Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.

The next day Rose woke up feeling the most refreshed she'd ever been. She was puzzled at first, but then it hit her. The panacea Link gave her. It looks like it started working. She shuffled towards the mirror and checked herself. Her boney figure filled out a bit. She was still thin, and she could still see her bones but it was less obvious than the day before. She beamed at that. Merlin, she loved magic.

She got dressed and went to the Great Hall, excited to see Link again. After going through an ordeal like that, you can't not be closer with your companion. They were best friends before, but now they were even closer.

She sat down next to him, thanking him for the panacea. They had their breakfast while conversation flowed. It was mostly miscellaneous topics, but some of them touched upon their classwork and homework. Listening to him speak and explain the subjects, Rose had an unconscious feeling that there is nothing Link didn't know.

The Owls made their way to the Great Hall, as is usual. They deliver their mail every day at the same time, early in the morning just after breakfast. The system was put in place so that mail could be delivered in a concise manner, and so that it does not affect the student during the day. Also, during the war previously, it made sure the students ate their breakfast before hearing of any bad news outside these walls.

Hedwig usually lands before Rose empty-handed. They spent the time bonding. Hedwig even developed a fondness for Link, seeing him take care of her human put him high on the good guy list. Today was a little different. For attached at Hedwig's foot was a letter.

"Thanks, Hedwig" she said, petting her familiar. She took the letter, a note really, and read it. "It's from Hagrid, he's inviting us for tea after classes" she told Link, it invited her but she wanted Link to come as well.

"Alright, I'll see you at the main doors later on"

"Okay" she wrote down her reply and sent it with Hedwig.

They spoke for a little while longer, before packing up and heading for class. It's a pity they don't share a class today.

After the first month, in which he memorised magical theory and arithmancy, Link started going through multiple books a day. He started slow, so as to have a rock-solid foundation. However, now his efficiency has increased by several times. He reads up to 3 books a day. He would have done more if not for classes and Rose. She was the reason why he found, to his shock, that he liked having fun outside of magic. He enjoyed her company and the conversations between them were some of his fondest moments.

He sometimes taught her some miscellaneous spells outside and within class requirements. Like the unlocking charm, Alahamora, or the clean teeth charm. She seemed to prefer practising magic rather than learning it. She is probably a kinesthetic learner.

He had an hour before Rose was done with her classes, so Link spent it in the Library as usual.

They met up at the main doors afterwards, heading to Hagrid's hut.

"Hey Hagrid" Rose called, knocking on the door.

She was answered by the sound of barking. Rose has a horrible experience when it comes to dogs. Especially one specific, loud dog. The barking made her involuntarily step back a bit, startled. She crashed into Link's chest. Slightly embarrassed, she apologised. Link smiled slightly but said nothing. Huffing, she knocked again.

"Back Fang, Back!"

The door opened, they saw the dog that made the sound. He was much larger than the one that tormented her before. Much larger. It was like a horse next to that little dog. She saw Hagrid holding the dog tightly, which relieved her enough to speak normally.

"Hey Hagrid, this is Link. My friend."

"Heya Link. How are you?"

"I'm fine sir, thank you"

"Bah! None of that sir nonsense. Call me Hagrid, everyone does"

"Very well, Hagrid"

The big man invited them into his humble abode. He was a better host than most people, even those who live in extraordinary mansions could not come close to the generosity and hospitality displayed by the giant of a man. He portrays the saying a 'gentle giant' almost perfectly.

However, despite his wonderful etiquette, Hagrid forgot to offer something more suitable to the human physique. His rock cakes were exactly as advertised. They are comparable to rocks.

"I think Snape really hates me"

"Is he still -" before Link could continue, he was interrupted by Hagrid.

"Nonsense, he has no reason to" though his words said one thing, his facial expression and body language insinuate something else completely. Though not everyone would have understood it entirely, Link was great at reading people. Hagrid was like an open book. You can read exactly what he is feeling, however, it is understanding why that is the trick. It's obvious Hagrid knows more about the issue than he is willing to share, the questions are what does he know, and why isn't he willing to share the information.

"Hagrid, I'm sure you know why, or at the very least suspect why she feels such animosity from the potions master. Wouldn't it be better for Rose to understand the reason?"

"It has nothing to do with Rose" he blurted out, but then he stayed quiet obviously unwilling to share his suspicions. Link had a vague idea that it meant that the hatred is projected onto Rose, it could be due to her fame, or her wealth, or some other reason. He saw no reason to drill into the matter yet, as Rose could do nothing to assuage those feelings.

"So Rose, should I speak with the professors again?" he asked instead, it took a second for her to answer but in the end, she shook her head.

"No it's fine, he isn't unbearable. He just looks at me with a glare"

"Hmm"

Hagrid suddenly lit up as he remembered something.

"I heard you are going to play quidditch this tomorrow"

"Yes I am, I'm a bit nervous" she was beaming.

"I have no doubt you would be great. Your father, James Potter, was one of the best chasers to grace these halls" said Hagrid.

"My father played?"

"Of course he did, he was a wiz on the broom. Could fly circles around most of his opposition, he could have gone professional, he was so good."

"Wow" she loved all these little tidbits of her parents. They made them all the more real, more concrete. They aren't just shadows now. They have a story, a life, aspirations and talent. The more she learnt about them the better she felt. She just felt sad she didn't know what they looked like.

"We'll both be there to cheer you on" said Link, a smile on his face.

"Thanks" she smiled. Link always knew when to cheer her up. It was a bit annoying, was she so predictable?

"We'll come here after the game, or Sunday if it takes too long" said Link in a farewell to hagrid.

"Bye Hagrid"

"See you tomorrow"

The next day, Game Day. The entire castle was buzzing with energy. The best way to describe it is the feeling fans get before watching an anticipated game. The first Quidditch match of the year was in a few hours. The students, and even the teachers, could hardly wait for it. It was an iconic Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The two rivals. Some muggle-born explained to their first-year counterparts, that this match could be considered as the Classico of Hogwarts. Instantly igniting their passion for the upcoming game.

Rose was just moving through the motions. She was so nervous she could hardly remember doing half the things she did today. She was somehow able to arrive at the Great Hall for breakfast. She sat down at the Gryffindor table, completely out of touch with the world around her. She didn't even notice when her friends sat next to her. She wasn't even able to put a single bite, she felt nauseated. Everything was a blur. Sometimes there were quick movements before her, other times, things were moving at a crawl.

Doubt was creeping in on her. She has never had any self-esteem, nor any confidence. How could she, when her relatives shattered those traits? They broke her down so many times; she sometimes felt it was impossible to put the pieces back together. However, that all changed when she came here. To Hogwarts. She made friends, the teachers were encouraging (Except Snape), she was seeing progress in her self. Most importantly, her friendship with Link. She started building that confidence. She started developing her self-esteem. Link was a major component for the reason why these were happening. He kept pushing her to be the best she could be.

Nevertheless, it was still in the beginning phases. She still experienced massive doubts, which she would later learn was normal for most kids. The only difference, the obstacles before her preventing her from overcoming her doubts were many times more intense compared to her peers. Fortunately, her will was also stronger than most (A/N: Forged through the fires of Durskaban. But she doesn't know about Askaban yet, so I can't use that). All she need was a little push, which came in the form of a firm tap on her shoulders. She was startled out of her reverie, only to see a plate of eggs and bacon thrust before her. She followed the hand to its owner and saw Link's smiling face.

"You should eat"

"M'not hungry"

"I know, force it anyway"

"I really can't"

"Don't make me force you"

"No"

"Just a bite?"

"...No"

"Common, please?"

"...no?"

"I promise, just one bite"

"Fine, alright. I'll take one bite"

"Great"

She reluctantly ate the fork-full. Through that bite, she suddenly felt really hungry. When Link was taking the plate away from her longing eyes, she grabbed it. Too embarrassed to face his, surely way too smug, expression. Unfortunately, she still heard it.

"A single bite is the key to an empty stomach after all" was the chuckling reply.

Grumbling, she did nothing but continue eating. Her nervousness all but forgotten due to the by-play. It would return with a vengeance later on, but for now, her mind was occupied with the conversation with Neville, Link, and Ron. As long as she didn't pay attention to his horrible table manners, she would be able to keep the food inside.

"I hope you're ready to lose today Potter"

All good things must come to an end, as they say. The annoying voice of one Draco Malfoy cut across the chatter of the quartet. Behind him are, of course, the Slytherin peanut gallery. His hanger-on's and lackeys. Laughing loudly at the jab.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

"Why nothing. I was just checking up on our youngest seeker of the century" There was a flash of jealousy in the Slytherin as he uttered those words, not that he'd ever admit it. He only wanted to destabilise her mind, so she would make a fool out of herself in the match.

"Why is that any of your concern?"

"Oh, it's not really. I just want you to practice your expression for when you are completely embarrassed out there"

"Do not use yourself as a standard to be compared to, Malfoy" Just when Rose was getting really irritated, Link intervened.

"You… who spoke to you? You should be respectful to your betters"

"I will if I ever meet anyone better"

"You think you're the best in the wizarding world just because you are slightly good in class? You have no idea how insignificant you are outside these walls"

"At the very least, I am better than you"

Draco had never been so angry before. It was only made worse when he saw the others snickering. It was humiliating.

"I am a pureblood. Your lowly self is not even worth mentioning, your position in school will amount to nothing in a few years"

"Oh yeah? I'm pretty sure I will abolish this belief. Besides, what does your blood offer you? You aren't the most magically powerful among us. You aren't the smartest. You aren't anything. All you are is a useless little boy that depends on status because he has nothing else"

Malfoy and all the purebloods behind him froze at that. They were flushed red with anger. Their complexion got even worse when they heard the laughter bursting from everyone that heard, Draco couldn't handle it he blurted out.

"Wait till my father hears of this!"

"And that just proves my point"

More laughter exploded at that. It was so refreshing to see the arrogant git be put in his place. The Slytherins gathered walked away at that, angry and humiliated.

"Potter, let's go. We need to get ready" after a short while, they heard Oliver Wood, the quidditch captain, call Rose over so they could get to the locker room. Link took this to wish her luck.

"I'm sure you are going to be amazing, I'll cheer for you"

She smiled at that.

After getting changed into her jersey, she walked towards the pitch with the rest of the team.

Breath in

The sound of the crowd cheering became muted.

Breath out

Everything was muted.

Breath in

No one existed.

Breath out

It's only the snitch and her.

Breath in

Nothing else mattered.

Breath out

Everything came back to focus, the sound was deafening.

"Don't worry Potter, this is our win. It's game time!" reassured Oliver, before screaming the last part.

The team cheered as they ran onto the pitch, getting onto their brooms. They took off.

Link sat on the bleachers reserved for House Ravenclaw. He was next to his roommates. The two houses Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff didn't have a rivalry against the Slytherins, so they were split between cheering for either Gryffindor or Slytherin, depending on their friendship or their preferred style of play. He was cheering for Rose of course.

He saw the two teams race towards the air, introduced by Lee Jordan. Professor McGonagall was present next to him to ensure a fair commentary, though that seemed easier said than done. Lee took almost every opportunity to hype up Gryffindor or to put down Slytherin.

The referee was Professor Hooch, the flying instructor. It made sense as she was impartial and fair. She started the match.

The players were zooming all across the field. They were playing to the best of their abilities. The Gryffindor chasers were quickly proving to be the much better players. The out-flew and out-played their opposition. Leaving very little opportunity for the Slytherin team to get close to the quaffle. Their play inspired a sense of awe in their simplicity and effectiveness. It was an elegant game. Very quickly, Gryffindor scored 20 points for their team.

Frustration was quickly building up within the green team, so they gave into their Slytherin nature. They started getting as violent as possible without eliciting a foul from the referee. They crashed against their red counterparts, spat in their eyes if possible, kicked them when the referee wasn't paying attention. They did everything they could to destabilise the team without actually breaking any rules, they were certainly toes the line though.

The crowd noticed the dirty play immediately, they started booing the green team. Even those from the neutral houses were disapproving of such tactics. The majority switched to cheering for Gryffindor. No one liked a cheater after all.

Madam Hooch called foul on those she caught, but she couldn't catch them all. Regardless, their move was effective. They restricted the chasers movement, despite the twins best effort to free them. The twins still deserve some respect as they are the only reason the chasers weren't injured in this.

Oliver proved his mettle as an excellent keeper by blocking all shots until he too was fouled. Despite their best effort Slytherin was steadily scoring points. It was 30 - 20 for Slytherin.

Rose was high up overlooking the entire field, searching for the snitch. At first, she was at ease, as it seemed her team were much better than the opposition, but now she felt the pressure mounting on her shoulders. She has to to get the snitch.

Link could clearly see Rose moving about to get to the snitch. However, it was then that he felt something foreign latch onto the broom. It was getting out of control. She was bucking around, with the broom doing its best to throw her off. It was admirable that she was holding on. She was naturally athletic, but the panacea was proving its worth with her ability to hold on. People were startled. Fred and George Weasley flew under her immediately in order to catch her should she fall. His respect for them has gone up a few notches.

He could feel two threads of magic latched onto her broom; one was trying to throw her off while the other was trying to remove the influence. He could also feel who it was coming from 'It seems some people aren't who they portray themselves as'. Confusing him slightly. Anyhow, that isn't important now. He could dispel the magic, but it would be too showy, or he could distract the caster. He has a way; he learnt a spell that would create a firework, that is sure to distract people. He took out his wand and pointed at the sky, making sure it goes off right in front of the people jinxing the broom.

His plan went off without a hitch, people looked towards the noise instinctively. During that time, Rose recovered her ability to control her broom. The score went up to 60-20 for Slytherin during the little episode, due to the twins' inaction.

It was a short time after this that Rose caught the Snitch in a rather spectacular way. It was a beautiful display of skill and daring. It was truly a beautiful way to end such an entrancing match.

Rose held the snitch up high as the crowd cheered with great intensity. Gryffindor was going to party tonight.

They were at Hagrid's hut once again. Its been a week since the game. They were enjoying the tea, petting the dog and chatting.

"Why is it so hot here?" complained Rose, as it was sweltering.

"I get a bit cold in this weather" Hagrid was a bit uneasy ever since they came, it reminded one of a kid that was trying to hide his misdeeds from his parents.

"Hagrid, why do you have a dragons egg?" Link was a bit quiet at first, he had recognised the incredible heat for what it was. A nesting ground for a fire dragon. His suspicion was confirmed when he noticed the egg placed within the fireplace. It was a bit weird when he found that dragons here breed through laying eggs, whereas the Dragons from his old realm were more like mammals. Surely they would have been affronted that these lesser beings were called dragons.

"I got him through a game of poker. Always wanted a dragon" Since he was already found out, he was beaming.

"You know they are illegal to own, right?" Presented with the question, a part of his enthusiasm died, something Link was loathed to do but it was for the best.

"I can't give it up, it'll die" Hagrid was very reluctant to part with the dragon.

"I can speak with the Headmaster, we can come up with a way for you to keep him for a week or two after it hatches, then we will have experts transport it to the nearest reserve. What do you think?"

"Can you?"

"I will do my best"

"Thank you Link, you are a good man"

Early the next day, Link along with Rose and Hagrid, made their way towards the Headmasters office. Hagrid was incredibly nervous. He was really tempted by the dragon egg, so he didn't pay too much attention to the consequences. It wasn't until he actually got the egg, that the reality of the situation hit him, but by then it was too late. He already had the egg; he couldn't give it away. It might die if it was taken off the fire.

Hagrid, as a member of staff, knew the password to get into the office. It was an impressive method of entry, even Link was surprised by the unique creativity put in place to create such an entrance.

"Come in" was the reply before they could even knock on the door. Link detected the ward in place, but it was incredibly subtle. Rose was surprised, but she shrugged figuring magic.

"What can I do for you Hagrid? Mr Granger? Miss Potter?" his eyes twinkling, he seemed like a harmless old man. However, Link could feel the power rolling off of him. He cut a majestic figure. He was called the strongest wizard of the modern age. It was believable, as hardly anyone had an aura nearly as powerful as his. Mid-Level 8, used to be at the peak in his prime. Even in his old realm, he could be considered fierce.

Link explained the predicament, in the end, he proposed an arrangement could be made for safe transport to be made after a week to make sure the dragon was suitable for travel.

"I thank you three for coming to me for such a matter. I appreciate the trust you have placed in me. This is a rare opportunity, we could have the entire school view the dragon. It will be a learning experience. Hagrid I expect you to make sure no student is to come to harm due to the dragon"

"Of course Mr Dumbledore, sir"

"Very good. I shall organise the procedures needed to transfer the dragon safely, and a permit from the ministry"

The three thanked the headmaster and left the office.

"Thank you Link"

"It's not a problem Hagrid"

"Let's celebrate at my hut"

"Sure"

"I would love to"

Here they were once again within the hot confines of the shack. Hagrid served tea to the kids, while he added a little something in his for an extra kick. They were just discussing how they should play with the baby dragon and what to do.

Rose noticed the discarded newspaper on the table. She read the title and was astonished.

"Hey someone was able to sneak into Gringotts. On the same day I was there. Do you think they were after the package you picked up Hagrid?"

She was still reading the paper, so she didn't notice the change in Hagrid. He was shocked. Before he could comment, Link having seen the changes asked.

"What package are you talking about?"

"Oh, when Hagrid came to pick me up to get my school supplies, we made another stop in the bank after we were done with my vault. He went inside and took a package, it was not much bigger than my fist"

"I see"

"That's nonsense, why would a thief be after that vault? It could be another"

"Well, it could be. However, the Headmaster also said at the beginning of the year that the corridor on the third floor was strictly off-limits. Meaning he was keeping something there. Given the fact that he mentioned there is a possibility of a grave death should we venture there, tells us that there are heavy defences in place. Add to the fact that you picked up the package right before a thief had struck was lucky and evidence that the parcel was indeed what is hidden behind the security measures" said Link, analysing the situation out loud.

Rose and Hagrid were looking at the boy in shock. How did he infer all these? They hadn't been there, how could he know? Hagrid collected himself after a short while.

"Just leave it be, whatever is in there has nothing to do with student"

"Oh but you must know, after all, you brought it"

"I know nothing, whatever that package has to do with Albus Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel… I should not have said that"

"Flamel? The famous alchemist? So that must mean the package was actually the philosophers stone"

Hagrid was shocked once more. Not many people knew about Flamel, he was really old history. Some purebloods might know him, but not all. It's amazing that a muggle-born would have known about him already.

"Who?" Seeing Hagrid's shocked expression, Rose knew that Link hit the nail on the head. So she asked her friend who he was talking about.

"Nicholas Flamel is a world-famous alchemist 600 years ago. He is most renown for having created the Philosophers stone. It is said the stone can turn any metal to gold and is the catalyst for creating the Elixir of Life, effectively making someone immortal. However, they must continuously drink the potion for it to keep its effectiveness. It's an amazing piece of alchemy" said Link, even he held the philosophers stone in awe. It was incredible.

Rose, after hearing the explanation, was also in awe.

"No wonder the thief attempted to steal it, anyone would want it"

"I think it is time for you to return to your dorms" Hagrid was mentally exhausted. He wanted the kids to leave before he blurts out the security measures. He needs to relax a bit.

"Alright, bye Hagrid"

"bye"

Rose and Link took advantage of the time to walk around the lake and enjoy the day.

A/N: Sorry for the late update. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

Thank you