"Edward? Would you care to explain what exactly is happening in my office?" the old headmaster asked calmly. Ed sighed and set Winry down on a large soft recliner.
"Well, to begin with, this is my younger brother Alphonse and our best friend Winry Rockbell" he answered. The meaning was not lost on the old man.
"Oh? They come from Amestris then, do they?" he asked. Edward nodded.
"More or less the same way I did probably"
Al tried to keep up with the conversation, but all he could do was stare in shock at the paintings that were moving and looking at him curiously, whispering to each other. One old man with a blackening frame scowled at him.
"Why are you dressed like that young man? As far as I know, the headmaster has not changed the dress code" Alphonse tried to sputter out an answer.
"Merlin's beard, you act as if you've never seen a magicked painting before!" His painted face drew into an obvious frown. A hand on Alphonse's shoulder surprised him.
"That's because he hasn't. You remember how bad I was, well, he's my little brother" Ed's distinctive voice said from behind him.
"Ah, now it doesn't seem so odd" His voice held an undertone of anger. Ed steered him over to Winry.
"I took him off the wall and tried to dissect him when I first got here" Ed whispered with a snigger. Al sighed and rubbed his temples. At that moment, a quiet groan penetrated the room. Both boys' gazes shot to the girl in the armchair. Winry shifted slightly in the armchair and managed to sit up.
"Winry! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Alphonse launched into questions. She pressed her temples to stop dull thuds of pain.
"I'm fine Al, I'm fine" She paused for a moment to allow the slight headache to subside.
"Now where are we?" Ed smirked. He was looking forward to this.
"You're not in Risenbool anymore, that I can assure you" he answered with a smirk. The girl's eyes shot open. Her bright blue eyes stared intently into his golden ones for at least a minute. Ed began to get uncomfortable.
"Jeez Win, I know I'm attractive, but seriously..." With a nervous chuckle he scratched the back of his neck. He blinked in surprise when he looked back to her. Her eyes were spilling over in tears.
"Is that really you, Ed?" Her voice was broken and tired. Ed felt as if someone had somehow punched his heart. He forced a smile and nodded. Winry shot up and slapped Ed across the face. He touched the stinging skin lightly. He knew he deserved it.
"You've been gone for two and a half years and the first thing you can do is joke with me?!" she screamed.
"Everyone kept trying to convince me you were dead! Dead! Do you know what that does to a person?!" Almost instantly she broke down in sobs. Her knees gave out, but Ed caught her just in time. He clutched her tightly to his chest as she continued to sob.
"C'mon Win, let's get you cleaned up" He hoisted her up bridal style and turned to Dumbledore.
"I'm gonna take them to Gryffindor Tower and get them cleaned up. I'll be back after lunch to talk specifics, okay?" The elderly man nodded in approval. As the door shut behind the three, Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle. The painting who'd spoken to the two boys earlier noticed.
"What in the world do you find so funny, Albus?" he asked annoyed. The headmaster cracked a smile.
"Even with the initiation of the Triwizard Tournament, this year may have just outdone itself"
---A/N---
OKAY. I'M SORRY. I have just been so unmotivated to update, thus leaving me with so long in between this and my last update. I will TRY to update faster, but coming from me, who knows what that will really mean. So yup. I have the next few chapters kind of planned out. I have an idea of how I want the story to go, so the only really issue is getting it out...
MOTIVATE ME!!!!
Thank you for reading :D
