The Boy Who Lived and the Hobbit. (A Harry Potter/Hobbit Crossover.)

Chapter 10: Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire.

Down the mountainside and finally into the Sunlight, the company ran away from the Goblins into the area filled with Pine Trees. Gandalf was right that the Goblins didn't follow them. 

"We've lost them!" Harry yelled in relief while Gandalf was doing a headcount. 

"Five, six, seven, eight. Bifur, Bofur, that's ten. Fili, Kili, that's twelve. Bombur that makes thirteen. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna. Nineteen. But he looked around. "Where's Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit? Where is our Hobbit?!" 

"Bilbo?" Hermione asked, looking around her. "Oh, Merlin! We've forgotten him!" 

"Curse that Halfling!" Gloin exclaimed. "Now he's lost! I thought he was with Dori!" 

"Don't blame me!" Dori shot back.

"And where did you last see him?" Gandalf inquired.

"He had managed to slip out of sight from the Goblins. They ignored him and focused on us." Luna answered.

"Oh, that's not what happened." Thorin retorted. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone." 

But unbeknownst to everyone. Bilbo was actually still invisible and having heard everything that was said. And while he seemed crushed at first. He decided to prove Thorin wrong. "No, he isn't." He informed.

Everyone turned to see Bilbo. "How did he get here?" Ron asked confused. "Does he have one of Hermione's Time Turners?"

"I got rid of that years ago, Ron." Hermione reminded.

"Hermione had a Time Turner?" Neville asked.

"That's not important right now." Hermione replied. 

"Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf said with a grin. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life." 

The Dwarves all had genuine expressions of happiness.

"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" Kili commented.

"I wasn't worried." Ron said. "I mean, you should see some of the stuff that Harry gets into." 

"What happened to you, Bilbo? How did you get out of the mountains?" Harry asked. 

Bilbo let out a nervous laugh. He didn't want to just tell the others about what had happened with him and Gollum. And he had a hand in his pocket. The Ring was in it.

"Oh, what does it matter? He's back." Gandalf asked. 

"Well, I still thing that we should-" Hermione started to say.

"It matters." Thorin interrupted. "I want to know. Why did you come back?" He questioned.

Bilbo sighed. "Look, I know you doubt me. I know, I know you always have. And you're right. I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my arm chair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home." He explained. "And that's why I came back, cause you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back if I can." He then turned to Harry. "After all, as Harry once told me. It's not our abilities that define who we are. It is our choices. And I've decided to make my choice to help you all." 

And that made Harry smile. "Well, sort of. It was Dumbledore who said-" But just then... he felt a sharp pain on his forehead. From where his scar was. And it was as if he could sense Voldemort.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Bilbo asked suddenly nervous.

Harry felt that pain as if he could feel Voldemort in his mind again. "It's him... Voldemort..." Harry said. And he could feel as if he was in an unknown room.