So this is surprising. To be honest when I started writing this and posted the first chapter I honestly had no idea where I was going. Now I have the whole thing planned out to the last punctuation and not only that I have decided on doing a sequel. I just won't say if it's Harry Potter or not! :) And thanks for your guys' support in all this! It's so far shaping out to be a lot of fun! I can't remember the last time I had this much of a blast writing! I guess I've just been really out of it! And by the way, I am putting in a small animal in this and I'm planning on drawing a picture for my deviant art account (Link in profile) so if you guys check it out I should have it done by next week at latest (maybe...)

Don't own FMA or HP. All I own is Kiri (And in case your wondering it's Japenese for fog/mist)

The remainder of the month passed by with little to no incident. Edward pretty much confined himself to his room, reading books that Riza thoughtfully brought back on her trips to diagon alley. As the weeks went on the two adults got to meet some of the students. Riza had found a delight in a young Luna Lovegood, finding the girl to be very interesting and strangely fun to be around for even the trigger happy lieutenant. During that month Ed and Riza also perfected their mother son act. Even her and Roy's engaged couple act had been perfected, though Ed didn't see a need considering he had been slightly surprised upon learning they weren't going out, something that earned him several close calls with a gun. There was a bit of frenzied excitement as news went around for a quidditch world cup, and later an attack happening there. Albus had offered to take them but Roy was glad when he refused after hearing all the events following. Ed merely turned his attention to studying several books that Roy couldn't grasp the meaning of.

All he understood was that there was a dark wizard plaguing the wizarding nation. After that things seemed to die out on the student end, though occasionally Roy could catch snippets of something big happening at Hogwarts. But other than that the month passed by in a relative blur until finally it was the day before they would leave to Kings Cross station and begin their ride to reach Hogwarts the next night. As it was Ed wasn't looking forward to riding with the students so he grumbled in protest as he walked up the steps of the creaky inn after having finished dinner. He knocked before entering the empty room, shrugging at not seeing Roy or Riza anywhere. He yawned, wincing as he felt his muscles ache. Without a sparring partner he had been getting out of shape. He then paused with his hand on the doorknob to his room, his mind turning to Al. Over the month he tried his hardest to not think about his brother but there were times like now that it occasionally crept up on him, especially at night when he was alone.

Roughly he shook off the dark thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him. With a sigh he opened the door, blinking for a moment as he flipped on the switch to see a strange…thing sitting on his floor. For a few seconds the thing stared at him, cocking its head curiously. Suddenly it let out a happy yelp, leaping forward and knocking Ed to the ground. Ed let out a muffled yelp as the thing began licking him while barking happily. Ed flinched, pushing it off and scrambling away "What the heck?" he asked in surprise.

His head whipped towards the window as a chuckling reached his ears. He glared darkly at Roy and Riza who were both leaning against the wall, watching him in amusement. Roy shrugged "We thought you might get lonely so we got you a pet" he said easily.

Ed looked at the thing skeptically. Part of him screamed dog, husky to be exact. It looked like a grey husky puppy. But then the glare moved off of the chest revealing midnight black scales that circled it's neck like a collar before traveling in a stripe down the back while also spreading on the chest and front of the front legs. It also has strange tufts of fur around it's paws. Edward shot a nervous look at the creature before looking at the two adults who watched in amusement "What exactly is this thing? It looks like a freakin chimera" he said.

Riza nodded "It is. The magical mengarie just got it last week. Though they are not sure on the breed they have deemed it harmless and loyal, though that's all. Unfortunately they don't know much about her so you should have fun figuring that out. We figure she would be a good companion for you" she said softly.

Ed stared at the thing with a scaptical gaze "And if it tries to kill me in my sleep?" he asked.

Riza chuckled "I swear she won't. We've been with her all day. At least give her a chance. Remember, I'll have Black Hayate in the next room" she reminded.

Ed folded his arms, looking at the thing that panted happily, looking at him "So what's it's name?" he asked.

Riza shook her head "Doesn't have one" she said.

Ed frowned, looking at the thing contemplatively "Kiri" he said after a moment.

Roy raised an eyebrow, looking at him in surprise "What?" he asked.

Ed looked down "I read in a book it means fog, or mist. Technically her fur is the color of fog, sort of. So…Kiri" he said with a careless shrug.

Roy looked at him curiously but didn't say anything, merely shrugging "Well, you better get to bed shrimp. We've got to leave early tomorrow to catch the train" he said.

Edward raised an eyebrow "If that's early then I feel bad for anyone who gets stuck with you in a stakeout" he said tonelessly.

Roy merely scowled as Riza pushed him out of the room, trying to avoid another fight that seemed to be common between the two. The door closed, leaving Ed in silence, the little chimera watching him with an innocent look. Ed looked at the thing with a small glare "So. You dangerous?" he asked.

The thing cocked her head, not understanding the words. Ed sighed, walking over to his bed and sitting heavily on it, staring out in space "Tomorrow we'll be leaving. And that'll be the end. Starting tomorrow I'll have nothing that I'm familiar with except those two incompetent morons. Then again, mom isn't so bad" he said.

He then winced, the word mom still leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He had already made it clear to Riza that while he did call her that she would never actually be his mother. The only person who could fill that void was his real mother, Trisha. Luckily he was able to say it in public without wincing anymore. It was only in private that he still had trouble. To him the word seemed like a bitter mockery of his past. He only had to thank all the pretend gods out there that they hadn't given him a 'brother' as well. Edward wasn't sure if he could handle that. He then paused as his thoughts turned to his brother. He could clearly see him in his minds eye, laughing as Ed did something stupid or chuckling nervously as he was forced to reveal a stray cat or another he had found. Ed chuckled bitterly, his shoulders shaking as he struggled to suppress the pain.

He would have thought he'd be used to it by now but still he was often suppressed by these tremors, but only when alone. Suddenly Edward jumped as something cold touched his hands. Looking down he couldn't help but smile sadly as Kiri touched his hand with her nose, an almost understanding look in her eyes along with a strange wisdom that didn't match her obviously young age. Edward frowned, petting her unusually soft head as he struggled to figure out what she was mixed with. Obviously her main species that held the body stable was a husky, that much was obvious. Also obvious was the snake from her back. Granted it could have easily been a lizard but looking carefully at her eyes Edward found the pupils were slits like a snakes, something that creeped him out. Though there was always a small possibility it wasn't a snake, something he tucked away for later.

But then there was the tufts of fur around its feet. Somehow Ed knew that it wasn't just some random gene mixed in. It had to have come from another animal. The question was, what was it that was the leading personality? The unknown species or the dog? Obviously it wasn't the snake due to the personality but it was definitely one of the other two. Or maybe there was even more species in her? It was obvious this chimera was young, probably from a ton of younger breeds so who knew what it would look like as an adult. Ed sighed, shaking the thoughts was before getting up, slipping into his pajamas. There was a time for thinking and that wasn't it. For now it was best to just go to sleep so that he could be up for tomorrow. With a sigh he turned off the lights, laying down in the bed. He then jumped as he felt movement before smiling, feeling Kiri settle at the foot of his bed. With a sigh he snuggled deeper into the blankets, ready to face the night and whatever the next day would bring.

Line break

Edward cursed his previously optimistic attitude as they pushed through the crowd to the station. They had already been told by Dumbledore how to get to the station but with their luck it was pouring outside. Mustang was the most frustrated about this. Despite him having made a resolve to not reveal him and Ed being alchemists he didn't trust these people. The rumors from the dark mark that had been going around had definitely had the flame alchemist wary or these wizards. He didn't know to much about what was going on, not quite understanding the books Edward had been reading which were currently packed in a special bag Dumbledore had given Edward. It had freaked Edward and Roy out until Riza told them to be more open to possibilities. To be honest though Roy could see that she was shaken up about the bag. It may have been small and took up hardly any space in Edward's bag and weighed next to nothing but all of the book still fit in perfectly.

Dumbledore had called it an expanding charm. Roy called it a freak incident of nature.

But it did make travel easier which was good considering the bustle of the station. It didn't help that the bustle only increased as they reached the station, despite being an hour early. Roy smiled at the students he recognized, waving as the ones who didn't realize they had met a teacher smiled back unsurely. Riza rolled her eyes, grabbing him by the ear and pulling him towards the train "Let's get on. It'll probably be warmer on the train" she said, wrapping her traveling cloak around her more tightly.

She was aware that she had to look her best so she had on a professional black skirt and a button up white top along with some glasses that Roy had apparently snatched from Fuery before he left, thinking they'd look good on her. And though Riza would never admit it she liked the way they made her looked, making her features more soft and caring. Roy shrugged at her command, following her on the train. They managed to find a compartment in the middle that was empty and Roy quickly hefted up his case and Riza's while Ed put his own up before laying out on the seat across from them "Don't tell me your really going to take a nap" Roy said in annoyance.

Ed shot him a smirk "Train leaves at ten and arrives at seven. What else are we supposed to do during a nine hour train ride? And we're an hour early so that's ten hours before we reach the school. Do you honestly think I'm going to stay awake?" he asked.

Unfortunately Roy couldn't think of a comeback. Instead he watched as Kiri jumped out of a small basket that she had been in, crawling up next to her master and falling asleep with the boy while Hayate sat on the seat next to Riza, a watchful look in his eye. Riza sighed, leaning back in her seat as she prepared for the long ride. Luckily it wouldn't be completely alone. After an hour of boredom three people came into their compartment. A red head boy, a black haired boy, and a bushy hair girl. The girl paused as she saw them "Oh sorry, we'll find another compartment" she said.

Roy shook his head "Nonsense. Company is always appreciated. Just let me wake up the shrimp real quick" he said with a smirk.

Riza merely smirked, looking over the top of a book she had taken out to read with amusement clear in her eyes. Roy missed it however, leaning forward to shake the young alchemists shoulder "Hey shorty, get up" he said loudly.

Instantly a fist shot up, nailing Mustang in the nose. Mustang swore, snapping back and putting his hand on his nose while Ed sat up groggily "We there already?" he asked as Kiri let out a growl at being moved from her comfortable position to the floor where she curled up under the seat.

Ed then paused as he looked at Mustang who was cursing under his breath "What happened to you?" he asked in amusement.

Mustang glared darkly at him as Riza chuckled "Ed, would you mind moving so these people could join us?" she asked.

Ed blinked, looking up at the three in surprise before nodding, sitting up and leaning against the window. He sighed as he took out his pocket watch, checking the time "Great. One hour down, nine to go" he mumbled in agitation.

He sighed as the three sat down, chatting amongst themselves. With a sigh Edward stood, climbing up on his seat and digging through his case to bring out a large book. Roy's eyes twitched "Your reading another one? How many books have you read?" he asked in exasperation.

Edward shrugged as he open to a bookmark near the back "All the ones mom got me in her trips to diagon alley along with the several I purchased for my own reading such as this one. This is the last one though" he said.

Roy's eyes twitched "But she got one for every day we were there…" he said slowly.

The girl looked at him curiously "How long were you there?" she asked curiously, seeing the twitching eye.

Roy shivered "A month" he said, barely holding in the complete disbelief that threatened to leak out into his voice.

The trio's all stared at Ed with wide mouths as he dove into the book, his eyes whizzing back and forth at an amazing speed. Riza chuckled at all of them "You all act surprised. He's a very quick reader and I swear he has photographic memory. I bet he could even tell you were every book in that book store was after he spent those two days in there" she said with a smile.

The red head gaped with wide eyes bulging out of his head "But that's just insane!" he said in surprise.

Riza shrugged casually. The brown head then looked slightly abashed "Oh, we didn't introduce ourselves did we? I'm Hermione Granger. This is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter" she said.

At that Edward's head jerked up in surprise "Wait…you're the one who defeated what's his name" he said, looking at Harry.

Harry shot him an odd look "You mean Voldemort?" he asked.

Ed nodded "That's the one. Strange guy. I mean seriously, why would a guy try to create a 'pure blood' race when if you look carefully at his family lines he's actually only half blooded himself. Sometimes I don't understand people" he said before going back to the book.

Roy stared at him with an odd look while Riza smiled charmingly at the group, having perfected her carefree attitude over the month "It's nice to meet you. I'm Riza and this is my son Edward and my fiancé Roy" she introduced.

Hermione smiled back as the two boys began talking about quidditch. Hermione then thought of something "Are you the new defense against the dark arts teacher?" she asked.

Roy shook his head, turning to her "No. I'm not" he said.

He then winked "You'll just have to guess at what I'm going there for" he said.

Hermione sat back, thoughtful as she studied him, her eyes holding a calculating look in them. After that the next few hours past in a blur. Several times they had others come in and talk about the quidditch world cup, something that captured Riza's interest. However the car fell silent at around three when a snobbish boy with platinum blond hair strolled in, a sneer on his face "Well if it isn't the loser club" he said with a voice that made Roy shiver in disgust.

Seeing Ron and Harry bristle at the insults he was giving Roy decided to step in "Excuse me" he said, his voice falling into the cold tone that he used when he wanted something done.

The boy seemed to shiver a bit as he looked to the teacher. He then sneered, hiding his fear that was clear in his eyes "And who are you supposed to be? I'll have you know that I'm Draco Malfoy, my father is Lucius. He's a close friend of the minister" he boasted.

Roy's eyes flashed dangerously and the boy flinched, obviously a daddy's boy used to getting his way. With an eerie smile Roy nodded his head in the boys direction "I happen to be the new alchemy professor. And I don't care if your father is popular in the ministry because my family and I are from Amestris and don't give a care about the government here. Now unless you want detention for the rest of the year I suggest you leave now and never allow me to catch you insulting any one else or I will personally make this school a personal hell as long as I am here" he said, his voice sending shivers down the spines of those who didn't know him.

Malfoy sneered at him, though all could see him shivering "Let's go" he muttered to his cronies.

As soon as they left Ed looked up with a smirk on his face "Wow, didn't think you had it in you to be cruel. And here I thought you were completely useless" he said.

Roy scowled angrily "I'm not useless you little shrimp!" he said.

And for the first time that month he finally got a rise out of Edward using a short joke. Edward shot up, an angery look on his face "Who you calling a puny little beansprout!?" he shouted.

For a moment Roy and Riza blinked, exchanging startled looks. Finally Roy smirked, leaning back "Look out. Ed's starting to return to normal" he muttered.

The students all exchanged confused looks "That's normal?" Hermione whispered.

Ron shrugged "Dunno. And what the heck is alchemy?" he asked.

Ed's head shot up at that "Seriously?" he asked, deadpanned.

Hermione also shot him a dry look "Ronald they've taught it at Hogwart's forever. Alchemy is a science that allows you to focus the energy within yourself in order to break something down and rebuild it into something different as long as the remaining mass and chemical makeup stays the same…I think" she said uneasily.

Roy raised an eyebrow "You think?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, a blush on her face "I took the class last year since it's open to third year and up but the last teacher didn't understand it much. He was from an alchemic academy but he swore he only did desk work his whole life" she said quietly.

Roy raised an eyebrow "Do you know the name of this teacher?" he asked.

Hermione nodded "Professor Hughes" she answered.

Ed snorted in laughter, doubling over. Kiri whined in concern, nuzzling his hand "What?" Hermione asked, also seeing Roy frozen in shock and Riza hiding a chuckle behind a hand.

Ed smirked at her "Hughes is an old friend of ours. And if you guys were taught by him we have a problem. He always swore alchemy was a bunch of voodoo" he explained.

Hermione nodded in agreement "Sounds right. It's odd though. He said he was sure to get permission to come back. He was even going to bring his wife and daughter since last year he only did it part time so that he could stay at home. What happened to him?" she asked.

Ed frowned, turning to Mustang "Dunno, just saw him just over a month ago. Maybe it's cause they had Roy instead" he said.

Roy flinched, looking down to the ground "Actually, he couldn't come because he was…in an accident, right after you went down to Dublith" he said, looking at Ed.

Ed tensed "What kind of accident?" he asked sharply.

Roy winced "A…car accident. I'm afraid to say he didn't make it" he said quietly.

Ed's eyes widened in shock, alarm, and denial but he didn't say anything, merely turning to look out the window, torment clear on his face. Hermione also looked at Roy in alarm as well before looking down "I'm sorry" she said quietly.

Roy looked away with an absent shrug "Life moves on. And we have to as well" he said quietly.

Hermione nodded sadly and for a moment the car became silent until another student came in, striking up a conversation about the world cup. And again they all began a flurry of conversation. And only Hermione saw Roy's concerned eyes flash over to Edward for a brief moment before he began to join in with the conversation, flawlessly hiding all traces of concern. Hermione couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. What an odd family, she thought.