Hey yall first things first... we are so so so so so so so so so sorry! I know we havnt updating in forever ugh plz don't hate us! We just havnt been inspired lately, and we just moved school and now im also having problems and its just been one big crappy hiatus so plz forgive us! we will try to start updates again ugh we feel so terrible!
Chapter 8
Ed stood alone, silence and darkness closed around him, thick and suffocating.
"Al? Winry?" He called out, but the second he opened his mouth his lungs were singed with smoke. He coughed, feeling as though he were burning from the inside, hunching over. When Ed straightened again, he looked up to see something breaking through the oppressive blackness. He squinted, running toward the faintly glowing form. As he got closer, he realized it as the form of a small bolt of lightning, glowing faintly on the forehead of a fifteen year old boy. The boys mop of black hair was matted with dirt and blood, and what was left of the perfectly circular glasses hung from his nose, shattered, the broken glass cutting into his face.
"Harry?" Edward asked hesitantly, crouching next to the unmoving body. Suddenly, the ash stained lips parted.
"You.. failed.. Me," The croaking voice didn't belong to Harry. It was the all too familiar voice of the little girl that haunted his dreams every night.
"Nina," Ed's voice cracked. "I… I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean," tears pooled at the corner of his eyes and fell down his cheeks, swelling over his chin where they fell in a steady dream into the inky blackness below.
"Brother help me!" Edward heard the all too familiar voice in a scream of fear and he turned, seeing his little brother, nine years old again, a pale arm that belonged to no body wrapped around his throat.
"Brother!" Al screamed again and Edward ran desperately towards him, his arm outstretched. Suddenly Al and the creepy arm disappeared, but Ed could still hear his brother's desperate pleas.
"Al! Alphonse!" Ed screamed, running through the darkness, each step getting him nowhere, and each step agony to his aching automail ports.
"Brother! Brother! Brother!" Suddenly hands grabbed at him and shook him, Edward screamed and lashed out, but suddenly the darkness and screams disappeared and he sat up quickly, and his eyes snapped open.
"Brother! Come on! We need to get ready, Mr. Hagrid is taking us to get our wands today!"
Alphonse was in Ed's face, shaking him roughly.
"What… what time is it?" Ed asked, shaking a bit still from his ever recurring nightmare. This same one had been haunting him since the Promised Day, though the Harry past was new. He wiped a hand down his sweaty face and sighed as Al stood back.
"It's 3 in the morning brother," The young Alchemist stated.
"Dumbledore wanted us to get all of our stuff before breakfast this morning so we won't miss any classes,"
Ed groaned, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, tossing his blankets as well. He grimaced as his automail leg screamed in protest. He rubbed the aching appendage, and Al glanced at him sympathetically.
"Sorry brother, there's a real storm going on outside," Al explained.
"Ya I noticed, come on let's go get ready," Edw whisper growled, not really wanting to wake anyone up at such an god forsaken hour in the morning. He pushed past Al and limped his way to the bathroom.
He ignored the two crisp and clean Hogwarts Gryffindor uniform laid out nicely on the sinks, and instead picked up the wrinkled clothes that lay on the floor in a sad heap from the day before. He changed quickly, then braided his tangled and knotted hair the best he could, letting it fall onto his back.
He left the bathroom and saw Al had changed into Amestrian attire as well, and was sitting on the bed, swinging his legs quietly as he waited for Ed.
He picked up his crutches and followed his brother, but refrained from using them until they were safely outside of the boys dorm. Winry was perched on the couch in front of a comfortable fire, her handbag slung over her arm.
"You're coming too?" Ed groaned, not in the mood for Winry's antics this early in the morning.
"Of course," Winry stood, frowning. "Who else is going to pay for all of my school supplies?"
Ed groaned again. "Do I look like I'm made of money!" He shouted angrily. "I gave you the majority of it for my repairs! Plus you're not even going to school here!"
"Am too," Winry said snobbily, sticking out her bottom lip.
"I'm a half blood witch, Pinako said I got my letter to a witches academy in Xing when I turned twelve, but because of you two idiots I decided to stay home to help you because that's when you lost your limbs!" Winry snapped crossing her arms.
Ed's jaw dropped to the floor. "And you never thought to tell us this?!" He thundered.
"Hey, I can keep secrets too," Winry winked. "Plus you already had so much to deal with I didn't want to bother you,"
"Of course," Ed muttered weakly.
They met with Dumbledore in the great hall, seeing as it was the only place Ed knew how to get to in the huge castle. Dumbledore led the Amestrians outside and across dewy grass to travel by portkey… Much to Ed's disapproval. They walked in silence for a few moments, the tension so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Ed kept up a fierce glare on Dumbledore through the corner of his eye. Finally, the alchemist cleared his throat.
"So…. I've heard you dabbled in alchemy some time ago Gramps," he spit out a word Gramps harsher than he had intended.
"Ahh yes, I worked alongside the wonderful man Nicholas Flamel," Dumbledore sighed, as if remembering something a long time ago.
"So… did your research produce any results? Such as maybe… something like oh I don't know…a stone?" Ed stopped walking abruptly and full on glared at Dumbledore in the eyes. Al and Winry looked at each other nervously, waiting to see what would happen. Dumbledore stopped walking as well, looking at Edward with a startled expression. The old man looked confused, as if the for the life of his he couldn't figure out what was so upsetting to the young boy. Soon he lost his thoughtful expression and instead of if complete understanding graced his features.
"Ah yes. We did create the Sorcerer's stone, though, you know it as the Philosopher's stone," Dumbledore nodded.
"I see now why you are so angry with me Edward, and Alphonse," Dumbledore then nodded the the youngest Elric in turn.
"But I would like to explain myself if you please," the old man waited until all the Amestrians grunted their consent before continuing.
"I understand the main ingredient for the stone is human lives correct?"
He was answered with a stiff nod.
"Well Nicholas and I were able to substitute the energy that was needed from human lives with our own magic, thus, no one was harmed. It took Nicholas and I much research to be able to find a substitute for human lives, after all, what can equal a human life?" Dumbledore chuckled, then became somber.
"Nicholas and I destroyed the stone…"
"Impossible!" Ed interjected.
"How did you destroy a philosophers stone?"
"I'm afraid to say, that even with magic, the absence of human lives made our stone weaker than the stones you have probably researched," Dumbledore said glancing at the Amestrians. Ed nodded thoughtfully.
"So not even magic is able to ignore the laws of equivalent exchange," he muttered darkly, before he began to laugh uncontrollably.
"Ok Gramps whatever you say. I'm curious about how this magic is performed now, and I'm eager to learn it for myself."
Dumbledore smiled as well.
"The first step to that, Elric, would be to get yourself a wand,"
They met up with a giant if a man named Hagrid sometime later. It wasn't long before they were off to go buy their supplies. It was only Winry's second time traveling by portkey, and when they landed in some weird shopping area, Ed took it upon himself to comfort her as she got sick on the pavement below them. After some soothing words, and a few more backrubs, Winry straightened up and was ready to go.
"Alrigh'," the giant man said, pulling out a very crumpled piece of paper.
"So Mr. 'Umble'ore says 'ere that ye all already got yer other supplies and all ye be needing is yer wands an' owls right?" The greatly man, whose name Ed remembered was Hargid asked politely.
"Yes, at least, that's what he told me," Al nodded and Hagrid broke into a grin that could barely be seen under his thick, dark beard.
"Alrighty then, that should be easy, seeing as most of the students shopping is done 'lready, no'here 'll be crowded," he said, putting away his crumbled price of paper.
"We'd better be getting yer wands firs', seeing as luggin' some poor critters around all day isnt fun," Hagrid took of, lumbering across the street then. The three Amestrians looked at each other and groaned. It was going to be a long morning. Thank God it was so early, the streets were still dark and empty as well.
"You feeling ok?" Ed asked Winry and she nodded.
"Come on let's go catch up to Hagrid. I can't wait to get my wand!" She said excitedly, running after the large man.
After walking through the thick crowd, Hagrid's unusual size easily parting the way for them, for a long while, they came to a small pub in between a large book shop and a record shop. The pub was grubby-looking, and almost unnoticeable Ed thought.
"This it it," Hagrid said gruffly, motioning to the pub with an airy wave of his hand. "It's a famous place, the Leaky Cauldron," he grinned again, a hand the size of a trash can lid waving them inside.
Alphonse glanced at his brother. "I didn't know they sold magic supplies in a pub," Ed only shrugged. If this place was famous, why was everyone else ignoring it? And why was it so dark and shabby? When they made it inside, the only people there were a few old women in the back, sipping brandy and puffing on pipes, eying the Amestrians suspiciously.
Behind the counter stood and old, balding bartender, drying a glass goblet with a thick rag. When he saw Hagrid his face stretched into a toothless grin and he waved.
"Ello Hagrid! The usual?"
"Not today Tom, I'm on Hogwart's business agane," Hagrid chuckled, motioning to the three Amestrians standing awkwardly at his side.
"Good lord!" Tom exclaimed. "Not any more important Wizards this time I hope?"
Hagrid chuckled. "We'll have ter wait and see, their visitin from another country,"
"Merlin's beard!" Exclaimed the old bartender again. "Well, I hope you enjoy London,"
Ed smiled politely, even though he really wasn't enjoying London so far.
"Well, best be on er way," Hagrid said, herding Ed Al and Winry to the back door. "Got lots of stuff to buy!"
When Ed came out the door, he found himself against the wall in a very small walled courtyard, which would have been uncomfortable for four normal sized people to squeeze into, but with Hagrid it was claustrophobic.
"What the heck are we doing here!" Ed groaned, his back pressed almost painfully against of of the bricked walls, all he could see around was a few smelly trash cans and some scattered weeds.
"Er, sorry, excuse me," Hagrid huffed as he shuffled between Al and Winry, making his way to the opposite brick wall.
"This is crazy!" Ed reminded him, trying to squeeze his way past so he could find his way back home.
Hagrid ignored him however, counting the bricks above the trash can. "Er I always forget," he chuckled, "I berlieve…. That's right! Two up and three across," he mumbled to himself, and then, pulling an umbrella from somewhere deep in the folds of his robes, he tapped the brick lightly three times.
Suddenly, Ed's eyes widened as he watched the bricks were Hagrid's umbrella had touched trembled, and then a small hole appeared, growing larger until they stood gaping In front of a huge archway.
Hagrid chuckled at their expressions. "Welcome to Diagon Alley!" He said. "The best place fer school shopping!"
Then under the archway, twisting and turning, was a wide cobblestone path, leading off into the distance. The sides of the path were lined with the strangest shops Ed had ever seen, leading as far as the eye could see.
"Wow! Brother look! This is amazing!" Al exclaimed, almost overwhelmed with excitement.
"It's like rush valley!" Winry exclaimed. "Well, minus the machinery and sketchy people,"
Ed could only nod in agreement as they began their treck across the street.
"How is anyplace is even open this early?" Edward shuddered, seeing as it wasn't even light outside yet. Hagrid only looked at him confused.
"Ollivander's is open 24 'ours every day," he said, almost proudly. "Yup, no place to get a wand like Ollivander's! That's wer I got my wand, and almost every other Wizard gits theirs! All the greats, Ollivander's"
Ed didn't listen to his ramblings however, instead he stared, bug eyed at the shops all around. One shop had signs for couldrons, there was sweet shop over their advertising "every flavored beans" as well as "chocolate frogs". Ed swore he saw a richly brown frog leaping on the store's glass window. Book stores, uniform and clothes stores, stores advertising the strangest things. "Unicorn horns 40% off," one sign read. And yet another, "Beetle eyes, 2 galleons a scoop!"
Suddenly Winry let out a squeal of delight, and saw her run to a store window. She pressed her nose up against the cool glass, her eyes seemingly alight with pure excitement. Ed sighed through his nose and strolled up to her, peering curiously over her shoulder.
"It's a broom Win," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose irritably.
"No look Ed! It's one of the flying ones! Oh how'd i'd like to get my hands on one of those and take it apart. Ugh I wanna know what makes it work so bad!" She cried with a spin, her long ponytail catching Ed in the face. He spluttered leaping away from his insane fiancé.
"Will you buy it for me? Oh please please please Ed!" She cried, turning abruptly and latching onto his shirt.
"L… Look Winry, even if I wanted to buy it, the store's not even open,"
Winry looked back at the store and huffed in disappointment. "Can we come back later?" She whined hopefully., looking up at him with the glittery blue eyes that always got to him.
"Ya whatever Win," Ed groaned scratching the back of his neck. That women would be the death of his wallet. Maybe it was good that he didn't quit the military yet, seeing as it was his only source of money.
"Come on brother! Mr. Dumbledore wants us back before breakfast!" Alphonse called, already down the street. Ed sighed, running a hand over his face. It was going to be a long day.
The Amestrians, and Hagrid, entered a small, peeling shop, a bell ringing merrily above their ears. Ed shivered involuntarily as he first stepped in, the chill he felt could only be described as well….. magic. The second thing Ed noticed about the place was how exceptionally small it was, the four people inside barely fit. He gasped upon seeing thousands of long boxes stacked haphazardly around them, filling up each and every corner in that dull shop. Ed snorted. So this was the great Ollivanders everyone talked about. So far it didn't seem that great to him.
"Those are a lot of boxes," Al marveled, looking around the shop curiously. Winry agreed full heartedly, wondering how so many boxes could be piled so high without tipping over.
"Why hello," came a surprised voice from behind the counter, and Ed couldn't believe he didn't notice the strange specimen when he had first entered the shop. The man was exceptionally old, with wild hair and wide pale eyes.
"Hello," Winry responded politely.
"I'm Win.."
"Yes yes, Miss Rockbell. I was expecting you lot, though I must say, not this early in the morning," the old man tutted.
"Hey, how'd you know her na.." Ed started to say but the old man beat him to talking.
"Ah yes. The two sons of Hohenheim. I've been waiting for you to show up," said wistfully, as if lost in memory. Ed's blood began to boil. How did this old geezer know Hohenheim?
"You 're the sons of 'ohenheim?" Hagrid cried out, flabbergasted and standing from the weak old chair he was formally seated upon.
"He's our biological father, nothing more," Ed hissed through his teeth, and Al sighed behind him.
"Broth.."
"How do you know the bastard anyway?" Ed interrupted his little brother, and Winry in turn gave him a hard glare.
"Why Hohenheim is a' 'ery talented wizard! I though' every one knew 'bout 'im!" Hagrid cried, but the man who Ed could only assume was Ollivander stopped him with a withered finger.
"Yes, yes, I remember Van Hohenheim very well! I remember every wand I've ever sold." The old wizard sighed. "12 inches… Mahogany… No! Willow, the core was Phoenix feather… That's right," he mumbled, ignoring the Amestrians staring at each other.
"That piece of crap was a wizard!" Ed exclaimed, fuming.
"Why didn't he ever tell us?" Al muttered dejectedly, and Ed saw him lean a little more on his crutches.
"That old man never told us anything," Ed snarled angrily, about ready to pound someone's face it.
"Maybe he just didn't have the chance," Winry suggested quietly.
Ed scoffed. "He probably didn't even tell mom," he growled harshly. He had thought that after the promised day, maybe… just maybe… Hohenheim wasn't as much of a horrid bastard father as Ed thought he was. But this just took the cake. Not only was the old man a terrible father, he was also a lying idiot.
Ed rubbed his eyes, a headache was started to form above his throat.
"Alright alright, whatever, let's just get these stupid sticks and leave this place," he complained, waving his hand around arily.
"Yes yes," the ancient wizard behind the counter agreed. He began to wave his wand, muttering a few things. Suddenly, tape measures came flying out of nowhere, wrapping themselves around the eldest Alchemists arms.
"What the heck!" Ed shouted as he flapped his arms around, trying to shake them off like he would if it were a spider web. Despite his most valiant efforts, the tape only left his arms to measure his torso and legs, and every other little inch of him. They even went as far as to measure the tiny piece of hair that stuck straight up on his head. Finally, They floated elegantly back to their summoner who immediately began to take notes.
"Hmm lets see…" Ollivander disappeared under his desk, and the Amestrians all looked at each other warily. Ollivander emerged suddenly, holding a long black case. Ed eyed it skeptically, and only approached it when the old man beckoned him forward. Ollivander opened the case and produced a smooth, slender, simple brown wand. Ed crinkled his nose in disgust as he took it in his hands.
"It's so simple…" He muttered, fingering the thing.
"Hey old man, do you have anything with more…. Style?" He inquired and much to his annoyance, Winry spoke up quickly.
"Ed don't even think about it. You have no sense of style," she reprimanded, making the eldest Elric scowl.
"No no no young man. The wand chooses the Wizard, not the other way around. Now give it a flick." Ollivander explained, almost eagerly with a hungry look in his eye. With a roll of his eyes, Ed gave a halfhearted flick of his wrist and jumped nearly out of his pants when something exploded behind him. Winry immediately tried to pry the wand from Ed's fingers and pouted when he wouldn't relinquish it.
"Come on Ed! I just want to take it apart! I promise to put it back together! Arnt you curious to see how it works to!"
The eldest Elric, kept the wand well out of reach from Winry, a scowl etched on his features.
Ollivander immediately snatched the stick from his hand, looking a bit disappointed.
"No no not that one… Try this," he muttered pulling a longer black box from a different pile. This time, Ed took the wand with extreme caution until he was told to flick his wrist. The results with that one was the same. As was the next, and the next.
By this time, both Winry and Al were cowering behind Hagrid in fear of being the next thing to explode, and Ed was getting annoyed.
"Here, try this," Ollivander said, holding a long, black wand in his grasp almost reverently. It had a small dragon carved gracefully and fluidly to its handle, in its beady eyes were emerald gems. It wrapped it's body around a large red gem, the coloring of the gem pleased Edward greatly, seeing as he thought red was the most badass color ever. Ed sighed as he took this one, wondering when the heck he could leave the wretched shop. Immediately as his fingertips brushed the wand, even through his gloves he could feel some sort of shiver spread across his being. Gulping slightly, he gave the wand a small flick.
Everything immediately was lifted off the ground, including Winry, Al, Hagrid, and Ollivander himself. Every object in the room was floating a few inches off the ground. With a Yelp, Ed dropped his wand, and everything around him fell to the ground as well.
"Curios," Ollivander commented, hopping up from his place on the ground as if he hadn't been lifted off the ground only moments before.
"How curious… Pick up the wand child," he demanded, and Ed promptly did as he was told.
"Looks like ya' found 'er wand!" Hagrid said happily, clamping Ed on the back harshly. The eldest Elric's old wounds screamed at him in annoyance.
"What do you mea…" He started, but was interrupted by Ollivander.
"Oak, with a dragon heartstring core. 13 inches," the old man nodded appreciatively. "I'm very proud of that one, almost one of my finest work. I'll will be interested to see what will become of it," he said, taking the wand from Ed and putting back inside the black box, handing it to Hagrid to carry. For some reason Ed felt a childish urge to carry if for himself, it was his anyway, but he ignored it.
"Alright," said the Ollivander, rubbing his hands together and showing off his few remaining teeth. "Who's next?"
Ed and Winry immediately turned and looked toward Al, who was looking slightly pale.
"What?" He yelped as Winry pushed him toward Ollivander. "Why me?"
"Come on Al, it's not that bad," Ed grinned at his brother, who was obviously uncomfortable as the tape measures did their usual sweep over every inch of him… For seemingly no reason at all.
"Says the one who cried over a shot," Al muttered, swatting one of the tape measures away from his ear.
Ed felt his face grow hot. "I did not cry!" He retorted, glancing at Winry. "Plus that's not even in the same category as this,"
"Alright," Ollivander intercepted their bickering, waving the tape back over to him.
He picked out a slim black box at random from the pile that had accumulated on the floor, handing it to Alphonse, and the process began all over again. After many more wands and explosions, Edward barely getting out of the way of one that almost took off his head, Ollivander handed Al a long slim silver wand with golden accents.
"Birch wood, 14 inches with a unicorn hair core," Ollivander stated proudly.
The second Al touched the wand, Ed saw his face change from wariness to wonder. Al flicked the wand from side to side, making a satisfying whooshing sound, and suddenly golden sparks flowed out of the end like a sparkler, making the others jump back.
"The wand chooses the wizard," Ollivander repeated, taking the wand swiftly from Al's fingers and placing it into its black box, handing it to Hagrid.
Al went back to his brother, and the two boys stared at Winry.
"Finally," she said, flicking her too long ponytail over her shoulder, and held out her arms so the tape measures could do their job. After repeating the entire process for the third time, Winry blasting a hole through a shelf and knocking a huge stack of boxes over, the wand that chose her was gleaming silver, like metal, and above the handle was carved an intricate design of criss crossing and overlapping patterns. She grinned happily as she placed her new wand into the black box, 11 inches, made of mahogany, with a Phoenix feather core.
"Thanks ser much Ollivander," Hagrid said gruffly, placing a small bag of coins into the man's hands. "Yer friends from yer country are funding yer supplies while yer here," Hagrid explained. "Now take really good care of yer wands, they grow on you, ya know?" He mumbled as he left the shop, the three Amestrians trailing behind. Wow thanks, how thoughtful of Colonel bastard. Ed thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Now it's time for yer pets," Hagrid explained, leading to the children into another store. Ed crinkled his nose in disgust the second he walked through the door of this next store. It smelled awful, and there was an awful chatter of all sorts of animals.
"Well, yer mite want to be getting yerself an owl, so you make calls back 'ome," Hagrid announced helpfully as the Amestrians glanced around. Suddenly, Al let out a loud squeal and bounded into the recesses of the shop.
"Hey Al come bac…" Ed started, but Al soon emerged with a white, spotted cat held firmly in his arms.
"This one!" He shouted showing her off. Ed rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Al you know how I feel about cats," Ed groaned, peeking at the furry thing through his fingers.
"This one brother," Al repeated more darkly this time, clutching the poor cat closer.
"How many times have I told you, we don't have the means to take care of a pet! Especially since we're living in a dorm right now."
Al was adamant. "Pleeeease brother! I'll take care of it all by myself, and I'll train it and you won't even know it's there!"
Ed groaned again, shaking his head. "I bet the school doesn't even allow cats,"
"A cat is an' Excellent choice!" Hagrid butted in, " Yer allowed either an owl, a cat, er a toad as a pet at Hogwarts. Hermion' 'as one too," Hagrid exclaimed, patting Al on the back. Al only smirked evilly at Ed.
"Fine fine, whatever! Get the stupid cat! See if I care!" Ed shouted throwing up his arms in exasperation.
"So what the heck is it your gonna get Winry?" Ed asked now turning to look for his fiancé.
"Winry?" She was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly he heard another squeal of delight, then a huge crash, then Winry came skidding around the corner, something held firmly in her hands. Her hair was in disarray, and feathers clung all over the front of her shirt.
"Ed! Ed, Al, look!" She shouted as she skipped over to them, holding up a large birdcage. Inside sat a very understandably startled looking snowy white owl.
"Can I keep him?" Winry begged, showing the cage into Edward's face, making him jump back.
"Fine! Fine! Get whatever the heck you two want! Stop asking me!" He snapped, sauntering away from a shocked looking Winry, and Al who was obliviously cooing at his new kitten.
Edward was beginning to feel overwhelmed with everything going on. He was in a new country, new culture, that he was used to, he had to travel all over for the military, not to mention he and Al had traveled to many different countries over the years to research the philosophers stone.. No, it wasn't that that caused him to stress, it was the fact that he and Al had never got so involved in anything as they had with researching for the philosophers stone. It felt strange, he had worked so hard not to get too attached to anything over the years, he learned by experience that you eventually lose anything you love. All he expected do was to come here, tough out a year, maybe research and learn some new things, but his plans had all gone down the drain. Instead of a spoiled little rich brat, he was babysitting a powerful magical wizard who was being hunted by an even more magical powerful wizard, and now he had become a wizard and was buying a cat for crying out loud, he would have no idea what to do with it when they left the school the next year, though he was starting to doubt he would even leave the school in a year. People were finding about his secrets and all this and the school year hadn't even started yet. Suddenly Ed heard an annoyed sounding screech from his side and he jumped in surprise, swiveling to see what had made the noise.
He scowled at a tiny little golden colored owl perched inside a cage hanging precariously against the wall. It couldn't have been much larger than Ed's hand. The owl let out another ear splitting scream and Ed slapped his hands over his ears.
"Shut up won't you pipsqueak!" He snapped at the creature, who in turn ruffled its wings and snapped its beak at him, letting out an indignant hoot as if to say, who are you calling pipsqueak, you're not much more than a midget yourself!
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT EVEN A TINY LITTLE OWL SUCH AS YOURSELF WOULD HAVE NO TROUBLE PICKING ME UP?" Ed screeched right back at it, causing everyone in the room, including the animals, to give him a confused look.
"Brother," Al sighed.
"Nobody said anything," Ed glared at the tiny owl, crossing his arms indignantly.
"Oh so yer be wanting this one?" Hagrid asked, plucking up the bird and its elegant cage in one, big, meaty paw.
"No I…" Ed started, but Hagrid continued to talk as well.
"Such a scrawny thing, huh. Didn't know you'd like 'im,"
"No I don't I…" Edward tried again, but to no avail.
"Come on you lot. It's nearing time we be getting back to Hogw'rts," Hagrid quickly purchased their items, completely ignoring all of Ed's loud and obnoxious protests.
