.
"Oh, good lad you are, even if you are dragon," the healer patted his clawed hand and wandered off back down the hallway.
Harry loosed a sigh of relief, and swiftly made his way to his and Smaug's chambers. His sire was still asleep or at least he thought he was.
"Where have you been?" Smaug demanded the moment Harry settled down beside him.
"Promise you won't throw a temper tantrum," Harry commanded.
Smaug narrowed his golden eyes at Harry.
"I promise. Now explain."
Harry told him everything about what had happened to him that night. Smaug was utterly infuriated with himself for not noticing Harry slip out.
"I have failed you again, my son. I let Sauron steal you twice and did nothing to stop you," Smaug hung his head in shame.
"It's not your fault, sire," Harry insisted. "And I'm safe now. Lady Galadriel will take care of Sauron."
"For now. But I don't think even she could completely banish Sauron from the world. Not as long as his Ring remains," Smaug hissed.
Something about a ring flickered across Harry's mind but it was gone in the next moment.
"I won't let him take you a third time," Smaug swore.
Harry nuzzled him, and explained that Gandalf was going to try and talk with the men and elves to stop them from attacking because of the impending orc army.
"This is my chance to rain vengeance down upon the orcs," Smaug grinned, his eyes glowing fiercely.
"We both can," Harry nodded.
"Yes, we can," Smaug agreed.
Harry settled back down into the gold while Smaug went to tell the dwarves about the approaching orc armies so that Harry could rest. He wanted the chance to rest for a bit before the orcs came. Harry had spent the entire night flying, and he needed to rest his muscles if he was going to fight. Harry wasn't afraid of the fighting anymore. He was ready now. He wouldn't allow himself to be taken hostage again.
Smaug woke him with a gentle nudge.
"Negotiations between the elves, men, and dwarves are dissolving quickly. I think we will be needed before the orcs even arrive," Smaug explained.
Harry quickly climbed to his feet, and followed Smaug out to the main entrance. They arrived just in time to watch an army of dwarves appear over the side of the hill. An army of men and elves were already set up in the small valley below Thorin and his Company's perch.
Thorin's cousin, Dain, was the one leading the dwarf army. Harry could only chuckle at the dwarf kindly asking the elves to go sod off. But the elves didn't move an inch. Their leader, who was sitting astride a giant elk, merely smirked as Dain continued to rant despite Gandalf's attempts to ease the tension between everyone by bringing up the impending arrival of the army of orcs. It didn't work, and Thorin had enough when the elf lord insulted his sanity.
"If our army will not persuade you to leave perhaps our new allies will change your mind, elf. After all I know how fond you are of dragon fire," Thorin shouted over the din, a smirk on his face.
The elf lord frowned in confusion, and a flicker of fear flashed through his eyes at the mention of dragon fire.
The newly crowned dwarf king turned to glance at Harry and Smaug where the two them were watching the goings on safely hidden from view. Thorin gave them both a nod to indicate they should reveal themselves. Smaug nodded his assent. The massive red dragon slowly pulled his massive bulk out onto to the ledge. Harry followed him.
The reactions of the armies waiting below were rather comical. There was instant shouting and panic. The elves shifted in perfect synchronization so that their army was one more faced towards the mountain their bows were trained on Smaug and Harry. The dwarves likewise turned to face them if not somewhat less organized and elegant.
Smaug roared causing everyone to instantly fall into instant silence.
"My son and I have aligned ourselves with the dwarves Erebor. To attack them is to attack us. We will defend the mountain against all challengers," Smaug boomed into the silence, following the declaration with a burst of dragon-flame into the sky.
"Our quarrel is not with you or your son, Smaug," the longhaired elf who sat on the elk entreated. His voice shook slightly and his bright blue eyes betrayed his fear as his gaze flickered between Harry and Smaug.
"It is if you seek to take the mountain," Smaug growled, eyes glowing like hellfire.
The elf looked like he would say something else but a loud crack had everyone's attention turning towards the opposite mountain range. Harry's mouth dropped open as huge worms burst out of the hills. They withdrew just as quickly as they had come. A loud command in Black Speech echoed through the valley calling forth an army. From the massive tunnels an army of orcs poured forth to the sounds of a grating horn rebounding throughout the valley.
The dwarf army, lead by Dain, instantly changed their ranks to meet the charging army head on. The elves too shifted their attention to the orcs. The dwarves built a blockade with their bodies and shields while the elves leapt over the dwarves to attack the charging orc army.
"Now is the time my son. We will burn those foul creatures from the back while the dwarves and elves cut them off at the front. Are you ready?" Smaug looked him over.
"Yes," Harry nodded firmly as he looked out over the chaos in front of him. It was a little daunting to see such carnage up close. But in only made Harry more determined that what he was about to do was the right thing.
"Then let us fly," Smaug launched himself into the air.
"Good luck, Harry!" Fili cried.
"You too," Harry nodded back to Fili and Kili.
They were getting ready to go out onto the battlefield to join their fellow dwarves. He hoped his friends would be all right. Harry was determined to protect them, and that meant burning as much of the enemy as he possibly could.
Harry launched himself into the sky to join his father who was sweeping out over the already blood covered battlefield. The orcs were panicking to see the shadows of the two dragons covering the ground. But they didn't attack those in front. They were too many dwarves, elves, and Men mixed in. There would have been too great a chance of burning them along Harry and Smaug split up. Harry went left and Smaug went right. They made their way to the back of the orc army, and only then did they unleash a torrent of flames down upon the putrid creatures.
The orcs screamed and attempted to flee from the flames. But the only place for them to run was straight into the path of the waiting dwarf, elf, and human armies. A loud horn echoed through the valley. From the other side of the valley an even larger force of orcs and trolls was moving to attack the ruins of Dale.
Smaug pulled up higher into the sky, hovering there as he watched the advancing army of trolls and orcs. Harry joined him.
"They seek to divide us. Make us fight on two fronts," Smaug shouted to Harry.
"What should we do?" Harry asked.
He didn't exactly know a lot about military, and he became uneasy when an entire troop of trolls crested the hill. The trolls stopped on the top, and it became obvious that they were carrying catapults. They instantly set themselves up and began firing large rocks at Dale.
"We must take out the trolls and their catapults. We must maneuver around behind them, and destroy them," Smaug commanded.
Harry nodded his understanding, and shot off towards the trolls and their catapults. Remembering his encounter with Tom, Bert, and Bill, Harry knew the trolls would be slightly more difficult opponents than the orcs. Sure, they were certainly slower both intellectually and physically but their hides were thick, and they were strong. There were also at least fifty of them, and they all were loaded with weapons.
Being smaller and faster, he was able to more easily avoid the rocks being tossed their way. It was a good thing considering the large rocks would probably knock Harry out of sky. Smaug on the other hand got hit more than a few times as they attempted to move out of the path of the flying boulders. The rocks were probably not much worse then a few punches to Smaug's tough hide but it was really starting to enrage Smaug.
The large firedrake roared in anger and shot up into the sky. In the next moment he was diving back down at a dizzying speed his back talons extended towards one of the trolls. It reminded Harry of their hunting trips as Smaug snatched up the troll, and shot back up into the air. The troll writhed in Smaug's fierce hold but Smaug only let go in order to fling him into another troll.
Harry attempted to follow his example, and managed to successfully snatch up another of the trolls. Being smaller it was a little harder to hold on to something so large, and he nearly dropped the troll before he could fling it at one of the others. In his moment of exultation at his successful move he wasn't paying attention like he should have been.
"Ancal!" Smaug's cry had Harry twisting but not fast enough.
A boulder slammed into him. He tried to catch himself but he was too close to the ground, and he slammed into the earth. On the bright side, Harry was fairly certain that he crushed a small contingent of orcs. The not so bright side was that Harry was now lying vulnerable on the ground as he attempted to reorient himself.
Orcs swarmed him. Their swords and hammers couldn't pierce his scales but they hurt as they continuously battered against him. Harry roared in pain, panicking as he was surrounded on all sides by the creatures who had once so harmed him as a baby. They leapt on top of him the sheer amount weighing him down and keeping him in a vulnerable position. Fire stirred in his chest and he loosed a burst of flame at the ones near his head, burning them away. He writhed on the ground attempting to remove the horde of orcs from himself.
An enraged roar sliced through the air, and the ground shook as Smaug landed beside them. Harry's father roared again this time sending a great swath of fire over the orcs trying to stab Harry. The orcs shrieked as they were engulfed in dragon fire. Smaug swiped a great claw across Harry's back shredding the now flaming orcs from Harry's back. Harry wasted no time in lurching to his feet.
Despite how sore he was, Harry was able to gather his strength and leap back into the air. Smaug kept him covered by sending a continuous stream of flame at the orcs to ensure they kept their distance. Smaug followed him back into the sky moments later.
"Ancal! Are you all right, my son?" Smaug shouted.
"I'm fine," Harry panted, trying to catalogue his injuries. His pride was wounded and his hide was bruised but he would live.
"Return to the mountain. I will take care of the rest," Smaug assured.
"No, I'm fine. I can fight," Harry argued.
"Ancalâ¦"
"No sire, I'll be fine. I will stick to the sky from now on. Look they need us," Harry nodded towards the ground.
The dwarves were falling back towards the mountain surrounded by orcs while the other half of the orc army had completely overrun the Dale.
"Stick to the sky. Keep your distance," Smaug commanded.
"I will," Harry promised.
"Well, now I have to go and save a city I myself once destroyed," Smaug swooped down towards the city.
Harry swept back towards the mountain. Feeling a bit off kilter by his failure he sharpened his focus, and turned his attention completely towards the battle. He wouldn't allow himself to get distracted again. He may be bigger and more powerful than those they were fighting but they had just proven that their sheer numbers could easily overwhelm him if he was not careful.
Harry released a great burst of flame over the orcs as he flew back towards the mountain. He had just reached the mountain when the Company finally made their appearance by breaking through their own blockade by battering it open with a great golden bell.
"It's about time you got out of that mountain," Harry teased.
"Yes, well I think we did a bit too well fortifying ourselves in there," Kili joked.
"Come! Let us defeat this orc scum!" Thorin shouted, and then added something else in Khuzdul before he started charging right at the orc army.
The dwarves rallied to their king, and Harry soared above them doing his best to remove the trolls and thin the horde of orcs by reigning dragon fire down upon them, and even up the battle as much as possible. He could see Fili and Kili in the midst of things, and was glad to see that they were more than capable of taking care of themselves. Harry returned his attention to burning as many orcs as he could. When he returned his attention to his friends Harry was shocked to see Kili, Fili, and some of the other members from the Company making their way up the frozen river on the backs of some mountain goats.
For a moment he was conflicted about whether or not he should follow them. However, it soon became apparent that the dwarves in front of the mountain entrance had things mostly under control now. Likewise Smaug, the humans, and the elves seemed to be beating back the orcs infesting Dale.
Harry decided to fly north in pursuit of his dwarves. He carefully scanned the seemingly empty ruins of Ravenhill. It was beginning to snow, and the ruins were high enough that they were overcast with clouds making visibility difficult. Harry crested a crumbling stone building just in time to see a large pale orc holding Fili off the side of a broken tower. This orc could only be Azog, the one Fili and Kili had told him about.
Harry recognized the look in the pale orc's eyes. Azog meant to kill Fili. It was like the incident with the dwarf assassin all over again. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for Harry, and his entire focus was set on getting to Fili as quickly as he could. He had to save him. He would save him.
Harry dove at the pale orc with a speed he had not realized he was capable of. With a precision borne of terror and necessity he snatched Fili right from Azog's grip before surging back into the air. The pale orc snarled in rage at his thwarted plans. But it didn't matter Harry was successful. He'd saved his friend from certain death, and that was all that mattered. Harry gently deposited Fili besides Thorin, Dwalin, and Bilbo in the courtyard of the ruins. Dwalin and Thorin immediately reached over to steady Fili as he stumbled on his feet. Harry wrapped himself around the ruins, looming protectively over his dwarves, and roared a challenge at the pale orc.
Azog snarled and turned back into the depths of the ruined tower with his troop.
"Thank you, Harry," Fili whispered, looking more than a little shaken from his ordeal.
"Anytime," Harry assured, gently nudging the blonde haired dwarf affectionately.
"Fili!" Kili cried as he raced up to them.
The dark haired dwarf flung himself at his older brother, and the two of them embraced fiercely.
"We will celebrate later. But now we must go after Azog. We cannot let that orc filth get away," Thorin snarled.
"We will do it together, uncle," Fili stated fiercely.
"Filiâ¦" Thorin worried.
"No, we must stick together. That's how he got us before. By dividing us. But we can defeat him. Together," Fili argued, unwilling to back down.
"I'll take care of the others," Harry assured.
"We will, you take care of that scum," Dwalin stepped in.
Before further arguments could be made an entire swarm of giant bats swooped over the ruins followed by another pale orc and yet more orcs. There seemed to be an endless supply of them.
"Or well, I'll try," Harry muttered.
He was more than a little overwhelmed by the sheet amount of orcs Azog had managed to accumulate.
"All right then, let us fight. Together," Thorin raised his sword.
Fili, Kili, and Dwalin cheered in Khuzdul. They were ready to fight once more.
"Be safe," Thorin nodded to him.
"You all as well," Harry nodded back, slightly surprised that Thorin would wish him such a thing.
But sincerity shown in the dwarf king's blue eyes, and Harry could only hope that this meant there was hope for them to return to the friendliness that they had once shared.
Harry nodded to the others. They all looked fiercely determined to see their enemies defeated once and for all even Mr. Baggins.
Once more Harry shot up into the sky, soaring high above the ruins in order to locate the swarm of bats. Once he caught sight of them he immediately set after them. They shrieked as he released a torrent of flame at them. He was able to cut through a great deal of them but the remaining few fled towards the battlefield. Harry hoped that Smaug would be able to take care of the ones that managed to get past him. Harry wasn't willing to chase after them not when Fili, Kili, and the others might need him.
With the bats out of the way Harry turned his attention towards the orcs. From his position high above the ruins he had the advantage of seeing yet another orc army marching towards Ravenhill from the north. Harry knew he would have to be the one to stop them. He couldn't let them reach the ruins not while there were so few reinforcements here, and it would be much harder to set them on fire if they were within distance of his dwarves.
Harry checked in on his dwarves on his journey towards the approaching army. Fili and Kili were fighting the pale orc with the metal plate in his head together. Harry thought his name was Bolg, the son of Azog. Thorin was fighting Azog himself, and Dwalin, Bilbo, and the two elves from Laketown were cutting down all the others who had made it into the ruins.
Reassured that his dwarves were doing well for the moment he dove down on the rows of orcs setting them alight. They scattered and tried to flee. But they were trapped. Things became even easier when a troop of giant eagles swooped down to further decimate their ranks. With the eagles came a giant bear who gleefully dropped into the middle of the panicking orcs and began batting them about.
Feeling that the eagles and bear had things well enough hand, Harry turned his attention back to the ruins. It seemed that Fili and Kili had been able to dispatch Bolg. With their opponent destroyed the two brothers had turned to help their uncle in defeating the murderer of their grandfather. Harry watched as together the three heirs of Durin defeated the pale orc.
Azog swung a huge rock on a chain at the three while simultaneously employing the use of a two-pronged sword. But he could not hit all of them. He was surrounded, and outmatched. Fili, Kili, and Thorin moved in perfect tandem to block, strike, and slowly weaken their larger opponent. It was a huge elation to watch as Kili landed a harsh blow to Azog's leg causing the pale orc to fall to one leg. Harry was further thrilled to see Fili slam Azog in the chest making the orc leader fall flat onto his back. And it was a privilege to see Thorin stab Azog through the chest causing the orc to fall back on to the ice with a final, reverberating thud never to get up again.
Harry roared.
Kili cheered.
Fili smiled.
And Thorin's eyes were shining with the triumph of his victory over his hated foe.
With the defeat of the orcs' leader, and all of their reinforcements the battle came to swift and easy defeat. It was almost a little jarring how quickly the battle ended once Azog was dead. But then Harry had seen it with the Death Eaters once Voldemort had been destroyed. Without anyone telling them what to do they had been practically useless.
Harry along with the dwarves, and Mr. Baggins settled on Ravenhill and looked out over the valley to rest. The dwarves, elves, and Men below were likewise victorious. They were piling up the bodies of the dead orcs, and Smaug was gleefully setting them alight once he'd reassured himself of Harry's survival.
"We won," Thorin looked stunned to be uttering those words.
"We did," Fili grinned despite his fatigue.
"We won!" Kili cheered, punching the air.
Thorin threw his arms around both of his nephews, holding them close, and looking happier than Harry had ever seen him. Dwalin was laughing, and Mr. Baggins was smiling. All of them were a little worse for the wear but none of that mattered in the face of their victory.
Harry was exhausted and sore, and he wanted to go curl up in the piles of gold and sleep for a week. But he was elated. They had won the day despite the odds, and Harry had been a part of that win.
He'd fought in actual battle, and all of his friends and family had survived. Harry had escaped the Dark Lord who had attempted to use his body for his own. He was safe for the time being, and he had home here in Middle Earth, in Erebor with father and his friends. The question was did he want to stay?
Harry shook off the thought. He'd just had one of the longest nights and days of his life. He wasn't in any sort of state to make such a decision at the moment. That was a decision for another time. For now it was time to celebrate. This battle had brought everyone together. Many lives had been lost but now they could all work together to rebuild.
Harry was looking forward to being a part of that rebuilding.