Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 276 Engagement
The carriage was spacious, with a thick wooden floor, neatly arranged sofas and chairs, and even a fireplace with a burning flame.

A huge crystal chandelier hangs upside down from the high ceiling.

The carriage's ceiling and sides were transparent, allowing passengers to see outside.

Everyone, whether sitting or standing, looked around curiously, except for Bilbo and Gandalf, who had already sat there once before and were relatively calm.

At this moment, Dui was wearing a crown of wisdom, a white fitted elven robe, a dragon skin belt inlaid with blue gemstones around his waist, exquisite dragon skin boots, and various accessories.

This outfit was chosen by Gandalf, Bilbo, and others, with the aim of making Dui the most dazzling protagonist of the day.

Dui sat upright, appearing calm in the main seat, but his eyes were unfocused, and his thoughts had long since wandered off somewhere else.

The others also tacitly refrained from disturbing him.

Once Gandalf and everyone else were gathered, he called out to the carriage door and they set off.

The car started moving the next moment, but to everyone's surprise, the interior remained completely unaffected, not even the drinks on the table were disturbed.

Twelve flying horses pulled the carriage forward at breakneck speed, simultaneously spreading their wings and taking off into the air.

As the carriage accelerated, its wheels gradually left the ground, then soared over the high city walls and into the sky.

As the carriage moved further and further away from the castle grounds, everyone stared wide-eyed at the outside, feeling incredibly excited.

"What's that?" The dwarf Kili, who had been staring out the window, suddenly noticed two rows of fully armed guards riding twelve eagle-headed horses chasing after the carriage and exclaimed in surprise.

The others were also drawn by his voice and looked towards the back of the car.

Brog, the leader of the Black Barbarians, who was also sitting in the carriage, proudly introduced, "That's a winged horse with a hippopotamus head bestowed upon us by Lord Duir. Since the lord is going to the Valley for his engagement, we naturally have to lend our support!"

Upon hearing Brog's words, everyone felt a surge of envy. This winged hippogriff looked majestic and powerful, and was extremely aggressive—a perfect mount. Who wouldn't want to own one?

Dui was also surprised to see the Black Barbarian warriors riding twelve winged beasts with eagle heads and horses behind the carriage.

He didn't know about this before anyone else.

Looking at Gandalf, who remained calm, and Bilbo, who was much more composed than the others, he instantly understood.

This is clearly another surprise.

Gandalf noticed Duy's gaze and said with a smug smile, "Today is the engagement day, and there will definitely be many elves in the Valley. We must make it a grand occasion and not tarnish the reputation of you, Lord Duy!"

“When Bilbo and I were planning, we originally intended to wake Smaug in your cellar so that he could join forces with the giant eagle Saurondo. However, after considering that bringing a dragon along might cause more of a shock than a surprise, we abandoned that plan.” Gandalf looked somewhat regretful as he said this.

Dui glanced at Bilbo, who looked a little embarrassed, and Gandalf beside him, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

He's going to get engaged, not to kidnap the bride; there's no need for such a large-scale operation.

at the same time,

Hogsmeade City at the foot of the mountain
The residents saw twelve flying horses pulling the carriage away from Hogwarts Castle, followed closely by twelve hippogriffs.

His eyes widened instantly, and he cheered excitedly.

They knew that their lord was on his way to the future lord's wife's house to get engaged.

Although it was a pity that they couldn't witness the lord's engagement ceremony, everyone was eagerly anticipating the wedding ceremony a year later.

According to custom, the wedding ceremony will be held at the groom's house and will be more lively.

As subjects, they will all have the opportunity to witness the lord's wedding ceremony.

The traveling merchants, travelers, and bards from other places in the city were awestruck as they watched the carriages speeding through the sky, as well as the flying horses and winged beasts with eagle heads and quiver bodies.

There were also painters who quickly captured the breathtaking scene of the carriage flying away from the castle and soaring into the sky, and then painted it.

Finally, the painting was bought and collected. After many changes of ownership, long after the traces of the elves had disappeared from this continent, it became a famous painting that witnessed the ancient legend.

------

The carriage sped eastward through the clouds.

Inside the carriage, everyone looked out the window at the clouds that seemed within reach and the tiny buildings on the ground, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Bahrain glanced at the ground and exclaimed that his heart couldn't take it, so he simply lay down and stopped looking at the ground.

The carriage flew along the east-west road, soaring over the vast wilderness, skimming over the Cangquan River, traversing the ogre forest, and arriving high above the Bruineng River.

"We're almost at the valley. Everyone, straighten yourselves and make sure you look presentable. We can't afford to embarrass ourselves!" Gandalf said to the crowd after looking down at the scenery below.

In an instant, the dwarfs, who had previously been sitting and standing haphazardly, began to tidy themselves up.

"Bonber, stop eating! You're getting crumbs all over your beard!"

"Boffer, lift your donkey's hoof! You've dirtied my new shoes!"

...The dwarves hurriedly began to tidy up.

Philip glanced at his younger brother, Qili, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines. His eyes darted around, revealing a mischievous glint in his eyes, and he grinned loudly:

"Qili, I remember last time we passed through the secluded valley, you took a fancy to an elf. Do you have any ideas about it this time we go there?"

Upon hearing Philip's words, Kiri instinctively looked at his wife, Toriel, and hurriedly protested, "Toriel, you have to believe me, I didn't! Philip is talking nonsense!"

The other dwarves, eager for a good show, chimed in, "We remember that too! He said the elf was pretty and even winked at her!"

Seeing Tauriel's beaming smile, Qili felt a chill run down his spine and quickly shouted, "Tauriel, the elf they're talking about is a man! You have to believe me!"

Tao Ruidun then gave him a strange look. This made Qili blush, unsure of what to say.

Upon seeing this, the dwarves burst into laughter.

The others present couldn't help but chuckle, watching the scene with amusement.

The atmosphere became cheerful and relaxed.

Beyond the Brunei River lies the territory of the secluded valley.

The winged horse pulling the chariot, under the driver's control, quickly descended and rushed into the valley.

The elven soldiers on lookout duty in the valley sounded their horns.

Meanwhile, the valley was bustling with activity.

Besides the elves living in the valley, there are also elves from various races from Lorien, Lindon, the Woodland Kingdom, and even Dovenian in the Far East, all gathered here.

Elrond, as Lord of the Valley, enjoys extremely high prestige and status among the elves of Middle-earth, and he possesses the blood of the Noldor, Vanya, and Sindar elves, maintaining close ties with various elf races.

Now that Elrond's daughter is engaged, many elves have come here to offer their blessings.

The melodious songs of the elves echoed through the valley, telling the story of an ancient love affair—the love between the elf princess Lúthien and the human hero Beren.

The elves chanted ancient poems while decorating the area with various flowers and soft vines.

The sky was not yet dark, but lanterns had already been hung everywhere, their silver light shimmering like countless stars adorning the cliffs on both sides of the valley.

Even the waterfalls and rivers at the bottom of the valley seem to be under a spell, with every drop of water filled with natural rhythm and melody, playing magnificent and mysterious music.

Amidst the watchful eyes of numerous elves, twelve white winged horses pulled a golden chariot, skimming low over the water as if walking on water, heading towards the white road.

Behind him, twelve majestic winged eagles with griffon heads stood like loyal guards, following closely behind.

Pegasus landed first, folded its wings, and quickly cushioned its fall.

The carriage followed closely behind, its golden wheels leaving two wheel tracks on the ground.

Finally, the carriage stopped in front of the stone bridge across the river leading to their last home.

A coachman jumped off the carriage and placed a wooden ladder on it to make it easier for passengers to get off.

The other person opened the car door and then backed away to wait.

Across the stone bridge, Secretary Lindir and his elven servants were already waiting.

After the carriage stopped, he walked over on his own initiative.

Under the watchful eyes of the elves, Gandalf stepped forward first and greeted Lindir with a smile.

Then came Bard, Lord of Dale; Balin, Lord of Moria; the dwarves; Tauriel, the elf; Legolas…

As each person disembarked from the carriage, Dui was the last to step out.

"Lindir, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" Dui said with a smile.

Lindir nodded respectfully to Dui, his attitude friendly, and stepped aside, saying, "Please come with me."

Pegasus and carriage, along with the hippogriffs and Black Wilderness warriors, remained where they were, and then, led by Dui, the group proceeded to the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was already filled with many elves.

At the head of the hall, besides Elrond, Galadriel and Celeborn were also present, as was the reclusive Lord Glorfindel.

Alwen wore a butterfly crown made entirely of mithril, inlaid with sparkling gems and diamonds, and three layers of tassels made of white beads that hung beside her elven ears.

She wore a beautiful and elegant white fairy dress and nestled beside her grandmother Galadriel.

Upon seeing Dui for the first time, a bright smile appeared on his face, and his whole being seemed to brighten up, radiating a soft glow.

Dui saw her at first glance, and then he couldn't take his eyes off her.

……

A new moon and starry night in the garden of the last home.

The star Eyarendir in the sky became exceptionally bright, as if it were also watching over this place.

The elves and guests present stood on either side, watching the newlyweds surrounded by flowers.

The elven maidens sang in unison about the love between Lúthien and Báin, while elven musicians played beautiful and tender music on various instruments.

Everyone wore smiles and sincerely wished the newlyweds well.

In front of everyone, Dui took out a silver ring he had made himself and put it on Alvin's hand.

Alvin also took out a silver ring that shimmered with starlight and put it on Dui's hand.

When Gandalf announced their engagement...
Dui hugged Alwen tightly and kissed her eagerly.

Everyone applauded, and the dwarves, who had been trying so hard to maintain their composure, were completely exposed, cheering loudly and singing the dwarf blessing song.

The voices of a dozen or so dwarves completely drowned out the singing and music of the elven maidens, but no one paid any attention to their rudeness. Instead, they all showed kind smiles and offered their sincere blessings and praise.

The stars shone brightly, and the singing continued throughout the night, enveloping the valley in a joyful atmosphere that lingered for a long time.

(End of this chapter)