The FullMetal Wizard

Chapter Ten

"Telling and Digging"

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"And here is the Daily Prophet Room, Ms. Granger"

"Thank you, Madam"

Hermoine walked into the Daily Prophet Room, a place that held two shelves containing volume upon volumes of Prophet issues, sorted by the year. She'd only ever come in here to consult clippings relevant to topics that came up in History of Magic, which helped a great deal when a more in-depth account of history was needed than the textbook offerred. Now however she felt it could help in another search that wasn't necessarily academic. More to satisfy her curiosity.

So, he can't be any older than his thirties' and the best way to find out about someone is the beginning of their life. I hope his family had the Prophet make out a Happy Birthday announcement for him.

Browsing over the volumes starting in the 1990's. Hermoine made her way down the shelves of thick volumes until she reached the 1970's and levitated the many volumes for 1970 to 1974 onto the long table. She spaced them apart and, starting from 1970, she tapped each of their covers and gave them each the same request.

"Search for;Any occurence of Atamus Valois"

Soon there was the sound of each of the six books flipping their pages back and forth, searching themselves for any relevant material she was looking for.

Finally, each of them ceased flipping and closed again. Hermoine looked at each of their page sides. None of the pages of 1970 were folded to indicate they held anything she was looking for, neither did 1971. She was happy however, to find 1972 did.

Hermoine pulled the first volume of 1972 closer to her chair and opened it to the first folded page.

On the page was an obituary. A small photo accompanied it, one of a middle-aged man with mutton-chops and a shrewd face.

Daedalus Orion Valois. Born 1930, died yesterday of injuries sustained in a wizard duel with unknown assailants. He is survived by his uncle Perseus, his brother Theseus, daughter Cerene and great-uncle Atamus.

There was a moment when Hermoine had a hard time wrapping her mind around what her intuitive mind was conjuring up.

Professor Valois is according to this very elderly, he should be as old as Professor Dumbledore!

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"Whoa!Danny!What's got you running like this!?"Reg, never one to really make an attempt to be on time or go to Potions. Had been wandering the halls when he saw Danny running down the hall, grabbing him by the arm and making him sprint alongside him, down a route he knew led to their litte club's hideout.

Danny didn't seem to acknowledge his question. His eyes were darting everywhere, looking at and, Reg knew, through the walls of corners.Pulling him aside when they met other students and ghosts, and hiding before encountering a teacher.

When they reached their hideout. Dan started pacing around the room almost frantically. His lips were moving, but for the life of him Reg couldn't tell what he was saying.

If only I'd taken up how to read lips, he thought as he settled down to his favorite chair.

"Hey Danny, I haven't seen you pace this fast since I gave you that riddle about the American dimes and pennies."

"I never did figure that one out"Daniel said in between his soundless monologue.

"Neither did I. But that's not the point. The point I was making, was that you must be really rattling your brain about something why you're pacing like that"

"It's his arm, Reg"

"His arm?"He watched Danny pace, then stop, looking at his right hand intently.

"Yes, his arm"

"Who's arm?"

"Haven't you been listening?"

Reg looked at Danny, thinking his friend was starting to lose his mind."Um...no I wasn't paying attention"

Looking like he might be calming down, Danny waved his right hand at Reg, and with a semi-triumphant smile he said.

"I found out what's wrong with Valois"

"The older one or the younger?"

"Azrael, he has a weird arm"

"Weird?Like it's deformed weird, or he has a weird tatoo?"

"His arm is metal Reg, and from the looks of it, silver"

Now Reg was worried."Are you sure Danny?"

"I saw it with my own two eyes!You don't beleive me?"

It took Reg a couple minutes to consider what Danny had said. He answered sounding very unconcerned. "Well, I've heard of weirder things than metal limbs. So I guess Valois having one doesn't seem too far-fetched"

At this, Danny sat down and went into the Thinker's pose, which would have been rather hilarious to Reg if he wasn't as worried as he was.

"That's just it Reg, the arm means something else"

"And what is this something else?"

Danny shook his head, finally he was calming down.

"That's just it, I know it means something bigger, but I can't put my finger on it"

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"Maybe Professor Valois drinks a youth potion"

"No, the Ministry out-lawed those kinds of potions"

"Well, maybe he's just using alot of those other creams and potions that make him look young"

"That's very possible"

Hermoine and Ron tread down the hall towards the Alchemy classroom. Filch was there, scratching his balding head with Mrs.Norris standing faithfully next to him. "For the life of me I can't remember this ever being here". He was looking at the ornate plaque next to the door of the classroom that had caught Ron's eye on their firs day back. Hermoine also caught a few tell-tale signs that there had been a few attempts at removing the plaque. There were various cuts and scratched all around it, but the object itself remained completely intact. She likened this immediately to the portrait of Mrs.Black at Grimmauld Place.

When the pair entered the room. They saw that the same pair of fourth years were at the same table, the Gryffindor was acting very odd. He was looking at his right arm and then at the head of the classroom repeatedly. His Hufflepuff friend, who had been very much care-free the other day, was acting a bit worried and a tad more mature as a result. He'd see his friend and give him a swat on the hand like one would a child. "Knock it off Danny, you're bugging the heck out of me"

"Would you two mind not acting like a father and son?"A man came to their table. Hermoine immediately saw that this man was the older version of Ej. His hair was blonde, with grey starting to creep up from the roots. And he obviously had been speaking English for longer than Ej, there was only the vaguest German accent in his speech. "Sorry sir, my friend here is dealing with a bit of stress today"Reg, Hermoine recalled as he wanted to be called. Apologized for Danny. The man nodded, said no more and walked back to the desk that she now noticed was without Professor Valois.

Before Hermoine could open her mouth. The man spoke to the class.

"Professor Valois, had important business to attend too today, so for today I'll be your teacher of Alchemy."He tapped the chalkboard with his wand. "My name is Edward Elric Sr. I am usually a teacher of Ancient Runes at Beauxbatons, but on special favor to Headmaster Dumbledore and dear Atamus I took this substitute duty"His name and original occupation were scrawled on the board.

"Now, as Professor Valois told me. Yesterday he went over the bare basics of Alchemy with you all?"Everyone nodded, books at the ready.

"Today, I would like you to turn to page 30. And I would like..."Professor Elric pointed at Reg seemingly at random."..You Mr. Dorian to read the first section out loud"

Reg did as instructed, but did so with a stumbling of his words that made Hermoine think maybe he was only half-literate. So apalling was his reading, that Professor Elric stopped him. And defered the reading to Hermoine herself. Leaving Reg looking agitated.

"Ms.Granger, please tell us, instead of reading directly. What this section means"

Hermoine spent a few moments calling up the times she'd read and summarized the section in her head.

"This section teaches that in order to excel at Alchemy, you have to have more focus than in the area of your own academic understanding of the subject."

"Very good Ms. Granger, ten points to Gryffindor and another ten if you can sum up in one word what a study of Alchemy must include."

She was stunned for a couple long and silent moments, trying to get all that information into one word.

"Physical"

"Yes indeed Ms. Granger. If you study and practice Alchemy purely from the book, you haven't learned a single thing at all. Take for example, a colleague of mine named Armstrong. He was truly massive, it's hard for me to gauge just how strong he might be"Professor Edward rubbed his chin, and gave a rough estimate."In one-on-one with the Groundskeeper, with no magic or alchemy on either part. I imagine Armstrong might have taken him with a median amount of difficulty.

The entire class went on with a lecture from Professor Elric that told of the importance of physical fitness to one's understanding and prowess in alchemy. He went on to explain that in his youth he had been trained in martial arts, and that it was going to be required for further lessons. Hence the permission slips that had come with the school letters during the summer.

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"What the heck were you twitching around for back there?You were fine until we went back to class. So what gives?"Reg asked Danny, noticeably angry rocking back and forth in his chair back at thier hideout while Danny once again took up his pacing.

"Professor Elric has the same kind of arm Reg. Looks like a different model though. Which means someone is making more of these, and judging by the differencei n craftsmanship from Valois to Elric, more than one designer."

"The same kind of arm?"Now Reg was actually interested. Azrael Valois, a rich heir having an flashy bodily accessory was one thing. But an aging man like Professor Elric with one. Well even Reg had to admit it was getting a little fishy.

Before Danny could continue their discussion with his further input. Terry walked in. BLEEP slammed into BLEEP chair and hid in it's plushy confines, trying to hide sobs from their ears. Danny appeared to forget their original talking, and went to BLEEP side.

"What's wrong Terry?Why are you crying?"He asked, kneeling on the left side of the chair the Slytherin was attempting to hide in. Terry peeked out one teary eye. The words being spoke were muffled by the chair. "I-I was in the dungeons...and I met...well. you know who"

Reg came to the right side of their sobbing friend. "Weasley?You met Weasley?"

"Y-yes...and I-I asked...b-but...said...no"Terry tried to say through deep, whimpering sobs, before burying BLEEP head back in the chair, curling up in the fetal position.

"Oh...my...sweet zombie Jesus"Reg went away from the chair and leaned against the sloping walls, between laughing and feeling sorry. It was Danny who asked.

"You asked out Weasley?"

"And...of course...you got a no"Stated Reg as he leaned on the wall, not very helpful at all as Terry went into new tears.

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TBC

I know I know, I'm an evil sadist for doing what I'm doing to the fan-girls who ask about Terry. Bleeping out anything that would give away gender. But depending on how much reviews I get I might decide to give more hints, maybe even give it away if a few people(Lacey)reviewed more often.

So how is my more refined writing style fairing?I'd love some feedback.

P.S I had to replace this chapter cause I let just a tiny little word slip about Terry. I'll give you a hint. it started with an 'h'.

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