A Silent Lullaby

By Li Cruz

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Chapter Two: Harry?

AN: Sorry took so long, college.

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Last Time on Silent Lullaby:

"Do you mind if I just call you Jade?"

The kid shook his head with an amused smile. Link grinned broadly.

"Well, until you can remember something. Let's eat something."

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Link, over the months, had learned a few things about his silent traveling partner. Like for one, Jade had a tendency to suffer from strange nightmares at least twice a week. Two, Jade was an excellent cook and knew a few things about this and that. Three, Jade had a high pain tolerace. Four, Jade seemed always grateful for any little thing Link would do for him. And lastly, Jade could do magic. Though intentionally, he could still do magic.

Currently Link was reassuring Jade after what seemed to be the worst nightmare Jade had. Link cradled Jade as Jade sobbed into his shirt. Soon Jade's breathing even out. Jade had fallen asleep in his arms again. Link sighed rather contently as he moved into a better position to be able to keep watch.

A hour later, Link sleepily blinked when he heard voices and horses. Jade was already on his feet, crouching with his dagger out. Link rolled into alert mode immediately. Several riders came over the hill. One was a vaguely familiar white horse.

Jade watched as the blonde hair elf threw herself on Link. She yelled his name as she threw himself on him. Jade watched as Link's expression went from what-in-the-world to a sort of horror. Jade barely held in his giggles as Link tried to gently but firmly remove the girl clinging to him.

Zelda suddenly let go when she noticed Link's lack of large pointy ears. Link sighed in relief.

"Link, what happened to your ears?"

Link shrugged, not really feeling like talking to the Princess. Link carefully kept his eyes from looking at the princess as he striaghtened out his clothes. He watched as Jade fumbled with his tunic, trying to keep an eye on the other riders. Link gave a fond smile. Zelda turned to see what Link was smiling at.

Her jaw dropped. Link was traveling with a small boy all this time. Jade gave the princess a level look before looking to Link. Link gave a slight nod. Jade gave a slight smile before disappearing. Zelda and the riders gawked at where Jade was a moment before.

"Where did he go?" Impa asked. "Is he one of other Shadow Tribes?

"Went fishing. I don't know." Link said shortly as he rebegan the fire. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable about Zelda being here.

Jade appeared next to Link, startling everyone else. Jade causually cleaned the fish. Link took the time to look at the other riders. Sheik, Impa, and three he couldn't identify were preparing camp. One of the mysteriuos three was least a noble. He strolled up to Zelda and kissed her on the cheek. Link and Jade shared a look. Jade shrugged before dropping the fish into the pot.

Zelda blushed as she sat down with him. She watched as Link patted Jade on the back before walking out the camp.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"..." Jade glanced up before going about his business.

Zelda felt a little peeved. "Who are you?"

Sheik and the other guards exchanged glances as Link came back, hauling a bucket of water. Link looked at Jade then at a pissed off Zelda. He blinked.

"What's a matter?"

"He won't answer my questions, much less look at me." She growled.

"Um, Jade's very wary of new people." Link rubbed the back of his neck. "He can't talk, Princess."

Zelda glared at Link as he made it over to Jade's side. Jade flashed Link a grateful smile as he reached for the spices. Zelda felt jealous as Link relaxed. The noble with her broke the tension.

"I'm Prince Daruis of Yatasume Kingdom."

Link nodded. Link knew this was Zelda's financee. For some reason, he felt releived at this and not terrible hurt by it.

"So you're Link the Hero of Time?" Daruis asked tentatively.

Jade snorted. Link replied with a easy swipe at Jade's head. Jade, of course, ducked easily.

"Yeah."

Jade finished cooking the fish stew and began ladling out into travel bowls. Everyone except Zelda took it gratefully. She glared at his black hair as he cleaned up the area before eating.

Jade finally looked into Zelda's eyes. Zelda fell into his emerald eyes. She felt she was drowning in that intense gaze. He finally looked away. Zelda gasped quietly for breath. She walked to the edge of camp to think. Her financee followed her.

"So what brought you so far from Hyrule?" Link asked Sheik and Impa.

"Princess Zelda wanted to see you again."

"So she can rubbed the fact she getting married?" Link's voice was low and tone cynical.

Sheik and Impa shared a look. When did the Hero of Time become so cynical and sarcastic? Link blinked as Jade sniggered. Link looked to Jade. Jade gave off an emotion of pure humor. Link relaized he had been cyinical again.

"Well, what did you expect me to say, Jade?"

Jade level a look that clearly said he should be just a little more polite. This time Link grinned sheepishly.

"You're right."

Impa and Sheik were out right staring at the pair. Link, noticing this, quickly went about asking about current events and lastest stories. Link frowned when Impa spoke of strange folks in robes. Jade went completely still.

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A dark haired man watched as his elder stared out the inn window. The elder looked his two hundred and something years. He truly did care for the boy the dark haired man mused. They were currently wandering around this realm looking for the boy.

He sighed and thought back to the past. He never relaized that the boy's family hated him enough to sell him to the enemy. The boy had been abused and nelegeted and he failed to reconized the signs. Now the boy was missing.

The boy's best friends didn't seem particularly worried. The dark-haired man sat up more. Why?

He stood up, disturbing the gray tabby on the bed and the old man. They looked up before returning to stare at whatever. He carefully sidle down the hall to the room the boy's best friends were sharing.

"He's alive."

"Yes, I know that."

"But...he wasn't supposed to come back. It...He..."

"Something must have changed."

"Maybe we should have told him and the professors about it."

"And what would it have changed?"

"But it did."

Severus Snape, Potion Master of Hogwarts, frowned deeply as he leaned against the wall, listening. Something about Potter not returning the day he disappear. But why would Granger and Mr. Wealsey hid something from Potter?

A chill went up his spine. Snape had a feeling that he definitely owned Mr. Harry Potter an apoligy. He moved back to the other room. He meet Remus at the doorway. He had a horrorified expression on his face. Remus stared for a long moment.

"Severus?" the werewolf asked gently.

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Meanwhile a good walking distance away, Link and Zelda were arguing. Well, Zelda was complaining and Link listening. Link felt definitely put out.

"You left us!" She jabbed a slender finger into his chest. "Without a goodbye or anything but a note!"

Link cooly looked down at her. Right now he'd prefer to be with Jade, enteraining the others. Zelda was annoying!

"Did you ever think that we needed you? Or."

"I have done my service to Hyrule." Link said evenly and with an icy tone.

Zelda stood there and her mouth moved soundlessly. Link, mentally smirking, continued.

"What about my life, Princess? I've done the work the goddesses intended the so called 'Hero of Time' to do. Now it's time I moved on with my life. It's now my own."

With that he strolled back to the camp, leaving a speechless Zelda behind.

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Jade fidgeted with the pack strapped. Link himself was rubbing his temples trying to releive the headache that Zelda and Daruis was causing him. They were both trailing behind the horses, walking towards the next town. Listening to the Royal Pair was getting on the duo's frazal nevres. Zelda's companions seemed to just flop in their saddles. The horses all seemed to roll their eyes. Daruis's guards seemed to be the only ones not affected.

Soon they reached the town. The Nobles said they were going off and would see them later. Soon Link, Jade, Sheik, and Impa were left alone.

"Finally! They are gone!" Sheik said, gracefully sliding out of his saddle and stretching.

Link and Jade stared at the normal quiet warrior. Impa looked amused. Sheik turned to Jade and Link.

"I may know Zelda very well, but I hate it when she talks for hours." He sighed.

Link laughed at that. It seemed Sheik wasn't as cold as he thought.

"May I request when we are to seperate, I go with you?"

Link splutter. Jade stared.

"What of your duties to the Royal Family?"

"Technically I shouldn't be with the Princess now.I was banished from my clan."

"Oh." Was all Link could think of to say. "Yeah, the more the merrier."

Impa shook her head with a smile. "We'll seperate tonight. I'd rather get the princess back to Hyrule with all the strange happeings."

Impa was true to her word. And after a not-very-tearful goodbye, Link, Jade, and Sheik settled for a rather cheap inn at the edge of town. Currently our heroes were cleaning equiment. Well, Link and Sheik were. Jade was taking inventory of their goods.

Suddenly there were loud voices outside the door.

"+++++, ++++ +++++ ++?!"

"+++++++ +++ + ++++++ +++ ++++ +++ ++++++++++ ++ +++++++ ++ +++++!"

Jade opened the door and step into the hall with his dagger out. Link and Sheik weren't far behind. A tall dark-hair man held a redhead youth up against the wall. A young bushy haired woman was on her knees crying. A graying sandy-hair man stared at Jade and his companions.

"++++++?"

Jade stared hard at the group, the group stirred some hidden memories. Link,seeing Jade's preoccupation, moved in front of him. The man spoke again, the word clear.

"Harry?" It was some sort of name.

The others in the hall went quiet and stared at Link and Jade. Sheik kept to the shadows.

"Who are you? What do you want? Who's Har-re?" Link demanded.

An old man who Lnk didn't notice came forward. A gray cat sat down near his feet.

"We mean you no harm. I'm Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. As to your last question, Harry is a young man whom we are searching for. He looks remarkable like your companion."

"You mean Jade?" Link glanced back for a quick second. Jade was frowning, his eyes slightly inward. Link looked back to catch the motion of a slender stick in the old man's hand.

Link snarled and pulled his sheild out. Jade was now crouching his dagger glittering. Both regarded the surprised elder warily.

"You're one of them!" Link said softly, his blue eyes hard in his anger.

"I take it you meet some of our...assoicaites." The dark-hair man drawled, releasing the now unconciuos redhead.

Link instinctly lookd to Jade. Jade relaxed his stance enough to indicate that they weren't whom they had thought they were. Link lower his sheild and blade enough to indicate he was willing to listen. Sheik gave a nod from the shadow indicating he got the message.

The snady-hair man took a sniff in their direction. His eyes widen as he exclaimed in the foreign language. The young woman was now glaring at Jade.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Simple. He just verified that your Jade is our Harry." Dumbledore said gently.

"Do you remember something about these people, Jade?" Link looked to his small companion.

Jade suddenly nodded. His fingers traced a large bird shape in the air. Dumbledore smiled.

"So you go by the name of Jade now, Harry?" The old man seemed amused.

Link watched as a few years seemed to lift off the elder's face. Somehow he felt that they were telling the truth. Link felt a sudden knot in his stomach at losing Jade. The elder seemed to read his mind.

"Would you and your companion willing to follow Harry to a new world? I can see you and Harry have some sort of bond."

Sheik and Link blinked. The old man knew Sheik was here the whole time! Sheik came out of the shadows and shrugged. Link nodded.

Meanwhile Jade aka Harry was watching the cat at the old man's feet. The gray tabby walked up to his feet and looked up. Jade could have sworn the marking around its eyes were glasses. That the cat was really an old woman.

"..." Jade said before petting the cat.

Professor McGonagall purred as Harry stroked her back. Link looked down to see Jade with the cat. He looked to Dumbldore questionally. The old man smiled sadly.

"That is Professor McGonagall, one of the heads of Hogwarts. She had an accident, trapping her in animal form."

Snape snorted as Ron Weasly woke up. Snape glared down at the boy, making sure Ron stay there. Remus watched Hermione glaring at Harry, er, Harry. Sheik spoke up.

"So where and when are we going?" He frowned behind his scarf. He was quite curious about Jade and his past.

Hermione regarded the shadow in mild surprise. Though she didn't understand the conversation, she didn't really want Harry back. He was a danger to everyone around.

"As soon as you wish."

Link and Sheik shared a look, then Link and Jade did. Jade nodded, his long braid bouncing with the movement.

"As soon as possible." Link said.

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Next on A Silent Lullaby:

Jade is Harry Potter the boy who live. Link and Sheik quickly learn that Jade may be not in danger from Voldemort but from a place closer to home.