Link of Hogwarts

Thirty-Two

It took a while before Link return to normal. Or rather, it took a while before life returned to his eyes. His friends supported him the best they could during those days where Link moved like a clockwork doll. He moved and worked accordingly, but there's no life in him or his actions. His silence was stifling and downright creepy as opposed to its normally calming nature.

He started to 'heal' when they brought him to Buckbeak. At first he mechanically helped Hagrid fed the hippogriff herd but slowly he thawed. He started to react when they include him in their usual conversation, even if that conversation has something to do with Ron's pet rat Scabbers' continuous fear of Crookshank that made it his mission to terrorize the rat at every chance he gets. On the plus side, his condition kept the fighting between Ron and Hermione on the minimum.

Now, he stood beside Neville as they lined up for inspection for their first Hogsmeade visit right on Halloween. Filch only give them a cursory look before sending them off. Neville sighed, puffs of breathes clouded his face from the snowy weather, "I can't wait to see the nursery. I'm sure they have one at Hogsmeade!"

Ron skidded a little from the frozen ground but Link's quick hands stopped him from completely tumbling into the muck. Thank Link, Ron pointed, "I want to see what's so haunting about the Shrieking Shack,"

Neville froze beside them, "Sh-shrieking Sh-sha-shack? Why do you want to go there?"

Link has to ask, "What's the Shrieking Shack?"

Hermione answered as she's wont to do whenever someone ask something, "It's the most haunted building in Britain, or at least that's what the template says," She pulled out a crumpled template given to the students just a week before, "I want to visit the Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. I'm running out of quills,"

Link nodded along and the four braved the snows as Hogsmeade came into view. Link looked up and around in wonder, his wanderlust kicking up as stars sparkled in his eyes. Before they know it, the group spends more time chasing after Link than doing their own things. They knew Link's penchant for exploration, but they do not know the extent of that itchy feet.

After all, how were they supposed to know that Link can be such a monkey?!

Luckily, they ran into Hagrid who took one look at their harried expression before joining in after them. In the end, Ron borrowed one of the senior's brooms to guide Link down from someone's chimney. The owner looked less than impressed that someone managed to climb his icy roof.

The group finally decided to follow Hagrid to the Three Broomsticks Inn for something to help warm their shivering body, Link firmly held on both sides by Ron and Neville while Hermione kept a tight hold on his scarf. They sat him down and Hermione glared at him, "Behave,"

At this point, they sympathized with Molly Weasley and greatly respected her...

Back at The Burrow, said mother suddenly filled with the elated feeling of being praised and wondered who...

Arthur Weasley suddenly felt like smiling all day with an odd sense of pride in chest...

Meanwhile, back with the group, Link finally calmed down after tasting the famed Butterbeer. He grinned, "That was fun,"

His friends groaned around him...

Luckily, Link behaved for the rest of the trip though they did twitch whenever he so much looked at something. He obediently followed Hermione to the quill shop and even bought some for himself. Ron took him to the joke shop with Hermione giving them the stink eye the whole time they were in there and finally Neville dragged them to the famed sweet shop; Honeydukes.

Link instantly scoop each types and flavor of sweets in the shop, intent on tasting them. He even took a handful of Blood Pops out of curiosity. Ron had grimaced at the sight but the friends had long accepted that Link has a stomach of iron.

If he can digest anything from Hagrid, he can certainly digest anything...

The group ended the trip with a quick visit to the Shrieking Shack. As Ron and Hermione shared stories that they learned about the famous shack, Neville looked everywhere but the shack. Link on the other hand looked at the shack with great interest but kept being pulled back by Ron whenever he tries to walk past the gate towards the shack.

Malfoy and his goons made their appearance near the end of the visit but when Link sneakily threw a snowball at them from their blind spots, the trio of Slytherins was quick to make themselves scarce. Neville looked at Link and laughed when Link showed his sneaky throw.

The group messed around for a while before deciding that the weather had gotten too windy and cold to stay out. As they made their way back, Link's ears twitched and he glanced over his shoulder. He was certain that he could feel eyes on him but they lacked ill intention. He tried to be certain by looking at the snow covered trees just off the road but Neville pulled at him for the nth time, "No, Link, you're not going to investigate the Shrieking Shack,"

As Link allowed himself to be pulled by Neville who treated him like an errant child, the shadowy figure disappeared from the tree lines. Deciding that it was of no danger to him or his friends, Link changed the subject of their discussion on the shack and Malfoy to something else.

The feeling of being watched followed him until he disappeared beyond its sight...

Everything was fine that evening but upon reaching Hogwarts the group found that they can't get in. Turned out that the Fat Lady guarding their door to the Gryffindor Tower was attacked by the mysterious figure Sirius Black.

Now the group slept in the Great Hall with the rest of the student's body. The Fat Lady refused to return to her post and having seen the damage left on her portrait, Link wouldn't blame her. For reason unknown, as many when it comes to Link, he feels a strong empathy towards living portraits. Sometimes he feels like he's one of them.

His friends always find it odd whenever they found him sharing a conversation with the many portraits around Hogwarts. Just as how they find it odd for his friendly and understanding nature towards the ghosts of Hogwarts.

Link, as many others, shared that evening in the Great Hall discussing the how of Sirius Black entering the castle itself. None of the portraits or ghosts saw anything prior to the scare of the Fat Lady.

They shared some more whisperings before McGonagall ordered "lights out" and sent the Great Hall into darkness. It wasn't long before boredom cause the students to go to bed while the teachers continues to stand guard and patrol.

Later that night, Link woke up the sound of someone whispering over him. He made out the voices of Snape and the Headmaster quietly arguing about something. Or rather Snape was arguing but the Headmaster calmly turned down whatever it was he was suggesting. Link couldn't really made head or tail of their discussion but Snape seemed to imply an inside work.

Deciding that this year he will not involve himself, Link returned to bed...