This chapter's going to be pretty short, just fyi. I was in a rush to get it done and I also spent like five hours doing nothing but math, and then I was watching Supernatural. Anyways... thank you The Leaf on Italy's Head, Loopy Leefy, WhispersOfWings, gwntan12, greeklover94, Amelia Loves Anime, percab8531, GoddessDana, Pastel P0cky, goodgirl275, and the three guests for their reviews. Also, I just posted the first chapter of another Harry Potter story called Unconventional. It is OC centric, set after the Battle of Hogwarts if anyone wants to take a look at that (and please do because I'm a shameless self-promotion slut) Enjoy :)

It was three days before Harry woke up.

Ed, Ron, and Hermione had been checking up on him, visiting the hospital wing nearly every chance they got. Madam Pomfrey said that she would let them know when he was awake, but… well Ed still felt the need to see Harry for himself. Harry's bedside table had an assortment of candy and trinkets on it, left there by his friends and fellow Gryffindor's. It was the most candy Ed had ever seen in one place.

About a day before Harry woke up, Ed searched the school for Dumbledore. As luck would have it, he was able to catch up to him after breakfast in the Great Hall.

"Sir!" Ed said loudly, running after the bearded professor.

Dumbledore turned around and stared at Edward curiously.

"Ah, Mr. Elric," he said, "I was wondering when you would come to me."

"Sir, you said that Quirrell didn't end up with the Stone, right?" the blond asked. "The Philosopher's Stone is a really important alchemy-"

Dumbledore was smiling, but he was shaking his head as well.

"Mr. Elric, I know what you are asking." He said. "But, I cannot give the Stone to you. It holds too much power, and it would be catastrophic if it fell into the wrong hands. Alas, even if you could contain that power, the Stone has been destroyed."

"Destroyed!"

The cry was out of his mouth before he thought better of it, and so Ed stood, his face flushed red.

"I mean, I understand that it's dangerous and all, but Philosopher's Stone's are really, really rare!"

"As they should be. If anyone had access to them, imagine what disarray the world would be in." The old Headmaster said calmly. "I could not allow that Stone to stay here, as it was still in danger, and Gringotts is not safe enough. There was no other way."

Ed looked down. Even though he new why Dumbledore had destroyed the Stone, he still felt a tinge resentful towards him for it. The stone could have aided him and Alphonse in trying to bring back their mother.

"And Mr. Elric?"

His head shot up.

"Yeah?"

"Do be careful this summer, won't you?" Dumbledore had a knowing look in his eye.

Ed hesitated, wondering if the elderly Headmaster knew of his and Al's plans to transmute their mother back to life.

Probably not.

"Okay."

"Harry!"

Ed wondered if he would have to physically restrain Hermione so that she wouldn't squeeze the life out of Harry with a hug. Luckily, he did not have to resort to that.

"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to… Dumbledore was so worried…" Hermione said, very fast.

"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron.

"What really happened?" Ed asked his friend, helping himself to a chocolate frog. Harry didn't seem to mind, much.

"I went in, expecting to see Snape, y'know, but it was Quirrell there instead. He's the one who was after the Stone, and he's the one who jinxed my broom, as well."

Hermione looked distressed at the mere mention of the broom incident.

"Anyways, I was able to get the Stone out of the mirror – don't ask me how, I don't know – and Quirrell took off his turban and showed me that Voldemort – Hermione, my head – was on the back of his head. He couldn't touch me." Harry looked off into the distance. "Professor Dumbledore said it's because my mother sacrificed herself for me. And Dumbledore's destroyed the Stone, he said he talked to Flamel and they both agreed on it. Oh," he added as an afterthought, "and he's the one who sent me my father's cloak."

"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"

"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that – what was it – 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure'."

"Flamel's had too long of a life, anyway," Ed said. "Bastard's been hording that stuff, living longer than he should…" he trailed off into grumpy mutters.

"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking pleased with Dumbledore's eccentricity.

"So what happened to you three?" Harry asked them.

"Hermione and I got back alright," said Edward. "We dumped Ron here and went straight to McGonagall – who was pissed, by the way- and she made a glowey-animal thing and sent it to Dumbledore."

"After Professor Dumbledore went after you, McGonagall made us come here, she didn't want us getting into anymore trouble, I suppose." Hermione added. "You were brought up not too long after that."

"Dumbledore just said 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' the moment he saw us and hurtled off to the third floor." Ed finished.

"D'you think me meant you to do it?" asked Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"

"Well," Hermione exploded, "if he did, I meant to say that's terrible, you could have been killed."

"I don't think that Dumbledore would have let that happen if he knew," Ed reasoned with her.

"No, he wouldn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."

"Still," Hermione fumed under her breath.

Ed patted her on the shoulder consolingly.

"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron in a proud sort of voice. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course – you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you – but the food'll be good."

As soon as the words left Ron's mouth, Madam Pomfrey strolled over.

"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT!" she said firmly.

"Later, Harry," Ed called as they left.

Word Count: 1,026 without A/N