Everlasting
By LadysWords

Prologue: Interlude of a Fox

"A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life."

-James Allen

Albus Dumbledore was wearied from his battle with his old friend. It had been an ungodly long three-hour battle; therefore, no one could blame him for resting a moment.

After all, he'd just defeated the Gellert Grindelwald; who wouldn't need a rest?

Currently Albus was contemplating everything that had happened in the small village of Bridlington. He sighed as he sat and clutched his newly acquired wand; the very wand for which he'd been scouring the world for so many long and desperate years: the Elder Wand. Though he did not leap for joy after acquiring it; he was still wondering why he won it at all…

Dumbledore frowned slightly. He believed he had not really won the Elder Wand in the duel, but rather an apparently non-magical interruption landed it in his possession.

At least that's what he assumed.

Though he did not remember it clearly, he did recall that at one point in the battle Gellert was knocked off his feet for a moment. Albus did not see what had happened to make the man lose his wand, but he heard the noise as Grindelwald was suddenly taken by surprise and knocked down, losing the wand in the process. Dumbledore had then quickly grabbed it and managed to defeat him.

He remembered briefly seeing a furry, deep-amber colored creature that must've gotten caught up in their battle. Perhaps it had been a fox of some sort that lived in the area, trying escape a wizard's duel...

'Strange... Strange indeed...' he thought.

Dumbledore shook his head and looked back at the forest that bordered the nearby suburbs, surprised when he saw what appeared to be the same what fox subtly hiding in a bush.

As the old wizard peered closer, he noticed that the fox appeared to actually be glaring at him with its amber eyes. He had also, in fact, been right about the shades of its fur. And the fox had a sort of tautness after the events that had just taken place, which was completely natural.

In response to the glare, Albus only gave the fox an amused look. 'Was that the fox that interrupted the duel?' he thought curiously. He blinked once and the fox had vanished into the forest from whence it came.

'I hope that another like him will never resurface', Dumbledore thought.

He hoped that another Dark Lord would never reappear among the Wizarding World again, but that was just his own wishful thinking. Well, not just his own, that of many other optimistic hopefuls, no doubt.

The same fox that had interrupted the wizard's duel was now scampering through an alleyway near the said event. It skulked around carefully, eyes narrowed and filled with an angry suspicion, trying to stay hidden. It was listening closely with its acute senses, making sure it had found a deserted area.

Hearing nothing and smelling no one, the fox suddenly transformed into a man.

The man was rather tall, with the broad shoulders; long, golden tresses ran down his back before he tied them up in a neat, high ponytail, leaving some remaining to frame his face in long bangs. A single, curious cowlick stood atop his head, positioned between the two waves framing his face. Besides his hair, bright amber eyes glittered with the intelligence of a genius, with aureate specks dotting the irises. The man retained no baby fat from his youth and wore attire consisting of a dark brown coat, a white undershirt, and black slacks.

Sighing to himself, though no response came in response to the noise, the stranger silently strode towards the street, making sure no one had noticed him - not that it actually made any difference.

'Damn wizards,' the man thought to himself, even though he was one of them. He quickly navigated through the city, scanned the area, and headed for his destination.'It should be around here somewhere,' he thought.

He abruptly stopped when he saw a pub with black doors and a sign reading, "The Leaky Cauldron."

'Ah! There it is!' The stranger eagerly entered to the pub, and the old bartender recognized him immediately.

"Long time no see, Mr. Elric."

Author Notes: Foxes are generally described as cunning, strategic, quick-thinking, adaptive, clever, wise, and small like Edward. Which is why I had him as a fox in my story.

As of 1/23 Reedited By The King in White

Disclaimer: If don't you don't know FMA belongs to Hiromu Arakawa and Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling

TBC