Not much time passed by, but Levy and the rest of her group moved as quickly as they could. Levy and Gajeel asked the number of portraits they passed while Lucy and Natsu scurried to open the various doors they could find.

"Still not a sight," Lucy pursed her lips, keeping a tight grip on the sling of her bag, "nothing from the portraits?" Lucy asked. Levy shook her blue head, a frown on her face. The group made no pause as they continued with their search, the more time passed, the more their worry grew for their year mate.

With each portrait they asked, and the more they were replied to with negatives, the more Gajeel's anxiety grew. He growled his queries to the portraits, each one replying that they'd seen not a sight of the girl, and others who bounded off to their portrait friends in hopes to aid the first years. Levy was especially thankful to the portrait of a certain dark haired girl, Zera as she read on the frame.

Zera of Tenrou Island

X679 - X686

"Do you believe in fairies? Then I'll believe in you…"

Zera looked to be about her early teens, she had brown hair (which Levy could now see in the light) tied up in twin tails and a set of bangs hung in unkempt waves over her forehead. The girl accompanied them as they looked about for Juvia.

"I'll go ahead, kay? Maybe the other portraits have seen her," she said as she quickly jumped from one portrait to another, ignoring the furious expressions upon her sudden intrusion. Zera ran as quickly as she could, often interrupting the other portraits with her quick interrogation. A firstie was lost and with how large the sentient castle is, the child could be anywhere.

…

As soon as Zera had quickly bounded off, the tension in Gajeel's shoulders lifted a tad bit. Levy knew for a fact that they needed all the help they could get, and with their reluctance for aid from anyone not their year, she's willing to accept the help from the young and kind portrait. With Zera jumping from one portrait to another, she and Gajeel no longer needed to question the portraits as they had either gotten the memo from the dark haired portrait or the word had spread from other portraits. But even with the extra help, still there was a negative response.

The four focused on checking the numerous doors they could find. More time had passed by, and with pink tinged cheeks they reluctantly surveyed the broom closets and unlocked classrooms. It was after two or three couples they found in certain positions that the group of four approach the numerous rooms and hidden nooks with apprehension. It didn't take a genius to understand that the couples they had found were busy with certain…things.

It was only Gajeel, who was already frustrated at the beginning of their search, and then become even more so, who was brave enough to knock on the locked doors and interrupt the few couples they had encountered.

Levy regarded the burly boy with her brown eyes. She, as were Lucy and Natsu, not blind to the rising panic in his face. The more time had passed, and they were closing in on the cut-off time they had allotted for their search for Juvia. If they couldn't find her in the last fifteen minutes then they had to go look for a professor and instill their trust in the adult in looking for their year mate. It was trust that Levy could not give to any adult. The blue haired girl pursed her lips and in frustration she mussed her hair, pulling it from her ribbon.

Levy knew, she was a proud Ravenclaw and had complete faith in her mental prowess, for a fact that they should have trusted the information of Juvia's absence to the adults, or to the older years. But it was something she could not give. Levy didn't know if it was the same for her other year mates, but she knew for a fact that while she had an immense sense of respect for those older than her and in the professors teaching them, but she knew that trust isn't so easily given. She, Erza, Natsu and Gray were in the same orphanage, as was her older and not official brother, Jellal.

Levy thought of the building she called home, she recalled the numerous scoldings she received as a child for sneaking off for more time in the public library, and the laughter she'd shared with her pseudo-siblings, she knew she wouldn't trade it in the world. It was her experience in the orphanage that built up her distrust for adults. If she or the other kids were to leave the safety of the building they were then beaten, insulted and set aside by the nasty snobs. Sure the clothing she wore was worn and maybe with little tears, but it didn't mean that she was any less a human being.

…

Levy and Natsu were given the chore to buying onions and garlic from the marketplace. It was mid afternoon with a few people buzzing around the public area. Miss Ophie had forgotten to list the two vegetables in her notepad and had missed them in her biweekly grocery. Miss Ophie had tasked the two nine year olds with the responsibility. With Levy holding the exact amount needed, and Natsu around to carry the extra weight Miss Ophie had not worried about anything.

But she had forgotten something. Miss Ophie had forgotten that while Levy and Natsu were responsible enough to the chore, they had to face the prejudice from the public.

Levy ignored the jabs from other kids, those prissy snobs. Natsu, on the other hand, was in the middle of seething and being utterly dejected. The blue haired girl took a moment to glance at her friend. While she and her close friends (Erza, Gray and Jellal) had lived as orphans for long as they could remember, Natsu had come to join them when he had been seven years old. Not one person could forget how Natsu had arrived. She shuddered at the memory.

Natsu, during his arrival, had been hysterical and devastated. Who wouldn't be if they were in his shoes? It had taken hours for him to stop screaming, days for him to stop crying and weeks till he had properly eaten at least two meals. It took him a year to open up to Miss Ophie and few months after that to Jellal, then Gray and Erza, and then finally her.

Natsu was a whirlwind of emotions. He was powerful and no one will be able to deny the young pink haired boy of his magical abilities. It was on the day they he had arrived that Natsu had shown his magic.

Levy scratched the scar on her arm. It was a memento of the day Natsu had arrived, and to this day he would mope when his eyes landed on it. The scar was long and thin, from her middle knuckle to her elbow of her left arm. It was sliced open by a large glass shard after his explosive awakening. Thankfully Miss Ophie was not only gifted with beauty, but also with her extensive knowledge and magical abilities, and was able to repair and restore the building as it once was, and was able to heal every wound from that night with the aid of the other workers in the building.

They hired workers who specialize in construction work. They checked, assessed and repaired the foundation of the building. Miss Ophie might be a powerful witch and a responsible matron, but with her focus on her children, she had missed to repair other parts of the building. Other children with much graver wounds had to be sent to the town hospital. Thankfully the orphanage had plenty of funding to cover up the extra costs, repairs and medications.

Levy shook her blue head and gathered her thoughts, she shouldn't be wandering around the streets with her head in the clouds. They were in public, and with the gathering crowd, there would surely be danger lingering about.

As they approach one of the many vegetable stalls they were forced to stop on their tracks by Lamy, a young girl by their age, and by Levys thoughts, was one of the most annoying people on the planet to exist. Lamy had a small frame, similar to her own, her hair was cut in a short bob with a thick fringe cut just above her thin eyebrows. Her current outfit of the day was a light shirt and dark skirt. Completing her look was her usual black dragon-hide boots, an expensive satchel and her bunny eared headband.

"Hello, unwanted children," the girl snarled. Her eyes were dark (like her soul, Levy would think) and smug. As annoying the girl is, it wasn't her appearance or her slippery and slimy words that would vex the blue haired girl, but it was her superior, snobbish selfish personality. While the girl wouldn't act like it, Lamy was quite intelligent, irritatingly so.

Levy gripped Natsu's hand tightly, lest the boy run off with his mouth in a passionate and reckless manner.

"Hello Slippers," Levy drawled. At her words Lamy glared, she reached over her head as if to ensure that her favored bunny headband was present and not magically transfigured into rabbit slippers.

"Where you two off to? Surely you two hadn't gotten off your rockers and thought of running away from your poor orphanage now did you?" Lamy crossed her arms over her chest with her nose raised in the air, like the prissy brat she is. Levy glared at the girl, while some people would think of orphanages badly, it wasn't public knowledge that the current magical government had given generous stipends to the various organizations all around Fiore.

Levy rolled her eyes at the insinuation. Not only would it be a moronic decision to run away, but it was obvious to the tote bag in Natsu's hand and the money bag in Levy's, and the fact that they were on the way to approaching a market stall that they were going to buy vegetables.

"It's a pity that your big brain is going to waste when you can't see the obvious sign that Natsu and I were on our way to buy something, as obvious it is as we are currently in the market," Levy released a dramatic sigh, as if saddened by the decline of Lamy's intelligence. Beside her, she could see Natsu give out a tiny giggle and Levy gave him a big grin in return. It wasn't everyday that the shy, reclusive pink haired boy would show positive emotions.

The flushed anger on Lamy's face went unnoticed by the giggling children. She opened and closed her mouth, but then chose to glare at the two as they moved past the dark haired girl.

Levy and Natsu approached the vegetable stall and Levy waved a written paper on her hand.

"Hi hello, kids! Yer Ophie's kids, right?" The vendor held the note and read the contents within, chuckling as he finished it. "I knew something was amiss when Ophie missed meh stall, yer matron ne'er buys these from anyone else but me." He puffed at the fact. He'd always offered the best deals for Miss Ophie. Fresh and ready for cooking.

The man then asked Natsu to hand over the bag he carried and filled it with the usual quantity and quality of onions and garlic, adding in extra herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme and basil. When he finished he hefted the heavy bag and with a thick golden capped brush, wrote a couple of runes on the bag and handed it to Natsu who was expecting to carry a heavier load.

Instead the boy gaped as he carried the full bag without the burden of the weight to it. "Wha?" He eyed the runes on the bag.

"Not everyone can do magic, y'know," he answered the silent question.

Levy examined the runes and grinned at the new knowledge as she passed the money bag to the man. "It's in the ink, the magic is in the ink," she said.

"Yeh, it is, girly." The man smiled at them. "Since the, erm, passing of the hundred year war, people's been coming over from all areas," he gestured towards the various carts and temporary stalls in the market place, "the trade's been gettin' easier with food since everyone eats the same thing." He bent down, and showed them a bottle of ink. The bottle itself was ordinary clear glass, the ink, on the other hand, was dark, but underneath the sun's rays there were light sparkles of gold, it was magic.

"I bought this, and a couple more of bottles of it from a vendor that comes pass 'ere e'ry month. I'd buy like 5 bottles e'ry time. Not everyone can do magic, I said that a while ago." He then pointed at the runic marks on the bag. The ink was dry and now, under the light of the suns ray, just like the rest of the ink in the bottle, it gave off a golden sheen. "That means lightweight. While some kids got magic in 'em, like you, boy," his eyes left Levy's and made contact with Natsu's, whose form slumped. Levy was sure he was recalling his unforgettable bouts of magic.

The man then carried on from where he left off, "While some got magic in 'em, most of us live with runes and other magical items. With an ordinary magical ink, harvested from some magical species of squid or something else, anyone can do the basic kinds of runes. Just like the one I did in your bag. But it isn't permanent. In a couple of washes it'll fade off like ordinary ink." He grinned at the sparkling eyes of Levy, amused at her exuberance to learning. His eyes left her form and frowned when he saw the pink haired boy. The vendor sighed. The kid was infamous for the near destruction of the orphanage, even more so for his power, but the kid's just a kid. While most people don't blame him, there are plenty who are fearful, and others who are waiting for something.

"No one blames you, kid." The vendor patted his back. "If others were in yer place they'd do worse than what you'd done, it's a good thing you got up from that." Natsu's head hung, a frown on his face. Levy smiled at the man with gratitude.

"Now you two be'er go off, yer matron be waiting."

Levy and Natsu walked in a slow pace, Natsu was no doubt thinking of the vendors words. It was true, the pink haired boy mused. Not everyone was blessed with magic. In fact, Natsu would go on and proudly announce that he was going to be a powerful wizard, if not for the truth that he nearly destroyed the Rasalhague Orphanage. It was no doubt a miracle that the workers and Miss Ophie were wizards and witches.

"I'm sorry."

That got Levy out of her reverie. She snapped her head to face Natsu's direction. Sorry? What for?

"Eh?"

That made Natsu smile ruefully. "I nearly brought down the building, that time." He offered no other explanation, Levy knew without any hesitation what he meant.

"Everyone in town knows that you'll be an amazing and powerful wizard, Natsu," Levy smiled at the boy who sniffled and rubbed at his eye, proclaiming that there were dust in it. "Just hone your magic, learn and master it. I know once you get the hang of it you'll be able to do wonderful things."

"Yes," a voice snarled from behind them, "everyone in town knows that the Pinky will be a powerful wizard," Levy and Natsu quickly turned around to see Lamy, face flushed in anger, her fists white as she gripped a wand that surely isn't hers. She then continued her sentence, "But the question is, will he be a light wizard, or the next Black Wizard?"

It was only Levy who made a sound. She gasped at the accusation and from beside her she knew that Natsu lived unaware of the Black Wizard.

Lamy grinned a wicked smile. She'd surely shut the brainiac up. "What, Miss Know-It-All? Nothing to say?"

"Y-you," Levy had nothing to say, baffled at Lamy's way of thinking. Did the daft girl truly think that Natsu, who may be one of the most powerful kids she's known, but also the shyest and aloof, be the next Dark Wizard?

"You're stupider than I thought, Lamy," Levy said when she finally regained her wits. She didn't notice the scowl on the dark haired girl's face and the rising anger in her person. "It's truly such a shame, you've got the brains and the library in your 'fancy mansion' as you've said, but clearly while there's a brain in your head, theres little left for common sense."

Levy sighed as she stared at the girl. Levy had always thought of Lamy as her rival in terms of intelligence. They'd often bump each other in the public library, on the occasional times where there was a specific tome that was unavailable in the snobbish girl's mansion.

"You better regain your wits, Slippers. We're going to Hogwarts in a few years and it'll be such a shame if you couldn't join Ravenclaw because that kind of mindset." And with that she grabbed onto Natsu's arm and pulled him towards the direction of their orphanage.

"Honestly," Levy scoffed, "you, a dark wizard? You're as pure as snow during winter."

Natsu said nothing as he turned his head to look at the furious girl behind them. His eyes then widened when Lamy raised her hand, wand in her white tight grip, and in a bout of angry magic, a red flash left the tip of her wand.

While Levy was caught unawares, she swiftly turned her body when Natsu jumped only to see a red flash slice the skin of Natsu's neck as he stood in front of her.

Lamy then ran with a wicked smile on her face. She didn't care for the consequences of her actions, only sure of the power her guardians had over the town. She wouldn't be punished for it.

Natsu's knees buckled. His neck was bleeding heavily. It was only when Natsu was down on his knees when Levy screamed.

They attracted a crowd.

Levy screamed at an adult nearby to help. They stood in a circle around the two, gaping in shock as Levy applied pressure to the wound. No one moved a muscle.

Of all the days that Natsu was without his scarf!

Levy's hands were on the bleeding wound. "Natsu, stay with me okay? And breathe!" Her tears fell like waterfalls on her face. Why was no one helping?

She looked at the crowd around them, "Someone help me please!"

No one moved.

Instead Levy heard whispers and gossip from the useless people around them.

"He's the one who nearly destroyed the building."

"What a shame, the kid's magic going to waste."

"Possibly karma after nearly killing the other kids because of some stupid tantrum."

"The girl probably killed him, she's bright enough to do it without being obvious."

Whispers went around her. Levy's blood boiled as the crowd grew. Yet no one approached to help.

"Someone help please!" Levy screamed once more. "Please get Miss Ophie!"

"Miss Ophie!"

The crowd made way for someone to pass. It was the kind vendor. Levy looked up from where she cried on Natsu's shoulder. Finally, someone who can help.

The man paled at the copious amount of blood on the ground. He glared at the people who made no move to aid the children. "If yer ain't gonna help, be'er leave and go gossip elsewhere! A kid might die because of all of yer!" It only gave him little satisfaction when he saw the crowd flush shamefully.

He took off his apron, grabbed a clean cloth from inside the pockets, and with his golden capped brush, quickly wrote a couple of runes and replaced it with Levy's hand.

"Yer doing good, putting pressure on the wound," he placed her hand over the cloth, "don't stop it okay? Till we can bring him somewhere else."

"Here Ophie! Your boy!"

Both Levy and the man turned their heads to the shout. Someone did help, after all.

Levy's eyes watered once more when she saw the matron, together with Jellal, Gray and Erza who accompanied her. She looked at Natsu, whose eyes were on the kind seller. He was deathly pale. Levy applied more pressure on his wound and only left his side where Miss Ophie sat in her place and healed the pink haired boy on the spot.

Once Miss Ophie waved her wand and with a whisper, she closed the wound. As soon as Natsu's bleeding stopped, he was lifted by the male vendor. He barked out a command, no doubt for a friend of his to man his stall, and ran off to the direction of the town hospital with Miss Ophie right on his heels.

Levy stood on shaky feet, assisted by Jellal, who held her tight to his chest. Gray and Erza were close, they held the sobbing girl who cried for Natsu's life. Levy cried for the near loss of life. She cried for the loss of innocence in both her and her friend. She cried for the cruelty in the world.

She sobbed herself dry. But even with the pain in her chest, the sound of her cries in her ears, it could not distract her from the whispers and the words coming from the mouths of adults who did nothing. People who were capable of magic and yet did nothing to help two children.

Moments later Gray and Erza let go of Levy, allowing Jellal to gather the petite girl into his arms and carried her off to the direction of the hospital where she could be treated and given a calming potion.

Levy soon calmed down when Miss Ophie told her that Natsu was fine only unconscious. She was then swiftly taken from the arms of her pseudo-brother and was hefted onto the lap of the matron of their orphanage where Miss Ophie held her tight to her chest.

"You did well, hun. Go on, sleep."

…

Levy had never gotten over that day. From then on her trust in adults shattered. No matter the fact that she knew not everyone would stand in the sidelines when someone was hurt. But Levy didn't know these adults, other than their contributions to the wizarding society, other than what was written in the tomes of their written books. Trust was something Levy could not give freely. And now, she has more than enough belief in herself and the rest of her year group that they would be able to find Juvia by themselves.

Who knows, maybe it is because of the older years that Juvia is missing.