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Chapter 2: The Morning After.
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall for breakfast the first thing they saw was Draco Malfoy, who was trying to entertain the Slytherin table by doing impersonations of what the three assumed to be Harry fainting at the sight of a Dementor. Fortunately, the only ones at the Slytherin table who seemed to be amused by it were Draco's friends, as the rest were talking excitedly about something else, and could not be bothered with making fun of Harry for once.
Seeing Draco's dejected face made Harry feel good about the day, and he went and sat down at the Gryffindor table by Fred and George. He quickly noticed it wasn't just the Slytherin table who seemed excited about something, but it was the Gryffindor table as well. In fact, all of the Great Hall was particularly abuzz today. "What's going on?" Harry asked as George passed him the new schedule for third years.
"Everyone is trying to guess who the green kid who fell in your food last night is." George answered casually. "The most popular theory right now is that he is a time-traveling hippogriff knight, but me and Fred here are partial to the Harry's long-lost twin brother theory."
Ron gave a snort of laughter as he sat on the other side of George, and Harry made a face of startled confusion. "Wait my what?"
"Yeah Harry, didn't you know?" Fred jumped in. "You were born a twin, like George and I here, but your parents feared You-Know-Who would hurt you both so they sent far away him. He was raised by a duke of some small foreign country and has recently found out about his heritage, practiced some forbidden magic to find you."
"That can't be what people actually think, can it?" Harry asked, unsure if he should find this hilarious, frustrating, or ridiculous.
"Well it is a small theory, but we don't fault it for its charm." Fred replied as Ron continued to laugh. Harry looked around and did indeed some people looking in his general direction. "Don't let it get to you Harry. Hogwarts is full of easy excitable morons." Hermione said as she examined their new schedule. "Oh good! We have new subjects today" She said happily, more to herself than anyone else.
"Hermione." Ron said, frowning as he looked over her shoulder. "They messed up your schedule. Look, they got you down for about ten subjects a day."
Harry turned his attention away from his two friends, and piled on some sausages and fried tomatoes to his plate. "Well whether he is my twin or not I can't wait to shake his hand when he wakes up. Thanks to his surprise arrival Malfoy doesn't have as big of an audience for his little show."
Fred and George looked over just in time to see Malfoy do another fainting act just to be ignored by almost everyone. "The little git. That's what he deserves. He wasn't so cocky when the dementors came down our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he Fred?"
"Nearly wet himself." Fred answered, as he took a bite of his sausage. "I wouldn't worry about it, even without Harry. No one else blames you, dementors are awful things. They freeze your insides."
"Yeah but you didn't pass out. Nobody else did." Harry grumbled, casting his eyes downward. Even if no one was paying attention to Malfoy, even talking about it made him burn with embarrassment. Fred and George were about to add to the conversation when Hagrid entered the Great hall wearing his long moleskin coat and absently swinging a dead polerat in one massive hand. Harry, Ron and Hermione ran quickly to him. Hermione attempted to wrap her arms around his massive body in a hug, as well as avoiding the dead polerat.
"Oh Hagrid, we didn't get a chance to tell you congratulations last night!" Hermione said as she took a few steps back to smile up at him. "We are so happy for you." Hagrid beamed down at them and looked as if he was going to cry. "I can 'ardly believe it meself. Great man, that Dumbledore." Hagrid wiped his blossoming tears on the dead polerat.
"Oh but enough of that! Ye three are in me firs' ever lesson! Bin up since five getting' everythin' ready. Hope it goes okay… Me, a teacher." Hagrid shook his head and after the three gave words of encouragement he began to walk to the staff table.
"What has he been getting ready?" Ron said, nervously after Hagrid was out of earshot. Hermione gave him a 'look'. "I am sure it will be fine, Ron. Never mind that for now though, look up at the staff table." Hermione pointed to where Hagrid had just sat down. "Look who isn't there."
Harry followed Hermione's pointing finger and saw two missing seats that were almost always filled. "Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall." Harry answered, looking back to his friends. "Do you think they are with the kid from yesterday? Maybe he woke up?" Ron gave a snort of disbelief. "Unlikely. Did you see him yesterday? I would be surprise if he ever woke up."
Ron returned to his seat and the other two followed, Hermione looking affronted. "Ronald! Don't you say that! I am sure Madam Pomfrey can heal him in a snap."
Ron shrugged as he began to shovel some food into his mouth. Harry looked over at Hermione with a doubtful look. "You have to admit Hermione, he did look pretty bad." Ron sat there nodding with a mouthful of food. Hermione crossed her arms and looked away.
"Well I know he is going to be alright."
Darkness swirls around me. I can feel it, biting at me with its greedy maws, hoping to claim me as its own. I had my sword and shield drawn, slashing this way and that. Fear welled up inside my heart but I kept slicing. It was the only thing I could do. The Darkness hissed at me, and whispers of promises and power slithered into my ears but I paid no heed. I kept fighting. I will always keep fighting. Even when I am tired and battered and broken, I will never stop fighting this or any Darkness. I will not.
I heard laughter and as I turned the darkness began to mold into one being. It was an amorphous blob of horror and nightmares. I gritted my teeth and I prepared to fight against it. It writhed in hatred before it suddenly split into two shapes. A massive demon Boar, and a large slimy Snake. They charged and as I raised my shield a lightning bolt came from nowhere and struck at the Snake.
With a yell, Link shot up in the bed, the covers flying off him to the ground. He was breathing heavily, and could feel sweat drip from his forehead. He swiped at it and tried to control his breathing. Closing his eyes he began repeating 'Just a dream' over and over in his head like a mantra, before he opened his eyes and was about to prepare for work at the ranch. That is until he realized to things.
He wasn't in his tree house. And 2. His entire body hurt.
He grunted in pain as he tried to move around but found it very hard to do. He looked down at his body and found it covered in bandages. He groaned and fell back onto his bed, and then immediately groaned again as that caused even more pain. He chided himself, and then from his bed he began to examine the room he was in. Unfortunately he was not able to look at much as a curtain was in place. He gave a sigh, and pushed his head back farther into the pillow.
He must be in a hospital of some kind. He assumed that there would be nurses or doctors nearby and began to call out. As he did though, Link was surprised at how cracked and painful and weak it was. He called out again, trying to be louder, but failing. Just as he prepared to try once again to call out for a nurse or doctor, the curtains were pushed aside and an elderly woman stared down at him with surprise, concern, and relief all at once.
"Oh, thank heavens you are awake." She said as she went to his side and started fussing at him. Link tried to protest and ask her where he was, but before he could get a word out a glass of water was pushed into his hands. "Drink." She commanded sternly and without protest he drink. As the cool liquid ran down his throat he felt at bliss. He went to chug the entire thing down, but the elderly women quickly snatched it away from him and pushed another cup in his hand. "Now this." She said, and Link once again, drank without protest. This was clearly not water, and was bitter tasting. Drinking it however he began to feel like his body wasn't as broken.
"How do you feel?" She asked as he gave her back the cup.
"Better." Link answered his voice still a little raspy. It was like he hadn't spoken in years. "Still thirsty though. May I have some more water?"
"Of course dear. Here. Now, what still hurts?" She gave Link a refilled cup of water which he graciously drank, and then obediently told her what still ached. She nodded, and said that she would go and prepare more potions for him, and then went to shut the curtains again.
"Wait." Link said, making the elderly women stop. "Where am I? And who are you?"
"My name is Madam Pomfrey, and I am the Matron at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is where you are." She said promptly, but not unkindly. "Now rest, I will wake you when you need more potions." Before Link could protest, the Matron shut the curtain and he heard footsteps leading away from him.
He gave a sigh and turned his blue eyes up towards the ceiling. Hogwarts? He didn't know of any such place called Hogwarts in Hyrule. And as far as he remembered the only place to formally study magic was at Castle Town. Hyrule Castle would offer to take up potential wizards and they would be taught by royal tutors as long as they showed proficient talent. There was no school for it as very little people in the kingdom sought after it. Most were content with their lives as farmers, craftsmen, and shop-owners. Hyrule was a very peaceful and lazy kingdom before the Twilight descended, very few even took up the sword like he, let alone magic.
Link however, was not one to worry. He was as laid back as it came, and all that mattered to him was that he was in a comfortable bed. He made himself comfortable, closed his eyes, and was close to falling back to sleep, when he heard heavy doors opening, and a kind voice speak.
"Madam Pomfrey, has our guest awaken?"
"Yes, he woke just a few minutes ago Headmaster."
"I take it then that he is in fine condition then? I would like to ask-"
"Absolutely not Albus. He may be better now but the boy needs rest. You saw him last night, how broken and mangled he looked. I healed all the major damage but he is still exhausted and needs more time to heal."
"Poppy Please." This was a new voice. It was stern but kind and Link guessed it was from a woman. "We know his health comes first but the ministry needs to know what is happening."
"Damn to the ministry Minerva. This boy needs rest and I will not see him disturbed."
"Then fine, 'damn to the ministry', but what about our students Poppy? If this boy is a danger we need to know."
With a grunt of pain, Link sat up in his bed and swung his legs over to the side. If he had been observant, he would have realized his legs were much shorter than they should have been, but outside of dungeons and battles, Link was not an observant person. He reached forward and drew back the curtains to see Madam Pomfrey arguing with an old man dressed in bright purple robes, and an older woman who stood straight and tall. "It's okay" Link said, causing the two women to startle and the older man to turn and smile at him. "I feel fine enough to answer a few questions here and there."
Madam Pomfrey looked at Link, then at the two visitors, and then threw her hands up in the air in defeat. "Five minutes Albus, that is all I am giving you, five minutes and then he goes back to resting." She pointed accusable at the older man who just raised his own hands up with a small smile. "That is agreed upon."
Link watched as the Matron walked to her desk and sat down, while his two visitors approached him. The older one pulled out a wooden stick, and with it summoned two chairs, as he and the woman sat down. They seemed as if this was a completely normal thing, so Link did not try to looked shocked by it, but he figured he failed.
"Now…" The older man began, speaking in a kind 'grandfather voice'. "My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and I am the Headmaster of the school you find yourself currently residing. This lovely woman next to me is Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress." The man now known as the Headmaster said, gesturing to himself and the professor next to him. He then turned his kind, twinkling blue eyes towards link. "May I ask your name?"
Link was staring at the Headmaster, with a kind of shocked and amused expression. "Wow, That is a lot of names for just one person." Link said, in an excited voice. "What did you have to do for all those names?"
McGonagall straitened up, and was about to scold the boy for his rudeness, but Dumbledore just chuckled at his comment. "Very little I am afraid." He said with a smile to Link. "Do not worry though; you may call me Albus if you wish. What may I call you?"
"I am Link of Ordon." Link responded with a respectful tone, as he fell onto the polities that Rusl taught him when he was a kid training as a swordsmen. "My master was Rusl of Ordon, and I have no Father to name." Link bowed his head, ignoring the small amount of pain it caused him. Though he hadn't had need of these formalities in a while, since his quest to stop Zant and Ganondorf was so important, now that he had a second to catch his breath it was actually nice to fall back on them. When he began learning how to wield a blade, Rusl pushed the importance that being a knight just wasn't your skill with a sword, but the respect and kindness you showed others. Just as quickly as he adopted the formal and respective, it was dropped as Link gave a cheerful smile and gave a small salute with his index and middle finger.
"You can just call me Link though. It's a pleasure to meet you."
McGonagall and Dumbledore looked at each other, McGonagall's face holding confusion and Dumbledore's face being carefully concealed. "I'm sorry, but we are not familiar with Ordon. Is it a village in Britain?"
"No, it is a small providence in the South of Hyrule." Link replied casually, as he carefully rolled his left hand, testing for pain. "I don't blame you for not knowing it, even citizen of Hyrule forget it from time to time. So I am in the Kingdom of Britain? I do not know of it, but I am unfamiliar with lands outside of Hyrule."
"I am sorry young man. But there is no such place called Hyrule." McGonagall said, peering at him. Link turned and looked at her confused. "Yes it is. It is where I am from. Maybe this kingdom just has not discovered it, we might be pretty far-"
"We are not a kingdom. And the entire world has been traversed several times, and there is no place called Hyrule young man." McGonagall said haughtily. "Now you should start telling the truth."
"I am telling the truth." Link responded angrily. "And where do you get off treating me like a child? I am a 17, a master swordsman, and chosen Hero of Hyrule! I do not appreciate you talking to me in such a way."
"Seventeen? Link, you can't be anymore than thirteen." Dumbledore interjected kindly, before McGonagall could reprimand him. "That's ridiculous. I am not…" Link started to say as he held out his arm to look at it, and saw how much smaller it was than usually. Link suddenly stood. Ignoring the pain that shot through his body, the blankets falling off of him as he looked his body up and down. He looked up at the two professors with a lost and confused expression. McGonagall had no longer looked stern, but more concern for the boy. "What… What is happening?"
"Maybe you should sit down, and tell us how you got here?" Dumbledore said in a soft, kind voice, and Link nodded numbly as he climbed back on his bed. "There is a lot to tell. Where should I start?" Link asked, as he went through his adventures in his head.
"I find that the beginning is usually the best place to start." Dumbledore said with a small smile, and Link gave a nod and he started at the beginning. He told them of how he lived a peaceful life in Ordon, being a rancher and being trained by his mentor Rusl. He spoke of how the creatures in Faron woods started acting up, and how he had to go rescue Talo. Link told them how the moblins came and took Ilia and the kids, and how when he tried to chase after them he found himself in a strange world of Twilight, and transformed into a wolf. (At this part in the story McGonagall leaned and whispered something about someone called 'Lupin' to Dumbledore.)
At one point Madam Pomfrey came in to tell them the five minutes were up, but Link wouldn't stop talking. It spilled out of him, every gory detail. He explained the times he had doubts, and he explained how heavy the world was on his shoulders. He found himself getting more and more tired as he relived the story, but it felt so good to let it out. His two listeners remained quiet through most of the story, only occasionally asking questions for clarity. Eventually Link got to the final battle with Ganondorf, Midna's sacrifice, and how he was about to be thrown into another realm.
"…And Ganondorf was about to take out my piece of the Triforce, something I wasn't even that aware of to begin with, when I saw the opportunity to stop him." Link said with a sigh, feeling heavy in the bed. "I used the last of my strength to take off his arm, and then push both of us into the vortex. And then…" There was a pause, before Link said shakily "And then I woke up here. Wherever here is."
Link closed his eyes with a heavy sigh, and a silence filled the room. It lasted for a while, before Madam Pomfrey broke it by walking up and declaring that it was time Link had some more rest. The two professors agreed, and they each got up to leave. Link sat, staring down at his lap when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the kind face of professor Mcgonagall.
"Don't worry, Link. We will find a way to get you home. Wherever that may be." She gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, and Link thought about telling her not to treat him like a child again, but he realized he didn't mind as much right now as he smiled back at her. Suddenly a thought came to his head.
"Wait, the Master Sword, and my other equipment? Did they appear with me?" He asked, looking over at Dumbledore. Dumbledore looked over at him and gave a sad apologetic smile. "I am sorry Link. They only things that appeared with you were your cloths that were over sized at the time.
Link gave a nod at this. It would have been nice to have all his equipment because they had always shown to be useful in the past, but he guessed he could make do without them. He was a little concerned about the Master Sword, but he supposed that I he ever needed it again it would show up. Too bad about the Hero tunic though, being to big for him now. While he didn't think much of it at first, it began to grow on him.
"You know what." Link began as Madam Pomfrey was showing out the two professors. "I am actually feeling better, and I am feeling quite restless. Could I explore this school and it's grounds for a bit?"
Dumbledore was about to answer when Madam Pomfrey cut him off. "Absolutely not. You may feel better but you need rest. You still have injuries that need to be treated properly."
"Ah yes. Poppy is quite right." Dumbledore began, gaining a twinkle in his blue eyes. "Under no circumstance are you to leave and explore the grounds of Hogwarts." Dumbledore said sternly with a smile, and was about to leave when he added. "Also Link, you should be pleased to hear that we were able to clean and repair your cloths, as well as shrink them to your new size. Madam Pomfrey has them and will return them when you are ready to leave."
With that Dumbledore nodded and left, and Madam Pomfrey gave Link a 'Don't think about it' look, and closed the curtain placed around his bed. Link sat there, smiling to himself. So all he had to do was get his cloths back from the Matron and he could explore? It would be an easy task. He carefully parted the curtain and began to watch Pomfrey's patterns. This was just another puzzle to be solved, and he was great at puzzles.
Dumbledore was sitting in his office, popping lemon drops into his mouth as he stroked the beautiful feathers on Fawkes, as he looked up at his head of houses. After he had gotten back from the medical wing he sent for Severus, Filius, and Pomona. They had gotten here rather quickly and together he and Minerva explained what they had been told by the young boy named Link.
"Are we really expected to believe this boy is from another world?" Severus asked with a sneer, rolling his eyes at the notion. "He is clearly lying. Or mad."
"Severus' snide tone aside, I think I agree with him." Filius said. "It sounds rather far-fetched."
"Yes but why would the boy lie to us?" Pomona asked, frowning at the two. "While it might not be the full truth, we shouldn't just label him a liar."
"We could always give him some truth serum." Filius said, mainly to himself in thought. "It would be a simple task for Severus, and then we would be able to find out for sure. Just slip it in his water and-"
"We do not need to subject the boy to truth serum." Minerva snapped. "Such a thing would both be illegal and immoral. Besides, even with it we would get the same results. Even if it isn't true, Link clearly believes he is from a land called 'Hyrule'."
"So we just let him roam about the castle?" Severus asked, looking towards Dumbledore. "He could be dangerous, Headmaster. Maybe we should hand him over to the Ministry?"
"I do not believe that will be needed, Severus." Dumbledore said, looking at his advisers. "I believe that Link is telling the truth. Even if he isn't I sense that he is a courageous and kind boy. He will not be any danger to us or our students." Dumbledore stood and Fawkes jumped on his shoulder. He walked to the window, and smiled, before looking at Severus. "Besides Severus, he will not be roaming the castle. Poppy has him under lock and key."
As he said this, he deemed it un-noteworthy that from his window, he could see a small figure clad in green, walking outside and heading towards the lake.