Link of Hogwarts

Forty-Two

When they finally reached their bed in their dorm at Hogwarts, bone tired and full from the Feast, Ron grumbled, "I was so looking forward to try Krum's Wronski Feint! Can't believe they cancelled Quidditch!"

Dean looked at him, "But Ron, you're a Keeper. When are you even going to use that?"

Ron scowled over his pillow, "It's the principal of a fan,"

Neville shook his head when the Seamus and Dean looked at him, "Don't think too much on it. The Twins said Ron is all but proposing at this point,"

Ron grumbled as he hit his pillow, "It's not fair, I tell you! We can't even join the Triwizard Tournament!"

Link nodded before adding his piece, "I'm more interested in the other schools coming here,"

The next week was filled with watching staff members straightening up either the students or the castle. Professional conservators and restorers were even called to help restore the colors and charms of the old paintings and tapestries around the castle. The Fat Lady is preening at the end of her session with the wizard in charge of her.

Not even gargoyles and armors missed their part. Although the gargoyles only need some dusting and buffing of their stony surface, they gained certain glamour at the end. Meanwhile, armors around the castle are given an armor polish each and some oil to help with the creaking.

Hermione tilted her head with the others when they found Link helping an armor with their straps one evening. She asked the other two, "Did you know that Link knows his way around armors?"

Ron shrugged, "I know he knows about weapons. Got a bunch of carved ones back at his tree,"

Neville approached Link, "I want to know how the armors keep themselves together,"

Ron being a boy himself, are piqued by this as well so he followed his friend and the two sat around Link and the armors that gathered around him to help them with their fraying leather straps. Hermione, who would never turn from gaining new knowledge, ended up helping the armors with the niches that they couldn't quite reach with the polish rag.

Since this year the teachers are more preoccupied with preparations, they have little to no school works. But Hermione reminded them that once the other school arrives, they will be flooded with works to which Ron told her to stop so he could enjoy this "peaceful days of no work". So they ended up being followed by armors who wanted some extra sprucing up by Link and his friends help.

Minerva McGonagall stared at the commotion down one hall where she saw all the animated armors collected around the familiar quadruplets, "What in the world?"

Albus Dumbledore looked at what she was staring and chuckled, "Well, it seems we have some helpful students. I should hand them ten points each for helping the school," He then returned to his work, "Now, Minerva, about the enchantment in the Great Hall..."

Severus Snape and Pomona Sprout were both approached by Link who asked permission to use both empty potion classroom and a greenhouse. When asked, he told them that he knew a better polishing formula since the polish and the oil used by the armors seemed to clash and leaves streaks behind. Curious, Severus followed Pomona and Link to a greenhouse where both teachers watched him pick his ingredients for the solution he had in mind. They then watched as he made his own armor polish.

By the end of the week, Hogwarts looked like a new school what with the restored paintings and tapestries, cleaner gargoyles and shiny armors that looked like they just came out of the forge. Even the walls and flagstones of the school looked like it has been replaced by new ones although everyone knows that's not it.

When 30th October arrives, every single residents in the school are buzzing with excitement. The D-day snowed all day long but it didn't deter them. The students huddled together while Hermione simply waved her wand for a warming charm on her person. She then taught the boys the wand movement and spell so they could do it on themselves.

She then helped Ginny when she arrived with the rest of her Year.

Professors and Head of Houses moved around and straightening them, Lavender Brown had her rather gaudy charmed hair pin confiscated by McGonagall and Luna Lovegood had to hide her necklace of Butterbeer bottle caps under her scarf by her much more lenient Head of Ravenclaw. Sprout combed the hair of some of the First Years Hufflepuffs and Slytherin preened by the fact the Snape had already made sure they do not look scruffy.

Then Dumbledore's voice can be heard, "I can see the delegation of Durmstrang on the Black Lake!" Immediately after that, the lake's surface burst and the comically small boat turned out to be the crow's nest as the rest of the ship floated to the surface.

Link whistled, "That is one handsome ship. Tetra would love it,"

Ginny whispered to Ron, "Who's Tetra?"

Ron quietly answered, "Don't think too much. Link liked saying things that make little sense,"

She nodded, remembering, "Right, he calls Halloween Din's Fall Festival," And no one knows who Din is and Link won't explain anything to them.

Ron suddenly all but squealed, "It's Krum! It's Viktor Krum!"

Simon hissed in annoyance under the collar as Ron shook Neville who had stood too close to him with excitement. Hermione rolled her eyes at the display and looked at Link who stared at Ron in bewilderment, "I'm just waiting for him to faint from swooning too much at this point,"

Link watched the celebrity walked close to the Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, whom Dumbledore called Igor Karkaroff, and how the man kept the obviously favored student close. He frowned, "Krum looked uncomfortable,"

Neville looked at him, "How do you tell? I mean, his face looked like he's bored by all the attention,"

Link couldn't tell his friend that he felt a kinship with the Bulgarian Seeker. With that much attention, he has no choice but to pretend that he's used to it. Even as the Boy-Who-Lived, Link prefer to keep his head down and his thoughts private. The status of a celebrity is never solid. Public opinions are less dependable that the weather at sea.

An hour after the arrival of Norwegian school, the sounds of wings reached them and Hogwarts witnessed a flock of large winged horse (to which Hermione whispered "Abraxan" and Link countered with "Gerudo War Steed?") pulling a gilded powder blue carriage to the open space before them where Hagrid stood to call them down, barely dodging the hooves as they landed, and gracefully stop right before Dumbledore with the door of the carriage in front of him.

The door opened and a woman as large as Hagrid stepped out. She's greeted by Dumbledore as Madame Olympe Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Link noticed how Hagrid kept stealing glances at her like a man smitten of Gerudo beauties.

Her students soon flowed out of the deceptively small carriage, albeit the carriage the size of a double decker, and Link heard Ron come out of his stupor that Hogwarts will be hosting Viktor Krum only to be ensnared by one of the French witches. Link took interest as it seemed that all the boys around him react the same way and found what they were all staring at.

Ginny sniffed, "She must have Veela's blood in her,"

All Link could think of was that he should be politely disinterested. Can't be looking at other girls now. She won't like that and Link liked keeping Her happy. After all, life has given Her little reason to truly smile and Her smile is Link's most precious treasure.

Finally, Dumbledore invited everyone inside and a great sigh of relieve can be heard echoing from around him...