"It wasn't on purpose. Her hand slipped. That's why," Harry said.
It wasn't the first time he'd explained himself. An impromptu meeting was underway, hosted around the dining room table of the farmhouse Ultear had destroyed, fixed, destroyed, and fixed again. Her time-related magic even managed to restore the pictures sitting by the mantle, showing a three-person family smiling into the camera. Harry wondered what happened to them when Zaxsa took over the village. Nothing too bad, he hoped. Maybe he'd look into it later. Right now, he had to find a way to make Meredy stop glaring at him like he was shit scraped off her shoe.
"I was going to ask for the tattoo in a normal place. Like the back of my hand. It was an accident."
"Pervert," Meredy said.
That was the name of the pink-haired youngest from the trio. Ultear was the one who shared Meredy's name, because Meredy didn't even want to speak to Harry. Jellal was the third. Sitting at the opposite end of the table, Harry was still trying to figure out what kind of magic Jellal wielded. He moved as fast as a bullet, punched like a freight car, and Harry remembered those glowing lights in the sky all too well.
"So, you're a new Fairy Tail mage," Jellal said.
Harry blinked, reminding himself that he was meant to be holding a conversation, not dissecting the man's powers. "That's me. For the grand old total of one day."
"He tells the truth. Laki's guild mark is legitimate," Ultear said.
The curvy woman had even changed her clothes since canceling her masculine disguise. It was a provocative outfit, too, especially on a body like hers— tights, a leotard, and a blue cape bedecked her body, while a white ribbon contrasted her dark purple hair. After Laki's screamed confession, the battle had been put on hold for Ultear to check Laki's guild mark. When the two came back, Laki having gone topless in private to show Ultear the pink mark on her side, Ultear proclaimed them true members of Fairy Tail. She'd given Harry a funny look then, and it wasn't the last time he caught her glancing his way. Maybe she was plotting revenge for his accidental groping?
"I apologize. We were wrong." Jellal lowered his head. "All three of us owe Fairy Tail deeply. We've behaved discourteously."
"So sorry," Ultear said. "Say it too, Meredy."
"Sorry… Perv," Meredy said.
Forced apology or not, her dislike for Harry was apparent. He didn't think it had to do with his guild mark, even if that's what she kept attacking him about. Meredy clung to Ultear like a child with her mom. Her first impression of Harry had been seeing him pin Ultear down, straddling her after beating her in battle. It would've been more strange if she didn't hate him.
"I hope that I do not seem rude, but why did you join Fairy Tail?" Jellal asked. "A mage of your proficiency would have been welcomed anywhere. I can't imagine that in its current state, Fairy Tail could compete with the likes of Lamia Scale or Sabertooth. They lack the resources."
"You're worried I've got an ulterior motive."
"As I said, I do not mean to offend." Jellal's face didn't change. "I have seen all manner of things happen when it comes to Fairy Tail. I find it wise to be cautious."
Ultear was looking at Harry that way again. Meredy seemed curious despite herself. Harry grinned.
"I joined because they were nice to me!"
"Nice?" Jellal asked.
"I was lost. Broke, too," Harry said. "Honestly, I didn't know what I was going to do! They helped me out, took me into their guild hall, and even gave me some bread. They didn't know who I was or what I could do. Is it surprising that I wanted to give back?"
Jellal smirked, marking the first emotion Harry had seen from him. "It's not surprising at all. That certainly sounds like them."
"Doesn't it?" Ultear laughed, propping her chin on her hands. "The fact that they helped such a powerful mage, by complete accident, is fitting for them as well. Big hearts, no common sense, and absolutely deplorable amounts of luck. That's the Fairy Tail combination."
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Laki had been sitting quietly next to Harry, intimidated by the trio of powerhouses across from them, but it was only a matter of time before the questions burst out. "You keep talking about Fairy Tail, but I've never met any of you!"
"Fairy Tail fought me. They ruined my life's work," Jellal said, smiling. "You could also say that they saved me. We fought together, sometime later, after I went through… certain things. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be standing here today. Certainly not as the man that I am."
"Meredy and I never fought at their side, but we faced off against Fairy Tail," said Ultear. "You could say they changed the path that we were on. For that, we owe them." Her face darkened. "It's not a debt I expect to pay off."
"You're dark mages," Laki said. She sounded a bit scared by the prospect. She'd seen what the three were capable of.
"We were. Now, I consider myself an independent mage." Jellal smiled wryly. "If you ask the Magic Council, they wouldn't see a distinction between the two. These days, we call ourselves Crime Sorcière."
"Ah!" Laki made a strangled sound. Harry took note of her reaction as he leaned over the table.
"You three must be pretty famous," Harry said.
"We've destroyed more Dark Guilds in the last year than any Legal Guild. This is our penance for the way we lived," Jellal proclaimed. "Our name has spread along the way. It's curious to see that you haven't heard of us."
"I'm new in town," Harry said.
"Arriving from…?"
Harry chuckled. "Far away."
"Go on, try us," Ultear said. "You may be surprised by how much we know."
"England." When that predictably drew blank looks, Harry kept going. "It's part of Great Britain, off the coast of Europe."
"I stand corrected. I'm not as knowledgeable as I thought," Ultear said.
"Don't beat yourself up over it. I know I'd never heard of Fiore before I got here," Harry said. "Say, given the way that Ultear reacted to me, the Magic Council must still be giving you trouble."
"When Ultear and Meredy freed me, they did it before my imminent execution. It would be shocking if the council ignored us," Jellal said.
Harry took his wand out of his pocket. Jellal watched it the same way that Harry had been looking at him; he was trying to figure out what it was, how it worked, and how to beat it. Not because he expected to be fighting Harry soon, but because he might have to. Harry related to the habit.
"What if I told you I could make it so they never bother you again?" Harry said.
"I'd call you mad," Jellal said. "Then, I would ask for details."
"I have a spell. Usually, it's used on places… but I know how to work it on people too. It hides locations. As in, no one can find it or even think of the name, except one person who's in on the secret. When you use it on people, the spell does the same thing to identities. No one will know Jellal unless you choose to let them in on the secret. People will have a vague recollection, but no one will be able to recognize you. The spell isn't used often, especially not this way. It turns out, the people who need to hide the most don't want to be forgotten. We humans take that kind of seriously."
"What you're describing would be a Forbidden Magic," Ultear said. "The things that it meddles are not meant to be manipulated."
"Maybe not… But what's magic for, if not breaking a couple of rules?" Harry tapped the tip of his wand on the table. "I can promise there's no risk. Other, you know, than being forgotten. You can share the secret with anyone you want. Just tell them your name, and it will all come rushing back to them. But if you or someone else whose in on the secret isn't around to share it, nothing will work. Distant family members, old friends, past lovers— none of them will be able to even picture your face."
Whatever reaction Harry expected to get to that, he wasn't quite ready for Jellal and Ultear to laugh. Meredy smiled.
"We ran out of those things a long time ago," Jellal said. "But before this conversation goes further, something needs to be cleared up. Can you offer any proof this spell is possible?"
Harry stood up, sweeping his arm toward the door. "After you."
A bit confused, Laki and Crime Sorcière left the kitchen, then traveled outside the farmhouse at Harry's urging. He joined them on the lawn.
"Look carefully, and observe… a house!" he said, flourishing his hands like a Muggle stage magician. Meredy crossed her arms, Ultear lifted an eyebrow, but Jellal was watching intently, undisturbed by his antics. Harry took aim with his wand.
The mental aspect was the trickiest part to pull off. You had to really focus on what you were trying to hide, down to the details that would usually seem irrelevant. It was easier to hide something precious to you, like a home you'd lived in for years. Still, by now, difficult didn't stop Harry when it came to magic. His eyes darted over the farmhouse in the seconds before he cried out, "Fidelius!"
He made the correct double-stabbing motion. As the secret keeper, nothing changed for Harry, but he heard the four next to him all gasp. From their point of view, the house would have winked out of existence.
"Invisibility?" Ultear said.
"But what was hidden?" Jellal asked.
"A… house." There was a lull in how Ultear spoke, leaving her sounding unsure of herself. "There was a house."
"Yet, I can't picture it," said Jellal. "Nor can I remember what direction it was in. The more I think about it, the less certain I become."
Meredy moaned, putting her head in her hands. "I don't like this!"
"We were recently sitting around a table in the farmhouse sixteen meters from where we're standing," Harry said.
Suddenly, like it was a plant growing out of the ground, the house came back. At least, that's what it would've looked like to Laki and Crime Sorcière. Harry remembered visiting Twelve Grimmauld Place for the first time. Jellal moved forward, planting his hand on one of the windows. As the glass's chill seeped into his palm, he suddenly turned back to Harry.
"What do you want in return for this spell?" he asked.
"Not much. I'm not a scammer!" Harry said. "I just want one, teeny thing."
Meredy looked distrustful. Ultear still had her eyebrow lifted, but she was smiling now. Jellal was laser-focused. Harry spread his arms, holding his wand loosely in his right hand.
"Join my guild!"
O-O-O
The silence that followed felt longer than it actually was, mostly on account of how no one was speaking.
Laki grabbed Harry's collar. She pulled him down, whispering. "Harry, these people were dark mages!"
"Right. Were," Harry said cheerfully. "They seem to love Fairy Tail as much as anyone, so what's the harm? They can make up for the past while working for us… and crush the Grand Magic Games while they're at it. I bet they'll jump at the chance—"
"Thank you for the offer," Jellal said. "We'll be going now."
He walked back to Minerva and Meredy. His body started to glow, ready to whisk them away with his magic, until Harry held out his hands.
"Wait a second! At least tell us why not!" Harry said.
"We have a mission to fulfill. Destroying Dark Guilds is only the beginning," Jellal said. "To truly fix this world, we must root out evil at its cause. We'll be the ones to do what others have failed to. We'll slay the Black Wizard Zeref."
Harry's world shook.
It felt like his brain was vibrating out of his skull. Harry groaned, slamming a hand over his eyes to try and limit this sensory overload. The dark didn't last for long. Visions came to him regardless of his eyes being closed.
He saw demons, gnarled and hideous in their shape. He witnessed dragons beyond any he'd ever encountered, capable of wiping out cities with one breath or swiping away mountains with a swing of their tail. Harry looked up a tower from the base, its gnarled black surface stabbing a cloudy sky. He held a pink haired boy in his arms amidst burning wreckage. He watched forests, cities, families, and farms all wilt, one after another, every living thing falling dead. One image came to the forefront, distilling with a level of clarity none of the others could match: a young man with smooth skin and shaggy short hair. His clothes were black, his hair was black, yet neither of those were what gave away who this man was. Instead, it was a deep-seated instinct that told Harry what he he was seeing.
The Black Wizard. The mage beyond death. Zeref.
"DO YOUR DUTY!"
The voice that welcomed Harry to Earthland was back. Only this time, Harry understood its message. He knew what his duty was now. Just like Voldemort, someone here was escaping death. Harry was here to rectify that. He started to laugh.
Harry straightened, shifting his hand so that it was only covering the right side of his face. Laki had her hands up like she wanted to help, but was scared to touch him. He didn't blame her. Even he knew his laughter seemed more than a little insane.
"What a coincidence!" Harry said. "Killing Zeref? That's exactly what I'm here to do!"
"Most people believe Zeref to be dead," Ultear said. "You accept that he's alive? No, you claim to have known as much already?"
"Of course he's alive," Harry said. "Because I haven't killed him yet. If he could die without me, I wouldn't have come."
"Your reasoning is circular," Ultear said.
"I don't think that matters." Jellal stepped forward. Instead of leaving as he'd been prepared to do, he approached Harry. "No one who chases Zeref will be sane. I believe him. His eyes resemble my own." He stopped in front of Harry. The difference in their heights was negligible, letting them face each other without either having to lift their head. "The question is… Can you help us?"
"I handled myself well against Ultear," Harry said.
"That's not good enough. Perhaps you could be an ally, but you're proposing yourself as our leader. If I submit to someone weaker than me, I'll only be helping Zeref. And that is one thing I refuse to do."
"Are you sure you're stronger than me?" Harry asked.
"I'm not," Jellal said. "So prove yourself."
He lifted one fist and raised a finger in the sky. Something glimmered. The glimmers became streaks plummeting toward the earth. Laki screamed and shielded her face as dust blasted them. A ring of solid rock had been formed the width and size of a football stadium, encompassing the town and locking them into an arena.
"Why yes, I can handle the damages," Ultear said. "Thank you for asking."
She sauntered forward, swaying her wide hips, unbothered by the tension that had built up. Putting herself between Harry and Jellal, she placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"As I understand it, you're proposing a bet," Ultear said. "If Harry can defeat you, Crime Sorcière will join Fairy Tail."
"You don't need to follow my decision. You're free to decide for yourselves, Meredy and Ultear," Jellal said.
"No, I have no issue with this arrangement," Ultear said. "I simply wanted to clarify the bet."
"I-If Ultear doesn't mind, then neither do I!" said Meredy.
"You're such a good girl," Ultear told her. "Now, Harry, before you begin, what do you say to a wager with me as well?"
She leaned in. Harry felt her breath on his ear, hot and sticky as she whispered to him.
"I saw the marks on Laki while she showed me her guild mark. No wonder her hand slipped, with what you were doing to her! So let's make this wager a bit more interesting, hmm? If you beat Jellal, I'll be all yours in bed. But if you lose, you'll be my plaything for a day. Doesn't that sound fun?"
Her breasts were poking his arm, and Harry was pretty sure he could feel stiff nipples through her clothes. He almost pointed out that wagers were supposed to have a bad option, but even his cheekiness had limits.
"What Can I say? I've always been a betting man." Harry smirked. "You're on."
"Mmmm. I look forward to watching the show."
Ultear stepped away from him. When she rejoined Meredy, she swayed her backside with each step, the outline slightly visible through her cape. One of her orbs of time appeared above her hand as she turned to watch the upcoming duel.
"Come over here, dear," Ultear told Laki. "I'll keep you and Meredy out of the firing line, but you'll have to stay close."
Laki hurried over to the other two women. Harry trusted Ultear to handle the fight's side effects. Her time magic was perfect for countering stray magic. Harry lifted his arm, starting to stretch, eyeing Jellal as he did.
"Rules?" Harry asked.
"We fight until one party surrenders or is incapacitated. No killing, of course," Jellal said. "But please remain focused. I have no intention of holding back."
"Lovely," Harry said. "Because, I hate to say it, I'm going to have to get a bit nasty for this one. I should say sorry in advance."
This fight was a must-win, and not just because he wanted to see Ultear underneath him. These three were perfect reinforcements that Fairy Tail needed. More than that, they were Harry's lead on Zeref. He had to keep them close. No matter what, he had to beat Jellal. Even if that meant crossing lines he preferred to shy away from.
Harry spun in a half-circle, Apparating about fifty meters back. He lifted his wand over his head. Flicking his wrist, Harry fired sparks from the tip. "Go!"
Before the syllable had finished leaving Harry's mouth, Jellal shouted, "Meteor!"
Harry thought he was fast before. Jellal proved that he hadn't even been trying.
His body sheathed in golden light, Jellal shot at Harry. It was an aptly named spell because it truly felt like a comet was bearing down on Harry. He fired a stunning spell that would've impacted Jellal's head, but Jellal proved that his speed wasn't just for sprinting. He zigged and zagged without losing momentum, dodging not just Harry's first spell but the next two he tried to use after. Clearly, standard spells were a bad pick in this fight. The projectiles might as well have been in slow-motion.
Like earlier, Jellal's first attack was physical. He intended to bring his fist into Harry's gut hard enough to send him flying. Harry knew Jellal's plan for a fact, because as Jellal came closer, Harry looked into his eyes.
Legilimency wasn't the most moral magical art Harry was privy to. It was especially frowned upon to use it on Muggles, since they had no defense against it. Harry wasn't sure where mages fell on the Muggle-to-Wizard spectrum, but the fact remained that Jellal had inadequate defenses, letting Harry waltz in for a peek at his thoughts.
Harry read the path of Jellal's fist. He understood what attack would come before it arrived. He didn't dodge so much as move to a new place just as Jellal winded up. The uppercut went wide of him.
Jellal spun, launching a roundhouse kick. Again, Harry wasn't there for it to land. The same was true of the axe kick that followed, or the three jab punches Jellal aimed at his chin. Harry's movements were frantic, almost ungraceful, but Jellal couldn't touch him. While he was dodging, Harry moved his wand in subtle ways.
He tried conjuring metal restraints on Jellal's body, but the golden energy melted through it with pulses of heat. Even from this close, Jellal managed to dodge any spells Harry used. He was going to have to play a riskier game in order to win this— not a thought Harry wanted to be thinking, given the way he was already dodging narrowly.
Harry took a deep breath, made sure to meet Jellal's eyes, and prayed to Merlin or whatever it was that brought him here he could pull this off.
Jellal planted his feet and turned his hips. He whipped his arm toward Harry from the side, aiming a hook for the jaw. This time, Harry didn't get out of the way. Not fully.
He moved back, lessening some of the punch's force. Not as much as he would've liked; his eyelids still fluttered and Harry had to cling onto consciousness. If that punch hit fully, Harry's neck might've snapped! He wasn't as durable as the mages here!
But he stayed awake. Not only that, he finished his spell. A Sticking Charm glued Jellal's knuckles to Harry's face. Jellal would've had Harry right where he wanted him if he'd been expecting Harry's body to have the consistency of glue. Instead, he was shocked when he pulled his hand back and Harry came with it. That moment of proximity, before Jellal adjusted to what he was seeing, gave Harry an opening for a single spell.
He opted not to go with a stunner. Theoretically, Stupefy would knock a mage unconscious until it wore off or Harry chose to Renervate them. But it was a generally weak spell, and Harry didn't trust someone like Jellal not to have some level of innate magic resistance. If Harry only got one shot, he needed something that packed more of a punch.
Getting a bit cheeky, Harry chose an Enfeeblement Hex.
It was a nifty spell. Dangerous, but excellent for disabling targets non-lethally. It sapped the strength out of an adult wizard to the point they have to crawl to get anywhere. The bolt was a nauseating yellow that might've passed for a dark curse, though only the briefest flash was visible with Harry's wand so close to Jellal's sternum.
His choice of spell proved wise. Jellal adjusted faster than Harry expected, turning his body and punching Harry in the gut. Fortunately, he hit about as hard as a middle schooler now, an amount of pain Harry could easily withstand.
It hurt a lot more when, instead of questioning his lacking strength, Jellal opened his palm and hit Harry with a beam of golden light. Harry canceled the sticking charm in a hurry and Apparated to catch his breath. There was a steaming hole in his shirt and a red mark on his abs. It hurt like an oven rack had given him a pat on the stomach.
Both of them took roughly five seconds to assess their state. Jellal moved his limbs experimentally, finding that his strength had been robbed from him. Harry twisted his sternum, feeling a sharp pain when he moved too much. They came to similar decisions at the same time: they could still fight, they just needed a different strategy.
Jellal lifted his hands. "Heavenly Magic: Jiu Leixing!"
Nine swords made of light similar to the attack that struck Harry's stomach formed above Jellal. One by one they flew at Harry. He'd already seen this trick. Harry had a plan.
Jellal's magic was space-themed. His movement spell was called Meteor, and he'd just announced this attack as Heavenly Magic. Whatever hit Harry was light based. That meant Harry could bend it to his side.
He reverted to conjuration, like he had when attempting to restrain Jellal. Rather than metal, this time Harry conjured glass. Sturdy mirrors, specifically.
Harry tapped his glasses with his wand, activating a latent enchantment. He'd needed Hermione's help for this particular upgrade, but boy were the benefits worth it. Suddenly, Harry could see trajectories, mapped out in his field of view by a succession of red lines. It was just one of the ways he'd found to turn his eyewear from a weakness into a benefit.
Harry turned his conjured mirrors in time to block the swords flying toward him. Naturally, the light was reflected, reversing its path. With the help of his glasses, Harry got the angles exactly right to send the swords back at Jellal from nine different angles. Jellal dodged by reactivating Meteor and throwing himself back. The speed boost from that spell must've been purely magical, Harry deduced, meaning it didn't rely on his weakened muscles. Jellal still had his speed, he just couldn't use it offensively as long as his limbs packed no punch. Harry clicked his tongue. Landing a winning blow this way was going to be messy.
Jellal made the next move. Lifting his hands, he formed a writhing black mass that kept on growing. Harry noticed the grass under his feet and the girls' hair bending in the direction of the ominous orb. Harry's eyes widened. A black hole, seriously?
Luckily, there was a reason Jellal hadn't used it yet. He was immobilized while charging the attack. Harry took advantage with a Bludgeoning Charm Jellal had no way to dodge. The spell hit Jellal and pitched him backwards. As he was hit, he sent the manmade black hole lurching forward, homing in on Harry. Harry's clothes whipped into a frenzy as the gravity dragged him off his feet. Harry managed to Apparate while he was in the air, reappearing with his back pressed to one edge of the meteorite arena. He still had to stick his feet to the ground with a charm to keep from being pulled. Ultear and Laki had teamed up to keep themselves and Meredy grounded, using a combination of ice and wood to strap themselves down. Jellal was on the opposite side of the arena, slammed into the wall of rock by Harry's last spell. Sadly, the impact wasn't enough to incapacitate him.
When Jellal noticed how far away Harry was, he struck a stance. First, he separated his legs. Next, he bowed his head. He held both arms down, his fingers pointing at the ground. Dust and wind formed a cyclone around him. Was the attack something gravity related?
"Meredy, Laki! Get behind me!" Ultear screamed.
She lifted her hands and made a dome of ice. Then another, and another around that. Ultear stacked ten layers before she stopped. Harry's sense of alarm climbed. He looked up.
The swirling wind that started around Jellal grew big enough to disturb the sky. Clouds that hadn't existed before parted while lightning crackled. An enormous molten rock, much larger than the ones forming the arena, started a rapid descent.
Harry was too far away to hear what this attack was called. All he knew was that if he didn't act, he was going to be a smear on the ground. He went straight for Jellal.
Harry Apparated straight to his opponent, putting a rarely-used part of basic Auror training to work: basic grappling.
It was always taught just in case. You never know when you could be separated from your wand, so knowing the right ankle for a headlock might just be the difference between disabling a target and letting them escape. Harry wouldn't describe himself as skilled. He was good enough to restrain a man hit by an Enfeeblement Hex, though. Even a man as freakishly strong as Jellal.
Harry put pressure on Jellal's throat, urging him to pass out. Jellal elbowed Harry's side without any strength. Jellal analyzed the situation. His next attempt to free himself was far less harmless.
Jellal sheathed his body in hot golden magic. Harry cast a cooling charm over himself, muttering the incantation. He couldn't perform the wand movement since his hands were occupied. The spell worked, but in a weakened state. Instead of Harry's skin blistering, it just stung like hell.
Jellal increased the magic around his body. Harry layered a second cooling charm on. They went back and forth, raising the stakes. Harry bellowed. Jellal made a low, burbled growl. The meteor was still falling.
Jellal launched them into the air. They flew with all the speed he could muster, slamming backwards into the closest surface of rock. For Harry, it felt like flying a Firebolt backwards into the Hogwarts' walls. The pain made him cry out. His eyes started to roll up, while his arms started to loosen…
Harry's scream of pain turned into a war cry. He forced himself to focus. He wouldn't, couldn't, or refused to stop here. His arms tightened, fighting harder than they had before the impact. Jellal flew forward, preparing to slam Harry a second time, but his strength gave before he could. He fell on his face, Harry landing on top of him. Harry rolled them over, laying underneath Jellal. Without loosening his arms, he bellowed, "Protego Maxima!"
The meteor hit.
The experience that followed was brutal. Harry's shield lasted five seconds. The heat and sheer weight striking it broke through after that, blasting both Harry and Jellal. Harry cried out with pain. His borrowed clothes were ruined in an instant. They were burned and torn, leaving singe marks all over Harry's arms and shoulders. If not for Jellal, he would've been battered into unconsciousness. But Harry held tight, using the blue haired mage as a shield against his own spell. An explosion enveloped them, sending plumes of dust and smoke into the sky.
As the haze started to clear, Ultear's last dome of ice cracked and shattered. She'd protected Meredy and Laki, barely. The three of them stared into the epicenter of a deep crater for a glimpse of the men. They saw Jellal first, on top of Harry— until he was pushed aside. Jellal rolled over limply, unconscious.
Bruised, burned and grinning, Harry sat up, lifting his fist in triumph.
"I win," he said.
Then he fell, his arms flopping down at his sides, and passed out.