A/N. This is a non-commercial work. All Harry Potter characters property of J. K. Rowling, et al. All Legend of Zelda Characters property of Nintendo Games, et al. Second Prophecy from “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” by J. K. Rowling. Some Characters and Ideas come from other Fan-Fiction. This disclaimer will be improved upon as time goes by.

24 September 2005. Added Introitus and extra content.

Introitus

So many years have passed since then. And yet, even now, the sorrows linger still. I think back solemnly upon those times with pride, gratitude, and… regret. Why did so many have to die? Why couldn’t I save them from dying before their natural span of years? Why did they have to die, for me, when all I ever wanted of them was for them to kiss my brow or cheek, dry the tears from my eyes, to live, to allow me to love them as they did me without fear of losing them, or guilt of thinking that I had caused their deaths.

I was never that important, no matter what the others said. I was never supposed to be the Hero of Time, no matter what you’ve been told over the years. I was never supposed to be the… I delude myself. I did what needed to be done for the good of my subjects; their happiness has not only been a duty, but a love of my heart deeper than Lake Hylia, higher than Death Mountain, broader than the Great Hylean Plain, stronger than the loyalty of a Sheikah, more boldly fruitful than the Kokiri Forest, and more sublimely vital than the Gerudo Desert.

Many who know my history would say that I complain wrongly of my circumstances. And, they would in the end be right. There are so many other ways things could have begun, and so many more they could have turned out. Yet, it is my life we discuss, so I should in the end have some say on how delightful or sorrowful the times were.

So many people have helped me through those years. But so many died. Hadn’t it occurred to even one of them that they could have helped me far more by living, by not abandoning me to my fate? I grant you I’m being selfish and immature by feeling thus. And rest assured I don’t spurn or insult their sacrifice; I can’t spurn the same sacrifice I would have freely made were it my fate to do so. That aside, I still say I have the right to both mourn and resent their loss. And, though I know I will see them again after the End of All Days, their loss tears through my soul, and will so long as time itself still lives.

There are many places I could start this tale. But I choose to start it in the one thousand nine hundred and eighty-first year of our Lord and Saviour, the fifteen hundred and thirty first year of the Son of Honour, on the evening prior to Samhain of that year. On that day, like any other Samhain eve, my countrymen were preparing for the holiday on the morrow, where they would go to Mass to give thanks for the harvest and remember their ancestors. After Samhain High-Mass, and the obligatory visit to the graves, they would retire to their homes to have large family dinners. For Samhain has always been to us a combination of the American Thanksgiving and Memorial Day even before we gained Christ's Final Pardon and joined the community of Christian Nations.

The Armed Forces and Knightly orders would have their Pomp and Circumstance as well. For Samhain was one of the days they laid wreaths at the Cenotaph, where the war dead of our Realm are memorialized. After mournful ceremony and invoking solemn prayers of thanks, they would depart for their family dinners, leaving the guard of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, Templars and Guardians who stand eternal watch over the stone symbol of their brothers’ eternal sacrifice.

But in Hyrule Castle, the seat of power of my beloved Realm, the Son of Honour was not preparing for Samhain. He and his Lord Keeper were engaged in their share of the Second Walpurgian War.

Chapter 1, Unwelcome Interference

The young looking man sat at his desk brooding over the letter before him. The man appeared to be no more than nineteen years of age, and if one were to observe him sleeping he would appear younger yet. When standing, he stood an even six feet tall, was broad at the chest and shoulders, and narrow at the waist, appearing to weigh about two hundred pounds. His face was handsome, and his blue eyes sparkled with an almost magical intensity. He had medium length reddish-blond hair, of a shade known in his land as “Arlisson-Blond.”

This was not the most unusual part of his appearance, however. He was dressed in clothing that appeared to come straight out of the English legends of Robin Hood. He wore a green short-sleeve tunic with an open collar, shorts with cuffs that fell just below the edge of the tunic, and knee-high tan suede boots. He also wore his “woodsman’s cap” indoors; its fabric matched the tunic and shorts, and it had a strange brown feather centred on the front. His most unusual feature though was his fairy, who floated overhead, brooding like her host.

The fairy was the size of a small hawk, glowed with varying shades of yellow light, had dragonfly wings on her back between her shoulder blades, and had talons for feet. Otherwise, she presented the appearance of a beautiful woman with waist-length hair and wearing gossamer robes. The man, whose given name was Link had a fairy, because he was in fact a Kokiri. The Kokiri were an Elvin people unique to Hyrule. However, he wasn’t even an ordinary Kokiri. For most Kokiri never got any taller than four feet, he was six feet tall. All Kokiri except for him had pointed ears, his were round, like those of any ordinary human. And most Kokiri’s fairies, while always more than appendages, did not have complete personalities. Navi, Link’s fairy not only had a complete personality; she was in fact several hundred years older than Link himself. She and her host silently read the letter again.

The Duke of Hyrule

Hyrule Castle

Castleton, Realm of Hyrule, U.K.

29 October, 1981.

Your Grace,

My name is Lily Potter. My husband’s grandfather was

Harold Josiah Potter, whom you were acquainted with in

The Second World War. After Grindelwald’s defeat, he,

Algernon Neville Longbottom, Malcolm Gentry, and Albus

Dumbledore asked you not to interfere in the affairs of

English Wizards again. But I must beg you to reconsider.

My father was Henry Evans, and my mother was Rose

Gentry. They were both your descendants. In fact, when I

traced my family tree, I had to go back seven generations

to find an ancestor who did not descend from you. As your

daughter, I beg you to protect the life of my son.

As you may or not be aware, there is a Dark Lord

calling himself “Lord Voldemort” who is terrorizing

Wizarding England. He has decided he must kill my husband,

my son, and me. My husband, James Potter, and I have

fought against Voldemort for several years. But,

because of a prophecy made about Harry, my son, he has

taken a greater interest in us, especially Harry.

We have already gone into hiding under the Fidelis

Charm, but I fear even that won’t be enough. I don’t

fear death for my husband or myself. Though we are both

quite young, we’ve at least lived a few years, But, I’m

terrified for Harry.

Please, Your Grace, protect Harry from harm. He is

only a child, and deserves to grow up in happiness and

safety. He means more to me than anything else, I would

die for him if it took that to protect him! Please swear

to me that you will protect him. I respectfully await

your answer.

Respectfully,

Lily Potter.

The young looking Duke of Hyrule remembered 1945 all too well. For, he in fact was born in the year 439 A.D, and was the same Duke of Hyrule who had the arguments with the Minister of Magic in 1945. Grindelwald was the last Dark Wizard. He was also Hitler’s chief ally in Britain, and had personally thwarted several Hyrulian rescue missions saving European Jews from Hitler’s death camps, causing the deaths of numerous Hyrulian soldiers and spies.

The Hyrulian Parliament demanded that he be tried as a war criminal and hanged. The English Ministry of Magic, on Albus Dumbledore’s advice, had endeavoured to imprison him for life in Azkaban Fortress, the English Wizarding prison.

Dumbledore was the one who ended up defeating Grindelwald in March of 1945. Link submitted an extradition warrant to the Ministry of Magic. The MOM pointed ignored the warrant. Grindelwald was tried by the English and was being transported to Azkaban Fortress when a squadron of Barbarosa Dragoons, the Gerudo heavy cavalry of Hyrule, seized him and conveyed the Dark Lord to Hyrule, where he was tried, convicted of war crimes, and hanged.

The English Ministry of Magic were furious that Link would order such a violation of Wizarding English sovereignty. The Hyrulian Parliament were more furious yet that they had to order their Duke to seize wanted fugitives rather than having long established extradition treaties honoured; Hyrulians seldom signed treaties, but those they signed they honoured and expected to be honoured in return.

Thus, the English Ministry of Magic, who governed all wizards in England, Scotland, Wales, and all of Ireland, but not Hyrule, and the government of Hyrule, which was also subject to the King of England, but never to the English Parliament, nor the English Ministry of Magic, broke off diplomatic relations, and had not communicated directly with one another for the next thirty-six years.

The fairy looked down at her young host and addressed him by name. “Link, do you mean to protect this woman’s child?”

Link looked up at his fairy and answered. “What else would you have me do, Navi? Despite the fact that his ancestors had me lose face with Parliament, he himself is a defenceless child. I must at least answer his mother in person. I can’t interfere directly, but I should be able to strengthen their charm somewhat.”

At this moment, there was a knock on the door to Link’s office. He bid the person to enter. The man was clean shaven, bald, and quite old looking, though still in robust health. He was the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of the Realm of Hyrule, Link’s closest advisor. The Lord Keeper, William Rotherwood, Earl of Ivanhoe, got to the point directly.

“Your Grace, I’ve just received a prophecy from the Seer of Kakariko. The prophecy states: ‘The Phoenix and the Lion are threatened in these times. The Phoenix shall smite the Snake of Evil, but the Snake shall smite the Phoenix Mother, and The Snake’s minions shall smite the Lion’s Pride. The Hawk of the Forest must fly to their aid this very night else all is lost and the Realm will enter a period of unspeakable Darkness, yea even Dragmire will be better than abandonment of the innocents.’”

Link asked, “William, have you gotten the English prophecy?”

“Yes, Your Grace. Sparrow’s report came in at the same time as the Owl from Kakariko. That one reads: ‘The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark im as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…’ How does this affect us, Your Grace?”

Link considered what he heard for a moment, and answered with a question of his own. “Have you traced where the Potters’ owl came from?”

William answered, “Yes, your grace. It came from the Potters’ cottage in Godric’s Hollow, in the eastern Lammermuir Hills. The cottage is under a strong Fidelis Charm, and should be safe indefinitely.”

Link answered, “It should be… but indeed it’s not. Remember the odd prophecy from last week? ‘A rat has breached the castle wall. Albion dear is set to fall.’ This is its meaning! Their Secret Keeper has betrayed them to Riddle. Lily Potter must know, or at least suspect that the charm has been broken. But why don’t they flee,William? Or perhaps she seeks asylum? And why does the Seer of Kakariko prophesy more about England in thirty days than the previous thirty decades?

“William, Navi and I are taking a trip to Scotland. I can’t say how long we’ll be gone. If fortune is with us we will return with guests shortly. But be prepared to answer my summons at once should I call. And say nothing of this until I tell you otherwise, but have Parliament ready to meet in special session on eight hours notice!”

The Lord Keeper answered his assent, and Link and Navi vanished.

The ancient Hyrulian ruler appeared in Godric’s Hollow just as Lord Voldemort cast the killing curse on James Potter. With the curse striking its mark, the cottage sprang into appearance. Link could feel other strange magic at work, and for some reason he was transfixed to the spot where he stood. He listened as Lily Potter pleaded in vain for her son’s life, and he felt as Lily cast the Charm of a Mother’s True Love.

Link’s heart broke as he heard this charm cast for only the second time in his entire long life. The other time he heard it cast was in the year 439, when his own mother cast it to protect him from Ganondorf’s fighters. His head spun dizzily as he heard Voldemort cast the curse first to kill Lily Potter, and then to kill the young Harry. But, Link felt the second curse rebound upon its caster! He sensed the destruction of Voldemort’s body, but not the death of the evil wizard. As Link felt the spirit of Voldemort flee the area, retaining just enough of the ash of its body so as not to be truly dead, he fell to the ground as if he himself were under assault. He fought against the unexplainable dizziness; after a few minutes, he was able to regain his feet and control.

No sooner had Link done this than the cottage collapsed as if it had been dynamited! He could hear the child crying, but this was the cry of anguish, not of injury. Young Harry was safe for the moment. Link heard the approach of a motorcycle from the sky to the south. He looked up and saw the headlamp of a motorcycle; Link caused himself to vanish completely and observe the stranger’s approach.

The bike came out of the sunrise and landed before the demolished cottage. Two men, a young wizard man, and a half-giant in his mid forties got off. The two men rapidly waded into the wreckage, and extracted the child from the debris. They carried little Harry back to the motorcycle, and quietly talked.

“Hagrid, I have some things to take care of. You take Harry to Professor Dumbledore. Go ahead and use my bike, Surrey is a long way from here.”

The half-giant asked, “Wouldn’t you rather take Harry? And why Surrey?”

The wizard answered, “Professor Dumbledore said that if anything happened that Harry had to stay with blood relatives. Seeing what we’ve seen, I have to guess that the old man knew something like this would happen. In the mean time, I have to talk to Peter. We have to go, Hagrid, the Muggles are coming! Take Harry and go!” The wizard handed the bundled up toddler to the half-giant and apparated away. Hagrid got back on to the motorcycle, started the engine, and flew up into the sky, vanishing as he went. Link read Hagrid’s mind using a Kokirish variant of Legillimancy to find the half-giant’s destination, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Link and Navi silently teleported away to the south of England.

Link spent his Samhain observing the house at 4 Privet Drive, its occupants, and the Animagus cat that also watched. The residents of the suburban house impressed Link not at all. The house was inhabited by a married couple and their sixteen month old son. The man, who was in his late twenties, and the woman, who was in her late thirties, were both surly and shallow people, save to their own son, who at the tender age of sixteen months was spoiled thoroughly rotten. The animagus was just as impressed as Link was, judging by its attitude of disdain.

Link watched all day, and into the night. At eleven in the evening, Albus Dumbledore finally showed up, and temporarily disabled the street-lamps. Link approached, still invisible, with Navi still in his mind, that he could better hear Dumbledore’s conversation with the animagus.

The only news he received from the conversation was that the news of what he’d already seen had spread throughout Wizarding England, and they were celebrating like they hadn’t since 1945! Young Harry was already being celebrated as “The Boy Who Lived.” Link thought silently to himself, already figuring out why Harry was to live here. He had sent messenger spells out discretely during the day, and their answered several questions. The woman of the house, Petunia Dursley, was Lilly Potter’s older sister. The charm that had saved Harry’s life at dawn that morning was an ancient form of blood magic, one that could be supported for many years to keep Harry from harm, provided he lived with a blood relative, the closer the blood relationship, the better.

Better still, by growing up isolated from the fame that was already headed his way, he would have a normal childhood, and not grow up vain or spoiled because of his fame and magical power. The toddler was indeed quite powerful magically; the spell Lilly Potter used would have failed with any normal wizarding toddler. But such ideas can be harmful in the minds of children, causing them to grow up spoiled, wilful, and unable to care for any save themselves. Being raised by Petunia Dursley, a “muggle,” would at first seem the ideal solution.

But Link had also checked up on the Dursleys. The were indeed as unfit parents as they appeared. Worse, they were not only Muggles, but Muggles who hated magic and considered wizards to be subhuman. Link listened in shock and horror toPetunia and Vernon Dursley’s conversation around their dinner table. They hated their nephew sight-unseen! Young Harry would be abused and neglected, and might not survive long enough to enter Hogwarts, England’s school for wizards, much less to adulthood. Even surviving such a childhood, Harry would be so bitter, twisted, and broken that he would never prevail against Voldemort a second time. Link would not accept this, and determined to find Harry a more suitable home. Voldemort was not dead, and would probably find some Dark Magic to reverse his current circumstance and return to power. Harry had to be ready when that time came.

Link had already decided on a plan of action, even as Dumbledore, the animagus, whose name was Minerva McGonagall, and Hagrid departed, leaving Harry asleep on the porch of his aunt’s house. James and Lilly had two friends, Frank and Alice Longbottom, who had a child the same age to the day as Harry. Like Harry’s father James, Frank and Alice were Aurors, England’s wizarding police, and had fought against Voldemort. With suitable coaching on Link’s part, they would gladly and quietly take Harry in, and raise him as their own, keeping him safe from his own fame, and safe from harm. But to do that, he had to let the Dursleys react to their nephew, and gain custody of the boy from them.

William Rotherwood drove up in one of Link’s Stutz-Blackhawk limousines, bringing the last of what Link needed to put his plan into place. Link walked up to the car, greeted the chauffer, and his Lord Keeper. He silently walked up to the porch, kissed the infant good night, and got into the back of the car to nap until morning.

But when sleep came to the ancient Kokiri it was less than truly restful. For once he entered his dreams, he was instantly joined by a small frail child, who cried every bit as painfully as the child on the porch of the Dursley’s house did not.

Link knew that the children were one and the same, and this truly concerned him. For of his own children, only the eldest two, Darunia and Darmani ever joined him in his dreams. This troubled Link because he hadn’t planned on adopting Harry. It was his design to either convince Vernon and Petunia Dursley to raise Harry kindly and properly, or remove Harry from their custody forever and place him with Frank and Alice Longbottom.

But that was not Harry’s plan. The child beseeched Link, “Please, Old One! Don’t leave me alone! Mommy and Daddy are dead. Send me to join them if you don’t want me, just don’t leave me alone!”

Link hadn’t planned on adopting Harry. But he wouldn’t harm so much as a hair on the head of the child, and he was there to prevent the child from growing up alone. He answered, “Harry, you will not be left alone and sad, especially not by me. I love you as if you were one of my children. But there are others who love you as much as me, and who have greater claim on seeing to your happiness.

“But I, like you, had my Mama and Papa die when I was very young. I will comfort you this night. Navi and I will sing to you of my childhood, and the love our Mamas and our Papas had for us and have still. For they, though they no longer live as we do, live still in Heaven, and will always live in our hearts.”

“Is Navi the girl on the edge of here, Old One?” Harry asked.

“Yes, Childing, I am” the fairy answered. “I was with Link almost from the beginning, and am here with him still.”

Link and Navi sang lullabies from Link’s childhood to the Boy Who Lived until the child smiled and was fully asleep, and on into the first light of day.