Flashback: The Village of Bree.

Rain had fallen on the village of Bree at night time. Breed being the village on the borders of the Shire. And on that stormy night, Thorin had walked through the streets looking for food and shelter. So he walked up to the Prancing Pony Inn. An Inn that was largely known for where most people started their quests. 

The Prancing Pony was filled with pedestrians laughing and having drinks while ignoring the rain. All the while one of the Barmaids handed over a plate of bread and cheese and a mug of ale to Thorin. "Here you are."

"Thank you." Thorin thanked as the Bar maid walked away. Leaving Thorin to eat his food. He also looked around the scene. To his left was a bald man smoking a pipe and giving Thorin a glare. Thorin looked to his left to see another man giving him a death glare as well. Thorin could sense the tension, especially as the two men started to get up from their tables. Thorin had started to reach for his sword slowly.

But in front of Thorin sat a particular Wizard sat down in front of him. And to Thorin's surprise. "Mind if I join you?" Gandalf requested as he sat down. "I'll have the same." He told the bar maid as she passed. And the other two men stood down. 

And when the two have sat down. Another had joined. This Wizard had a beard like Gandalf. But with Blue Robes and a Phoenix with him. He also joined Gandalf and Thorin.

"Ah, Albus. You want something?" Gandalf asked.

"No thank you. I am quite all set." The Wizard, Albus Dumbledore assured. And both turned to Thorin.

"We should introduce ourselves, my name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey." Gandalf introduced.

"I know who you are. Not your friend." Thorin replied. 

"An old colleague from another world." Gandalf said.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore introduced himself. "And this is my Phoenix, Fawkes." 

Fawkes squawked at Thorin. "Charmed." Thorin replied to Fawkes specifically. He also noticed Dumbledore taking in the scenery. 

"This place rather reminds me of the Three Broomsticks back home." Dumbledore said. "Certainly a much different vibe than the Hog's Head managed by my brother, Aberforth." 

"Well now, this is a fine chance. What brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?" Gandalf inquired.

Thorin sighed. He may as well have told Gandalf and Dumbledore. "I received word that my Father had been seen wondering the wilds near Dunland." He answered. "I went looking. I found no sign."

"Ah, Thrain." Gandalf sighed. Which made Thorin open his eyes more. 

"You're like the others. You think he's dead." Thorin figured.

"Neither Gandalf nor I were there at the Battle of Moria." Dumbledore said.

"No. But I was." Thorin replied. "Thror, my Grandfather, slain. My Father led a charge towards the Gate, he never returned. Thrain is gone, they told me. He was one of the fallen. But at the end of that battle, I searched amongst the slain, till the last body. My Father was not amongst the dead." He informed.

"Thorin, it has been a long time since anything but rumor was heard of Thrain." Gandalf pointed out.

"He sill lives, I'm sure of it." Thorin insisted. 

But that was when Gandalf asked another question. "The Ring that your Grandfather wore. One of the seven given to the Dwarf Lords many years ago. What became of it?" He asked.

Thorin pondered that. It seemed an odd thing to ask. "He... gave it to my Father before they went into battle." He figured.

"So Thrain was wearing it before he went missing?" Gandalf pondered. "Do you think that Voldemort could be searching for it?" He asked.

"We would be going into guesswork, but I believe that Voldemort is looking for another object to use as his Horcrux." Dumbledore said. 

The Barmaid returned to give Gandalf a plate of bread and cheese in front of him. "Anything for you, sir?" She asked Dumbledore.

"No. I am just fine." Dumbledore answered. 

"My Father came to see you- before the battle of Moria. What did you tell him?" Thorin asked. 

"I urged him to march upon Erebor." Gandalf answered. "To rally the seven armies of the Dwarves, destroy the Dragon and take back the Lonely Mountain. I would say the same to you. Take back your homeland." He said.

Thorin took a swing of beer. "This is no chance meeting, is it, Gandalf?" He figured.

"No. It is not." Gandalf confirmed. "The Lonely Mountain troubles me, Thorin. That Dragon has sat there long enough. Sooner or later... darker minds will turn towards Erebor. In fact, they already have. I ran into some unsavory characters whilst travelling along the Greenway. A Dark Wizard and his colleagues who tried to engage me in a duel. That was of course when Albus here intervened." 

"I imagine they regretted that." Thorin figured.

"They did." Dumbledore said. "And they were led by Voldemort himself. I believe he has set his sight on the Lonely Mountain. Seeking an alliance with Smaug to unleash wrath and ruin on my world." 

To confirm this, Gandalf reached into his pocket and retrieved a tattered note. Unwrapping it and giving it to Thorin. "One of them was carrying a message." 

Thorin opened the piece and could see what it was. 

"It is Black Speech. A promise of payment." Gandalf informed.

"For what?" Thorin asked.

"Your head." Dumbledore answered.

Thorin looked not too happy on that news.

"Voldemort and his potential allies want you dead, Thorin. You can wait no longer. You are the heir to the Throne of Durin. Your father will never be found- this task is now yours. You must take the advice that I must give you." Dumbledore told Thorin. "Rally your Dwarven people. And you will have the might and power to retake Erebor. Speak to the Dwarven armies and demand that they stand by their oath." 

"The seven armies swore that oath to the one who wields the King's jewel, The Arkenstone. It is the only thing that will unite them. You probably don't know this, Professor Dumbledore. That jewel was stolen by Smaug." 

But that was when Gandalf had an idea. "What if we were to help you reclaim it?" He asked.

"How? The Arkenstone lies half a world away, buried beneath the feet of a fire breathing Dragon." Thorin asked.

"Yes, it does. Which is why we are going to need a burglar." Gandalf agreed.

"And what can you provide me, Dumbledore?" Thorin asked.

"Hogwarts stands ready to help those in need when they should ask for it. And I must see to it that Voldemort does not get what he seeks. However, what I can give you is a group of the strongest, wisest, and dare I say most daring of students I have ever taught. And with their leader. The Boy who lived they called him. His name, Harry Potter." 

Thorin blinked his eyes. "Harry Potter?" He asked. 

Back to the Present.

"And that's how it happened." Thorin said finishing up the story of how he met Dumbledore and Gandalf at the Prancing Pony. 

Harry taking it all in. Dumbledore always meant to help Thorin. And that was to stop Voldemort from joining forces with Smaug. But if what their interaction with Bellatrix was true. Then Voldemort was also in an alliance with Azog as well.

"But there's still one thing I don't understand." Hermione said. "Why would Azog join forces with Voldemort?" She asked.

"Probably because they both have a share for ultimate power. At least that's my guess." Luna answered. "But I don't know. There has to be more to this." 

"Maybe there is." Harry figured. And a thought had raced through his mind. "What if... what if Voldemort is trying to get his hands on the Arkenstone and turn it into a Horcrux?"

"Could he do that?" Ron asked in alarm. And it made the other Witches and Wizards look alarmed.

"It's possible. He's already turned a bunch of other things into his Horcruxes, his Diary for example." Harry suggested.

"Don't remind me." Ginny shivered. 

"What is a Horcrux?" Thorin asked.

"An object that can make a person live forever. You split apart of your soul and strap to something. As long as that Horcrux lives, so do you." Harry answered.

And that gave Thorin even more of a meaning. "Well, all the more reason to reach the Lonely Mountain before Voldemort does." He informed.

Days had past since escaping the Orcs. But they were a persistent bunch. Bilbo and Harry were sent ahead to scout for any sign of Azog. Harry with his Invisibility Cloak, and Bilbo with his ring. Although Bilbo never told Harry how he got it. And he didn't want to tip Harry off to it. And Bilbo had managed to hide behind a rock to see if the Orcs were coming.

"Anything yet?" Harry asked

Bilbo looked more closely. "I can see them." He informed Harry as he looked at Azog riding with his pack of Orcs over some Mountains. "It looks like the Orcs are a couple leagues from us."

"How'd they find us that fast?" Harry asked astonished.

"Probably because they're on Warg back and we're on foot." Bilbo answered. "Maybe we should've taken Ron's advice and asked the Eagles to drop us off right by the Lonely Mountain." 

Harry was starting to agree. Or at the very least, he could've also asked Hagrid for his Motorbike. Or gotten their brooms before they set off. He didn't think his journey all the way through. Just add that to the list of reasons why he wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw.  

But that was when Bilbo saw something else. And what looked like a Giant Bear. In fact, the biggest bear he'd ever seen. A lot closer than the Orcs.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"There's something else. A large bear. The biggest one I've seen." Bilbo answered. He started to climb down the trees. "I don't think I'd like to stick around to find out what it is."

"Me too. Come on. Let's get back to the others." Harry suggested. 

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked when Bilbo and Harry returned.

"Too close, couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it." Bilbo reported.

"Have the Orcs picked up our scent?" Dwalin asked.

"Okay, I know what everyone is thinking, but it is not me this time." Ron said.

"Not yet, but they will soon. We have another problem." Harry replied.

"Did they see you? They saw you." Gandalf interrupted.

"No, sir. We were hidden out of sight." Harry answered.

"Good, what did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material." Gandalf commented.

And that was when the Dwarves all began talking amongst themselves again. And giving Bilbo the praise. Much to Bilbo's annoyance. "Will you listen!? Harry and I are trying to tell you there is something else out there." 

"Is it the Death Eaters?" Neville asked.

"Is it a Horned Snorkack?" Luna asked. 

"No. And No." Harry answered. 

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf asked. 

"Ye... Yes, but bigger. Much bigger." Bilbo hesitated for a moment as if he didn't know how Gandalf could possibly know that. And so did everyone else for that matter.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked.

Gandalf didn't reply and instead turned away. "Would've been nice if you told us about that, Gandalf." Ron commented. 

"Well if we had a Sickle for every time Hagrid showed us something like this." Harry pointed out.

"True." Ron shrugged.

"We can worry about giant bears later. What are we going to do about the Orcs?" Neville asked.

"I say we double back." Bofur suggested.

"Not a good idea." Hermione shot down.

"Miss. Granger's right. We'll be run down by a pack of Orcs." Thorin agreed. 

"We go forward of course." Luna figured. 

"But where specifically?" Harry asked.

"There is a house, it's nor far from here, where we might take refuge." Gandalf informed.

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin asked.

"Neither." Gandalf answered. "He will help us or he will kill us." 

"That's not so reassuring, Gandalf." Ginny said.

"Wouldn't be the first time we've arrived at a house uninvited." Harry commented.

"What choice to do we have?" Thorin asked.

There was a massive roar. And Gandalf looked at everyone. "None." He answered. 

"Well that's reassuring." Harry thought.

And faster than anyone could say Merlin's Beard, the entire company ran deeper past a ravine and over a large open field. And then into a large forest with the Orcs gaining. 

"These suckers just don't give up!" Ron commented. "Kind of reminds me almost of Malfoy." 

And the Orcs would continue their pursuit until they suddenly stopped in the forest with a large strange animal like sound coming near. The Company could hear it too.

"Luna, please tell me that was a Crumpled Horned Snorkack or whatever it's called." Harry requested.

"No. They don't make a sound like that." Luna answered.

"This way! Quickly! Run!" Gandalf ordered as they continued to run. 

But Hermione looked back to see what it was. "Hermione, come on!" Harry grabbed her to move forward. 

"Just like running from Filch back home." Ginny commented. 

"Except Filch doesn't have a massive monster chasing us. He just has his stupid cat." Ron pointed out.

And from a clearing in the woods. The entire party could see a cottage that reminded Harry a lot of Hagrid's Hut.

"Into the house! Run!" Gandalf shouted. 

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Someone lives there!" Hermione asked. "And I don't want to feel like a trespasser!" 

But there was another massive roar coming towards their position.

"You were saying?" Ron asked.

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission." Hermione answered as she started sprinting. But not as fast as Bombur was sprinting. And he was running much faster than everyone else. 

"Come on, get inside." Gandalf ordered as they reached the gate, and making a bunch of large bees fly off around them. As they reached the front gate, it was locked. A couple of the Dwarves bashed right into it.

"It's locked!" Ron shouted.

And as Gandalf turned to look around, he could see a massive bear running towards the Cottage. "Open the door!" Gandalf urged.

"Quickly!" Thorin ordered.

Ron turned around. "That's it! We're done for!" 

"Ron! We have wands!" Hermione reminded.

"Oh, yeah." Ron remembered. "Alohomora!" And the doors opened causing everyone to push through. 

And unfortunately, right on top of Neville. The Bear was right on top of them, a few feet away in fact.

"Get the door closed!" Thorin ordered. And the Dwarves with all their might pushed the door closed against the weight of the Giant Bear. Harry, Ron and Hermione giving them a hand. And them putting over a bar on the door. Once that was done, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Ow..." Neville grunted while on the ground. 

"Oh, sorry, Neville." Harry said while helping Neville up. "Had to get in there quickly."

"That was one Giant Bear." Luna commented.

"You think he was the owner's pet or something?" Harry asked.

"Or possibly one of Hagrid's pets. He's already got that three headed dog, Fluffy." Ron added. "Vastly misunderstood creatures they are." He said in a mocking tone. 

It made Luna laugh. "You sound just like him, Ron." She noted.

"Not quite, Mr. Potter. That bear is our host." Gandalf informed.  

That made everyone turn in shock at Gandalf. "So what is he supposed to be? A talking bear?" Ginny asked. 

"Like something out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears?" Hermione asked.

"What's that?" Neville asked.

"It's a Muggle Fairy Tale." Harry answered.

"Oh..." Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna realized having not really heard of Muggle Fairytales before. 

"His name is Beorn, he's a skin changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overly fond of Dwarves." Gandalf explained.

"So, he's like an Animagus?" Harry figured.

"A what?" Bilbo asked.

"An Animagus. A wizard or witch who can transform into an animal." Ginny answered. 

"Like my Dad who could transform into a Stag." Harry added. "Or Sirius who could transform into a Black Dog. Even Rita Skeeter who could transform into a Beetle." 

"Which was how she was able to spy on me." Hermione grit her teeth at the mention of Rita Skeeter.

"Come off it, Hermione. Skeeter can't harm us anymore." Ron reminded.

"I know." Hermione replied. 

"He's leaving." Ori told the others with his head still against the door. 

To which Dori immediately pulled Ori away from the door. "Come away from there! It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious, he's under some dark spell." He shot down.

"It's not a Dark Art, Dori. It's perfectly natural in the Wizarding World." Harry assured.

"Well-" Hermione started to say.

"Harry is right. He's under no enchantment but his own." Gandalf retorted while taking his hat off. "Alright now, get some sleep all of you. You'll be safe here tonight. I hope." 

But Harry looked confused. "Yeah, sure. I mean, right after we kicked our host out of his house. That shouldn't be too hard to fall asleep at all."

And all the Dwarves reluctantly started to find any place they could for sleep. And so did Ron who just fell onto the floor.

"Of course." Hermione sighed. This trip had been nothing but hecticness and barging ever since they arrived in Middle Earth.