The History of a Famous Friend

Ummm, remember that Harry doesn’t yet know that Elrond is an elf. So that’s why I called him a man. Thank you for the reviews so far. I have written this chapter quite quickly in parts this afternoon so if nothing makes sense do tell me and I will change it straight away.

Chapter Three - Harry James Potter

Elrond appeared to be tall man. Strong, serious features were soft and loving now, and he didn’t seem to care that a strand of jet black hair fell over his face. Elrond practically floated over to Harry and grasped his hand, shaking it warmly.

“You are very welcome here young Gandalf.” Realisation dawned on Harry and he smiled in response. So he was their ‘Gandalf.’

“Thank you but you know my name isn’t Gandalf right? It’s Harry.” Elrond frowned but kept his smile firmly upon his face.

“Oh it is, is it? I see I’m going to learn many things about you young wizard.” Harry agreed politely, still unsure as to who this man was and what exactly was going on.

“Well then, Harry, you are wanted in council, come.” The man began to steer Harry towards the doors and he turned to him shaking his head.

“Ohh! No...There’s been a mistake.” But before Harry could reason with this man, the stranger seemed intent on guiding him to a council. What had he done wrong? Perhaps he had flooed to the wrong place. Maybe he said Rivenbell, or Drivenwell, there were any number of possibility’s but he knew that he certainly wasn’t supposed to be part of any council. Before he knew it he had been practically pushed along until he was stood on some steps in a gorgeous light stone courtyard, the trees surrounding it were red and yellow, as if it was autumn. Though he knew for a fact it wasn’t.

Elrond then left him on the steps before walking just round the corner to silence the council before pulling Harry gently towards Gandalf’s seat. An immediate hush decent as all these strange looking people gawked at him, his stomach sank. Oh dear. All was still for a minute or two until Harry had the courage to speak up.

“Umm, Hi. I’m sorry to say, I’m not here for any council. You must have got me confused with someone else. I’m just here to spend the holidays until I go back to Hogwarts, I mean anywhere’s got to be better than the Dursleys...” he drifted off. There were many ogling faces staring immensely at him. As his mind raced a thought sprang to mind, what if these were aurors here to protect him? He knew he didn’t need protecting like a child but there was no need to be rude if they were only here to help. “Oh, don’t tell me, you want to see the scar?”

They didn’t seem to know what scar he meant, which he supposed was a plus, but the smiling faces around him were quite unnerving. Ok, they were beginning to freak him out slightly. “No mean to be rude, but who are you and why are you looking at me like that?”

Elrond spoke first. “My lord’s this, as I image you have gathered, is our Gandalf.” Harry was beginning to get frustrated with this name and the whole situation in general. He had got the impression from Dumbledore that this was going to be a peaceful summer. Then again since he started at Hogwarts, when had any moment been peaceful?

“I don’t know where you got the name Gandalf from but I have never been called Gandalf. My name is Harry James Potter and I would like it very much if you called me by my birth name.” There were snorts of amusement and laughter from the men gathered in this circular council. Well he assumed they were men, some were tall and pale, others looked very much like Gringotts goblins and some like very very short men with nothing on their feet.

“Well, Harry, welcome to Rivendell.” Harry let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in, this WAS Rivendell.

“So I did say the name correctly. For a moment I thought I had come to the wrong place. I mean the floo network is pretty reliable if you can pronounce every destination perfectly, which I haven’t always done before. I winded up in Knockturn Alley once when I was 11.”

There was silence...had he said something wrong? Oh my, what if they weren’t aurors, but muggles and had no idea what he was on about? Crap. He was in trouble; the ministry wouldn’t let him off again. But hadn’t the tall man called him young wizard? Perhaps they were just muggles that knew about the wizarding world, like Hermione’s parents or the Dursleys.

“Well child, you best be shown to your room. Erestor, if you will.” A man looking very much like the one talking took him by the shoulder and led him back inside the house. Thank Merlin that was over.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as the young Gandalf was out of sight the council burst into conversation.
“He’s so skinny! The poor boy doesn’t look like he’s eaten for a month!”

“I told you, black hair. I knew he would have black hair. Short though isn’t it?”

“He has the same deep green eyes. But my, doesn’t he look different!”

“Silence! Please!” Elrond’s voice of reason had spoken over the ever growing volume of the council and he smiled broadly at them all. “Well, it’s good news that the boy has arrived here safely. Although it is quite a shock to learn that a wizard, we have been calling Gandalf for as long as we all can remember, is in fact called Harry Potter. Strange name though it is, I guess we shouldn’t confuse the child by calling him Gandalf.” He paused.

“ Of course we are all very interested to know all we can about him while he is staying with us, but please don’t mob the poor boy. He appears to be quite perplexed to the real reason he is here and we mustn’t scare him into utter panic.”

“Rondy?” All eyes turned to the small hobbit looking up from the ground.

Rolling his eyes he sighed, “Yes Pippin?”

“There’s something about little Gandalf I don’t like.”

Eyebrows were raised, “Oh?”

“Doesn’t anyone else think little Gandalf looks a bit neglected at all?” There was a moment of contemplation.

“Why would you think that Pip?” Merry questioned eyeing the hobbit next to him suspiciously.

“I don’t know. He’s thin; his hairs all scruffy, his clothes are too big for him...”

“Well if they are the signs of neglect, someone should have homed poor Aragon years ago!” Gimli chuckled. At this Aragorn shook his head and grinned, as Legolas burst into a fit of elvish giggles. Elrond thought he should put a halt to this childish conversation before it went any further, even though he was laughing along himself. His foster son always had that shabby morning look about him, even after he became a king.

“Alright! Alright, that’s enough. I herby dismiss the council until further notice.” The members began to depart breaking back into their own friendship groups like children on a playground and continuing their discussion on Rivendell’s newest arrival. The council filtered away until only two figures were left behind in the stone courtyard.

Frodo watched Pippin unmoving upon the ground; there was a frown plastered across his innocent face.

“Pip?” Frodo laid his hand upon the younger hobbits shoulder.

Pippin looked up to Frodo’s concerned face, “I still think there’s something not quite right here.”

Frodo nodded in agreement. “We’ll see Pip, we’ll see.”