Natsu Dragneel and the Order of the Phoenix

Detention with Karacka

Dinner in the Great Hall that night was not a pleasant experience for Natsu. The news about his shouting match with Eisenwald had traveled exceptionally fast even by Hogwarts' standards. He heard whispers all around him as he sat eating between Gray and Lucy. The funny thing was that none of the whisperers seemed to mind him overhearing what they were saying about him. On the contrary, it was as though they were hoping he would get angry and start shouting again, so that they could hear his story first-hand.

"He says he saw Simon Mikazuchi murdered..."

"He reckons he dueled with You-Know-Who..."

"Come off it..."

"Who does he think he's kidding?"

"Pur-Lease..."

"What I don't get," said Natsu through clenched teeth, laying down his knife and fork (his hands were shaking too much to hold them steady), "is why they all believed the story two months ago when Master Makarov told them..."

"The thing is, Natsu, I'm not sure they did," said Lucy grimly. "Oh, let's get out of here." She slammed down her own knife and fork; Gray looked longingly at his half-finished apple pie but followed suit. People stared at them all the way out of the Hall.

"What d'you mean, you're not sure they believed Master Makarov?" Natsu asked Lucy when they reached the first-floor landing.

"Look, you don't understand what it was like after it happened," said Lucy quietly. "You arrived back in the middle of the lawn clutching Simon's dead body... none of us saw what happened in the maze... we just had Master Makarov's word for it that You-Know-Who had come back and killed Simon and fought you."

"Which is the truth!" said Natsu loudly.

"I know it is, Natsu, so will you please stop biting my head off?" said Lucy wearily. "It's just that before the truth could sink in, everyone went home for the summer, where they spent two months reading about how you're a nutcase and Master Makarov's going senile!"

Rain pounded on the windowpanes as they strode along the empty corridors back to Gryffindor Tower. Natsu felt as though his first day had lasted a week, but he still had a mountain of homework to do before bed. A dull pounding pain was developing over his right eye. He glanced out of a rain-washed window at the dark grounds as they turned into the Fat Lady's corridor. There was still no light in Gildarts' cabin.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia," said Lucy, before the Fat Lady could ask. The portrait swung open to reveal the hole behind it and the three of them scrambled through it. The common room was almost empty; nearly everyone was still down at dinner. Plue uncoiled himself from an armchair and trotted to meet them, purring loudly, and when Natsu, Gray and Lucy took their three favorite chairs at the fireside he leapt lightly on to Lucy's lap and curled up there like a furry white cushion. Natsu gazed into the flames, feeling drained and exhausted.

"How can Master Makarov have let this happen?" Lucy cried suddenly, making Natsu and Gray jump; Plue leapt off her, looking affronted. She pounded the arms of her chair in fury, so that bits of stuffing leaked out of the holes. "How can he let that terrible man teach us? And in our OWL year, too!"

"Well, we've never had great Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, have we?" said Natsu.

"You know what it's like, Gildarts told us, nobody wants the job; they say it's jinxed."

"Yes, but to employ someone who's actually refusing to let us do magic! What's Master Makarov playing at?"

"And he's trying to get people to spy for him," said Gray darkly. "Remember when he said she wanted us to come and tell him if we hear anyone saying You-Know-Who's back?"