Link of Hogwarts

One

Rubeus Hagrid, a giant of a man that reminded Link of another large giant but with muscles carved from rocks instead of flesh, gave Link an answer to that silent question burning in his head. Apparently his Aunt Petunia, or rather the Dursley elders, has been lying to him about his parents all his life. For one, he's not abandoned. No, they love him enough to sacrifice themselves for him. It hurt, that lie regarding why he's an orphan.

He turned to his aunt with accusing glares that sent shivers down her spine, "Why did you lie? Why didn't you tell me how they really died?"

Petunia scoffed at his accusing eyes, "Why should it matter how they die? It makes no different, you are and will always be alone. You don't even look like either of them!"

Her final words to him echo in his ears long after he left the Dursley. It was true, Link looked at the mirror in the inn that Hagrid left him so they could go shopping for his school things tomorrow. He heard his father's hair to be ebony and his mother's hair to be red, his father's eyes to be a gentle but mischievous brown and his mother's an eternal forest green. Hagrid noticed this in the morning during breakfast, "What's wrong, Harry?"

"Link,"

Hagrid wiped the breadcrumb from his mouth with a napkin, "Okay, Link," Harry have been very adamant about being called Link, "What's wrong?"

Link looked at him with sapphire eyes flecked with spring green hidden behind a pair of old style coke bottle glasses, "Am I really a Potter?"

Hagrid hummed before digging into his coat, "Well...I was thinking about giving this after finishing it but it seemed that you need to see it now," He placed an album on the table, "Been going around asking for pictures from their friends, see?"

Numbly, Link reached out and opened the book, more empty than filled and saw two happy faces dancing in a moving photo. Hagrid chuckled, "James and Lily. No souls burn brighter than theirs. Here, look," He pointed at the picture of Lily, "You have your mother's face; I remember when she was a First Year. You looked just like her, but you got you da's chin. They are there in you, you just need to look closer," He smiled kindly at Link felt his eyes blinking from unexpected tears of happiness as he studied their faces for the first time since he could recall.

Hagrid added, "Who care's you don't have Potter's signature black hair or Lily's famous green eyes. You are definitely their son. You have your da's smile but you also have your mother's gentle gaze. In fact, you seemed to have inherited your da's messy hair. He never managed to tame them, even on his wedding day. When I last saw him, he had taken to wear them long to tie back," He sniffed, ruffling Link's messy blond locks, "Yup! You got his hair alright!"

Link giggled a short laughter, his chest lighter as he became more confident of his own connection to the people who loved him enough to risk it all for him. Somewhere deep down, he felt like this was the first time he gets to know his parents face-to-face. Like he never see the faces of the people who brought him to this world, that he only ever heard second hand information, from hearsay or never know anything about them at all.

Link also noticed that no one notice him until they landed on the scar on his forehead, one that Petunia insisted he hide by wearing his bangs long. Then suddenly, he's being flooded with well-wishers. Luckily, Hagrid's large bulk managed to push them back like a wave breaker. After they realized that he needs to get his school things, Link finally break away from his well-wishers and to the back of the Leaky Cauldron. Staring dumbly at the trashcan and the wall, Link looked at Hagrid who brought out his pink umbrella, that Link remember cause a pig tail to grow from Dudley's backside, he watched as the giant man tapped the wall in a peculiar sequence.

Then the wall came alive, but not in a bad way. Hagrid boomed beside him, "Welcome to Diagon Alley, Link!"

Link's sapphire eyes with emerald specks widened as stars burst to life deep inside the pool of ocean blue.

Instantly Hagrid find himself being hand filled by a hyper active, hyper curious and hyper adventurous child. He never expected the sudden burst of energy that came from Link. He tried to remember if Link had eaten anything sugary that morning as he chased after the boy but his memory have no recollection of anything sweet being served. So why does Link acted like he had inhaled the whole of Dumbledore's secret stash of lemon drops?

The witches does not help with their tittering as they watched him chase after the hyper child as he poke and prod this and that which garnered his attention. At one point Hagrid had to carry Link since he almost scaled the side of a building, much to his and the spectators' horror. The defendant's motive was that he NEEDED to see the whole of the alley from a higher ground. Fortunately, it was the building of their destination. Unfortunately, Link does not impress the Goblin guards.

Hagrid took him to his trust vault, Link asking the goblin guiding them, "How often do you check the doors for thieves?"

"Once every decade," He answered the boy with a nasty grin.

Link blinked at the sight then shrugged. If they were caught by the wards on the vaults, then it's their fault for trying to steal in the first place. Of course he mentioned none of his personal thought to Hagrid, knowing that children were supposed to find the goblin's answer as horrifying. Hagrid took him to an ice-cream shop, nursing a bottle of alcohol to help with his nausea which made Link wonder if the effect of alcohol on Hagrid differs to that of a normal human.

Hagrid may not say it and Link won't ask it but it's extremely clear that like Link, Hagrid's not a normal human. Link was then given a quest to secure his school things as Hagrid nurse himself. He took out the pamphlet that he took from Gringott's counter for Muggle origin magical that help giving them a simple guide for Diagon Alley. Link easily mental check the route to take for the list of items he will need to buy.

As usual to Link, he just know to secure himself a proper carrier for all his things so he went and bought himself a practical luggage where he also just know to ask for space manipulating magic casted on the interior to help minimize his baggage as well as weight versus quantities charm to make it light. Then there's the Muggle deception charms so that he will be able to bypass any security check that they may pull over him. After paying for all the cost of securities recommended by the shopkeeper, Link head out for the uniforms.

It was written in the pamphlet to go for sizing first as it will take the seamstress several hours to get his order ready. So Link head to the wizard wear store and waited for his turn to come. Madame Malkin, the magical seamstress, called out from the back to "wait for a moment" and she "will attend to" Link. Bored, Link looked around the store and noted the curious fabric. He wondered if there's any that not only muffle sounds but also increase agility at night as well as function like a light weight armor. Does she have a dye station too? If so, will Link be required to hunt down the ingredients necessary for the dye?

Madame Malkin finally finished with her current charge, a snide blond boy who sneered at him and brushed rather rudely as he passed Link by. Link ignored him as Madame Malkin pulled him inside the stall for his measurements. Link noticed that the measuring tape hover with a mind of its own and he wondered if he can use similar magic as the seamstress.

After the uniforms have been measured for, Link moved to the bookstore nearby and held back from taking down most of the books, keeping in mind on his budget. Perhaps after finishing his shopping for school, he can ask Hagrid to allow him to go around and buy himself some things of interest? The school texts have been bundled up early on by the store in a set according to Years so Link does not wander in the store too much. The apothecary beckoned him next door on his shopping list so Link does just that.

The scents of death and wither clung at the back of his throat and Link gagged before bracing himself against the scent, he just knew that he have smelled worse but the knowledge alone does not suddenly make the scent around him pleasant to breath in. After finishing his shopping for star gazing, something that Link knew he can read the moment he familiarized himself with the constellation, the next agenda on the list beckon him.

Hagrid had joined him when he picked up his uniforms and had guided him to the wand store before excusing himself for a personal reason. Link didn't care to bother the man; his life does not gravitate around Link so Link leaves him to his duty.