Chapter 2
“We have informed Poppy, she is ready for them”
“We should carry them, using magic might irritate the mark”
“Also that leg…?”
“We will ask later”
Edward sat up and looked at the adults in the room. It was the same as the day before. “Ah good you are awake” The old man walked up to them.
“Vere are ve?” he asked in their language. “You are in Scotland, close to Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardly, I am the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore” the old man introduced.
Alphonse sat up “Magic?” he said in Ametria. Their minds supplied them with a brief description of a wizard and magic but nothing else.
“We are going to be taking you to the school to heal under our med-witch, the Centaurs have done all they can for now, you just need to rest,” said the old man.
“How ve getting zere?”
“Hagrid will carry you” He gestured to the giant man. “Ello’ I’ll be careful,” he said.
Edward was wary but Alphonse looked a bit excited. Hagrid came over to them and picked them up carefully. “Let’s go ven!” he said cheerfully.
As they walked passed the centaur that healed them, the two brothers both bowed “Sank you for helping us!”
The centaur blinked at the two younglings before nodding back “Of course”
The two looked around the forest in wonder, seeing different animals here and there, creatures and plants.
At some point, Hagrid got to talking about his pets and the two boys got excited to meet Fluffy. “Another time,” Albus said.
“So you’re all teachez?” Alphonse asked. “Nay, not me, I’m the keeper of the keys,” Hagrid said. “Vat about zee bat?”
Hagrid barked out a laugh and Ed could see Albus giving a chucking under his hand. “The bat! That’s a good one” Hagrid laughed “Ah that was Professor Severus Snape, our potions master”
“Potionz?” Edward asked curious.
“Yes, one of the many subjects we teach here at Hogwarts,” Albus said. The two boys lit up at the mention of learning.
“You look about to be Eleven, you would be getting yer letter soon,” Hagrid said.
They were taken into the castle, the two boys marvelling at the castle, ghosts, artefacts in the hall, and elves around, before being put down on a cot.
Alphonse stayed glued to his brother, even when the med-witch came to check on Edward. “I’m zaying right here,” he said stubbornly. Edward just grinned proudly and nuzzled his brother.
She gave up and did her check with both brothers. “They both are fine, just need rest the centaurs are great healers,” she said.
“Just a lot of rest”
The boys then took residence in the infirmary for the time being.
Poppy had asked them the usual questions, but since they didn’t know anything of the world, the whys or what, they didn’t say much, just their names, and it was obvious to the teachers that they were from Germany, from their accents at least, so the brothers let them assume.
Albus contacted the ministry there to find out more, he would be receiving word in a few days.
While they waited, Edward was to stay in the hospital wing until the bite healed. So the two brothers would sit all day on the bed talking and playing.
“I don’t think Truth sent us here” Ed spoke one day, as they read over some of the many books they were borrowing. “You're right, it felt weird” Al nodded.
“I’ve gone through the gate so many times, I know how it feels like, normally those hands would latch onto you, this time, we went through a gate, but no hands and something felt different, like you said, weird,” he said.
After a long discussion, they concluded that Truth didn’t send them here, something else did, and even if they don’t know why, for the time being, they would have to wait and learn all they could of this world.
The only ones at the castle at the moment were the med-witch, Snape, the headmaster, Hagrid and Professor Sprout, the others would be coming in a few months for the start of the year.
The two boys grew on all the teachers there and were gifted something to entertain themselves, they mostly requested books to read, but Hagrid and Sprout also gave them some toys board games, and a pack of cards.
Snape had given them some potion books and a chess board.
The two thanked them all profoundly and took in all the information they were given. It was astounding how quickly they gathered information and ate all the books up as they read.
They would even just sit in the bed, leaning against each other as they read in silence, or they would discuss what they learned, play games, etc.
Albus came into the hospital room one evening looking disheartened. The Elric boys had settled down to sleep when they were warned by the med-witch to rest, she already had the blessing of the Elric's need for knowledge and staying up late.
“What's wrong Headmaster?” Snape and Poppy were taking stock of the potions in the hospital when the headmaster arrived. “I just found out some grave news on the Elric boys”
The two stopped what they were doing to give Albus their full attention. Snape would never admit it, but the two golden-haired boys grew on him, they were both very intelligent, catching onto subjects much faster than any eleven-year-old he’d ever met and while children and bantered with him, were respectful, he suspected it was because he was a potions master.
“I had gotten word from the German ministry, they told me they were looking for the boys and were thankful they were alright, it seems someone is after them,” he said seriously.
The adults didn’t notice the two boys listening. They had a vague idea that whatever brought them here, gave them cover stories.
“Oh dear, and their parents?”
“Their mother had fallen ill when the boys were five and has passed for some years now, their father disappeared right after, and whoever is after the boys, wants what their father was working on” he said.
“So where is their father?”
“No one knows, they think he left to protect his sons, but we can’t be sure, for now, we have agreed that the boys would be safer here than there”
There was a small silence “What was their father's work?”
“Alchemy”
There was an uneasy silence “You think it’s Death Eaters?”
“Until they find out who attacked their home, we don’t know, for now, they are under my care”
Snape sighed “Well, we better keep an eye on the two”
The two brothers ignored the rest of the conversation and went to sleep.