Outside of Beorn's House, Azog and his fellow Warg Riders watched Beorn who was guarding his house against the Orcs with a fury. Both knew about the other. And what the other was capable of.

"Bû hum margyam. Gorid shûgi khozdayil." (Attack them now. Kill the Dwarf-filthwhile they sleep.) One of the Orcs suggested to Azog.

"Shâ - Shulim nari arangish." (No - the Beast stands guard.) Azog explained as he looked at the Giant Bear pacing. If Azog wanted to get at the Orcs. He would have to be patient. They couldn't stay at the Carrock for long. Thorin wouldn't do it. He had been waiting years to get at Thorin. He could wait a little longer. 

"Zadgarimid ru mong." (We will kill them on the road.) Azog informed.

As the Orcs continued to spin around. Soon after a large presence approached the other Orcs through the trees. Another Orc Rider. Huge, and brutal looking. This was Bolg. The Son of Azog.

And Azog watched his son approached. 

"Ginai-nu toragin Guldur-ob ... Dorguntoragishig." (They are gathering in Dol Guldur ... the Master has summoned you.) Bolg reported. 

Azog nodded. Thorin would have to wait. He had a visit to make with the Necromancer.

And so it was that Azog had rode out to Dol Guldur entering the ruined fortress and crossing the causeway and entering Dol Guldur. And walked up to a Dark Shadow Pulse With Black Smoke writhing and a Dark Energy Built. There was also a figure waiting in the shadows. A figure who was White and Pale like a ghost, a bald head, slits for nostrils, and evil red eyes.

"I was not expecting you to be here, Voldemort." Azog noted.

Voldemort turned to face Azog. "Your Master invited me here. We have much to discuss with each other. Particularly how Harry Potter and Thorin Oakenshield are working together and could potentially undermine our new alliance." He also had a Snake by his side. Nagini, who slithered next to Voldemort. "Can't say I blame you for failing. Harry Potter has evaded even me. But his time will come soon enough." 

"I care not for what you do with Harry Potter. I just want Oakenshield's head. If you had sent me more of your followers with you instead of Bellatrix Lestrange, I'd have won." Azog shot back. 

"Such a disappointment that Bellatrix has given me." Voldemort said. "Wouldn't be the first time though. But no matter. We will have another chance." 

That was when another creepy figure emerged from the Shadows. "Ah, that must be the Necromancer." Voldemort said.

"Zad thraka'ash. Zad thraka'ash gishu." (We grow in number. We grown in strength. And our new allies will help us double the danger.) The Necromancer started as Azog watched more and more of the Giant Orcs march in to the Courtyard of the Fortress. "Snakun nak, Azog." (You will lead my armies, Azog.)

"Mod Ekinskeldu?" (What of Oakenshield) Azog asked. 

"Kutmu nakhash." (War is coming.) The Necromancer replied.

"Zad nathagash slangm-hu." (You promised me his head.) Azog pointed out. 

"You will have his head, my friend." Voldemort assured. "Just as I will have Harry Potter's head. And this time, his Mother's protection won't be enough to stand in my way. Ridiculous notion of love." He sneered at the idea. "There is only power and those too weak to see it. Isn't that right, Wormtail?" 

And a short wizard with overgrowing hair, and a face like a rat emerged. Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a Wormtail, the man who betrayed Harry's Parents location to Voldemort years ago. And who resurrected Voldemort to a full body. "Yes, My Lord. Most correct of course." Pettigrew said while showing his metal arm to Voldemort. "But what are we going to about Thorin and Harry Potter... are we to call off the hunt. 

Azog was a step ahead of Voldemort. He wanted The Company dead to rights. But he could not disobey his master. Therefore, he came up with another idea. "How about it's time I sent my most trusted to bring down our enemies." He suggested.

"Very well. Go ahead." Voldemort decided. 

"Bolg!" Azog shouted.

Bolg stepped forward into the ruined hall. 

"Nuzdanumish ... Thrak golbil akar-nu aghnash?" (I have a task for you ... Do you stillthirst for Dwarf blood?)

Back in Beorn's House, everyone was just starting to wake up by the time that it was morning. And Beorn was still outside. In fact, he was cutting wood with an axe. While the Dwarves were all figuring out what to do next. And Gandalf had noticed the Witches and Wizards all waking up.

"Ah, I trust you all had a good night sleep." Gandalf said.

"Well, other than the idea of potentially getting eaten by an Animagus who could come in an kill us at any given moment, it was an easy sleep." Harry commented. 

"It's always a good sleep for Ron." Ginny noted. "He sleeps in and sleeps like a baby." 

"I was up and awake this time." Ron pointed out while yawning.

"I rest my case." Ginny replied. 

"I say we should leave and slip out the back way." Oin suggested.

"I'm not running from anyone beast or no!" Dwalin told him crossly.

"There is no point in arguing." Gandalf told the Dwarves. "We cannot pass through the wood alone without Beorn's help. We'll be hunted down before we get to the Forrest. Now, this will require delicate handling. We must tread very carefully. The last person to have startled him was torn to shreds." 

"As in we're going to speak with him?" Neville asked. 

"Yes." Gandalf answered.

"Yeah, so no crazy startling." Harry figured. It sounded simple enough to him. "I'm not exactly known for startling someone." 

"Good. You can come with me. You and Bilbo, as well as Luna." Gandalf instructed. 

"Me?" Bilbo asked startled as he walked forward. 

"And me?" Harry asked.

"Why Luna?" Ron asked confused. 

"I agree with Ron. Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Luna asked taking the words right out of Bilbo's mouth.

"Yes, it is." Gandalf answered. "Now the rest of you, just wait here and don't come out until I give the signal."

"What signal?" Neville asked. 

"No sudden movements, no loud noises, and don't overcrowd him. Only come out in pairs." Gandalf instructed until he noticed Bombur who was eating something. "Except for you Bombur. You count as two Dwarves. Remember. Wait for the signal." And he took Harry, Bilbo, and Luna out with him.

"We're dead." Hermione commented at the thought of Luna going out to speak with Beorn.

"Um... does anyone know the signal that Gandalf was going to give us?" Neville asked.

"If he did, I was not paying attention." Ginny answered.

Beorn was a massive tall man, almost the size of Hagrid except a lot thinner. It didn't bother Harry all that often, all the while, Gandalf was shaking.

"You're nervous." Bilbo noted.

Gandalf furrowed his brows. "Nervous? Me? That's absurd."

"It's alright to be nervous, Gandalf. I'd be pretty nervous too if I was leading a company and taking shelter in a Giant Man's home without permission." Luna assured.

Proving Luna's point, Gandalf flinched when he saw Beorn cut up another piece of wood.

"Well, let's just say hello." Harry figured as Beorn cut another piece of wood. "Um... hello there. Sorry about having to crash at your place." He greeted awkwardly.

Beorn paused with his back turned towards the company. "Who are you?" He asked in a deep voice.  

"I'm Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey." Gandalf answered.

Beorn turned around with his axe. "Never heard of him." He said. 

Gandalf's face fell. "I'm a wizard, perhaps you heard of my colleague, Radagast the Brown. He resides in the Southern Border of Mirkwood-"

"What do you want?" Beorn asked while growling.

"W-we want to thank you for your hospitality. You may have noticed that we took refuge here last night." Gandalf explained.

"Sorry again." Harry motioned.

Beorn then looked at Bilbo, Harry, and Luna. "Who are these little fellows?"

"Why this would be Bilbo Baggins. He's from the Shire." Gandalf informed.

Beorn narrowed his eyes at Bilbo. "He's not a dwarf, is he?" He asked while holding up his axe.

"Oh, no. That's-" Luna started.

"Why no." Gandalf interrupted. "He's a hobbit, from a good family. And an unimpeachable reputation." 

Bilbo smiled at Gandalf's words.

"And I'm um, Harry Potter. This is my friend, Luna Lovegood." Harry introduced.

"Hello." Luna greeted with a while smile while looking around her surroundings. "I like the home you have here. It's very simple and quaint. Not like in Hogwarts. And you don't have to worry about Nargles swiping your shoes. It's why I have this here Butterbeer cork necklace. Keeps them away." 

"We're humans." Harry explained. "We live right next to the Shire." Which in a sense was true. Seeing as how they took a portal from Hogwarts to get to the Shire.

"A Halfling, 2 Wizards, and 1 Witch. How come you here?" Beorn asked. 

"Oh, well the fact is that we've had a bad time from the Goblins from the Mountains." Gandalf answered.

"Why did you go near Goblins? Stupid thing to do." Beorn noted.

"Well, to be fair, we do have a reputation for doing stupid things." Harry pointed out.

"You are absolutely right. It is an absolutely stupid and terrible thing to do." Gandalf agreed.

"I mean it's not like we meant go near the Goblins. We just ran into them." Harry tried to say.

From the window, Bofur assumed that was the signal and sent Dwalin and Balin out. They then introduced themselves in a respectful manner to Beorn. Which was more than they did to Bilbo at his house.

"Oh sure, you do it nicely to him." Bilbo thought.

"And I must confess that several in our group are in fact dwarves." Gandalf quickly added.

"Do you recall two... several?" Beorn asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's usually three, Gandalf." Luna told Gandalf. "And there are far more than three."

"When you put it like that way, n-no... there could be more than two." Gandalf admitted while stuttering.

Gandalf let out a sigh as Neville and Ginny came out next. 

"There's not by any chance he's a cousin of Hagrid, is he?" Neville asked nervously.

"No." Ginny answered.

"Ah, here are more of our happy troops." Gandalf introduced.

"And you recall eight a troop? What are you? A traveling circus?" Beorn asked. 

Gandalf kept laughing. 

"Well Daddy publishes in the Quibbler that Dwarves are fantastic travelling circus performers." Luna commented.

Beorn looked at Harry. "Is she always this-" 

"Lost in the clouds? Yes." Harry confirmed.

Dori and Ori then came out. And introduced themselves. "Dori and Ori, at your service."

"I don't want your service!" Beorn snaped at them.

"Absolutely understandable." Gandalf agreed.

"Go! Go!" Bofur ordered. 

And Fili and Kili walked out. Shortly followed by Nori, Bofur, Bifur, and Bombur. "Quite forgotten Fili and Kili. Oh and Nori, Bofur, Bifur, and Bombur.

"Is that it?" Beorn asked. "Are there anymore?" 

Hermione and Ron walked out. "That's a big axe in his hands." Ron noted while freezing up.

"Beorn, this is my older brother, Ron." Ginny introduced. "He freezes up real easy."

"And I'm Hermione Granger." Hermione greeted. "At your-" 

"Shut it! He doesn't want our services." Ginny interrupted.

"Okay..." Hermione said.

"Be careful around Hermione. She doesn't have an active imagination and prefers to be closed minded." Luna advised.

"Hey!" Hermione complained.

"She's got a point, you know." Ron commented.

"Don't you start!" Hermione threatened.

And finally at the last, was Thorin walking into plain sight. Standing beside the rest of the company. That captured Beorn's attention. He knew Thorin only by reputation.

"Follow me." Beorn ordered. 

Pretty soon after that, Beorn had given the company breakfast and was pouring milk into the mugs of the party. All the while, Hermione kept fidgeting herself with the large bees buzzing around her. 

"If you don't bother them, they won't bother you." Ron told Hermione.

And Beorn was left to glance at Thorin. "So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?" Beorn asked.

"You know of Azog? How?" Thorin asked surprised.

"My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the North. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." Beorn explained. 

"That's awful." Hermione commented. "Barbaric act is what it is, how could these Orcs possibly-" Her words faded out of her mouth.

"There are others like you?" Bilbo asked.

"Once there were many." Beorn answered.

"What about now?" Harry asked stupidly.

"Now there's only one." Beorn answered with Harry noticing Beorn's broken shackle. "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn." 

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes." Gandalf confirmed.

"You are running out of time." Beorn noted.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood." Gandalf commented.

Beorn's face said it all. "A darkness lies upon that forest, fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and The Necromancer in Dol Guldur. And they have another alliance with a swarm of Dark Wizards. The one they call this, Voldemort." He said.

"I know who he is." Harry pointed out. "He killed my parents when I was a baby. We've stopped him before. We can do it again."

"All the same, I would not venture there, except in great need." Beorn advised.

"When isn't there darkness in our path? Why can't we find a nice simple path with safety instead?" Ron asked.

"We will take the Elven Road, their path is still safe." Gandalf informed.

"Safe?" Beorn scoffed. "The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous." 

"Yeah, well so are Fred and George." Ginny said. She loved her older brothers to death and all, but there were times when they could be very chaotic and a handful, especially for their parents.

"But it matters not." Beorn said.

"What do you mean?" Thorin asked.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs, their numbers are growing and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." Beorn informed.

"That's cheerful thinking that is." Ron sarcastically commented.

"He is right though. We're on foot. And unless we just happen to have Thestrals with us, we'll never reach the Lonely Mountain." Hermione pointed out.

"Beorn, is there any way that you can help us, perhaps?" Harry asked.

"I don't like Dwarves." Beorn replied as he picked up a small mouse that one of the Dwarves pushed away. "They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." He said as he glanced at the little mouse. He then turned to Thorin. And Harry was worried that Beorn was going to tell them to clear off. 

"So is that a no?" Ron asked.

"But Orcs, I hate more." Beorn told the others. "What do you need?"

Beorn had given the company ponies to reach the entrance of Mirkwood Forest. And also a ration of food.

"Go now, while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind." Beorn advised.

"Thanks for this, Beorn." Harry thanked. 

And the company had rode their way to the Entrance of the Mirkwood Forest.

On that note, everyone had mounted their ponies and started to gallop. "Let's just try not to lose these to Trolls this time." Ron commented.

"Let's get moving." Harry said as he galloped on his pony. Gandalf on the other hand was on a horse. 

Upon riding on a deserted grassland, and although no one could see the Orcs on their tail, nobody wanted to take any chances. 

"That Beorn guy was nice." Luna commented. 

"I'm just glad he didn't serve us Rock Cakes like Hagrid does." Ron said. "Though, I wouldn't have been surprised if he would serve us that next. A lot critter infested his house is too." 

"It's not funny, Ron." Hermione snapped. "We were lucky that it worked out the way it did and Beorn didn't kill us."

"Seems that everyone is against the Orcs here. And who can blame them?" Harry noted. "What do you suppose Beorn meant by the Wood Elves?" He asked.

"He means that there must be Elves living in the Woods." Hermione figured. "I wonder if they're like the Elves in Rivendell or if they're like the House Elves back home."

"Probably what Beorn said and they're like the Elves in Rivendell, but less wiser and more dangerous." Harry figured.

But soon enough, the party had arrived at Mirkwood Forest. And soon enough, as soon as they approached, it was as if everyone could feel a sickness and great darkness coming from the Forest.

"The Elven Gate." Gandalf told the party. "Here lies our path through Mirkwood." 

"No sign of the Orcs. We have luck on our side." Dwalin added. 

"You mean we've got to go through there?" Ron asked.

"We've gone into the Forbidden Forest before, Ron." Harry pointed out.

"And we barely got out of there." Ron reminded. "Chased by those Acromantulas. And we also had the Car to help us out there."

While behind the party, Beorn was watching them in the distance.

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master." Gandalf ordered. 

"Oh, you got to be kidding me." Ron complained.

"Just let the ponies go loose." Harry told him.

The Dwarves also set the ponies loose. And Harry looked back at the forest.

"This forest feels sick, as if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?" Bilbo asked. 

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south." Gandalf answered. 

Harry peered closer into the darkness of the forest. 

"There are spiders in that forest, aren't there?" Ron asked nervously.

But it was at that moment that Gandalf had seen the shape of a dark figure that was watching from the Forest. There was something else on his mind. He had another mission. And he could hear the voice of Galadriel in his mind.

"Something moves in the shadows... unseen, hidden from our sight." Galadriel said to Gandalf.

Bilbo in the meantime was turning his Small Ring over and over between his fingers. And there as if a whispering building in his head. 

And Gandalf moved slowly forward. The Shadowy figure was growing in size. "Every day it grows in strength. Beware The Necromancer... he is not what he seems."

As if on instinct, Gandalf went to walk away but an instinct made him turn back. As if he was not seeing a vision of a dark building. And fire red eye drawn symbol on a statue.

"If our Enemy has returned. And if Voldemort is helping him to return, we must know. Go to the tombs in the mountains." Galadriel bayed.

"The High Fells." Gandalf realized. He knew now that it was time to depart the company. "So be it."

The Dwarves at the same time, also started to unload Gandalf's horse. "Not my horse, I need it!" Gandalf bayed.

"Um... what?" Harry asked confused. Was Gandalf about to leave them?

"You're not leaving us, are you?" Bilbo asked.

"I would not do this unless I had to." Gandalf replied.

"What? You can't just leave us!" Harry protested. 

"Do not fear. I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter the Mountain without me." Gandalf told the company. And he then climbed over the horse. "This is not the Greenwood of old, the very air of the forest is heavy with illusion that will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"Lead us astray? I've never heard of that Powerful of a Dark Art like that before." Hermione said looking at the Forest. "Well, I think I've got some protective charms for that. At least I should."

But before Gandalf could leave, Bilbo looked at him. His fingers close around the ring. And he hid it behind his back. Out of Gandalf's sight. "I was going to tell you-" He started to say.

"Tell me what?" Gandalf asked intrigued.

"I found something... in the Goblin Tunnels." Bilbo informed awkwardly.

Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "Found what? What did you find?"

For a second, Bilbo couldn't say anything. He was torn between his attachment to the ring and his loyalty to Gandalf. "My courage." He said. And from a certain point of view, he was right.

"Good, that is good. You will need it." Gandalf told Bilbo before turning back to the company.

"You must stay on the path, do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again." Gandalf went on. And he turned on his Horse. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!" He galloped away.

Harry stared back at the path into Mirkwood. "Stay on the path. That shouldn't be too hard." He figured.

"Come on." Thorin urged everyone going forward. "We have to reach the Mountain before the Sun sets on Durin's Day." And he walked straight into the forest. With the rest of the party joining him.