Habemus New Chapter!

Hahahaha, even though February was short, was it a long wait?

Anyway, here we are my loves: with the long awaited chapter 3 of this story!

*Imaginary applause *Engraved applause* *More imaginary applause*

And following the recent tradition, I'll make a small announcement before moving on to the chapter:

Unfortunately I still can't get a Beta to help me clean up my translation. Which led me to wonder, "Should I pause it until I find one? Or do I keep posting so readers don't hang up on me?" Now that I look at it, it's obvious I made the right choice hahaha.

Anyway I continue to have an open position for Beta Reader in English, French, Portuguese and Italian translation.

PLEASE HELP ME!

Just to avoid confusion I need a person to whom I can pass the translated document before uploading it and can clean up and/or correct any grammatical or spelling errors there may be. The Beta package comes with multiple benefits: you will be able to read the chapters before anyone else. You'll be mentioned in the author's notes with a huge thank you. And if you call within the next fifteen minutes you will receive a nice sleeve on the occasion of your OTP n_n (hahaha sorry, I couldn't resist).

Now, with that ready, let's move on to the next chapter!

Come to think of it, last time we were left right with our newly arrived little Harry and knowing Jellal, I'm sure everyone was anxious to see what's going to happen with that encounter. I know the story so far is moving very slow, but believe me it's all part of the master plan hehe.

Chapter 3:

"The Language Barrier- Where did you come from?"

I was afraid. More afraid than he ever felt in his entire short life. When he woke up that morning and saw that everything in his little cupboard was scrambled or lying around, he tried to tidy up before his aunt came down to wake him up. But Petunia never came. When he finally got up to go out, he watched in dread that he was no longer at his aunt and uncle's house. It was as if someone had sawed off the stairs and dragged them into a cave and would have come running back to hide, if not for the fact that suddenly everything went dark and he began to have a strange craving for bananas.

-Jellal-Repeated. The next thing he remembered was standing at the bottom of a crater and going up, seeing an older boy fall down, fainting with a strange green hue on his skin. And even with his strange blue hair and a tattoo on his face, it seemed he was the only person in that whole huge place. So I had taken him to the cave, although he didn't remember because he remembered the way, at least they would be safer there. Or so he hoped.

-When I woke up, I spoke a strange language. And he looked angry, and for some reason much more threatening than Uncle Vernon. But after a few minutes he seemed to be trying to communicate, as if he were introducing himself. That's why I imitate him-Harry.

Well, at least he seemed to like his name. It was nice to receive a smile from someone, in fact few people had such a detail about him. They usually looked at him with anger, or ignored him when they took him for a street child because of his clothes and appearance. But he had no time to immerse himself in their memories. The blue-haired boy, Jellal, seemed to signal to follow him outside. He wasn't quite sure, he was afraid to go outside, but he was more terrified of being left there alone. So, while the other waited and watched him, he went to the remains of his cupboard where he could get his only pair of old sneakers. They weren't much, but at least enough to keep him from getting hurt:

-I ask Jellal as they walk to the entrance of the cave, even though he knows I don't understand him. But at least he could have fun at the expense of the little one.

-Harry just looked at him in confusion. But when I saw that Jellal was laughing I thought maybe he should too, so he showed a weak smile.

-Weak, but in some ways tender- Idiot! I'm making fun of what you're laughing at, but putting on tsundere hadn't helped. Now that little boy was looking at him in terror. So he put a hand to his face and cursed himself. By now they had reached the outside, and judging by the position of the sun he could tell they were far to the east. And he could feel a tug in his pants and knew that the little boy had unconsciously clung to it.

For a brief moment he could see in him all those children that he once considered his family: Sho, Wally, Miliana and Erza. He sighed audibly as he placed his hand in Harry's black hair and stirred it:

-It will take us almost a week to walk to the nearest town. But then Harry saw her reach out to him. And although he didn't understand anything he said. He could have known that he would be able to stay with that person. So, timidly, he reached out to take Jellal's hand, who held it firmly.

And that was the first time in two years that Jellal stopped being the container of Zeref's spirit. No. Again he showed that kind and confident smile that he always showed for his friends. Once again he was Jellal Fernandez.

The next two days passed almost calmly. With them walking through the forest and Jellal begging not to meet another damn Vulcan. But of course the language barrier was not so easy to flank. At first Jellal discovered in himself a facet that was really unknown to him: impatience. He had always learned to remain calm, to wait for the right moment to act and never lose control:

-But since it was difficult to make Harry understand some things, he was constantly invaded by an incessant desire to hit his head against a tree.

Why? Simple: I didn't have the courage to hit him, anymore.

Not that I would have done it already! No sir! Although, he almost did. The first night, when Harry accidentally threw away the vine he was supposed to hold and the whole store went down. Jellal had caught him in two angry strides with his hand ready to slap him. But instead I watched in surprise as the little boy just closed his eyes and bowed his head. He didn't even try to walk away. It was... it was as if he knew that if he tried to escape it would be worse for him.

-He thought, "Oh, boy..." He thought, "Oh, boy, this brat is making it hard."

Completely unarmed, that is, with no way to take physical revenge, all he could do was bang his forehead against the wood while grunting like a dog with fleas. On the other hand Harry just looked at him in confusion, an expression that started to become a constant in him. Like now, he was sitting on a big rock by the river watching Jellal while he fished with his hands: didn't they used to use rods for that?

-Gaah!

-I exaggerate," Jellal asked coming out of the water. He had only made a small push with Meteor so he could catch the dam. But it wasn't the slingshot of magic that made Harry go backwards, that was just a little breeze and some pretty refreshing water splashes in fact; what really scared him was the huge red fish Jellal was holding with both hands above his head as he came out of the water. That thing was at least five times the size of its mate and was carrying it around like it was swimming... Even though the other one didn't understand him, they had begun to understand each other by gestures-Look, today we're going to eat fish, I'm tired, the fruits-although he didn't stop feeling like an idiot by doing so.

That afternoon Jellal learned something new from his strange companion: appetite. He had already seen him eat mushrooms, vegetables and some fruit that he could find in the trees. He always thanked the food with a nod and ate in silence, never leaving anything behind but the seeds or the skin and heart that used to be very hard. But when he had his portion of roast weight in front of him, he seemed unsure, until Jellal urged him to eat before it got cold. He practically devoured it in two bites. He made some noise while doing so and ended up with a somewhat dirty face, and even more surprising was the first time he asked if he could eat more.

-Clearly... -It was the first time he saw you eat with a real appetite. Even a little voracious.

Even if it wasn't really such a big surprise. That's what I was thinking about sitting in the entrance of the little camping tent while Harry slept inside; it wasn't hard to tell that the little one was seriously malnourished. In the sunlight his skin, already clear, looked yellowish and unhealthy, he was very small and thin. His bones could be seen when he washed in the river. This only confirmed that he was really a little lost bum. Besides, there was that strange feeling that always gave him a certain chill.

As if it emitted some kind of frequency different from yours. Would it be magic?

-But in the middle of his thoughts a very cold wind blew through his clothes and made him tremble slightly. He looked up to see how some dense clouds were beginning to block out the waning moon. It would surely start raining soon. In that case there was no point in continuing to stand guard, no beast would come out to hunt in the rain. So I just waited a bit and when the first drops started to fall it was their signal to enter the tent and lie down. There was no need to be very careful, Harry had fallen into a deep sleep after eating. So he just lay down next to him with both hands behind his head while he thought it was a nuisance that his training had been interrupted. But he would have had time to get strong later.

And because habits were hard to break, the next morning Harry was the first to wake up. It was quite cold, but there was a pleasant feeling of warmth surrounding him. When he tried to get up he felt something else close around him: Jellal. The young man with the blue hair was sleeping next to him and had him surrounded by his waist with his arm holding him close. It was the first time in his life that he received that kind of attention, or was it the first hug of his life? He wasn't sure, but he really didn't know what to do next. It felt good. Maybe it was something strange, abrupt and a little aggressive, but Jellal was very attentive to him. It made him a little uncomfortable, although in a very pleasant way. That's why he kept quiet, allowing himself to enjoy the warmth of another human being.

Although Jellal was also someone who used to get up early. When he did, he was surprised that Harry was already awake, and his face got a little hot from being exposed. But part of him was glad to recognize the gratitude in those green eyes. Now that he thought about it. He had never met anyone with such bright eyes.

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-I'm sorry...-This was the fifth time Jellal had apologized while Harry ran into a tree to vomit.

Why? Simple. The reason why it was so cold was that at some point during the night or early morning, the rain turned into snow and by morning there was already a twenty centimeter layer covering them. It wasn't much, of course, but it was definitely a nuisance to walk around in so much snow. Besides the adverse weather, since winter was about to begin. No problem for a strong and confident young wizard. But not for a little scrawny guy with clothes that are too loose.

They were still a little more than half way through. That is, about four more days on foot, three if they were in a hurry. And Jellal, in a burst of that kindness that had returned to him, was worried that Harry might get sick from the bad weather. And that would be very bad, for he could hardly tell the difference between one or two medicinal herbs, and could never remember whether the blackberry was medicinal or for tea. In that case the best he could do was to turn those four or three days of travel into a few hours. So, by signaling and helping himself with his belt and a couple of vines, he had Harry climb on his back and hold on tight. That was the great thing about magic, it may have been designed for a specific purpose, like Meteor which was for hand-to-hand combat, but if you were creative enough you could find many other applications for it. Like flying over a vast forest to get to town faster.

And it had been incredible. Although maybe it had gone too fast and that's why Harry now had a serious problem with vertigo. But he would get over it as soon as he got some rest. From the top of the hill where they were standing, you could see the village of Taltar perfectly. As planned he would meet his teacher there and decide what to do with Harry. Although, seeing him come back from the bushes with one hand on his stomach and a bad face, he couldn't help but think that it wouldn't be bad to spend a little more time with him.

-Come on," he said, holding out his hand, "I'll buy you some food," and Harry smiled gratefully.

Taltar was not a particularly large village. It was barely known for being the closest to the Lagranda forest. By the time Harry and Jellal crossed the small bridge over the entrance it was already snowing again. The people on the street barely paid any attention to them, seemed more concerned about rushing their purchases or simply ignoring them. Jellal could feel Harry squeezing his hand and walking quite close to him. Was there anything that didn't scare that brat? The wizard wondered, somewhat upset, but at the same time squeezing the little boy's hand to comfort him a little.

-There were fifty jewels - they had stood in front of a stall that smelled pretty good. He bought one for himself and one for Harry, while showing him how to hold it and eat it since he apparently had no idea what it was. But while he was searching in his backpack someone else extended the payment to the seller:

-Then...-I was a grown man. Huge. Nearly two meters tall, robust with brown skin and silver hair wearing a thick travelling cloak. With a deep voice and a stoic tone - "This" is why you called me?

-His name is Harry-Surprisingly, for both of us, it was the first thing he said. Annoyed that he treated the infant as an object-he is a foreigner, I found him in the middle of the forest, he was possessed by a wild volcano.

-Afff-

-I think you might find it interesting-at least he knew his teacher well enough to be able to hit him on the head-or what? Is the code name "Brain" too big for you?

-Hmm? Well, the arrogant attitude of his disciple was nothing new. But the fact that he challenged him just to take care of a little ragged boy, with nothing special in sight, was already a source of curiosity. So he stuck his stick in the snow and knelt down in front of the little one, who was half hidden behind Jellal. That guy was terrifying. Then Brain stretched out his arm and opened his hand right in front of his face.

A magical purple circle materialized in front of Harry who backed away in fear, but for the hand that Jellal had on his back forcing him to stay where he was. The magic forced the little green-eyed boy to open his mouth as the magic circle turned and shrank until it was small enough to enter the cavity and stick to his tongue.

-Say something now...-Brain ordered as he stood up. Harry felt strange, scared and could only ask the question that had been haunting his head since his cupboard appeared in the middle of a cave:

-Where am I?

Continued from ...

*Pre-recorded fanfare*.

And once again we've reached the end of another chapter of this story... Waoh, that sounded like a soap opera host hahaha

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it: I'm looking for a Beta Reader to help me correct the details in the chapters. In the meantime, please bear with me while I find one n/n

On the other hand, don't forget that reviews are part of the healthy nourishment for every author.

See you in a month my loves!