The chapter in which quidditch is cancelled


"There are many things going on behind the scenes right now," Jellal said as he leaned against the wall during the prefect meeting. "I talked with the headmaster earlier today but he didn't say much about it. I guess it's all top secret yet … or do you know any details, Cana-san?"

The brunette raised her eyebrow. "Why would I know something you don't?" she asked.

"You and Dreyar junior are hanging out together the entire time neither of you has classes," Lucy Heartfilia, Ravenclaw's prefect, stated as she looked at her perfectly manicured fingernails. "And he would definitely know what's going on behind the scenes as he is the grandson of the headmaster. Also, he would tell you everything he knows. That's a fact, too."

"Even if I knew something, I would not tell you anything," Cana said with a thin smile, "because it would be a secret and I would keep a secret until the headmaster decides to tell all of us."

"Still, I wonder why the application of the quidditch teams did not happen yet," Ravenclaw's second prefect, Lyon Vastia, stated as he crossed his arms. "I looked quite forward to beating Gray's team this year and now, there are still many positions unfilled as many of the former members graduated last year. It's the same in Slytherin, isn't it?" he asked.

"We only need a new keeper," Jellal shrugged. "I did the job last year but, well, you all remember that I was a failure. I am a better chaser … but we got three excellent chasers."

"Quidditch won't happen this year."

Everyone's head turned to stare at Erza Scarlet, the current head girl, who had silently appeared in the doorway, the head boy Laxus Dreyar following closely behind.

"W-what do you mean, no … no quidditch?" Lisanna Strauss who was Hufflepuff's prefect and seeker asked as her eyes widened. "T-they can't do that."

Hufflepuff's quidditch team was – while certainly gifted with a higher amount of eccentric people than the other teams had – a very good team. But just like the other house teams, they had faced the problem that former players had graduated and thus left the team.

"They can," Laxus shrugged as he sat down. "Okay, Scarlet and I talked with gramps today about what's going on this year and so, yes, we can proudly confirm that the Triwizard Tournament is taking place in Hogwarts this year. That's why there will be no quidditch this year."

"Natsu will freak out," Lisanna groaned. "Well, anyone who volunteers telling him about this?"

"I can tell him," Lucy offered. "I am tutoring him in Transfiguration this afternoon … but you are telling Kagura-san, alright? She … she will not like this. At all."

"Leave my sister to me, Lucy-san," Simon, the older brother of the aforementioned chaser of Ravenclaw, said friendly. Many wondered how it was possible that the determinate and often strict girl could have such an easy-going, relaxed brother in Hufflepuff but while in earlier years the Sorting Hat had often but put members of the same family together, it had been shown that with a steadily increasing individuality, families had been ripped apart.

"Very well," Lyon said as he rested his hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Well, now, that this meeting is over, we should return to the tower to pick up our books before classes begin."

One after another, the prefects bustled away with Cana and Laxus being the last ones before it was only Erza Scarlet and Jellal Fernandes in the hidden common room for the prefects. The red-haired girl smiled thinly as she crossed her arms. "I wouldn't have guessed that you would actually attend a prefect meeting. Usually, you have Dreyar replacing you, right?"

He shrugged as he picked up a few documents the others had left behind. "Laxus, is a decent guy … just not the best head boy there is, you know? He'd be a better prefect but the teachers voted against that and made him head boy instead. Well, we shouldn't stay here for too long. I guess that you should head back to your peers and warn them about how there will be no quidditch."

"Take a picture of Redfox' wrath once he hears it," she said amused as she headed for the door. "Oh, and are you participating in the Triwizard Tournament, Jellal?"

"Unlikely," he said. "I guess that Laxus will and house loyalty, ya know? Why are you asking?"

"I would have cheered for you … for old time's sake," she said and disappeared.


Ur Milkovich, teacher for Charms, had had the worst day of her career. After the announcement that the house cup would not take place this year because of the tournament, she had spent half an hour discouraging the students of her house who wanted to protest against this. Now, half an hour after the curfew, she sat in the staff room and drank her last cup of tea as she waited for the other heads of houses to return from the trips to their respective houses.

"Has been a while since we saw you here, Ur," Gildarts Clive said as he poured coffee into three cups. "Let me guess … your house team wasn't happy about that Tournament thing either, yes?"

"Quite a few players of my house team are working on professional careers," she replied. "Kagura Mikazuchi, for example, had a test game for the Pride of Portree this summer. She has counted on the change to improve her skill this year."

"Elfman Strauss was utterly unhappy with the idea that he cannot play beater this year but I guess he was warned before dinner. His sister is prefect after all and Dreyar and Scarlet informed the prefects this morning in the meeting," Gildarts shrugged. "It is good that there was no violence yet … I guess that they accepted that complains won't help them at all."

"I think that it's kinda strange how you who was star player of your team can speak about quidditch like you don't care at all, Gildarts. I expected a little more compassion from you, to be honest," she scolded gently as she took a sip of her tea. "Back in the days, the headmaster had to drag you off the field because otherwise, you would have kept engaging silly competitions with-"

He raised his eyebrow. "I actually expected you to bring him up today," he said as he leaned back in his chair. "Strange, isn't it? He is our sworn enemy nowadays and yet, we mostly remember him as the clumsy boy who could hardly throw a quaffle correctly."

"He was not always evil," she said as she looked at her leg, the leg she had nearly lost in the war. "Sure, he was Slytherin and for you, he was the personified evil but … I could appreciate some of his spells – at least until he turned them against us."

"I am happy that you are not defending him anymore," he said softly. "That you gave up on any ideas that he might still be saved. He chose his path and we chose ours."

"Among all the people who went evil, he was the one who surprised me the most," she said as she stirred more sugar into her tea. "I mean, sure, we all knew that he liked the Dark Arts a little too much … but I wouldn't have guessed that he would go this far. I mean, he was head boy when I was head girl. I thought I knew him."

"We all thought that we knew that jerk," he shrugged. "Was the rumour true, anyway?"

"I never went out with him," she said as she shook her head. "Anyway, what do you think about his son? I worry sometimes because Laxus is a bright boy … and he might fall into his father's trap. Young men often desire power after all…"

"I'd personally say that he is unlikely to follow the temptation that is the dark side," he replied after a moment. "He is very focused on avenging his mother and his friend's mother after all."


"No quidditch, just that tournament?" Gajeel was visibly frustrated with the new turn of events. "I ain't saying that quidditch is the only reason why I'm still here but it's one of the important ones. Seriously, you couldn't make some deal with your grandfather? We had good chances on winning the House Cup again, this year…"

"Juvia thinks that we have to take what we can get," the blue-haired girl said as she rose from her chair that was – just as usual – the furthest away from the fireplace. She disliked the heat and thus avoided it whenever she could. "Anyway, Juvia is heading upstairs now."

"She's right, no matter how much it pains to admit this," Flare Corona who had replaced Jellal as chaser when he had been the keeper a year ago stated drily as she rose. "Complaining won't get us anywhere. I'd say that we should wait and see … and hope that we will get our share of glory."

The both girls disappeared within the next few seconds, leaving the remaining three boys alone with their thoughts. It was silent in the dungeon, only the fire gave a cracking sound every once in a while. The silence was quite unusual for them because usually, they would be discussing something – if only to fill the silence. This time, however, there was nothing to say.

"Laxus?" Jellal started after the silence had gotten too heavy. "Can I ask you a personal question? I really don't want to seem noisy or too curious but … what's the deal with you can Cana?"

The blond boy was silent for a moment before he looked up. "Our mothers who were both left by their respective husbands were neighbours and friends so I have known Cana for the longest time. During the raid…" he clenched his fists. "…Cana and I hid together underneath more protection charms than you can imagine. Our mothers … they died and afterwards, we ended up in a Muggle Orphanage. The people there … they were kind enough to overlook that we were different. We were there for a few months before grandfather got us out of there. We have been together for a very long time and I guess that I grew … used to her presence."

"A Muggle orphanage?" Gajeel asked, voice free of judgement. While he was as pure-blooded as you could get, he had never seen a valid point in the bigotry other pure-blooded mages preached. He had grown up in a Muggle village and had attended the same school as them until he had been accepted in Hogwarts and so he still had a few Muggle habits he would never outgrow.

"Is a Muggle orphanage very different from a magical one?" Jellal asked.

"Not really," Laxus shrugged before he got up. "Well, guys, I'm turning in now as well."