Chapter 7
Ed was making his way with Hermione and Neville to their next class, walking behind Harry and Ron.
Ed groaned when the stairs moved. “Great, now were going to be late” he was tempted to use one of the hidden corridors, but wasn’t sure if he wanted to show everyone in the group about it.
“Come on, let’s find another way” Harry said. “Wait, this is the third floor, were not allowed to be here” Neville whispered fearfully.
“Relax” Ed waved. They walked a bit, trying to find another stair case, when they came to a door. Ed frowned at it while Harry, Ron and Hermione tried to get in.
“Wait!” he recognized the door too late, and Fluffy started barking. Ed jumped in front of them “Wait Fluffy, it’s okay!” he put his hand out.
The three headed dog stopped and yipped happily at seeing Ed, three tails wagging as they came down for the head on the left to lick his face. “Oh no! Fuffy!” he tried to push his face away.
“What the hell?!” Ron exclaimed.
Fluffy turned to them, excited. “Ah sorry Fluffy, you need to go back in the room, we have to go to class” he told the dog, who whimpered when he moved away “I swear I’ll visit later okay?” he patted all their heads.
Once he had the door closed and locked, he used a spell to clean the drool, then alchemy.
“What was that?!” Ron asked. “That was Fluffy, he belongs to Hagrid” he told them. “Hagrid?! What was it doing in the castle!?”
“He was guarding something” Hermione said “Did you see what he was standing on”
“I was too busy starting at it’s heads!!”
“It was a trapdoor so it is guarding something, but what?” she asked. Ed was still comforting Neville. “Well let’s not think about it right now, let’s just got to our common rooms before we all are in trouble” he said. “Right, true, before they get us all killed” Hermione glared at Harry and Ron.
“We didn’t want to see a giant three-headed dog!”
Ed waved goodbye to the other before leaving himself.
-
When they finally started to do the spells they were learning, it was the levitation one first.
He sat next to Evelyn, which had become his classmate friend and study buddy with Hermione, and a Hufflepuff girl named Katie Williams.
(Had met Katie in Charms, she was struggling to understand the theory of charms. Ed had helped her when they had their charms study sessions.
He first explained to her how he understood the theory, she obviously didn’t understand what he was saying, and so he explained how he would teach Al.
When they were first learning Alchemy or anything really, Al learned more hands on then Ed himself. Ed could read a book and learn something completely, (With alchemy though he needed to physically do it first) for Al, he had to do it more hands on, more physical work ,which is why he exceeds at hand-to-hand better then then Ed.
He was able to help enough with the charms work they got to talking and she said he was interested more in the stars, she was just disappointed first-years don’t go into the more interesting things until the next few years.)
He had his wand in hands as Flitwick instructed everyone to be careful with their pronunciation and movements.
Ed eyed his feather. He looked up at some movement at the other side of the class of Ron trying to take someone’s eye out. Hermione stopped him and did the spell perfectly.
Smirking to himself, Ed waited until Ron put his wand down before doing the spell for the first time, but on Ron’s wands, letting it fly passed the red haired.
Some noticed and watched it confused. Ed didn’t have his wand in hand, so no one bothered to look at him, only Evelyn who gave a raised eye-brow at him as he grinned at her.
Once the wand touched the ceiling, which was very high did Ron notice his wand was missing. “Where’s my wand!?” he screamed.
Ed kept his laughs in as Ron looked around in a frenzy for his wand, Harry joining him on searching.
It was only when Flitwick looked over to him, seeing his hand hovering in the air did he scold the golden haired boy. “Elric” he said.
Ed grinned and lowered the wand down back to Ron’s desk. The red hair glared at him.
“That was impressive wandless magic, have you’ve been practicing without your wand?” he asked.
“Yes Professor, using my wand doesn’t feel natural, I’d rather use my hand” he said. No one but the two next to him heard their conversation.
When they were leaving, Ed walked with Evelyn, both trying to catch up with Hermione, when they overheard Ron mocking Hermione.
“Minnie!” Evelyn yelled out but she ran off.
Ed turned to Ron with glare that had the four boys flinch back at the ferocity in his eyes “Arsehole move Ron” he growled. He stomped away before running after Hermione with Evelyn, who glared at Ron with just as much rage as Ed’s.
Ed and Evelyn chased Hermione all the way to the girl’s bathroom. Evelyn entered and Ed waited outside, not really caring for his last classes.
He was worried. When getting to know Hermione, he noticed she was terrible at making friends, and many of the girls looked down on her, which is maybe the reason to why Hermione had a-know it all attitude, and because she normally knew what she was talking about.
He was annoyed at first, but got to know her and they became friends.
The two girls came out after some time and Ed took them to an alcove that was out of sight from view.
“Don’t listen to that moron, you have friends, I and Eve here, he’s just jealous you got the spell before he did” he said as soon as they sat down. Hermione gave a wet laugh “please, I know I’m brilliant” she sighed.
“Then what’s wrong? Is it Ron? I can give him a punch tomorrow?” he offered.
Evelyn nodded her natural face of neutrality cracking a bit “I won’t mind holding him for you Ed” Hermione laughed again “No, no, you don’t have to do that” she smiled. “I just, sometimes wish it was easier to fit in”
Both Ed and Evelyn deadpanned at her “You don’t need to fit in for that arsehole, you are fine just how you are, intelligent, brave, beautiful and confident”
Hermione blushed and sat a bit confidently. “Thanks, your right, what do I care for what Weasley wants” She grinned. “Say it Mione” Evelyn encouraged.
“I’d say He can go suck it, he’s mouth is too big for his brain to work” Ed grinned. “Easy there Elric, you have a black hole for a stomach as well” Evelyn teased.
“I at least finish my food before speaking” he said mutter of fact.
“Come, let’s get to the great hall” Ed helped them up, surprising them with his strength before they started their way to the great hall. “We don’t want to get in trouble with Snap or McGonagall” he shivered.
Ed then saw Quirrell rushing somewhere. “Hold up, I need to ask Professor Quirrell something” he told them. “Alright, but don’t take too long”
Ed nodded before rushing after the professor. He wanted to ask some questions about the smokescreen spell.
He had made it to the professor as he went to the dungeons. He raised an eye-brow at why the teacher was there, and not at the feast.
The professor also looked very paranoid, looking over his shoulder like he was being watch or follow, which he wasn’t wrong, but he missed Ed every time he looked. Ed walked calming behind him as he followed.
He was about to call out to the professor, when a striking buzz entered his mind. He flinched back and stumbled into the wall, out of sight of the professor.
It was the castle, the Hogwarts Castle was warning him of something. He looked back to where Quirrell had gone, and his eyes widened when he saw the professor let in three trolls.
He stayed hidden, it actually felt like the shadows around him grew darker.
He watched as Quirrell run back up the stairs as fast as he could. Ed waited a bit before following, more quietly then the teacher.
But Quirrell was fast and he lost sight of him.
He took a wrong turn and felt the castle was trying to get him too safety as he took another wrong turn.
He had stopped to glare at the castle, when he saw a troll attacking some students.
Looking closer, it was Ron, Harry and Hermione. He saw they were doing their best to stay out of the trolls reach, but had no idea what to do. Thinking quickly, Ed ran and jumped from the stair case he was on, and kicked the troll with his automail foot.
The troll fell like a tree and crushed a wall. It was out cold when Ed landed on the ground.
“Edward!” Hermione crashed into him, hugging him tightly “I was worried about you!” she said.
“No need to worry about me Hermione” he grinned. “I work out”
“Blimy, you just knocked that troll out, did-did you jump from the second floor?!” Ron asked in shock. Ed just grinned at him. “Come, there’s something that’s bugging me”
He ran up the stairs, the others following, and just in time too, they saw Quirrell on the third floor “Didn’t he pass out in the great hall?” Ron asked confused. Ed watched as the teacher enter the door that was off-limits to everyone.
“What is he doing?” Harry asked.
“Exactly what I was going to say” the four jumped at the voice and turned to see Snape. “Profezzor Znap!” Ed cleared his throat “what brings you here?” he asked with an innocent smile.
“Finding students so they don’t get killed” he snarled.
Ed kept his grinned “Sorry about that sir, we were on our way to our common rooms, when the troll attack us” he said.
“Don’t lie to me, Elric, you weren’t at the feast”
“Got me there, fine, I was looking for Professor Quirrell when the trolls walked right passed me, I was making my way back when I saw these three being attack, so I took down the troll like any student would before for their fellow students” he said.
Snap look at the troll, and the three Gryffindor’s were surprised that Snape looked like he believe him “Still doesn’t change you all have detention”
“Thought so” Ed cursed in Amestris.
Soon the other professors showed up, McGonagall taking points and lecturing her Gryffindor’s. Flitwick doing the same for Ed.
As they were rushed off to their common rooms, he saw Snape sneak off, most likely to find Quirrell, he saw the way Snape scowled at the third corridor.
When he arrived in the common room, he was surprised to see all his roommates and the two Ravenclaw friends he made.
“What are you all doing up?” Flitwick asked. He was tasked with making sure Edward made it back to the tower, the professors not knowing if there were any more trolls around.
Ed taught Al as his little brother hugged him. “We were worried about this moron” Takashi said bluntly “For the month we’ve know him, we at least know he’s prone to trouble, if he’s making it himself or just by association, we wanted to make sure he was alright” He and Takashi have a weird friendship, which resulted them in heavy debates that last most of the night before they call a agree to disagree.
“And Al was very worried”
“I’m fine Al, the troll didn’t even attack me” he smiled. “I’d rephrase that answer, we heard you took down a troll by yourself” Hugo said, excitement in his eyes.
“Alright I did, I kicked it in the face, but only because some idiot Gryffindor’s were trying to fight it” he told them.
Al nodded, still latched onto Ed. “I was just worried, trolls might be dumb, but their strong” he mumbled.
Ed understood his worry, since changing back to eleven and ten years old, they had to get use to their bodies again, they have done their usual training and sparring, Ed can at least say, he still has his experience from his eighteen years of living, he just doesn’t have the strength he would have had if he was eighteen. Doesn’t mean he isn’t strong, he could take down grown men at twelve, even eleven thanks to Teachers training.
But Trolls aren’t grown men, they are bigger and stronger. The two brothers have gone through the forest, and have dealt with the beasts in there fine, they were careful and did research on it, and the centaurs were a lot of help.
“I’m fine I promise, I kicked the troll with my automail, in a careful way don’t give me that look”
“Winry will kill you if you damaged her automail” Al chuckled. “It’s mine, it’s on me” Ed grumbled.
“Everything alright?” Flitwick asked worried. “All’s fine, Al’s just worried” he said.
Al moved away, but not too far. “Right, now, everyone to bed, excitement is over and everyone is safe” Flitwick announced and Ed just now noticed some upper years were also there, looking at him worried. He recognized the two prefects, and Oliver with a few others he met but not gotten to know.
They all left to their rooms
Al of course stayed with him, both climbing onto his bunk, Nelly appearing out of nowhere and cuddling up to them both.
“Night everyone!” he called. “night/good night!”