Hello!
This idea has been bothering me for a while, so I thought, "Why not get it down so I stop going crazy?" Anyway, I hope you guys like it.
I've been unable to stop thinking about FMA:B, and ended up making an OC, Juna Elric. She will be one of the main characters, but she won't effect the GoF plot too much: aka Harry will still be selected and all that stuff. There is also a surprise at the end of the chapter, but I'll let you read to find out.
Juna won't have magic, so all she has at her disposal is her alchemy, her close combat skills, her brain, and her pistol when she bothers to use it (which won't be very often if at all as she prefers close combat and alchemy).
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist (either one) or Harry Potter.
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: The New Staff or Wait, Magic Exists?
The start of term feast at Hogwarts was, as usual, amazing.
That was usually the first thing Harry thought after the sorting finished, but not today.
Today it was, "Who is Professor Elric?"
Professor Elric is their new alchemy teacher, something Hogwarts apparently hasn't had in over a century. She was not very tall, and didn't look older than some of the fourth years in his class. Dumbledore had mentioned she was Hogwarts's youngest professor, but that's all he ever said when someone asked.
She was no taller than 162 cm, had bright golden hair that met her shoulder when up in a ponytail, and two long bangs framing her face, and her eyes, no, eye, was a pool of molten gold, the left one was covered by an eye-patch. She wasn't tan, but she wasn't pale.
She dressed much more like a muggle than a wizard or witch. She had on a white dress shirt under a black vest with a black and white, striped tie, and a pair of black pants and knee-high combat boots. But that wasn't all, the most prominent parts of her outfit were a russet trench coat, and a pair of pure, white gloves.
She looked like a muggle who "traveled in style" as his walrus of an Uncle had always claimed to do when he dressed to go on a business trip.
Oh, those times of relative peace were lovely.
Anyway, she looked very out of place surrounded by robes and pointy hats, but she didn't seem very bothered by that. In fact, she didn't show any signs of a positive or negative emotion on her face, it was nearly blank if not for the slight interest he caught in her eye when she was speaking with Snape and McGonagall.
"...ry"
Either she was very good at hiding her thoughts on something, or she just generally didn't show emotion.
".arry"
He wondered what she was talking to Snape about, he seemed to find her less of a "dunderhead" than most people.
"Harry!"
He jumped and turned to Hermione, who looked ready to smack his arm to get his attention. Had he been that lost in thought? He asked sheepishly, "What is it, Hermione? I didn't hear you."
The bushy-haired brunette sighed, "I asked what you think of Professor Elric. You've been staring at her for the last few minutes."
Oh, "Um…" Harry wasn't sure what to say to that, "I guess, she seems to stand out?"
The raised eyebrow he got was all he needed to know he had to elaborate, "She's dressed more like a muggle than a witch, and she seems kind of…" he tried to think of a word.
"Emotionless?"
"Yeah, let's go with that." Harry sighed, "It's just, why revive alchemy now when the Triwizard Tournament is happening? What's so important about bringing it in now and not sooner or later?"
Ron had finally looked up from his pile of mashed potatoes, his mouth clear of food for once when he spoke, "I dunno, mate. You might be looking too much into it."
Hermione, meanwhile, began some of her own observations, "I wonder where she's from. She looks German, but you don't really see golden eyes very often anywhere. The only other person I've ever seen them on was Madame Hooch, and she's more of an amber than a gold, and Lupin's were more yellow, like all werewolves…"
It was Ron's turn to sigh, "Do your mumbling later, 'Mione. Just eat for Merlin's sake!"
Hermione looked to Ron with a huff, but, for once, listened to him and dug into the salad she had placed on her plate with a light huff and a pout, mumbling about forced labor.
Harry decided it was best to remain quiet, lest he gain the wrath of his much smarter and skilled-in-every-way-lady-friend, and dug into the piece of steak before it grew cold. Not that it would with the stasis charm that was cast on all the food at the feast, but it was the thought that count, right?
…
When Juna had originally been assigned to this job, she had been hesitant to accept it.
After all, as an Alchemist, she was quite fond of the logical, and magic was not logical in any way, shape, or form. She may approve of creativity, but magic was far beyond her comprehension of imaginative.
Anyway, it was a month prior to the start of this school's term, Juna was in her barracks room writing up some of her research notes, coded mind you, she wasn't stupid, when she heard Mustang's voice over the intercom, "Lieutenant Colonel Elric, you are needed in my office for a mission."
She kept her face blank, Mustang knew she hated being interrupted from her research, so why was he calling her now? It better be important or she'll punch him. She gently ran a metal finger over her automail eye, a habit she did when deep in thought that she never quite got out of after she got her prosthetics, before placing her gloves and eyepatch on and leaving quietly to get this over with.
It didn't take her long to reach the Flame Alchemist's office, she gave a polite knock.
"Enter, Alloy Eye."
She did, noting there were two people in the room with the dark-haired Colonel.
She turned to Mustang, "I hope there is a reason you called me here. I was in the middle of my research."
The Flame Alchemist stared calmly at his fellow State Alchemist, before giving a sigh, "My apologies, Alloy Eye, but you are needed for this mission. You are the only State Alchemist currently available, that isn't across the continent, I would trust on this mission."
She raised her visible eyebrow, gesturing him to continue, her face carefully blank.
"These two fine fellows are Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. They are the ones who requested the mission."
She turns to them, giving an uninterested once-over of both of them. They were both clad in strange dresses or robes. The woman was in darker clothing with a pointy hat; she looked stern. The man was in bizarre blue robes with… were those cats moving? Anyway, his hair and beard were long enough to tuck into his belt, and there was a pair of half-moon spectacles on his crooked nose.
They looked like wizards and witches from the children's fairy tales.
She held out her left hand, "Lieutenant Colonel Juna Elric, also known as the Alloy Eye Alchemist."
The spectacled man shook first, then the woman, "It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear. For the sake of ease, you may refer to me how you prefer, I am headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland. Which is northwest of Drachma."
Juna raises in eyebrow skeptically, "You claim magic is real to an alchemist, a person who is a firm believer of logical explanations. I would like proof beyond your word."
The woman, Minerva McGonagall if she recalled correctly, took out a stick from her sleeve and asked if there was a cup she could use.
Juna gave her superior a bland look, and without breaking eye-contact clapped her hands and used the window behind him to transmute a glass pitcher.
Mustang returned the look, "Was this for the miniskirt comment yesterday?"
"Naturally."
She handed the elder woman the pitcher, careful to not break it with her grip as she couldn't feel with either hand how hard she was pressing.
The so-called witch pointed her stick at the pitcher and with a muttered word she didn't catch, the pitcher turned into a canary. She returned the canary to pitcher form after the two alchemist observed the transformation for a few seconds.
Juna's non-prosthetic eye widened slightly, "That ignored the laws of Equivalent Exchange… you can't make a living thing out of something that isn't living. How does it work? What happened to that pitcher as it became a canary? Was that canary sentient?" she began to ask another question, but Mustang cleared his throat. She quieted down.
The woman, McGonagall, spoke this time, "I am sure your questions can be answered more in depth at a later time, but that was an example of what magic can do, and one of the things the students learn. A long time ago, Alchemy was also a subject taught in Hogwarts, but due to a lack of funding at the time, the course was taken out from the program. We would like to bring the class back, and to do this, we need a teacher. Mr. Mustang, here, recommended you."
Juna's interest was peaked, but she did have a question for her fellow alchemist, "Why me? I don't exactly have a teaching license, and I'm not exactly someone you call out on a job lightly, Mustang. Especially since my brothers are both currently out of Central."
"It's either you or Armstrong at the moment, and I would rather not traumatize children with his… eccentricities…"
"I... see." Juna muttered, she turned back to the two magic users, 'witch' and 'wizard' sound too childish to her, "I will accept the mission, Mr. Dumbledore. Is there anything besides teaching, or is that all you are looking for? Also, how long would this mission take, and what do I gain from teaching at your school?"
Dumbledore's twinkly eyes stared for a moment, "Teaching will be your main job. It will last at least one year, and I can leave the job offer open for longer if you find yourself enjoying it. However, as you are a military officer, I believe you wouldn't stay there longer than necessary, am I correct?"
At her nod he continued, "This is also a diplomatic situation. This year, we are reviving a tournament where the three top wizarding schools in Europe join together to compete, and our ministry wishes to make an alliance with Amestris, so you are to teach at my school as a way of making connections with your country. Mr. Mustang here will be meeting regularly with the ministry, while you are teaching and building positive relations."
"I see." Juna took in the information, "What about my State Alchemist exam?" she asked Mustang.
"If you take this mission, you shall be exempt from taking the exam this year due to your circumstances."
She nodded, "I'll take the mission. We're going to need allies."
Mustang sighed, "You bet we do. You are probably one of our best options beside your brothers due to your spread out knowledge of alchemy. After all, you, like that damn twin midget of yours, know a decent amount about multiple types of alchemy and can help kids find their own specialty much easier than I would, not that I like to admit it."
Juna nodded again, then turned back to Dumbledore, "When do I leave, and is there any more information you have for me?"
Dumbledore took her straightforward nature in stride, taking out a file and a bag that seemed empty, "This file contains information about Hogwarts, including a map, as well as the Wizarding World in general. There is also a general schedule for the teachers in case you ever need to speak to one of them when they're free. I have also included some information on the two visiting schools, as I believe you would like to know about our guests."
She takes the file, "And the bag, sir?"
"This bag has what's known as an expansion charm on it. It makes the bag literally larger on the inside, so you can put much more things in it than you can normally, and it won't begin to feel heavy until it's full." McGonagall explained, "The bag currently has some books we believe will assist you in understanding our world."
"Thank you." She takes the bag, "Is that all?"
Dumbledore pipes up once more, "There is one more thing."
He pulls out a dictionary and a book with a title that said A Guide to English Grammar translated into Amestrian, "This is a Amestrian-English dictionary, and the other is self explanatory by title. We have been communicating through the translation charm for this entire meeting, which allowed us to understand you and vice versa, but it wears off after a few hours, so I recommend you learn some English, so a charm doesn't have to be constantly renewed."
Juna takes the books, and opens to the first page of the dictionary to see a copy of both alphabets and how they are pronounced in the other language.
That will be helpful as she will be speaking and writing in this new language a month from now. It's a good thing she had a photographic memory or she'd never learn this in a month. Pouring through so much text in her childhood had helped her develop her brain so she could now easily recall information as if she had just read it a moment ago.
It was a handy skill she and her brothers developed during their quest to bring back Mom.
She gave it a quick scan, and nodded to the two in thanks.
She watched Dumbledore give a copy of the two books to Mustang, and then with a grandfatherly smile, he and McGonagall disappeared in a "POP" that caused the two Alchemists to jump and prepare for an attack.
Realizing they were reacting at nothing, they relaxed and Mustang turned to the female Elric, "So..." he began casually, "Do you plan to fix the window anytime soon?"
Her usual blank, almost dull, expression softened into a hint of a smirk, "Perhaps." she said airily, "What would you do in return?"
His eyebrow twitched, "...knew you wouldn't do it for free." he muttered grumpily, then louder, "I'll take you to that cafe you're so fond of, and pay for the meal so long as you don't purposely make it expensive."
She nodded, face bland again, "Acceptable, that will pay for the window, and for interrupting me from my research. Good day Colonel."
"And to you, Alloy Eye."
She fixed the window with a clap of her hands and left to return to her room in the barracks.
She had some new research to do, and some packing to complete.
…
The month had passed quickly, she mused. She ran a gloved finger over her prosthetic eye.
The dictionary had been quite helpful, and she had memorized the text within a week. Using the new vocabulary, she looked through the grammar book even quicker, as she could understand the terms and examples much easier due to memorizing the dictionary. Mustang had been kind enough to buy her a new set of notebooks for her English practice, which she used as a journal in order to give herself real world practice in using the language.
However, in her eagerness to learn, she, as always, forgot about looking after herself. She barely remembered to take showers every day, and she only remembered to drink because an officer would occasionally hand her a glass of water, which she would take absentmindedly without looking up from her page of notes. Another officer came in every few days with an apple of some other fruit when they realized she forgot to eat, and that was treated like the water glass scenario.
Besides that, she pulled off more all-nighters than she could count, not that she counted. In fact, about two weeks in, when Mustang finally noticed she hadn't left her room since the day he treated her to lunch, was the first day she really slept since starting her new research.
That was a particularly memorable day.
She had been in her pajamas since her actual clothes were drying on the clothesline outside her window. Mustang had approached her door, hiding his concern with his usual cocky smile, and knocked. She didn't hear him in her state of concentration.
He had tried three more times, then called out to her, "I'm coming in, Alloy Eye." with a hint of worry. Nobody would blame him, the girl hadn't eaten a proper meal in two weeks and hadn't slept, to their knowledge, for just as long.
Thus the Colonel had entered her bedroom, and Juna finally realized someone had been trying to get her attention, pulled herself into a sideways sitting pose and turned around to see that it was Mustang.
It was at that moment Mustang realized Juna was in her pajamas, a baggy t-shirt that used to belong to her father (she found it in the attic, and had clung to it as a souvenir when she was younger) and a pair of shorts she stole from Ed a few months back. She had changed into them when she realized her last remaining copy of her usual outfit, that wasn't torn beyond repair, was currently dirty from being constantly worn.
The pajamas did nothing to hide the metal limbs that kept her small, lean form capable of maneuverability.
Her eye-patch was still covering her automail eye, but he could see her entire left arm and right leg were metal. Her right arm ended right above her elbow, where flesh became automail, and the process was repeated on her left leg from right above the knee-cap down.
It was times like these when Mustang remembered that these kids had gone through Hell and back, and they only got more suffering for their troubles. It was a miracle Juna had even survived the night. Perhaps it was the signature Elric Stubbornness that kept her alive long enough for automail surgery.
Juna shifted slightly, so she could see Mustang better, unaware of the current predicament due to her sleep-deprived mind refusing to process the twenty-nine year-old man in her room as something that should be treated differently than he is at the moment. After all, he was an adult man standing in the doorway of her room, while she was in indecent attire. She should have at least thrown a textbook at his head by now if she had been in her right mind.
Mustang, regaining his mental capabilities upon realizing he was staring at his sleep-deprived subordinate, looked away politely. He may be a flirt, but he was no pedophile.
The blonde stared at him uncomprehendingly for a solid minute at the least before she asked, "... Why are you in my room, Colonel?" tilting her head to the right with her usual bland face showing signs of tiredness.
For a second Roy compared her to a baby panda due to how distinct her dark bags were, but shook the thought away for a more important matter. He answered, not looking at her, "Some subordinates noticed you have not left your room for two weeks, and were growing worried, so they asked me to check on you."
She stared again for a good minute,, "... Ye'are a horrible li'r." she murmured, her speech slurring from sleepiness. She yawned.
Mustang allowed himself to look at the teenager in concern, "When was the last time you ate?"
"Dunno~" she drawled out, "y'sterday? Two days 'go?" another yawn.
"How about the last time you had a drink of water?"
"...same time~? ...I th'nk? No... two h'rs 'go..."
"Slept?"
"..."
"Alloy Eye?" Roy was really growing concerned. Events like this where he tried to figure out when she last took care of her well being were not uncommon, but that didn't mean he liked them. Juna may be the eldest of the Elric siblings, if only by a few minutes in Ed's case, Fullmetal always emphasized that when they got together, but she seemed to be the worst when it came to taking care of herself if she got into her research.
Apparently it was how she dealt with grief and guilt, and also just how she got when very into a subject. She was probably still feeling residue grief for Hughes's death roughly one month ago. He, himself, would sometimes still find himself staring at the telephone, wondering if Hughes would call him randomly to brag about his family.
Anyway, the Colonel had started to feel like a parent during these times, trying to make sure his child was looking after themselves properly, even though he was only thirteen years older than her, "Juna," he used her first name, "when was the last time you slept?"
She averted her eyes, they were beginning to cloud with exhaustion now that her body and mind were returning to the same page. She muttered an answer under her breath.
"What was that?"
"... Three days b'fore th' miss'n was given? I think…" she muttered again, just loud enough for him to hear.
Mustang's eyes widened, he moved quicker than Juna's mind could comprehend in her tired state, and he snatched the books and pens from in front of her on the cot, checked to see if the ink on the page was dry, and closed the books, placing them on the shelf across the room.
The girl blinked, "Wha…?"
"You are going to sleep. I will not have my subordinates hurt because they didn't sleep properly." he turned back to the girl on the bed, his expression was more stern than usual.
Juna stared at him uncomprehendingly, "M' book~..." she reached towards the shelf, waving her arm as if that would somehow levitate the book back to her hands.
"Will still be there when you wake up." Mustang finished for her, and in a move he would not have done usually without some perverted comment, he picked her up bridal style, set her in his lap before pulling the covers back and placing her back on the bed.
He got an undignified squeak and a sleepy, blushing girl for his troubles, but he paid that little mind.
He placed a hand on her metallic, left shoulder, and gave her a gentle push back so her head landed on the pillow. Finally he pulled the covers over her small frame and found she had finally given in to her body's urge to sleep.
Mustang couldn't help the fond smile that made its way onto his face. The Elrics had a strange habit of bringing out his parental side, whether they knew it or not, and as the two brothers often traveled around while Juna stayed back in Central and did her part in looking for leads, Mustang mostly felt this paternal feeling around Juna.
His body seemed to move on instinct as he did something that would have sent Hughes into fit of laughter and a large round of "I told you so"s. He tucked the girl in and gave her a gentle pat on the forehead, pushing a strand of gold hair out of her face so it didn't get in her eye.
The last thing he did was undo the eye-patch and place it on her night-side table and left after leaving a note.
She'd slept through the rest of the day, and the day after, waking up right in time for dinner. Mustang checked on her regularly in the morning and evening, not that he willingly admitted it, and had given her a lecture about looking after one's own health when he walked in and saw her awake. She had listened to him as she did not want the note he left to come true.
Whenever you wake up, go straight to the cafeteria and get something to eat, I asked the cook to make you a meal when you come in. If you don't I will know, and I will make you clean the barracks bathrooms every evening for the next week, got it? This will also apply to your sleeping schedule.
She would rather not be subject to such torture, thank you very much, so she had made a physical effort to eat at least one meal a day, and be asleep by eleven at night. It didn't always work, but it was the thought that count, right?
Either way, by the time it was time for her to go to Hogwarts two weeks later, she was fully recovered to her old self, and Mustang was finally able to trust her with a schedule again.
Minerva McGonagall was the one to pick her up, and they had traveled to Hogwarts via something the elder woman referred to as a "portkey" if Juna recalled correctly.
The woman had instructed her to grab hold of a ragged boot that should have by all means been in the trash. Juna had, like any sane person, looked at the elder woman like she had a screw loose, but when the stern witch did nothing but stare seriously in return, Juna gingerly placed a gloved finger on the dumpster boot and refrained herself from making a rude comment.
She felt a distinct pull at her navel, and a horrible pain in her automail ports and suddenly, she's crouched in the damp grass outside the gates of Hogwarts.
It took all her self control to not lay on her face, gasping in pain and nausea, but she managed to keep a straight face, somehow.
McGonagall turned to the younger female, "Have you been able to grasp any English?" she asked, slower than average talking speed, but not slow enough for it to be too obvious.
Juna responded as if she had been speaking English for much longer than a month, "I have grasped enough to articulate my teachings properly to the students, Professor McGonagall. However, I still have difficulty with things like idioms and jokes."
McGonagall looked impressed. She still had an Amestrian accent, which sounded German to the untrained ear, but she had the fluency to fool anyone. The Transfiguration Professor wondered if all Alchemists were like this or if it was just a select few.
"Very well, then, Miss Elric." she regained her composure, "As we are going to be colleagues for the year, you may address me as Minerva if you wish."
"Then you may address me how you like, as well."
With that, Juna had been taken into the magnificent Hogwarts castle and introduced to the staff, most of it as the Defense Professor wasn't there yet, the Divination Professor was in her tower, and the Muggle Studies Professor was currently working on something in his room according to the School Nurse, Madame Pomfrey.
She was also given a tour, but Minerva mainly just warned her about certain features like moving staircases, trick steps, ghosts, particularly the poltergeist, and moving paintings.
It had been very helpful, and allowed her to actually process the lack of Equivalent Exchange with much more ease, as she knew she'd have to get used to this quickly or her status as a … muggle she believed the term was… would be found out.
Minerva had given her a small charm, a chain earring, with a charm, she explained, that would keep her from being affected by muggle warding charms. She apparently needed it if she was to be staying in Hogwarts as she wasn't magical.
She was happy the brats didn't come until tomorrow, or she'd have an overload in her brain.
Her classroom connected to her office and sleeping quarters, and she didn't really do anything beyond adding books to the empty shelves and placing her clothes in the wardrobe. Automail maintenance gear was set by the desk in the office.
Minerva promised she would take Juna to Diagon Alley the next day in order to buy anything she might need, and when asked about books, Juna handed her a copy of a textbook she and her brothers had used, that she'd translated into English, saying it would need to be copied as it was the only English copy there was at the moment.
The last thing the elder professor explained before leaving Juna to her own devices had been about Houselves. If she didn't feel like eating in the Great Hall where the teachers were introduced, then she could ask a house elf to deliver a meal to her quarters. It was convenient, all she had to do was say her Houself's name, "Micky".
POP!
Juna jumped at the sudden noise coming from behind her, and it took a lot of discipline to keep herself from transmuting the floor into spikes. She turned to find the little creature looking at her expectantly, "Mistress Elric called Micky?"
"Yes." Juna confirmed, "I just want to make a few things clear so both of us can make it through the year without a life threatening situation."
The Houself nodded excitedly, "Micky's listening, Mistress Elric."
"I will begin with saying I would prefer if you don't… aparate? Is that the term? Behind me." the alchemist explains, "I am a military officer, and I have developed a habit of showing wariness to those approaching from any blind spot. It makes me uncomfortable, and I may lash out unintentionally if I am under stress."
Micky nodded, "Micky will remember."
"The next thing is not mandatory if it makes you more comfortable, but I would prefer if you don't refer to me as 'Mistress'. I would prefer 'Miss' if you could do that for me. However, this is your choice as I don't want to force something you don't want to do on you. Is that clear."
A nod, "Yes, Miss Elric. Micky will attempt to use your preferred address."
"Thank you. The final thing will be that you do not touch my things. I do own some objects that could be potentially dangerous, or valuable, and while I tend to keep them under lock and key, I would simply prefer my things be left untouched. The room is yours to clean, and I will leave the dirty laundry in a specific place for you, but I will maintain the rest of my belongings if that is alright."
This final order caused the little elf's ears to droop for a moment before he allowed himself time to consider the circumstances, "Micky understands, and will avoid touching Miss Elric's belongings barring laundry."
"Thank you, Micky. That is all."
The elf bowed before disappearing with another POP! This time in front of her as if to reassure her that he would hold his end of the deal.
She changed into her pajamas, leaving her clothes on a chair in the corner with a note for the Houself, and crawled into bed, thinking it best to get some sleep to sleep off the time difference.
The next day came quickly, and McGonagall took Juna to Diagon Alley to set up an account at Gringotts and to go shopping for any classroom supplies she would need, like chalk and parchment (plus a book or fifty that came from her converted Cenz).
The two had spent most of the day there in the shopping district, and the elder teacher had treated the younger Alchemist to a snack at an ice cream shop called "Florean Fortesque's" or something along those lines.
Now when the students were gathered in the castle, everything seems louder, more overwhelming. She would never have gotten through this without help had she not had some time to adjust. Thankfully the other schools wouldn't be coming until the end of next month.
She was currently conversing with Professor Snape, the Potions Professor, in a surprisingly refreshing conversation. He seemed to be the only one besides Minerva and Madame Pince, the Librarian, who didn't look at her like a child. She couldn't say about the Defense Professor as he was still not here, and the Muggle Studies Professor was apparently still in his room, so she couldn't say anything about him yet, either. She may be sixteen, but she hasn't been a child since that night.
Juna knew some of them didn't do it on purpose, but it did occasionally grate of her nerves, not that the Alloy Eye Alchemist showed it.
While she kept her right eye focused on Snape, her left, automail eye, was giving her a migraine due to the pouring rain outside. Her ports were all hurting, and she was trying to not massage the sore areas.
Minerva entered the Great Hall a few minutes later with a stool, a rugged old hat, and a small gaggle of tiny first years, whispering excitedly as they admired the charmed ceiling, and everything their young, innocent eyes caught. Juna hoped they'd keep that innocence for a long time. She didn't want them to make the same mistakes she and her brothers did.
The Deputy Headmistress lead the tiny children up down the center aisle of the Great Hall, and when she reached the front, right before the teachers, she placed the stool down, and the hat on top of the stool.
Then the hat began to sing.
Juna's eyes widened, and she watched in wonder as the hat sang out the characteristics of the Houses, and how it was there to sort them. She was half tempted to check for a blood seal, but then realized she was in a magic school, so she schooled her expression and observed, something she has been doing far too much for her liking.
Perhaps she could ask Minerva about the limits of magic; that and whatever she manages to come up with to ask, of course.
The Sorting followed, and the alchemist watched in fascination as each midget was called up one by one, the hat placed on their heads, and five seconds, give or take, later the student would be assigned to a table, with their new housemates welcoming them with cheers and open arms.
Once they were all sorted through, Dumbledore began his announcements.
"While I would love to have you all devouring another year's welcoming feast, I must first give out some announcements."
The old man smiled at the groans, "I would first like to inform you that our caretaker, Mr Filch, has asked me tell you the list of objects forbidden in the castle has been extended to include Fanged Frisbees, Screaming Yo-yos, and Ever Bashing Boomerangs. The list, now comprising of approximately four hundred thirty-seven items I believe, can be found posted on his office door if anyone wishes to check it."
Juna deadpanned, not believing for one second that the students would even think of checking the forbidden items. She personally didn't care.
"I would also like to remind a certain few that the Forbidden Forest is, in fact, forbidden for a reason." his eyes glanced at a trio at the Gryffindor table, along with a set of redhead twins at the same table, "And Hogsmeade village is out of bounds for students below third year."
She saw the younger students look a little sad at the last part, but Juna was more curious as to what was so special about this "Forbidden Forest".
"It also saddens me to announce that the annual, inter-house, Quidditch Cup won't be held this year."
Now that set an uproar through the students. Dumbledore had to wait for them to quiet down. Another question to research.
"That is because this year at Hogwarts-"
Dumbledore was once again interrupted when the door slammed open, and in came a man that, to Juna, looked like he was thrown into a meat grinder and was haphazardly put back together by a five year old. His face was more scar tissue than skin, she could barely tell where his mouth was, his nose had a chunk taken out of it, and one of his eyes was large, electric blue, and swiveled around crazily in its artificial socket. Besides that, he had a wooden peg-leg. She wondered if Magic users realized that there was much more advanced technology than wooden prosthetic limbs.
"May I welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Moody!"
There was only a few polite applause, and an awkward silence to go along with the over-dramatic entrance. Juna wondered what was up with the Moody guy, but she felt a distinct unease when he caught sight of her, particularly the exact places where her automail met flesh. How did he know? She'd have to be wary.
"Now, as I was saying, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a prestigious event this year. This year, Hogwarts has been chosen to host the Triwizard Tournament for the first time in nearly a century."
One of the twins cried out, "YOU'RE JOKING!"
"I am not joking Mr. Weasley, though now that you mention it, I heard a particularly funny one over the summer about how a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun all go into a bar..."
A distinct clearing of the throat came from the Transfiguration professor. Her stern gaze sending daggers into the old Headmaster's back.
"Ah," Dumbledore stutters, "But now isn't the time for that, no. Anyway, for those who are unaware, the Tri-Wizard Tournament was a prestigious event held every five years between the three largest magic schools in Europe, Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons..."
Juna tuned out the lecture, she would look up more detailed information in the library later. She only caught that the new age limit caused an uproar, and the Tournament had been canceled originally because the death count had been rising. That caused her to be a bit disturbed, why the fuck was a school tournament killing students?
"On another note, I am proud to announce that Hogwarts will be reviving an old course that hasn't been taught for nearly fifty years now. May I welcome our new Professor of Alchemy, Professor Elric!"
She stood and gave a short bow of acknowledgement. There were much more applause for her, but there were mainly whispers of curiosity, she sat back down and heard someone call out, "How old is she? She doesn't look older than a fourth year."
Apparently that was a valid question, Dumbldore responded, "Professor Elric will give her age if she wishes to at a later time, but I will say that she is Hogwart's youngest professor to date, and is quite a prodigy in the field of Alchemy, so let us welcome her with open arms."
That last bit was probably partially due to politics, causing her problems would be causing Amestris problems, and that would not be good for the alliance that's currently still in the making.
"Sign up slips are by the door, and must be submitted to Professor McGonagall by tomorrow morning at breakfast. The elective is open to all students above third year. We also have a new Muggle Studies Professor joining us this year, as Professor Burbage has chosen to retire and live the rest of her peaceful life with her family, but he was not able to join us today due to certain circumstances, so he will be introduced tomorrow morning."
Some murmuring broke out between the students but Dumbledore silenced them with a raised hand, "Now, I wouldn't want to keep you from a fine feast, so all I have left to say is... Dig in!"
With that, the food appeared on the table, and Juna kept a poker face as she served herself some turkey, salad, and quiche. She loved quiche, and this one reminded her of Mom's so much that she had managed to fit three whole pieces of it before she realized what she was doing. She poured herself a cup of black tea and noticed Professor Snape was staring at her from the corner of his eye, "Yes?"
"I take it you like quiche?"
She nodded, somehow looking sheepish while keeping a stoic look on her face, "It's my favorite food, to be honest. Mom always made it twice a week when my brothers and I were little."
He raised an eyebrow, "You have siblings?"
"Yes. A younger, twin brother and another younger brother. Do you?"
"No."
They returned to their meals. Juna proudly put away two more servings of quiche, not feeling guilty since the plates replenished themselves when emptied, before the food disappeared and was replaced with desserts. She helped herself to a piece of cheesecake and downed another cup of tea. She and Snape occasionally conversed, mostly about civilian things that had nothing to do with school, like their general lives outside of school.
Snape had been surprised when she informed him she lived in the Muggle World, informing her he had grown up in the Muggle World before switching to the magical side of Britain upon graduation.
She neglected telling him she was in the military, as that was a bit too personal for the time being. The other professors just knew she was a State Alchemist, but they didn't know exactly what a State Alchemist was, just that they were acknowledged for their skills in Alchemy.
Dinner was finished without anymore disruptions, and the students were sent to bed, yawning and full.
It wasn't yet bedtime for the teachers, though. They had a teacher's meeting.
They headed towards the teacher's lounge and made themselves comfortable upon arrival. They were just waiting on the Muggle Studies Professor, who had informed Dumbledore that he would, in fact, be able to make it to the meeting.
Juna had taken out one of her English journals and was practicing speeding up her writing when a knock on the door was heard.
Dumbledore pleasantly called, "Enter."
The door opened, and in walked the final Professor. Juna was too focused on her notes and didn't pay attention to the startled gasp that left the new man's mouth. In fact, what brought her out of her thoughts wasn't the gasp, or even the stares of the other professors when they noticed recognition in the man's tired, hazel eyes.
What brought her out of her focused state was an all-too-familiar voice, a voice she never expected to hear again, "Juna?"
As if she'd been suddenly struck, Juna's head snapped up from her journal, her pen slipped from her hand and was sent flying across the room, and the journal tumbled to the floor, miraculously landing closed and upright. Now the professors were staring at her for the very unnatural show of reaction from her usually stoic form, but none of this phased her.
Juna was too busy staring in open shock at the one person she thought was dead. And there he was, in his tall, spectacle-clad glory, staring back at her with the exact same expression she had on her own face, "...Hughes?"
Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUN! So, what do you guys think? Leave a review!
Just so you guys know, I write Fanfiction to improve my writing, and to help develop my characters. I like making OCs for fandoms and giving them a story based on the existing story line. I also write Fanfiction because it's fun and helps me relieve stress. I will take constructive criticism, but no flames, please. Thank you!
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AnimeLuver1492