Natsu Dragneel and the Goblet of Fire

The Hungarian Horntail

The prospect of talking face-to-face with Weiss was all that sustained Natsu over the next fortnight, the only bright spot on a horizon that had never looked darker. The shock of finding himself school champion had worn off slightly now, and the fear of what was facing him had started to sink in. The first task was drawing steadily nearer; he felt as though it were crouching ahead of him like some horrific monster, barring his path. He had never suffered nerves like these; they were way beyond anything he had experienced before a Quidditch match, not even his last one against Slytherin, which had decided who would win the Quidditch Cup.

Natsu was finding it hard to think about the future at all; he felt as though his whole life had been heading up to, and would finish with, the first task.

Admittedly, he didn't see how Weiss was going to make him feel any better about having to perform an unknown piece of difficult and dangerous magic in front of hundreds of people, but the mere sight of a friendly face would be something at the moment. Natsu wrote back to Weiss saying that he would be beside the common room fire at the time Weiss had suggested; and he and Lucy spent a long time going over plans for forcing any stragglers out of the common room on the night in question. If the worst came to the worst, they were going to drop a bag of Dungbombs, but they hoped they wouldn't have to resort to that - Goldmine would skin them alive.

In the meantime, life became even worse for Natsu within the confines of the castle, for Jason Skeeter had published his piece about the Triwizard Tournament, and it had turned out to be not so much a report on the tournament as a highly colored life story of Natsu. Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Natsu; the article (continuing on pages two, six, and seven) had been all about Natsu, the names of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions (misspelled) had been squashed into the last line of the article, and Simon hadn't been mentioned at all.

The article had appeared ten days ago, and Natsu still got a sick, burning feeling of shame in his stomach every time he thought about it. Jason Skeeter had reported him saying an awful lot of things that he couldn't remember ever saying in his life, let alone in that broom cupboard.

I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now...

Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it...

I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me...

But Jason Skeeter had gone even further than transforming his "er's" into long, sickly sentences: He had interviewed other people about him too.

Natsu has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Romeo Conbolt, says that Natsu is rarely seen out of the company of one Lucy Heartfilia, a stunningly pretty girl who, like Natsu, is one of the top students in the school.

From the moment the article had appeared, Natsu had had to endure people — Slytherins, mainly — quoting it at him as he passed and making sneering comments.

"Want a hanky, Dragneel, in case you start crying in Transfiguration?"

"Since when have you been one of the top students in the school, Dragneel? Or is this a school you and Redfox have set up together?"

"Hey - Natsu!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Natsu found himself shouting as he wheeled around in the corridor, having had just about enough. "I've just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do a bit more..."

"No - it was just - you dropped your quill."

It was Lisanna. Natsu felt the color rising in his face.