This story was heavily inspired by 'The Dream of You', so, if you notice any similarities, then that's why. I am new to this, so feel free to leave any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. This will be going from the first-seventh year in Harry Potter, while in Fairy Tail it is set right after the dream team leave for Tenrou. See how it's gonna tie in? Eh, eh?
Chapter One: The Drug, he named, Happiness
(29th August, 1997)
The city of Magnolia was bursting with life; colourful stalls stationed around the towns, the loud, bustling sounds of people buying and socialising. The sun was shining beautifully, making everything shine and glimmer – as if someone had poured gold glitter over Magnolia.
The Kardia Cathedral stood grandly, the sun adding to it's impressive look. An old couple could be seen standing outside of the gates, chatting to a rather odd-looking gentleman.
This gentleman was like no other one in the town. He had flowing grey hair that was so long it could tuck into his belt, with a beard equally as impressive in length. Face wrinkled with age, this man had showing signs that he was quite the cheerful lad; for his lips had knowing crinkles from smiling too much, and his eyes had a mischievous twinkle to them.
His clothes, however. People stared and pointed as they watched the old man thank the couple, before marching off in a particular direction. "Mama, why are his clothes so odd?" A small, blonde toddler whispered, not too discreetly. The mother hushed him quickly, glancing up to check if the man had heard.
And he did, but the mother hadn't the need to know that.
"Ignore him, sweetie. He's probably just one of those wizards from Fairy Tail, coming back from a mission." The woman swore she saw the man turn his head at the mention of the raucous guild, but she shook it off as an illusion of the light.
Now, you may be wondering why many of the townsfolk thought that this fine man's clothes were odd. Let me paint you a picture.
He had the most obnoxiously bright purple jacket on, that had circular patterns running down the sides. Underneath was yet another brightly coloured jacket, only this time, cherry red! It had lovely accents of green; it was like Christmas had arrived early. And underneath that jacket, was his robe. It was a pastel shade of yellow – such a contrast between the first two layers – but had delicate swirls decorating it, making it seem like they were moving with every step he took. And finally, the last layer. Covering his legs were striped pants of yellow and red, followed by a pair of polished, brown boots.
People wondered how he could even function, in the terrible heatwave that Magnolia was under right at that moment. Shaking their heads, they all – one by one, little by little – came to the agreement that he was some sort of ice wizard, who was a living freezer. That could be the only explanation.
Albus smiled slightly, pushing his half-moon spectacles up his nose, inspecting the area around him. "Ah, the air here is so refreshing." Albus commented to himself, breathing in deeply. The air was nothing like Earth's air, Albus noted, already feeling more alive than back at his home.
A tranquil feeling washed over Albus, as he closed his eyes and softly hummed to himself. "I wonder… if I decided not to leave Earthland, would I still consider it 'home'?" He uttered softly, a sad smile replacing his happy one. He grasped at the necklace that was hidden away in his cloak pocket, clutching it tightly. It comforted Albus; a lucky charm, of sorts.
The moment ended nearly as quickly as it came – Albus was abruptly interrupted when he felt something collide with his back, sending him flying forward, limbs sprawled out like a new duckling learning how to swim. It was the least graceful sight that day.
"Aw c'mon Flame-Brain, I thought you had more than that stupid defence!" A triumphant voice called out, nearing the fallen Albus with each second. The something – or someone – on top of Albus groaned, before shifting slightly. Albus felt the body roll off of him, relieving his poor, aged body. "Crap, I messed my head up… Stripper, you're gonna fucking get it- oh shit, sorry man!" Looking up, Albus came face-to-face with a young man.
This young man could possibly rival Albus' odd looks. With bright pink hair as his most outstanding feature, the boy's onyx eyes met with the bright blue of Albus'. Albus took in what he was wearing – a white scarf, patterned to look like scales, with a black waistcoat that was outlined in a golden trim. With the same black, golden-trimmed cloth that was held up by a leather belt, he was wearing white knee-length trousers. And to top off his outfit, the pink-haired boy wore sandals.
"Damn, I'm so sorry, old man. But it wasn't my fault! It was Gray's!" He defended himself, hands up. Before Albus could put in a word, the same voice from the beginning piped up, "oi, Flame-Brain, what're you blaming on me now?" Albus looked over the pink-haired boy's stranger to discover a man about the same age as pink-haired.
What surprised him, was that the new boy wasn't wearing many clothes. In fact, all the boy wore was a pair of navy boxers, and a silver cross necklace. Albus raised an amused eyebrow, wondering if the people from Earthland were this open. "Oh, hello, sir. Sorry, did this pink freak mess up something? Don't worry, it happens all the time. Excuse the boy, he's a bit stupid-"
"You can't say anything, Popsicle! And put on some clothes!" Pink snapped back in retaliation, a vein twitching slightly in his forehead. Albus made a mental note to ask their names, while calling them by their hair colour. Blue scratched his head, before looking down and jumping comically. "Shit, when did this happen! And where are my clothes?"
As Blue scrambled around desperately, trying to find his clothes, Albus turned his attention back to Pink. "So, young sir, what is your name?" Albus asked, hoping to finally name the strangers he had come across. Pink's face turned a pale shade of white, "whoa, wait, are you gonna report me? Oh man, I'm sorry dude, don't do that to me, Erza'll kill me!" He fretted, shaking his head indignantly.
Chuckling, Albus shook his head slowly, "don't worry, young man, I merely want to know your name. And by no means, will I report you. In fact, I am quite new here." Pink's face returned to his regular skin tone when the words left Albus' lips. "Thanks, old man. My name's Natsu Dragneel by the way!"
"Nice to meet you, Mr Dragneel. My name is Albus Dumbledore, pleasure to meet you." Albus held his old, withered hand out, to which Natsu took and shook eagerly. "Same to you, Dubbledore!" Natsu said, a big grin adorning his face. "And ya don't have to call me Mr, Dubbledore. Just Natsu is fine!"
Blue finally emerged, fully clothed this time though. He shook his head sheepishly, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "Yo, sorry old man. I have… a weird habit." The boy admitted, fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt already. "Yeah, a 'habit'. I bet you like it, ya weirdo." Natsu sneered, triggering Blue.
"Oh yeah? Well at least I don't go around knocking over old people!"
"Hey it was you who pushed me back!"
"It was your fault for being so fucking weak!"
Albus watched their bickering interestingly, before clearing his throat a little. Natsu and Blue stopped, both looking at Albus. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, as you know," Dumbledore nodded at Natsu, "but I do not know your name, sir."
"My name's Gray Fullbuster, Mr Dumbledore. And like I said, sorry about this Pinky." Natsu mumbled something under his breath – something akin to, 'not my fault' and 'fucking ice prick'. "Anyways, what are you doing around here, Mr Dumbledore? You seem new around here." Gray carried on, shirt already off into another corner.
Grinning slightly, Albus nodded, "yes, I am new around here. Actually, this is my first actual day in Magnolia. I was hoping maybe you could show me the way around…?" He tried, peering at the younger men. Natsu's nodded furiously, "yeah, of course! We'll show you all the cool sights! And, of course, save the best for last."
"Yeah! Although it'll be more like me leading the place – since Flame-Brain over here has no idea what the difference between left and right is."
"Um, yes I do, you dolt!" Albus nodded gratefully; although, he was planning on seeing… a certain sight, he really did not have a clue where he was in this new world. "Thank you, you both are so kind." Albus praised, showing off a toothless grin. Natsu smiled widely, snapping his heels together and saluting Albus, "aye aye, sir!"
A strong - but not unpleasant - smell hit Albus with full force, making him nearly blink with the intensity. "So, whadd'ya think about the peppermint bread? Isn't it amazing?" Natsu asked, mouth full of the delicious smelling bread. Albus smiled at him, having tasted the bread, and loved it. He made a note to bring some of the bread back to Hogwarts; they were sure to love it.
"It is delicious. Thank you, Natsu and Gray, for bringing me here." Gray smirked, clad in only his boxers and shoving blueberry ice cream down his throat faster than light. "No problemo, Mr Dumbledore. So, what do ya want to see next? We haven't visited the magic store yet, come to think of it…" Albus perked up – a magic store? That could hold some amazing inventions, that even Albus himself couldn't make…
"Oh yeah! That place isn't that great though. Lucy absolutely hates it." Natsu nattered on, completely ignoring the strange looks he was receiving from the costumers and staff alike, with the rate he was eating at. "Lucy?" Albus questioned.
Although truthfully, he was hoping that Lucy would get him closer to his goal.
"Lucy, my best friend! Aside from Happy, of course. Although, they seemed to have gone somewhere though… anyways, we're part of the guild Fairy Tail! Heard of it?" Natsu asked excitedly, proudly showing off the emblem that was tattooed onto his right shoulder.
Faintly, Albus remembered the comforting smell of wood, and the cheerful chatter that surrounds him. Fairy tail. Such a wonderful, lovely place. A palace of such – not for royalty, but for the happiest people of all of Earthland, possibly. Such a beautiful, serene place.
Such a place that he could not call home.
"Um, Dubbledore?" A concerned voice brought Albus out of his trance-like state, reminding him that he was back at Earthland – only this time, with a mission. "Yes, child?" Albus nodded, showing he was listening. Fairy Tail… it could be the key for his school's safety. "You okay? You kinda spaced out for a minute there…" Gray questioned, a slight frown marring his handsome features. "I'm fine. And yes, I do know who Fairy Tail is. My father spoke quite proudly of you."
"Really? Who was your pap? Mine's a dragon!" Natsu boasted proudly. At the mention of Natsu's father, Albus joined everything together – that must be why Natsu has a scale scarf. "Oh, my father passed many years ago." Albus watched with slight curiousity as Natsu's face fell in sadness, while, on the contrary, Gray's face tensed with something Albus couldn't describe. "Oh... I'm sorry for asking a question like that..." Natsu mumbled under his breath, looking back at Albus apologetically.
Albus shook his head, smiling softly, "it's fine, child. There's no need to worry about it - I got over his death a long time ago." A silence fell across the three men; the townsfolk around them peering at them with slight anxiety, worrying what the Wizards would pull next.
Gray cleared his throat, breaking the thick ice. "Well, we should probably get going! So, do you wanna visit the magic store next? It's pretty cool, nothing special. I'm sure you've seen better." Gray tried to pass the comment on nonchalantly, but it was clear as day to Albus that the boy was trying to show his city off.
And he couldn't blame him; Magnolia was so full of colour and beauty, such a contrast from the bleak background Albus remembers. Magnolia was filled to the brim with welcoming people, breathtaking sights, and such sweet-tasting foods. And, most importantly, Albus thought, was the magic. It was practically bursting to the seams in this city alone - Albus could feel the pressure weighing down on him. It hardly was an uncomfortable feeling, though, Albus thouroughly welcomed it with open arms.
"Thank you, Gray. I would quite like to see the guild my father spoke of with such pride and love. Would you show the way, please?" Albus gestured to the door. Gray and Natsu both looked at outside, jumping up in surprise, "holy crap, it's already this late?" They both yelled simultaneously. The sun was setting, sending streaks of yellow, red and orange through the sky, as if someone had thrown many buckets of paint onto a blue canvas, and mixing all of the colours into a beautiful blend. Albus watched as pink and purple creeped into the painting, adding accents to the sky.
It was a speech-stealing masterpiece; one of the best paintings Albus thought God had painted. "Stop copying me, Brain-Dead!"
"Oh yeah? I said it first, Snowman!" Albus - with much difficulty - tore his eyes away from the sight, glancing back at the (again) bickering boys. He sighed softly, before coughing. "Ahem."
In Albus' opinion, the Fairy Tail guild hall was one of the most majestic buildings he had ever seen - coming to a close second, after Hogwarts. It stood tall, gleaming with pride, and oozing with power and grace. If Albus had thought of it like a cake, it would have to be a Victorian Sponge - a delicious, beautiful but simply decorated, that leaves a good aftertaste in your mouth. A big bell sat on top of the building, like the cherry on top.
"This is the place, Dubbledore! Do ya like it? It's pretty cool, right?" Natsu asked, gesturing wildly with excitement. Albus agreed, already feeling the urge to step into the palace - to see what it was like on the inside. "C'mon, let's go in already, I can smell Mira's cooking!" Before Gray and Albus could even answer, Natsu was already inside, a trail of dust settling behind him. Gray chuckled good naturedly, before opening the massive doors, beckoning Albus into the tempting light. "Come on! See inside, it's so amazing!"
Albus hesitantly stepped in, the familiar smell of wood still lingering there - reminding him of his childhood.
Ah, such bittersweet memories, Albus reflected.
Everywhere he looked, every corner, every single glance, Albus saw happiness. He saw happiness, swirling the air, intoxicating him. He could feel himself losing himself to the drug, he named, Happiness. "Hey, Mira, did ya save some for me?" Albus could faintly hear Natsu yell. It felt like he was floating. Everything was so far away... Albus was drowning in his emotions, the feelings Albus could not describe with words filling him, suffocating him in a good way.
"Yes, Natsu, I knew you would come along." A sweet voice said, Albus sensing a hint of amusement. Her voice sounded distorted, muffled. "Anyways, Natsu, where were you and Gray? Today was uneventful without you two making a mess somewhere." The girl carried on, a savoury smell adding to Albus' drunken-like state.
"Hey! It was all Gray! And also, I was showing a new person around Magnolia. Wait, there he is! Hey, Dubble-" Albus looked up to see a concerned Natsu in front of him, with a blonde girl behind him. "Whoa, Dubbledore, you okay there?" Albus blinked, coming out of his state. Only then, that he noticed he was crying. Raising a quivering hand to wipe away the tears, Albus was nearly shocked with how much the nostalgia affected him. "Why were you crying there? You okay?" Natsu asked again.
Albus was about to reply, when a familiar, warming voice interuppted. "Hey, Natsu, what're you getting up to?" Natsu turned his body slightly, showing the man Albus had been looking for.
His body had aged so much, yet Albus could still see his childhood friend shining through the littler body. "A-Albus?" Makarov spluttered, eyes going wide with surprise. Albus smiled, not even noticing that he had started crying. "Makarov. I'm back."
Alright, I know, this isn't the best starting chapter. Trust me, everything will start making sense soon (hopefully). Remember, feel free to leave CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, and tell me what you think about this chapter! I'm really not expecting anyone to read this, but hopefully people'l (is that a word?) prove me wrong. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or Fairy Tail.
