Natsu Dragneel and the Order of the Phoenix

Out of the Fire

"I'm not going... I don't need the hospital wing... I don't want"

He was gibbering as he tried to pull away from Professor Tofty, who was looking at Natsu with much concern after helping him out into the Entrance Hall with the students all around them staring.

"I'm - I'm fine, sir," Natsu stammered, wiping the sweat from his face. "Really... I just fell asleep... had a nightmare..."

"Pressure of examinations!" said the old wizard sympathetically, patting Natsu shakily on the shoulder. "It happens, young man, it happens! Now, a cooling drink of water, and perhaps you will be ready to return to the Great Hall? The examination is nearly over, but you may be able to round off your last answer nicely?"

"Yes," said Natsu wildly. "I mean... no... I've done - done as much as I can, I think..."

"Very well, very well," said the old wizard gently. "I shall go and collect your examination paper and I suggest that you go and have a nice lie down."

"I'll do that," said Natsu, nodding vigorously. "Thanks very much."

The second that the old man's heels disappeared over the threshold into the Great Hall, Natsu ran up the marble staircase, hurtled along the corridors so fast the portraits he passed muttered reproaches, up more flights of stairs, and finally burst like a hurricane through the double doors of the hospital wing, causing Professor Pegasus - who had been spooning some bright blue liquid into Midnight's open mouth - to shriek in alarm.

"Dragneel, what do you think you're doing?"

"I need to see Porlyusica," gasped Natsu, the breath tearing his lungs. "Now... it's urgent!"

"She's not here, Dragneel," said Professor Pegasus sadly. "She was transferred to St. Mungo's this morning. Four Stunning Spells straight to the chest at her age? It's a wonder they didn't kill her."

"She's... gone?" said Natsu, shocked.

The bell rang just outside the dormitory and he heard the usual distant rumbling of students starting to flood out into the corridors above and below him. He remained quite still, looking at Professor Pegasus. Terror was rising inside him.

There was nobody left to tell. Master Makarov had gone, Gildarts had gone, but he had always expected Porlyusica to be there, irascible and inflexible, perhaps, but always dependably, solidly present...

"I don't wonder you're shocked, Dragneel," said Professor Pegasus, with a kind of fierce approval in his face. "As if one of them could have Stunned Porlyusica Dreyar face-on by daylight! Cowardice, that's what it was... despicable cowardice... if I wasn't worried what would happen to you students without me, I'd resign in protest."

"Yes," said Natsu blankly.

He wheeled around and strode blindly from the hospital wing into the teeming corridor where he stood, buffeted by the crowd, panic expanding inside him like poison gas so that his head swam and he could not think what to do... Gray and Lucy, said a voice in his head. He was running again, pushing students out of the way, oblivious to their angry protests. He sprinted back down two floors and was at the top of the marble staircase when he saw them hurrying towards him.

"Natsu!" said Lucy at once, looking very frightened. "What happened? Are you all right? Are you ill?"

"Where have you been?" demanded Gray.

"Come with me," Natsu said quickly. "Come on, I've got to tell you something."

He led them along the first-floor corridor, peering through doorways, and at last found an empty classroom into which he dived, closing the door behind Gray and Lucy the moment they were inside, and leaned against it, facing them.