Yew had to curb his enthusiasm. Bilbo’s party was that evening and Gandalf’s plans were to remain at Bag End for a week, maybe longer, to help Frodo with his settling in.

The dragon could not attend the party even though he had been presented with a lovely invitation. Twice, late in the afternoon, Pippin was sent back to Bag End to return Yew to his cage. It hadn’t turned out to be as easy to hide a foot long live dragon in his waistcoat as the lad had expected. At least he hadn’t been able to hide it from his family or Bilbo and Frodo.

“I hate to have you missing all the fun, Yew.” Pippin said on their way up Bag End’s front walk for the second time. “I will bring you some food. There is a good deal of meat roasting and there will be sweets of every kind, but you’ll miss the gifts and all the entertainments.”

“Perhaps they wouldn’t be to my liking anyway, Pippin.”

“I do think you would like Gandalf’s fireworks, their being something fiery and all.” Pippin paused as he reached for the knob in the middle of the round green door. “I know! I know how you can at least hear the music and see the fireworks!”

Pippin ran into the house then into the parlor. He plopped Yew down on the sill of the large window that directly faced the party field then opened the window wide.

“There!” he said with a satisfied nod. “You’ll be able to see and hear most everything and especially the fireworks.”

“Were you not supposed to put me back in my cage?”

“Yes, but then you’d be in my room and facing the wrong way.”

“What if someone comes? How do we explain there being a dragon in Bilbo Baggins’ house?”

Pippin thought hard for a moment.

“You have very good hearing and can see well in the dark, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Just keep sharp. I’m sure you’ll hear or see anyone who comes up to the gate. Pretend you’re a statue of a dragon and don’t move. Cousin Bilbo has all sorts of unusual things here and no one would be surprised to see a dragon statue. Some will even think the Dwarves gave it to him for his birthday.”

Yew shivered. Dwarves! There were some inside Bag End. He could smell them. But they seemed to have things to do, or knew their place because they stayed in some of the other rooms. He looked out over the Party Field and sighed. The scents of the food wafted through the window, making him salivate. He really had been hoping his young friend’s plan to have him be at the party would work.

“Yes,” he said at last. “I can do that. ‘Twill be better than nothing at all as long as you don’t forget to bring some food to me.”

“I won’t forget, Yew. I’ll bring some up as soon as they serve, I can always manage to get in close to the head of the line, and then I’ll bring some more when we’re all nibbling the bits and bobs that are left on the platters and filling up the corners.”

The plan worked well. Yew loved the fireworks, especially the dragon, though it was most disappointing that it exploded instead of just flying away into the distance, and he was well fed with a full plate of food shortly thereafter as the dragon firework had been the signal for supper. He was busily cleaning himself off when something deep and instinctual made him stop stock-still.

Something dark was coming. A quick vision of a mighty dragon tortured and in chains flitted through his mind as the gate opened and closed. Though he could neither hear nor see anyone he could smell the scent of Bilbo Baggins. He ignored his instructions to not move from the window, hopping down from the sill and more slithering than walking he moved toward the front door.

The door opened as he peered around the corner into the front hall. It opened and closed with no one there!

Yet . . .

The scent of the old Hobbit was stronger.

He was there! Without a pop or a poof of magic, Bilbo was suddenly, simply there! The sense of darkness Yew felt vanished as the Hobbit appeared. Yew’s dragon eyes caught the slightest glint of gold leaving Bilbo’s finger and slipping into his pocket. He slithered back into the parlor and under a low-seated chair. It seemed best that his host didn’t know he wasn’t in his cage.

Yew heard Bilbo moving about the hole but didn’t dare to leave his hiding place. After a while the front door opened and he watched the grey robes of Gandalf go swishing by. Yew scampered out and trailed along hoping to stay out of sight behind the flowing cloth. Gandalf went straight into Bilbo’s study.

“Hullo!” Bilbo said. He was standing beside the fireplace looking startled. “I wondered if you would turn up.”*

“I am glad to find you visible,”* Gandalf replied as he sat down in the Man sized chair near the desk. Yew followed along, staying behind the wizard and ending up under the chair he sat in.

The wizard and hobbit talked of things that had happened at the party. Gandalf caught Yew’s attention when he mentioned a ring, a ring that the old Hobbit had been keeping a secret. Yew thought about the flash of gold he had seen just after Bilbo appeared in the front hall. From what Gandalf was saying that ring had something to do with Bilbo being invisible.

Yew listened closely as the conversation continued and gradually changed into an argument. Bilbo was talking like a dragon defending its hoard while the wizard kept talking calmly.

“Well, if you want my ring yourself, say so!” Bilbo eventually cried out, a challenge sounding in his voice. “But you won’t get it. I won’t give my Precious away, I tell you.”*

“It will be my turn to get angry soon,” Gandalf said as he rose and took a step forward. “If you say that again, I shall. Then you will see Gandalf the Grey uncloaked.”*

A great power filled the room. Yew flattened himself to the floor wondering if even a dragon full grown would project such strength. The moment passed and the flood of energy subsided.

They talked a bit more and it was decided that Bilbo would indeed part with this ring of his. Gandalf told him to simply leave it on the mantle. But Yew heard a muffled tink. Gandalf moved quickly and the dragon could see him stoop to pick an envelope off the bricks of the hearth to set it upon the mantle. Bilbo twitched a bit. Anger clouded his face for a moment then passed into a smile and a chuckle before he and Gandalf walked off into the hall. Bilbo’s voice was cheery, his words lighthearted. Yew heard him whistle and the smell of dwarf grew stronger as doors opened and closed and three of the nasty creatures went into the front hall and out the door with Bilbo. He heard the Hobbit softly sing a song and as he sang, Yew used the opportunity to scamper back into the parlor, climb to the window sill and watch as Bilbo finished singing and went off with the dwarves into the darkness.

“Good-bye, my dear Bilbo,” he heard Gandalf say after a few minutes had passed. “Until our next meeting!”* Then the door closed, Gandalf walked past the parlor down the hall and, Yew thought by how long it took, went back into Bilbo’s study.

Frodo came in a while later, calling for Bilbo. He went straight to the study. Yew over heard most of the conversation Frodo had with Gandalf.

“So,” he muttered to himself. “The young hobbit gets the mysterious ring. I wonder if he knows what it can do?”

He heard Gandalf bid Frodo good night then the wizard went to his bedroom and Frodo went back outside and to the Party Field.

A/N  Bits followed with an asterisk – the dialogue is from “A Long Expected Party” in The Fellowship of the Ring although the descriptive prose is my own and not quoted.