Nicky slammed both fists against the door in frustration. He'd been trying unsuccessfully since Sirius had left to get himself out of the house. Whatever Dumbledore had done to keep him in the house was working well.

He gritted his teeth when the noise woke the painting in the hall that Sirius had said was of his mother. She was certainly a lovely woman, screeching out swears at the moment. He pressed his fingers against his temples.

The longer he was there, the more desperation started to creep in on him. Even if he got out of the house, he had no idea how to get back to his own world. Dumbledore was the only one who knew how.

Xxxxxxxxx

"I've always known you were a bit off your rocker," Sirius started in after the punch. He placed his fists on Albus' desk, glaring at the man. "But now I'm convinced. You are completely mad!"

"Sirius-"

"Kidnapping a child?! And now you want to bring him into a war? You want him to fight the most powerful dark wizard in existence because of some stupid prophesy?!"

"Sirius-"

"I'm telling you right now, Albus. That is not going to happen! I swore a long time ago that I'd do everything I could to protect that kid and that means not sending him off on a suicide mission!"

"Sirius!" Albus finally yelled his name, stopping the rant. His gaze drifted to Ed and Al and, for the first time, Sirius noticed that he had an audience.

"Oh…" His anger gave way to sheepishness. "Students?"

"No way!" Ed protested emphatically. "Like we'd ever go to a school that has a headmaster like that fu-"

"We're looking for our brother, actually," Al cut Ed off before he could build up steam. Sirius blinked, then stared at Al.

"What's with the armor?"

"That doesn't matter," Ed stated, eyes narrowed as he studied Sirius. "You were talking about Nicky just now."

"I…" Surprise entered Sirius' expression. "How did you…?" He paused, and processed what they'd both said. "Edward and Alphonse, right?"

"That's right," Al answered. "You know where Nicky is?"

"Yeah…but he said you two were still back in the other world."

"We got sucked in," Ed said, waving it away. "Where is he?"

"Back at my house. Well, my parent's old house."

"But you'll take us there?" Al asked.

"Yeah, sure. I think he's going a bit crazy already. I understand the sentiment though. That is the last place I'd want to be locked up in." He shuddered.

"Sirius." Dumbledore's tone was grave, with a bit of warning behind it. "I do not think this would be the best action-"

Sirius held up a hand. "These two really who they say they are?"

"…Yes," Dumbledore answered reluctantly.

"Then save it." He eyed the two boys a moment. "I could apparate us there after we get outside Hogwarts wards but not with you in that." He gestured towards Al.

Neither one of the boys knew what apparating was but that didn't really matter. "Then it'll have to be another way."

Sirius turned to leave the office, Ed and Al following. Dumbledore made a few more protests but, in the end, did not stop them from leaving. Instead he sat back in his seat, trying to massage the headache that was building away.

He was still sure he did the right thing and he had somewhat expected that reaction from Sirius but, in the end, he supposed it would not matter. The prophesy was still there, after all.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Nicky watched the tiny creature with half fascination as it rambled around the kitchen, muttering under its breath. He caught a few words, the same ones the painting in the hall liked to screech, some of which he didn't know. He had no clue what a mudblood was but maybe it was a curse in the wizarding world.

He'd given up on trying to get out for the moment, at least until Sirius got back. Maybe the man could help him on that. Nicky didn't know anything about magic after all so he didn't know what sort of thing Dumbledore could have done to keep him locked in. He was still sitting there when he heard the door open and started to get up.

"I still don't understand how you could see it. It's spelled so that muggles won't be able to." He heard Sirius say, frowning slightly at who the man could be talking to but his eyes widened when a very familiar voice answered.

"What the hell's a muggle? You callin' us names now?"

Nicky could hear the irritation and impatience in that voice even from the other room and he grinned before sprinting out there.

"Ed! Al!" He yelled upon seeing his older brothers. "What are you doing here?" He didn't give Ed time to answer before he threw his arms around the older boy in a short, fierce hug, ignoring the indignant squawk Ed gave at the action.

"We got pulled into the spell," Al answered, sounding relieved. "Dumbledore wasn't going to tell us where you were but he brought us here." Al pointed towards Sirius.

"Yeah, after knocking the old man's block off too," Ed added gleefully.

"Really?" Nicky grinned briefly at Sirius. "Thanks."

Sirius shrugged. "Not a problem, kid." But he looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment.

"How do we get back? How do we even get me outta here? I can't leave," Nicky said, looking from Ed to Al.

"You can't get outta here?" Ed asked. He looked back towards the entrance.

"Wards," Sirius explained. "Dumbledore put up wards to prevent you from leaving."

"Can you break them?" Nicky asked the man curiously.

Sirius shifted awkwardly. "Maybe…I'll have to see to some things. Dumbledore's a great deal more powerful than I am."

Xxxxxx

Two days later, Nicky was seriously thinking of revising his opinion on Sirius Black. At least, if the man compared him to James Potter or slipped up and called him Harry one more time…Plus, there was an almost constant look of guilt on Sirius' face whenever they were in a room together.

"I don't understand why they wants all those books," Sirius said on the third day when he caught Nicky alone in the kitchen. Nicky had to grin. Ed had insisted on helping Sirius find a way to break the wards, ignoring Sirius' protests that both couldn't do magic and had never studied it before.

"I know how to read," Ed had grumbled with a glare. "I'll just mark anything about wards. It'll go faster that way. You won't have to look through everything yourself."

Nicky frowned a bit. Ed was getting impatient, and angrier the longer they were in the house.

"And the other boy?" Sirius asked. "I haven't asked before but the armor…"

Nicky chewed his lip. "That isn't something I'm willing to discuss."

"Come now. I am your godfather, Harry-" He cut himself off and seemed embarrassed, again, about the slip.

"That," Nicky said with a mild glare, "is something I want to discuss." He paused a moment, considering how he should best frame what he wanted to say. "Look, I know what Lily and James Potter did for me. I know that Lily didn't have to die. She sacrificed herself for me. I respect that, I do, and I'm grateful for it. I want to honor that."

Sirius' eyes grew sad. "That's good-"

Nicky held up a hand. "But," he continued, sitting, "Trisha Elric did raise me. She is my mother, the only one I've ever known. I think…I think Lily and James would have been happy that she was the one who found me. I also think that calling me anything other than Nicholas is disrespectful to the memory of the woman who raised me until her death and to the two brothers I have now that have always been fiercely loyal to me."

Sirius deflated completely at that. "You really are happy? In this other world?"

Nicky smiled. "I am." He had his share of horrible, nightmare worthy memories, the worst of which having been waking up to find Al in a suit of armor and Ed bleeding to death on the floor but those memories didn't detract from everything good about his family.

The guilt was back in Sirius' eyes. He spoke hesitantly. "There are some things about me that Albus doesn't know. Back in school, I became adept at wards and how to break them. It was a…talent I've always had, helped along by some of the resources allowed to me as a result of growing up in a family…such as mine."

Nicky stilled. "Are you saying you can break through whatever it is that's keeping me here?"

The look in Sirius' eyes saddened further and he nodded. "I believe I can, given a bit of time."

Nicky's fists clenched and he shook with the effort not to physically attack the man. His own temper had never been quite as explosive as Ed's but he did have one, at times.

"And as to why you haven't done this before?"

Sirius sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I was going to, after you told me Albus had kidnapped you away from your home. I was…angry but I suppose I had too much time to think about it and I realized…I just wanted the chance to get to know you. I wanted the chance to…"

"So, what? If you'd been there with the old man you would have gone along with it? You would've helped him take me away?"

"No!" The instant refusal was loud. "I just…I'd like to think I would have just stayed there. I just wanted to get to know you."

Nicky stood slowly. "I think you should start working out how to break through it. I'm going to talk to my brothers."

Xxxxxxxx

After Nicky told Ed and Al, and barely managing to keep Ed from finding Sirius and killing the man, the three of them sat in the room that that they'd been sleeping in since arriving at the house. Ed was still fuming but Nicky was reasonably sure he was going to jump up and chase Sirius down, or at least not in the next few minutes.

"I just wanna get back," Nicky said. "And get away from all these supposedly well meaning adults." After only spending days in this world, in the company of Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore, Nicky had a new appreciation for the adults in his world, for Armstrong and Mustang and Hawkeye.

"How are we gonna do that?" Ed asked, dropping back on the bed he was sitting on, his tone frustrated. "Maybe there's a way through alchemy but I don't even know if anyone can do it here which means there might not be any way to learn how…All my books are back in our world."

"That is…not strictly true."

Ed, Al, and Nicky's heads snapped in the direction of the door. Both Nicky and Ed glared at Sirius. "What do you want? Have you figured out how to get me outta here yet?"

"Not yet," Sirius said, holding up his hands in surrender. "But…there are alchemists here. They're surprisingly rare, most wizards do not follow that line of study but there are some."

"And you'll put us in touch with one?" Al asked.

"Yes. What you're talking about attempting would be difficult but there is one alchemist who is many centuries old. If anyone would know how, it may be him."

"How is he that old?" Nicky asked with a frown. "Wizards don't live that long do they?"

"He is most famous for his creation of the Philosopher's Stone."

All three boys stilled and the blood drained from Nicky's face. Ed jumped to his feet after a moment, his golden brown eyes impossibly wide with shock. Nicky opened and closed his mouth several times in shock but it was Al, finally, who managed a word.

"What?"