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

40. Time and Space

An anonymous reviewer asked me why Igneel didn't explain to Lisanna about Zeref and how he knows Natsu. There are two reasons for that - firstly I didn't know the whole truth myself when I wrote that chapter because I wrote it before all the details were revealed. And secondly because Lisanna can't do anything about that and Igneel feels that Natsu should be the first to know about it.

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Dance of the Fairies, Flight of the Phoenix

Chapter 40:- Time and Space

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"You sure you've got a good grip on that, Elfman?" Mira asked as they swept above the clouds, gripping onto her bestial brother's arm tightly while Lisanna held onto the other. The Satan Soul form that Mira was using was strong enough to carry Elfman on his own, but whatever was inside that golden orb Elfman was carrying was pretty heavy so she was grateful to have her sister's assistance in carrying them both.

"Yeah, I've got it. This Sphere won't be escaping from this Man's hold, I can tell you that," came the reply. "Though I am beginning to think I should find a Beast Soul with wings. Flying under my own power would certainly make me feel like one hell of a Man indeed."

"Sometimes I think that too," Natsu commented, a wide grin on his face even through his obvious tiredness. He ignored Happy's protest as he glanced back across at Lisanna. "But do you realise what we just did back there?"

"I think I have an educated guess as to what lines you're thinking along, yes."

"Aye! That was Lord Voldemort we were fighting, who's supposed to be the most powerful Dark Wizard in this entire world, and possibly the most powerful of any wizard!" Happy chimed in. "And we totally kicked his butt!"

"Oh yeah!" Natsu punched the air. "Now all I've got to do is figure out a way to beat Erza, Laxus and Gildarts and I'll be the best in no time!"

"Don't forget the Nee-chan and the Master!" Elfman grinned savagely. "They're real Men indeed. And of course you'll have to get past me! Is the S-Class exam still going?"

"Yes, I'd rather like to know what's been happening as well," Mira said, ignoring the fact her brother had just called her a Man… again. "Everything's been such a whirl of confusion since you arrived, Lisanna - I just went along with it. But I have to thank you again for rescuing me. And then I'll have to demand an explanation."

"Yeah… you've been saying we're in a different universe all along," Elfman frowned. "How the heck did that happen?"

"Ah well…" Lisanna shrugged. "I'm still not entirely sure what happened exactly either - the only person who saw the full account was First Master Mavis and she said…"

"Wait… what?" Mira and Elfman both said at the same time. "First Master Mavis?"

"Best if we explain everything properly I think," Happy noted.

"Good idea," Lisanna agreed, and began. As soon as she'd finished, both of her siblings looked rather nonplussed. The concept of another universe was of course, not foreign to them. They'd taken a while to get their heads around the fact Lisanna had been stranded in one when they'd been reunited, but because of that they were a little better prepared this time.

But of course, Mirajane asked the question that everyone else had asked almost immediately:- "So, how do we get back?"

"We have… no idea," Lisanna replied. "I think we're all working under the assumption that we'll figure that out once everyone's emerged from their respective Fairy Spheres and we're all reunited. As far as I know the only ones left are the Master himself, Erza, Laxus, Freed, Bickslow and Cana. And some of them may be in the one you're holding, Elf-niichan."

"…Then I very much hope we put it down before it dissipates. It would be very unmanly of me to drop some of my comrades several thousand feet."

The other's all laughed, but Lisanna was quick to sober up. "I am… so relieved you two are safe. When I learned that Voldemort had two Fairy Spheres with him, I was absolutely terrified that you two might be in one of them… and you were. If we hadn't found you when we did…"

"But you did," Mira cut her off before she could start getting too morbid. "It wouldn't be wise to dwell on might-have-beens. We may have ended up being forced to serve Voldemort, yes. But we haven't been because you got there to save us."

"And I kept my promise, didn't I?" Natsu grinned. "I told you I'd do everything I could to bring your family back together again and I did."

"You did," Lisanna agreed, smiling lightly. "You always do, Natsu."

"Although it was really lucky that we happened to be flying over when we were," Happy said. "What an amazing coincidence that was, right?"

"It was no coincidence at all, blue cat!"

The loud voice coming from directly above them startled the entire group. Elfman yelled, digging his claws into the Sphere as best he could to keep it in his grip and Happy really did drop Natsu and had to quickly dive down and grab him before he could disappear into the clouds. But they all looked around at the same time to see the same thing - a humongous bronze dragon swooping through the sky several hundred metres above them.

"Kilgharrah!?" Lisanna gaped.

"How did you…!?" Natsu yelled accusingly. "I didn't smell you at all!"

"Who is…?" Mira started but then stopped, realising the similarities between that dragon and Lisanna's brand new Take Over form.

Kilgharrah chuckled and replied to Natsu. "I have ways of keeping myself concealed. I've needed to in order to continue traversing this world with its alarmingly expanding human population without being noticed. I just thought I would come by to see if the rescue mission I sent you on was a success."

"Rescue mission?" Natsu frowned. "You didn't send us on a rescue mission?"

"Didn't I?" Kilgharrah's golden eyes sparkled. "You may recall, young Dragon Slayer, that I pointed you very carefully which direction to go in and told you to make sure you flew in a straight line. I may have said that it would take you back to London but that wasn't strictly true. In fact you've already flown past London and missed it by about seventy-five kilometres."

"Then… you pointed us in the direction you needed to go to save Mira-nee and Elf-niichan?" Lisanna gasped.

"Correct."

"…Thank you, Kilgharrah! Thank you so much!" Lisanna beamed. "I owe you another debt of gratitude all over again! But why didn't you say so? Why didn't you just tell us that's where you were sending us or exactly where it was we needed to go? And why didn't you help us?"

"I am a creature of the Old Religion, Lisanna," Kilgharrah said cryptically. "It is not yet my time to intervene so directly in the affairs of the world. All I can do is give it little nudges in the right direction. Whether or not you found your family, whether or not you would succeed, that is not yet something I can directly control. But clearly it was part of your brother and sister's destinies to be rescued from Voldemort by you. Whether today or in several year's time, it would have happened eventually so why not steer things in a manner that allows it to potentially happen sooner rather than later?"

"…I don't really get that…" Natsu blinked.

"Me neither," Happy agreed.

"This sounds like a logic puzzle not meant for a Man's mind," Elfman frowned.

"Well… thank you anyway," Lisanna said. "Does this mean you know where our other friends are too?"

"Things will unfold they way they are meant to, for good or for ill," Kilgharrah replied, which was not really an answer at all. "You will find your comrades in time, but I cannot help you do so. What I can do is give you a new direction to head in which this time will take you back to London. Turn and head that way," he pointed one massive claw in a more north-easterly direction than their current heading. "And flying at your current speed you should be upon it within an hour. Farewell, Fairy Tail mages. I know that we will meet again."

And with a burst of his wings he rocketed into the sky, arcing away at speed that his great bulk didn't look as though it should be capable of producing and he was lost to sight within what felt like moments.

"This London place is where the rest of our friends who've emerged from the Spheres are, right?" Mira asked.

"Yeah. It's the capital city of this country, like Crocus is for ours," Lisanna agreed.

"Well, I for one would like a few more explanations," Elfman said. "Like who that dragon was and how you managed to pull off a Take-Over on something like that, Lisanna!"

"I'll tell you that one later," Lisanna smiled widely. "The others don't know about this new form yet either so it'll be better to explain it all in one go if I can."

---

And she was right.

Once they were over London it was quite easy for them to find their way back to Grimmauld Place - Natsu's nose remembering the scent of the general area and guiding them in towards it. But of course Elfman and Mirajane couldn't get in without being given the location directly from the Secret Keeper and even if they could, there was no way they'd be able to fit the Fairy Sphere through the front door.

So while Natsu went inside to try and get hold of a way to let the others in, the Strauss siblings took the Fairy Sphere a short distance away to try and find a place to hide it. They discovered a small inner-city nature reserve not too far from Grimmauld Place which was ideal because it had a large lake with a few extremely small islands poking up out the water. They laid the Fairy Sphere down in the middle of one of those islands where nobody was likely to stumble across it and covered it up with foliage and mud to make it look like a bush.

"You think it'll be alright to leave it here?" Mira asked.

"We should probably keep an eye on it," Lisanna said. "I don't know what's in there but its just as likely to be one of Tenroujima's wild animals as it is to be one of our friends. Last thing we need would be a rampage through the capital city because we weren't paying attention. But I think it'll be good for this evening at least."

Fortunately Dumbledore was already at Grimmauld Place when Natsu went in. And that was not only because he'd wanted to personally hear how the two rescue missions he'd been aware of had played out but also because Mira and Elfman were not the only new people he'd needed to allow into the building.

"Erza! Cana!" he beamed in delight when he saw them seated at the dining room table. "Where did you two come from?"

"It's good to see you, Natsu," Erza smiled as she got to her feet, seizing Natsu in her arms and pulling him into such a fierce bear hug that everyone in the room could swear that they could hear Natsu's spine creaking with the strain, even over Natsu's yell of, "BUUHHEEII!" as he struggled to breathe. "We missed you at the battle over that prison."

"Never mind that now," Lucy said from where she'd been sitting next to Erza. "Where's Lisanna? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Happy said as he landed on the table in the middle of the now extremely crowded dining room which was packed to bursting with Order and guild members. "Speaking of which, Professor, do you think you could go and grant her brother and sister entry to the base?"

"What!?" multiple voices chorused at the same time.

As soon as the Strauss siblings crossed the threshold, all of them having returned to their normal forms, there was a clamour as everyone tried to express their relief that they'd been found at the same time with much hugging from the girls (particularly Lucy who glomped Mira) and fist-bumping from the guys (though Gajeel ended up punching Elfman in the face and almost started another brawl). There were also a great many introductions as the four newly rescued offworlders were introduced to over a score of new people all at the same time, including Mavis - though thankfully Natsu and Lisanna's account of her blunted the shock Mira and Elfman had of actually meeting her.

When Lisanna realised that Sirius was sitting there with a wide grin on his face she jumped forward to hug him, an action which took him quite by surprise but which he certainly didn't object to. It wasn't the first hug he'd received that day when someone had learned that he'd been rescued safely. Tonks hadn't let him go for two whole minutes and then she'd proceeded to hit him over the head and yell at him for another three.

Stories were told one by one, everyone giving their account not just of the events of the day, but everything that they'd done since arriving in this universe for the benefit of those who had just arrived.

"Hey Erza," Evergreen threw the redhead a cocky smirk. "What would you say if I told you I really am a Fairy Queen now? The Titania's just a nickname for you but I? I've become a true leader of Fairy folk."

"Is that so?" Erza said back, looking only mildly surprised. "Well then congratulations are in order, Ever. But I hope you realise that still doesn't mean I'm going to be bowing before you any time soon."

"We shall see. We shall see." Ever chuckled, twirling her hair before abruptly her eyes locked with Elfman across the room. The two of them paused, staring at each other, before Evergreen slowly pushed her way through the crowd towards him… and kicked him in the shin.

"OW!" Elfman cried, almost flattening Dedalus Diggle as he stumbled backwards. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, EVER!?"

"That was for getting me all worried, you great lump!" Ever shouted back at him.

"I didn't ask you to worry about me! A Man can worry about himself!" Elfman glowered, before his face softened a little and he said, "But you know, I'm glad that you're safe."

"Yes, I'm rather glad I'm safe too," Evergreen said, the faintest hint of redness appearing in her cheeks. "Which is more than I can safely say for the rest of my team."

"We'll find them," Elfman laid a large but gentle hand on her shoulder. Wherever they may be, we'll find them. As a Man, I promise you we'll never stop looking until we do!"

Evergreen really blushed this time, a warm feeling appearing in her chest at Elfman's comforting words… but she quickly tried to cover it up. "Man! Man! Man! I can't believe I actually missed that tripe!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY WHEN SOMEONE'S TRYING TO BE NICE!?"

"Well, I can't even get into another universe and escape from it, can I!?"

"And we totally beat the snot out of all those goblin things," Gajeel crowed. "And we probably ruined half of their precious bank. I still don't get the point of those damn things… leaving your money where anyone could destroy it… we're not so stupid in our world are we?"

"You do realise that we actually do have places similar to that, right?" Cana snickered, already holding half an empty bottle of wine in her hand. "They're called merchant guilds. Mages don't usually end up using them but most regular people do."

"…Oh…" Gajeel deflated slightly. "Well… it's still say it's stupid."

"So tell me, what defines a Beast exactly?" Remus was now asking a slightly fuming Elfman. "I was always a little nonplussed about that - your sister uses Animal Soul and you use Beast Soul, but aren't all Beasts technically animals?"

"Nah, there's a difference and quite a Manly one I'd say!" Elfman pounded his chest. "Animal Soul only lets you use your power on creatures that are totally animal. Beast Soul can be used on animals but its more effective on creatures which are classified as monsters, including ones much more like a Man in their physical features or their intelligence."

"Ah, I see. So you could potentially use it on, say, a centaur?"

"…Well yeah probably. But that would look really weird," Elfman rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully. "Although, it could also look like a MAN!"

"So do you have demons in this world?" Mirajane asked Mrs. Weasley, who was re-applying a bandage to Mad-Eye Moody's leg.

"Technically yes we do but… not the satanic kind that I've heard you can become," Molly replied. "Most of our demons are a lot more animalistic than that, things like Grindylows, Kappas and Kelpies."

"There are myths and legends about the more satanic kind of demon," Mr. Weasley chipped in. "Creatures from the underworld and all that kind of thing. But nobody really believes anything like that exists anymore. There have been no confirmed reports of anything like that ever in recorded history."

"That's almost a pity," Mira smiled. "It might have been nice to acquire a new form or two while I was here."

And all throughout the amicable chatting, Harry Potter sat at the edge of the table and watched silently - having refused to go back to Hogwarts straight away. Unlike most of the Order, he had barely interacted with anyone from Fairy Tail before today, with the exceptions of the Exceed. A large part of him was still coming to terms with the fact that these were all apparently people from an entirely separate universe but apart from the fact some of them had rather odd hair colours you really wouldn't know it to look at them.

But for the first time in a long time, ever since he had really entered the Wizarding Word, he was sitting in a room full of magical people he barely knew and he was not the centre of attention. It was one of the most refreshing feelings he'd ever had, which was why he was not attempting to draw any attention to himself.

Still, one thought did keep swirling around in his mind. What did the presence of these offworlders mean for the future?

Eventually though the individual conversations transformed into room-wide ones recounting the events of that particular day and all the separate rescue missions that had taken place.

"Nice, Lucy!" Natsu thumped the Celestial Spirit Mage in the back hard enough to almost knock her face first into a bowl of soup after she'd recounted how she and the Spirits had caused enough chaos for Sirius to slip out unnoticed. "Sounds like you absolutely trashed the place in true Fairy Tail style."

"I'm not planning on making a habit of it you know," Lucy looked up at him but she was unable to keep the grin off her face. "I'd rather not get into trouble all the time like the rest of you do."

"Nah, it'll happen," Natsu shook his head. "It's infectious. You'll be blowing buildings everywhere before too long."

"And we're certain nobody expected Potter of having a role in Sirius' escape?" McGonagall pressed.

"As far as anyone knows I got Harry out of there immediately before they locked the place down," Mr. Weasley nodded. "And they think he's staying at my house for the day to recover from the trauma of what happened."

"They what?" Harry asked sharply, a little anger flaring up within him once again. "Trauma? They think I'd be traumatised by that?"

"Emotional trauma at the fact that the man who they believe to be behind the deaths of your parents escaped justice," Mr. Weasley clarified. "If that really had been the case it probably would have left you very upset and angry would it not?"

Harry bit his tongue and put aside his protests. He may not want to be seen as some kind of hero but he didn't want to be viewed as an emotional wreck either. Still, he grudgingly admitted that it was a good excuse for why he wasn't back at Hogwarts yet.

The destruction of Azkaban and the escape of the Death Eaters was the next topic of conversation, one which drew some particularly grave expressions from many of the Order.

"Despite the heroic efforts of all involved to save the prisoners, so much so that no lives were lost as the prison went down," Dumbledore said. "The fact the Dementors have defected is a pretty large blow to our side."

"Not to mention we now have nowhere to put any of the Dark Lord's followers that we do catch," McGonagall agreed.

"There must be somewhere else that can be used as a prison besides Azkaban," said Bill. "That iceberg you put them all in won't last forever."

"There are other places that would serve as alternatives, but Azkaban was definitely the best choice," Mad-Eye grunted.

"Bollocks to that," Cana snorted, quaffing another gulp of wine. "I'd say the world's better off without a hellhole like that, with or without those… disgusting things guarding the place."

"You have no idea how much I agree with you there," Sirius growled. "I wish I could have seen the place sink."

"And I wish we could have taken Sturgis with us when we left," Hestia grumbled. Indeed, poor Sturgis Podmore had been one of the men they'd had to leave behind in an ice cage. All the Order members had wanted to liberate him but considering the breakout of Death Eaters they didn't want anyone to think Sturgis might be involved with them and thereby extension themselves in case anybody discovered about the Order. That was why Kingsley had also carefully modified the memories of the Auror, Gawain Robards, so that he would forget about the presence of the Order members but would remember everything else that had gone down perfectly.

"I can't believe you pulled off a Fairy Glitter, Cana," Natsu exulted. "That's so awesome!"

Cana laughed. "It certainly felt pretty badass." She held up her arm and the Fairy Glitter tattoo appeared before everyone's eyes - Cana had figured out how to make it fade in and out at will. "And I can definitely keep it permanently this time?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't make a habit out of using it if I were you," Mavis warned. "The Three Great Fairy Spells can have some… nasty side-effects if they're used too often. Each one of them should only be used as an absolute last resort."

"Got it," Cana nodded. "In that case I'm going to search out a way to use my magic to its full potential. If my current Card Magic isn't doing it for me I'll find something that can."

"Well whatever it is I hope it'll be effective in putting down those Death Eaters that escaped," Tonks muttered. "And that other guy who tore the whole place down… where do you think they are now?"

"We don't know that, but we think we know where they went when they left the prison," Happy raised a paw. "They went to where we were."

"What?" Gildarts sat up sharply. "You saw Bluenote?"

"Yeah, and we totally kicked his ass!" Natsu grinned.

"Actually it was just Elfman that did that, Natsu," Happy chipped in helpfully, which caused Natsu to deflate a little.

"Though from the sound of it I wouldn't have liked to face him at full strength," Elfman muttered. "A Man knows when he's outgunned."

"Perhaps you guys should start at the beginning," Charlie Weasley said, locking his gaze upon Lisanna. The youngest Strauss sibling got the distinct impression he'd been waiting quite impatiently for a while to start talking about this, because he very quickly said, "What happened after you merged with that Horntail at Gringott's? Where did you go?"

"Well… I don't know whether you're going to believe me or not, Charlie."

"After all the stuff I've seen you guys do I really don't think there's much more about you all that will surprise me."

"Ah but this isn't about us… this is about something from your world."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I met a talking dragon."

"…"

Charlie's face was totally blank. As were the faces of all the other Order members in the room, with one exception - Dumbledore. He looked mildly surprise but he gave Lisanna a calculated stare, and the young Take-Over Mage got the distinct impression he was analysing her, as if to rationally figure out whether she was telling the truth from her body language or something.

"…What?" Charlie eventually croaked, voicing the very same question in everyone else's heads. Lisanna noticed that Gajeel and Wendy were also paying close attention, although Gajeel was trying to feign indifference.

"You remember how you told me about the dragons from myths, which lived alongside dragonlords in ancient times and could speak as easily as any human? Well… I met one. And he taught me how to do this."

The moment she transformed back into her new form, her wings spreading wide to either side of her and her scales shining faintly in the light, a clamour erupted from around the room. Not just from the Order members but from the other Fairy Tail members too. Lisanna had to admit - the looks on everyone's faces were pretty priceless. Especially the other two Dragon Slayers. Gajeel immediately lost his indifference and his jaw dropped, a fork he'd been chewing on clattering to the floor and Wendy scooting forwards to examine her wings with wide eyes and shooting off a bazillion questions at once. And she wasn't the only one doing so. The entire room was trying to get in their own questions right up until Dumbledore raised his wand and pointed it at his throat.

"EVERYONE!" he yelled, his voice magnifying over the din and hushing everyone instantly, several of them clapping their hands over their ears. The Headmaster lowered his wand, his eyes twinkling visibly as he looked to Lisanna. "I am sure it would be best if we let the story unfold from the top."

Lisanna nodded and told the story as best she could. To their credit, the Order members didn't interrupt her once, but they were staring at her with varying degrees of disbelief throughout.

She stopped just after she reached the part where Natsu had arrived and she'd changed form for the first time, not mentioning the part about Igneel. The Fire Dragon's words burned through her mind - how if Natsu knew that Igneel was inside him it would automatically cause Igneel to be ejected from his foster son and he would die. Not only would that terrible… but it would be bad on two levels if it were to happen indoors.

"…You met… Kilgharrah…?" Charlie whispered.

"You know of him?" Lisanna asked.

"Everyone who studies dragons knows of him. He was the dragon who supposedly gave Merlin himself assistance many times throughout his time in Camelot, but those who still believe he ever existed all assume he died a long time ago. You're telling me… that he's still alive. And he let you do… that?"

"…Yeah…"

"…OH MY GOD, YOU HAVE TO INTRODUCE ME!" Charlie cried, looking so excited that he was practically in danger of spontaneously combusting. "WHERE IS HE NOW!? CAN I SEE HIM!?"

Lisanna laughed. "He could be anywhere by now and I don't know how to find him. But he said we would meet again someday, when we're meant to. I didn't understand everything he said to me exactly but… if he's right and we do meet again I'll try to set something up."

Now Charlie looked like he was going to faint and he probably would have done if Bill hadn't clapped him on the back. "Jeez, if all that is true… that's amazing!"

"Forgive my scepticism but can you prove any of that?" McGonagall asked.

"She has no need to," Dumbledore stated calmly. "She is telling the truth. Quite remarkable - a dragon of the Old Religion still exists. Even at my age, you really do learn something new every day."

"So… Fairy Tail has four dragons now?" Lucy breathed. "That's… that's amazing, Lisanna!"

"It's got five dragons! Don't forget about Laxus!" Evergreen pointed out.

"Laxus isn't a member of the guild," Erza pointed out, which made Evergreen pout and glower at her. "But Lucy is right - this is phenomenal."

"I always hoped there might be another girl Dragon Slayer out there," Wendy said with shining eyes. "You might not be a Dragon Slayer, Lisanna-san, but this is just as good!"

"Thanks Wendy," Lisanna smiled, pulling her into a hug with her wings folding around her. She looked up at Gajeel to see his reaction, but he'd already picked up the fork and was chewing it again, though he was watching her out of the corner of his eye with barely feigned interest. "I still need to practice in order to use this form to its maximum potential but you can bet I'll do everything I can to do so."

"Aah, our little Lisanna's growing up," Gildarts chuckled. "I'm sure we'd all like to see what that new form can do later on."

"But what happened after that?" Juvia chipped in. "Where did Mira-san and Elfman-san's rescue come into it."

"That happened when we were heading back here!" Natsu said and quickly took over the narrative. With everyone's attention shifting to him as he outlined the story, Lisanna's attention slowly drifted down to the small bluenette still held in her arms. According to Igneel… Natsu was not the only one with a dragon inside them in this room.

She stretched out with her mind while everyone was distracted:- Hello? Is… anyone there?

I am indeed here, child, a rich melodious (and oddly familiar) female voice appeared in her head, and for a moment Lisanna found her vision blurring as the image of a huge white dragon with sweeping tufts of feathers on either side of her head, thick fur around her neck, massive feathered wings that also doubled as her front legs and what appeared to be no less than three long, furry tails sweeping out behind her appeared briefly at the fore of her mind. She had extremely kindly blue eyes and Lisanna could feel a pulse of serenity wafting off her like a constant wave. And I am immensely pleased that our idea to teach you Dragon Soul worked.

Things should start getting very interesting indeed as soon as we get the heck back to where we belong, another voice chipped in. It was a low baritone like Igneel's but a lot less growly - smoother, like polished iron. This time the image that appeared in her head was of a heavily armoured dragon, shining silver-gray from his pointed head, down his ridged neck and to the curved blade on the end of his tail that looked a little like small fish fins. His iron hide looked lightweight but tough and his eyes were narrow and black but for his grey pupils, while his wings… were his wings on hinges? Yes, they were connected to his body by a single flexible tube that would allow the stiff, metallic wings to flap up and down as well as rotate forwards or backwards a little as needed, which was necessary because his wings definitely didn't have any other joints in them - they were metal sheets with feather-like projections at their bases.

Grandine… Metalicana… Lisanna whispered reverently. I'd never even heard of either of you until recently but it is a huge honour.

Ah, you've got no need to be so formal with us, girl, Metalicana chuckled. It's not like we're going to eat you if you don't show us respect or anything.

Oh um… okay. Wow, you're… not quite what I was expecting.

Were you expecting an antisocial funsponge like my foster son? Or for me to be all regal and majestic and shit like that because I'm a dragon?

Metalicana, please, Grandine chided him. It wouldn't hurt for you to show a little dignity once in a while. As you can probably tell, young one, Metalicana is not picky with his choice of words. Nevertheless he is right - you've no need to show deference to us. We are, after all, technically in your care right now. It's we who should show respect to you, as well as gratitude for what you are going to attempt to do for us.

Oh yeah, we're all that and more. Definitely, Metalicana added.

I promise I'll do my best for you. And for the other two Igneel told me about when we get back.

We have every faith that you will, Grandine said.

But you should probably stop talking to us for the moment. I think my son is wondering why you're staring at him, Metalicana snickered.

Lisanna gasped, realising she was indeed staring into Gajeel's eyes for no reason that would be apparent to the Iron Dragon Slayer. She looked away quickly but just before she shut off her newfound telepathy she heard Igneel say, To be fair, Metalicana, your son is getting better at the social thing. And he plays a mean guitar.

That he does. That he definitely does. But I'm a better singer.

Males, Grandine muttered. Everything's a competition.

Lisanna blinked. She hadn't expected the dragons to be so… human… with the way they spoke. She'd expected them to be more like Kilgharrah, who definitely was rather regal in the way he spoke, except when he was amused by something. But she shook her head, resolving to have a more in depth conversation with them later and focused back on what was going on around her, to discover by this point Natsu was just recounting what happened after Bluenote and the Death Eaters arrived on the scene.

Harry was on his feet now and had been since Natsu had said, "That Dark Lord guy who's name I forget… Voles In Morgues… was there…" and had listening intently ever since. To be honest, Natsu wasn't the best at storytelling, and was using a lot of hand gestures swinging his fists around to demonstrate fighting without really going into the details. But Mirajane decided to take over from that point, explaining in much better clarity about Voldemort's threat and how she'd very nearly been forced to take it before Lisanna and Natsu arrived, the fight with Voldemort (which had all the Order members listening with wide eyes), how Bluenote and the Death Eaters had arrived, how Lisanna had taken a Killing Curse for Scrimgeour and survived (which caused a miniature clamour until Lisanna had explained her 'theory' as to what had happened) and finally how the whole thing ended.

Nothing was said for a full minute as everyone tried to process all that.

"You actually… destroyed… the Malfoys' house!" Harry gaped. "You drove Voldemort away?"

"And Scrimgeour and an entire squad of Aurors saw You-Know-Who for themselves?" Kingsley was now also on his feet. "That is massive. Tonks, come with me. There'll be big things happening within the Ministry by now and it won't be long before the two of us are missed."

Tonks jumped up, almost tripping as she hurried after Kingsley towards the fireplace. As soon as the two of them had Floo'd out of there, Dumbledore ran a hand over his beard musingly. "It is indeed excellent news, quite a counterbalance to the bad news of having Azkaban be destroyed. If a squad of Aurors witnessed Voldemort with their own eyes then the number of allies we have in the fight against him has gone up."

"Do you think it'll be enough to get the whole Ministry with us?" Molly asked, wringing her hands lightly. "Surely if Minister Fudge hears about this personally…"

"Perhaps," Dumbledore replied. "But we shall have to wait on the report from Mr. Shacklebolt and Ms. Tonks to know for certain."

"Well, with or without the Ministry we've practically got this in the bag!" Sirius barked with laughter. "Only four out of a group that's apparently twenty-two strong went up against Voldemort and his top tier forces and completely trounced them if I'm understanding this correctly. He's never going to be able to stand against all of your at once. I bet we could just kick our feet up and watch with buttered popcorn as you all steamrolled your way over him."

"It might not be so easy as all that," Mavis said, her feet swaying back and forth a little as she perched on the shelf above the fireplace. "I predict a ninety-seven percent chance that after such an exposure Voldemort will go to ground and start working overtime in preparing his forces for his next confrontation. He has now seen first-hand what some of us are capable of and after a defeat of that magnitude he will not wish to face humiliation in front of his forces by attacking again where he's in a position where he knows there's a high likelihood he will fail. And then of course there's the fact he now has two of the most powerful members of Grimoire Heart with him."

"Is it likely that they'll end up working together?" Remus asked.

"I am unsure. I do not know much about either Bluenote or Rustyrose but I estimate a one-hundred percent chance that Voldemort will at least try to get them on his side. He knows now he will need power like theirs in the fight against us."

"But now we come back to the question of how they could have possibly ended up in this universe, don't we?" Gray muttered. "If they weren't in the Fairy Sphere, as you say they weren't First Master… then how?"

"I do not know," Mavis sighed. "All I know is how we arrived here and even then I do not understand the full situation. How Grimoire Heart could have gotten here too… it is a mystery to me."

"Are we absolutely certain they couldn't have been in a Fairy Sphere of their own?" Dumbledore asked.

"Positive," Mavis nodded. "There is no way they would have gone unnoticed by me if they were. Only two Grimoire Heart members were contained within that Fairy Sphere. One was dead and the other was turned into a tree."

"Azuma, the one I fought - he was the one who became a tree," Erza nodded in confirmation.

"Which one was dead?" Natsu blinked.

"I think his name was Zancrow," Juvia piped up. "I was there when he died… Zeref killed him."

"Zancrow…? That name's kinda familiar," Natsu mused.

"That's the name of the Fire God Slayer you fought, Natsu-san," Wendy pointed out.

"Oh yeah, him. Wait… he's dead?"

"So we're left with a puzzle," Gray said before anyone could answer Natsu's question. "How can they be here?"

"Well… from what Rustyrose said… it almost seemed like he'd only just arrived," said Lisanna. "He said that he'd just woken up in the middle of a street with no idea where he was not long before he arrived at that manor to join the fight against us. He definitely can't have been in a Fairy Sphere if that was true - someone would have noticed it just lying in the middle of a street until now."

"Unless he was in a Fairy Sphere elsewhere and then someone moved his body when it lowered, dumping him in the street," said Cana.

"But why would anyone do that? It doesn't really make sense," Lucy said, tapping her chin in thought.

"Hmm… there's an explanation somewhere," Mavis sighed. "I get the feeling there's something I'm missing - something hovering about in front of me and yet I can't seem to see it."

"There's one more thing," Lisanna said. "You told us six years have passed back in our world since we fought Grimoire Heart. But Rustyrose was covered in wounds from our first encounter with him on Tenroujima - he still had the marks where Elf-niichan and Freed struck him. If he wasn't frozen in time in a Fairy Sphere and its been so long since that battle… how can he still be so beat up?"

"…Time…" Mavis blinked, before suddenly sitting bolt upright. "Time! Of course… that must have something to do with it!"

"What?" Sirius leaned forward. "You've figured it out?"

"Not entirely… but I have a theory with that new information. We of Fairy Tail were sent to this world as a result of a conflict with three dragons. One of them seemed to have control of space and it was that one which opened a rift that sent us here. But another one had control over time - its roar distorted time for everything around it, which is why the effect of the various Fairy Spheres are wearing off at differing rates rather than them all going down at once. If no time has passed for the Grimoire Heart mages either, perhaps his power played a part in bringing them here."

"But how?" Levy asked. "How could it have done that?"

"That part I don't know, but I calculate an overwhelming percentage chance that that dragon was involved. Most likely unintentionally, but somehow. We won't know the full story until we can extract the information from a Grimoire Heart mage personally. But if there are two, it is likely there will be more out there somewhere."

"Well, we've already shut them down once," Natsu smacked his foot down on the table with his hand aflame, grinning confidently. "And we'll do it again no matter what world we're in!"

"Aye sir!"

"We all appreciated your confidence Mr. Dragneel," Dumbledore nodded. "But for now I must call this meeting adjourned. Harry, we must return to Hogwarts now - it will not be too much longer before we are missed."

"Can I not stay a little longer?" Harry asked, looking to Sirius, who also looked a little put out that his godson was leaving so soon, but he put on a grin and ruffled Harry's hair.

"I can manage, Harry. I won't be trying to speak to you through the fire again though, I can tell you that. I have another idea in mind. Remus can you pass us those mirrors?"

Remus smiled and handed two silver handheld mirrors over to Sirius, one of which he had retrieved from Gildarts after the battle with Bluenote. It had been very smashed up, but with a few complex repairing spells it hadn't been too difficult to fix. Sirius took one in hand and passed the other to Harry.

"These mirrors are two-way," he explained. "Your Dad and I used to use them to communicate across distance in Hogwarts when setting up our most elaborate pranks. I'll keep the other one on me at all times - just say my name into your mirror and we'll be able to talk Umbridge-free at any time."

Harry beamed, a massive weight lifting from his chest at the thought of a way to communicate with Sirius without owls or fireplaces where anyone could walk in and see him. "Thanks," he said, and threw his arms around Sirius one last time before getting up to leave. He gave the amassed crowd of Fairy Tail mages one last look. "I really wish I could stay and get to know you all better," he said. "But… I just want to say… thanks for helping us to put Voldemort down."

"I have known you for less than an hour, Harry Potter," Erza said, dipping her head to him respectfully. "But from what I have seen and heard, you are brave beyond measure… courageous… and willing to put yourself on the line in an instant to protect those close to you," she glanced to Sirius, then back at the Boy Who Lived with a smile. "If you were born in our world, you're the kind of person we'd want in Fairy Tail."

"…Thanks," Harry said, a little embarrassed under the sea of grinning faces now directed his way but genuinely thankful for the compliment from someone who was quite clearly much more powerful than him. He hurried the fireplace, holding the mirror close and a few moments later he was gone in a rush of green with Dumbledore and McGonagall following him out. Happy bade farewell to the others too, hurrying off to retake his post at Hogwarts once more.

"Right then," Sirius said, getting to his feet. "That's the problem of talking with Harry solved. Now for the new problem… I'm running out of space to put you all here. Guess we'll be conjuring up some sleeping bags tonight."

---

"…I don't believe this…" Rufus Scrimgeour growled to himself as he stood in the door of Minister Fudge's office. Having made sure that his Aurors were making a full sweep the area around Malfoy Manor in an attempt to cover up the incident as some kind of major gas leak and Obliviate all the Muggles who had seen things they weren't meant to, and as well as making sure that the prisoners within the makeshift cages on that iceberg weren't going anywhere, he'd returned to make his report to the Minister and several other Wizengamot members who had come to hear what he had to say, accompanied by Gawain Robards in order to tell his side of events.

But he had just found the Fudge was already been told what had happened… by Lucius Malfoy. He was leaning on Fudge's desk with one arm about his wife Narcissa, both of them with a few bandages covering their numerous scrapes and both of them looking more than a little shell-shocked, with Lucius apparently pouring his soul out to the Minister and the terrified looking men and women around him.

"…I had never feared for my life more than I had then," he was saying. "And now in hindsight I am only thankful that this catastrophe didn't take place during the holidays when my son Draco was home. Narcissa and I barely made it out intact - there is no telling what could have become of him if he had been home. And now… our house is just… gone… everything we've ever owned that we chose not to store in our Gringott's family vault… utterly vaporised."

Narcissa said nothing, breathing heavily and doing an excellent job of looking like a woman on the verge of having a panic attack.

"We're all immensely relieved you were able to escape, Lucius," Fudge said earnestly. "And you can be sure that we will do everything in our power to bring these Fairy Tail mages in…"

"What can you do?" Lucius looked up with a haunted expression. "Against the power they wield… what can you possibly do? It was just one of them alone that obliterated our house - a river of fire and lightning streaming out of his mouth to turn every brick of our property into ash. There's nothing the Ministry can do to combat their strength."

"We will," Fudge promised, though he looked very perturbed as did most of the people around him. "We will find a way. No matter what, we will not let them get away with targeting one Wizarding Britain's most prominent families in such a heinous manner!"

"They just came out of nowhere," Narcissa practically sobbed. "There was no warning, none whatsoever! They just stormed in and started tearing our house to pieces!"

Scrimgeour's eyes narrowed with barely concealed anger. He'd seen them both fleeing with the supporters of the Dark Lord - he knew full well that they were playing innocent. But evidently they had been quicker on the draw than he had and they hadn't mentioned a thing about the Dark Lord or the presence of the other Death Eaters that had just broken out of Azkaban. This was going to make things a lot harder now!

He cleared his throat and everyone looked up to face him. "Ah, Scrimgeour. Robards," Fudge straightened up. "Did you have any success in apprehending these Fairy Tail terrorists? Any that we can send to Azkaban to join their two brethren we have locked up there would be most welcome."

"Not exactly," Scrimgeour growled. "On two fronts there actually. The Malfoy Manor is not the only thing that's been destroyed. Azkaban is gone too."

"WHAT!?"

"And at least ten high security Death Eaters are missing, Minister!"

"WHAT!? EXPLAIN!"

"I will, Minister, but let me tell you something first. I… I saw him. With my own eyes, Minister, I saw him."

"Saw who?" Fudge practically spat, so purple in the face he looked barely able to breathe.

"You… Know… Who."

Instantly there was scattered yelling from all the Wizengamot members and Scrimgeour found his eyes locking with Amelia Bones across the room. She was looking at him with wide but calculating eyes, the way she did during a criminal trial, trying to see through the truth of his words and not for the first time Scrimgeour wondered if Madam Bones could use Legilimency.

"That's impossible!" Fudge shouted. "Where was this?"

"At the Malfoy Manor, sir," Scrimgeour's eyes narrowed. "I fear Mister Malfoy here has not been entirely forthright with all the details."

"How… dare you!" Lucius growled. "You throw ludicrous accusations such as that around when we are clearly still in shock! We are homeless, Head Auror, and you victimise us in this manner!"

"Start from the beginning, Rufus," Madam Bones cut across him. "Tell us about Azkaban. It is gone you say? Then where are all the prisoners? Don't tell me they drowned!"

"It seems not," Scrimgeour replied. "We did a full inventory and everyone is accounted for but ten of the Dark Lord's most prominent supporters… all of which I saw at the Malfoy Manor I might add…" he glowered at Lucius. He was risking his very career here and he knew it, but in the face of every shocking revelation he'd encountered that day he simply could not stay quiet. "…As well as the two Fairy Tail girls we sent there earlier. Gawain was there. You can tell them what happened, can't you?"

Gawain nodded and instantly let spill everything in a flood of information from the deaths of his comrades at the hands of Bluenote, to being forced to take him to Azkaban only to find Gildarts already there. He explained everything he could explain given that his memory had been modified to exclude the Order members from what he remembered but he continued right up until the point where Gray and Gajeel worked together to imprison the remaining inmates and left in a rush upon their little boat to head back to the shore.

"Two fighting men were responsible for bringing down the entire prison and the island it stood upon?" Madam Bones breathed tightly through her teeth.

"Such wanton destruction - it is truly typical of these terrorists," Fudge grimaced, looking more than a little grave.

Scrimgeour took over there to relate his version of events, and this truly left everybody flabbergasted. The Head Auror told them absolutely everything, from Lisanna taking a Killing Curse from the Dark Lord to save his life and surviving, right through the destruction of the house, the appearance of another man who appeared to have it in for Fairy Tail and could use magic like their own… and finally to seeing Peter Pettigrew in the flesh.

The room was left horribly silent after that, everyone waiting on a knife edge to see what Fudge's response would be and trying to digest the immense torrent of information that Scrimgeour had just laid down before them.

When Fudge did speak, it was slow and methodical… almost dream-like.

"You are saying…" he said. "That Fairy Tail are not terrorists despite their numerous destructive encounters with us, including wrecking part of our Ministry, destroying half of Gringott's Bank, sinking Azkaban and obliterating the Malfoy Manor. You're saying that the Dark Lord has returned to power and has his most loyal followers are with him once again, along with two people from Fairy Tail's world who are not associated with the guild. And you're saying that you saw the wizard that Sirius Black murdered over thirteen years ago also on the side of the Dark Lord, meaning you think it's possible that Sirius Black is innocent of all the charges placed upon him? Are you truly saying all of that, Scrimgeour?"

"That is all absurd," Lucius muttered, though Scrimgeour silenced him with a glare.

"I am," he said. "Just as that man with the golden hair told us this morning before Black was extracted from our custody."

"…HAVE YOU GONE MAD, HEAD AUROR SCRIMGEOUR!?" Fudge exploded. "YOU TELL ME ALL THAT WITHOUT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THESE RIDICULOUS CLAIMS!? ARE YOU EVEN HEARING YOURSELF AS YOU SAY THEM!? IF THIS IS SOME ELABORATE JOKE IT IS FAR FROM FUNNY!"

Scrimgeour started - he hadn't expected any reaction Fudge had to be this violent, and indeed many of the other Wizengamot members looked surprised as well, including Madam Bones. But it didn't take long for Scrimgeour to recover himself:-

"I do not lie, Minister! Do you think that I would say all of this unless I was absolutely certain of it! He Who Must Not Be Named was there at Malfoy Manor and the Fairy Tail members present were fighting against him!"

"That… is… not… possible!" Fudge slammed his hand down upon the desk. "The Dark Lord is vanquished. He has been dead for fourteen long years and there is no magic that can bring the dead back to life! We all know this! Therefore there is no way that you could have seen him!"

"And yet I did! He and Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov… all of them together in one place. I daresay without Fairy Tail there fighting against them all I would have lost a few men in the field today!"

"You are absolutely certain you could not have been mistaken?" Madam Bones enquired.

"You cannot mistake a man with red eyes and two slits for a nose for anyone else. It was him, I assure you, and I can prove it! All you would have to do is bring in a Pensieve and look at my memories of the event."

"No!" Fudge declared. "If you truly believe you saw that Dark Lord today, Scrimgeour, then there is a simply explanation. It was a trick! A hoax conjured up by those damnable Fairy Tail mages! If the Dark Lord really was reborn why in the world would he be at the Malfoy Manor? The Malfoys were cleared of any involvement with the Dark Lord long ago and they have provided funding to dozens of Ministry causes ever since."

"Perhaps they're not quite as innocent as we were led to believe…"

"How dare you? How dare you slander a man who has given so much of his fortune to good causes for so long!"

"It is alright, Minister," Lucius replied fluidly. "I am certain that Auror Scrimgeour is merely trying to do his duty."

"You see? Even now he does not hold anything against you. He is a good man, Scrimgeour. Which is more than I can say for these Fairy Tail mages that have managed to delude you into thinking they're innocent!"

"They did no such thing!" Scrimgeour shouted, getting more than a little angry now.

"You are blind!" Fudge retaliated. "Is it not obvious to you what they're doing? They destroyed Azkaban prison…!"

"Because two of their own were locked in there…!"

"But who else was freed today?! That's right, ten Death Eaters! They were set loose as well, weren't they? And on the self-same day as these Death Eaters were freed from Azkaban another Death Eater, and a mass murdering one, was sprung from our custody here at the Ministry. I do not believe that those beings that took Black were not just some third party - I know they were working with Fairy Tail! The two jailbreaks could have been happening at the exact same time! Can nobody else see that Fairy Tail are gathering together people who are known enemies of the Ministry? It is the only logical explanation!"

"And what of Pettigrew?" Scrimgeour growled. "Did I imagine him too?"

"If you think you saw Pettigrew then that must have been a trick too!" Fudge insisted. "Fairy Tail have been a thorn in our sides every since they appeared and now they're gathering more to their side!"

Some of the Wizengamot members were nodding and Scrimgeour had to admit that part of Fudge's interpretation of events did sound like it could make sense. Almost. Though he didn't believe it for a single moment.

"Alright then, Minister! Answer me this! Why would Fairy Tail go to so much trouble to make me think I saw You-Know-Who if he really wasn't there?"

"To throw us off the scent of course! To make us think that they're not the enemy and focus our efforts on trying to find an enemy who is not really there!"

"Minister, that doesn't make sense! If Fairy Tail were our enemies they wouldn't need to be so elaborate with their scheming! I have seen for myself the raw power they wield! I saw one of them obliterating a mansion in the blink of an eye in a bid to strike He Know Must Not Be Named with his attack. Comparatively you, sir, have only seen a fraction of what they are capable of but I can tell you this! If Fairy Tail wanted to do us harm then they could have invaded the Ministry and doubtless killed everyone inside it and destroyed everything whenever they wanted!"

"And they have invaded the Ministry! Twice!"

"But nobody has died! Despite all their phenomenal power not a single person - human, goblin or otherwise - have been killed in their raids! The only creatures who have been killed are Dementors and considering what they do I can see why they would want to do that! They've been holding back from killing anyone! Not only that, but they've been saving lives! Or have you forgotten they stopped the avalanche in the mountains, freed tortured dragons from the chains of the goblins. And one of them saved my own life today, just as another protected Gawain here from the very man who killed his fellow Aurors!"

"It's true, sir," Gawain nodded. "That man… Gildarts… he gave me time to escape as he held the other man off. It was almost definitely him that was responsible for the massacre in Chagford and Fairy Tail protected me from him."

"You see?" Scrimgeour gesticulated wildly. "I believe that there are definitely people from the same universe as Fairy Tail on our shores who are not be trusted. But I do not believe Fairy Tail themselves are among them!"

This time Fudge floundered and many of the assembled Wizengamot looked unsure, puzzling over the details and tried to set things straight in their minds. So much conflicting information was piling up, things they believed waging war against facts they were being presented with.

And that was when Lucius said, "There was one more thing, Minister. Just before I escaped… I overheard one of those Fairy Tail mages saying something rather alarming. I cannot remember the exact words but it was something like… 'Things are going well. It won't be long before this whole world is… begging… for our help."

"AHA!" Fudge cried. "OF COURSE! That explains everything!"

"What does!?" Scrimgeour snarled.

"Oh, it's all too obvious now! Fairy Tail don't want to take us over by force! No… no they want us to worship them!"

"What are you talking about?"

"This whole thing is one big fabrication, Scrimgeour! It's clear now why Fairy Tail are trying to make us think that You-Know-Who has returned! They want to rule over us so they're creating an enemy for us to fear that doesn't even exist, so that they can defeat him for us! No doubt they intend to try and keep up the ruse and deceive us into thinking the Dark Lord and his followers are attacking them! We'll find ourselves unable to stop him and then… finally… they expect us to turn to them for help, then as soon as they supposedly defeat him we'd hail them as saviours and install them in positions of power! They want to rule us through adulation, not fear!"

"…Minister, that's NUTS!" Scrimgeour yelled.

"Is it? It makes perfect sense!"

"No it doesn't! It doesn't explain the existence of these other people who Fairy Tail fought against for one thing! Grimoire Heart, as I recall!"

"It sounds like a turf war from their world has been dragged into ours to me! Fairy Tail would seek to rule us through deception and these… Grimoire Heart people through force! Both are enemies of the Ministry!"

"Then how do you explain Fairy Tail breaking into Gringotts and freeing the dragons!"

"Another act to make us think they're concerned about animal welfare!"

"No! No, no, no, no, no! None of that is true, Minister!" Scrimgeour shook his head vehemently, staggered at how blindly Fudge was determined to make Fairy Tail into the villains. He knew what he saw had been no trick. He'd felt the power of that Killing Curse radiating through the air moments before it could touch him. Lisanna had genuinely pushed him out of the way of death and taken one for him before she realised she was immune to it. And nothing else he'd seen from any Fairy Tail mage he'd spoken to - Levy, Natsu, Lucy, Gildarts - made him believe they had malicious intent. But Fudge was ignoring all the evidence in favour of making them the enemy.

And worse still the majority of the Wizengamot members were nodding. For despite the fact Fudge's version of events was far from the truth, it did sound like it could be to those who'd never properly interacted with someone from the guild.

There was no point in making the case any further. Scrimgeour could already tell Fudge was so sure of himself that he would not be swayed by the word of any Auror who had seen what happened at the Manor that day.

He could practically feel the smug smile pasted across Lucius Malfoy's mind but kept carefully hidden from his face. He'd just skilfully manipulated Fudge into taking this conclusion, both before and after Scrimgeour had even arrived. Scrimgeour felt the urge to hex him into oblivion, to arrest him right then and there, but without any physical proof… Lucius was still an innocent man in the eyes of the Ministry. An innocent man with far too much influence.

"Scrimgeour, see reason!" Fudge proclaimed. "This may be another part of Fairy Tail's plan - to sew discord in the ranks of the Ministry and turn us against each other until we feel we cannot function without them. You must not let them into your head in this manner."

Clenching his fist, the Head Auror bit down upon his tongue in a bid to keep himself from shouting more. There was no rationalising with the Minister any more, and if he continued arguing he would only make things worse.

"I… apologise… for my outburst," he said. "But I shall be returning to the grounds where the Malfoy Manor once stood and conduct a thorough search for any evidence. If the Dark Lord I saw truly was… a trick… then I shall find out for certain."

"So you agree it makes sense?"

"I agree that we must find the truth. But I will not make assumptions." He looked around the room, but almost nobody still looked confused - all looked stoic as if they believed Fudge's spree of paranoid theorising to be proven fact already. Only Madam Bones still looked sceptical, but her face wasn't giving much away.

"Very good," Fudge nodded. "I trust you will use every resource to find a way to bring Fairy Tail to justice. If Azkaban could not hold them we must find something else that will do the job, along with those Death Eaters that they are now allied with. And whatever we do, we must act fast."

---

"You don't believe anything the Minister said in there, do you, sir?" Gawain asked as they headed back to the main Auror Office.

"Do you?" Scrimgeour replied.

"…No, I don't. The man who killed my team was ruthless and unremorseful but that Fairy Tail man was genuinely concerned for my safety, and for that of the other prisoners. They all were. If Minister Fudge is right then they are extraordinarily good actors. And the Dementors… they were definitely not acting under Ministry jurisdiction anymore."

"It won't be long before all the Dementors have joined the revolt," Scrimgeour ran a hand over his face. "What in the world are we supposed to do now?"

As they entered Scrimgeour's office, they were rather surprised to find none other than Kingsley and Tonks waiting for them. "Head Auror," Kingsley dipped his head. "We heard the news and came in as soon as we could. There's talk that you saw You-Know-Who for yourself? Is that true?"

"So I believe," Scrimgeour nodded. "And there are a great many things I saw out there today that would stun you beyond measure, Auror Shacklebolt."

"We've heard most of it already," Tonks shook her head. "Unbelievable to think Azkaban's just… gone… And the Dark Lord returning with his Death Eaters and this other party from the same world as Fairy Tail… everything's getting so complicated."

"On the contrary I believe everything is falling into place in my mind at last. But the same cannot be said for the Minister… or many of those damned toffs that still make up the Wizengamot."

"Is he still refuting the existence of the Dark Lord despite your claims?" Kingsley asked, wide-eyed.

"Outright denying it is what he is doing," Scrimgeour growled and quickly outlined exactly what had gone down in the office. When he'd finished Tonks sucked on her teeth in frustration.

"Well that went badly," she muttered. "But it could have been worse. At least the Minister didn't try and accuse Dumbledore of working with Fairy Tail even though he's now accused both of them of separately trying to scaremonger the Wizarding World about Voldemort. Same apparent crime… it might not be long before he wonders if they're connected somehow."

"He's already wondered that, but he may do so again. It's all pointless anyway," Scrimgeour threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "How are they so blind to all this? Lucius Malfoy's manipulations are playing their part, damn him, but he doesn't hold sway over their own thoughts."

"Fear. It's always fear. And the desire for power," Kingsley said. "Fudge is so paranoid about losing his power that he's seeing enemies trying to take it from him when there are none. And since Fairy Tail are powerful strangers from a foreign world, everyone seems determined to label them as invaders."

"It's a very extreme case of xenophobia," Tonks sighed.

"It's just ridiculous," Scrimgeour growled, slamming his hand down upon his desk. "I know Fairy Tail aren't the enemy yet I am still being tasked with bringing them in. I'm being asked to put my resources into catching the wrong people."

"If Sirius Black is innocent, like you're saying, then we've been technically doing that for some time already," Kingsley pointed out. "But… sir… if I might make a suggestion. Perhaps if the Minister and the Wizengamot refuses to see sense then we Aurors should conduct our affairs… without their say-so."

"…What are you saying, Shacklebolt?"

"I am saying that perhaps we should make it look like we are trying to find Fairy Tail when in reality we are focusing our efforts on finding only the escaped Death Eaters and You-Know-Who. Perhaps we should… go behind the Minister's back."

"…That… is a serious suggestion to make," Scrimgeour said gravely. "If the Minister believes so firmly that Fairy Tail is the enemy and he found out we weren't trying to capture them then all our jobs would be put on the line. Worse we could be imprisoned for it."

"That's why it would be imperative to keep our investigations under wraps," Kingsley replied - he was taking a calculated risk here but if it paid off it would be worth it. "Perhaps you should reach out to Fairy Tail yourself, sir. They have proven they are willing to fight the Dark Lord. Maybe they really could assist us in stopping him. For good this time."

"If I worked with Fairy Tail and was discovered to be doing so before we proved You-Know-Who was back then we really would go to jail. Besides… where would I even find them to contact them."

Tonks caught Kingsley's eye, asking with her expression whether he really thought this was a good idea. But Kingsley nodded. Scrimgeour was firmly on Fairy Tail's side now. It was time to bring him into the fold.

"I know where you can find them, sir."

Scrimgeour looked up sharply. "You do?" he asked. "Where? And how?"

"That… is a long story. And you may not like what you hear."

"But you have to believe us," Tonks interjected. "We were doing what we thought was best. For the good of everyone. And that is our job as Aurors, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Scrimgeour asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously. But Kingsley responded by turning around and pointing his wand at a startled Gawain, undoing the memory charm he'd placed on him earlier. Gawain gasped and stumbled backwards against the wall.

"You… you were there!" he cried. "At Azkaban! Both of you were there when Fairy Tail was there, along with Mad-Eye Moody and some others. You were fighting alongside Fairy Tail!"

"What!?" Scrimgeour yelled. "Explain yourselves, immediately!"

And they did. They told him everything, from well before Fairy Tail showed up on the scene and their work with the Order. Kingsley described how he'd been giving false information about Sirius to throw the hunt for him off the scent, knowing he was innocent but unable to prove it. Tonks described her first meeting with Gray, Juvia and Lisanna as well as her decision to find out more about them for themselves. And Scrimgeour listened with stony silence as they even described how they had been the ones hiding behind Gray's ice wall at Gringott's and had been firing back at them to keep them from getting in.

When they'd finished, Scrimgeour was silent for a full two minutes. When he finally spoke it was in a low growl that would make a lion weep with envy. "You disobeyed my orders, turned against your fellow Aurors and sided with those branded enemies of the Ministry. You came within inches of committing actual treason… and now… I have never been prouder to call either of you members of my Auror force. Especially you, Nymphadora."

"You are?" Tonks gasped, so blown away that she forgot to reprimand him for using her first name.

"You've done what we always taught you to do. Follow your instincts to protect the people. And I should have been listening to my own instincts from the start - nobody I ever met in Fairy Tail face to face struck me as villainous but I believed they were. You, Auror Tonks, you didn't. And because of your actions… you have ensured that they did not mistake us for villains as we have mistaken them. I can only imagine the scale of the battles that would have happened if everyone from the Ministry just doggedly pursued them anywhere they went. Perhaps they would not have held back so much in our bouts with them and they really would have become enemies of the Ministry with neither one truly understanding the other. But that is not the case… because of you, Dumbledore and this whole… Order of the Phoenix."

"So… you're not angry?" Tonks asked.

"I'm furious! But I'm also grateful," Scrimgeour gave her a genuine smile.

"So what do you intend to do now that your know about the Order and our workings?" Kingsley asked.

"I certainly will not be revealing anything to Fudge," Scrimgeour said. "And you are right, Shacklebolt. We will not waste our resources fighting those who don't need to be fought. I will see to it that every Auror in the Ministry knows the truth and we will make sure they are in the plan. From this moment on, whether Fudge wants it or not, we will no longer be at odds with Fairy Tail."

"That's great!" Tonks said. "It's a shame that most people will still think they're enemies but if those who really matter know the truth then that's a start."

"Indeed. And… I want you to arrange a meeting. Between myself, Dumbledore, and whoever is in charge of Fairy Tail. From this moment forward, we will all work together to stop our true enemy. Even if we must do in secret from the Minister."

---

Harry was not altogether sure what to think as Professor McGonagall guided him back up to the Gryffindor Common Room. Everything had gone completely mad in the course of a single day. He was still getting used to the fact people from another universe were even part of the equation. Now they'd faced Voldemort and had managed to push him back with their power alone.

Mostly he was elated. He'd wanted to find a way to deal with Voldemort ever since he'd risen last summer and now it seemed like they had it.

But there was some part of him that felt a little… cheated? Was that the right word? Yes… yes, it was.

Despite the fact he'd never wanted power or glory, never wanted the spotlight that had been placed on him the moment he set foot in the Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid several years ago… in some strange way he still considered Voldemort to be his enemy. Which he knew was silly - after all Voldemort was everyone's enemy, not just his alone. But given everything that Voldemort had done to him throughout his life and the number of times he'd faced him and managed to come out alive, whether he be sticking out the back of a man's head, a rising memory in control of a Basilisk or resurrecting in a graveyard… he'd always felt intrinsically involved with Voldemort's doings. Which was part of the reason why he'd been so furious that Dumbledore, Ron and Hermione and everyone else hadn't been telling him anything over the summer, and why he was so adamant on getting involved.

And yet now Fairy Tail was here and they were… stealing his thunder? That wasn't really the right way of putting it considering he didn't want any thunder that could be stolen, but it was just that little bit irritating that they were facing him head on and winning while he was just expected to sit at school.

Ultimately he didn't care how Voldemort was defeated as long as he was defeated as soon as possible, but that didn't mean he wanted to just sit back and let a bunch of people who had only been brought here by chance to solve all his problems for him.

The other thing that weighed on his mind was the grave look Dumbledore had given him as soon as they'd got back to his office. He'd taken Harry to one side and asked him once again about the dream Harry had had. The one where he'd seen Voldemort and Malfoy with the two Fairy Spheres. Harry recounted the details and Dumbledore had looked very sombre before letting him go.

Of course Harry had realised that he'd essentially dreamed something that really had happened. That he had been right and Voldemort really did have two Fairy Spheres. But it hadn't been the first time that Harry had ever had a vision about what Voldemort was doing so it hadn't really bothered him. In fact it was useful as hell as far as he was concerned. So why did Dumbledore look so concerned.

It was late evening by the time he got back to the Common Room and he was immediately pounced on by Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George, all of whom had been seriously struggling to keep their heads about them throughout the day, worrying about what Harry might be doing and how Sirius was doing, as had Charla and Pantherlily who were waiting nearby. But there were a lot of people still in the Common Room at this hour so they'd taken the conversation up to Fred and George's dormitory, whose other occupants weren't there. And by the time Harry had finished telling them everything that had happened his mouth had gone dry.

"Bloody hell…" Ron whispered, over and over again. "Bloody hell… just… bloody hell…"

"Everything's going mad," Hermione whispered, looking as if she was struggling to believe a single word that Harry had just said.

"And we just had to sit here and do our Charms while all that happened?" Fred protested. "At the very least I would have liked to have seen some of it."

"At least Sirius is safe," Ginny pressed. "That's the most important thing out of all that. Sirius is safe and sound, thanks to Harry."

"Yeah… he is," Harry grinned, pulling out the mirror which had been stashed in his coat pocket. "And now we have a way to contact him without putting him at risk again."

"And a way of connecting with the rest of our guild too," Charla nodded. "We won't have to keep flying backwards and forwards anymore if we hear anything new."

"I can't believe Malfoy's house has been destroyed!" Ron said, a touch of glee appearing in his voice. "Oh, let's take Colin's camera with us down to breakfast tomorrow! Can you imagine what his face will look like when he reads the newspaper in the morning."

Harry laughed uproariously, as did Fred and George, both of which started trying to emulate what they thought Malfoy's expression would be. Even Ginny giggled and Hermione's mouth twitched even as she tried to tell them that being made homeless all of a sudden was not funny.

"In all seriousness though," George said when they'd recovered. "What are we going to do now?"

"Do?" Hermione asked. "About what?"

George checked the door as if to make sure nobody was going to walk in before saying, "About Dumbledore's Army of course."

"What about it?" Harry asked, bemused.

"Well, are we still going to do it?" Fred chimed in on his brother's behalf. "From what you just told us those Fairy Tail guys just trashed You-Know-Who and his most powerful followers. And the whole point of Dumbledore's Army is for us to learn to defend ourselves against You-Know-Who in the first place."

"But now that Fairy Tail's got him on the run, how long before they manage to defeat him? Do we really need to bother with learning this stuff with them on our side?" George agreed. "Don't get me wrong I'm still all for the idea but…"

"We should definitely still do it!" Hermione declared vehemently. "Fairy Tail may have been phenomenal today but they didn't stop him and we can't exactly rely on them for everything while the Ministry is so keen to pursue them. Just because they have the power to beat him doesn't mean they will. And no matter how powerful they are, there's only just over twenty of them. They can't be everywhere at once. What if V… Voldemort or his followers attacked one of us when we were walking down the street with nobody from Fairy Tail anywhere near us?"

"Yeah, and them being as badass as badass can be doesn't change the fact we've got Miss Toadface for our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," Ron nodded. "We're really not gonna learn a thing for as long as she's here."

"Plus I came up with a cool name for it. We can't let that go to waste," Ginny grinned.

Harry rubbed his face thoughtfully. He still wasn't sure about being a teacher but he agreed that Dumbledore's Army should definitely continue. The whole premise of the group was to help the other students survive rather than lead them into trouble and they couldn't just assign a Fairy Tail bodyguard to every one of them. But if the day ever came where he could properly join the fight, he wanted to be ready for it.

"We're still going to do it," he nodded. "But we still need to figure out exactly where…"

"Harry Potter, sir!" squeaked a voice from the doorway that made everybody jump, and they whirled around to see that somehow, without any of them noticing, a house elf wearing a massive pillar of woolly hats upon his head had appeared in the room, with a white owl perched upon the topmost hat.

"Dobby!" Harry cried in alarm. "What are you…?"

"Dobby has come to return your owl, sir!" Dobby squeaked, pointing up at Hedwig who looked as good as ever after her visit to Professor Grubbly-Plank yesterday. "Dobby volunteered as soon as the Professor asked one of us to do it for her."

"Are those all my hats?!" Hermione wailed, just as Harry got an idea.

---

The Room of Requirement sounded almost too good to be true.

Harry mulled it over as he lay in bed that night. A room which could provide anything that whoever wanted to use it needed… it was quite the fantastical idea. And if the information Dobby had provided was accurate, there could be no better place for them to meet up for their first Dumbledore's Army meeting. They'd decided as soon as Dobby left that they'd try and bring everyone together for the first lesson tomorrow evening. Harry's gut was being gnawed by little flashes of nerves; the prospect of him actually having to act as a teacher even to older students was more than a little frightening.

But, just like with Fairy Tail, he would do absolutely anything he could to protect his friends. And if teaching them was the way to go… he'd do his best.

It was with Fairy Tail in mind that he finally drifted off to sleep… what could Voldemort be thinking right about now?

'How could this be happening!?'

Voldemort paced back and forth, his black cloak swirling around him and his pale white hand clenched so furiously around his wand that it was a wonder it hadn't snapped in half yet. Harry found himself looking out through Voldemort's eyes once more, and layer upon layer of boiling rage hammering down on top of him. Their new hideout was dark and Harry could make very little out of their surroundings but he could see several groaning Death Eaters about the place. One woman with bedraggled black hair, Bellatrix Lestrange, was nursing her broken arm while her husband Rodolphus used his magic to create a sling to hold it in until they could find some kind of magical solution. Evidently none of them were particularly adept at healing spells.

But Voldemort didn't care about any of that. He was more concerned with the fact that despite his confidence that he would soon have two powerful Fairy Tail mages in his thrall he had instead been pushed into a defeat the very moment that his followers returned to him. For years they'd been awaiting his return and as soon as it happened for them he'd been overpowered by three youngsters… along with all of them at the same time. And not only that but Ministry officials had seen him with their own eyes.

This was a disaster. An unmitigated disaster!

And the only thing he had to show for it were two other men from Fairy Tail's world, both of whom were resting in the corner. They might make good allies but if they were as strong or stronger than most of Fairy Tail then that meant they too were more powerful than him!

He was Lord Voldemort! He was the man who had cheated death and come back from a fate that would have killed anyone else in the world! He shouldn't have allies more powerful than himself! He should be the most powerful! The clear front-runner! Stronger than anyone and everyone else around him! How was he supposed to command the loyalty of his followers if he was the weaker party?

He considered killing Rustyrose and Bluenote right then and there, whipping out his wand and blasting them to the realm of the dead before they knew what was happening. But he held himself back from doing so, knowing that they were his best bet of finding out more about Fairy Tail… and more important… combatting them. Because in terms of raw power his Death Eaters were outmatched. It was incensing to admit it, but they were.

"Is there any way for me to get something to eat around here?" Rustyrose asked, slouching back in his chair and rubbing at his chest. "I'm starving. I feel like I haven't eaten in years. And would you stop pacing please. It's getting rather wearing."

Voldemort sucked a deep breath in through his nostril slits, calming his range and turning around to deliver what could almost be considered a charming smile if it had been set in most any other face. "How remiss of me," he smirked. "Somebody bring these men some meat. I believe they need to get their strength back! And perhaps we should introduce ourselves properly. I am the most powerful Dark Wizard of this world, Lord Voldemort."

"Most powerful Dark Wizard? You?" Rustyrose scoffed, having been filled in that they were apparently in a different world by Bluenote already. "Then I weep for the magic of this world. If you're truly the best it can produce then we have little to fear from it."

Voldemort's wand hand twitched in irritation but he held himself back. "And you? You are powerful too?"

"More than powerful enough to take on the majority of Fairy Tail," scoffed Rustyrose. "I cannot believe you pulled me out of the fight back there. My fragment had not even begun to shake," he pushed his glasses up his nose and tried not to make it obvious that his chest was hurting."

"I don't give a crap about any of you," Bluenote growled, wincing as he rubbed the bottom of his heavily aching chin. "All I care about is the prospect of getting us home."

"And find out what happened to the rest of our guild…" Rustyrose growled, shivering slightly as if a bad memory had just welled up within his mind.

"I am afraid I cannot help you with that but I have a proposal for you gentleman. How would you like to join forces with us?"

"With you? Your ragtag mob of pathetic little magic users?" Rustyrose snorted. "Why?"

"Because we share a common enemy. Fairy Tail have been getting in the way of my plans ever since they arrived in this world. And from what I gather your guild, Grimoire Heart, are also their enemies. It seems logical enough to me that an alliance would benefit us both."

"It would not benefit me," Rustyrose sneered. "Fairy Tail can rot in this universe for all I care. If we can just get home we can leave them here. They'd never interfere with the affairs of the Balam Alliance again!"

"I am tempted," Bluenote grunted under his breath, clenching his fist. "The sooner I finally defeat Gildarts Clive the sooner I'll be able to truly fly. But I agree with the child. We must go home."

"And if there is no way to get your back? You'd be stuck in this universe, constantly hunted by Fairy Tail and their allies…"

"Do not concern yourself with that. We are fully capable of taking care of ourselves," Rustyrose waved a hand dismissively. "If worst comes to worst, we will find our own way of eliminating our enemies. We don't need you."

Now Voldemort was really considering killing this man at least. It was a trade-off between wanting to be the most powerful and needing strong reinforcements - stronger than his Death Eaters could provide. That was the only reason he hadn't already tried.

"Will you at least tell me how you ended up in this world?" he asked.

"I am not sure myself," Bluenote growled. "I did not realise I was in a different world when I awoke on moorland several days ago. I remember nothing except clinging to a barrel floating in the sea, watching Acnologia destroying Tenroujima before a blinding light blasted the water next to me and knocking me unconscious."

"I do," Rustyrose said, his teeth gritting as genuine fear appeared on his face. "It happened soon after Zeref appeared on our airship… and killed Master Hades…"

"He what!?" Bluenote said sharply.

"You heard me the first time. That left only myself, Kain and Zeref aboard the ship. And that was when Acnologia descended upon the island. I remember well, Zeref watching from what was left of the roof as the Black Dragon descended… but then out of nowhere… three more dragons blitzed into existence half a mile away directly in front of us and surged in towards us. We could make no move before one of them slammed directly into our airship and sent us surging back towards the island. Kain and I clung on for dear life, but I saw Zeref jump ship before we crash-landed in the sea. I don't know what happened to him after that, but I don't care."

Though Voldemort had no idea who Zeref was he continued to press for details. "And what then?"

"The dragons were fighting all around us, churning up the sea with their massive attacks. We were caught right in the middle of their storm. It was a brutal fight that took them high into the sky and down beneath the waves, smashing each other with force enough to trigger tsunamis, I'm certain. That's probably what knocked you out Bluenote - their fighting.

"But then of course Acnologia charged into their midst. He must not have noticed their presence until after he blasted Tenroujima to hell but when he did he went for them straight away. But they didn't seem interested in fighting him, only each other. So one of them… this four-legged one with a massive crest sticking up from the back of its head with ridges that shone like diamonds… it opened some kind of swirling blue portal that started to suck in everything around it. The water, the airship, us, even the other dragons. I saw Acnologia beating his wings hard to escape from its pull but everything else was thrown straight through it…

"And we crash-landed again, right back into the sea, like we hadn't even gone anywhere. I was barely conscious at this stage but the dragon fight was still going, except this time Acnologia was nowhere to be seen. But eventually one of the other dragons opened up another portal like thing, except this time it was a huge pink rift, like a tear in the sky. And once again everything was sucked up into it, including us and the airship… and this enormous glowing yellow sphere with the Fairy Tail insignia on it, rising up out of the sea beside us. I could vaguely make out a dark outline inside it… which exactly resembled the Tenrou Tree. Which means that the entire island of Tenroujima somehow survived Acnologia's attack… and if we're in a different world… most likely that island and everyone on it is here too."

Voldemort's eyes were narrowed slits. That correlated with what Snape had told him - he had mentioned an island but had told him that he did not know where it was and that Fairy Tail didn't seem willing to share, claiming it was their holy ground. So these Grimoire Heart mages had come through the same rift that brought Fairy Tail, but they hadn't been inside Fairy Spheres when it happened. Interesting.

"But you claimed you woke up in the middle of a street earlier today," he said to Rustyrose.

"That's true," Rustyrose nodded.

"And yet you have been walking around this universe for several days have you not?" Voldemort turned to Bluenote.

"Yes. But I do not care about how I came to be here. The puzzle behind our appearance in this world means nothing. All the matters is what we choose to do next. Whether that be finding a way home… or crushing this world and making it our own."

"Yes," Voldemort urged. "And if you choose the latter…"

"You'll do what exactly?" Rustyrose glowered. "What makes you think you and your followers, with your pitiful magic, could be of any use whatsoever to us."

Despite his seething, Voldemort simply offered Rustyrose a condescending smirk - if they played the arrogance game then arrogance would be the best way to speak with them. "Simple really. You are enemies of Fairy Tail and they already have a strong presence in this world. And more to the point they have allies. Local allies who know this world, know this country, and have quick ways to gather news. By all means go out there yourselves. Blast cities to the ground, let the Muggles weep with fear, it would be glorious to watch. But unless you know what you're doing out there, unless you know where you're going, it will not be long before Fairy Tail's local allies bringing them crashing down atop your heads. If you want to remain free, you need local help as well. Mull that over, won't you?"

Rustyrose and Bluenote scowled at him as he spun around in a whirl of cloaks, but Voldemort didn't pay any further attention to them. Instead he was deep in thought. If he was ever going to win against Fairy Tail and the Order now, he would need to gather more allies. Gathering Death Eaters was all well and good but he'd need more than just dark witches and wizards at his side. Much more. Any kind of ally he could think of and the more powerful the better.

If there were two of these Grimoire Heart people here, he thought. What are the chances that others like them have also been swept through?

Higher than you might imagine…

Voldemort almost jumped a foot in the air, whipping around with his wand flashing through the air in search of anyone he did not recognise! A voice had suddenly run through his head without any warning whatsoever, reverberating within his mind like a distant echo.

A woman's voice.

But there was no woman in the room except for Bellatrix. All his other followers were men except for Narcissa Malfoy and she wasn't here. And even if she was the voice didn't belong to her. It was smooth and regal, but Voldemort could hear a distinct smirk in it along with a slightly… flirtatious… edge.

Some of his followers were looking at him, perplexed, so Voldemort lowered his wand and turned back around, staring into space as he voiced the thought, Who was that? Who is talking to me?

I would have thought the more important question was my whereabouts as opposed to my identity, the woman's voice said again. I am close and yet… so far at the same time. But I have been watching you, Tom Riddle. Oh, you've been the most feared man in this world for centuries. Even with Fairy Tail here, you still are really. I've seen the terror you inspired as you reigned all but supremely two decades ago. It gives me the shivers just remembering it.

Voldemort frowned. Do I know you?

We have never met. But I am certain that you do know me. Or at least you think you do.

And you have been watching me? Why have I never heard from you until now if that is the case?

Quite simple really - I could not communicate with you until recently. I have been… unable to communicate with anyone for some time. And you are the first that I have chosen to speak with now that I can once more. You should be honoured.

I will decide whether I should be honoured or not when I know who you are!

Oh but when you know who I am… you will have to make a choice. The same choice in fact that you are offering to those two from Grimoire Heart. Whether you wish to side with me… or against me. Soon everyone in this world will have to make that choice once I finally break free from my prison. And that time is near at hand… thanks to Fairy Tail.

I do not understand.

I have been sealed… for a long time… in a crystal cave that was banished from time and space itself by extremely powerful and old magic. I have long floated within the Void between universes, hovering on the fringes of the world I used to be part of but no matter what I tried I could not return. But then suddenly… a huge golden sphere came soaring through the Void and exploded into several dozen smaller spheres right next to my prison. The blast knocked it forwards, closer to my home dimension than I've been in so… very… long. Now I hover on the verge close enough for me to talk with those on the surface and some day soon… I will break free.

How? If you truly are beyond the walls of this dimension how could you get back?

Because of the Grimoire Heart mages, the woman's voice sounded as if it was licking her lips. Time was distorted as well as space when they were sucked through the rift. Aside from the two you have met, the ones who remain are still in the middle of travelling from one universe to another, frozen in time until they appear within space once again. That is why they have appeared at different times. When Bluenote and Rustyrose there passed by my prison I used my magic to hook onto them and use their progress to pull my prison a little closer each time. In fact I was the one who made sure Rustyrose appeared close by so he could help you earlier today. You're welcome. But when the next one passes me by, and it will be soon, I will finally be free. And when that time comes, I would like you to side with me. And help me reclaim… my rightful place!

And what would that rightful place be? Voldemort growled. I ask you one last time. Who… are… you?

The woman's voice laughed, sultry but dulcet.

My rightful place is as the Queen of Albion. You might know me from legend as Morgan Le Fay… but I prefer my true name… Morgana Pendragon. And I will be seeing you soon, Tom Riddle. And you too… Harry Potter.

"GAAH!" Harry shot upright in his bed, his eyes wide and his body immediately breaking out in sweat. The other inhabitants of the dormitory stirred, with Dean Thomas murmuring, "Wuzgoinon…" but Harry ignored him.

What the hell… had he just seen?

---

Okay so, I'd like to clarify two things here. Firstly I'd like to reiterate that I am drawing on elements of "Merlin" for this story but I am ignoring the events of Season 5, otherwise Kilgharrah… and Morgana… would both be dead. And secondly, some of you may be familiar with the work of TeenMuggle who has done a very entertaining Harry Potter/Merlin crossover which involves Morgana being sealed outside time and space in a crystal cave as well. I already had a vague concept in mind when I read TeenMuggle's work, but I did ask for permission to use a similar plot element in my story just this once rather than just taking it and using it for myself. The rest of my story will be completely different from 'Ancient Relics' in every other way.