Natsu Dragneel and the Goblet of Fire

The Second Task

"You said you'd already worked out that egg clue!" said Lucy indignantly.

"Keep your voice down!" said Natsu crossly. "I just need to - sort of fine-tune it, all right?"

He, Gray, and Lucy were sitting at the very back of the Charms class with a table to themselves. They were supposed to be practicing the opposite of the Summoning Charm today - the Banishing Charm. Owing to the potential for nasty accidents when objects kept flying across the room. Professor Connell had given each student a stack of cushions on which to practice, the theory being that these wouldn't hurt anyone if they went off target.

It was a good theory, but it wasn't working very well. Gajeel's aim was so poor that he kept accidentally sending much heavier things flying across the room - Professor Connell, for instance.

"Just forget the egg for a minute, all right?" Natsu hissed as Professor Connell went whizzing resignedly past them, landing on top of a large cabinet. "I'm trying to tell you about Redfox and Bull..."

This class was an ideal cover for a private conversation, as everyone was having far too much fun to pay them any attention. Natsu had been recounting his adventures of the previous night in whispered installments for the last half hour.

"Redfox said Bull's searched his office as well?" Gray whispered, his eyes alight with interest as he Banished a cushion with a sweep of his wand (it soared into the air and knocked Juvia's hat off). "What... d'you reckon Bull's here to keep an eye on Redfox as well as Karkaroff?"

"Well, I dunno if that's what Master Makarov asked him to do, but he's definitely doing it," said Natsu, waving his wand without paying much attention, so that his cushion did an odd sort of belly flop off the desk. "Bull said Master Makarov only lets Redfox stay here because he's giving him a second chance or something..."

"What?" said Gray, his eyes widening, his next cushion spinning high into the air, ricocheting off the chandelier, and dropping heavily onto Connell's desk. "Natsu... maybe Bull thinks Redfox put your name in the Goblet of Fire!"

"Oh Gray," said Lucy, shaking her head sceptically, "we thought Redfox was trying to kill Natsu before, and it turned out he was saving Natsu's life, remember?"

She banished a cushion and it flew across the room and landed in the box they were all supposed to be aiming at. Natsu looked at Lucy, thinking... it was true that Redfox had saved his life once, but the odd thing was, Redfox definitely loathed him, just as he'd loathed Natsu's father when they had been at school together.

Redfox loved taking points from Natsu, and had certainly never missed an opportunity to give him punishments, or even to suggest that he should be suspended from the school.

"I don't care what Bull says," Lucy went on. "Master Makarov's not stupid. He was right to trust Gildarts and Professor Cheney, even though loads of people wouldn't have given them jobs, so why shouldn't he be right about Redfox, even if Redfox is a bit -"

"- evil," said Gray promptly. "Come on, Lucy, why are all these Dark wizard catchers searching his office, then?"

"Why has Mr. Zero been pretending to be ill?" said Lucy, ignoring Gray. "Its a bit funny, isn't it, that he can't manage to come to the Yule Ball, but he can get up here in the middle of the night when he wants to?"

"You just don't like Zero because of that elf, Winky," said Gray, sending a cushion soaring into the window.

"You just want to think Redfox's up to something," said Lucy, sending her cushion zooming neatly into the box.