Sorry yall had to wait so long, ive just been soooo busy!

Chapter 10

The next few days past in a hazy like dream state for Ed. Every morning it was get up early to stretch and exercise, then eat too much breakfast and get scolded by Winry, then it was head to classes, watch out for Harry, then go to dinner and then lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for the majority of the night trying to make sense of the things he had learned that actually made no sense. The parts of the night where Ed wasn't thinking, he was plagued by nightmares. It was only a week into school and Edward was already exhausted. He just couldn't comprehend the whole idea of 'magic'. Alphonse seemed to be doing just fine though. He seemed to have adjusted easily to this new science, and had even made a few new friends.

Harry noticed something off about Ed the next morning. First of all, the blonde had accepted a bowl of cereal from his fiance, despite the fact that that bowl contained milk. Secondly, the alchemist was nodding off while eating, each time his head bowed his bangs getting damp with his breakfast's milk. This was very unlike the eldest Elric, who seemed like he was always full of fiery energy. He glanced pointedly at Ron, then back at a dozing Edward.

"Hey, you alright mate?" Ron asked around the piece of toast he had just consumed, before shaking Ed's shoulder roughly. Ron's hand was promptly slapped away and Edward cursed under his breath.

"'M fine, just a little tired," His sentence was emphasized with a large yawn.

"You'd think with how much you sleep in History class you would be just fine," Winry grumbled.

Edward threw a weak glare at her, and pushing his bowl away, stood up, stretching.

"Whatever," he said airily, picking up his stack of books from the seat next to him and heading off to prepare the day's classes.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Al watched his brother leave with some concern. He had always worked himself too hard, ever since they were kids. Ed would always stay up way later than him even when they were first teaching themselves alchemy. Now that they had defeated the homunculus, and got his body back, Al realized his brother was compensating all of the adventure and crap that had been their lives for years into his school work and protecting Harry, and Al knew he'd make himself sick off it.

Absentmindedly Al pushed his breakfast away from himself, hurrying to catch up to his brother and confront him.

"C'mon mate not you too!" Ron called after him but Al didn't hear. Winry started to get up, a concerned look on her face, but Hermione pulled the girl down before she could do anything.

"It's ok Winry, I'm sure Al will handle everything," Hermione reassured.

As Al rushed through the hall, slower than he would've liked because of his still healing body, he was so lost in thought as he turned the corner he walked straight into what felt like a wall. He wasn't surprised, seeing as Hogwarts was always rearranging itself, he was just glad he didn't walk straight off a staircase plummeting to his death. He thought all this as he fell back, but when he looked up he realized it wasn't a wall he ran into but a person.

"Sorry", he muttered, looking up the tall body built kind of like a wall, but when he got to the face he felt all the air leave his lungs. It was the new teacher who'd walked in late on the first day. Al stared into his face, not even realising the terror etched into his own. It wasn't that Mr. Moody's looks scared him, he'd seen a lot scarier, but he got a horrible unsettling feeling from him, like there was something not right. Kind of like looking at a chimera hidden in shadows. You don't know exactly what it is but you know it's still terrible.

"Watch it boy," the teacher snapped, dusting himself off before offering Al gnarled hand.

"Where were you off to in such a hurry anyway Kid?" The teacher inquired as he pulled the alchemist up with surprising strength.

"I just had to catch up to my brother, I'm so sorry for bothering you sir," Al replied sincerely, his eyes flickering away from the unsettling dead eye that rolled around in Mr. Moody's eye socket, but still seemed able to look right through him.

"Right, maybe pick your head up next time," Mr. Moody grinned, slapping Alphonse on the back a little harder than Al expected, making him take a step forward.

"Thanks sir," he mumbled. Mr. Moody's tongue flicked across his mouth in a creepy way, and he started to fumble in his pocket for something. Al didn't stay to find out what it was as he started to walk away, he knew now he wasn't going to catch up to Ed before classes anyway, and now he had to walk all the way to herbology. Ed of course had all the same classes as Harry, being his bodyguard and all, but Al being younger kept him back in certain classes.

Ed was already asleep at his desk by the time Harry, Ron, Hermione and Winry had made it to Defense against the Arts. Winry rolled her eyes as she took her usual seat next to him, but didn't try to wake him. She had noticed how tired he had seemed lately, and decided letting him sleep until class started wouldn't hurt anyone. Professor Moody was late to class which really didn't surprise Winry at all. The man was very unorthodox in his teachings after all, and the students had just learned to go with it instead of questioning him. It was at least five minutes after class started that Moody decided to show up. He looked as disheveled as ever and Winry rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I must apologize I suppose, I had a bit of a run in earlier," Moody growled as he stalked his way to the front of the class. He didn't even bother with roll as he jumped right into the lesson.

"Alright class, i'm going to be putting the imperious curse on each of you to demonstrate its power and see if any of you can resist its effects," The entire class gasped in surprise, Winry as well. She had read about the Imperious curse while studying for Hogwarts. Last time she checked…

"Isn't that illegal Professor?" Hermione voiced Winry's exact thoughts and the whole class agreed wholeheartedly.

"Dumbledore wants you lot taught what it feels like," Moody hissed before Hermione could voice more of her concerns.

"But Professor!" The mousy haired girl cried, and in turn Mad-eye pointed a withered finger towards the classroom door.

"If you want to learn it the hard way, by someone putting it on you in the real world, then fine by me, you may leave,"

Hermione scowled, but stifled her protests, which in itself was quite a feat for the girl.

Moody began to beckon students forward, then put the imperius curse upon each one.

Winry watched on in a shocked silence as each of the members of her class began doing embarrassing things under its influence. Soon it was her and Ed's turn, and Winry saw with evident horror, the evil glint in Moody's eye when he spied Edward sleeping. She had forgot to wake him.

"Ah the kid thinks he can sleep through my class huh?" Moody waved his wand over Ed, and the mechanic watched on with morbid curiosity as his gold eyes groggily blinked open.

"The hell?" He muttered sleepily, before being jerked to his feet.

"What the hell?" He shouted even louder, all traces of sleep gone now.

"Please no profanity in the classroom Mr. Elric," Moody grinned, and Ed snapped his mouth shut immediately, though his face showed that it hadn't been on purpose. Winry knew if he had control over his limbs, Moody would have been graced the sight of Ed's middle finger in his face.

With a flick of Moody's wrist, Ed began to walk towards the classroom sink. A few people in the classroom were snickering, and Winry wondered what inside joke she was missing.

Ed filled the sink with water.

Oh.

Winry finally got what was going on when the alchemist suddenly dunked his whole head into the still sink water. The entire classroom erupted into laughter. And Moody fixed them all with a glare before letting Ed come up for air and releasing him from the imperious curse.

The blonde was sputtering, not even knowing which profanities to utter at the moment.

"That'll teach you to sleep in my classroom boy," Mad-eye growled and Ed blushed, before scowling and returning to his desk.

If possible, the class laughed even louder and Moody grinned as well.

"Well that was amusing wasn't it class?" Moody smiled and some people in the class nodded. Still keeping his cheery tone, The teacher continued.

"I suppose it would have been just as amusing if I kept Mr. Elric in the water longer hmm? Maybe until he drowned?"

Suddenly, the class quieted down, as if someone had effectively cut off their air supply. Once jovial faces looked somber and embarrassed.

"Please, need I remind you that the imperious curse is not a joke?" Mad-eye asked the now silent classroom.

Most of the class had the decency to look sheepish.

The rest of Defense Against the Dark Arts that day was full of awkward tension, the students quiet while their peers did different things against their wills. All Winry had to do was sing some nursery rhyme, and now It was now Harry's turn.

Edward tensed as Harry was paraded around the classroom, then commanded to jump up on a table. Harry faltered halfway through his jump though, his face contorting into a look of mild confusion. He crashed into the table instead of landing on it, and the class let out a sympathetic groan. To Winry's surprise though, Moody seemed ecstatic.

"Wonderful job Harry! You fought it! Very good Potter!" Mad-eye praised, and being let go of the curse, Harry muttered an embarrassed thank you. The boy quickly straightened his now askew glasses before returning to his desk, albeit a little sore now.

The rest of classes past on as normal now, this time Edward was able to keep himself awake. The courses were slowly growing harder and harder now as the year wore on, and the fourth years were beginning to feel the strain. Ron had been grumbling and complaining about the amount of work they had all day, and Hermione and been grumbling and complaining about Ron's grumbling and complaining as well. It was enough to make Ed tear his own hair out.

It was now thankfully time to eat, and the blonde alchemist was ready to see his brother and get a good night's sleep after such a long day. On their way to the grand hall though, the trio added two Amestrians spotted a large group of students crowded around a wall.

"I wonder what's got them so excited," Ed rolled his eyes at Harry's inquiry. He really didn't care about what got a few kids so riled up, he just wanted to eat. Someone turned around at Harry's question though and answered.

"The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students will be arriving Friday afternoon." The young Hufflepuff girl answered.

"Who now?" Ed wondered allowed, pushing past Harry to see if he could get a look at the wall now.

"I think they are the other schools participating in the Triwizard Tournament this year," the girl answered, addressing the alchemist this time.

"Oh, that," Ed replied. The Triwizard Tournament really had nothing to do with the Alchemist or his charge, so he really didn't listen in too much on news about it.

"Come on let's get out of here I'm hunryyyyy," Ed groaned, tugging Harry and Ron (the only two people in reach) towards the great hall.

Alphonse was already sitting at the group's usual spot on the Gryffindor's table. He looked up quickly when he spotted the party approaching the table.

"Oh hey, broth….. what happened to your hair?" Al questioned, Ed plopping down beside him. The blond only replied to his brother with a sour look, before shaking his head like a dog, in the process splashing everyone within close proximity. Ugh, he wished he could use alchemy, but seeing as there were so many students around, Edward didn't really feel like taking the risk of exposing himself.

Ignoring the protests of those near him, Ed served himself a bowl of soup, already ready for the day's end