A/N: Thank you to deafdragonrider for pointing out that I accidentally posted the wrong chapter! So I guess you guys get double today. Don't forget to read and review!

Chapter 24: S-Class Trials Take 2, Part 2

Harry was thrown backward, landing with a grunt on the hard rocky ground. Then Laxus's fists attacked with a vengeance.

Growling, Harry attacked back. Laxus actually laughed at his first punch, it was so ineffective. So Harry added magic to his assault, releasing a concussive blast with each attack. Laxus dodged the first few, then Harry finally landed a punch to Laxus's ribs. Laxus grunted and stumbled backward, his eyes wide.

"How…?"

Harry smirked (though still being disillusioned, Laxus couldn't see) and pressed his advantage. He mixed physical attacks with spells at point-blank range, both at full power. Laxus responded in kind. Harry grunted as he caught one of Laxus's fists to his stomach and was sent flying backward, yet again, into the cavern wall.

Groaning, Harry got to his feet.

"Raging Bolt!"

Harry's eyes went wide at the words. Lighting flew toward him, the air actually crackling as it passed. He did not want to get hit by that! But instead of going sideways or down, Harry lunged forward, under the path of the magic, taking Laxus to the ground in a rugby-style tackle. Before Laxus could regain his bearings or recover from Harry's surprise attack, Harry wrestled him to the ground, his eyes on a particular spot a few feet away.

Laxus quickly gained the upper hand again, simply by virtue of his greater size and weight. But he rolled and pinned Harry just a little closer to where Harry intended to go. Smirking, Harry attacked again, using magically enhanced punches as often as point-blank spells. They both fought to regain their feet. Laxus was finally breathing hard. Harry maneuvered Laxus closer to that particular spot, waiting for the right moment…

Now! "Depulso!" Harry shouted, the banishing charm magically shoving Laxus right where he wanted him. Instantly Harry's rune trap went off, tightly binding Laxus from head to toe in vines and hitting him with a triple-powered bombarda (or at least the runic equivalent). The spell hit Laxus with the force of a ten-ton truck landing on top of him. He gasped, winded, and Harry shot three stunning spells at point-blank range. They crashed into Laxus and sent him promptly into unconsciousness.

His opponent defeated, Harry stumbled sideways, barely catching himself on a nearby boulder. He felt his disillusionment spell dissipate at the same time. His vision blurred and he sank to one knee, gasping. Harry shook his head to clear it. Did I really deplete my magic that badly?

When Laxus remained unconscious, Harry allowed himself a moment to catch his breath. As he did, he surveyed the damage to the cavern and was left in awe at the destruction they'd wrought. All their missed spells had impacted the cavern walls, leaving deep scores and divots and piles of rubble below. Scorch marks littered the cavern as well. Dimly he realized he could see, even though it had been pitch-black before. Harry realized that one of their spells had blasted right through the rock high on the cavern wall, letting in a fresh breeze and a stream of moonlight from outside.

The dizziness subsiding, Harry now realized that every inch of his body hurt. No doubt his skin was littered with bruises and electrical burns. His clothes had taken a beating, too. A quick spell would fix both problems, but he wasn't sure he had the magic to do that. Harry now pondered what to do next. Laxus would eventually wake up on his own, Harry knew. But the part of him that led him to save Fleur's sister from the bottom of the Black Lake now urged him to at least get Laxus out of the cavern.

Sighing, Harry raised his arm tiredly and cast, "Locomotor Laxus."

Laxus's limp form rose slowly from the ground to hover in front of him. Urging the spell to follow him, Harry left the cavern through the opposite entrance and pressed on.

Much sooner than he'd expected, the cavern walls fell away and Harry emerged outside. The cool breeze rejuvenated him. Looking at the position of the moon, Harry judged it was roughly midnight. He still had about five hours to get to the base of the big tree. His eyes adjusting to the darkness, Harry noted the position of the tree. Due to its size, it was hard to judge just how far away it was. So Harry just started walking, Laxus floating along beside him.

As his magic protested the strain, Harry considered many times just leaving Laxus to find his own way once he woke up. That he was still unconscious after this long made Harry wonder if three stunners might have been overkill. But his better nature won out, and Harry could tell he was making progress.

Hours later, just as the sky turned from pitch black to dark grey, Harry made out the flickering light of a campfire and a familiar tent nestled in the massive roots of the towering tree overhead. After another hundred yards, Harry reached the edge of the circle of firelight.

Just as he did, his spell failed and Laxus crashed to the ground. Remarkably, he didn't wake up. Harry stumbled from exhaustion and let his knees give out, dropping to the ground. He left Laxus at the edge of the campsite.

"Welcome!" Makarov said merrily. Harry looked up blearily and saw Erza, Cana, and Makarov gathered around the fire. Cana was scowling and heavily bandaged, which Harry took to mean she had lost to Erza.

Cana looked up and her eyes widened in shock as she saw Laxus's limp form. "You beat Laxus!?"

"And brought him here as well," Erza observed with a raised eyebrow. "That was not part of the task."

"I know, but it felt wrong to leave him in that cave. He didn't make it easy to win, though," Harry admitted. "For a while I thought I was going to lose."

"How?" Cana demanded.

Sheepishly, Harry recounted the duel. He noticed that Makarov and Erza were both listening intently as well. As Cana and even Erza grew more and more amazed, it finally sank in that Harry had beaten the Laxus Dreyer, grandson of Makarov the wizard saint and the most powerful S-class wizard of Fairy Tail. A slow grin spread across his face as he explained his moment of victory.

"And then he fell right into my trap! It was like herding a docile lamb!"

Cana burst out laughing at the comparison.

"Ow…"

"Awake, finally?" Makarov said wryly.

Laxus sat up, grimacing and holding his head. "What happened? I feel like I have the world's worst hangover."

"What happened is you lost!" Cana crowed. "To the newbie!"

Harry smirked at Laxus. "Not so high and mighty now, are you?"

Laxus gaped, unable to find words.

Makarov grinned. "I think that marks the end of our trial." He turned to Harry. "You successfully defeated your opponent and found your way here before the deadline. Welcome to the ranks of Fairy Tail's S-class wizards, Harry."

Harry's victory was announced immediately upon their return to the guild hall. The party that broke out in celebration was unlike any Harry had ever known. Laxus sulked in a corner while Natsu hovered around him, taunting and laughing at the fact that he'd lost to Harry. Cana shoved a tankard of beer at Harry and proposed a toast to his victory. Then another. And another. And, caught up in the celebration, Harry drank with each toast until the world spun pleasantly.

"That's my powerful onii-san!" Romeo crowed. The word made Harry feel warm. He picked up the five-year-old and spun him around.

"That's right! Your onii-san is now S-class!" Harry exclaimed, laughing as he said the words aloud for the first time. "I'm S-class!"

Romeo cheered as Harry spun him around once more, then set the boy on his shoulders.

Macao and Wakaba wouldn't stop congratulating Harry. "The youngest S-class mage ever! And he's only been here a year!" Wakaba exclaimed.

"I can't help it; I'm just so proud!" Macao threw his arms around Harry's neck, half-sobbing and half-laughing. (His breath also stank of alcohol.)

Harry's breath caught at the words. He couldn't remember when any adult had ever told him they were proud of him. At least, not when it was something Harry had accomplished on his own and voluntarily. (Dumbledore praising Harry's bravery after facing Voldemort half a dozen times didn't really count.)

As Harry's eyes stung, Gray threw an arm around his shoulders. "Congratulations, Harry! I knew you could do it! But just wait. Next year you'll be an examiner, and then it will be my turn to beat you!"

Harry grinned. "If you think you can. I beat Laxus, remember." Harry pitched his voice loudly, so Laxus could hear over the din. Laxus scowled at him, but for once refrained from insulting him.

Gray cackled. "And that's something no one will ever let him forget!"

A blur of pink suddenly appeared and resolved itself into Natsu. "Since you beat Laxus, who's the most powerful S-class mage here, that makes you the most powerful. So if I beat you, that will make me the most powerful!" Natsu declared. "Fight me, Harry! I wanna be the most powerful Fairy Tail mage!"

Grinning, Natsu attacked. Even drunk and exhausted, Harry had no problem dodging and then shoving Natsu away with a well-placed depulso. Natsu went flying. Happy glared at Harry, then flew after his friend. Harry readjusted Romeo on his shoulders as the boy laughed heartily. Cana, slurring and wobbling and clearly drunk off her rocker, grabbed Harry in a clumsy hug and planted an equally clumsy and wet kiss on his cheek.

"Congrashulashons, Harry. But nesht shtime I won't losh!"

Harry laughed, even though his cheeks were pink, and pushed Cana away. "Thanks. I think."

Cana giggled and hiccoughed and handed Harry another full tankard. She raised her own. "To Harry! The newisht S-clash mage!"

Everyone else raised their mugs (even Romeo, though his was full of juice) and cheered.

"To Harry!"

It took almost a week for the guild to come out of celebration mode, though Harry was still riding the high of having achieved S-class at seventeen (the same age as Laxus, except Harry was younger by three or four months than Laxus had been). After a week of celebration, Harry began wondering who his mentor would be and when he'd get to go on his first S-class job.

One afternoon in early January, Master Makarov approached Harry at the bar.

"Harry, I wonder if I might speak to you for a moment."

Harry blinked. "Er…sure." It was probably about his S-class mentor. But he still couldn't help but feel like he'd been caught doing something wrong.

Makarov smirked faintly at the nervous look on Harry's face as he led the way back to his office. It looked the same as it had the last two times he'd been summoned here, with papers and books littering every available surface. Makarov climbed a staircase of books and plopped down on the desk.

"First, I want to congratulate you again on making S-class. It's been a delight watching you grow and mature these last two years."

"Er…thanks?" Harry phrased it as a question, not sure what to make of the compliment. In his experience, adults rarely had anything good to say about him.

Makarov chuckled. "You might know it's guild policy to assign a mentor to new S-class mages to accompany them on their first mission or two."

Harry nodded. "Erza mentioned it."

Makarov nodded to himself. "I've decided on your mentor. You can learn a lot from each other, I think." The guildmaster made a motion with his hand and the door opened.

"What do you want, jii-jii?"

"Laxus?" Harry turned indignantly toward Makarov. "You're making Laxus my mentor?!"

"You want me to what?" Laxus protested as he entered. "I ain't mentoring anyone! Especially not some pipsqueak!"

"You passed him," Makarov pointed out. Then he smirked. "Or perhaps it may be more accurate to say that he passed you?" There was a twinkle in his eye.

Laxus sneered. "He got lucky. That's all."

Makarov's smirk widened. "Then you won't mind testing him again, this time in the field?"

Laxus opened his mouth, then scowled. "Fine." Then he turned on Harry. "But I ain't doing anything, got it? I'll bring your body back if you die, but that's it. And even that's more than a shrimp like you deserves."

Harry's fists clenched. "Fine by me. I don't need your help anyway."

Laxus continued to scowl. Then he turned toward Makarov. "I don't suppose you have a job in mind?"

Makarov's eyes glinted. "I rather thought I'd leave that up to you two."

Laxus's eyes narrowed. Then he turned on his heel and strode out. When Harry didn't immediately follow, he called back and said over his shoulder, "Oy, you coming, chibi?"

"Wait, now?" Harry's eyes went wide.

"What, you have something else to do? The sooner you get yourself killed, the better."

Harry scowled now. He threw a betrayed look over his shoulder, then followed Laxus upstairs.

The upstairs resembled a lounge more than a tavern like the lower floor. Comfortable-looking armchairs lay scattered in small groups around tables or alone at one of the several desks that littered the space. Bookshelves divided the chairs and tables into neat little secluded groups. With a pang, Harry realized it resembled the Hogwarts library or Gryffindor common room.

Shaking off the nostalgia, Harry hurried to join Laxus at the request board just as he pulled a flyer off.

"Right. Let's go."

"What, I don't get a say?" Harry protested. "I thought this was supposed to be my mission."

"It will be—as soon as we board the train," Laxus retorted.

Harry scowled. "Can I at least see the request so I know what to pack?" He said irritably, holding a hand out for the flyer.

Laxus sneered but handed it over. Harry took it and scanned it.

His eyes widened as he read through the information there. He wasn't sure if he should be amused or horrified by Laxus's choice. The job was something Harry unfortunately had ample experience in: monster hunting with suspected dark mage involvement. It was like the Chamber of Secrets all over again.

Harry sighed in resignation. "Shall we meet at the train station in half an hour?"

Laxus looked slightly impressed, but he hid it with another sneer. "Is that enough time for you?"

"Is it enough for you?" Harry shot back.

Laxus's eyes narrowed. "Plenty. See you in half an hour. If you're late, I'm leaving without you."

Harry narrowed his eyes in return. "Same goes for you."