I'm alive! It's a miracle! I'm so sorry I took so long to update! I hope you enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review!
"I have an important job for you, Argus."
Filch straightened. He looked extremely out of place in Umbridge's spotless pink office.
"I want you to keep an eye on 'Professor' Elric."
That surprised the caretaker. "A Professor?"
Umbridge rolled her bulging eyes. "Only in title, my dear Mr. Filch. He is, after all, a child, and if he is corrupting the students as I suspect... I am looking forward to using my new privileges as High Inquisitor."
Filch grinned. "And I'll get my decree? To bring back the old punishments?"
Dolores winked. "The old ways are the good ways, Argus."
"I'm honored, ma'am."
"Well," started the pink-clad woman, "It's only a temporary position. I have someone else coming whose skills are better suited to the task. But in the meantime…"
Filch showed off his yellowed teeth.
"...I am putting my trust in you, Argus."
…
Theories of parallel worlds have been discussed for centuries, but modern magic still has a ways to go before we are able to dimension travel. On a similar note, time travel has been…
Edward snapped the book shut, growling in discontent. He'd finally stooped so low as to look in the books about magic in the library. Magic.
Ed was that desperate.
It was not long before the alchemist opened the pages again. He had nothing else to hallway was empty, but that didn't matter much. Over the past few days, he had become an expert at walking and reading simultaneously.
Ed ripped through the book furiously, knowing he'd come up empty handed again. Finding so much as a mention of other worlds was extremely rare, and Ed had looked through this particular book so many times, he practically had it memorized. Reminiscing about researching through Sheska, Edward refocused on the words, only to lose concentration-again- to the feeling of being watched.
Golden eyes scanned the deserted hallway. It didn't take long for Ed to identify the source of his unease. Argus Filch, not-so-stealthily hidden behind a suit of armor. Edward stifled a laugh. He turned a corner, then clapped his hands together and pressed them to the wall. The stone elongated into another, albeit thinner, barrier.
Snickering, the alchemist stepped into his office.
…
Filch was confused. Had that wall been there a moment ago? And where was the Elric brat?
…
After spending months away, Rubeus Hagrid had finally returned to Hogwarts, and it seemed the school had changed quite a bit from when he left. For one thing, the ministry-induced arrival of Dolores Umbridge.
He definitely did not like her.
She barged into his hut, prodding for information and searching for Harry, Ron and Hermione- who were hidden underneath the invisibility cloak. They had come down to speak with him when they were interrupted by a toad in a cardigan.
With a final indirect threat, Umbridge left, snapping the door shut behind her.
"Blimey… inspectin' people, is she?" Hagrid asked in a low voice.
"Yeah. Trelawney's on probation already, and Ed's not far off…" said Harry, pulling off the cloak.
"Ed?"
Ron smiled. "Oh, you haven't met him yet? He's the new alchemy teacher. Strange bloke, but he's alright."
Harry joined in. "Yeah, and Umbridge hates him almost as much as he hates her."
"Just don't call him short," said Hermione.
All three students shuddered.
It wasn't long before they had to leave. With Hermione erasing their footprints behind them, the trio whispered amongst themselves about Hagrid.
"I don't care if she throws out Trelawney, but she's not taking… Hagrid… Um…" Hermione's indignation melted to confusion as she watched Edward race down the hall with a huge grin on his face. "Dumbass," the blonde muttered as he flew past the invisible students.
"What was that all-?" Harry was shushed when Ron caught sight of Filch limping after Ed.
The caretaker disappeared from view, but they saw him soon afterwards as he raged at a wall that had most certainly not been there before.
"Did Ed…?"
"Probably. The real question is, why is Filch after him?"
…
"Professor, I have a question about yesterday's lesson."
"Yeah? What is it, Neville?"
"Well, does it count as human transmutation if-"
"Hold on. That's Filch's cat, right?"
"Uh, yeah. Why?"
"Hm. My brother loves cats."
"Oh, uh…"
"I can't say the same. Here, kitty. Go back to your owner, now."
"Professor!"
"Wow! That must have been ten feet! Haven't lost my touch after all!"
"Filch'll kill you if he finds out!"
"Then he won't find out. I don't think anyone else will mind me kicking that thing."
"Yeah, but…"
"What were you asking again?"
…
That was not the last time anyone noticed Ed avoiding Filch, in fact, it was as if he was flaunting his ability to lose the old man. Random walls appeared throughout the school- they were easily taken down with magic- as did closets, doors, holes in walls, and other strange methods the alchemist used to escape the caretaker throughout the month.
No one knew why it was happening, but most students found it immensely entertaining, and Fred and George Weasley took a new interest in alchemy when they saw how the science could be used.
By the end of the month, Filch had absolutely nothing new to report to Umbridge aside from Edward's aversion abilities.
"That's quite alright, Argus."
Filch looked up in surprise. This was not the reaction he had expected from the High Inquisitor when he told her of his lack of information.
"Your replacement has finally arrived, so I no longer need you to tail our young Mr. Elric."
Filch breathed a sigh of relief. "Will I still get my decree?"
Umbridge put a finger to her chin in mock consideration. "Let me think… well, that all depends on you, doesn't it? Work extra hard, and your whips will be reinstated in no time!"
Grinning, the caretaker left the room.
Once she was sure he had left, Dolores took a wide, thin package from behind a cupboard.
She picked up a pink letter opener in the shape of a cat's tail, then pushed it through the brown packaging.
Umbridge pulled off the paper neatly, then smiled at the portrait. It was a man, his thin eyebrows accentuating clever eyes. A black, pointed beard adorned his frowning face.
A grotesque smile spread across Umbridge's face.
"Hello, Phineas."
…
Filch had stopped following him, and Ed had to say, he was a bit disappointed. It had gotten to be quite entertaining. The caretaker was so obvious, at least to Edward's trained eye, that avoiding him was something of a game to the young alchemist.
At the same time, he was relieved. All this evasion was not exactly the best thing for his wavering health.
It was winter break. Classes were cancelled, and Ed was planning on devoting his time to researching alternate dimensions- or rather, his own home.
He spent a large amount of time in the library, and so far, the only thing he had learned that was of use was which authors to stay away from.
It was extremely irritating to find a promising book, only to discover it was written by Rita Skeeter, or Gilderoy Lockheart. He still had yet to find a book with more than just vague mentions of magical advancement, but Ed was determined to keep looking.
After all, what else could he do?
It was the first day of the winter break when he felt it. That strange feeling of somebody watching him. Edward looked up, amused that Filch was still trying to spy on him, then confused when the caretaker was nowhere to be found. The library was devoid of all life, aside from Madame Pince and the few paintings hidden among the shelves.
Edward tried to shake it off, thinking it was probably just the librarian shooting him an angry glare for turning pages too loudly or something ridiculous like that. But the eerie sensation stuck with him, and the alchemist found himself scouring the room once again in search of the source.
Hypersensitive to being watched, Ed hated that feeling. He had been a fugitive, a target too many times not to mind.
Any attempts at returning to his studies were futile, as Ed's normally deep concentration was interrupted again and again. Sighing, the blonde stood and gathered his books. "Damn," he whispered, hoping whoever it was would be gone tomorrow.
To his disbelief, Edward was dogged by unseen eyes even in his office. It was beginning to unnerve him.
This invisible spy followed Ed throughout the entire castle. The only place he found solace was a room of his own making, created by putting a cubical hole in a wall.
Sadly, as Ed had to leave a large hole in the wall in order to let air in, Umbridge found out about his little hideout. She was furious about the "destruction of school property" and demanded he put the wall right. Edward would have argued if it weren't for the fact that this spot was less than ideal- light was extremely sparse- and it terrified Umbitch when he was compliant. She found it disconcerting.
It didn't take long for Edward to regret that decision.
He could have made another room, but now Umbridge was on the lookout, and besides, that would nullify any disturbance he had caused her.
Another chill ran down his spine, and Ed's eyes shot up. He stood and spun around furiously, trying to detect any signs of life, but coming up empty. "Damn it, who the hell is there?"
No response. Edward took a deep breath, failing to stop his right eye from twitching. He heard a snicker, and the alchemist whipped around. No one was there.
Was he hallucinating? Paranoid? It was entirely possible, given his condition. As if to remind him of that fact, a stabbing pain erupted in his head, causing the blonde to stumble backwards.
Steadying himself against the window pane, Ed pinched the bridge of his nose, looking outside. Moments later, he practically fell into his desk. There was someone outside. Someone he recognized. Someone he thought was dead.
Sloth.
Thinking back, did Sloth ever die? He had assumed that the Armstrong's had killed him, but… was that ever confirmed? Edward pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, eyes wide. "How…? How is there a homunculus here?" He muttered, thinking back to his last day in Amestris, before he tried to offer his Gate, but most of it was a blur of fighting and grief. "Think, damnit!" He cried, hoping against hope that Sloth was definitely dead, that he was just hallucinating.
Edward's gaze rocketed back to the window. The giant was headed towards the Forbidden Forest. He looked a bit different than Ed remembered, with a large bushy beard and a thick coat, but there was no mistaking that hulking creature.
He sighed miserably. Ed thought he was done with Homunculi, but he couldn't let them infiltrate and ruin yet another world. Besides, if Sloth was here, did that mean Father... ? No. He was dead. Right?
Stop. You're not thinking clearly. Just check it out, take care of it.
Edward grabbed his coat- red, of course- and sprinted outside until he caught up to the slow moving man. Fueled by pure adrenaline, the blonde stayed a few feet behind Sloth, moving stealthily across the snow, reminded of Briggs.
When the homunculus finally stopped, Ed's breath was taken away.
"Okay, I'm here, ya big lug."
"Hagger!"
What… what is that thing? Envy?
Steeling himself, Ed clapped his hands together, then pressed them to a large boulder. Spires of rock shot out, wrapping themselves around Sloth. Edward knew it wouldn't hold the homunculus, but he hoped it would at least subdue it for a bit. He was being illogical, he knew that. There was no way stone would stop that beast, even for a moment, but it was all he had at the moment.
Sloth cried out, falling backwards and looking back and forth, perplexed by the bars. Perfect. Ed slapped his palms to each other, then to his automail arm. It had been months since he had done this- though only about an hour since he wanted to- but Edward performed the transmutation like it was just yesterday.
Ed charged the… thing, sword glinting in the fading sunlight. It wailed, and lunged for the cage Sloth was in. "Hagger!"
"No! Don' hurt 'im! He's my little brother!"
That caused Edward to freeze. He turned around and got a good look at Sloth… except it wasn't Sloth.
"I'll do anythin'!" There were tears in the abnormally large man's eyes. Ed breathed a sigh of relief. He pressed his hands to the ground, and the enclosure retracted back into a large boulder.
"Who are you supposed to be? And, uh, what is that?" Ed sighed. The huge man stood, looking confused.
"Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid. And this 's my half brother, Grawp," he said with a strange accent. Edward smiled. Sloth was barely sophisticated enough to get a sentence together, and while this man didn't seem terribly educated, he was obviously human. Well, partly human, at least. He turned his automail back to an arm.
"Edward Elric."
Hagrid gasped, face brightening in recognition. But before he could get word out, another sharp bolt of pain slashed through the alchemist's head. All the adrenaline he had been running on was gone, leaving behind only fatigue and illness. "Damn," he whispered as his vision began to blur.
"You alrigh'?" came Hagrid.
"Yeah, I'm fine," snapped the blonde, but he could taste blood. It was depressing how familiar that was.
"I've 'eard abou' you, from Hermione an' Harry an' Ron!"
"All good things I hope," Ed said, trying to keep the pain out of his voice.
"Yeah… you sure you're alrigh'?"
"I'm… just great. Don't…"
With that final word, Edward Elric collapsed in a heap on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth and staining the white snow red.
