Still don't own anything!

Things will pick up a bit in the next chapter.


Chapter 7: Speaking of Fathers

Remus had, indeed, shown up at Edward's invitation, and had brought some pictures of Harry's parents (upon Edward's request; the eleven year old had been able to speak to Remus again, and told him that he and Al agreed not to get Al a present, but if he had anything for Harry involving his parents, that would be great).

Harry had been thrilled, and the Elric brothers weren't insulted in the least when Harry spent most of the party with Remus, listening to stories about his parents.

After all, the boys would have done the same. Their father had left a little over three years ago, and he was almost forgetting what it had been like to have a father, even. If a friend of Hoenheim's had suddenly popped up and started to tell him things that his father had gotten into during the absence, Edward certainly would have listened raptly.

Edward warmed to Remus, as had Alphonse, but when the man had left, Edward couldn't take the confusion he felt anymore, and fled to his father's study.

This confused Alphonse and Harry, who exchanged looks and went up to follow the boy.

Harry had wanted to go through the moving picture album again of his parents and his parents' friends, but Edward, and the present, was a little more important.

The two found Edward pulling book after book off of the shelves, muttering to himself and seemingly searching for…something.

"Uh…Ed?" Alphonse was the first to venture.

Edward didn't seem to hear him, but neither boy took offense to that. They knew very well that, when Edward got really focused on something, the rest of the world took the back burner to it.

Rather, Harry was trying to make out what Edward was saying, since his hearing was slightly above average.

There were a few swear words in there as Edward failed to find what he was looking for, as well as words like "strange", "aura", "vibe", "don't understand"…and a few muttered curses at his absent father.

"…bastard could explain it if he were here…"

Harry glanced at Alphonse, but it appeared as if the boy didn't make anything out of Edward's supposedly inane muttering. It wasn't the first time Harry had heard Edward talk bad about his father, as the older Elric was starting to get fed up with his father's absence.

"If he hasn't found anything, he should come home already! We don't even know if he's alive anymore, cause his letters stopped coming two years ago!"

Harry believed that Edward was more upset at how sad it had made Trisha than how annoyed it made his cousin.

Alphonse, meanwhile, kept trying and failing to get Edward's attention, so he eventually gave up and sat in his chair, in the room, and watched.

Harry had to duck a book here and there, but couldn't make much sense of what Edward was saying.

Finally, after a pile of books lay strewn on the ground, Edward gave a triumphant cry.

Alphonse and Harry glanced at each other curiously, then watched as Edward plopped down where he was and started to thumb through the pages. The muttering had stopped, and instead, Edward seemed intently focused on the passage he was reading.

If Edward knew the two were staring, he didn't pay it any mind. Rather, his entire being was focused on whatever he was reading.

"What is that Ed's reading?" Harry whispered to Alphonse. He really needn't have whispered, really, considering how Edward probably didn't even know they were there.

Alphonse mused on it a moment. "Ed's gotten into some of the more advanced books…he's better at alchemy than me. But, that's the more advanced copy that explains about alchemic auras."

"Oh." It still didn't tell Harry why Edward was reviewing the book, however. Yes, the Elrics, particularly Edward, had taught him how to Probe, and he had improved a little since they had, but he still wasn't nearly anywhere close to their level.

If anything, it should have been Harry reviewing the book.

Suddenly, Harry realized that a pair of amber eyes were looking at them.

"D'you know anything about Remus? Like…any medical conditions?" Edward asked.

It was an odd question, and Harry shook his head in a negative gesture. "I met him the same time as you did."

"Thought maybe you saw something or he mentioned something when you were talking to him…" Edward half said to Harry, half to himself.

Alphonse finally sighed. "What's this about, Ed?"

He got a question in return. "Have you tried to Probe Remus?"

Alphonse shook his head. "No. It's rude to Probe unless you're suspicious of someone, and some people can feel it, so it's not a good idea to do it out of the blue…Ed! You Probed him!"

"The day we met in Diagon Alley, yea. We'd already encountered Snape…nasty bloke. Mom seemed to have it under control, and gut instinct told me that Remus was more pleasant than Snape, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't a threat. Specially when he seemed to know who Harry was without mention of his last name or seeing the scar."

"Is that why you suddenly got stiff?" Harry blinked.

"Partially." Edward wouldn't admit that the other half was that he thought there might have been some flirting going on between the two. Then again, he got suspicious when any man talked to Trisha.

By the look Alphonse gave him, the boy knew very well what the other 'part' of Edward's stiffening was.

Edward was grateful Alphonse didn't say anything, as he had come to like Remus, despite the odd reaction to the Probe.

"Are you going to explain, or leave us hanging?" Alphonse finally said.

Edward sighed and closed the book. "See, when I Probed him, I felt something strange. It wasn't a bad strange, but…it wasn't a normal thing. It's hard to describe. It was like…there was another conscious or something lurking under the surface that was usually suppressed. This…"

Harry and Alphonse looked at the book which Edward had held up.

"…says that getting an odd reaction to someone's aura could mean that the person either knows they're be'n Probed, which isn't likely since I would have been cut off…or, it means that the person could be sick or have a condition or ailment."

"Like mine?" Alphonse inquired. After all, he couldn't Probe himself, so he wouldn't know.

Edward shook his head. "No. I mean, it was sorta like yours, but…different. I can't really explain it. It's just not what I'm used to feel'n when I Probe people."

"Did you Probe Snape?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"He blocked me mentally. Occulmency or something like that, when I looked up why I was stopped after a few moments. It's an alchemy Probe, so it took him longer to realize that he was being felt out, but he did realize it…not a common thing, to be able to block. They're both suspicious…"

"Should we be worried? About Remus, I mean?" Harry suddenly looked anxious. "If he's sick and doesn't know it…"

"Should we tell him?" Alphonse was hesitant to ask.

Edward sighed and stood up, then started to put books back on the shelf. "Probably. He already knows we can do alchemy, so he'd understand a bit if the Probe was explained. And if he doesn't know he's sick, maybe he can get checked out and treated afore it gets too bad."

Harry nodded in instant agreement to that. He rather liked Remus, and didn't want to find out one day, out of the blue, that the man had fallen horribly ill.

"We can tell mom 'bout it when I finish…or, ya know…it's important, and mom knows how to get in touch with him, so you two go ask her to contact him. I…uh…hafta kinda clean up." Edward flushed when he realized just how many books he had pulled off the shelves during his mad frenzy to find the one in particular that he wanted.

Alphonse chuckled, and Harry grinned.

"Alright. And do clean it up! I know what you're like!" Alphonse wiggled a finger at his brother.

Edward stuck his tongue out in response, which caused chuckles to go up before the two boys split off to do their task while the blond was left to clean up the mess of books in the study.


Remus had assured them, through floo fire, that he was fine. However, to reassure the kids, he promised them he would keep an eye on his health and get a physical soon.

This satisfied Alphonse and Harry, who relayed the message back to Edward when the boy had finally managed to get downstairs.

Edward got a small lecture from Trisha about Probing people without permission, but otherwise, the topic was dropped. Rather, Edward and Alphonse both expressed interest in Harry's parents, and what Hogwarts was like.

This brought Remus over to visit often, and the boys were entertained with tales from Remus' Hogwarts days, as well as magic. Of course, they knew he was leaving out anything about the war, or the negative aspects of the years, but they were fine with that.

Remus had been quite impressed that the boys could all do alchemy, as "seeing was believing". He was even more stunned that Edward and Alphonse didn't need to draw a circle for basic transmutations, and explained to the boys that it was like doing wandless magic; extremely rare, and unTraceable.

The boys loved learning from Remus, as he was a hands-on teacher, as well, when possible. Just the same, he loved learning about alchemy from the boys, since it was a lost art and there weren't many factual books left on it.

Edward, ever astute, noticed his mother smile more often when they performed alchemy, when Remus was over, or a combination of the two. He was really starting to wonder…


The three boys were out on the lawn, just laying on the grass and staring at the sky. Even Alphonse had gotten out of his wheelchair to join them, as he had gone with them and Winry to the lake to go fishing. Harry had never gone fishing before meeting the Elrics, and found that it was boring at times but fun none the less, particularly when the company was the Elric brothers, or when Edward would get annoyed and threaten the uncooperative fish that he was going to transmute the lake if they didn't start biting.

After fishing, they would either hang out at Winry's house or the Elric house. Today, Winry had to be home early since she was going to help her grandmother with some automail, so it was just the boys. It was still nice out, and they would probably have to go inside soon, but for now, it was pleasant considering the time of year.

Then again, they rarely ever got snow in Risembool. It was apparently one of the warmest places to live in.

Today's topic of conversation was something that took Alphonse and Harry by surprise.

"You think mom likes Remus?" Alphonse repeated just to be sure he had heard his brother correctly.

Edward nodded.

"They're school mates, aren't they?" Harry blinked.

"Yea…but…the way she looks at him sometimes is kinda strange for just 'school pals'. I dunno. I mean, if it was true, I couldn't blame mom…"

Alphonse's expression turned to one of shock.

Edward glanced away. "…that man's been gone for years. It'll be four years, soon, that he left. We haven't heard from him, either."

Harry didn't know what to say, as family wasn't his greatest strength. Nor had he met Hoenheim before; he'd only read about the man in some of the books, seen some pictures, or heard stories of him back when Edward spoke kindly of him when Harry first arrived at the Elric stead.

"You don't think…he's…you know…dead…do you?" Alphonse asked meekly.

Edward snorted. "Somehow, I get the feeling that the old man wouldn't die that easily."

"Maybe," Harry ventured, "he's like you and gets so caught up in his work that he forgets about the world around him."

"For almost four years? My little bouts last hours, at most." Edward shook his head.

"You don't think he's coming back, then," Alphonse deadpanned with a frown.

Edward sighed and sat up. "I'm just say'n…that…if mom wanted to really go out with Remus…I'd be cool with it."

"Ed!" Al pushed himself to a seated position with a scandalized expression.

Harry, too, sat up, but mostly out of curiosity. "Didn't you say you still feel that strange feeling when you Probe him?"

"Oh, he's hide'n something, alright, and I won't be one-hundred percent okay with it all till I know what that is…" Edward nodded to Harry. "…but I want mom to be happy. Even if he hadn't found anything, the old man still sent letters monthly. Then, they stopped coming, and nobody has any bloody clue where he is."

What he wouldn't say aloud was that Hoenheim wasn't exactly a 'hands on' sort of father. Wise, yes. Knowledgeable, yes. But fatherly? Not so much. Typically, it was Trisha that did things for the boys, while Hoenheim locked himself in his study or worked day in and out. The man had even continued working on some mystery project when Trisha had fallen ill.

Edward wasn't stupid…he knew that, if he and Alphonse hadn't completed Hoenheim's work and deciphered the notes, their mother would have died. When he was younger, he was led by blind faith in his father, because he was at least there.

Now, however, he could look back and see that the man was reluctant, and a workaholic.

"I'd be fine with Remus as a dad. Harry'd like it, too, right?" Edward looked at the surprised boy.

"Erm…well, I like him…and he was dad's friend…" Harry stammered.

Alphonse worried his lip. "I don't like this talk. Dad will come back, and mom's not in love with Remus. They're just friends." Before his brother could argue it, he said, "I think it's getting cold. We should go in."

Edward opened his mouth, then closed it with a frown and, with Harry, helped Alphonse back into his wheelchair.

Harry knew, with one glance at Edward, that the boy wasn't about to stop thinking about it, and honestly, the bespectacled youth couldn't blame him.

TO BE CONTINUED…