Chapter 9
Ed grunted and lugged Harry's trunk out to the car. It weighed a lot heavier than he expected. He hoped he wasn't getting flabby without the rigorous exercise he usually had growing up. His sweaty fingers slipped on the trunk for a second and it slammed down on his foot.
"Dammit!" Ed cried, holding his foot theatrically and hopping up and down on the other. He cursed the stupid trunk for being so heavy. The sound of muffled laughter behind him alerted Ed to Harry's presence. He whirled around.
Harry's bright green eyes sparkled with mirth over the edge of his hand, which he was obviously using to hold back laughter at Ed's expense.
"Think this is funny, do you?" Ed asked sourly.
"Yep." Harry grinned innocently.
Ed shook his head and started to lift the trunk as best he could in the back of his red car. Harry tried to push it in, but it was clear he wasn't able to help much. "What did you pack in this thing? Rocks?"
"I have to pack a lot of supplies. I am going away for a year." Harry defended himself.
"Nine months." Ed corrected. Harry rolled his eyes.
Of course, Ed knew that he had spoiled Harry with school books and stuff to take with him. He worried that Harry was going to forget something. So it was partially his fault Harry had an extremely heavy trunk.
Finally, Ed gave up trying to maneuver the stupid thing in because it wouldn't fit in the small opening. Losing his patience with the car and trunk, he clapped his hands and touched the red metal of the car. A flash of blue light illuminated his and Harry's face and then was gone.
The trunk, which had been wedged halfway in when it had gotten stuck, fell into the now wide opening with a clunk.
Ed was about to transmute it back to normal when Harry had stopped him saying that they still had to get it back out, which they couldn't do at the train station in front of regular people. Ed nodded sheepishly. Harry was a lot more sensible than him sometimes. All right-most of the time. Sometimes he thought it was a miracle he was able to raise Harry at all.
After adjusting the cover on the car's trunk, they got into Ed's car and headed towards the train station.
King's Cross was the major train system in London. Ed traveled on trains often; them being his favorite form of transportation. He took Harry with him on most occasions and they were both familiar with the layout of the station. So they were both surprised when they bothered to check the ticket which innocently read Platform 9 ¾ in solid black lettering. Was this some sort of joke? Had that idiot wizard messed them up on purpose? Ed glared at the Platform 9 sign. He knew Dumbledore let them go too easily!
Ed was broken from his murderous thoughts by a slight tugging on his right hand. Harry pulled at his hand again and pointed off into the crowd.
"Look!"
Ed followed his finger towards a red-haired family. There was a woman, obviously the mother, and five children pushing four carts all carrying trunks like Harry's. But what must have caught his eye was the owl on top of one of their trunks. And possibly the rat was running alongside one of the carts. The youngest boy had stopped and was chasing after it, tripping on his gangly limbs.
"Come back here, Scabbers!" the boy whisper-yelled, as if trying not to draw attention to himself and the rat.
Wizards.
"Good job, Harry." Ed grinned at him and strode over to where they were stopped, waiting for the youngest boy, who had retrieved his rat.
The mother was talking to the daughter, who was holding her hand.
"-to platform nine and three-quarters."
Suspicions confirmed.
"Excuse me." Ed said politely.
The red-haired woman whirled around at the sound of his voice and took in the sight of Ed with his gold hair and eyes and glanced at Harry standing nervously behind him with his cart and more importantly, Hedwig strapped to the top of it.
"First years?" she asked, smiling warmly. The girl peered out curiously from behind her mother.
Oh yeah. They had some weird grade system at the magic school.
"Ah, yes. Do you know how to get on the, um, platform?"
"Of course, forgive me." She smiled at them again. Were all wizards this cheery? "Right this way." She gestured towards the platform ten sign. "I'm Molly Weasley by the way." She held out her hand to shake.
"Edward Elric." He returned her smile and motioned for Harry to come closer. "And this is my foster son, Harry. This is his first year."
"It's my son Ron's too." She glanced towards the gangly young boy with a face filled with freckles whose rat had run away.
Harry smiled mutely at the Weasleys.
"Oh, look at the time! We'd better go." Molly gathered up the rest of her children while Ed and Harry stood there awkwardly and then the whole procession made their way down the station. But they had only gone about twenty more feet when they stopped again.
"Alright," Molly began, all business. "Percy, you first."
"Right, mum." The oldest boy righted his cart with an air of superiority. Then he suddenly began running rapidly with the cart towards the pillar in front of them. Ed nearly cried out in panic, but it was unfounded; he disappeared into the bricks. Ed and Harry gaped at the place where Percy had been, shocked.
"Fred, you next." She motioned towards one of the two middle boys who were identical in every way.
"I'm George, honestly and you call yourself our mother?"
"Sorry George."
George lined up next with the brick pillar. "Just joking, I really am Fred." And then he disappeared. In a blink, the other twin was gone too.
Ed glanced around; it seemed no one else had noticed, except him and Harry. Molly looked unconcerned that three of her children had just run straight at a solid brick wall and POOF! were gone. It defied all reason. Was this some strange form of alchemy? Or perhaps that 'magic?'
"Um, where did they just…go?"
Molly refocused on Ed and chuckled with realization. "Oh, I forgot you're probably new to this. You just run at the pillar and it transports you to the Hogwarts platform."
"But….how?"
Molly's forehead creased. "I'm not sure the specific spell, but it's some sort of illusion combined with a portal of sorts."
"So…magic, then?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, are you a muggle?"
By now, Ed had learned to just go along with it. "I am, but Harry's not."
"Oh, my husband would love to meet you. He is just fascinated by the muggle world! Always fussing with those gadgets of his." Molly sounded a bit exasperated at the end of this and got caught up in her own thoughts. Ed shifted nervously on his right leg.
"Um, the portal thingy….?"
She jerked out of her distracted gaze. "Oh, forgive me! Like I said before, just run at the pillar, it will take you right through."
Ed opened his mouth to say he would go through first to be sure, but then closed it again when he realized that would require leaving Harry all alone in a crowded station with wizards he had just met. After a moment of deliberation he opened his mouth again.
"Harry you can go ahead with…Ron, is it?" Ron nodded in confirmation. "Harry, go ahead with Ron and I'll be right behind you."
The twins and the oldest brother had gone through just fine hadn't they? Was he just worrying over nothing? Still, it was against his protective nature as he saw Harry line up, facing the solid brick wall. Harry looked a bit pale and Ed imagined he was the same. Ron went first, seemingly to show him again after a hushed comment from his mother. Again, they could only stare on in amazement as Ron went through the barrier like it wasn't there, except he didn't come through to the other side.
Harry took a deep gulp and started pushing the heavy cart towards the pillar. Ed held his breath, ready at a moment's notice to intervene if Harry showed signs of hitting the barrier. As Harry picked up speed and drew closer and closer, Ed saw him squeeze his eyes shut and brace for a collision.
Which never came. Same as the rest of the Weasley children, he spontaneously disappeared. Ed felt his stomach clench in nervousness. Calm down, Ed.
"May I go next?" Ed asked, trying to mask the impatience in his voice.
Molly smiled at him. "Why not?"
Ed mimicked Harry's position and tried not to look skeptically at the brick wall. Just do it. Deep breath. And run. Closer and Closer. Eyes shut, ready for a painful attachment to a solid compound. But he kept running and he knew he had past the point of hitting the wall.
Ed opened his eyes to a brightly lit station featuring a large gleaming red train not unlike ones used in Amestris. It puffed thick white smoke which only added to the confusion of the bustling crowd filled with loud squawking of birds and shouting of children. A tawny owl swooped by overhead and Ed ducked down instinctively. Most of the carriages of the train were already filled with kids leaning out various windows and hugging parents good-bye. An elegant iron-wrought sign hung down from the ceiling which broadly proclaimed Platform 9 ¾ in a curly script.He'd made it.
"Ed!" A voice called his attention. "Over here!" Harry was standing next to his trunk, waiting impatiently for him. Ed carefully navigated the crowd to the black-haired boy.
Harry shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Come on! I'm going to miss the train!"
Ed rolled his eyes. Harry was a bit over-dramatic at times. "Hold your horses. There's still ten minutes left." He glanced around the station. "Let's find an empty carriage."
They rolled the cart alongside the train, searching for a compartment. It was a flurry of voices and noise. A boy ran by searching for his toad. A group of older students crowded around a box. Chatting parents. A girl saying goodbye to her younger sister. They had nearly traveled to the end of the platform when Harry spotted an empty carriage.
It took both of them to load the trunk onto the train. Throughout this, Ed felt a strange sense of sadness that Harry was leaving. He sighed and tried to concentrate on not smashing his foot again. Which was still sore. When they had finally secured all of Harry's belongings, it was time to board the train.
Ed forced a smile for Harry's sake. "I'll miss you. Don't forget to write. Make new friends. All that sentimental stuff." He nervously straightened Harry's collar of his shirt so it laid flat."Don't let anyone push you around."
"And if they do?"
"Punch them in the face." Harry raised an eyebrow. "I mean, try to resolve the conflict peacefully?"
Harry snorted. Ed began to wonder just what kinds of bad habits he'd taught Harry.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." He smiled up at Ed and he couldn't help but flashback to the young child he'd adopted and how far he'd come. Him and Harry both. A ball of pride curled up inside him. Ed had to clear his throat from the sudden choking sensation.
"Just-just don't do anything stupid. And try not to get yourself killed while I'm away."
"What? Don't trust me?" Harry's eyes brightened.
Ed grinned. "Nope."
The loud train whistle cut above the chaos. Time to go.
Harry suddenly hugged him tightly around the middle which Ed returned fiercely. The whistle struck again. Harry pulled back. "Don't worry." He repeated, as if to reinforce the idea against Ed's growing concerns.
"Have a good time at school!" Ed called as Harry dashed onto the train. His face appeared in the window momentarily. "Bye! See you!" Harry waved out the window as the steam engine gave a sudden jerk and pulled out of the station. Dozens of other kids leaned out windows and called last-minute farewells to their families. Ed waved and waved until the train faded farther and farther away from view, taking Harry with it.
Ed felt the ball of pride curled up in his chest as he smiled proudly at the small dot in the distance and felt his eyes water dangerously.
Cause all that stupid sentimental stuff about your child growing up? It's totally true.
A/N: Cheesy ending. I couldn't fit in the train ride, sorry, it took longer than I expected just to get them to the train station. I hit over 2000 words this chapter.
TheBleachDoctor: No Ed does not have Automail. I too, would love to see Ed battle Voldie with Alchemy. Thanks for the Review!
ChaosZaber: Most of the story is actually going to be in Harry's pov, it's just that the beginning chapters are more in Ed's. Thanks for the Review!
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Reishin Amara, 777angeloflove, ILikeComps, Harryswoman, Venas, Truth's Apprentice, the red panda alchemist, Creshirecat, Suuki-Aldrea, AnElegantCatastrophe(love the name), Esaria, Jostanos, wishfulliving89, Soaring-Drag0n, bookworm13000, Dark Neko 4000, Sense Marauder, TheDanaDobreAKAToshiroLover, Yuna's Reincarnation-1, Tear-Stained-Book, AngelofDarkness95, and gaara king of the sand.
As for story titles….
A Child of Magic and Alchemy(I've had multiple suggestions of this one.)
The Magic Child(No change)
Harry Alphonse Potter
The Life and Times of Harry A. Potter
(I'm kind of leaning towards the last two, but that's probably because I made them up.)
Please tell me which one you like best(if any)!
And as always…..REVIEW!(It is mandatory to review if you have eaten chocolate today) (;
