Author's Note: here it is, the second installment of the rewrite of Magic Exists! I'd like to thank my lovely reviewers, Royaih, Tanoshii Shururi, squidkindabomb, and a guest. It was because of you guys that I decided to put schoolwork on hold and complete this chapter. Anyone that wants to review, it encourages me that sleep isn't actually that important, writing is.
I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter (but you all knew that) because I'm not Japanese (though I have lived there when I was younger. Modeling. It's fun.) and Harry Potter was written before I was born. Enjoy!
Chapter Two
It was the second day of the Hogwarts school year, and Harry was already royally pissed off at basically everyone. It definitely started with the whole Seamus fiasco in the dormitory that morning, followed with Ron messing up his chance to talk to Cho Chang. Snape, true to himself, then had to vanish his potion, earning Harry a zero for the day. Rounding it off was the horrible, pink, Ministry toad and her simpering little... Harry clenched his fist in anger.
As he stormed his way to the Gryffindor table, the commotion and talk going around Harry had slightly escalated from that at breakfast and lunch; this time his shouting match with Umbridge was included, along with more of how he was an attention-seeking prat who was exploiting the tragic death of Cedric Diggory.
Harry set down his silverware, ready to completely flip his lid about the stupidity of the Wizarding World, Ron drew his and Hermione's attention to the Staff Table. There sat two strange people, which was saying something if Harry freakin' Potter thought they looked weird.
A rather small, girlish boy with a blond braid was perched on a seat next to Snape, appearing to be both annoyed and amused. He wore a very odd robe as well; sort of like a muggle trench coat or duster that was bright, Gryffindor-red, with a black jacket underneath. His companion sat next to Hagrid, who was still the largest by far, and seeing how he or she felt by facial expressions was impossible, as they wore a hulking suit of armor, not unlike the ones that lined the halls of Hogwarts. It's inhabitant was turned to the side, talking animatedly with Hagrid, with only a few glances towards the delicious food recently prepared by house elves.
"Those two weren't here last night, were they? You actually paid attention, Hermione; do you remember them?"
Hermione shook her head. "Nope. It looks like Professor Dumbledore's going to say something, though, so perhaps he'll introduce them to us."
True to Hermione's prediction, the aged Headmaster rose to his feet, raising a wrinkled hand to silence the chatter coming from the four house tables and the few straggling students slowing mulling into the Great Hall.
"As many of you might have noticed, Hogwarts School has been lucky enough to add an addition to our staff, albeit a day late. Nonetheless, please join me in giving a warm welcome to Professor Edward Elric," Dumbledore gestured to the blond, who lazily gave a sweeping motion with a gloved hand, "and Professor Alphonse Elric." The man (presumably. 'Alphonse is a man's name', Harry thought.) turned towards the students, waving cheerfully.
All around the hall, random spattering of applause sprouted, a majority of it coming from girls cooing about how 'adorable' Professor Edward was.
Dumbledore continued speaking once the last of the claps faded. "We are lucky to have found two people skilled in the art of Alchemy, which will be taught for fifth, sixth, and seventh years for this year as a course class, but for younger students thought to have enough promise for the field will have the chance to take it as an elective. New schedules will be handed out by your Heads of Houses during dinner. Please treat them with the same respect as any other teacher, despite the age difference." Finally finished, Dumbledore sat down.
As the babble started out again, Harry turned to Hermione, whom he expected would have the most knowledge at the table of an unknown subject. "Er, what's alchemy? I mean, I know Dumbledore worked on alchemy with Nicholas Flamel, and Flamel made the Philosopher's Stone, so are they connected? But then, what would they teach us?"
Hermione looked perplexed. "I'm not sure. I mean, we can't be making Philosopher's Stones in a class; they're impossibly hard. As for alchemy, I remember a little about it from our first year, but you can bet that I'll find out more before our first class!"
She swung her bag over her shoulder and bolted out of the hall, a piece of bread clutched between her fingers. "If you need me, I'll be in the library!" She was in such a rush that she didn't even bother apologizing to Dennis Creevey when she nearly barreled him over as he got up to go sit nearer his older brother, Colin.
Ron started a new conversation, ignoring Hermione's typical behavior and near murder of a second year.
"Edward, the one with the braid, how old d'you think he is? They must be related as well, though, right? Sharing the same last name and all," Ron hypothesized, accidentally spraying Harry with little bits of chicken leg in his eagerness to share his idea.
"Yeah," Seamus chimed in from a few seats away, forgetting his anger and momentary dislike of Harry for the time being. "Wonder how the shrimp is goin' to help out in class. Probably just pass out papers or something simple like that."
Dean nodded his head fervently, rather happy that his friends were speaking to one another again. "The guy looks like he's eight. If Dumbledore only thinks that fifth year and up can really learn it, then it must be hard."
Neville didn't seem so certain. "Yeah, but he also said that he got two skilled teachers, not just one and an assistant."
"Uh-huh, sure, Neville. Maybe he's a genius from another dimension!" Dean mocked.
"Finnigan, Weasley, Thomas, Potter, Longbottom, good, you're all together," said McGonagall, startling them. Neville choked on a bite of peppermint humbug until she gave a flick of her wand to dislodge it.
"Please try not to die on me, Mr. Longbottom, too much paperwork." She handed them six pieces of parchment covered in writing. "Here are your new class schedules, along with Miss. Granger's, she seems to have left early." McGonagall continued walking down the table, giving out the rest of the stack of revised schedules in her arms to the elder Gryffindors.
Harry scanned for the next day's classes.
"Yes!" He yelled. "We have Alchemy class instead of potions class tomorrow!"
Ron punched the air in celebration. "No greasy git to ruin the day!"
"And we get to see if the pipsqueak can actually do alchemy. I wager a galleon that he can't." Seamus said confidently.
"Same here." Dean agreed.
Harry glanced sideways at Ron, who shifted uncomfortably, ear tips red. Harry knew he didn't have a galleon to waste on a whim, or a galleon to waste on anything, for that matter.
Neville was the last to add in his two bits. "I think he'll be a full teacher, and I'm willing to bet a galleon on it."
The dinner dishes faded away, and dessert appeared in it's stead. Up with the rest of the teachers, Harry saw both Professors Elric gasp, as well as a suit of armor could gasp, that is, until they visibly shook it off, Edward piling on a large slice of apple pie. Alphonse ate nothing, which struck Harry as rather odd. In fact, now he thought of it, Professor Alphonse had eaten nothing the entire meal.
'He must not be hungry.' Harry hypothesized, shrugging off the notion of any negative thoughts of his new teachers.
With emptying his mind of the Elrics' eating habits, a new thought struck him, causing Harry to groan in distress.
"Guys, anybody want to be the one to give Hermione her schedule?" Before anyone could volunteer, Harry decided to completely give away the information. "The schedule that tells her she only has one night to memorize everything there is to know about alchemy?"
Around him four faces went pale.
"Not it!"
Dean and Seamus both pressed an index finger to the side of their nose, imitating one of their favorite movies to watch, Meatballs.
Catching on quickly, Neville imitated the gesture, leaving Ron and Harry cluelessly join the race not to be the one to face Hermione.
Neville, deciding to be fair, tried to reason with them. "You should do it, Harry. After all, you guys are her best friends, but you have all the subtly that Ron lacks."
Seamus and Dean, who knew they were safe, nodded adamantly, while Ron, though thoroughly happy that he wasn't the chosen one, grumbled at the last statement.
"Fine, but you guys are going with me, as backup."
At the library Hermione was poring over a mountain of dusty, faded tomes of many different sizes and colors, sucking on the end of her plait, twisting one strand of escaped hair forcefully around her left forefinger.
"How's the search going, Hermione?" Began Harry, after much poking and prodding from his 'backup', all of whom were now huddled behind him. All Gryffindor and manly pride was forgotten in the face of this danger, meaning the small witch who could easily jinx them into next week, though she probably wouldn't. Maybe.
Hermione huffed. "Not well, so what do you all want?" She asked irritably, grasping another book and flipped through the pages before deeming it worthless and exchanging it for another.
"Well, you left the Great Hall so early that you missed McGonagall handing out schedules, so she gave us yours."
Harry motioned at Ron, who then gingerly slid the parchment across the table to her. Hermione read through, eyebrows wrinkling together. The other Gryffindors tried to back away, almost seeing steam issuing forth from her ears and nostrils.
All of a sudden she advanced towards the cowering males, then slammed the brick like book in her hand onto Harry's skull.
"Hermy-CHOP!"
Seamus, Neville, and Dean turned tail and fled, leaving behind a terrified ginger and the boy-who-lived to become the boys-who-were-killed-by-a-rampaging-bookworm.
Madame Pince shot Hermione the evil-eye for daring to shout in her library, as well as glare at the backs of the retreating trio for disturbing her peace, before continuing her muggle novel. In the midst of nursing his bruised and dented head, Harry thought that it looked suspiciously like a romance novel. 'Didn't think she was into that genre. Though I wonder why there are so many different shades of grey.'
Ron grabbed Hermione's arm, and the two quietly dragged her out the library before she could protest, lest they run afoul with Madame Pince again. There was a tale going around that a first year Hufflepuff accidentally bent the corner of a library book, and a day later, he vanished from a detention with Filch, never to be seen or heard from again.