Miles away, a leaking faucet could be heard as an invisible glass broke. Quirrell did NOT just call Ed a pipsqueak. He did NOT! …. He did…. Three… two… one…

“WHO DID YOU CALL A SUPER-ULTRA SHORT KID!” (Courtesy of www. fullmetal-alchemist. com)

Harry, if he was standing up, would have fallen over, anime style. Where does Ed come up with these things?

Quirrell opened his mouth to counter Ed’s statement. However, before Quirrell could say anything, a low cold voice came out of nowhere and said, “Use Potter… use Potter… to get the stone…”

Quirrell turned around and clapped his hands. The ropes around Harry fell off and disappeared. “Come here,” ordered Quirrell. Not knowing what to do, Harry walked towards him.

“IF YOU LAY ONE HAND ON HIM I’LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU!” shouted Ed. He was still tied, but since Quirrell had all his attention on Harry and the Mirror of Erised, he just gave Ed the chance to get his hands closer together so perform alchemy…

“What do you see in the mirror?” asked Quirrell.

Harry peered into the mirror. At first he saw his reflection, pale, dirty and scared-looking. Then his reflection smiled and pulled out a blood-red stone from his pocket. His reflection winked, dropped the stone back into his pocket and all of sudden Harry felt something heavy in his pocket. He had gotten the stone…

Ed watched Harry’s expression change for a split second. He then noticed that there was something in Harry’s pocket. Everything seem to click together in Ed’s head. He understood. Harry had somehow gotten the stone. Now all Harry had to do was hide it from Quirrell.

“I see… myself shaking hands with Dumbledore. I just won the house cup,” stammered Harry as he made up what he saw in the mirror. He HAD to prevent Quirrell from getting the stone. He was shaking as his courage wavered back and forth. Next to him, Quirrell cursed again.

Ed winced as he heard Harry’s lie. ‘Mental note, teach Harry to lie properly,’ noted Ed. Even he could tell that was a big lie. Lucky Quirrell didn’t notice.

“Get out of the way,” he said. He pushed Harry away.

Harry quickly ran over to help Ed untie himself. However, before Harry could even touch the rope, the voice spoke again. “He lies… He lies…”

Quirrell twirled around. The usually frightened professor had an odd, fierce look in his eyes. “Potter, come back here!” he shouted. “What do you see!”

Again the high voice spoke, yet Ed and Harry couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Quirrell wasn’t moving his lips and no one else was in the room. Were they invisible?

“Let me speak to him… face to face,” whispered the voice in a dangerous tone.

“Master, you are not strong enough!” protested Quirrell in a feeble attempt.

“I have strength enough… for this…”

Danger alarms went off in Ed’s head. Something told him the owner of that voice was very dangerous. Next to him, Harry stood there as if he was rooted to the ground.

Meanwhile, Quirrell slowly began to unwrap his turban. It was almost like he was unwrapping a gift, however, inside was nothing pretty or friendly. As the turban fell away, Quirrell’s head began to get smaller and smaller. Finally, Quirrell turned around on the spot.

Ed drew in a sharp breath. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell’s head, there was a face, the most terrible face he had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

‘This must be Voldemort,’ thought Ed.

The face glared at Harry, a look of anger dancing brightly in the crimson red eyes. “See what I have become?” Voldemort hissed at Harry. “Mere shadow and vapor … I have form only when I can share another’s body … but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks… you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own… now … why don’t you give me that Stone in your pocket?”

Harry stumbled backwards. “Don’t be a fool,” snarled the face. “Better save your own life and join me… or you’ll meet the same end as your parents… they died begging me for mercy…” Ed fiddled with his ropes… Almost there…

“LIAR!” Harry shouted suddenly. He had to get away.

Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.

“How touching…” he hissed. “I always valued bravery… yes, boy, your parents were brave… I killed your father first, and he put up a courageous fight… but your mother needn’t have died… she was trying to protect you… now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain.”

“NEVER!”

Harry made a break for it. Voldemort yelled, “Seize him!” However before Quirrell could grab Harry, a blade neatly slice off his hand. Quirrell screamed in pained. How!

Ed smirked. “Forgot about little old me?” he asked. His automail hand was blade again, the ropes that tied him were now on the floor in pieces.

Quirrell growled at Ed before leaping at Harry. That was when the strangest thing happened. As soon as Quirrell touched Harry’s skin, he let out a loud howl of pain. At the same time, Harry touched his scar, pain racing through his body.

Ed watched as Quirrell hunched over in pain. The hand he touched Harry with was red, shiny, and blistering before his eyes. ‘What the!’ thought Ed. ‘Harry has never been able to do that before!’

“Master! I can’t touch him! His skin burns me!” howled Quirrell in a fit of pain.

“Then kill him!” shouted Voldemort. Quirrell jumped toward Harry, only to have Harry jump out of the way.

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

Down in the dungeons of the Slytherin House, Draco Malfoy woke up with a start. Sweat dripped down his face as he tried to make sense of the feeling of dread that gripped his heart tightly, slowly squeezing it as if someone was trying to wring every bit of blood from him.

And why did a face with bright emerald eyes and untidy black hair appear in front of him?

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“Seize him! SEIZE HIM!” yelled Voldemort. Quirrell lunged at Harry again, only to be stopped by a tall stone wall. Quirrell looked to the side to see Ed staring with a look of determination. However, one thing seemed to be missing… there was no wand in Ed’s hands.

“What is this trickery?” asked Quirrell. “How are you able to conjure up things without a wand!”

"Something you’ll never know,” Ed said coldly.

“You annoying pest!” yelled Quirrell. He raised his wand to cast a spell, but before he could utter the words of a spell, Harry ran in and grabbed Quirrell’s face.

Quirrell screamed in pain. As Voldemort screamed, “KILL HIM! KILL HIM!” Harry fully realized that Quirrell couldn’t touch him; not without excruciating pain first.

“Let’s get out of here, Harry,” yelled Ed. Harry ran towards Ed and the doorway. “No! I will not let you escape!” yelled Voldemort. Quirrell pinned Harry down the ground with his legs. Quirrell went flying as Ed kicked him on the back of the head.

Quirrell hit the walls, falling unconscious. As soon as he did that, Voldemort suddenly rose from his body, becoming a shapeless spirit. He flew towards Ed and Harry. “Damn,” cursed Ed. He clapped his hands together and touched the ground. Another stone wall appeared in front of him.

However, luck was not on Ed’s side this time. Voldemort was like a spirit now; he merely passed over the wall and rammed into Ed on the other side. Ed hit the wall much like Quirrell had. Voldemort turned and attacked Harry too, knocking Harry aside as well. There was a sickening crunch. Voldemort went back to attack Ed once more.

“You! I’ll kill you for interfering with my plan.”

Ed raised his arms to defend himself. However, before Voldemort could attack, something intervened with him. A wall of fire…from there, everything went black…

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"If you meet the buddha, kill the buddha...If you meet your father, kill your father. Free of everything you are bound by nothing. Live the life that is given to you."

(Sanzo; Gensomaden Saiyuki)

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Yoake Mae

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Chapter XII

Locking Fate and Destiny Part 2; All Things Must Come To An End

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Butsukatteiku, kesunu omoi wo

Semeru hou ga, suji chigai

You can't blame my emotion,

Because you should know it will never fade away.

Hitori de wa, tooi ashita wo

Yoake no mama de koeteyuku

When I'm alone, tomorrow feels far away.

And even though I'm in the darkness of dawn, I have to go.

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Ed woke up feeling warm and fuzzy. As his golden eyes opened, they revealed to him a high arched ceiling. The bed he was lying on was comfy, but strangely warm for a bed. Ed looked to his side where most of the warmth was coming from. Roy…

Ed blinked. Roy was sleeping quietly next to him. The Flame Alchemist had climbed into the same bed with him, obviously worried as one arm was draped over Ed’s stomach, a physical assurance that Ed wasn’t going anywhere without him knowing. Ed watched for a few minutes as Roy continued to sleep, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

Ed pushed himself up, trying not to wake Roy. His body ached a bit and his head felt like a bell that had just been rung, but overall, he felt no life-threatening wounds or anything. He looked around the room.

Sunlight poured into the room through the window warming the room in its afternoon light. Rows of beds covered in white linen cloth filled the room. Next to each bed was a small table with a washbowl sitting on it. The grandfather clock nearby read two thirty-four, its slow ticks rang quietly in the room.

Ed shook his head, it was almost like he had awoke from a foggy nightmare. Everything was fuzzy… what happened? No sooner had he asked himself that, all the memories came flooding back to him, like a broken dam. Voldemort… the stone… Harry… What the hell happened!

Next to him, Roy stirred slightly, drawing Ed’s focus back to him. The stone could wait… it had waited for three years. Right now… Ed would just enjoy his time with Roy. Sleep beckoned him once more as Ed lay back down… Another hour or two of rest wouldn’t hurt….

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Ed woke up again as he felt Roy leave his side. The cold was unwelcoming and Ed instantly missed the warmth. Ed opened his eyes to be greeted by, not the high arched ceiling, but rather, Roy’s face.

“Feeling better, Fullmetal?”

Ed merely smiled. “Yeah.”

“Well, you have been asleep for three days now,” said Roy, his familiar smirk appearing on his face. That made Ed blink. Three days!

“Three days?” Ed asked.

“Yes, and a few things have happened while you and Potter were sleeping.”

“Where’s Harry?” asked Ed, sitting up. He got his answer as from across the room Harry yelled, “Hey Ed! Feeling better?”

Ed smiled and gave Harry a thumb’s up. “Yeah, more or less. We’re alive right? Though I can’t say I’m happy about the fact that we lost to Slytherin for Quidditch.” Harry grinned back there. Ed then turned back to Roy, wanting more answers.

“So what happened to the stone?” There was a hopeful tone in Ed’s voice.

Roy hesitated to answer. Luckily, he didn’t have to answer. Dumbledore did. “Ah! Mr. Elric! I trust you are feeling better?” asked Dumbledore with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “Many things have happened while you and Harry were sleeping.”

“What happened to the stone?” asked Ed.

Dumbledore chuckled. “You and Harry are much alike. That was the first thing both of you asked. Regrettably, the stone was destroyed when Voldemort attacked Harry. However, it was for the better. This way, no one may use its powers.”

Ed’s face fell. So close yet so far… Dumbledore chuckled again. “But surely you have noticed that this Philosopher’s Stone is not the one you seek.”

Ed’s head shot up. “Wait, how did you know I was searching for the stone!”

Dumbledore smiled. “There are many things I know, Edward. I know your reasons were noble, and ye

Dumbledore smiled. “There are many things I know, Edward. I know your reasons were noble, and yet slightly selfish. However, in order to obtain something, something of equal value must be lost. I believe that is the rule you alchemists live by. I could have told you that the stone was here and given the notes to how it was created, but what could I receive in exchange? So you had to research it on your own to discover it.”

“So can I have the notes?”

“Edward, have you not listen to a word I have said? I said the stone you seek is not the one here,” said Dumbledore.

“What do you mean?”

“You require… a more powerful stone.”

“A more powerful stone?” asked Ed. How could that be? The Philosopher’s Stone is said to be the most powerful stone in the world. Not only does it allow Alchemists to transmute without a circle, it also allows them to create anything without giving up something of equal value.

“The Philosopher’s stone that was kept here is not the same one you seek. The stone that was destroyed was related to the one you seek, a bit of variation between the two,” explained Dumbledore.

“A fake?” Ed asked. His voice held his disbelief. All this work for nothing! He spent a year here, reading and researching for nothing!

“I assure you that the stone Nicolas and I created was the real thing, but it lacked the trait you required. When we created the stone we had no use for its alchemy powers. We had dabbled in alchemy before, but had no attachments to it since we were wizards. So the stone we produced held the ability to turn lead into gold and produce the Elixir of Life. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less,” said Dumbledore.

Ed could only gape.

The twinkle in Dumbledore’s eyes never faded as he continued. “However, your time here at Hogwarts was not a waste, was it? You gained some valuable knowledge, made new friends and allies, and opened your mind to new possibilities. Although, could you refrain from telling people about magic?”

Ed and Roy caught the hidden meaning behind those words. Harry was still a bit lost. Come to think of it, Ed never told Harry why he was looking for the stone in the first place. He realized that there was still much he didn’t know about Ed. His friend still had many secrets that Harry didn’t know about.

“Okay, so what happened to Lord what’s his name?” asked Ed.

“Voldemort, Edward. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself,” said Dumbledore.

Ed blinked. “It’s not that. It’s just that I didn’t know his name, actually, I didn’t remember it. And before you answer my earlier question, can you explain to me why on earth his name is Voldemort?” asked Ed. It sounded stupid. Ed didn’t understand why people were afraid of some guy with a name of Voldemort. That or the guy was stronger than he seemed.

“Ah! Well, I suppose you would have to ask him yourself. Though I suggest that wouldn’t be wise,” said Dumbledore. His expression was serious, but there was a hint of mirth in his eyes.

“So he’s still alive?” said Roy. It was more of a statement than a question.

Dumbledore nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid he is and I believe my time is up. Harry here will fill you in. He was up before the two of you, giving me more time to explain things to him. So I spoke with him first. But now, there are things that need to be done and a feast to be prepared.”

Suddenly, Dumbledore spotted something among the pile of goodies next to Ed’s bed. “Ah! Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavored one, and since then I’m afraid I’ve rather lost my liking for them-but I think I’ll be safe with a nice toffee, don’t you?”

Ed merely stared as Dumbledore smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, “Alas! Ear wax!”

Yeah… Ed, Roy, and Harry could only stare…

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The next day seemed to pass by quickly. Ron and Hermione came to visit. Roy, of course, stayed with Ed all day. (Yeah Ed, didja know Roy never let your side while you were sleeping? –Ron “Eh? Really?” –Ed –Blush, look awayRoy) Harry meanwhile had filled Roy and Ed in what Dumbledore had told him. Apparently, the whole school knew everything about what happened beneath the trapdoor. And when I say everything, I mean everything, alchemy and all.

Now that they had a few hours before the feast, (which Madam Pomfrey had grudgingly agreed to let them go) Ed was feeling a bit sleepy. Harry crashed soon after Ron and Hermione left again. Roy had left to use the bathroom and even though he would be back in a few minutes, Ed was missing him.

Nevertheless and ever slowly Ed’s eyes felt heavy. His golden eyes drooped slightly, closing little by little. Soon, he drifted off into dreamland.

Roy came back to see Ed fast asleep. A soft smile graced his face. Roy leaned over and kissed Ed on the forehead. “You always did get yourself into trouble,” said Roy. His smile grew bigger. “But that’s what makes you, you, Ed.”

Roy took a seat next to Ed’s bed and pulled out a book to read. Every few pages, Roy would glance up to see Ed still sleeping. It was just another subconscious action to see if Ed would always be there…

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Roy, Ed, and Harry made their way to the Great Hall. Madam Pomfrey wanted one more check up on Harry and Ed before they went. Roy, of course, was waiting for Ed … and Harry too. When they arrived, the Great Hall was already filled.

Floating from the ceiling were banners of green and silver, Slytherin colors. Behind the high table was a huge banner with the Slytherin serpent that covered the wall. The golden plates and cups were scattered on the table, but were still empty as dinner had yet to be served. There were two empty seats at the high table: one for Roy and the other for Dumbledore.

As soon as the three of them walked into the hall, everyone grew quiet. Ed, who was used to these things, rolled his eyes. He headed over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Ron and Hermione as Harry quickly followed. Roy continued his way towards the high table. As soon as Roy took his seat, Dumbledore showed up.

“Another year gone!” Dumbledore said cheerfully. “Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before the next year starts…”

Ed looked towards Dumbledore with half-moon eyes. Empty his head! Impossible! He was a sponge who soaked up learning. Why on earth would he empty his head? This was valuable knowledge!

Dumbledore continued, “Now as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two, Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, with four hundred and seventy-two.”

A storm of cheering and stamping arose from the Slytherin table. Harry let out a sigh and looked away. He didn’t notice Draco was watching him.

‘At least he’s still alive,’ thought Draco. When he first heard the rumors, he was worried (for some reason) that Harry would be dead. I mean how many kids do you know can face a dark wizard and live to tell? ‘What the hell! What on earth am I thinking!’ thought Draco mentally hitting himself. ‘Father will kill me if I started sympathizing with him!’

“However,” said Dumbledore. “There are recent events that must be taken account.”

The room instantly went quiet and the Slytherins’ smiles faded a little. What recent events?

“Let’s see. I have a few last-minutes points to dish out, yes…

Although we, the professors, will have to admit Mr. Mustang here played an even better game than we could think of, to Mr. Ron Weasley for playing the best-played game of chess Hogwarts rarely gets to see, I award Gryffindor house fifty points”

The burst of cheers from the Gryffindor table nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. You could hear Percy telling the other prefects, “That’s my brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall’s giant chess set!”

Ed grinned as he looked up towards the high table. There, the familiar twinkle in Dumbledore’s blue eyes and the smile on Roy’s face greeted him.

Dumbledore raised his hand and everything went quiet again.

“Second- to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.”

Hermione buried her face in her arms, bursting into tears. All around her, her housemates cheered as they hugged Ron and patted Hermione on the back. They were up a hundred points!

“Third-to Mr. Harry Potter…” said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. “… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.”

If the Gryffindor house could sell joy for money, they would be rich. Their yells were almost deafening. A hundred and fifty points! They were just ten away from tying with the Slytherin house!

Dumbledore spoke again, quieting the crowd. “There are all kinds of courage,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom.”

The yells were deafening that time. Neville was white with shock as he disappeared underneath a pile of people hugging him. He has never won so much as a point for Gryffindor house before. Ed meanwhile was mentally calculating.

“We’re tied with Slytherin!” shouted Ed. Those who were adding up while yelling themselves hoarse already knew that. Four hundred and seventy-two points –exactly the same as Slytherin. If they only had one more point!

Dumbledore raised his hand again. Everyone went quiet. Was Dumbledore going to award another point? “Another type of courage is the ability to give up something of value as well as to reveal a secret in order to save a friend. Therefore, I award Mr. Edward Elric fifty points.”

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. People hugged Ed, who was stunned with shock. Not only was the Gryffindor table celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were as well.

“Which means,” Dumbledore called over the storm of applause. “we need a little change of decoration.”

He clapped his hands. The green hangings became scarlet and the silver turned gold. The Slytherin serpent vanished and was replaced by a towering Gryffindor lion. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall’s hands with a horrible, forced smile. Ed could see that he was back to hating Harry and him. Ed turned his attention away from the cheering and the joy and looked towards Roy again.

The Flame Alchemist merely smiled at him. Joy bubbled in Ed’s heart. If a picture was worth a thousand words… then a smile was worth a million.

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Later, Ed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking through the halls, chatting among themselves.

“Well, if it isn’t the shrimp, the boy-wonder, weasel, and miss smarty-pants.”

All four of them froze and paused. Harry’s eyes glazed over with sadness. He was fighting a losing battle, maybe he should just give up hoping. Ed turned around to see Malfoy with his two goons. “What do you want Malfoy?” asked Ed. He was clearly annoyed with the shrimp comment.

“You think you’re better then everyone with your fancy alchemy,” teased Malfoy, “but you have another coming at you shrimp!”

Twice! In less then a minute! Ooo, Malfoy was going down. Ed spotted Roy in the crowd of people who stopped. “Permission to use Alchemy, sir?” asked Ed. Roy grinned and looked away.

Ed took that as a yes. Malfoy, getting the feeling he should be running, slowly backed away. There was a clap and a flash of blue light and a wall appeared in front of Malfoy. He spun around to see Ed cracking his knuckles.

“Oi. Malfoy, don’t go anywhere, you and I have a little score to settle.”

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The final days of the school year dwindled down… Before Ed knew it, it was time to go. He had gotten back his exams results. As expected, both he and Hermione passed with flying colors. Harry and Ron passed with good marks, even Neville made up for his terrible Potions grade in Herbology.

Suddenly, everything was gone. Wardrobes were empty, trunks were packed, and notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays. (“I always hope they’ll forget to give us these,” –Fred “Is there something wrong with using magic over the summer break?” –Ed “Nothing is wrong really, only if you want to end up in jail and expelled from this school.” –Roy) Shinka could be found prowling everywhere. She made another attack on Scabbers before they left. (“Ed! Keep her away from Scabbers. This is the two hundredth time this year she attacked him! They can’t even be in the same room together.” –Ron. “She’s a cat Ron. You can’t do anything about it. And don’t tell me you’ve been keeping count of how many times she’s attacked him.” –Ed.)

Both Ed and Roy were always seen together. (Seito: looks like these two have gotten closer…) Malfoy was released from the hospital after Ed gave him a rather good thrashing. Ed had gotten scolded and a last minute warning, but it was well worth it.

Finally after a long ride home on the Hogwarts Express, the five of them (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ed, and Roy plus Shinka) arrived back on platform nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross Station.

“A year gone,” said Harry.

“You must come and stay this summer,” said Ron, “the four of you – I’ll send you an owl.”

Ed and Roy got extremely nervous. “Ummm… about that…” started Ed. “There was something else I haven’t told you guys. I’m not coming back next year.”

That grabbed his friends’ attentions. One… two… three… now “WHAT!”

Ed scratched the back of his head. “You see, I only came to Hogwarts to learn about the Stone, not to be a wizard. So I’m not coming back here.”

Harry, Ron, and Hermione just stared in complete and utter shock. Ed wasn’t coming back. But that wasn’t right! “Why?” asked Harry.

“Like I said. I only came here to find out about the stone. Since the stone wasn’t even the right one to begin with, I don’t have a reason to be here. I’m an Alchemist, not a wizard,” said Ed.

“So does that mean you’re not coming back too, Mr. Mustang?” asked Ron. He looked towards Roy.

Roy nodded. “My superiors are going to kill me for disappearing for a year on them. Hopefully Ray and Riza held them off…” He mumbled the last part to himself. Then again, those two might be the ones trying to kill him. How on earth was he going to get out of this predicament alive? Better starting thinking of a plan…

The calling of people drew their attention away from the shock and disbelief.

“Bye, Harry!”

“See you, Potter!”

“Still famous,” said Ed with a grin.

“Not where I’m going, I promise you,” said Harry.

The five of them picked up their bags and moved through the gateway. On the other side were some familiar faces. Harry spotted the Weasley family as Roy began to get nervous as Hawkeye approached him. He still hadn’t come up with a good plan yet.

“You are very lucky sir,” said Riza.

Roy’s eyebrow rose. “The Major General covered for you.” Roy let out a sigh of relief. “Although she did mention something about helping her re-file the entire records department when you got back.” Roy fell over. No, anything but that! Ed looked at him confused.

Riza smiled and said, “Busy year?”

Ed nodded. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Shall we go then?” asked Riza.

Ed looked towards Harry who seemed to be cornered by a big man. “Just a sec,” said Ed. He raced over to Harry and whispered quickly into his ear. “Just because you can’t do magic over the summer, doesn’t mean they know.”

Harry grinned, catching the hidden message. Ed grabbed his suitcase and followed Riza and Roy out of the station, waving goodbye. It was such a shame he couldn’t come next year…

&-&-&-&-&-&-&-& Owari &-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-&

Aishou yori mo, fukai futari wa

Sure chigatte kamawanai

I don't care about "bad affinity".

Even if our love is not doing well,

Nevertheless we have deep ties.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The same as Kaoru-dono “Thank you”

That and “sorry”

And “goodbye”

… Shall we be…

…going soon…?

-Kenshin Vol 28, Act 251(?)

The sequel to Yoake Mae~
I present Reimei!
Warning Shonen ai
HP/FMA crossover yadda yadda yadda. xD

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Reimei: Honor and Pride
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Chapter I

For the Sake of Honor; Back Again (or Hell No!)

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READY STEADY CAN'T HOLD ME BACK

READY STEADY GIVE ME GOOD LUCK

READY STEADY CAN'T HOLD ME BACK

READY STEADY GIVE ME GOOD LUCK

-----------

“WHAT!”

Peace was shattered once again in headquarters. Riza looked at her watch, right on time. Ed went in to submit his report and not even five minutes later, the yelling match had started. Riza could have sworn the year those two spent away with each other would help improve their relationship. Looks like she was wrong and here she was thinking Hogwarts had a good effect on the two of them. ‘I wonder if Ray is free for lunch. I need to get out of this building for awhile,’ Riza thought to herself.

Nearby, Al let out a sigh. Apparently he was thinking along the same lines. His brother’s mission couldn't be that bad. Surely Edward was just exaggerating. Then again, it was just another typical day.

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Ed couldn’t believe his ears. There was no way that was possible. How was that possible! His ears were deceiving him. It was impossible! There was no way this could be happening! It was a dream! It had to be a dream. Ed pinched himself. Pain… nope, it wasn’t a dream. Still this had to be impossible! Out of a million chances there was no way this was happening. Why if you calculated it, you’ll discover that the probability of this happening was 1 to 92389759902379043728 chances. (1)

Ed looked at Roy. “You’re joking, right?” Skepticism and a bit of hope glimmered in his golden eyes.

Roy’s eyebrow rose. “Does it look like I am?” he asked. “The letters have been sent. They’re right here. You can read them yourself.” He pointed the two letters on his desk.

Neither of them noticed that Shinka had slipped into the room. The reddish-brown cat had been looking for something to do while her master was talking to Roy. Shinka took a look at her master, momentarily confused to why her master was gaping like those delicious fish outside in the pond.

“Go back! Are you crazy!” shouted Ed. Shinka jumped. She hadn’t heard her master yell like that in a long time. She understood now. The baka librarian was arguing with her master. What did her master see in him? Shinka would probably never understand that one. Shinka’s tail swayed back and forth… she would have to bite that man if he kept aggravating her master.

“Do you not want to go?” asked Roy. His confident smirk was in place.

Ed faltered. “No, it’s just a surprise,” he said quietly. Shinka decided to make her presence known. She meowed loudly.

Ed looked down, surprised to see Shinka. He picked her up. “Hey girl, why are you in here?”

Shinka gave another meow. It sounded a lot like ‘I was bored’. If Ed could understand her, he would have sweatdropped.

“So what is your answer, Fullmetal?” asked Roy patiently.

Ed looked at him before smirking. “Do you really have to ask?” he said. Ed looked at Shinka, his smirk growing wider. “So Shinka, what do you think of going back to Hogwarts?”

Shinka could only stare at her master.

---------------------------

With a few explanations, pulling of strings, some rush packing, and a promise to write and to stay healthy, Ed, Roy and Shinka found themselves in Diagon Alley. They were greeted with familiar, yet strange sights. Life was so different from what they were used to. Even though it had only been a few months, Ed couldn’t help but feel like a stranger again to the world of magic.

Nevertheless Ed took a moment to soak up everything around him… until a kid bump into him. “Get out of the way shorty!” the kid yelled at him.

"Who did you call a shorty who's so small that he's barely visible and hard to target!" shouted Ed. The kid just stuck his tongue out at Ed and ran away.

Ed twitched and turned to Roy. “I suddenly remembered why I didn’t want to come back here,” he said dryly.

Roy’s laughter was his only answer.

----------------------------

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron and Hermione were wandering through the streets looking at the shops. Harry was telling Hermione what had happened and why he was in trouble. Needless to say, Hermione spent the next half an hour scolding Harry and Ron for what they did: Ron for attempting something stupid, like using his dad’s car to rescue Harry and Harry for going along with the idea. They had just finished stocking up on basic school supplies (ink, parchment, sweets, etc, etc) when Harry bumped into someone.

A very familiar someone…

Someone Harry thought he was never going to see again…

“Ed?”

Golden eyes blinked and stared back. At the same time Harry said Ed, the word “Harry?” was heard as well.

“Ed, why did you stop?” Any other words failed after that.

Harry looked up… “Mr. Mustang?” he asked.

There was a moment of silence as the five of them just stared at each other. From her master’s head, Shinka didn’t understand what was going on. Humans… they were strange. Shinka almost fell off her perch when all of a sudden questions started flying.

“I thought you weren’t coming back?”

“Why are you here?”

“Where have you been?”

“It’s so good to see you guys again.”

“So what trouble have you gone into?”

“Mr. Mustang are you the librarian again?”

“Are you done with your shopping?”

“Aren’t you asking too many questions?”

It was just a massive pile of questions that were being shot off everywhere to everyone. Shinka leapt off her master’s head and headed off in a different direction. She knew her master and his crush would be talking to her master’s friends for a while. Might as well go explore, perhaps go and pay her own family a visit.

------------

It took a few minutes to clear up most of the questions. There was just one that had to be cleared up. “I thought you said weren’t coming back Ed,” said Harry.

Ed grinned sheepishly. “I wasn’t expecting to,” he answered honestly. “He just told me one day that I had to come back.” Ed pointed to Roy who looked annoyed at the answer.

“It’s not my fault you travel so much that the only way people can contact you is through me,” grumbled Roy. Why was Fullmetal making it sound like he was the reason why he was here?

“You’re half of the reason why I’m traveling all over the place. How did you get out of work to come anyways?” questioned Ed.

Roy smirked as he thought about it. It was one of his finer escapes from the military. Of course, when he got back he was looking at doing a lot of paperwork filing to repay the debt… That alone was something he wasn’t looking forward to.

-------------------------

“Major General!”

An eyebrow raise. “What is it?”

“Have you seen Colonel Mustang?”

“Why?”

“We have been looking for him all week. We can’t find any trace of him or where he might have gone.”

“That’s simple. I sent him to go get me some candy.”

Sweatdrop

“Was that a joke Major General?”

Glare

“I can’t afford to leave my office without you idiots screwing up something. So I sent the Colonel to get me candy.”

“But… Major General…”

“What!” The tone of voice grew even colder. It was beginning to promise a world of hurt very soon.

“When will the Colonel be back?”

“A couple months… borderline a year.”

“What! Why?”

Bigger glare. “Major Arms… Do I really need to explain myself again?”

Major Arms gulped nervously. He was trending on thin ice right now. Maybe he should just leave now… “Leaving now… ma’am.”

“Good.” Popped in a jellybean in her mouth before spitting it out. “Yuck,” she mumbled under her breath. “Grass. Geeze when it said ‘Every Flavor’ it meant ‘Every Flavor’.” She looked at the bag of jellybeans on her desk: Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. Wherever Roy had gotten these, it sure was a strange place.

-----------------------------------

“So have you gotten all your supplies yet?” asked Ed.

“Just need our books. We’re going to meet Ron’s mother at Flourish and Blotts,” said Harry.

“Cool,” said Ed. “I need to get my books too.” He looked around. “Where did Shinka go?” he mumbled to himself. The reddish-brown cat was nowhere in sight.

“She’ll come back on her own,” assured Roy. He should know. Ed had him watch Shinka a few time. The first couple times, Roy panicked when he couldn’t find the small kitten. He eventually learned that Shinka would come back. A few times he had found the kitten sitting in the Major General’s lap as she petted it. A strange sight to see at work, but nevertheless, it saved Roy a lot of trouble of searching for the kitten. Of the Major General did exactly let him live it down, that Roy was panicking over not being able to find a cat.

Suddenly one incident popped into Roy’s mind and mentally he groaned. Yes, that one incident of Shinka and Black Hayate. That was a disaster. Somehow the two animals that were supposed to be mortal enemies, got along very well and managed to throw the entire office into chaos. Explaining the mess to his superiors… well… that was a interesting predicament.

Ed looked at Roy. Now what was wrong with him? Roy looked like he had seen a ghost or something along those lines. Ed ignored it as Shinka suddenly appeared again, meowing as if she was never gone. Ed picked her up. “Where did you run off to Shinka?” he asked his kitten.

Shinka just licked his nose. Her master didn’t need to know where she went. It was her own business after all.

“We need to go to Flourish and Blotts now,” said Hermione as she checked the time on her watch. “We’re going to be late!”

Shinka leaped out of Ed’s hands and jumped onto her master’s head, her perch. Ed let out a sigh. He should really teach his pet some manners. However, it would have to wait. He had to get his books.

------------------------------

Ed tilted his head. Now there was something strange here. It wasn’t often one would see a crowd in front of a bookstore. Let alone a very large crowd. Most of them seem to be middle-aged witches. The banner hanging from the upper windows told them all the reasons.