"I expect you two would like some coffee?" the elderly man asked, politely.

Edward merely nodded as the man strode over towards the counter. After shortly meeting him, they had been taken to a little café just around the corner of the alley which they had suddenly appeared in after a major incident. He had only told them to follow him and then after seeing what had happened, with Edward sprawled over his companion Ling and trying his very best to revive him, had simply asked if they wanted some drinks. Edward had no clue to what the man is playing at and whether he should trust him or not, but there was one thing he did know. And it was that behind the man's long wispy beard and the pair of moon shaped spectacles, was the face he had hoped he would never see again. A face he had ripped to shreds from every family photo in his house, leaving only a gaping colorless hole above his neckline.

The face that was identical to that of his father's.

"Well here you are," the man spoke as he propped a tray laden with three polystyrene cups on to the table, trails of steam rising from within their contents. "Made to perfection, I must say. The service in this café is very satisfying indeed."

Edward ignored him and stared at the brownish liquid swirling in the cup as though checking for any traces of poison. He turned to Ling Yao, who basically shrugged and took a tiny sip out of the cup. Needless to say, he grimaced at the taste.

"This stuff is coffee?' he asked.

"Why yes my fellow Xingese," the elderly stranger replied. "A drink many muggles like to recommend, especially in the early hours of the morning after waking up. It fills you with enough energy that you would not feel sleepy at all under nighttime approaches. A beverage best catered to wizards, goblins and especially princes such as you."

Edward almost tipped over his drink in incredulity. How did the man know that Ling was a prince, let alone a Xingese? And what on earth was a muggle? Were they some sort of strange dwarf like creatures who would dwell in the swamps? The man also mentioned wizards and goblins; was he an immortal originating from the medieval times? Judging by his appearance, the man could have been blasting many of these individuals to the afterlife using all the trusty spells and curses hidden under his sleeves, or spell book to be more realistic.

Or could he be Envy in disguise?

"But this tastes awful," Ling complained as he slid his beverage to the side. Edward could tell from the redness of his cheeks that he was blushing from hearing the word 'prince'. "How on earth could this be suitable for a member of a prestigious monarch?"

"Ah my dear friend," the old man said. "The coffee you're drinking has not yet been sweetened by the addition of a strange delicious material. The muggles call it sugar and I would advise you to sprinkle some into it. Trust me your taste buds will enjoy its flavor and you yourself will benefit." He reached for the cup then stopped before his fingers began to curl around the plastic. "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm sure you and Mr. Edward Elric here won't mind. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry."

"That's enough Envy!"

Edward's sudden outburst had dominated Dumbledore's speech, shifting Ling's focus now to the young state alchemist. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"I'm saying that the old geezer here is actually Envy in disguise," Edward replied. Then he aimed a finger at Dumbledore, who on the other hand appeared to be rather taken aback. "You can't fool us you little bastard. That beard of yours might conceal that asshole's features but nobody, not even a dumbass, would dare to invite two strangers to drink coffee with him. And all the stuff about muggles, witchcraft and goblins, bullshit! I know very well magic doesn't exist. So are you going to get us back home to Al or are you going to face the wrath of my automail. I bet you it'll be powerful enough to tear your fucking limbs off a million times!"

"Are you crazy!"

It was Ling Yao who broke the increasing tension in the café, a mixture of fear and irritation dawned upon his face as though expecting the old man to lash out.

"You can't say those things to a polite stranger!" he added. "Especially one who had invited us for coffee. It is a moral code amongst all people in Xing."

"I don't care about any code," Edward retorted, readying himself in one of the martial arts poses he had learnt from his mentor. "All I care is about getting rid of this cross dresser and saving our own asses."

"Where are your manners? There wasn't even anything wrong with the drink!"

"He knows our identity!"

"Be quiet Edward!" Ling snapped. "You know that Envy would have killed us minutes before we even entered this building. Albus Dumbledore here has just invited us for some good reason which he must explain himself."

"And indeed I will," Dumbledore said, finishing his sentence. He wasn't even a tiny bit furious with what Edward had confessed and seemed to be quite disappointed with himself. "I must really apologize for not stating my name before inviting you to the café. It was very dim-witted of me. Truthfully I am not who you expect me to be. My true identity would come as a big shock to the two of you and I believe that you would dub it as balderdash. But believe it or not, I am a wizard."

Silence dawned upon the café as a result of this quote. Then Edward snapped out of it.

"Total bullshit!" he sneered, waging a finger at the headmaster. "Don't you dare spread me some blatant lies about your identity you old geezer. Or perhaps I should call you a shape shifting, inhuman transvestite because that's what you really are! Now you're going to take us home right now or we'll make you do so! Ling ready your weapon! If he starts fucking around with us again make sure to slice his leg off. I wanna see that bastard squirm!"

"But Ed –"

"Shut up and do what I say! He can regenerate so what's the big deal. It's not like he's going to die."

"Edward I think we need to listen to him," Ling began while eyeballing the headmaster who now appeared to be mediating with his eyes firmly shut. "Maybe he is telling the truth?"

Edward glared at him. "These guys almost killed Lan Fan. He fucked up my mechanic's life. If you think I'm going to just sit here and let him get away, then you're just a naïve little asshole. Now don't stop me! I'm going to land a punch on this guy's face to prove me right!"

Suddenly the floor beneath the soles of their shoes began to ripple and quiver, causing Edward to lose his balance and collapse flat on his stomach. As he stared upwards at Dumbledore, he realized that the elderly man was muttering something under his breath. Before he could be stopped, Edward let out a cry of surprise as he was hoisted up into the ceiling by his feet and left dangling there upside-down as though an invisible hand were grasping his shoe. His arms writhed about as the old man heaved himself to a standing position.

"How'd you do that?" Edward asked. "What is this power? Is it a new form of alchemy?"

"Not quite my friend," the old man replied, soothingly. "It is actually a power known specifically as magic."

"Impossible! That clearly defies the laws of alchemy. It just doesn't exist."

"In your world it may cease to exist," Dumbledore explained. "But in the world I live in, it is basically an ability used by many gifted individuals. Observe…"

He pulled out a wooden stick and forced the tip of it to glow a dazzling yellow by reciting an incantation. Edward suddenly felt himself being slowly brought downwards until he was standing on the floor with his two feet. His legs suddenly quivered and his knees buckled as a result of the immense revelation that was enveloping him. He was however unaware that Ling Yao was feeling exactly the same, his face as pale as someone who has just experienced something supernatural.

'This must all be a dream," Edward muttered. "It's unbelievable."

"I'm afraid it is a reality you'll have to face Edward," Dumbledore said. "You mustn't be wary of us. We wizards will do whatever we can to bring you home."

"Can you teach us?"

The question was unexpectedly coming from Ling's mouth. Edward glared at the young prince.

"You really are a dumbass you know that prince," he scowled.

"Well since these people will bring us back home, why not learn their traditions? I mean we can use magic to kill Envy right?"

"A homunculus cannot be killed by a stick that shoots lasers and shit whenever you say some weird stuff."

"How do you know? Maybe there's a spell that can blast one into pieces and make sure he never comes back. There is one is there not?" Ling added, his gaze averting to Dumbledore's.

The headmaster stroked his beard in thought. "It could be possible, but since we haven't come into contact with these creatures yet then I highly doubt that they can be killed that easily by magic. Unless you use the unforgivable curses which my ministry degree, are considered to be very illegal in this society. Sending you home would take quite a lot of months, even years to accomplish. But as Ling here has just stated, it would actually be best for you to learn about witchcraft and wizardry while we're here."

He placed a couple of strange looking coins and notes on the table. "Well off we trot. Since you are going to learn magic, then we have a big day tomorrow."