DISCLAIMER: I OWN NEITHER HARRY POTTER NOR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!
Chapter Fourteen
As Ed stomped off the last step of the rotating staircase, he came face to face with an angry Winry. She had her arms crossed over her chest and an angry look on her face.
"What do you want, Winry?" Ed asked.
"Why the hell were you skipping class to yell at Professor Dumbledore?!" Winry demanded.
"You heard that, did you?" Ed muttered, as he started walking back towards the doors leading out to the courtyard.
"Of course I did," Winry scoffed, following Ed. "I was on my way to visit you in class so I wouldn't be bored when I heard you."
"Don't you have a class right now?" Ed grumbled.
"No, I have a free period, and I didn't want to go up to the common room to watch Hermione 'help' Ron and Harry," Winry answered. "And you still hadn't answered my question."
"The old geezer deserved it," Ed mumbled. "He should have told me about the riot," then saying as he looked up at Winry, "Aren't you worried about Granny?"
"Well, Granny hadn't mentioned a riot in Resembool," Winry replied. "Though, I think Granny will be all right, don't you think, Ed? Besides, she has magic."
"Yeah, she's a tough old bitch," Ed agreed.
A moment later, they both reached Hagrid's hut where Al and Hagrid were waiting for them.
"Hello there, Winry," Hagrid greeted.
"Hi, Hagrid!" Winry greeted. "How is everything going?"
"Everythin' would be all right if Harry, Ron, and Hermione told me themselves that they wouldn't take me class!" Hagrid complained. "At least you told me in person that you wouldn't take me class so you could concentrate on becoming a healer."
"I'm so sorry, Hagrid," Winry apologized. "But I'm sure they'll come to visit soon."
"Hah!" Hagrid scoffed. "There's no point in just teachin' Edward and Alphonse, especially if they already know everythin'."
"What would we do with our time though?" Al asked. "We get done with our homework faster than Harry and Ron, even Hermione sometimes. And it feels like Hermione gets jealous of us, even when we got straight 'O's!"
"That's Hermione for yeh," Hagrid commented.
"Brother, did you yell at Professor Dumbledore?" Al asked.
"Why, did you hear me?" Ed asked.
"No, but we don't have to because you always yell when you're angry," Al replied, chuckling.
Ed glared at Al.
"Don't glare at me, Brother, you know it's true," Al said.
"Whatever," Ed muttered.
"Did Dumbledore say who started the riot?" Al asked.
"No," Ed grumbled. "Bumblebore only treated me like I was a child. I hate it when people do that to me."
"Ed, I'm sure they just have your best interests at heart," Hagrid said.
Ed didn't say anything and shrugged. At the end of the class period, Ed, Al and Winry bade Hagrid a 'see you later' and went back up to the castle. Winry went to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class as Ed and Al went to the dungeons for Potions. Out in the corridor, they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione along with nine other people progressing to N.E.W.T. level potions: four Slytherins (one being Malfoy), four Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff, Ernie Macmillan. Ed and Al stood by Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"How did Hagrid take it?" Hermione asked.
"He was pissed," Ed replied. "Wanted to know why you didn't at least warn him like Winry did last year."
"He would have been even more upset!" Hermione protested.
"You still should have told him," Al pointed out. "It would have saved him the trouble of preparing a lesson for a non-existent class."
Before anyone could retort, the dungeon door opened and Slughorn's belly preceded him out of the door. As they filed into the room, his great walrus mustache curved above his beaming mouth, and he greeted Ed, Al, Harry, and Zabini with particular enthusiasm.
The dungeon was, most unusually, already full of vapors and odd smells. Ed, Al, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sniffed interestedly as they passed large, bubbling cauldrons. The four Slytherins took a table together, as did the four Ravenclaws. This left Ed, Al, Harry, Ron, and Hermione to share a table with Ernie. They chose the one nearest a gold-colored cauldron that was emitting one of the most seductive scents Ed had ever inhaled: an apple pie, machine oil grease, and lilies. The scent reminded him, of course, of Winry.
"Let me guess, you smell Winry?" Hermione remarked to Ed.
"Shut up!" Ed snapped, blushing.
"Now then, now then, now then," Slughorn said, whose massive outline was quivering through the many shimmering vapors. "Scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making…"
"Sir?" Harry asked, raising his hand.
"Harry, m'boy?" Slughorn prompted.
"I haven't got a book or scales or anything - nor has Ron - we didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T., you see -" Harry started.
"Ah, yes, Professor McGonagall did mention…not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all," Slughorn assured. "You can use the ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can write to Flourish and Blotts…"
But before he could get the books and supplies, Ed had already summoned them silently. That amazed Slughorn.
"Dear me," Slughorn gasped. "You are as bright as I've heard."
Ed grinned and shrugged. Slughorn blinked and then went on to talk.
"Now then," Slughorn continued, and inflating his already bulging chest so that the buttons on his waistcoat threatened to burst off, "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"
He indicated the cauldron nearest the Slytherin table. The liquid inside looked like plain water boiling away inside it. Ed spoke up before anyone could raise their hands.
"It's Veritaserum," Ed spoke up. "It's a potion that makes someone to tell the truth without the face poundin'."
"Very good!" Slughorn congratulated. "Though that's not the way I'd answer…Anyway," he continued, pointing at the cauldron nearest the Ravenclaw table, "this one here is pretty well known…Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately too…Who can -?"
"It's Polyjuice Potion," Al spoke up, indicating the slow-bubbling, mud-like substance in the second cauldron. "It has the ability to change you into any person, except for half-beings."
"Excellent!" Slughorn congratulated. "And -!"
"It's Amortentia," Ed said. "It's the most powerful love potion in the world. It can be recognized by the mother-of-pearl sheen, the steam rising in characteristic spirals, and the different smells to each of us, according to what attracts us."
"And I assume it smells of your fiancée, Mr. Elric?" Slughorn correctly assumed.
"It's none of your business," Ed muttered, blushing.
Slughorn laughed.
"Twenty points to Gryffindor!" Slughorn awarded. "Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room - oh, yes," he said, nodding gravely at a smirking Malfoy and Nott. "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love. And now, it is time for us to start work."
"Not so fast, Horse Bug," Ed pointed out. "You've got to tell everyone about the Felix Felicis on your desk."
"You spotted that, did you?" Slughorn said, looking at the small black cauldron with molten gold potion standing on his desk. "You're as sharp as your father is."
Ed didn't say anything.
"Would you like to tell me what it does?" Slughorn asked.
"It's liquid luck," Al answered for Ed. "It gives you luck. It's a tricky potion to make, and disastrous if you get it wrong. If you brew it correctly, as you have, all of your endeavors succeed until the potion wears off."
"Correct, my dear boy," Slughorn said. "Take another twenty points."
"Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?" Terry Boot asked Slughorn eagerly.
"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence," Slughorn answered. "Too much of a good thing, you know…highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally…"
"Have you ever taken it, sir?" Michael Corner asked with great interest.
"Twice in my life," Slughorn answered. "Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoons taken with breakfast. Two perfect days."
He gazed dreamily into the distance. Ed rolled his eyes.
"And that," Slughorn continued, coming back to earth, "is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson. One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis." He took a miniscule glass bottle with a cork in it out of his pocket and showed it to them all. "Enough for twelve hours' luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt. Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competitions…sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only…and watch how that ordinary day turns extraordinary!"
Ed rolled his eyes again.
"So," Slughorn went on, suddenly brisk, "how are you to win my fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion Making. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"
There was a scraping as everyone drew their cauldrons toward them and some loud clunks as people began adding weights to their scales, but nobody spoke…except for Ed, who swore loudly as he looked through his bag.
"What's wrong, Brother?" Al asked.
"I must've forgotten to pack my book," Ed growled.
"Don't worry, dear boy, you can borrow one of -" Slughorn started.
"Forget it, I'll just copy Harry's book," Ed interrupted.
Ed snatched the Potions book out of Harry's hand and then copied the book, giving the original back to Harry.
"Thanks," Ed said.
"No problem," Harry replied.
Ed flipped the book open to page ten and started on his potion. To his surprise, the previous owner had marked all over the book with corrections. He tapped Al on the shoulder. Al looked at him.
"What is it, Brother?" Al asked, then looking at the open book pages. "Brother! Why did you scribble all over it?! I know we write in our corrections but -!"
"It's not my writing," Ed hissed. "I don't write that fast anyway. These are the -"
"Get to work!" Hermione snapped.
Ed glared at her and started in on brewing his potion. Everyone kept glancing around at what the rest of the class was doing; this was both an advantage and a disadvantage of Potions, that it was hard to keep your work private. Within ten minutes, the whole place was full of bluish steam. Ed, Al, and Hermione were further along than anyone else. Their potion had already resembled the "smooth, black currant-colored liquid" mentioned as the ideal halfway stage. Ed and Al, to Hermione's annoyance, crushed the sopophorous bean instead of cutting it up and put the juice into their cauldrons. Harry followed suit a moment later.
"What are you doing?!" Hermione demanded.
"We squashed it," Al answered.
"You're supposed to cut it!" Hermione hissed.
"Common sense dictates that crushing instead of cutting gets the most liquid out," Al pointed out.
"What he said," Ed agreed.
Then Ed, Al, and Harry added a clockwise stir after seven counterclockwise stirs, furthering Hermione's annoyance. A few moments later, Ed, Al, and Harry's cauldron's were the only ones with the correct shade.
"And time's…up!" Slughorn called. "Stop stirring, please!"
Slughorn moved slowly among the tables, peering into cauldrons. He made no comment, but occasionally gave the potions a stir or a sniff. At last he reached the table where Ed, Al, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie were sitting. He smiled ruefully at the tar-like substance in Ron's cauldron. He passed over Ernie's navy concoction. He gave an approving nod at Hermione's. Slughorn then saw Ed, Al, and Harry's potions. A look of incredulous delight spread over his face.
"Good lord!" Slughorn cried. "You three got them perfect! Harry, you've certainly got your mother's talent! And Edward, Alphonse, you two have got…well, pure talent! For that, there will be three winners!"
Then he gave the already prepared tiny bottle of Felix Felicis to Harry and then prepared a tiny bottle each for Ed and Al and gave it to them. Ed and Al grinned at each other as they put away their prizes and cleared away their work areas. Ed and Al left before everyone else. A while later, after putting up their lucky potions, they were at the Gryffindor House table in the Great Hall. Winry was already there and talking to Ginny and Selim.
"How was your Potions class, Edward, Alphonse?" Winry asked.
"It was a cinch," Ed answered, sitting down by Winry. "Had to make Draught of Living Death."
"Was it very hard, Mister Ed?" Selim asked.
"Nah, it was a cakewalk," Ed brushed off.
"Everything's easy for the Master Alchemist!" Selim praised.
Ed straightened his cloak, grinning.
"Easy there, mate," Ron said, as he, Harry, and Hermione sat down by them. "You're making Ed's head inflate."
"Like you don't have an inflated head by being a sixth year," Hermione pointed out.
"But it's all true!" Selim insisted, bright-eyed. "Father says that Mister Ed is the best alchemist they have now!"
"What about me?" Al demanded.
"You're also the best, Mister Alphonse!" Selim added. "Father says that he made you a State Alchemist because he wanted the set!"
Everyone looked at each other.
"What?" Selim asked.
"Nothing," Winry answered. "Ed, which directions did you follow?"
"What do you mean?" Ed asked.
That was when Hermione told Winry about Ed forgetting his Potions book and copying Harry's borrowed copy. Then Harry jumped in and told the rest of the story of following the instructions of the previous owner's.
"Edward," Winry sighed.
"You shouldn't be following the instructions that come from -" Ginny started.
"It's not like the diary, Ginny," Harry interrupted.
"It's cheating!" Hermione insisted. "It wasn't your own work. Edward, Alphonse, you should be ashamed of yourselves!"
Al took his Potions book out of his bag and handed it to her.
"Look inside," Al replied before Hermione said anything else.
Hermione looked through it, her eyes wide. She then looked up at Al.
"Let me see," Ron said, getting the book from Hermione and looking through it. "Wow, mate! You're smarter than Hermione! Maybe even smarter than Snape!"
Al got the book back and put it back into his school bag.
"When did you do that?" Hermione asked. "How could you know if -"
"Don't ask us any questions, and we'll tell you no lies," Ed grinned.
Winry rolled her eyes. Then Hermione got Harry's book from his bag and checked that it had no hidden Dark abilities. Harry made a remark and got his book from the middle of the table. The book slipped out of his hand and landed open on the floor. Harry went to pick it up, but Ed held up a hand.
"I got it," Ed said.
Ed reached for the book and picked it up. He saw something scribbled along the bottom of the back cover in small, cramped handwriting and read it.
This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince
Ed blinked and then shrugged. He gave it to Harry, who looked at the back cover as well, and then went back to talking to the others.