Finding Life's Second Truth

By: FlameXFullmetal

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood) or Harry Potter. It should be obvious by now.

A/N: I'm back! Thanks again to everyone that has stayed with the story thus far and hello to everyone reading the story for the first time. Some of the chapters may take a little longer to come out as I do have to reread the book to make sure that I get the sequence of events in the right order. I apologize for that but I last read the fifth book in 2005. I have a good memory but not that good. I don't watch the movies either. I stopped watching after the third movie came out. Anyway, on to the story!

********Enemy or Stupidity********

"Hello Truth." Edward said as he stared at the being that he had met far more times than anyone should be able to.

"I see you are doing well so far. Your classes at least seem to be learning slowly. However, there was an element in your class today that concerns me."

"Must have been Umbitch. She's becoming a real pain in my ass. I am fairly certain that she is working with Voldemort but so far I have no proof that she is anything but a bitch." Edward replied making the being before him laugh.

"Your view of life is truly refreshing. I sense that it will not be as easy proceeding forward as it has been. You will need to be careful. Keep an eye on that...thing...she is not normal."

"With me nothing is normal." Edward replied half seriously and half sarcastically. Truth said nothing as the white space vanished leaving him in his class once more. Glancing around he raised an eyebrow noticing Roy and the others looking at him in amusement.

"It's always interesting isn't it? Seeing me vanish like that?"

"More of worrying brother. Still the looks that you make are funny." Al said laughing at his brother's expression.

"What did the truth want?" Izumi asked looking at her student with some concern.

"How long was I gone?"

"Most of the evening. We came looking for you when you didn't show up for dinner. We figured the truth had called you when we came in and saw that everything was still in here." Roy said in exasperation.

"Tell me you at least brought food with you then." Edward whined dropping in his chair. Nodding Al set a plate in front of his brother and shook his head as he dug in enthusiastically.

"It sensed Umbitch." Those three words were all the Amestrians needed to hear before they figured out what had been discussed.

"It thinks that the toad is a threat to our mission?" Hawkeye asked sitting down. She had been both amused and mortified at how much had to be explained to the wizards about how to live without magic.

"It's not sure. It told me to keep an eye on her and that things were about to get very difficult for us." Edward said shrugging and leaning back in his chair having finished his food in record time. Sighing Eve shook her head.

"When is anything ever easy for any of us?" No one said anything as there was nothing that could be said.

The next morning was the same as all of the others and as a result it felt almost as if a monotonous routine was setting in. However, Edward keep his eyes open and watching the chimera that kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He felt as if the truth was actually on to something as he began to re-analyze her actions in the school. Perhaps it was more than just that she was absolutely horrendous. It was possible that she had been sent here as a way to subvert the rumors that Voldemort had returned and get the ministry someone on the inside, or rather Voldemort. However, it was also possible that she had been given an ulterior mission by Voldemort, if she was indeed working for him. It was hard to tell as her actions hardly seemed beneficial to the ministry.

The day's classes seemed to be a blur as he ran on auto-pilot, continuously turning everything he knew about Delores Umbridge over in his mind. Why was she here exactly? What did the ministry hope to achieve by sabotaging the education of the students here? Was she working with Voldemort? If she was, what was her mission from him? How dangerous was she to the mission he was given by the truth? Did he have to worry about Alphonse's safety? The never-ending questions continued to flood his mind and as a result he wasn't paying that much attention to his surroundings merely walking as if in a daze. He answered questions directed to him in a distracted distant way never once pulling his mind from the questions that plagued him. He was determined to find the answers as fast as he could because the last time he had this many questions circling his mind he was unable to prevent Nina's transmutation. He vowed to never let that happen again.

Harry, Hermione and Draco were all beginning to worry about the blonde as the day wore on. He didn't seem to be focusing on what was happening around him and for the briefest moments Harry worried that someone was trying to use the Imperious curse on him. Then he remembered the blonde's stubbornness and banished that thought entirely. There was no way that anyone would be able to control the blonde, with or without a spell. When they asked Al however, they were told that the blonde was fine and that he was just preoccupied with his thoughts and that it was normal for him to act like this. They were still not convinced but let it slide.

While Draco didn't know much about the blonde he still found himself worried about him. It was strange for him. He had never paid much attention to many people that he didn't know personally or was told to pay attention to before. Yet he found himself wanting to be the blonde's friend. Perhaps it was his independence and the way that the alchemist was always able to push past the authority figures in his life to prevent himself from being forced into doing something that he didn't want to do. Whatever the case was he wished that the blonde would spend more time in the Slytherin common room. Despite being a part of the Slytherin house, he was rarely in the dorms. Draco figured that he must have had special accommodations made because he was both a teacher and a student. Or perhaps it had something to do with the limp he had had at the very beginning of the year and the potion that Snape had brewed for him.

By the time his alchemy class rolled around, Edward had managed to run his minds in circles trying to figure out the reasoning behind Umbridge's actions. Unfortunately he was only giving himself a headache. Sighing as he sat on his desk he watched as his class slowly filtered in. He would need to try and clear his mind for the time being. He wouldn't be able to teach alchemy if he wasn't thinking straight. As the last student filed in he motioned for Roy to close the door. Looking around he made a mental note of each student more carefully. Memorizing the way that they sat, the look in their eye and the way that they seemed anxious.

"Alright we have had some success in the creation of perfect circles. Some of you managed to make them last class. Those who did I want you to keep practicing until you can make a perfect one each time with less focus until it becomes instinct. Those who haven't keep working on your circles. I will be walking around inspecting each of your circles." He instructed and the class immediately got to work. Every class Edward taught he was more and more impressed by the speed at which the students were picking up the amount of precision needed. They were also moving closer and closer to the end goal faster and faster. He believed that it wouldn't be much longer, perhaps the end of the week at most, before they were ready to graduate from circles.

True to his beliefs by the time the class had reached the halfway point everyone in the room was practicing perfect circles. It wasn't even five more minutes before he declared them ready to graduate from "basic shapes". However, Edward had no intention of letting them off easily.

"Now that you have all accomplished the perfect circle we will move on to other shapes like triangles, squares, rectangles and even stars." He announced making everyone whine. "Don't complain. Now that you have a very good idea of how a perfect shape should look it will be much easier to achieve a passing and workable example of the other shapes. At this rate we will be able to move onto the alchemical runes and actual formulas that you will need before Halloween." That seemed to perk them up as they returned to their drawing. Each student was eager to move onto real alchemy. The rest of the class moved by swiftly and before he knew it Roy was dismissing the students from the room.

"I got lost in thought again didn't I?"

"You are going to have to focus Fullmetal. You will be unable to figure anything out if you force the pieces into place. They won't fit right." Roy reminded the younger man. Nodding in exhaustion Edward leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. He knew that he was allowing himself to get unnecessarily distracted but he was finding himself unable to help it. He was obsessing again. Shaking his head he stood quickly and looked over at the flame alchemist he had come to respect, not that he would ever admit it.

"I overheard an interesting rumor about a room in the castle that changes based on your needs. Want to try and find it? We could spar in there." He suggested hoping that the older man would be able to help him clear his head. Nodding Roy followed the smaller male out of the room and down the hallway. If it meant helping the blonde and besting him in battle he couldn't refuse. He knew that the blonde was independent but at the same time he couldn't help but feel that the boy was hiding his need for someone else to help bear the burden from everyone around him. That hidden need was one of many reasons he had found himself taking him under his wing. His eyes were one of many reasons that he found himself becoming attracted to the blonde. Even though he knew that he shouldn't have those feeling for the younger male. Shaking his head he hoped that the spar would help them both clear their minds.

The next few weeks moved by quickly and when Edward received the results of his inspection his class sweat dropped and then laughed as he threw it out without looking at it. Umbridge's opinion meant nothing to him as she didn't have the faintest clue about how alchemy worked or how it should be taught safely. He was also right on his suspicions of his fifth year class's progress. He knew that they would be ready to begin learning the basic arrays shortly as they had just begun the runes and formulas. He was rather pleased with their work and wished that his other classes had progressed at half the rate they had. His sixth and seventh year classes had fallen behind despite having more time to work on their classwork. Edward was beginning to think that they were just to trained in the ways of magic to teach alchemy to. He had started taking off of the classes that he was excelling in in order to help Roy teach the brats.

It was around the fifth of October that the monotony of the year changed. It seemed as if the third year and higher students were preparing for a trip to someplace called Hogsmeade. He had no idea what it was but the students seemed rather excited. When he questioned Severus about it he learned that it was a village near the school that students could go to if they had a parent or guardian's permission starting in the third year. The trip was done to allow the students to relax on the weekends. After turning the information over in his mind he nodded to himself and decided to follow the herd and go as well. Anything to get out of the castle which to him was starting to feel like a prison.

As soon as he stepped in the village Edward stretched and looked around at the people wandering around. He decided that it would be best to explore and try to listen to the conversations that were occurring. Perhaps he would get a better understanding of the state of affairs in the world either than what the Daily Prophet was reporting. After all the first step of controlling the masses was controlling the media. Make them believe what you want and then they will be unprepared for what was coming. Overall the conversations weren't all that interesting as they mainly focused on arguing over whether or not Harry was telling the truth about Voldemort's revival. Stepping into a store he decided to replenish his supply of chocolate and then his quills and ink stores afterwards. He had been doing an awful lot of writing lately.

As he was leaving the candy store Edward spotted a large gathering of students entering the Hogshead and groaned. Somehow he knew that this was going to backfire. He had been fully aware of what the students were trying to do. They wanted someone to teach them defense. They had already implied that the blonde should teach them but he had already turned them down as he had a full schedule. It seemed as if they were trying to get a student to teach them now. 'Most likely Harry.' Edward thought to himself. Shrugging he followed them in and used his training to get close without being noticed.

"Harry just think about it. You are still the only person who has fought Voldemort and lived to tell the tale, twice." Hermione pressed. Harry sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Even if I did agree how long until Umbridge shuts it down? What would I teach anyway? The only spells that I know that most of the people here don't are the Patronus charm and the Accio spell. I couldn't teach you anything that a friendly duel couldn't." Harry protested. Edward smiled he knew that Harry was thinking his actions through more carefully then he would have without the wake up call he had been given after they arrived here.

"However, you also know how the death eater's fight and have the most experience in dueling." Another student pointed out. Harry groaned. He knew that wasn't going to end well.

"I am not the person that you want to teach you! I have no experience! I can't get you ready to fight them when I am not even ready! Everything I have done this far against the death eaters and Voldemort has been because of luck and you Hermione. I haven't pulled off as much of this on my own as you seem to think that I have." Harry countered. Edward shook his head and let them argue back and forth in their hushed tones. When it seemed as if Harry's control was breaking and he was about to give in Edward sat down at the table startling everyone there.

"Just so you know, when planning to go behind a teacher's back you may want to use a less public place and make it less obvious." He advised sipping on his butter beer. The other students looked like a deer in the headlights as they tried to hide their embarrassment.

"As it is I can point out at least three people in the immediate vicinity who may report back to Umbitch and three more who may have overheard your conversation. If you want to learn defense that badly that is fine but Harry is right. If he was the one to teach you then the only ones who would really benefit are the students that are lower than fifth year as he only has two spells that you don't already know. If you are that concerned then try taking books out of the library and using your free time to study them. After which find a place in the castle that you won't be bothered in and practice there." Leaning back Edward sighed as he stared at the students before him.

"You could also ask teacher to train you in martial arts. If you show the incentive then she may agree faster. Bare in mind though that if she says no then she has a good reason to. Furthermore, it would be nearly impossible to keep a defense club as large as this hidden for to long. There would also be that one person that would become afraid and eventually tattle. The club would be found out and everyone would be in trouble." The students looked as if they were contemplating his words as they looked at the table intently.

"One last thing. What would you have named it?"

"Well we were thinking maybe the DA. It stands for..."

"Dumbledore's Army. Precisely what the ministry is afraid of. Very poor choice. If there is one thing that every government in the world is terrified of it is of a secret military organization being created and eventually rising up to usurp them. Furthermore, Dumbledore is not the person you would want to follow. He has not done anything to fix the problem that is Delores despite the fact that there are several courses available to him. Keep in mind that while you are trying to better yourselves you are also putting yourselves in unnecessary danger."

"You would know all about that Fullmetal." Edward leaned back to see Roy leaning on his chair smirking.

"Shut it."

"Make me. Besides it is the truth. You would know all about the act of putting yourself in unnecessary danger. You do it all the time."

"Do not!"

"Remember when you set off an explosion above your head and almost died? Or what about the time you decided to take on an alchemist who used alchemy that acted like a bomb and almost died because you decided to fight in an abandoned mine shaft with explosives present?" Roy asked making the students blink in shock at the blonde teacher sitting with them. Edward just smirked at him and stuck his tongue out.

"I was misinformed about the enemy when I set the explosion off and had no other way to inform the military about my whereabouts. When I fought Kimbley I had no choice as I was trying to give Al time to escape and how was I supposed to know that he had another one of those hidden on him? I can think of a few times when you have done the same." He countered making the two begin a glaring match. The other students just sweat dropped at the two and then noticed Harry and Hermione had face palmed as if this was normal.

"Just don't put yourselves in unnecessary danger you guys. It will lead to massive injuries." Roy said breaking the eye contact suddenly. The older man seemed to be generally worried and somehow he appeared a little older than he was at that moment.

"I have far to much stress keeping track of Fullmetal to have to worry about a group of kids who still know nothing of the outside world." Edward shook his head and laughed at the fire wielding alchemist.

"Don't you mean that the stress comes from trying to be as talented as me?" Roy merely rolled his eyes and walked out of the building silently. Narrowing his eyes Edward stood abruptly and headed after him. Something was wrong and he had no intention of letting it drop. As the students looked back at Harry he groaned.

"No."

**************T.B.C************

A/N: Sorry this is a little shorter than normal but if there are any massive typos I'm sure that you can tell I was having problems with my word processor and cursor. I'll try to have it fixed for the next chapter. I am also sorry that the chapter took so long. I have no excuse. (Immediately dodges rotten tomatoes and trash.) See you next time! Ja ne!