A/N: JustSomeRandomZak pointed out something in the title: ALternate Identity. Very nice. Thank you for that. :)
Oh no, NaNoWriMo starts in a week... Gotta write this story fast T.T (even though my first deadline already kind of passed)... Umm that may mean way slower updates on other things because what I'm writing for it is not at all Fanfiction (can you even do that?). Anyway, next chapter will be when a lot of things happen. A lot of things. Like, there will actually be action in this story. I think that the way it is I'm just making Ed crazy... That all should be over soon.
Right, right, no ramblings, and on with the story!
Like Father Like Son
- Flashback -
"Van Hohenheim. You had said you were from the Ministry. I have proof that it is not so." Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore wore a tight smile, and his traditional twinkle was diminished. This was serious business, and it involved the safety of two particular students in Hogwarts.
Van Hohenheim, on the other hand, looked like he was having the best day of his life, a smile always tugging at his lips. Today, he had found his sons again.
However, that expression did not bode well for the headmaster of Hogwarts. Hid own face grew more stern as he watched Hohenheim.
"You are correct." Still, the slight twitch of the lips. Dumbledore leaned into the desk, his eyebrows now furrowed.
"And you are willingly admitting this? Why exactly did you want to see the Matthews?" Now, the man's smile faded slightly.
"I need to talk to Edward."
"Why?" He remained silent, and now his face was impassive. Dumbledore sighed.
"Mr. Hohenheim, if you will not answer, I will be forced to take extreme measures. Alphonse has told me about your conversation with Edward, and it looks like you were involved in Edward's kidnapping. This is a serious matter, and involved the safety of a student." Dumbledore carefully watched him for a reaction. There was none, save for the slightest twitch of an eye.
He wondered what that meant.
"Albus Dumbledore," he was surprised to hear the man finally speak, "I came here in order to investigate magic more fully and lend my expertise of alchemy to you. I had not been expecting to see either of them, but now that I have, I can not let them go. I have already abandoned them too many times." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
"Alchemy?" As far as he knew, the last true alchemist had been Nicholas Flamel, and he had personally witnessed his friend's death.
However, the man gave no reply, only blinked slightly at the disbelief and surprise clear in Dumbledore's voice. Once again, the old wizard sighed.
"I'm afraid that is not adequate, Hohenheim. I must know what relation you have to the Matthews." His mouth opened and closed a few times, and a strange expression crossed his face before it finally solidified into a mixture of pride and resolution.
"I'm Edward's father."
Dumbledore almost fell off of his chair.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
"As for you, Edward... Would you care to explain who Van Hohenheim is?" I felt the familiar clenching up at the mention of the Bastard's name.
"He's nothing," I hissed. "He abandoned us." Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? He claimed that he was your father."
"He lost the right to that a longtime ago," I spat angrily. He looked surprised.
"I was under the impression that you already had a father. Allen Matthews, I believe?"
Oh shit.
I decided not to say anything to that.
"Edward Elric," he said musingly, as if trying the name over his tongue. My eyes widened, and I stared at him. How did he knew?
Then I remembered the mind-reading and adverted my eyes (I hated that, that I had to look away from an enemy). What had Al called it? Legilimens?
"Yes," the man said softly, "We know. You're not really Edward Matthews. What happened to him on that night?"
He died, and it was all my fault.
There was a pause.
"I see. I'll inform Alphonse immediately about this."
Everything froze.
"No!" My voice, a half-shout, a half-whisper into the cold silence. "No. Please, please don't tell Al. He can't know. He can't know that I'm not –" Once again, my throat caught and I couldn't finish. I closed my eyes. Why, why was I continually put through this hell? To see Al's face, human, yet so broken and then know it was all my fault?
"Yes?"
The words came unbidden, whispered sinfully past my lips.
"That I killed his brother."
Silence.
I dared to look at him. His startled, disbelieving expression. His look of shock.
And then finally, his face hardened into the inscrutable, sneering look he usually wore, his voice deadly calm.
"Why did you kill Edward Matthews?"
"I –" Falling, falling – blood, blood pooling from my chest – "I died." Yes, that's right. I died, didn't I?
"What?"
"I died," I said, more calmly than I felt, "And I couldn't save him." I clapped my hands, and nothing had happened.
And yet, Severus Snape could not have been more confused.
"Edward," he said cautiously, "If you died... Then how are you here?" I didn't answer. Why should I? He didn't know anything about me. He might know my name, but he knew nothing. All the sacrifices we had made, and –
And I wasn't even sure if Al was alive anymore. All that conviction I had, that I would return someday, and I didn't even know if it was all real. After all, I was still here, wasn't I?
I showed none of this on my face, keeping it controlled and cool even as I felt myself falling apart.
And it was oddly fitting that this should happen here, where such crimson liquid was pooling beneath our feet. The mark of my blood-stained hands. Because all of it, all of it, was my fault, and this was simply the manifestation of my sins.
Suddenly, everything seemed to clear. This was my punishment, the punishment to the greatest sinner. I would take it, because I deserved it. I deserved this pain for all what I had done. I deserved whatever punishment that this man would inflict on my for my crime.
So I told him. I told him what I had done.
"It was my fault. I panicked. When I saw Al here, I panicked, and ran away, like the coward I was. Even when he warned me, I didn't stop." I remembered his pleading face, and felt sick. "Then, in the forest, I –" Falling, a crack – "I fell. There must have been a ravine or something I hadn't noticed, and then he died." I looked at him, at his deep black eyes. I was not afraid of punishment. "I killed him."
Now he would give me what I deserved.
"Edward..." Why did he have that hesitation? "Are you telling me that Matthews was with you when you... fell?" For a moment, I stared at him. What was wrong with him? Didn't he realize –
Then it occurred to me, and I gave a harsh, bitter laugh.
"Of course! You don't know." My smile fell. "You don't know anything. You have all these soul-bonded objects, unbound souls, even artifically-created souls, and you don't even know what it means!"
No, I had been wrong. It had been possible for Severus to become more confused.
"What are you talking about?" I groaned. No, no...
"The Gate! You have to know about it! This all wouldn't be possible if you didn't!" And I silently added, even as I recognized the self-delusion in it, And if you don't, then how am I going to get back home to Al?
"The Gate?" Snape repeated slowly, and I nodded eagerly. Maybe he did know...
"I haven't heard of it."
And with those words, my hopes came crashing back down. But maybe... Just maybe... There would be somebody here who knew something –
Then it occured to me.
"Hohenheim!" I shouted, and the other man stared at me.
"Your father?"
"Yes, him! Where is he?" However, Snape's face darkened at the name.
"He –" Before he could tell me, the door burst open, and Harry Potter wildly flung himself into the bathroom, carrying his school bag in one hand. He winced at the sight of the blood, then wordlessly handed his books to Snape at the adult's open hand. After a moment's awkward pause, he turned to me.
"Ed? How come you're still here?" His eyes widened in sympathy. "Did I get you into trouble?"
"No," I snapped. What had Snape been about to say about Hohenheim?
"Potter," Snape suddenly said, looking up from his thorough examination of Harry's school bag. He held up a book. "Is this your copy of Advanced Potion-Making?" Harry visibly gulped.
"Yes." His voice was shaky. Too obvious.
"You're quite sure of that, are you, Potter?"
"Yes," he said, this time more firmly. Snape frowned.
"Then why," he asked, drawing it out for effect, "does it have the name 'Roonil Wazlib' written inside the front cover?"
Harry wasn't going to make it out of this one.
"That's my nickname." Even I could do better.
"Your nickname." Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah... That's what my friends call me." Definitely a bad liar.
"I understand what a nickname is." There was a long pause before Snape finally said in a deadly whisper, "Do you know what I think, Potter?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer. "I think that you are a liar and a cheat and that you deserve detention with me every Saturday until the end of term. What do you think, Potter?" Harry's eyes flickered to me beseechingly, but I ignored them. I didn't know him. And didn't he realize that he was why there was all this blood on the floor?
"I – I don't agree, sir," he stammered, and I stared at him. Why? This was his punishment for the wrong that he had done.
"Well, we shall see how you feel after your detentions. Ten o'clock Saturday morning, Potter. My office." Now I turned my flabbergasted gaze to Snape. Was he enjoying this?
"But sir..." Harry Potter made his last feeble protest. "Quidditch... the last match of the..."
"Ten o'clock." Now Snape smiled. "Poor Gryffindor... forth place, this year, I fear..." He turned to walk out of the bathroom, but stopped for me.
"Edward, come with me." I stood my ground, glancing between the two.
"Edward –" I glowered at him.
"No. I'm not going with you until you tell me what the hell is going on! A student almost just died, and you two are just playing some pretty game of revenge. And you – you still haven't told me anything about Hohenheim!"His lip curled in displeasure.
"Hohenheim left. We were unable to detain him after he... found us unable to suit his needs."
"He left?" I said incredulously. "Damn it! Right when I needed him to answer some questions." I cursed again. "What did he want with you?"
"Who's Hohenheim?" Harry Potter asked, and we turned startled glanced at him. I had almost forgotten about it.
"None of your business," I snapped, scowling, and he bore a sudden hurt expression. Then I remembered. Alphonse and the other Ed had known him...
"Sorry." His sudden hopeful expression made me wary again. "It's still none of your business." Now the hurt was back. Damn it, what did it take to pacify this kid? I already said I was sorry.
"Edward." Snape's voice held quiet amusement that only made me more irritated.
"What?"
"I'd prefer to not discuss this where unwelcome ears could hear." He gestured towards Harry, and this time, I reluctantly followed him out.
"What do you have against him anyway?" I asked.
"I was not aware that this is my interrogation, Edward. I still don't understand how Matthews died." Suddenly, I felt so, so tired.
"I told you. We fell." And since you don't know about the Gate, I don't have a reason to tell you anything more.
"And this is your fault how?" He let the question hang in the air, but I didn't bother replying. He seemed to realize that asking again wouldn't give him any answers.
"Why do you care so much about Alphonse?" he now asked. I shook my head.
"You wouldn't understand." He raised an eyebrow, but I knew it was true. He didn't about the Gate. Nothing about the other worlds and the dopplegangers within them. Hell, even I wasn't sure how I felt about this Alphonse, who looked so much like my Al, acted so much like him, yet wasn't him.
"Edward... If you were with Matthews when he died, then where were you that whole week?" I froze.
"A week?" I echoed. Now that I thought about it, Al had said something like that, but... "That can't be right. It was only within the same day when Envy –"
Stabbed me through the heart. I shuddered.
"Envy?"
"Yeah, Envy," I said distractedly. "He's the one that killed me. But it doesn't make any sense! It had only been a few hours for me, so –" Then I realized. "Of course! Time must pass differently for each world. Here it's faster... Or... Could it be in flux? Maybe if there's an energy imbalance –" I frowned. "No, that doesn't make any sense. What would cause that anyway? Al? You got any –" I stopped when I realized the person next to me was Snape, not the familiar suit of armor I had discussed theories with long ago. "Sorry."
"Edward..." the man said slowly, "You said that you had died from falling, and now you're claiming that someone killed you. Not to mention that if you had died at all, you shouldn't still be here." I gave him a weak smile. That was exactly my problem.
"I don't know why I'm alive either." He seemed to chew on that, his face turning thoughtful.
"I will inform Dumbledore of these complications, Edward," he finally said. "But it is up to you to tell Alphonse. Do not wait too long." With a swish of his cloak, he left.
I couldn't find it in myself to feel relief at the words. If he knew, why didn't he punish me? Why didn't he try harder to learn more?
I didn't know that it had only been because at that moment, I was only one small thing in the entire world that was going wrong.
