Chapter 372: The Council Convenes
"Just as Gandalf said, if Sauron cannot be destroyed, then when he grows stronger and lets darkness rule all of Middle-earth, the Shire will not be able to sit in safety. I do not want the Shire, or my family and friends, to be ravaged by war.
"And the Ring was found by my uncle. As his nephew and heir, I have a duty to carry on the task he could not finish, to see the Ring destroyed and give the world back its peace."
Feeling the steadiness in Frodo's resolve, Kael's eyes shone with approval and he nodded inwardly.
Truly a protagonist, he thought; his sense of duty is higher than most.
He drew his gaze back and turned to Gandalf with a smile. "A very fine young hobbit."
Gandalf looked pleased. "My judgement has always been sound."
"But what about the other three?" Kael asked him.
On the old road of events, Sam had only joined the journey after overhearing talk of the Ring and being caught by Gandalf, who then insisted he leave the Shire with Frodo.
Merry and Pippin had run into Frodo by chance on the way and forced themselves into the company.
So why were all three standing here now, brought straight to Hogwarts with Frodo and Gandalf?
Gandalf spread his hands helplessly. "Sam insisted on following Frodo. As for Merry and Pippin, those two scamps tried to sneak into the Floo, and I caught them. After that, they would not stop pestering me to bring them to Hogwarts.
"And besides," his voice went quiet in Kael's mind, "I have a feeling the Ring-guard will need them. They have their own parts to play. On the road ahead, Frodo will need true friends beside him. Such friendship can become the strongest shield against the creeping dark."
Kael nodded. Gandalf's intuitions rarely surprised him any more.
Since the wizard had a plan, Kael did not press further. Instead, he welcomed Frodo and his three companions to Hogwarts and arranged rooms for them in the castle.
What to do with the Ring was no small matter. Many preparations needed to be made, and messages sent to Rivendell and Lothlórien. There was no need to rush the Ring away at once.
So after some discussion, Kael and Gandalf agreed to let Frodo and the others spend a few quiet days at Hogwarts.
Soon enough, their carefree time would end. They would shoulder a burden that would drive them through countless perils, on a quest that would decide the fate of Middle-earth.
Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin were greeted at the castle by its lady, Arwen Undómiel.
Before the Evenstar's gentle beauty, even Merry and Pippin, usually the boldest and most troublesome, became shy and stiff, terrified of doing anything rude.
Arwen took an instant liking to the four Hobbits. With her natural kindness, she had them settled in comfortable guest rooms, then asked Elthir and Elroth Black to show them around the castle.
Seeing the familiar twins, Frodo and his friends finally relaxed completely. Under their guidance, they toured Hogwarts from top to bottom, met many professors and students, and were reunited with Bilbo in his role as caretaker.
The wonders of the castle left the four Hobbits reeling. They saw moving portraits and shifting staircases, candles floating in mid-air over a Great Hall whose ceiling showed the sky outside, and suits of armour that walked on their own.
They passed beneath the tall, radiant forms of the Two Trees of gold and silver in the inner gardens, and wandered among beds of flowers that never withered. Above them, students soared past on broomsticks, shrieking with laughter.
Everywhere they looked, some new marvel waited. They hardly dared blink, afraid of missing something.
They attended an evening feast in the Great Hall, eating side by side with the students, and afterwards watched the House selection duels for the Four-House Tournament.
On the duelling platform, two senior students of Phoenix House stood facing one another, wands in hand.
"Avis flock!" cried the one skilled in Charms, sending a cloud of conjured birds streaming from his wand, trying to blind and distract his opponent before launching a sneak attack.
The other, a master of Transfiguration, reacted in an instant. His spell turned the flock into a single great shield that rose to catch the incoming curses.
With another flick, the shield reshaped itself into a lion that roared and leapt across the platform.
The Charms student froze the lion with a binding spell, then dispelled it and answered with a surge of fire that twisted into a burning serpent, striking forward like a whip.
His opponent summoned a gush of water and turned it into an enormous octopus. Coalesced from liquid, it wrapped its tentacles tightly around the flaming serpent. Steam hissed as water and fire clashed, and a thick mist boiled up to cover the stage.
The watching students craned their necks, trying to see through the fog and guess who had won.
Only when a gust of wind swept the vapour away did the outcome become clear.
Both the fiery serpent and the watery octopus had vanished. The Transfiguration student still stood firm, wand levelled at his opponent, while the Charms student was pinned fast, bound from neck to ankle in a chain of water that had solidified like iron.
During the clash of their summoned beasts, the Transfiguration specialist had quietly shifted a puddle beneath his rival's feet and then transformed it in one movement into the binding chain.
Seeing this, the presiding professor immediately declared the result.
A roar of cheers broke from the crowd. Students shouted themselves hoarse for the skill both duelists had shown.
Frodo and his friends, caught up in the mood, clapped just as hard as any, still stunned by the battle they had just seen.
They spent two carefree weeks at Hogwarts, getting to know many students and teachers. Merry and Pippin even struck up a strange friendship with Peeves, trailing the poltergeist into more than one piece of mischief.
At last, a letter from Rivendell arrived and ended their brief happiness.
"Elrond is summoning a council," Gandalf said to Kael after reading it, "calling the leaders of many realms to discuss what is to be done with the Ring and how to form an alliance to guard it."
Kael took the letter and scanned it, then frowned. "If we have already chosen Frodo as Ring-bearer, why call a council at all? Are you not afraid that gathering so many together will leak word of our plans and alert Sauron?"
Gandalf shook his head. "We cannot destroy the Ring alone. To have any hope, we must unite the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.
"Only if they all see the Ring with their own eyes in our keeping will they find the heart to stand together. They must understand that only by unmaking it can Sauron and his power truly be ended, and peace won. Then they will set aside their grudges and self-interest and give everything they can to help.
"And besides," he added with a wink, "did we not plan to draw Sauron out? This council is the perfect time to let news of the Ring slip into the world and pull his gaze our way.
"We can even plant a lie, say that the Ring is to be taken to the Blessed Realm in the West. Sauron will not sit quietly and let that happen.
"Once he is out of Mordor hunting shadows, Frodo can slip the other way with the Ring and into Mordor itself, and then we strike and see it burned in Mount Doom."