The Clouds would indeed burst before anyone knew it at the Lonely Mountain. Both sides arming for war. The Elves had already brought their own armor and weapons and were prepared as could be. But as for the Men of Lake Town, they were fortunate to be in Dale where there was still stockpiles of old weapons and armor from the abandoned city and grabbing them, while the Dwarves in Erebor did the same and suiting up for battle.  And Bilbo and the Witches and Wizards could only watch. 

"I don't think they have armor your size." Bilbo noted to Harry. 

"That would be useful, but I think we'll be fine in just our clothes." Harry said trying to look at the positive side of things. 

"Speak for yourself, Harry." Ron scoffed. 

"Bilbo." Hermione suddenly said. "You know that this is turning to utter madness. Is there nothing you can say to Thorin to change his mind?" She asked. 

"I've been trying and trying. But he just won't listen." Bilbo answered. "There's only so much I can try to get him to come back. But Balin is right. It's this place. It's changed him. This place is cursed." 

"I bet that if Bill was here. He could break it." Ron said trying to eat a piece of food.

"Will you stop eating?!" Hermione snapped at him.

"I'm distressed, Hermione. And I eat when I'm upset." Ron shot back while the Dwarves looked at Ron and Hermione before returning.

"Master Baggins. Come here." Thorin suddenly requested.

And Bilbo walked away from Harry and his friends towards Thorin. He wondered if this was about the Arkenstone. He had hoped not. But as he approached, he could see that Thorin had a silver shirt made of Mithril shining. "You're going to need this." He informed. "Put it on."  

And Bilbo began removing his jacket to put on the Mithril shirt. 

"This vest is made of silver steel." Thorin explained as Bilbo slid the shirt onto himself. "Mithril it was called by my forebearers. No blade can pierce it.

Bilbo looked at himself in the shirt. "I look absurd. I'm not a warrior; I'm a Hobbit." He pointed out. 

"It is a gift." Thorin clarified. "A token of our friendship. True friends are hard to come by." And then he quickly pulled Bilbo away from prying eyes. "I have been blind. Now I begin to see. I am betrayed!" 

"Betrayed?" Bilbo asked trying to comprehend what Thorin was saying. 

"The Arkenstone." Thorin answered. He moved closer to Bilbo like a vulture to roadkill. And Bilbo began to look worried. "One of them has taken it." He whispered to Bilbo as he looked at the Dwarves. And Bilbo almost sighed in relief but didn't let Thorin see it. "One of them is false." He then looked at Harry and his friends. "Or maybe... we're all true and they are the false ones. Now I see. I've seen their spells in action. Their ability to summon and disperse at will. They must've taken the Arkenstone under my very nose. Of course! It all makes sense now!" 

But Bilbo couldn't believe his ears and he once again tried to reason with Thorin. "Thorin... the quest is fulfilled. You've won the mountain. Is that not enough?" He asked.

"Betrayed by either my own kin. Or one of those bastards." Thorin went on.

"No eh... You... You made a promise... to the people of Lake Town." Bilbo reminded. "Is-is this treasure truly more than your honor? Our honor, Thorin. I was also there, I gave my word." 

"For that I'm grateful." Thorin replied. "It was nobly done. But the treasure in this mountain does not belong to the people of Lake Town!" And it was almost as if his voice at least to Bilbo was sounding more Dragon Like almost like Smaug in a way. "This gold is ours and ours alone. By my life, I will not part with a single coin. Not... one... piece of it!" He declared right as the other Dwarves, dressed for battle strode by.  And all Bilbo could do was stare in shock at the madness going on. 

"Betrayed? How could Thorin think that anyone of his followers could betray him?" Harry asked as Bilbo told his friends what Thorin had said to him. 

"Um... don't forget that part about Thorin repeating exactly what Smaug said to us.." Hermione added.

"Yep. This has gone too far." Neville commented. "Harry? What are we going to do?" 

Harry sighed. This was getting out of hand for all concerned. "I don't know. I honestly don't know what else to do. We need to get out of here. I'm not about to get-" 

"Um... Harry?" Luna interrupted.

"What, Luna?" Harry asked annoyed. 

"Maybe there's something we could try." Luna suggested. "The Arkenstone." 

But all that did was make Ron laugh. "That's a good one, Luna. No one can find the Arkenstone. We can't even find that with all our Revelio or-" 

"Bilbo." Harry said as Bilbo presented the Arkenstone to everyone. And Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville all looked at the pure white gem in shock and awe. Like its worth was over 1 million Galleons back home. 

"You had it this whole time?" Ginny asked.

"You mean I spent all that time taking Thorin's Crap and everything when it was right in your pocket all along?!" Ron demanded.

"Shut it." Harry mouthed looking around to see if Thorin was around. He wasn't. 

"We were going to give it to Thorin. But after all these recent episodes..." Bilbo started to explain. "And Balin told me that giving the Arkenstone to Thorin would make things worse." 

"And now?" Neville asked. 

"I have an idea." Bilbo answered. "We give this to Bard and the Elves. And perhaps, and this is a big perhaps, it'll get Thorin to calm down. He'll give the people enough gold to rebuild their lives, and the Elves are satisfied." 

"You think that will work?" Hermione asked.

"It might be the only chance we've got left." Bilbo answered. "We'll have to wait till nightfall though so as to not attract attention." 

"But if we all leave, then Thorin will get suspicious." Ron pointed out. "Well, more than usual." 

"Hm. How about 2 of us leave?" Luna suggested. "I mean, Harry has his Invisibility Cloak, and Bilbo... you have your Ring. That way, Thorin will never take notice." 

"Okay. That works." Hermione figured. 

And no one else had any objections to that. 

Meanwhile, Legolas and Tauriel had kept to their word and rode up North of the Misty Mountains to the Fortress of Gundabad. A Fortress with jagged structures that lay on a razor peaked mountain bed. The two had left their horses as they scrambled up a rocky outcrop. "Gundabad. What lies beyond?" Tauriel asked Legolas. 

"An old enemy." Legolas answered. "The Ancient Kingdom of Angmar. This fortress was once its stronghold. It is where they kept their great armories, forged their weapons of war." He explained. 

But that was when Tauriel noticed something a light flickering in a window of the fortress then vanished just like that. "A light! I saw movement." 

Legolas wondered to himself if it was Bolg. "We wait for the cover of night." He said to Tauriel. And there was something else on his mind. The thought of Gundabad himself. "It is a fell place, Tauriel. In another age our people waged war on those lands." He took a moment to pause. And Tauriel noticed it. "My Mother died there. My Father does not speak of it. There is no grave, no memory, nothing." 

That ended their conversation for a while as there was nothing to do but wait for the company of nightfall. 

Meanwhile, back in Dale. The Men of Lake Town were preparing for war. Training with their weapons. And some of the Town Guards and Elves training them up. Sharpening Swords and marching in formation. However they jumped out of the way as Gandalf galloped into town on his horse. "Let me through! May way!" He commanded as he dismounted in the main courtyard and looked surprised to see everyone mobilizing for war. 

"No, no, NO!" Oi! You- pointy hat!" Gandalf turned to take a look at the approaching Alfrid. "Yes, you. We don't want no tramps, beggars nor vagabonds around here. We got enough trouble without the likes of you. Off you go! On your horse." Alfrid dismissed off. 

But Gandalf wasn't going to waste time with the likes of Alfrid. Wouldn't be the only time he would deal with a witless worm. "Who's in charge here?!" He demanded to know. 

"Who is asking?" Bard asked as he walked up to Gandalf. 

"Gandalf the Grey. I am a Wizard. Are you the one in charge here?" Gandalf asked.

"Yes." Bard answered. "I am Bard. And I suppose I am in charge here. Well, at least with the people of Lake Town. The Elves on the other hand. That is King Thranduil." 

"I must speak with him too." Gandalf insisted.

So Bard took Gandalf to speak with Thranduil back in Thranduil's tent. And Thranduil was pouring a cup of wine. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Mithrandir?" Thranduil asked. 

"You must set aside your petty grievances with the Dwarves. War is coming! The cesspits of Dol Guldur have been emptied. You're ALL in mortal danger!" Gandalf informed.

"What are you talking about?" Bard asked confused.

"I can see you know nothing of Wizards. They are like winter thunder on a wild wind rolling in from a distance, breaking hard in alarm." Thranduil answered for Gandalf. "But sometimes a storm is just a storm." He added just as easy to dismiss.

"Not this time. Armies of Orcs are on the move. And these are fighters! They have been bred for war. And what's more is they have their own force of Dark Wizards. Our enemy has summoned his full strength." Gandalf insisted. 

"Why show his hand now?" Thranduil asked. 

"Because we forced him!" Gandalf answered. "We forced him when the company of Thorin Oakenshield set out to reclaim their homeland. The Dwarves were never meant to reach Erebor; Azog the Defiler was sent to kill them. His Master seeks control of the Mountain. Not just for the treasure within, but for where it lies, its strategic position." He looked outside to see the gates of Erebor towering over the City of Dale. Tauriel and Bard followed him. "This is the gateway to reclaiming the lands of Angmar in the North. If that fell Kingdom should rise again, Rivendell, Lothlorien, The Shire, Rohan, even Gondor itself will fall!" 

"These orc armies you speak of, Mithrandir- Where are they?" Thranduil asked. 

But Gandalf was unable to answer that for he did not know where they were.

Right as Gandalf was explaining this, one of Azog's Orcs rode out of a tunnel on a Warg and approached Azog as he was feeding his Warg at the end of the Tunnel. And Voldemort next to Azog. "Ah... the lonely Mountain. With many treasures inside. But more than that. I want one in particular." 

"You'll have your prize when this is all done." Azog assured. "And the death of that Potter boy." 

"And you'll have Oakenshield." Voldemort added. 

"Our army will be in position by dawn. The attack will be sudden and swift!" The Orc reported. 

"The fools! They have forgotten what lives beneath these lands." Azog grinned. "They have forgotten the Great Earth Eaters." They both arrived at the side of the hill that was covered in Giant Holes. All tunnels and the earth being drilled and crushed. And the tunnels pointing towards the Lonely Mountains in the distance. 

While back at Gundabad. The sky had turned Dark. And Legolas and Tauriel were still waiting. "If we are going in. We should move now." Tauriel told Legolas. 

But before Legolas could respond, a whole horde of Bats emerged from the ground and started to screech and fly around. "Dúilith secherig." (They are swarming.) Tauriel commented.

"These bats are bred for one purpose." Legolas said. 

"For what?" Tauriel asked.

"For war." Legolas answered as the bats swarmed overhead. And Bolg had rode out on a Warg  all dressed for battle. He raised his mace and shouted out commands; the sounds of trumpets, and the Gates at the bottom of the fortress all started to mobilize. Each armed for war. 

Bolg was now leading the company away for war. The Bats following them and wheeling overhead. Gundabad was no longer their concern. "Din methithar i phain." (We must warn the others) Tauriel told Legolas as she started to get up.

"Penim lû. Tolo!" (We may be too late. Hurry!) Legolas also got up and they both started to head away from Gundabad. It appeared that all parties were now heading for the Lonely Mountain. 

And speaking of the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo had managed to throw down a rope from the wall to the ground. And their plan in mind. "You ready, Harry?" Bilbo asked.

Harry nodded as he held the Arkenstone. "Let's do this." He said. There was no going back now. And they both climbed down the rope, moving hand over hand down the rope. Bilbo slipped a little and almost nearly fell as Harry made it to the ground already. "Leviosa." He casted at Bilbo as he lowered Bilbo to the ground. 

"Thank you." Bilbo thanked as both used the rubble over the Moat using some of the Rubble and began to move towards Dale. Quickly and Quietly, Bilbo and Harry were able to move into Dale unnoticed past the squads of Elves and Men training. 

"Well, no one said they're not serious." Harry commented. It almost reminded him of last year when his Army sought to train themselves in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Also to resist the wrath of Delores Umbridge. "Where do we even find the Elf King's Tent anyway?" He asked.

"Well, I'm personally a fan of that massive tent in the center." Bilbo answered pointing to a tent in particular.

"That works." Harry grinned. And he and Bilbo pushed ahead. But when they got to the tent, Harry could hear an argument coming from ahead. 

"Since when has my council counted for so little? What do you think I'm trying to do?" The voice of Gandalf asked.

"Is that Gandalf?" Harry thought.

"I think you're trying to save your Dwarvish friends." Thranduil answered Gandalf. "And I admire your loyalty to them. But it does not dissuade me from my cause. You started this, Mithrandir, you will forgive me if I finish it." He turned to one of the guards. "Are the archers in position?" He asked.

"Yes, My Lord." The Guard answered. 

"Good. Give the order. If anything moves on that mountain, kill it." Thranduil ordered. "The Dwarves are out of time." 

And Gandalf knew that it was pointless to argue with Thranduil. So he turned to Bard. "You, bowman! Do you agree with this? Is gold so important to you? Would you buy it with the blood of dwarves?" He asked.

"It will not come to that." Bard assured. "This is a fight they cannot win." 

"That won't stop them." Bilbo interrupted as he and Harry burst into the tent. "You think the Dwarves will surrender? They won't." 

"They'll fight to the death to their own." Harry added.

"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf exclaimed relieved to see that they made it. "And Harry Potter!" 

"Gandalf?" Harry asked. "Where have you been all this time? You were supposed to meet us before we went into the Mountain" 

Gandalf sighed. "Forgive me, Harry. I was delayed. At Dol Guldur." 

And Harry snarked at that comment. "Delayed." He thought. "Of course he was." He then looked at Bard. "Um, hello, Bard." 

"Hello, Harry." Bard greeted.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the Halfling and the Wizard who stole the keys to my dungeon from under the nose of my guards." Thranduil commented to which Bard let out a grin as if to say 'nice job' to both Bilbo and Harry.

"Well Luna helped. And quite honestly, it wasn't that hard." Harry replied. 

"Yes. Sorry about that." Bilbo said as he wore a sheepish smile. 

"Listen. How about we give you something to make up for it?" Harry offered.

"Unless you've come to give me the Lonely Mountain itself, I'm not interested." Thranduil shot down. 

"How about its heart?" Harry asked as he showed out the Arkenstone and placed it on the Table. And Thranduil who was used to sights of wonder and beauty stared marvelously at the Arkenstone. Even Bard gazed at its sight in wonder. 

"The King's Jewel." Thranduil commented.

"And worth a King's ransom." Bard added. "How is this yours to give?" He asked. 

"We took it as our share of the treasure." Bilbo answered with a shrug.

"Why would you do this?" Bard asked. "You two owe us no loyalty." 

"We're not doing it for you. I know that Dwarves can be obstinate and pigheaded and difficult. And suspicious and secretive with the worst manners you can possibly imagine, but they are also brave and kind and loyal to a fault. I've grown very fond of them, and I would save them if I can." Bilbo explained. 

"But Thorin wants that stone above anything else. You give him the Stone, and he'll give you exactly what you want. You get what you want, everyone will stand down. And we'll all go home happy." Harry clarified. 

Thranduil nodded. "I suppose that will be for Thorin Oakenshield to decide. Let us hope that cooler heads will prevail. If you will excuse me." And Gandalf led Harry and Bilbo out of the Tent through the ruined city. 

"Well done to you both." Gandalf praised. "Rest up tonight. You must leave tomorrow." He told them. 

"Rest? Leave?" Harry asked. 

"What?" Bilbo also asked. 

"Get as far away from here as possible." Gandalf clarified knowing that the Mountain would run red soon enough. 

"Not a chance. I'm not leaving without my friends." Harry shot down. 

"Yeah. I'm not about to leave the company now." Bilbo added standing with Harry.

"There is no company- not any more. And I don't like to think what Thorin will do when he finds out what you've done." Gandalf denied.

"He can't be any worse than what Voldemort's done to me." Harry replied. "We're not afraid of Thorin." 

"But you should be." Gandalf pointed out. "Don't underestimate the evil of Gold. Gold over which a serpent has long brooded. Dragon sickness seeps into the hearts of all who come near this mountain. Almost all." 

"Well like I said. I'm not leaving without Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna." Harry still remained defiant. And he started to walk away leaving Gandalf with Bilbo.

And Gandalf could see that Harry was not going to be persuaded to leave. So he turned to Alfrid who was walking by. "You there! Find this Hobbit a bed, and fill his belly with hot food. He has earned it." He ordered. 

And Alfrid grudgingly led Bilbo away. But not before Gandalf grabbed Alfrid's arm. "Keep an eye on him If he should try to leave, you will tell me." 

"Leave it to me." Alfrid replied. And cursing a grip of people walking in front of him and pushed his way between them. 

Harry in the meantime walked away from the Tent and was ready to head back to the Lonely Mountain. The thought of the Elves shooting arrows at him didn't both him. He could just sneak everyone out using his Invisibility Cloak. Now he could only hope that there would be no need for war and all sides would come to their senses. Especially Thorin. He suddenly stopped when he looked at the Lonely Mountain. Next to him was an old man and Harry could see some strands of a Grey Beard. "Sorry, Gandalf. But I'm going back to the Lonely Mountain. I need to see this through." He said to the old man. 

"As I imagine you would, Harry." A different voice from Gandalf said. And Harry recognized who it was though. He turned to see his Headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed. 

"You've done well in your work in Middle Earth, Harry." Dumbledore praised. "And you managed to defeat Smaug before Voldemort could unite his forces with him. Unfortunately, he's found some new allies." 

"Azog the Defiler." Harry realized.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded. "And they are on their way here." 

"Well that doesn't give us much time then." Harry figured. "But wait. I don't understand something, Professor. Why would Voldemort and Azog come here?" 

"To get what both desire." Dumbledore answered. "I assume your familiar with interests that align with each other." To which Harry nodded. "Well, Voldemort has made his alliance with Azog because the Lonely Mountain offer something to both. Azog gets to destroy Thorin and the Dwarves and reform the Kingdom of Angmar for his Masters. And Voldemort gets a new ally in the way against us. And... a new Horcrux." 

And Harry looked back. "The Arkenstone." He figured. "I just gave it to Thranduil and Bard."  And he looked at Dumbledore. "To... reason with Thorin. Professor. Thorin's gone crazy. He's paranoid beyond measure and I thought that the Arkenstone-" He then began to try and explain himself but Dumbledore halted him. 

"It was a good try. But I don't think that Thorin would see it that way." Dumbledore said.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time, Professor." Harry explained. "Well... I mean, it was more like a 50/50." 

"It's the Curse of the Gold in the Mountain." Dumbledore said to Harry. "We can only hope that Thorin will see to his senses. But if he does not. I'm certain that the other Dwarves will. Now we can only hope and wait." 

Even so. One thing was certain. War was coming. One way or another.