Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K Rowling and associated owners. Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and associated owners. Any other series that you might recognize belongs to their respective owners as well.

Chapter 9: Book Return 3

"Hey, I think I see something up ahead!" said Harry as he and Natsu ran alongside the large footprints. Movement was difficult through the forest, and it greatly slowed them down. Many times, Harry and Natsu had to take breaks just to catch their breath.

"Great! Come on, let's go!" exclaimed Natsu, hastening his speed. Harry, having much less stamina that his friend, did not speed up.

The terrain soon rose into a small mountain, making it even more difficult for them to run through the forest. However, the two mages persevered, and eventually they reached the top of the mountain.

"Phew! Made it!"

"Okay…see anything?"

Natsu placed a hand over his eyes. "Yeah, there's something down there! It looks like...huh?"

"What, what's wrong?" asked Harry. He enchanted his eyesight, this time making sure not to use too much magic as before. "What am I supposed to see...oh..."

"Is that what I think it is?" said Natsu, pointing at something on the bottom of the mountain.

"If you're seeing a giant green pig with a hut on top of it, you're not alone," replied Harry. They stood there, too mesmerized to do anything but stare. "At least we now know why it's called the Boar's Hat."

The pig continued on its merry route, pushing aside trees and making any creature within a hundred feet of it flee to safety.

"...how do we get on top of it?" asked Natsu. "Throw a stone at it?"

"It might not feel anything," replied Harry.

"How about if I breathe fire at it?"

"I won't save you if it gets angry."

"Well, tell me if you've some up with something."

Silence reigned for a few seconds. In the meantime, the giant pig continued to slowly carved a path through the forest. The sound of felled trees and fleeing birds was audible even at Harry and Natsu's distance.

"Let's get close to it first," said Harry at last.

"You have an idea?"

"I'll tell you later, come on!"

Harry jumped down, in pursuit of the pig, with Natsu following behind him.

In minutes, they managed to reach their target, running a ways behind it so they won't get crushed. As they drew closer, they could feel the earth shake and rumble, as the unnaturally large pig continued walking. It made running much more difficult than usual, as they now have to account for the vibrations that might make them stagger and fall.

"What's the plan?" said Natsu.

"You run in front of it and try to catch its attention!" said Harry. "I'm going to throw a rock at the hut!"

"But I thought you said we can't throw stones at it!"

"We can't throw stones at the pig, but if we throw stones at the hut we might get the owner to notice!" explained Harry.

"Right!"

Natsu took a deep breath. Harry picked up a stone that was rocked loose from the pig's walking. He looked at Natsu, who gave a nod, signifying that he was ready.

"Okay! Go!"

"Rrrraaaaahhhh!"

Natsu surged forward. He ran alongside the pig's face, waving his arms to try to get its attention.

"Hey you dumb pig! Over here!"

But the pig did not seem to have heard him. It ambled on, paying no attention to the kid shouting next to him.

"Grrr, pay attention to me you stupid pig! Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Taking a deep breath, Natsu expelled a massive blast of fire. It flew past the pig, narrowly missing it by inches.

Finally, the pig ground to a halt. It stood there, startled and confused at the sudden heat in front of it.

It was Natsu's chance. He quickly ran forward in front of the pig and waved his arms again.

Meanwhile, Harry palmed his pebble. He only had one chance at throwing the stone, and he had to make it count. He lined up his shot carefully, aiming for the roof of the hut, because that was where it would make the most sound. In the distance he could hear Natsu shout something he couldn't hear clearly.

He matched his speed with the pig's. With a shout, he threw the stone.

"Hah!"

It flew through the air, moving closer and closer to the hut. Harry grinned at his impeccable aim, at the rate the pig is going, the stone would hit exactly where he aimed at. The stone came closer, closer, closer…

The pig stopped. From the side of his vision, Harry could vaguely see a torrent of fire at the front of the pig, but he was more focused at the place where the stone hit. Rather than impact the walls of the hut, where it would harmlessly bounce off, the stone hit the glass window.

Harry could hear a surprised high-pitched scream coming from the inside of the hut, along with a more bemused-sounding voice. A moment later, he could see someone emerge from the hut. The person looked young, older than him and Natsu, but not old enough to be an adult. Harry stood, transfixed, as the person looked around his surroundings, trying to find the cause of the broken window.

"Oi! You there!"

Harry snapped out of his spell when he heard his name being called, and he saw the owner looking right at him. He was clutching the stone that Harry threw earlier.

"Which one of you threw this stone?' he asked.

'Crap.'

Harry and Natsu found themselves inside the Boar's Hat. In front of them was the owner of the bar, who was named Meliodas. The man in question had his hands on his hips, but his easy smile made them feel at ease. Still, Harry was still nervous when he was asked to explain why they broke his window.

"We're really sorry for the stone and the fire earlier, sir," said Harry. "We just wanted to get your attention and we didn't know any other way."

Meliodas waved him off. "It's fine. You can pay for it later when we get to Magnolia next week." He grabbed a bottle of beer next to him and began to fill his mug. He offered some to his guests, but the two mages declined the offer. "What's so important about my hut that it made you chase a giant pig all the way from Hargeon town?"

In response, Harry took out the letter that Milo gave to them from his bag and handed it to Meliodas. "Our client left behind a book in the bar and asked us to get it back. It's called The Witch and The Wolf."

Meliodas took the letter and began to read the contents himself. When he finished reading, he put the letter down and looked at the two boys with a smile on his face. "Well, you're in luck! The book is stashed in the trunk in the guest room. I'll have Hawk get it back to you later. That was an extremely rare, first edition copy of the book, you know? I was sure that the owner would come back for it so I kept it safe."

"Wow, we didn't know the book was that important," remarked Natsu.

"Eh, I was never into books myself. I just heard that from a passing patron who saw the book," said Meliodas, shrugging.

Just then, the door to the kitchen opened, and a pig came into the bar, carrying on its back three plates of food that looked very delicious. Just the sight of it made Harry and Natsu's mouths water.

Then the pig talked. "Yo, Meliodas! Are you done talking to the little kids?" said the pig. He looked at the kids in question, who was staring at him as if he'd grown another head.

"Did the pig just talk?"

"I think he just did."

"Yup, I find him strange too, but you get used to it."

"Hey!" said the pig, startling the two mages. "I am Hawk, the master of this bar! And it would be wise to show proper respect!"

"S-sorry!"

Mliodas laughed at the scene playing out in front of him. "Much as I would like to let you guys continue, why don't we eat lunch first?"

"Sure!" said his two guests immediately. A second later they were all seated around a table, with Hawk putting the plates in front of them.

"Wow, this looks delicious!"

"Yeah! Thanks for the food!"

As Harry and Natsu put the food in their mouths, neither saw that Meliodas never even touched his food, and that Hawk was eagerly anticipating the leftovers.

"I think I tasted fried feet."

"Me too."

Meliodas waited for them to finish washing off the horrible taste in their mouths. When they returned to the bar, the book was already waiting for them.

"Here, this is the book you were looking for," he said, giving the book to Harry for safekeeping.

Harry took it and put it back in his bag. "Thank you, sir."

"Yeah, thanks," said Natsu. The two of them made to leave, but Meliodas stopped them.

"Wait, I'm going to Magnolia later this week, why don't you kids come with me until then?" said Meliodas. "You can cook and clean in the bar to pay for the broken window, and you get a free ride too."

"But Milo told us to came back to him after we got the book back," said Harry.

"I'm sure he just wants you guys to stay safe, plus I've been told to keep the two of you under my watch until we get to Magnolia," said Meliodas. He held out Milo's letter, pointing to a set of numbers on the bottom, along with instructions to keep Harry and Natsu safe. "His number's in the letter, so I'll call him later when we get to the next town, if that's okay with you?"

Harry was uncertain. He had never really gone against orders before. "I'm not sure." He looked at Natsu. "What do you think, Natsu?

Natsu shrugged. "I don't mind."

Meliodas chimed in. "Tell you what, I'll teach you kids a thing or two about fighting. I'm pretty good at it if I do say so myself!"

"Deal!" answered Natsu before Harry could say anything.

–-

Author's Note: The original plan was to have the book not be in the bar, but I don't want to complicate matters on such an early arc. There will be plenty of time for that later.