Dance of the Fairies, Flight of the Phoenix

by Fergus Flamacron

Six years after the attack by Acnologia, a catastrophic event leads the entire island of Tenroujima and everyone on it to be flung headfirst into another world. A world with different people, different magic and different threats. What happens when Dragon Slayers meet with the Boy Who Lived? Pairings mostly, but not entirely, the same as canon. DISCONTINUED

39. Dance of the Fairies

Been a while but now that I've managed to get myself a job I am getting back into the swing of things, so hopefully my updates will be a little bit more regular from now one. But phew, this chapter turned out to be a long one indeed. I do hope you enjoy the ride!

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Dance of the Fairies, Flight of the Phoenix

Chapter 39:- Dance of the Fairies

---

"How… how could this have happened?" Fudge shouted for the hundredth time that hour. "How could we have let him escape?"

"We've combed the entire Ministry from top to bottom, Minister," Scrimgeour said gruffly. "Black is nowhere to be found. Those… people… that kept appearing out of thin air helped him escape, of that there can be no doubt."

"How could this be happening?" Fudge looked on the verge of throwing his bowler hat against the wall and stamping on it. "A couple of months ago all we had to worry about besides Black himself were these jumped up stories about the return of You-Know-Who. Now we're being faced with not one by two new universes jumping down our throats. Once word of this gets out nobody will feel safe in their own beds! Those… things… managed to jump in and out of existence despite the fact all the Anti-Apparition Wards were still intact. They bypassed all our security to rescue a man inches away from receiving the Dementor's Kiss. Could this possibly get any worse?"

"What about their claim?" a grizzled member of the Wizengamot who was among the throng of important officials crammed into Fudge's office. "Their claims that Black is innocent. That Fairy Tail isn't the enemy?"

"Stuff and nonsense!" Fudge cried. "You all know what Black did all those years ago - murdering a street full of innocent Muggles and young Pettigrew in broad daylight with several dozen witnesses. There's no way he can be innocent. This is a ploy. It must be - a ploy to make us question ourselves instead of shoring up our defences against these people."

Scrimgeour hummed quietly to himself and once again his eye met with those of Amelia Bones across the room. He got the feeling they were thinking along the same lines. The notion that Sirius Black could be innocent was positively ludicrous to them but the idea that Fairy Tail might not be as villainous as Fudge and the majority of the Ministry and general public were keen to paint them as certainly didn't sound all that farfetched based on what he'd seen of them.

Had the Spirits been telling the truth about both them and Black? Or had they been lying? Or had they been telling the truth about one but lying about the other… and what possible reason would they have to do that if that was the case? No, that was silly - it had to be either a double truth or a double lie.

But which one?

But before they could deliberate any further, a young Auror came dashing into the room. "Minister! Head Auror!" he cried. "We just received an urgent Floo message from a wizard family in Wiltshire. There's something going on there - some kind of giant magical battle. There are Fairy Tail members attacking a wizarding household!"

"What!?" Scrimgeour rapped sharply. "Who's?"

"The Malfoy Manor, sir! They said its already been massively damaged in the assault!"

"Scrimgeour, go!" Fudge cried immediately. "Take all the best Aurors you can find and strike back. Stun anyone you see wielding a power that looks unnatural and bring them here."

"At once, Minister!" Scrimgeour nodded and dashed out of the room, grabbing the young Auror by the shoulder to steer him out with him.

---

"What the…" Tonks gaped, her jaw practically hitting the floor as the sea itself propelled the boat of mages towards the juddering walls of Azkaban. "The other guys from Fairy Tail! How did they get here!? Azkaban's Unplottable!"

"It is, you're right," Remus gave a wry smile. "But don't forget Sirius once escaped from Azkaban and swam to the mainland. He told me that the closest human settlement to the place he emerged on shore was a fishing village called Anstruther on the east coast of Scotland. We positioned those guys there with a commandeered boat before the mission started. And I sent my Patronus to act as guide - they don't need a map for that."

"…That's so devious," Tonks beamed.

"Well I can't claim credit. It was Mavis' idea. She consented to letting us bring only Gildarts but insisted the others wait on standby. And now, I'm very glad they did."

Mavis' hair billowed out behind her like a loose sail, the wings in her hair flapping wildly as she stood on the prow of the small speedboat - which was whooshing along faster and more smoothly than any speedboat naturally could under Juvia's influence. She took in the situation at a glance, eyes narrowing to analyse every detail. The uneven juddering of the sinking fortress indicated unstable foundations and the Dementors were circling downwards like they were trying to form a tornado out of their own bodies. Creatures she knew could potentially cripple several of her team if they just got close enough considering the traumas many of them had been through. Gray in particular was at risk from them considering his past with Deliora.

But she'd need Gray up top. He was going to be necessary here.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do!" she called. "Gajeel and Wendy - I'm going to need the two of you to get down there and stabilise the island as best you can. Slow down its descent into the water until we can get everybody off it. Juvia - give them some air for while they're down there."

If the Fairy Tail members were surprised at how well Mavis gave out orders they didn't show it. Nor did they question that she was unequivocally in charge. Instead, Juvia cried, "Yes, First Master," and raised her hands, generating two large watery air bubbles that immediately plopped in over Gajeel and Wendy's heads.

"We'll do our best," Wendy nodded.

"Gonna be counting on your support here, kid," Gajeel shouted, planting his feet on the sight and bounding into the air, Wendy right behind him. The small Sky Dragon Slayer flung her arms out even as they dropped towards the water, her hands glowing green as she cried, "VERNIER!" A bright glow instantly began to blaze around both the Dragon Slayers as they splashed down into the sea and shot through the water with the blazing speed of striking tuna, heading straight for the submerged bowels of the prison as the speedboat whooshed along above them.

"Gajeel-san, what are we going to do down there?" Wendy asked as they swam around towards one of the holes that Gildarts had blown into the side of the structure during his fight with Bluenote.

"Geehee! Watch and learn!" Gajeel smirked, sweeping in through the hole until he found himself floating in what had once been the stony lobby - boxes of personal possessions and wands strewn about the place. The Iron Dragon Slayer gathered his power into his hands and upended himself, diving straight for the floor and bellowing, "TESTURYUUKON!"

His fists slammed into the stonework the very moment they transformed into clubs, crashing through the ground and punching their way deep, deep, deep into the rock. But as they penetrated further and further down they began to branch off, smaller clubs shooting sideways out of the main branch in all directions, forcing their way through the rock to create an ever more intricate lattice. And as Gajeel gritted his teeth and poured all his power into the effort, he called, "Could really use a boost right now, Sky-girl!"

"Right!" Wendy nodded, raising her hands again. "O strength of arm to cleave the heavens! Offensive strengthing… ARMS!"

Gajeel grinned as he felt a surge of strength igniting through his body and his clubs thrust deeper and deeper into the rock below. He ended up swinging his legs down and slamming them into the floor, turning them into clubs as well to continue the process - all four limbs now contributing to the growing lattice below.

"MORE!" he shouted. "GIVE ME A LITTLE MORE!"

"Another Arms spell… are you sure?" Wendy asked. "I've never cast it on a person more than once so quickly."

"We're Dragon Slayers, kid! We're made of stern stuff! Lay it on me!"

"Okay then! ARMS!"

"YEAH, THAT'S IT!" Gajeel bellowed - he almost felt his actual muscles growing from the surge of magical power that filled him to the brim. His clubs extended further than he'd ever sent them at once until they found the empty void where Bluenote's Black Hole spell had been. They branched out every which way until they punched into the main body of the mountain and out to the sides on all points of the compass… and then they stayed there. The fortress stopped shaking so violently… the iron forming a metal framework and lending sturdy strength to the mountain that its own crumbling stone could no longer provide - like a support structure.

Gajeel was literally holding the entire fortress of Azkaban up. Something he could never have done without Wendy's enhancements.

"And now I hold it for as long as I can or until Juvia comes to get us," he growled. "Stay alert. I'm gonna need you to get me out of here if the place starts caving in on us from above."

"Okay, Gajeel-san. Do your best!"

---

"Gray, give us a route to the top of the prison," Mavis instructed as the boat pulled to a halt a short distance from the craggy walls of the ruined jailhouse.

"On it!" Gray smashed his hands together and roared:- "ICE MAKE: STAIRS!"

Instantly a diagonal plume of ice blossomed out of the sea and shot upwards towards the roof of the prison while the rest of the sea around the boat for several feet down froze over to give the stairs a solid mooring, anchoring the boat in place. The ice moulding itself into thick steps as it went and by the time it struck the edge of the prison just short of its rooftop it had formed a perfect staircase. Mavis was already on her way up, levitating as if she was running on air next to the stairs while Juvia and Levy sprang out of the boat onto the ice. Levy almost slipped over but Juvia seized her hand to haul her back upright and they dashed upwards, Gray bringing up the rear.

"It's them!" Erza grinned as she watched them coming up. "Gray, Juvia and Levy."

"Yeah, but who's that blond girl zipping about with them?" Cana frowned.

"Ah, now," Gildarts chuckled, placing a hand on his daughters head and ruffling her hair. "That would be the one who helped save us from Acnologia. That would be Mavis Vermillion herself."

"Eh?!" Cana gasped. "That's the founder of our guild!?"

"But how can she…" Erza stammered in equal disbelief.

"Save the questions for when we don't have Dementors pouring out of the sky towards us," Gildarts advised.

Indeed the Dementors were closing in, momentarily startled by the sudden appearance of new players to the battlefield but rapidly regaining their confidence and whooshing downwards with renewed energy. Many of the inmates screamed and covered their heads, dropping to their knees and wailing as the terribly familiar effects of their guards closed in. Erza bit her lip and shook her head to try and blot out their effects while on the stairs Gray suddenly stumbled, and almost fell right off the edge of his own creation. He only just managed to catch himself and force himself on, fighting to ignore the terrible roars he'd known would start playing through his head.

Mavis crested the top of the prison first and alighted in front of Cana and Erza. "Hello you two," she said brightly, but gravely at the same time. "I wish we could have met in a situation that wasn't so dire but I need you to listen to me so we can hold the Dementors at bay."

Ever the warrior, Erza immediately cast all questions aside nodded, "Understood. What would you have us do, First Master?"

"Anyone who can still produce a Patronuses use it now," Mavis said just as Levy and Juvia were reaching the top. Instantly Lupin swung his wand up into the air and his wolf charged up to snap at the figurative heels of two Dementors. Tonks, Kingsley and Emmeline all joined him, sending their respective chameleon, bear and beaver back into the fray one last time as Hestia tried to help Mad-Eye stay on his feet. The four Patronuses charged into the Dementors, but they were so thick in number that it looked like the sky was falling atop them. The Patronuses were practically snuffed out under the wave of negative emotions they sent roiling down upon them, but they valiantly held their ground, the wizards and witches conjuring them fighting to keep them in existence.

"Erza," Gray croaked as he crested the top of the stairs and placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder, forcing a smile even as the slavering mouth of Deliora tried to gnash at him from the back of his mind. "Damn it's good to see you."

"Likewise," Erza smiled, grabbing Gray and pulling him into a hug that ended up thunking his forehead against her chest plate quite hard. "Where's Natsu and Lucy?"

"Busy," was all Gray said, pulling back and shaking his head slightly before turning his gaze up to the oncoming tide. The Dementors were splitting up now, making their way around the desperately fighting Patronuses in the same way a shoal of fish curves around a shark swimming through their midst. "But first we've got to take care of these guys."

Mavis was quickly analysing the situation and said, "Gray, Juvia, Erza. These Dementors cannot pass through solids or liquids. Don't let them come in from the sides. Think happy thoughts and hold them back!"

Juvia was shivering a little, unbidden memories welling up inside her like rainwater in a pothole. Memories of being bullied by the other children at the orphanage for always making it rain, all the harsh words people had said to her growing up, intentionally or otherwise, for always making it rain and the rejection from the her first boyfriend once again for always making it rain.

Drip, drip, drop.

"It's so gloomy."

Drip, drip, drop.

"I hate the rain."

'Happy thoughts,' she thought, trying to tug her head out of the rainclouds and focusing on the time where she'd first seen the clear blue sky, the sunshine, courtesy of the man she loved opening her heart at last. On Cana telling her that she was a wonderful guild member so soon after joining and standing beside Gray on the Fantasia podium like a king with his queen.

Instantly her strength returned and she glowered up at the Dementors. The sea around the prison churned and began to rise up with explosive force. But it was not just her powers - Erza had changed back into her Sea Empress outfit once again and her sword was raised high.

"With me, Juvia!" she shouted.

"Right!" Juvia nodded, and… BOOOOM! The sea powered up around the entire prison like they had suddenly found themselves in the middle of a hollow geyser blast. Juvia bounded along the wall, inmates dodging her as she swung her arms out, sending huge waves of water broiling at the Dementors like liquid cannon blasts that sent knocked dozens of the spinning.

"Juvia is of the sea," she cried out, transforming into a liquid state and shooting upwards to spin in rapid circles, firing watery plumes from her arms at any Dementor that came anywhere near her, sending it spinning away with an unearthly screech. "This is Juvia's domain, not yours!"

Erza was doing much the same thing, dancing across the rooftops with webbed sword flashing through the air over her head like a windmill. The seawater seemed to rush towards her and whirl around her blade, sweeping outwards with each each swipe to batter Dementors aside with each stroke.

"You will not get near us!" Erza growled. "I refuse to let myself fall under your wretched spell again."

The onlookers looked on in awe as Juvia and Erza worked their magic, literally. Juvia swept in a wide arc around the prison like a circling rocket, sweeping her arms out wide to send massive waves of water rushing out like giant mouths to close around a score of Dementors at a time and engulfed them in pounding liquid, sending them plunging uncontrollably towards the sea below while Erza sliced her blade through the air like a bullwhip to create huge watery whips that pummelled Dementors away. And as they two of them spun round and round they were churning up the water into a veritable cyclone, pulsing outwards to scoop any Dementor foolish enough to get too close out of the air and catapult them away as if they'd been fired from a trebuchet!

That was when Gray made his move. As the Dementors closed their way in he had been the worst hit, his vision blurring and being replaced by the flames and crumbling stonework of his old village, the looming figure of Deliora stomping his way through the wreckage and destroying everything before him. He was seeing out of his younger self's eyes, could feel the tears streaming from them as he stared down at his father's body, a huge bloody gash cleaving his forehead from hairline down towards his left ear, barely missing his eye. His mother, fair-haired and beautiful in life, lying half-buried in the rubble of a fallen building nearby - her last act to push him to safety before her lower body was crushed.

But, just as the vision of Ul's body splintering to icy pieces in order to form the ice to keep Deliora at bay began to play from the back of his mind, he forced himself to step forwards.

"Deliora isn't here," he whispered to himself. "He's not just dead, he's not even in this universe. I'm sure he'll haunt my nightmares forever, but that's all he'll ever be now. Nightmares… and you won't make me succumb to that!"

He charged towards the centre of the roof, shouldering terrified inmates aside and seizing his shirt as he ran, ripping it off and sending it crumpling into the face of one unfortunate man. But as soon as he reached the middle he slammed his hands down onto the ground. Ice formed beneath him and whooshed upwards, growing into a pillar that carried him upwards amidst the swirling maelstrom of water all around him, and once he judged he was high enough he thrust his arms out to either side, drawing on his power and focusing on his happiest memories.

It was safe to say nothing really stood out to him as his absolute best memories, so he focused on as many others as he could. Memories of the happy days he'd spent with his parents, the exhilaration he'd felt at the many victories he'd obtained defeating the likes of Fukurou and Racer. All those times he'd come home to the guild… when he'd watched Lisanna reuniting with her brother and sister after two years… Juvia's wide smile when she'd first joined their guild…"

With his mind clearing he roared, "ICE MAKE… SHOTGUN!"

Huge chunks of water swirling all around him solidified into ice and exploded outwards in all directions at the same moment like a spray of bullets the size of armchairs. Gray swept his arms out in all directions, snarling as he pelted Dementor after Dementor with his frozen projectiles, sending them crashing backwards towards the sea as they were slammed into by the solid objects. A phalanx of the cloaked monsters tried to press in from a gap in the defences but Gray directed his magic over to it, raising an icy wall and then blasting it outwards in massive chunks, raining an avalanche down upon the former guards.

The three of them worked in unison, water and ice merging and conforming to create a barrier that the Dementors couldn't hope to penetrate. Now there was only one way from them to reach the rooftop - from directly above through the eye of the watery storm. And that was precisely what they were trying to do now, bunching together en masse and pressing forwards.

The Patronuses battled it out but they were now being pushed back by the sheer weight of hopelessness the Dementors were pressing down. Lupin's wolf flickered, tired from its long journey and struggling to keep up while Emmeline's beaver finally died away. Several Dementors immediately took advantage of the gap and swept downwards beneath the other Patronuses, a wave of cold sweeping over everyone present.

Only Gray didn't start shivering. Instead he clashed his hands together and yelled, "You like bringing coldness to people, huh? Let me show you how its really done!" As he spoke he formed what looked like a wide bow in one hand, drawing back an ice string so fine it was practically real string, and bellowing as an icy arrow so large it might as well have been a spear formed in the middle.

"SUPER FREEZE ARROW!" he yelled, releasing with a flourish. The jagged projectile lanced upwards to puncture the middle Dementor. It didn't slow it down in the slightest but then the arrow expanded outwards rapidly, freezing all the Dementors into a block of ice. They dropped straight downwards, whereupon a watery tendril extended out from the storm to slam them away like the world's largest cricket ball. Both Juvia and Erza grinned before getting back to work.

For all the efforts of the three of them combined, they weren't really hurting the Dementors at all. Beating them back certainly but those who were slammed by water or ice inevitably rose back up again shortly afterwards to try again. They were certainly holding back the horde, but they wouldn't hold forever, and now they were really pushing back at the Patronuses.

"Levy, give them a hand!" Mavis ordered. "I'll need more time to implement the plan."

"Are you sure about this?" Levy shivered, hugging herself as harsh laughter played on the back of her ears. "You think I can do it?"

"Solid Script can create any substance that doesn't require a specific shape," Mavis nodded. "In theory, you should be able to produce it. I have faith in you, Levy. Just focus on your happiest memory and do it."

Levy nodded, but flinched as she saw the viciously sneering face of Gajeel rush to the fore of her mind. 'Not again!' she gripped her head tightly, shaking it as if trying to jar the images loose but unable to prevent herself from watching him beat Jet and Droy into the ground. For weeks now she'd been haunted by her first encounter with Dementors and the memories they'd unearthed, telling herself over and over again that Gajeel had changed, but it never seemed to make any difference. It was like a little piece of a Dementor had gotten inside her that day and stayed there, bringing the memory back up every time she saw Gajeel's face.

"Happiest memory," she whispered. "Happiest… happiest…"

There were so many to choose from… which one… which one should she…?

'It's tough findin' someone small like you… so don't leave my side.'

She gasped, her eyes opening wide. That voice - Gajeel's voice - playing in the back of her ear. Suddenly the memory changed. Gajeel was still in front of her, and again he was facing two opponents, but now they were those two Grimoire Heart minions - Yomazu and Kawazu back on Tenroujima. Without Gajeel's interference, she would have been cut down instantly by Yomazu's sword but he'd leapt in to protect her even after she'd smacked him in the face with her handbag and run off, annoyed that he hadn't been taking her S-Class trial seriously.

And she remembered, at that moment, the sheer elation she'd felt when he'd told her without words that he was there to protect her. That he was going to try and make sure that nobody ever harmed her… in the same way he had once done.

Was that her happiest memory, that moment when he'd sworn to protect her?

She didn't know but that was the one she chose to focus on and like Gray her vision seemed to sharpen. Her senses cleared and she stood a little taller. Just as Lupin's wolf finally gave up and dissipated into nothing, Levy focused on her magic and flung her hand out wide over her head:-

"SOLID SCRIPT… PATRONUS!"

Suddenly eight giant, glowing, silver letters appeared in the air above her and streaked upwards to join the fight. Several Dementors screeched and fell back, chased back upwards by a large N. A big R and S converged together on a second small group, herding them away, while three gigantic vowels swirled in a circle around the perimeter of water and ice, forming a whirlpool of their own. A P and a T joined the chameleon and the bear, physically beating against the Dementors as if they were giant hammers and seeking to pulse them back upwards, all eight letters working together like sheepdogs to corral the Dementors back upwards.

"What the…" Tonks blinked, looking at Levy in astonishment. "I thought… I thought that you guys couldn't use our magic!"

"We can't," grunted Levy, thrusting her hands up high as she could stretch them with the effort of co-ordinating her letter troops. "Those technically aren't Patronuses, they're just replicas. I read up on your Patronuses and it said they were an outpouring of their owner's positive energy force and and their good soul, which is why Dark Wizards are usually not able to cast them. Our magic, our Earthland magic, is an outpouring of our spirit combining with the spirit that flows through nature incarnated into physical form, so the principle is similar. They're not as powerful as your Patronuses, but they copy the effects of one. For as long as… I can hold them… up there."

"Just give us a bit more time, Levy," Mavis said, turning to complete the final stage of her plan.

Like Levy, Mavis had been reading up on this world as best she could with an incorporeal body, and as creatures which had already proven their effect upon her guild members, Dementors had been one of her top priorities. They were practically the very definition of dark creatures and Patronuses were one of the few things that could beat them into submission.

But she was certain there was something else what might be able to do the job. A light that would reject the darkness these creatures represented.

"Cana, come here, quick," she said, hurrying over to the Card Mage even as she scowled up at the sky. "There's something I need you to do for me."

"Your voice," Cana breathed, turning to look back at the diminutive First Master. "…I recognise it. I heard you speak to me… back at the grave. You really are Mavis Vermillion, aren't you?"

"I am. And speaking of the grave, you told me then that you loved this guild and that as long as you could keep them safe you wouldn't ever need anything else. I assume that is still the case, yes?"

"Absolutely," Cana nodded fiercely. "If there was something I could do to help now…"

"There is," Mavis said, holding out her hands and generating a glowing golden orb between her palms. It resembled a small fireball but it was not hot - it was only warm. Cana's breath was stolen, for it looked extremely familiar to her.

"That light… back at the grave…"

"Yes. I wish to give it to you once more. Fairy Glitter!"

Cana took a step backwards, shock rippling across her face. "But… but I can't. I can't take that," she gritted her teeth, remembering well her failure on Tenroujima when it came to using one of the three Great Magics. "I couldn't use it properly. I tried to use it on that Bluenote guy and he shrugged it off with barely a flinch. He told me… if the user is worthless…"

"You're not worthless, Cana. You know that by now," Mavis insisted. "Yes, the magic failed, but that is not your fault. You had the misfortune of going up against an opponent powerful enough to resist its effects long enough to knock you off balance. The spell did not have time to reach its full effect before he stopped you. Had he waited five more seconds he would have felt the true power of Fairy Glitter, and he knew it. He said what he said only to get in your head and prevent you from trying again while he tried to take if from you."

"…He… did…?"

"From what Lucy has told me, Cana… you have long thought yourself as leftovers compared to your more powerful companions. But that is simply not true. You have an incredibly high amount of magic at your disposal, something you definitely inherited from your father. Your problem is that The branch of Card Magic you use isn't one of the most powerful kinds of magic out there. It is designed more to provide versatility and support than the kind of destructive abilities many other Fairy Tail mages possess. In fact, the power you have shown with it is considerably higher than most Card users could ever achieve. You have so much untapped potential that is just a short stretch from your grasp. All you have to do… is reach out… and take it."

Cana's mouth ran dry, her heart pounding in her chest as she locked her gaze with the earnest First Master's eyes. Was that it? Was her major problem really just that… she hadn't chosen a magical type that made best use of her power?

That… actually made sense. Her father Gildarts had incredible strength, but he wielded it to its full because he'd chosen such a powerful branch of magic that even he struggled to contain it sometimes.

"You're… certain?" she whispered.

"I would not have given you the Fairy Glitter spell if I didn't know you could use it. Now… take it again. Your friends are strong but they cannot hold off that horde forever. They need you to strike the blow."

"…Isn't Fairy Glitter designed to work on just one opponent?"

"That is where your father will come in," Mavis said. "Now, one last time… Cana Alberona - are you willing to wield the power it takes to defend your guild!"

Cana's eyes hardened, her hand clenching into a fist. "Yes!" she roared, raising her hand and plunging it into the fire between Mavis' hands. "Yes, I am!"

Blinding light erupted around them, spurring everyone around them to fall back and shield their gaze from the intense glare. But Cana and Mavis just nodded to each other through the blaze as the flames spread over Cana's lower arm, weaving into an intricate pattern before slowly fading away, revealing a familiar red symbol spread across her skin. Cana stood tall, her hair billowing in the wind, and looked over to her father. Her self-esteem stored at the look of pride on Gildarts' face, and she smiled right back.

"I do not doubt myself anymore," she said, with a smirk. "How can I with my father's backing and the blessing of the First Master herself."

"That's my girl," Gildarts grinned, before turning around and raising his voice. "You see that everyone!? That right there, that's my girl!"

"Do it, Cana," Mavis nodded. "Bring the light right down the middle of the storm and be ready for the signal."

Cana was't sure what the signal was but she didn't question it. She charged across the rooftop until she was standing beside Gray's Ice Pillar. Without needing to be told, Gray raised her off the ground with a second pillar sprouting beneath her feet and the moment she was level with him she thrust her newly tattooed arm straight up into the air.

"Gather to me!" she bellowed above the sound of rushing water. "O River of Light led by the Fairies!"

She was promptly engulfed by light, emanating from the symbol on her hand and spreading out to envelop her and Gray in a colossal column of brightness that blasted straight up towards the sky, past the letter Patronuses still darting left and right and past the Dementors which fell back away from it with a screech as if it was physically burning them to touch it. The light seemed to punch the heavens itself, spreading a golden glow across the skies and before the eyes of the stunned crowd they could see the stars themselves searing intensely even in the light of the day.

"Shine down! To wipe out the fangs of evil!" Cana continued, and the light concentrated and congealed together, sweeping in a tight circle to form a gigantic golden ring of pure radiance.

"FAAAAAAAAIIIRRRRRRYYYYYYY GLIIIIIIIITTTTTEEEEEEEEEEERRRRR!"

The gleaming circlet rushed downwards, ploughing down from the stratosphere towards the top of Azkaban. The Dementors swooped away, scattering before the oncoming light as if it was physically pulsing them away, like it was the world's biggest Patronus. And in truth it was physically rejecting their presence, repelling their darkness in all directions and sending them scrambling as best a Dementor can scramble to get away.

However, it didn't banish them completely. They just formed a much wider perimeter around the prison, circling rapidly a considerably safe distance and waiting for the light to pass.

But just as it reached the exact centre of the Dementor swarm…

"NOW GILDARTS!" Mavis shouted.

Having already been instructed on what to do, Gildarts gathered his power. The prison began to tremble around him, white energy searing up all around him as he summoned all the reserves of Crash Magic he could muster. He almost vanished inside the swirl of his own magical strength, visible only as a silhouette to those backing away all around him as the floor started to fracture just from the sheer pressure it was undergoing.

But, just before he summoned enough to shatter it, Gildarts thrust his arms upwards and channelled his magic up into the air, shooting right past the water, past Cana and Gray, right into the middle of the descending Fairy Glitter sphere.

Cana was quick to realise that was the signal, as well as what Mavis was hoping for. She brought the ring to a halt and, summoning her strength she contracted it inwards until it melded with the humungous ball of Crash Magic swirling in the centre.

"A Unison Raid…" Gray breathed. "Between father and daughter!"

At the same moment, Cana and Gildarts released their magic:-

BBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!

The Crash Magic fused with the Fairy Glitter and blasted outwards towards all four points of the compass, pulsing the glowing ring across the sky with a bang so loud that Muggles on shore miles away thought that a nuclear bomb had just been detonated or a meteorite had struck.

The Dementors screeched and fell back but the ring washed over dozens, hundreds of them and any that it touched were instantly vaporised, their darkness consumed and burned away by the light with a dose of Crash ripping their bodies apart for good measure. The other Dementors fled, screeching in all directions but many more were struck down and those that word were flung spiralling away by the backlash of the blast. Dozens crashed into the sea, others were pushed back beyond the clouds, but at least half of the horde were completely and utterly obliterated.

That was more than enough for the survivors. When the blast finally petered out after forming a diameter of several miles the rest of the Dementors were quick to decide not to return for a second helping of that. They fled, clawing their way through the air and away, the remnants of their cloaks flapping around them in a mad panic to escape the island that had once been their home.

The remaining Patronuses faded away and the water column slowly dropped back down into the sea as Juvia settled back onto the rooftop. Even the jaws of the other Fairy Tail mages had dropped after that particular spectacle, with she, Erza, Gray and Levy all indistinguishable from the rest of the crowd. Nobody could speak, nobody could breathe, nobody could begin to fathom what they had just witnessed.

Nobody except Mavis that is, who just smiled and said, "And that's how Fairy Tail looks after their own."

Cana stumbled slightly and fell to one knee, panting for breath but smiling broadly. Gray wordlessly lowered the ice pillars back down to the roof and helped her to her feet. "Cana," he said. "When we get back to Fairy Tail… I'm forfeiting the S-Class exam. You deserve it. After that, there's no question of it."

"What, you were actually thinking about continuing it?" Cana snickered.

"Not anymore I'm not. I'll wait for the next one."

"That was amazing, Cana-san," Juvia exulted, so astonished she wasn't even mad that Gray was helping another woman to her feet.

"Indeed. I wholeheartedly agree with Gray's sentiment," Erza said. "You were fabulous today, Cana. And don't you forget."

Finally one of the Order members found their voices. "Are you… freaking… serious!" Tonks gaped. "What in the… just… just how ridiculously powerful are you guys? Every time I think I've got a lid on it you go and do something like that!"

"I have no words," Lupin agreed.

"Nobody in our Ministry could have any words," Kingsley murmured. A statement which Gawain Robards… the Auror who'd been forced to bring Bluenote here… wholeheartedly supported.

'The Minister is right to fear what these people can do,' he thought. 'They could bring the entire Ministry crashing down around our ears in a second if they wanted… and yet…' he glanced towards Gildarts. 'He… protected me. He fought to beat the man who killed my team. They all fought to protect these people from the Dementor horde… just how wrong has the Ministry gotten them?'

"…I… appear to have missed quite a lot since I've been here," Sturgis Podmore whispered to Hestia and Emmeline.

"I'd say you don't know the half of it," Hestia replied. "But… I almost get the feeling that we don't know the half of it either after watching that."

"We do have a lot to catch up on," Emmeline agreed. "But now we need to figure out…"

That was the exact moment where the prison shook and almost everyone fell over. The rumbling and rocking began again in earnest, but despite this Levy instantly ran to the edge and peered out towards the sea below, which was definitely beginning to come closer once again.

"Wendy," she whispered. "…Gajeel."

---

"Nnnghghhh…" Gajeel grunted as the floor shifted beneath him, gritting his teeth so hard that he could have bitten through titanium as he fought to hold the position. The air bubble around his head had decreased significantly inside but still he battled it out to keep anchor the ground in place.

But it was no good. The prison continued to rumble and fall.

"Dammit!" he growled. "I can't do any more. The ground's deteriorated so much that iron poles aren't going to hold is structure together anymore."

"What does that mean?" Wendy asked, though she had a feeling she knew the answer.

"There's a rockslide going on down there. And its taking the prison down with it," Gajeel grunted, retracting his iron clubs to rapidly disintegrate the complex structure that had been acting as a substitute mountain. As he went, the prison began to crumble around him, its descent picking up speed as it lost its remaining supports. The ceiling rushed down towards the two Dragon Slayers, but Gajeel withdrew his clubs just quickly enough to whip around in the water and carve a huge gash in the stonework with an Iron Dragon Sword, the hole plunging down on either side of them so they were suddenly a level higher than they were before.

"We have to get out of here!" Wendy shouted.

"I still got plenty of juice left from what you gave me, kid!" Gajeel grinned savagely, seizing her by the shoulders and slamming her in close to his side. "Hold tight!"

He immediately thrust his other arm upwards to create one last Iron Dragon Pole, battering a huge hole in the ceiling with it, then the one above that, then the one above that! BANG! BANG! BANG! He busted his way through level after level until his club had cleared the water and kept going right up to the roof, where it busted its way out a mere half a metre away from where Gray, Juvia and Cana were standing.

"WAAH!" All three of them immediately lost their footing in surprise, but Erza was quick to read the situation. She darted forwards and requipped into a bulky yellow armour with thick shoulder guards that curved upwards passed her head and which was particularly reinforced around her right arm - the Giant's Armour. She seized the Iron Dragon Club and wrenched upwards on it, heaving it skywards with an almighty upwards throw. Gajeel and Wendy were immediately brought surging upwards right through the centre of Azkaban, their air bubbles popping the moment they cleared the ocean. They sailed up through the gap in the roof but Erza lashed out to seize Gajeel by the ankle as he passed, arresting his ascent and hefting him rather unceremoniously onto the rooftop in front of her, Wendy held tightly in his spare arm.

"Are you alright?" she asked them.

"Yeah but we're going down. Ain't nothing going to change that now!"

"What do we do?" Wendy asked.

"We provide something else to stand on!" Mavis shouted. "Gray!"

"I'm on it!" Gray pushed himself back upwards and dashing to the edge. He swept his hands outwards towards the ocean and roared, "ICE MAKE… ISLAND!"

Instantly ice spread out across the surface of the water, forming a thick iceberg that extended several metres down into the water. Gray spread his arms out wide to mould out the jagged chinks of the waves, giving the iceberg a perfectly level and smooth top layer before creating a slide that led from the top of the falling prison to the new layer.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" he cried, panting for breath under the exertion of creating so much ice but a sudden boost from Wendy helping him to bear the load.

Nobody needed to be told twice, not even the inmates. The Order of the Phoenix took up positions on either side of the slide and ushering people down. They threw themselves haphazardly down it, sliding pell-mell into each other as they swept out across the slippery surface in their droves. Gray had to constantly change the angle of the slide to keep up with the descent of the prison and used a little extra ice to anchor his feet to the floor and keep himself from falling over.

The Fairy Tail members brought up the rear, leaping smoothly down the slide with the Order members right after them. Gray bound forward last, but at that point the slide had become a level platform and a mere two seconds after he leapt his way on board the iceberg… the roof of the prison disappeared beneath the surface, leaving no evidence it had ever been there at all except for churning waves lapping at the iceberg.

"Azkaban…" Kingsley breathed as he pushed himself to his feet. "It's just… gone…"

"No offence, mate," Cana said. "But I have to say good riddance to it."

"The important thing is we did it. We got everyone out safely, including our two members" Mavis said.

"But we were unable to stop the Death Eaters from escaping," Tonks muttered. "They're out there now… and it won't be long before they're joining up with You-Know-Who again. Including… dear old Aunt Bella," she growled, clenching her fist.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Lupin said with a hand on her shoulder. "For now…" he glanced back at the massive crowd of former prisoners who were giving the Order and Fairy Tail members a wide berth. "…what are we going to do with this lot?"

---

'This can't be happening!' Voldemort hissed in his mind as he whirled about, firing spell after spell in a blur of motion, so frenzied that even he could barely keep track of what he was doing. 'I am the most powerful sorcerer in the world! How can I be being pushed back like this… by three mere adolescents!'

But he wasn't just being pushed back. Though he refused to admit it… he was losing! Sweat trickled down his brow with the strain of continuing the fight, his breathing was becoming increasingly laboured but he fought on. Yet his three opponents not only showed very little signs of tiring, but they were also outmanoeuvring him at every turn!

He spun around to launch a massive flurry of icy shards at Mirajane but she simply charged straight into the midst of the attack, seizing two out of the air and using them as swords to batter the others aside, swift strikes from her thick tail doing the rest of the work for her as she zipped in towards Voldemort at blazing speed. He Disapparated only half a second before her fist could slam into his jaw but as he did he sent a Blasting Hex straight down at the floor which consumed Mirajane in blast of soil and heat, yet when he re-appeared she simply swept upwards as if the attack hadn't really bothered her in the slightest.

Not pausing for a second Voldemort spun around to see Natsu surging towards him, Happy clinging tightly to his back as Natsu readied his fists for a blazing, meteoric strike. Voldemort send three rapid-fire Killing Curses right at him but Natsu suddenly blasted fire out of his mouth, pummelling the floor and thrusting him upwards and into a forward flip that carried him right over the green lights. Voldemort rapidly Disapparated again right before Natsu's foot cannoned down into the ground where he'd just been, a fiery blast from his Fire Dragon's Claw blasting a huge crater in the grounds of the mansion!

"WILL YOU STAY STILL!?" Natsu shouted as he leapt out of the smoke to home in instantly on where Voldemort had re-appeared. "NOT WILLING TO FACE MY FIST, HUH!?"

"SHUT UP!" Voldemort screamed, his wand arching over his head and one of the brick walls surrounding the mansion exploding into individual bricks that all went flying right for Natsu. He pitched to the side to dodge the cascade of oblong blocks, but the bricks all abruptly changed course and came sweeping back towards him. He balked and had just enough time to see Lisanna with her hand outstretched and eyes glowing molten yellow to realise it was her doing before he flung up a dome-shaped shield to protect himself from the bombardment.

"Meddlesome girl," he hissed to himself, thrusting his wand into the ground at the edge of the shield. Suddenly a river of molten tar welled up into existence and rushed straight towards Lisanna. She unfurled her wings and took flight just as a massive geyser of the stuff exploded upwards in a fountain seeking to envelop her, but she thrust a hand out and yelled, "Aswipan!"

Instantly the tar was pulsed away from her, splattering over the lawn in massive molten chunks, at which point Lisanna held a fist up before her, locking eyes with the furious Voldemort and uttering:-

"Ætþringan hine lyft!"

There was no visible reaction to the spell until Voldemort suddenly bent over, clutching at his chest. The oxygen was being drained away inside his own shield charm, robbing him of air! He quickly dispelled it and Disapparated away once more, but as he tried to get his breath back…

"KARYUU NO… SAIGA!"

He spun around just in time to see Natsu sweeping in towards towards him and slashing his hand through the air like a mighty claw, blades of fire erupting from his fire to crash straight into him and send him shooting backwards, tumbling through air with a screech of pain. But he didn't get a chance to land. Instead, Mirajane streaked in and landed a terrific punch straight to his jaw, knocking a couple of his teeth right out of his mouth. She rapidly seized his cloak and swung him around in the air, releasing him as she gave him a terrific clout with her tail to send him cannoning down right into the lawn, skidding across it until he finally came to rest right outside the front door of the mansion.

Seething in pain and nursing what he was sure were a couple of broken bones, Voldemort stubbornly pushed himself up into a sitting position, looking up to see the three Fairy Tail mages coming in to land in a row in front of him.

"Looks like he still wants more," Natsu noted, punching his palm in readiness for another round.

"You deserve to be sent to the farthest reaches of hell for what you tried to do to me," Mirajane glowered at him, brandishing her claws warningly. "But if you surrender now…"

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

All three Fairy Tail mages started backwards at the sudden noises bursting into existence a short distance away. Men in bedraggled robes were bursting out of thin air off to their right… along with one woman. The Death Eaters that had escaped from Azkaban had just arrived on the scene.

Voldemort immediately surged to his feet before they could notice he was on the floor and let loose a flurry of green Killing Curses upon his opponents. All three of them shot skyward instantly, avoiding the attacks, but that was the sight to which Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters were greeted.

"MY LORD!" she shrieked in delight, dropping one knee with a deep bow of respect. "I knew you would return to us! I knew it!" Other Death Eaters followed suit but Voldemort rounded on them angrily.

"Don't bow in the middle of a battle, halfwits!" he yelled. "Attack! Attack those…" he stopped suddenly as Lucius Malfoy appeared with one last crack… and with him… a man Voldemort had never seen before.

Bluenote Stinger grunted and pushed himself away from Lucius - the effect of the long-distance Apparition making his stomach churn and still breathing heavily from his battle with Gildarts. He looked up quickly, taking in Voldemort with a glance before a whooshing sound overhead alerted him to the presence of the airborne attackers.

He locked eyes with Natsu the moment Natsu noticed he was there.

"YOU!" they both yelled at the exact same time.

"What's he doing here!?" Happy shouted.

"You know that guy?" Lisanna asked in surprise.

"That guy's a member of Grimoire Heart!" Happy explained. "He had a whole group of us at his mercy until Gildarts came along."

"What? But how can he be in this universe then?

"And why are you so beat up?" Natsu pointed at him accusingly, almost as if the fact he hadn't explained that already was an insult.

"I remember you," Bluenote scowled, pushing himself upright. "You are strong, yet compared to me you are still a mere gnat. And now you return to taunt me like one."

After his confrontation with Gildarts, Bluenote didn't have much magic left in him. But he still had some, which became instantly evident when he said, "Fall!"

"WAAHH!" Natsu, Happy, Lisanna and Mirajane all instantly plummeted downwards, crashing into the ground as if they'd been fired straight down into the ground by rockets. The ground buckled and sank beneath them under the sudden intense gravity pushing down on top of them, pinning them to the grass on their front. Bluenote packed in enough power to keep them from even being able to lift their heads, which meant that either had their faces or their chins pressed tightly to the turf.

"NNNGH.. DAMN YOU!" Natsu growled with a mouthful of dirt, straining himself to get back up.

"Can't… move…" Mira gasped, barely able to breathe, her wings covering her like the world's heaviest blanket.

"I will not give you an opportunity to escape again," Bluenote growled, increasing his power level still further. "I have no need of you to tell me anything this time around."

Voldemort watched in surprise and anger while the three that had been given him so much trouble were rendered helpless instantly. Part of him was immensely satisfied watching them yelling and screaming under the intense pressure, feeling like all their bones were going to snap into a thousand pieces at any second, but part of him was raging. Not only had he, the most powerful sorcerer in the world, been pushed back by three youths but now his followers had returned he was instantly being shown up by this newcomer, whoever he was! The power these offworlders held, it was absolutely ridiculous!

He could only be grateful that the assembled Death Eaters had not witnessed just how much trouble they'd been giving him. Most of them were staring with awe at what Bluenote was doing, except for Lucius who was staring up at the partially destroyed mansion and yelling, "My home! What happened to me home!?"

"If I cannot defeat Gildarts," Bluenote growled, stepping forwards closer to his victims until he was almost standing over them. "Then at the very least I will take away some of those who are precious to him. Farewell, Fairy Tail."

"RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Bluenote barely had time to turn around as something crashed to ground behind him before he was blindsided by a twenty-foot stone pillar crashing into his side. The pillar was held in the grip of a colossal purple-furred horned beast with blazing eyes, tucked under one of its thick arms and swung like a baseball bat slash battering ram. Bluenote was belted around with bone-shattering force and sent thundering backwards into the wall of the mansion, several Death Eaters throwing themselves aside to avoid being struck by him as he passed.

"Elf-niichan!" Lisanna cried as the gravity attack dispelled instantly.

"You're alright!" Mira beamed but Elfman wasn't listening. He had already dropped the pillar that he'd torn from the upper floors of the Malfoy mansion and thundered across the gap with a colossal leap to seize the stunned Bluenote by the leg and heave him up into the air before he could recover, slamming him hard into the ground twice and then swinging around to charge into the ranks of the Death Eaters. They scattered before him but he was still able to send Travers and Mulciber flying with the use of his makeshift club and then bring it crashing down onto Rodolphus' head. Bluenote was then hefted up and released in mid-air before Elfman delivered a punch that could have busted straight through a reinforced steel door straight to his ribs.

After the damage that Bluenote had received from Gildarts, this proved to be too much for him. He crashed backwards and skidded across the lawn, taking Jugson's legs out from underneath him as he passed. Eventually he skidded to a halt, totally unconscious and out of the fight.

"Nobody threatens my family like that," Elfman snarled. "Whether they're my sisters or not!"

"You took your time!" Natsu grinned as he got back to his feet, nursing his ribs slightly. "I was wondering where you'd got to."

"A Man waits for the right time to join a fight," Elfman grinned. "And… I was a bit shocked at what Lisanna was doing so I just watched for a bit," he said, turning to his younger sister. "Where did you get that form?"

"I'll tell you later," Lisanna said. "For now… we're not out of the woods yet."

"KILL THEM!" Voldemort screamed, thus proving her point. "ELIMINATE THEM ALL!"

Everything transformed from there into an instant free-for-all, the ground of the Malfoy Mansion becoming an array of flashing lights zipping all over the place, pelting the lawn and knocking chunks out of the stonework on some occasions. The four Fairy Tail mages instantly split up, sweeping into action at top speed.

Natsu swept between four of the Death Eaters and blasted them sideways with his Fire Dragon's Wing Attack. One of them, Jugson, managed to fire some kind of fiery rope up him, hooking around his ankle and jerking Happy's flight to a halt but Natsu instantly seized the rope in one hand and yanked Jugson into the air, laying him out with a blow to the face with his fist.

Mirajane and Elfman targeted Voldemort himself, charging in for another attack. Elfman threw himself sideways to avoid a Killing Curse and came to a rolling stop by an ornate fountain which he tore out of the ground and lobbed it straight at the Dark Lord. Voldemort summoned a huge pulse of energy from the tip of his wand that blew the fountain away and even managed to lift the enormous Beast off his feet, but Mirajane swept in to grab him by the arm and instantly catch him in an astonishing display of inhuman strength, tossing him high into the air before streaking in towards Voldemort herself.

He instantly unleashed a cloud of poison into the air which Mirajane flew straight into, but in didn't affect her at all and she came inches away from dealing a hammer blow right between his eyes. But when he reappeared after Disapparating a shadow fell across him and he was forced to vanish once again moments before Elfman body-slammed the ground where he'd been.

"YOU WILL NOT BEST ME!" he screeched, ignoring the fact he was panting for breath a little as he reappeared and launched a storm of green lights at them both, forcing Mirajane to dodge and Elfman to rip a section of wall off the Malfoy mansion to use it as a shield.

And Lisanna was circling the battlefield, trying to think of a way to make herself useful. She was still trying to figure out the best uses of her newfound magic. So far she'd just been letting Kilgharrah's instincts drive her forwards, which was all well and good, but she could only use that to respond when someone else attacked her first. She needed to think of a way to get in the first strike.

But as she circled she suddenly noticed something out of the corner of her eye… something glowing yellow through the window of the mansion. She turned around high above the battlefield to look and her eyes widened when she saw it - another Fairy Sphere! That's right, they had been told that Voldemort had two in his possession. Mira and Elfman had come out of one and there was the second, nestled in one of the rooms that was still completely intact within the building.

And there was someone inside with it. Which instantly propelled Lisanna to hurtle forwards and crash straight through the window with a shower of glass. Narcissa Malfoy screeched and fell over backwards - the second time that day she'd had such a reaction to Lisanna's abrupt entrance to her home. She'd been setting up the third of four Portkeys that would be required to transport the Sphere before her interruption and she was promptly seized by the front of her robes.

"You're not taking that anywhere," Lisanna declared, flaring her wings and leaping back through the broken window, taking Narcissa with her kicking and screaming. When the Malfoy matriarch suddenly realised that she was outside several stories up however she gasped and instantly snapped her arms around Lisanna's waist.

"Don't drop me!" she cried hysterically. "Please don't drop me! I have a son! He… he needs me! Please… don't…"

"I'm not going to drop you," Lisanna said - she wouldn't have had the heart to do that to someone who couldn't fight back. Instead she swept down to the ground and tossed Narcissa away from her, sending her rolling into the dirt. The older woman was quick to scramble to her feet and dash off into the middle of the battlefield, waving frantically at her sister Bellatrix even as she belted hex after hex in Natsu's general direction. Lisanna watched her go, then looked up to the window where the Sphere was lying. How on earth was she supposed to transport that back to Grimmauld Place?

But before she could answer that question, another series of cracking noises rent the air not far away. Lisanna spun around, expecting more Death Eaters… but no. Instead, a group of Aurors and Ministry Security Wizards led by Rufus Scrimgeour suddenly charged through a gap in the shattered wall and into the grounds.

And almost instantly they froze, staring in abject shock at the battlefield playing out before them. Most of the Death Eaters hadn't even noticed the new arrivals, so busy were they in trying to blast Natsu and Mirajane out of the sky. But as he Disapparated to avoid a huge chunk of wall that Elfman had just thrown at him, Voldemort did.

He stared right at Scrimgeour, wide-eyed.

And Scrimgeour stared straight back, mouth agape, his arms falling numbly to their sides. "…It… can't be…" he choked, utterly stunned. He had seen Voldemort a couple of times from a distance during his first reign a decade and a half ago… he knew exactly who he was looking at. The other Aurors were similarly shocked - for though many of them had never seen him in person they'd all seen pictures.

It was the Dark Lord. In the flesh!

Three different thoughts flashed through three heads simultaneously.

'Dumbledore and Potter were telling the truth!' Scrimgeour gasped. 'All this time the Ministry's been denying them and they stuck to their story… because its real. He's back! I… I can't believe it! It's… impossible… and yet there he is…'

'Oh my gosh, yes!' Lisanna cheered internally. 'Ministry officials have finally been given proof! Wow, this could be an absolute gamechanger now!'

'NO!' Voldemort snarled. 'I will not allow you to report this back to the Ministry! If I cannot gain the allegiance of Fairy Tail mages I will leave you for dead so it looks like their doing!'

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" he screamed out loud, green light blasting out of his wand and streaking across the lawn right towards Scrimgeour.

Time seemed to slow. The swirling green energy of the spell fired straight and true but Scrimgeour made no attempt to move. He was too shocked, his brain still trying to catch up and process the fact he was looking right at Lord Voldemort in the flesh and therefore numbing his reactions. Most of the other Aurors were similarly frozen, only a few able to call out a warning but not close enough to intervene.

But Lisanna had already leapt into action. She'd seen that Scrimgeour was in a state of shock a fraction of a second before the spell was fired and reacted instinctively, without any forethought whatsoever. She launched herself forwards, wings splayed and streaking in towards Scrimgeour from another angle and racing the Killing Curse towards its destination.

"LISANNA!" Elfman shouted, his voice carrying over the battlefield and grinding it to a halt, Natsu and Mirajane whirling around to notice what was going on just as Lisanna reached Scrimgeour's side.

"LOOK OUT!" Lisanna shouted, seizing the Auror by the arm and shoving him sideways and out of the way a split second before the spell could hit him. But even as he fell through the air Lisanna was now in place where he'd just been… and the Killing Curse struck her right in the middle of her chest.

Screams of horror tore loose from all three of the other Fairy Tail mages and Happy, eyes widening as they watched Lisanna be blown back by the spell, crashing down onto her back with her wings buffeting several other Aurors over as she fell, her eyes screwing tight shut as she hit the ground shoulders first…

But instead of the Killing Curse dispelling the moment it hit her as they usually did, it bounced right off her breastplate, ricocheting and spiralling away like an out-of-control motorcycle. It hit a wall at the same moment Lisanna's shoulders impacted with the ground and fizzled out of existence as the rest of her slumped down upon the grass.

The entire battlefield was stock-still, everyone trying to figure out what had just happened. Natsu, Elfman, Mirajane and Happy all stared with abject dread. None of them had ever seen the Killing Curse implemented before and feared the worst. The rest of the people present on the field were shocked for a different reason. Not only had a Fairy Tail mage just thrown herself in front of a death sentence to protect one of the Ministry but not one of them had ever seen a Killing Curse act like that…

Except for one them. Voldemort had seen something very similar indeed when he'd tried to kill a baby boy fourteen years ago.

But that didn't prevent the shock he felt when Lisanna suddenly sat up, blinking and looking down at herself in utter bewilderment.

"…What… just happened…?" she asked.

"LISANNA!" Four simultaneous screams of relief erupted across the garden as the other four pelted towards her, swooping in around her with Mira and Elfman abandoning their Take-Over forms. Natsu got there first and pulled a stunned Lisanna to her feet before Mira seized her in a tight bearhug, pulling her close as Elfman grabbed both his sisters in such an embrace of relief that he momentarily lifted them both off the ground.

"By the gods, don't do that to me!" Mira cried, barely holding back tears. "For a moment there I thought… I thought…" She petered out but she didn't have to say anything - Lisanna was well aware of what she meant.

"Thank the founder you're okay," Elfman sighed as he put them down, releasing them from his grip. "But Lisanna, what were you thinking?"

"…I wasn't," Lisanna admitted as Mira also let her go. "I saw a life in danger and I just… reacted…"

"I thought you'd died!" Happy wailed, jumping off Natsu's back and flying straight into Lisanna's chest, sobbing in relief as he glomped her as best he could with such short arms. "Don't die, Lisanna! Don't ever die, please! We couldn't stand it if we lost you again. We could barely stand it the first time! Please, please don't leave us behind a second time."

Lisanna smiled and gently cradled the crying Exceed in her arms. "I'm not planning on it I promise you," she whispered.

"But you should be dead," Scrimgeour croaked in disbelief from where he was lying on the floor, his mind reeling at the double whammy of being saved by a member of Fairy Tail and her miraculous survival. "You were hit straight on by the Killing Curse… how could you have possibly survived that. That's only ever happened once before ever."

"I don't know," Lisanna whispered. "I have absolutely no idea."

I do.

Lisanna blinked, the rumbling voice of Igneel suddenly filling her head. Nobody else reacted which meant he was speaking into her mind alone but she ended up turning to look Natsu right in the eye anyway.

How? she asked him.

It's your Dragon Soul. If that curse had hit you in your regular form or in any of your Animal Soul forms it would have killed you instantly. But much like my race of dragons, Kilgharrah's species is extremely resistant to magic and you have taken on that trait in your form. There's almost no offensive magic that can harm him in any way. Because you're in a partial Take-Over form, you don't have the same amount of magical resistance he does. But you have enough to stop that death spell it seems.

…I'm immune to the Killing Curse in this form?

At least to being hit by them one at a time, yes. It's probably why your instinct spurred you to move like that - it knew you could take the hit. But I wouldn't push your luck when facing a storm of them. I imagine if you were hit by three, maybe two, at once the result would be quite different.

Then I have more to thank Kilgharrah for than I originally knew.

She smiled… and at this point she realised she'd been staring Natsu right in the eye for that entire exchange. She blushed slightly and looked away, releasing Happy from her grip. But Natsu suddenly stepped forward and took her by surprise by gripping her shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug of his own. Lisanna stood there limply in his embrace, her eyes wide and her cheeks red, wondering if she should return the hug or not.

"I'd appreciate it if you could leave being reckless to me from now on," Natsu said sombrely over her shoulder. "If you get killed a second time, it will kill all of us too. Don't forget that."

Lisanna stared into space for a few moment, but then her arms found her way around Natsu's waist to return the hug with a light smile. "Just make sure none of you die either," she whispered.

"We won't. We're going to find a way home together. All of us, like we always do."

"…Good."

When the two of them split apart, Voldemort was finally recovering from the shock of seeing his Killing Curse fail to work. He was trembling with rage now, his wand shaking in his hand and his red eyes blazing.

"How dare you," he hissed. "How dare you! I shall erase you all from existence!"

Natsu spun around, his eyes so fierce that Voldemort found himself taking a step backwards. The Dragon Slayer's rage spiked, glaring so hard that the grass around him burnt to ash, literally because his body suddenly burst into flame so intense that everyone around him took several steps backwards from the extreme heat he was letting off, growling at the man who had come close to taking the life of his fellow guild member.

"I've had just about enough of you!" he snarled, the flames rising high all around him and then… something else… flashes of yellow interspersing with the flames, crackling seemingly at random around him but intensifying by the second.

"Lightning…?" Mirajane gasped.

"MODO… RAIENRYUU!"

Natsu bellowed as he awakened something within him and exploded into the Lightning-Flame Dragon Mode, electricity erupting into existence all around him and merging seamlessly with the flames into a full blown whirlwind of power. He burned with such ferocity that Voldemort ended up stumbling away from him even before the Dragon Slayer blasted his way forwards to bring a lightning/fire covered fist sweeping down on top of him.

Even though Voldemort Disapparated before the punch could connect he was not in time to stop a burst of lightning sparking forwards and zapping him so the moment he re-appeared across the lawn he flew backwards with several hundred volts coursing through him while Natsu slammed the ground with such an explosive burst of flame that he blasted a crater into the lawn with a radius that expanded for several metres.

But even as Voldemort struggled to his feet, Natsu hadn't slowed down for a second and channelled his magic into his fist, a blast of fire sending him shooting up and out of the crater feet-first. He flipped over in the air and blasted flame from his feet to take him higher even as he formed crackling balls of electrified conflagration in his hands and hurled them downwards, sending a volley of several dozen shooting towards Voldemort in rapid succession. Voldemort gasped and surged into the air, his cloak billowing like wings as he zig-zagged madly through the veritable meteor shower. But one smashed the ground right beneath him and exploded with searing force, setting his robes on fire and the electricity pulsing him sideways to crash through the front door of the mansion, knocking it straight of its hinges as he ploughed inside. Natsu landed in front of the door and formed another, larger ball of lightning flame between his hands and hurled it through the doorframe after him, disintegrating the wall and the ground all around it and blasting the hallway within to smithereens.

"MY LORD!" Bellatrix screamed.

"MY HOUSE!" Lucius agreed.

The stunned Death Eaters rallied and dashed towards Natsu with wands drawn to aid their Master but something else appeared in front of them. Mirajane's eyes glowed red with rage, back in her Satan Soul form and spinning around to roar,"You will not touch my family again! DARKNESS STREAM!"

Huge black hands erupted from the magic circle formed beneath her claws, sweeping through the air like missiles and slashing straight the ground to clobber the Death Eaters in all directions. A couple Disapparated, including Bellatrix, but the moment they reappeared there was a claw sweeping towards them again. Bellatrix was seized in one and tossed through the air before she could so much as scream, ploughing Rabastan and Mulciber into the dirt. Then Mirajane was amongst them herself, sweeping through the group like a horde of demons rather than just one. She delivered a mighty blow with her tail to Rodolphus' stomach, slammed her armoured fist into Gibbon's chest and seized Rookwood by the top of his head to hurl him into a wall all in the space of two seconds!

"What's with these people!?" Narcissa screamed, trying to run over to Lucius' side only for Mirajane to appear right next to them both with a spinning sweep kick that sending them both flying backwards to skid across the turf. Mirajane looked up with a snarl, but she saw more Death Eaters now streaming into the place - the ones that had been holding Elfman captive which had now finally recovered and hurried back to join the fight. But she was undeterred by the increased number and blasted forwards to slam her forehead straight into an unfortunate Thorfinn Rowle's own forehead, then grab him by the ankle and heave him into the air to pitch him straight towards Dolohov.

Meanwhile, Voldemort had managed to escape the blast in the hallway by the tiniest of fractions by the tiniest of margins and had appeared on the roof on the mansion, heaving for breath but still not ready to lay down his wand. He ran to the edge of the roof, glaring down at the sparking, blazing Natsu down below.

"That's it!" he bellowed, raising his wand high above his head. "I will not allow you to overturn my plans for the conquest of this world! We will suppress the Muggles and eliminate their Mudblood descendants who pretend to be true wizards and witches! And nobody will stop us! Not Dumbledore! Not Harry Potter! AND NOT FAIRY TAIL!"

"YOU CARE SO MUCH ABOUT POWER AND BLOODLINES!?" Natsu roared back up at him, the fire and lightning sweeping out all around him in a towering inferno. "WELL I DON'T GIVE A JACK ABOUT ANY OF THAT! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOUR PARENTS ARE OR HOW STRONG YOU ARE, ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE! BUT MY FATHER IS A DRAGON! AND I CHOOSE TO USE THE POWER HE TAUGHT ME TO STOP YOU!"

"JUST SHUT UP AND DIE!" Voldemort, lashing his wand down and conjuring up to forty huge boulders in mid-air which he sent plummeting down towards the grounds below. It was a massive barrage and if they landed they would not only bury Natsu but they would also bury any of the Ministry wizards who didn't get out of the way in time.

But Natsu vaulted backwards away from the manor with a burst of fire from his feet, landing right in the centre of where the boulders would land and sucking in a deep lungful of air, the fire and lightning around him rushing to the four and seeming to congregate around his mouth.

Nearby, Mirajane had pushed the Death Eaters back, her terrifyingly swift assault herding them away from the mansion. Now they were counter-attacking and throwing any jinx they could think of at her but she twisted and swept through them all until she was high above the group. She brought her scaly hands close together as what looked like a swirling vortex of dark energy appeared between her palms, a large magic circle flashing into existence before her before it was sucked straight into the dark orb as well.

"You people have done enough damage here today!" she growled.

Natsu and Mirajane let fly with their attacks at the exact same time.

"RAIENRYUU NO… HOUKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"SOUL EXTINCTION!"

KAAABLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

The raging torrent of fire and lightning that detonated out of Natsu's mouth was so immense that it could be seen for miles, raging upwards through the sky and growing in width by the millisecond. All the Ministry wizards and Happy were blown off their feet by the shockwave it made, leaving only Elfman and Lisanna standing and even them only just. The attack burst through the oncoming rockslide, lightning streaking outwards in all directions to blast the rocks into pebble-sized chunks, tearing the boulders to pieces in practically the same instant. It was not as strong as the blast he had used against Master Hades back on Tenroujima… but it was still incredibly powerful.

Voldemort screamed and Disapparated a mere femtosecond before the blast engulfed practically the entire Malfoy Manor and immediately ripped it to shreds, fire and lightning blazing through the structure of the upper floors and streaming down to obliterate the lower floors too, fracturing the entire thing - the walls, the floors, the furniture, the antiques, everything - and blasting the pieces up into the sky in a great plume of splinters that were rapidly consumed by the fire and turned to ash. The attack streaked out into the over the roofs of the other nearby houses in a great, horizontal surge and when it finally petered out and dissipated there was nothing left of the once stately manor but the rubble of the ground floor and a single Fairy Sphere which dropped a couple of stories to land amongst the wreckage.

At the same time, a titanic blast of dark energy erupted out of Mirajane's hands and ruptured downwards towards the Death Eaters in a way that seemed to tear the air around it apart as it passed. The Death Eaters that would have been struck by the attack quickly Disapparated out of the way but the moment the attack it that ground it detonated in a rush of dark energy that flew in all directions, shredding across the lawn and tearing it to bits. All the Death Eaters were caught up in the rush and bombarded with dark energy, shredding their robes and not one of them escaping without at least one broken bone.

Mirajane swept the attack through their midst, arcing the blast through one long curve that left destruction in its wake, the cloud of dark power filling the air like the smoke of a nuclear blast. And when the demon relented, dropping to the ground on the edge of the blast zone she'd just created the ground was littered with the bodies of the Death Eaters. A wide number of them were totally unconscious and those that those that were still lucid were struggling to stand, all of them cradling some part of their body that was now hurting like hell.

"Why you…" Bellatrix coughed from where she was leaning against a stack of ground-up bricks.

A few moments later, Voldemort re-appeared on the other side of Mira's blast zone, his robes tattered and his skin quite clearly burnt and charred in a couple of places. He took in the veritable carnage the two Fairy Tail mages had just unleashed on house and human alike at a glance, and he had to agree with Bellatrix's sentiment.

His top lieutenants that he'd just had rescued from Azkaban had been defeated before he could even speak to them properly. The power these Fairy Tail mages wielded… it was just ridiculous! There was no other way of putting it.

The Ministry wizards were similarly blown away, gaping in utter disbelief at the remains of the Malfoy Manor. Many of them had seen Natsu holding back an avalanche on a mountainside before but in their minds he had just topped that right then and there. And they also realised that if the other Fairy Tail mages were close to being as strong as these two, they had been holding back during the battles they'd had with the Ministry every single time. If they'd wanted to, they could have unleashed so much more hell upon them.

"…Incredible…" Scrimgeour whispered, echoing the thoughts of the rest of his squadron. "Just… incredible…"

Lisanna and Elfman grinned at each other but gasped as Natsu suddenly keeled over, crashing onto his front. "Natsu!" Happy shouted and rushed over to his best friends side, the two younger Strauss siblings right behind him.

"Are you okay?" Elfman asked.

"Fine…" Natsu grunted. "Just… really tired all of a sudden."

"That attack must have taken a lot of you," Lisanna observed. "And when exactly did you get lightning powers?"

Natsu grinned. "Little gift from Laxus during our battle with Master Hades. Couldn't have beaten him without it."

Mirajane was still glowering across the battlefield at Voldemort. "So…" she said, flexing her claws. "Are you going to surrender this time?"

Her words sparked a reaction from Scrimgeour, who gasped and remembered himself. "Aurors!" he barked. "Move in! We're placing those Death Eaters under arrest!"

But just as the Ministry wizards followed his commands and hurried forwards, just as Voldemort was considering abandoning his followers and getting out of there, a shadow fell across Mirajane. She looked up and yelled, jumping backwards just in time to avoid the colossal fist that crashed into the ground where she'd been standing. The fist pulled out of the ground instantly and took a swipe at her, forcing Mira to cross her arms in front of her and block the blow, but it was still strong enough to send her spiralling backwards until she recovered her trajectory.

"What the…" she gasped, staring at the beast which had seemingly sprung up out of nowhere to attack her. Humanoid in shape but ten times the size of a human, with skin so dark red that it was almost purple and armoured metal bands around its biceps and wrists. It's legs appeared to be entirely made of metal with huge spikes jutting out of its knees and its face was also metallic, with two devil-like horns jutting out of its forehead.

"Where did that come from?" Lisanna cried.

"Wait! I know that thing!" Elfman pointed at it, wide-eyed. "That's… Belcusas the Thunderclap! Which means…"

"Indeed," said a voice from across the battlefield, and everyone's gaze instantly swung towards it, fixing on a tall man with long silver hair that jutted up above his head in a pompadour style, wearing a dark purple jacket with high fur-lined collar which his hands were currently stuffed in the pockets of and a pair of expensive looking silver designer glasses upon his face. "I am glad to see you haven't forgotten me, Elfman."

"Rustyrose!" Elfman glared at him.

"Another member of Grimoire Heart!" Lisanna cried. "Where did he come from?"

"Search me," Rustyrose shrugged. "I woke up about half an hour ago to find myself in the middle of a street in this strange city. But I saw the lights of the battle and decided to come and see what was happening. And lo and behold, some Fairy Tail wizards for me to pulverise. Belcusas… have some fun!"

"RAAAAWWWWWR!" the semi-metallic beast bellowed and took another swing at Mirajane only for her to grab its fingers and heave it up over her head and fling it towards the ground. But Belcusas twisted about to land on its feet and shoot up again instantly, slamming Mirajane in the stomach with a full uppercut!

"NEE-CHAN!" Elfman bellowed and thundered forwards, transforming back into the Beast and hurling himself bodily at the Belcusas as it descended, crashing into its stomach and knocking it skidding across the floor, raining punches on it as he did.

Voldemort immediately took advantage of the commotion and yelled to his Death Eaters. "We're evacuating! Now! Anyone who can still Apparate grab someone else and get out of here! I'll send you a signal through the Dark Marks on where we'll meet again!"

The Death Eaters responded instantly, crawling or Apparating over to their unconscious brethren before vanishing into thin air. Scrimgeour yelled and the Aurors surged forward to try and intercept but they were too late. The Death Eaters were gone before they could get close.

But one Death Eater in particular hurried out from where he had been hiding behind a wall and had therefore escaped uninjured during the battle to grab the arm of Antonin Dolohov. And though Scrimgeour only got a brief look at his face he gasped, recognising it instantly. He'd looked at Sirius Black's convict files enough times to pick out that face on sight.

"Peter Pettigrew…" he breathed, just as the man in question vanished. His mind flashed back to the conversation he'd had with Sirius in the Ministry cells that morning. Sirius had told him that Pettigrew was alive and that he was the one who'd committed the crime he'd been convicted for all those years ago. That he was innocent. Scrimgeour hadn't believed him at all but that had definitely been Pettigrew right there.

Was it true? Was Sirius Black really an innocent man after all?

How many things had the Ministry been wrong about!?

Just as Belcusas heaved himself upwards to knock Elfman away and turn around to block a punch from Mirajane with its hand, Voldemort transported himself over to the prone body of Bluenote. He quickly levitated him into the air, then whipped around and yelled, "You! Rustyrose!"

"What do you want?" Rustyrose turned to glower at him.

"You are a comrade of this man are you not?" Voldemort asked. "Come with me! I will take you both away from here to a place we can regroup!"

"Regroup? I have no need to regroup! I'll grind these Fairies into PWWARRGHH!"

Lisanna had just shot over towards him while he was distracted and kicked him in the chest, knocking him backwards. Rustyrose rolled away, but managed to kick himself back upright and skid to a halt on his feet, cupping his cheek and glaring.

"…You appear to have had an upgrade since I last saw you, girl," he said, wincing with pain.

"You won't find me so powerless against you this time," Lisanna declared.

"Perhaps not, but I shall still win," Rustyrose straightened up but he gasped and grabbed at his chest, one leg buckling beneath him as he fell to one knee. Lisanna blinked - she hadn't kicked him that hard so why was he…?

Then she noticed for the first time how battered he looked, his face covered in scuffs and bruises and his clothes equally frayed, and she realised the truth. "You still haven't fully recovered from our previous battle," she said, realising the spot on his chest he was nursing was the exact place where Freed had hit him with attack that finally defeated him before. He looked like it hadn't been a day for him since that battle had taken place.

"…You little…" Rustyrose growled but he got no further before Voldemort appeared behind him and gripped his shoulder, warping both him and Bluenote away with a loud crack that left the battlefield totally clear of Dark Wizards or Mages. The Belcusas instantly vanished in a flash of purple light when its master disappeared.

"Damn it!" Scrimgeour growled, hurrying over close to Lisanna's side. "They escaped! That man… who was he?"

"He was from a Dark Guild from our world known as Grimoire Heart," Lisanna told him. "Fairy Tail was involved in a war with them shortly before the disaster that led to us all being shut away inside the Fairy Spheres. We came out victorious but we had several close shaves. They are definitely enemies of your Ministry, no doubt about that."

"Dark Guild…?" Scrimgeour muttered, thinking back to the destruction he'd seen in Chagford. "Then… could they…?"

"Guys!" Happy said as he carried Natsu over to the others. "We should get out of here. There's people coming from all directions. The non-magic police and stuff."

"Well, can't we just explain it to them?" Mirajane asked.

"Not really. It doesn't work like that in this world," Happy replied.

"We'll explain on the way," Natsu said. "Let's get back to the others."

"But we can't leave that Fairy Sphere here," Lisanna pointed out. "One of our comrades could be in there."

"On it!" Elfman said, barrelling through the wreckage and wrapping his Beast arms around the sphere, hefting it upwards and off the ground. "Let's get out of here then!"

Mira swept over towards and Lisanna made to follow, but Scrimgeour interrupted her. "Wait!" he said. "You… saved my life. And I didn't say it before but… thank you."

"You're welcome," Lisanna smiled. "Do you still believe that Fairy Tail are bad people?"

Scrimgeour opened his mouth and left it open for several moments, weighing up all the evidence that had just been collected in his mind over the last day before finally saying, "…No."

"Good," Lisanna smiled. "But we're still wanted by your Ministry and we will not go anywhere where we'll be put under the watch of those Dementor-things. If you really want to thank me, do what you can to clear our names, okay?"

She didn't give Scrimgeour a chance to answer before she spread her wings and flew over to Elfman, gripping one of his arms in her own while Mira gripped the other, the two sisters working together to lift their much larger brother and the Fairy Sphere he was carrying into the air. Scrimgeour watched as Natsu and Happy led the way skyward, the Strauss family following close behind at high speed, and in less than half a minute they were completely lost to sight.

Then he gasped and turned around. "Savage," he called. "Start laying down the groundwork for covering this up and obliterating anyone who saw what happened here. The rest of you help him. Proudfoot, you come with me. I saw many Death Eaters here today that are supposed to be in Azkaban right now. Let's go and check in with the guards."

Proudfoot nodded and the two Aurors Disapparated…

---

…And reappeared in thin air. Both of them screamed as they dropped straight down to plunge into the ocean. They quickly kicked their way up to the surface, coughing and spluttering and wiping water from their eyes.

"What the…?" Scrimgeour spat out a little sea water and looked around. His jaw dropped. Azkaban was absolutely nowhere to be seen - the entire island had gone. And in its place… was a floating iceberg that was dotted with dozens and dozens of cages, mostly with bars made out of ice but some made out of iron, and each cage contained at least one person who had previously been locked in an Azkaban cell.

Standing on the edge of the iceberg though was another Auror, Gawain Robards, who waved them over. As soon as he got over his shock, Scrimgeour struck out for the flat-topped iceberg, Gawain helping him out of the sea and the two of them helping Proudfoot out together.

"Robards," Scrimgeour coughed. "What are you doing here? And… what happened here?"

"That… is a pretty long story, sir," Gawain grimaced. "But… maybe that will go some way towards explaining it." He pointed down towards the ice and Scrimgeour noticed a message had been carved into the surface of the icy platform they were standing on.

A message which read:-

'Sorry for the mess and that we failed to stop the Death Eaters escaping. But you should know by now that we'll always rescue our own. Fairy Tail.'

---

Just thought I'd add a footnote here.

So… yep. The Fairies are almost all reunited and Voldemort is most definitely on the run from them now. But if you think that means that means that he's out for the count you are sorely mistaken. Trust me, this story is far, far from over. And I just want to remind everyone that though Fairy Tail are radically stronger than the Potterverse characters are, as this chapter very much highlighted, this story will not always involve the Fairy Tail characters outshining them like this. There are big things ahead for the Potterverse lot. The introductory phase of this crossover is almost over and when it is, things are going to even out a lot more, believe me.