I'm not dead! Now...I have to work on the next science stuff....:( My teach is trying to kill us!

"The homunculi of Amestris wanted a Philosopher's Stone. It's not what they wanted so much that what the stone's were made of," Ed lectured, pacing. "I'm not telling you what the key ingredient is because you haven't proven you need to know what it is. Equivalent exchange. Oh, and because I'm pretty sure that most of you will piss in your pants if I tell you.

"Each of the homunculi has a unique power and our named after the Seven Sins. Lust could change her form at will, a shape-shifter." Al shook his head, this was just like Ed. Using class to give false information and see if anybody would recognize it.

"I thought..." a girl in the back said, blushing furiously.

"Yes?" Edward said, a slow smile creeping up his lips. All the students just felt a shiver run up their back as they saw the sadistic smile.

"Never mind!" the girl muttered, looking at the book in front of her. She seemed not to notice that the book was upside down.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that," Ed purred sadistically.

"Nothing," she breathed out.

"Alright, Rose, why don't you wait a bit after class, I want to talk to you a bit, like where you learned about the homunculi, if you get what I mean," Ed said.

"Okay," was a soft response that the entire class could hear. It seemed to be all terror and no part of any confidence at all.

The rest of the period went along nice and dandy, without a notable incident, unless you counted the fact that all the students were shivering from the icy tone of their professor.

"So, Rose, or should I say a homunculus?" Ed said, propping his feet on his desk. Although he really was feeling a bit scared of acting so defiant and bold to a homunculus, he needed to appear like he wasn't afraid in any way.

"Smart. Feeding false information," was all that Rose said.

"So, mind telling me who you are, or do we have to go through the entire part where we finally find your name when someone mentions it?"

"You can't do anything to stop us. The Wizarding World will fall because of us," Rose hissed, but still looking as beautiful as her namesake.

"So, who are you, if you're so confident?" Al asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Sloth," Rose hesitated.

"Thank you, see? That wasn't so hard," Ed smirked.

"Well, now that we're all through the hostile things, hello! I'm Maes Hughes," Hughes said cheerily.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Whaaaat?" Hughes pouted, "Oooh! Look at Elysia!"

"If you manage to find a way to make him shut up, I won't be as mad."

"I wouldn't mind it either," Rose said, leaving the room.

Neither of the boys nor did the ghost notice the smirk that danced on her lips.


"There's been an attack!" Hermione shrieked the next morning as soon as she glanced at the headlines of the Daily Prophet. The Great Hall silenced. Ed and Al were deep in thought. Hughes was just pretending. Envy appearing all of a sudden. An attack.

"McGonagall, do you mind if I see that newspaper? If your done that is," Ed asked. McGonagall handed him the paper, a deep frown etched in her face.

"City in England Obliterated!

...A large green Eastern dragon was seen attacking a suburban city in Western England...Disappeared immediately after attacking,' More like Envy shape-shifted into something else," Ed snorted.

Al took the paper so he could read a bit too, "'All of the building's there are all collapsed. In all my years as a dragon tamer, I've never seen this kind of damage caused by a dragon,' says Charlie Weasley.'

"Well, even if we know who it is, we aren't getting any closer to catching him," Ed sighed.

"Hey, why is Envy even working for him? Shouldn't he be much stronger than Voldie? And I'm sure he doesn't really want followers. Or at least he doesn't care that much," Hughes asked.

Ed mulled over it for a few seconds before saying, "Well, Envy did say that all that crap, er trouble he caused was because he wanted to see us have pain. But you're right, he could have done that even without Voldemort."

"So there's something more," Hughes said.

"Exactly. Perhaps he wants a Philosopher's Stone to...get home maybe? Or to turn human?" Al asked.

"But he hates humans the day that he wants to turn human is the day I--," Ed shook his head, and got cut off by Hughes.

"Is the day you grow another inch," Hughes said joyfully. Ed swiped at Hughes with his right hand. He looked at his right hand in wonder and an evil plan was unraveling in his mind. He set it aside as he went back to the present topic.

"He doesn't hate homunculi, he doesn't even mind helping homunculi. So that should prove there are homunculi here," Al said.

"I thought everything was being hushed up by the Ministry too," Hughes remembered.

"You're right!" Ed gasped. "That means someone is pulling strings either in Daily Prophet, or in the Ministry!"

"I couldn't help but hear you say something about the Ministry. Perhaps you know something that can help the Ministry find the person who sent the dragon?" Umbridge said with a really fake sweetness.

"Well it's probably something you already know, so there really is no point in repeating it, now is there?" Ed smiled sweetly. And fakely.

"Any information is important. We take everything into account," Umbridge answered, not yet dropping the act.

"Well, I don't think that you took the fact that Voldemort's back into account? And just the fact that the three of us took about ten minutes to figure out the information, says that you must've already figured it out, considering you've already got one day," Hughes added.

Umbridge glared. Hughes smiled. Ed smirked. Al couldn't help but smile. Students snickered. Dumbledore chuckled. Filch scowled. Slytherin's sneered.


Harry nearly choked on his scrambled eggs when he heard Hermione shriek. It took him a couple of seconds before it actually clicked. And when it finally did, a rush of thoughts came crashing into his mind.

A city was attacked. The only Dark Wizard nowadays is Voldemort. But hadn't Dumbledore or someone like that told him that Voldemort would be lying low for a while? So why all of a sudden? And then something went off in his head. What if it wasn't a wizard? What if it was a homunculi? What if it was Envy?

"City in England Obliterated!

Yesterday, a large green Eastern dragon was seen attacking a suburban city in Western England. It caused mass disruptions and panic. But the oddest thing is, is that according to all wizards and witches witnessing the attack, and survived, is that the dragon disappeared immediately after attacking. There are so few survivors that I can count them on one hand and still have plenty spare, mind you, I've got 10 fingers. Also, not all of the reports were the same. Some said that the dragon also took the form of a androgynous teenager at times with dark green dreadlocks. It still is yet to be determined whether it is a female or a male. But in both forms, the attacker has caused record high damages. And needless to say, the death toll of the attack is amazingly high. In fact, it hasn't been this high since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was alive.

Muggles believe this incident to be the work of a 'terrorist' or a Muggle who, as the name implies, inputs terror into their systems. This tends to cause them to panic and go crazy in fear. Many wizards and witches are also panicking because the dragon seemed to know exactly what to do, not attacking randomly and specifically attacked for the Muggle inhabited buildings. In those buildings, the wizards have less of a chance of survival, despite the already low chances. We just pray that whoever ordered the dragon will not strike again.

For those that want a summary of what had happened there. All of the buildings there have collapsed. 'In all my years as a dragon tamer, I haven't seen this kind of damage caused by a dragon,' Charlie Weasley said, a notable dragon tamer." At this, Ron choked. Hermione spared him a disdainful look before continuing, "The number of survivers is far less than the number of deaths as mentioned above. Perhaps we'll be getting another Potter--" Hermiond stopped suddenly and glanced at Harry.

Harry growled under his breath.

"Another crack about you," Hermione said in a small voice.

Ron saw this as another chance to convince Harry to start their own Defence Against Dark Arts class.

"Harry, it's because of stupid teachers like Umbridge that this happens. I mean loads of people dying. They aren't trained well enough in DADA," Ron said, emphasizing 'DADA.'

"Ron, you know better than I do that it's practically impossible to kill a dragon," Harry said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not when there a lot of people fighting together," Hermione said.

Harry had a sense of deja vu. Maybe because he already had this argument with Hermione and Ron about ten times already. Who would really learn Defense Against the Dark Arts from him? He was supposedly the attention wanting freak who'd do anything to get attention, such as lying about a supposedly dead Dark Wizard.

"For the last time! I'm not doing it!" Harry said in exasperation.

"What's wrong with you teaching us DADA, Harry? It's useful for all of us. Especially with that hag teaching," Ron said.

"Ron!" Hermione said, disapproving of the word 'hag.' "Harry, I've already invited a few people who are interested in meeting this Hogsmeade weekend. I've asked them to meet at the Hog's Head. And I thought...I thought we could ask Professor Elric, both of them...I thought we could ask them to teach as more alchemy."

Hermione obviously was a bit nervous at Harry's reaction.

"What! You know I think they're on You-Know-Who's side," Harry growled.

"I can't believe you!" Hermione hissed. For a second there, Harry thought Hermione looked rather Slytherin-ish, "What has he ever done that made you suspect him?"

"He talks about bringing back the dead!" Harry said. Ron squeaked here. He fidgeted around and looked uncomfortable.

"And what's wrong with that?"

"It's just not possible!" Harry argued. "Even Dumbledore says so. At the end of last year, he said nothing could bring back the dead."

"No. I remember. He said no magic could bring back the dead. It's alchemy," Hermione argued.

"But it goes by equivalent exchange," Harry said. "You can't bring back the dead like that. I don't know why, but you just can't. Plus, isn't alchemy weaker than magic?"

Hermione sighed, "No, and it's possible. As long as you have the ingredients, you can do anything. And that doesn't mean he's with Voldemort."

Ron squeaked again.

"He never shows his arm. Ever," Harry said. He suddenly remembered the metallic machine that was Ed's right arm. Harry furiously pushed out the idea that maybe Ed's other arm was also metal.

"Who wears short-sleeves in this weather?" Hemione shot. "Besides, you've had dreams about Voldemort," another squeak, "and have you ever seen Ed in any of them?"

"Fine," Harry was said grudgingly, "but I still don't trust him."

"But he's still going to teach us," Hermione said. "Think of it this way, now you don't have to teach as much. And look, he's right there. I'm going to go up to him and ask him if he'd like to teach us."

"Wait! How about if we ask the others first? The other people you invited, I mean. See what they say."


"...You teaching us DADA..." Ed caught. Apparently Harry was having an argument with his two so called best friends. Again.

"I've already invited...Hog's Head. And I thought...Elric...teach us more alchemy," Hermione answered. Ed turned away.

"Hey, Al. Interested in going to the Hog's Head this Hogsmeade weekend?" Ed asked mischeviously.

"Brother!" Al sighed. "It's not our business."

"Yes it is! Hermione mentioned that she wanted to asked us if we would teach them alchemy," Ed said excitedly. It gave them the perfect excuse to snoo-, er listen in.

"Do you remember how many times you got in trouble in snooping in places you weren't supposed to?" Al asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, you're right," Hughes said, "Like the time with Lab 5(3), and with Marcoh, and with Scar, and--"

"Hughes!" Ed pouted.

"Sorry, Eddy-kins, but it's true. You're too snoopy," Hughes grinned.

"So we're not going right?" Al asked hopefully.


Thousands of miles away, Envy was musing in Voldemort's chair. The Death Eaters were surrounding him as he decided to make a command.

"Rose, why don't you attack them? It'd make them stay on their toes. Do tell me their expressions when they find out about it," Envy said. "They'll be trying to eliminate you anyway."

"Alright, Envy," Rose said. "How soon do you want it? They can't do anything until they found out about the old Rose."

"Soon, no doubt the boys and Dumbledore will be trying to kill you, it'll be too dangerous," Envy said after thinking about it. "And with Hohenheim there, it'll be risky even to attack them. Oi Voldy!"

"Yes, Envy?"

"How much longer will it be until Hohenheim will leave?" Envy snarled, impatient.

"Not much, we have to make it sound like it's legitimate," Voldemort said, casting his eyes on the carpet. "Meaning we'll need to make many others here about it first."


"Brother?"

"Hm?"

"I don't know how you drag me into these things," Al sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ed shot back.

"We're going into a pub. To listen to a bunch of teenagers argue," Al answered.

"So?"

"It's snooping."

"Hmf," Ed sniffed.

They were walking down Hogsmeade, heading toward the Hog's Head where they would be 'listening in'.

"Ooh, look! Zonko's Wizarding Joke Shop," Ed said. His familiar evil grin was growing. "Just think about all of the stuff that I could do to Umbridge with that. I'll just alchemify it and make it absolutely wonderful."

"Well I think your forgetting something, Eddy-kins," Hughes said, "She can fire you."

"Well I can actually set her on fire, plus I can make her life here living hell...literally," Ed said. "just remind me to go in there after we're done snoo-, I mean listening in to their conversation."

"So how are we going to enter? We can't really just go up to them and say, 'Oh, we heard about your little meeting. Just thought we'd drop in and listen,'" Al said. He preferred not standing out. That was kind of hard when he was a suit of armor. So, he was making up for it now.

"Of course not, silly. We're going to drop in Yousville style. Nice and dramatic," Ed said. So much for not standing out.

"I don't know how you could be my brother," Al groaned.

"What? Even you had to admit, that entrance was cool. They were all talking about how to over throw Yoki. And then BAM we entered, and I flaunted the deed. Hughes, you should've seen the look on their faces, it was hilarious, you would've like it," Ed laughed.

"And now, we make our entrance," Hughes muttered joyfully. Al sighed. Nothing could ever change his brother. Not even going into a whole new world.

"Hello there kiddos," Ed said cheerfully, acting oblivious to the frightened looks the students were sending to Harry and Hermione.

"Hello...Professor," Hermione managed to choke out. What was going on! She hadn't invited him...yet.

"Now, I heard this interesting story around Hogwarts. That a bunch of students were invited to the Hog's Head today to start a Defense Class for themselves since that hag wouldn't teach anything," Ed said, pulling up a chair.

"You're information networks are impressive," Fred grinned.

"Hahaha, I call it listening into other people's conversations, like it?" Ed grinned back.

"Yeah, something that somebody should stop doing, brother," Al said, also pulling up a chair.

"Plus, you've got really good timing," George piped."Granger was just talking about you."

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm a man of many talents," Ed joked pretending to bow.

"Now, as I was saying," Hermone began, "I was thinking that we should ask you to teach us alchemy."

"I'm flattered," Ed grinned.

"So you'll do it?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"No."

"What!?" Hermione exclaimed.

"I said no."

"I heard that. But why?"

"I'm a busy man. I have to find a way to get back home, and do something here that I can't tell any of you guys about," Ed said, eyes pausing at Rose and smirking.

"Think it over, please?" Hermione begged. Harry really didn't know why she was obsessing over this so much. It was just alchemy, which was kind of useless.

"Well, as I'm the youngest State Alchemist, my price is quite high. And I shan't forget the many times that I saved towns and cities from destruction. Not to mention the uncovered plots within the military itself, and I must mention that I'm the only one who has ever transmutated a soul," Ed said nonchalantly.

"Stop drawing it out, brother," Al sighed.

"Hey! You just ruined the mood. Anyway, I'll do it if you people make Umbridge's life as horrible as possible," Ed smirked. Hermione looked absolutely shocked. Of course she had known about Ed's hatred of Professor Umbridge, but wasn't this going a bit too far?

"Of course I'm sure that Fred and George will agree, anybody else?" Ed grinned.

"Don't agree to that. He's going to make your life horrible...and Umbridge's too I guess. But especially your life," Al warned.

"Hey! That was only one time!"

"Three."

"No, for those other two times, I said 'Trust me,'" Ed pouted. (4) By this time, the students were exchanging worried looks.

"Same thing. Either way, they listened to you," Al smirked.

"Hmf," Ed slouched. "But anyway, we got a deal?"

"You wanna put a vote in it?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Al shrugged.

"All in favor of Ed teaching, raise your hand," Hermione announced. Only a couple 'shady characters' as Harry so eloquently put it, kept their hand down.

"Well, it's obvious it's majority," Hermione decided. "We'll give you the details of the meetings in class. Or at least who has the closest class that day."

"Okay," Ed shrugged. He didn't really care. As long as he could make sure these kids don't die because they lose their wand. Really, that'd be a very stupid way to die, wouldn't it?

"So, if everybody can sign this paper..."


"That was boring," Ed yawned.

"You were the one that wanted to go," Al reminded.

"But I didn't expect them to argue half an hour about where to meet, when to meet, and those boring stuff. It's much more interesting when they're planning it out to defy Umbridge," Ed pouted.

"You're back early. I see you've taken another step in tormenting Umbridge?" Hohenheim chuckled from behind them.

"Yep! I can't wait until my plan is set in motion!"

"I'd hate to find out what happened to Mustang if you're this annoyed at the teacher," Hohenheim said.

"..." Ed said, giving his father shifty looks.

"..." Hohenheim was a little unnerved by that look.

"Anywaaay," Ed started with a falsely cheery voice, "How far are you with Philosopher's Stone research?"

"Barely got anything done. Although I've been thinking, if I'm your dad, then you must have inherited at least some sort of Philosopher's Stone properties. Like when you did the human transmutation, did anything weird happen, or did you see more than you were meant to, but didn't pay the equivalent exchange? Or perhaps when you bypassed normal equivalent exchange?" Hohenheim urged.

"Well...there was that time...when I was trying to bring Al back to life...(4)" Ed said hesitantly. "I offered my life, but then, all that happened was that Al lost four years of memory."

"That makes sense," Hohenheim muttered.

"So why didn't it work when we tried to bring Mom back?" Ed said suddenly furious. "I would've given some of my memories of her to bring her back!"

"You did it nearly two years after Trisha died didn't you?" Hohenheim continued, not waiting for an answer, "Well, by that time, the soul had already moved on, into this world, possibly already used to. But for Al, he had just recently died, same with the other way around, when Al brought you back. Al used the Philosopher's Stone he was made out of to bring you back and heal up your wound. You used your own Stone to bring him back, but since it wasn't a pure one, somethings were also lost. Well not lost, exactly, more like you coming into this world and him losing part of his memory."

Ed and Al stayed silent, and Hoehnehim went on, "The Truth works in a funny way. It's not always materialistic things that he's after. As long as there is equivalency, he's happy. In that case, you two were being separated. Ed, you've always felt that Al was alive, didn't you? And you always felt like you two would never be together again. So the yearning hurt more and you just couldn't move on. And Al, losing part of your memory made you want to learn more about your brother that you would never remember again."

"So how come we met each other again?" Al asked. "Isn't Truth the force that makes the world go around?"

"Truth doesn't control fate. It sets the laws and the equivalency, but it can't control everyone's moves. He couldn't have controlled Dietland Eckhart not to make the portal. He couldn't have controlled Wrath to open the portal."

"So was it a fluke that we met each other again and had the chance to see each other again?" Ed asked.

"Everything in both worlds came from a fluke," Hoenheim answered. "Nothing is meant to happen, and anything can happen."

Ed fell silent. So many things that were supposed to be impossible had happened, and so many things that were meant to happen had failed.

"If we both lost something, does that mean the Philosopher's Stone parts in us are gone?" Al asked, changing the subject.

"Well, it's possible that the Philosopher's Stone doesn't always show its traits. There could be times when it shows, there could be times when it doesn't show, however, it will usually react with red water, since it's the raw form."

"Like that time in Lab 5!" Al exclaimed, remembering it.

"I stepped in red water and it gave me all this power that I could use, but I couldn't control it," Ed said quietly. "My head hurt so much, it was like it was splitting open."

"There was probably because it wasn't a good ratio of red water to the Stone in you," Hohenheim said. "The red water over powered the Stone and that led to that. Usually, red water would kill a person, so that would be some proof that you have inherited at least something from me."

The room was silent, but not for long. There was a bloodcurling shriek that went off.


(1)- I don't know any English cities and stuff :) just deal with it

(2)- I know, I know, again, I just needed to bring up some bad moments, cuz at the moment, I haven't really been reading FMA at all, so I can't remember anything.

(3)- As far as I know, these three incidents have not occured, but I'm too lazy to scour my brain for them XD.

(4)- Remember, Hohenheim didn't meet Ed in either of the times Ed traveled to our world

For those people that don't understand the last part, it's not that they have Stones inside them or they are a stone. It's like a mix of regular human blood and a small portion of Stone in their blood. Since it's not equal, and the Stone can't overpower the human blood and make that into part of the Stone, they are an impure Stone. They only have a small trait of the Stone that doesn't always show.