AN: Thank you to everyone who took the time to review. :) As I read the reviews for chapter 3, I was very happy. Even though not all them seemed positive, they all showed that people were feeling the things I wanted them to. I don't remember the line exactly, but at the end of "The Sorcerer's Stone" Hagrid tells Harry he could threaten Dudley with a pair of ears to match his tail. When Harry argues that he isn't allowed to do magic outside of school. Hagrid points out that Dudley doesn't know that he can't use magic. This scene is, in part, what inspired the last chapter. If this isn't enough of a hint, then you will just have to read on. ;)

I still don't own Harry Potter or Fairy Tail

Chapter 4: Broomstick Stories

That night, as Harry laid in bed, his mind spiraled in an unending cycle. What was he doing here? He came to learn more magic, but he can't perform magic. He came to meet new people and make new friends, but almost everyone seemed to wish he had never come. He came to avoid spending any more time with the Dursley's than was absolutely necessary - at least that one still held.

He rolled over onto his side and pulled the pillow a little more comfortably under his head. His eyes traced the blurry lines cast from the moonlight shining in from the window onto the floor. If the ministry wasn't going to let him do magic, then why did he have to preregister his wand? It didn't make any sense. Well, that is unless this was another ploy. Harry breathed out a lengthy sigh. He didn't want to believe it, but the Ministry would send him off to another country for his safety. They never cared how he felt about things, they just acted in ways that suited them.

He eyed the blur that he knew to be Hedwig's empty cage. She probably wouldn't be back until morning. A bitter sadness welled up inside him. He was so lonely here. His first year at Hogwarts had been hard, but he was in a whole class of new students. Although some of them already knew each other, they were all meeting new people and making friends together. Here, he had been dropped into an already tightly knit group that didn't want to yield to an outsider.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind. When that didn't work he tried to think of pleasant things. The wind whipping through his hair on a warm sunny day. The snitch's golden shell blinked in the sunlight. He pushed his broom to speed toward the tiny ball. The gloss of his broom handle was smooth under his fingertips. He was close enough to see the wings fluttering. 'A snitch's wings are really similar to the Exceeds' wings. The two cats didn't seem to hate him especially. Happy, seemed to only have two things on his mind, food and trying to flirt with Carla. The other Exceed, Carla, seemed to keep herself above the drama throughout the guild. She wasn't particularly warm or cold towards him. She was as friendly as you might be to someone you just met and hadn't passed judgement on yet.'

Harry groaned and flopped over onto his back. His hands threaded through his hair as he whispered into the dark room, "I'm not thinking about that anymore. I just need to sleep."

He dragged his hand over his face. It had been such a long day and he was tired. So why wouldn't his brain shut off and let him escape for the next few hours? He resolved to going to sleep and forced his muscles to relax. He thought of nothing except his breathing. 'In-Out-In-Out-, Mira seemed nice too. She hadn't changed from the friendly person he met when he first arrived.'

"No! Breathing, just breathing!" He scolded himself. 'In-Out-In-Out-.'

….

After a fitful night of sleeping, Harry awoke just as the sky was stained with corals and blush. He smiled at the sleeping owl in her cage. She awoke and gave a sleepy hoot as his movement about the room pulled her from her slumber.

"Morning Hedwig." Harry greeted softly with a gentle stroke of her beak. Hedwig responded by blinking slowly at him and then returning her head under her wing.

Harry let out a quiet breath into the solitude. Maybe today would be better. He rolled his eyes. Even to himself the words didn't seem plausible. 'What would Ron say if he were here?' He pictured the tall red-head's face as he walked over to his trunk. Ron's blue eyes looked everywhere for an answer. Harry picked up the broomstick catalogue Wood had given him when his Nimbus had been destroyed. 'I dunno, get in some quidditch practice?' shrugged imaginary Ron.

Harry turned the idea over in his mind. Broomsticks didn't require a wand, so it wasn't technically magic. Was it? Maybe they would let him fly. If that were the case, he could spend as much time in the air he wanted. Pure freedom. He smiled a little as he returned the catalogue to his trunk. His eyes fell on his books and Hermione's voice started to lecture him. "You can't spend all your time with your head up in the clouds. Make sure you study too. You don't need a wand to use your brain Harry."

After getting dressed, Harry crossed the room to his window and stuck his head out into the morning. The cool crisp air filled his lungs soothingly. He loved the way summer mornings smelled. The combination of dew and vegetation always made him think of the world as fresh and new. He breathed in another deep breath of the budding day before returning to the task of picking out something to wear. He would have to find out where he could wash his clothes, and it probably wouldn't hurt to pick up a few shirts. Something more casual than the few dress shirts he had.

Having gotten dressed, his fingers slowly closed over his wand. The simple piece of wood had quickly become an extension of himself. Even when he stayed at Privet Drive, he kept it on him anymore. There was assurance in the holly, a sense of belonging that he needed. Even if he couldn't use his wand, he wanted to have it with him. Harry turned toward the door as he stuffed his wand into his back pocket.

He slowly went down the stairs into the guild hall. Bustling sounds drifting up the stairs surprising Harry a little. Somehow, he hadn't imagined the wizards he had met yesterday as morning people. The sun had only risen a short while ago, and yet it sounded like a herd of elephants were tap dancing in the hall below.

Harry rounded the last step and stood off to the side as he watched guild members rushing around the room. If possible, his hosts were even more colorful than the day before. Many were sporting sparkling hats and flashy jackets. One man, whizzed past with what looked like pinwheels plastered all over his pants. Another woman could barely walk as she had wrapped herself up in a multitude of rainbow scarves.

"Mr. Harry!" Called a sweet voice over the hustle of the guild.

He lifted his eyes to the source and spied Mira behind the bar waving him over happily. He easily returned her smile. Entering the guild this morning was going much smoother than it had yesterday. He pushed down the sick feeling at recalling the conversation he'd overheard and tried to make it over to the bar where Mira waited. He got two steps in before he was whirled around so that the room spun into a blur of colored streaks.

"Sorry about that." chirped a voice in the blur.

Harry felt hands steady him as his head stabilized. He shook his head trying to force it back into focus and looked up at the man helping him to remain standing. The man had a tall top-hat that reminded him a little of Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat except that the man's hat was brown with white stripes.

"Ya alright kid?" grinned the man.

"Ahhh, yeah." Harry uttered less than eloquently. His eyes skidded over the man's outfit. Several rosettes were pinned to his brown jacket and a few on his high reaching hat.

"Good." The man smiled widely down at Harry. "Gotta Dash." With a wink and a little salute, the top-hatted man was gone. A rush of air ruffled Harry's hair as he stood there dumbly. 'Where had the man gone?' His head swiveled around searching for the iconic hat. He finally found it on the far side of the room talking to a petite girl with blue hair. Then, Harry blinked, he was gone again.

"Mr. Harry!" Called Mira again.

Harry left the mystery where it was and continued to cross the hall. It took a few more bumps, but he reached the counter no worse for wear.

"Wow, is it always this lively at breakfast?" Harry whistled as Natsu came barreling in breathing fire.

"Chaaa! I'm all fired up!" roared Natsu.

"Geeze, knock it off hot head." Gray rolled his eyes.

Harry looked over his shoulder as he slid onto a bar stool at the two boys. Fire and ice was already mingling to create a dense fog. The red-head who greeted him yesterday came over and pulled them both into a group hug. Harry couldn't hear what she said, but the boys immediately shook hands with blank smiles painted on their faces.

"Not always. Today is special." Mira's voice answered his earlier question.

Harry turned his attention to the barmaid and leaned his elbows to the counter top. "So, what makes today special?" he asked truly curious.

"Fairy Tail is hosting a children's carnival for the town today. Almost everyone is helping out. Normally, there wouldn't be so many people here this early in the morning, but everyone is eager to set up."

Harry noticed the genuine affection behind her words. It was the first indication he had seen that this group of rowdy wizards might be more than just a collection of magicians. They had a bond. Maybe, they even saw one another as family.

Professor McGonagall's voice echoed in his ears. "While you are here, your house will be like your family." It had certainly been true for him. Harry was drawn from his introspection at the sudden disappearance of Mira's smile.

"I'm sorry Mr. Harry, but you won't be able to attend the carnival." She lifted two sad blue eyes to meet his face.

Harry didn't know what to say. He was disappointed. It didn't make sense to chain him to the building and restrict his magic, but the sight of Mira's sad face was like looking at a wounded puppy. There was some primal part of him that wanted to clear the dark clouds that hung over her.

He put on his best smile and tried to keep the tension out of his voice. "Don't worry about it." We waved a hand casually as if it was unimportant. "Actually, maybe you can help me with something else." Mira perked up at his comment. "I'm a seeker on my house quidditch team, and I was hoping to get some practice in today. Do you think I could go outside to practice for a little while?"

Mira seemed frozen. Her face grinning at him happily unchanging and unblinking. Harry started to wonder if she was alright.

"Umm…Miiira?" he drew out her name as she remained frozen. Harry started to panic as her face started to quickly lose color. "Are you-"

"Sure!" Mira burst alive with all the energy she had saved over the last minute. Her eyes shined with determination. "I will personally make sure you get a full day's worth of practicing." She fisted the air between herself and Harry with such intensity that Harry leaned back a little. "But first…" Her stare bore into Harry as he waited to hear her powerful words. He swallowed and nodded for her to continued. "What is Quidditch?" she whispered conspiratorially.

Harry nearly slid off his stool. She had been so determined and overflowing with confidence that her admittance at not knowing the number one wizarding sport almost blew him over.

"You-you don't know what Quidditch is?" Harry laughed weakly. Surely, she was pulling his leg.

Mira instantly retreated to a nearby corner that Harry noticed was confusingly dark, and was that a rain cloud over her head?! Alarm made him stupid and clumsy. He half stumbled half fell off the stool as he approached the quietly weeping girl in the corner. "M-M-Mi-Ra" he stuttered weakly. What had he done? How stupid could he be for hurting one of the only people here who had been kind to him.

The blue Exceed flew overhead. "What happened to Mira dear?" Happy asked in a voice worthy of his name.

"I-She-Well I-" Harry gestured helplessly at the crouched form of Mira in the corner.

"You talk funny." laughed Happy as he flew nearer to Mira. "Ne-Mira dear, do you know-"

Her wailing grew instantly louder as Happy asked his question. The cat blinked a few times down at the pearl-haired maiden before streaking into Harry's face. Harry's breath caught in his throat as the cat speared him with a dark glare. "You broke Mira dear. What-Did-You-Do?

Harry's desert tongue glued itself to the roof of his mouth rendering him mute. The threatening aura of the blue Exceed was unexpected. The young Brit tried to get his brain to start, but his engine simply refused to turn over. Somewhere in the logic center of his mind he noted that Happy's face was growing darker by the second. The cat's meager anger had been totally eclipsed by the silent overwhelmingly menacing presence behind Harry.

"Who made my big sister cry?" rumbled a dangerous voice.

Harry turned around and shrunk half his size. The immense silhouette of a mountain of muscle towered over him. The mountain leaned down closer to Harry so that he could make out the shock of white hair sprouting from the man's head.

Little Harry took a shaky step backward and backed directly into something warm and soft. He jolted at the contrast and jumped around to see the stern expression of Mira.

"Don't scare Mr. Harry, and don't you have somewhere else you are supposed to be?" Harry looked between the two. Mira was much shorter than the mountain, but she didn't shrink away from his dark power. Her chin jutted out, hands on her hips and flashing eyes clearly said that she was the dominant force.

"But sis." The mountain tried to reason as it deflated a little.

"Don't you 'but sis' me." Mira stomped her foot. "Get out of here now!"

Harry watched as the mountain relaxed into a tall muscular man in a black jacket. He had a scar across his right cheek that defined the man's angular face as much as Harry's eyeglasses and lightning scar defined his own.

"See ya later big-sis." The mountain shot his sister two sad eyes as he shuffled away.

Mira shook her hands at him, encouraging him to hurry along before turning back to Harry. "I'm sorry about my brother. Elfman is really a big softie, but he can be a little over protective." She shot Harry a small apologetic smile as she returned to her place behind the bar. Harry followed her and leaned opposite her against the counter.

"I'm sorry too. Quidditch is a sport we play back home on broomsticks." Harry shot her his own guilty smile as he answered her earlier question.

"On broomsticks?" her voice shot up an octave in confusion.

Harry's guilt evaporated as he started to explain the in's and out's of his favorite wizarding pastime. Mira listed attentively as Harry explained in detail about the three types of balls and the four positions held on each team.

"Here you should eat something." Mira smiled as she slid a steaming bowl of some unknown food toward him.

The warm full scent wafted into his face. Harry shot Mira a wary glance, but she simply smiled and placed a plate with fish and vegetables in front of him as well.

"Thanks." He smiled shakily at her. Yesterday's food had all been excellent and he supposed he shouldn't expect that to change now. He lifted a spoonful of the mysterious white paste to his mouth and was not disappointed. There was a hint of tang to the concoction, but it balanced well with the sweetness of the base. Having quickly gotten over his mild breakfast apprehension, Harry dug into the food prepared for him.

"So, tell me more about Quidditch." Mira hummed as she dried a few dishes behind the counter.

He told her about his first year and catching the snitch in his mouth, much to her amusement. Then, went on to describe how his bones had been removed from his arm after being broken by a bludger. Mira was a great listener as she gasped and laughed in all the right places. Harry didn't even notice that as he talked the guild hall slowly emptied until they were the only two left.

"It must have been awful losing your broom like that." Mira simpered.

Harry nodded a little as he pushed the last of his vegetables around his plate. He wasn't a picky eater, but this tuber didn't quite suite him. "Yeah, it was a real low point for me last year." Harry brightened as he straightened up to peer at Mira. "But, that led to my Godfather getting me my firebolt. It is even more amazing than my Nimbus2000."

"I can't wait to see it!" cheered Mira. "Why don't you go ahead and go get it while I finish cleaning up here."

Harry frowned. "Let me help." He didn't think it was right for her to have to do all the cooking and the cleaning.

The ivory-haired woman's face flipped into a mild scowl. "Now Mr. Harry. This is what I do, and you are our guest." she shook a pale finger at him, before smiling gently and continuing. "I'll be here when you get back with your broom."

A few minutes later saw both Harry and Mira standing in the courtyard behind the guild. Harry looked around the small grassy area. It seemed smaller than it had when he first arrived, but it would do. After all, he turned his face to the sky, the blue above was limitless.

He peeked over at Mira out of the corner of his eye, and his gut soured. He wasn't sure this was really alright. If she hadn't known what Quidditch was, maybe she didn't understand what flying was. 'No,' he argued with himself. 'How can someone misunderstand flight.' At the same time, he didn't want to get her in trouble. "Mira, are you sure this is ok?" He asked turning to her more fully.

She smiled her warm little smile and gave him a nod. "I know I can trust you Mr. Harry."

It was all the encouragement Harry needed as a devilish grin splashed across his face. "Wicked!" he cheered and kicked off the ground.

The morning air whipped through his dark locks and blew away all his anxiety. There was nothing now except the air, his broom and himself. Things always seemed simpler when he flew. His firebolt responded to his smallest whims as he swirled through the air in a barrel role. He relished the whoosh of air that filled his ears effectively drowning out his inner voice that had been a little too loud lately. The sun somehow seemed brighter as he sped through the air chasing the clouds.

"Whoo-hoo!" came a cheer from the ground.

Harry pivoted sharply to turn back toward Mira who stood tiny far below. He could just make out that she was waving up at him from her ground locked position.

He waved back before lowing himself to a more conversation friendly altitude.

Mira called to him again when he came into range. "That's amazing Mr. Harry. I had no idea that you could fly so high."

He noted the slight tremor to her voice and hoped that he hadn't made her too nervous. "It's nothing." he replied reassuringly. "During a game we fly faster and higher."

"Faster." she blinked her deep blue eyes rapidly.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, speaking of," he lowered himself fully to the ground and dismounted his broom. "I could use your help."

Mira tiled her head to follow him as he jogged the short distance to where he left a small bag by the building. Harry dug through the bag and pulled out several normal chess pieces. He had once used wizarding chess pieces, but their screams at being thrown into the air had been so annoying, that he invested in a muggle set.

Mira hovered behind him watching him curiously.

"Here." he held out the white and black game pieces to her.

She took them with a small frown. "What do you need me to do?" She held up the black night for closer inspection, while turning the small piece over in her slender fingers.

"Simply throw them up as high as you can at random intervals. Throw a few up at a time, or all at once. I will try to catch them all before they hit the ground."

Mira's eyes widened as she looked back to her hands. "All of them?" she gasped, "But Mr. Harry, there are over ten pieces here."

"Yeah," Harry returned as he rolled his shoulders to loosen up a little bit. "I know. I really should have brought more down with me."

"M-more!?" she exclaimed.

Harry stopped his stretching to grin widely at her. "Yup, a seeker must be fast." His green eyes flashed with excitement. Mira's face took the challenge as her slack face tightened into fierce determination.

"Well in that case," She dashed back into the building.

Harry shifted his weight on his feet as he waited for her to return. He didn't wait long before Mira reemerged holding a small unfamiliar tool. It was long with a curved end, but Harry couldn't place it.

"What is.."

"You'll see." Mira smiled mischievously.

Harry beamed in acceptance at her challenge. "Do your worst." Harry countered as he kicked off and flew back into the sky.

His keen eyes spotted the first piece as it shot past him. Harry threw himself forward onto the wood of his broomstick. The air whistled past him as he rocked to the small rook. He heart sang in triumph as his fingers closed around the cold stone. He whipped around to search the sky and quickly spotted two more pieces falling toward the earth. He zipped after the white knight first before turning sharply to speed after the black queen.

He turned his broom toward Mira who had an impish smile of her face. Her hand was outstretching in front of her with a black pawn falling from her fingertips. Harry swore as he put all his effort into his speed. The wind screamed in his ears and his eyes watered as he tried to reach the chess piece in time. The pawn was fast approaching the grass below and Harry was not quite there.

"Mr. Harry!" Cried Mira in panic as Harry zoomed past, whipping up her skirt.

Harry cheered a few meters away in the air as he gripped four pieces in his hand. "Yes!"

"It's too early to celebrate." Harry raised an eyebrow at the darkness in Mira's voice. "We are only getting started."

"Right!" grinned Harry as he eyed what he now suspected was some sort of magical sling shot. Mira place two more pieces in the slot and Harry crouched over his broom ready to soar.

….

Harry couldn't wipe the smile off his face. His body was buzzing with satisfaction. Every nerve tingled after a full morning of training. Mira hadn't been lying when she said that she would make sure he got in a full day of training. She had pushed Harry harder than even Wood had as the team chased the Quidditch Cup this year.

She had sent Harry upstairs for a change of clothes and a shower. He couldn't blame her. After that workout, he was in desperate need of both. He ran a towel over his dripping hair. When finished, his fingers traced the scar left from the basilisk fang as he savored the quiet of his mind. He hadn't realized how stressed out he was until he was able to burn it all off. He let a long breath blow out his lungs as he resumed the task of getting dressed. Mira had promised a big lunch for his hard work. Harry's stomach rejoiced at the thought. Mira's cooking was even better than Molly's. Not that he would dare to tell the Weasley Matriarch this, for fear of her wrath.

Things were indeed looking up. If he could spend the next month flying every day, then this was a trip worth making.

AN: Sorry guys, I know that the magic restriction thing has not yet been addressed, but rest assured it will be. Thanks for reading and if you are so inclined, reviews are appreciated. Later all!