DISCLAIMER: I OWN NEITHER HARRY POTTER NOR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!
Chapter Thirty-Six
A few minutes later, McGonagall came over to Harry, Ron, and Ed.
"Potter, Elric, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast," said McGonagall.
"But the task's not till tonight!" Harry panicked, accidentally spilling scrambled eggs down his front.
Ed snickered until McGonagall silenced him with a glare.
"I'm aware of that, Potter," McGonagall said. "The champions' families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them."
McGonagall left as Harry gaped after her.
"She doesn't expect the Dursleys to turn up, does she?" Harry asked blankly.
"Dunno," Ron shrugged. "Harry, Ed, I'd better hurry. I'm going to be late for Binns. See you later."
Then Ron left. Ed finished his breakfast and waited for Harry to finish. After Harry finished, Ed grabbed hold of Harry's shirt collar and dragged him along.
"Hey!" Harry protested.
"Stop bitchin'," Ed said, as he let Harry go. "I wasn't gonna let you sit there and sulk."
Then they both went to the chamber. Cedric and his parents were just inside the door. Viktor Krum was over in a corner, conversing with his dark-haired mother and father in rapid Bulgarian. He had inherited his father's hooked nose. On the other side of the room, Fleur was jabbering away in French to her mother as her sister waved at Harry. Harry waved back, grinning. Then Harry and Ed saw Mrs. Weasley and Bill in front of the fireplace, but they were talking to Izumi and Sig Curtis, Roy Mustang, and Al. Al happened to turn and see Ed.
"Brother!" Al gasped happily.
Al ran to Ed and engulfed him in a hug. Ed laughed and hugged Al back. Mrs. Weasley turned and said 'surprise!' to Harry as he walked to her and Bill. Ed and Al let go of each other. Ed and Al talked to each other as Izumi, Sig, and Roy introduced themselves to Harry.
A moment later, Ed and Al went over to them.
"It was a good move to say that I was Edward's step-father, kid," Roy told Harry.
"You mean - ." Ed started.
But before Ed could finish, Mrs. Weasley swept Ed up into a hug.
"It's good to finally meet you, dear," Mrs. Weasley told Ed after letting him go. "I'm so sorry about - ."
"Don't worry about it, Ma'am," Ed told her, waving her apology off.
"Just call me Mrs. Weasley, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "This is my eldest son, Bill. My second son, Charlie, the one you've seen at the first task, wasn't able to come."
"He said you were great with the Ridgeback," Bill said. "Don't tell Hagrid this, but it was his pet dragon from Harry's first year."
"But dragons are illegal to keep as pets," Ed said.
"It's a long story," Harry said.
"How would you like to show us around the castle, boys?" Roy asked. "I'm sure Alphonse would like to see how it's like before he decides on if he'll come here next year. That is if Ed wouldn't mind."
"We can do that," Harry said.
As they all made their way back toward the door into the Great Hall, they passed Amos Diggory (Cedric's father) who looked at them.
"There you are, are you?" Amos said, looking Harry up and down. "Bet you're not feeling quite as full of yourself now Cedric's caught you up on points, are you? And you, Elric, do you -?"
"Ignore him," Cedric said in a low voice, frowning after his father. "He's been angry ever since Rita Skeeter's article about the Triwizard Tournament - you know, when she made you and Harry to be the only Hogwarts champions."
"Didn't bother to correct her, though, did they?" Amos Diggory said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Still…you'll show Harry, Ced, and that newcomer. You've beaten Harry once before -."
"Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble, Amos!" Mrs. Weasley said angrily before Roy or Izumi could say anything. "I would have thought you'd know that, working at the Ministry!"
Mr. Diggory looked as though he was going to say something angrily, but his wife laid a hand on his arm, and he merely shrugged and turned away. Harry and Ed had a very enjoyable morning walking over the sunny grounds with Bill, Mrs. Weasley, Sig and Izumi Curtis, Roy, and Al, showing them the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship. Mrs. Weasley and Al were intrigued by the Whomping Willow, which had been planted after Mrs. Weasley had left school.
"It doesn't actually hit things, does it?" Al asked.
"Only if they're in its way or hits it first," Bill said.
"That's mean," Al said.
"That's the wizarding world plants," Bill said.
Al didn't say anything as Mrs. Weasley reminisced at length about the gamekeeper before Hagrid, a man called Ogg. Ed tried to keep a straight face at the name. When Ed let out a small snicker, Izumi glared at him.
"How's Percy?" Harry asked as they walked around the greenhouses.
"Not good," said Bill.
"He's very upset," Mrs. Weasley said, lowering her voice and glancing around. "The Ministry wants to keep Mr. Crouch's disappearance quiet, but Percy's been hauled in for questioning about the instructions Mr. Crouch has been sending in. They seem to think there's a chance they weren't genuinely written by him. Percy's been under a lot of strain. They're not letting him fill in for Mr. Crouch as the fifth judge tonight. Cornelius Fudge is going to be doing it."
Izumi looked at Roy.
"What?" Roy asked.
"Nothing," Izumi said.
Roy didn't say anything. They returned to the castle for lunch.
"Mum - Bill!" Ron said, looking stunned, as he joined the Gryffindor table. "What're you doing here?"
"Come to watch Harry and Edward in the final task!" Mrs. Weasley said brightly. "I must say, it makes a lovely change, not having to cook."
"I have to agree with you there, Molly," Izumi said. "Edward, aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Oh, yeah," Ed said, as Winry, Fred, George, Ginny, and Hermione came over. "Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, this is my alchemy teacher and her husband Izumi and Sig Curtis; my little brother Alphonse; and my stupid boss Colonel Mustang."
"Hello," everyone said.
Mrs. Weasley was a bit cold towards Hermione, but warmed up as soon as Harry told her that what she read in the Witch Weasley wasn't true. After lunch, Harry, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley whiled away the afternoon with a long walk around the castle while Ed, Al, Roy, and Izumi and Sig Curtis talked in Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore gave them privacy, of course.
"Alphonse, I know it is your decision, but I don't want you coming to this school," Izumi said.
"But it seems really interesting, Teacher," Al said.
"It goes against all of my teachings of alchemy, Alphonse," Izumi said.
"I think Alphonse can decide for himself," Roy said.
"It has nothing to do with you, Colonel Mustang," Izumi snapped.
"Izumi, Colonel Mustang is right," Sig said. "Alphonse is a grown boy. He can decide for himself. Besides, if I have this right, it's also Ed's decision, isn't it?"
"My decision?" Ed asked.
"Yes, Edward," Roy said, "your decision. The Fuhrer and I are your legal guardians, but you are the legal guardian of Alphonse since your father -."
"I get it," Ed said. "Well, if Al wants to after the tournament, he can talk to Dumbledore about it to see if you can come next year."
Al's golden eyes brightened as he smiled.
"Really, you mean it, Big Brother?" Al asked.
"I said it depends," Ed said.
"Oh, thank you, Brother!" Al said, hugging Ed.
Ed smiled, patting Al on the back.
"Come on, Al, let me show you around the other places," Ed said.
"Okay!" Al cheered.
Then Ed and Al left the office. Izumi turned to Roy.
"If anything happens to those boys here, I will hold you and the Fuhrer alone responsible, do you understand?" Izumi promised.
"Yes, Mrs. Curtis, I understand," Roy said.
At the evening feast, Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge had joined the staff table now. Ed told Izumi and Sig and Al who they both were. Bagman looked quite cheerful, but Cornelius Fudge, who was sitting next to Madame Maxime, looked stern and was not talking. Madam Maxime was concentrating on her plate, and her eyes were red. Hagrid kept glancing along the table at her.
"Mr. Fudge looks stiff," Al observed.
"That's because he is stiff," Ed said.
"He still believes you're a spy, Ed," Roy said.
"He's an idiot," Ed said.
"Why do they look so sad?" Al asked, referring to Hagrid and Maxime.
"That's because they were going out until - ," Ron started.
"Ronald!" Hermione scolded.
"Until what?" Al asked.
"I'm surprised Lieutenant Hawkeye didn't come with you, Colonel," Ed commented, changing the subject.
"She's supervising HQ," Roy said. "Making sure everyone stays on -."
"Yeah, yeah," Ed said.
After the many course dinner and the enchanted ceiling overhead faded from blue to a dusky purple, Dumbledore rose to his feet at the staff table, and silence fell.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard - or what Mr. Elric has affectionately nicknamed it - the Quintuple-wizard Tournament," Dumbledore said, smiling at Ed. "Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now?"
Harry and Ed got up from the table. The Gryffindors all along the table were applauding them; the Weasleys, Winry, Al, the Curtis, and Roy wished them good luck. Before letting Ed go with Harry and the other champions, Winry kissed Ed full on the lips. That earned them a few whistles. Then Ed, blushing, left to go with Harry.
"When's the wedding?" Fred asked Winry.
"Are we invited?" George asked.
Winry shot them a glare.
"You're a lucky guy, Edward," Bagman said, grinning at Ed.
"Another word, and I'll arrest you for pissin' me off," Ed said.
Bagman laughed.
"You're really funny, Edward," Bagman said. "It's a good attitude to have. Harry, you all right?"
"I'm fine," Harry said.
Five minutes later, the champions and Mr. Bagman were at the Quidditch field that was completely unrecognizable. A twenty foot hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze. The stands were now filled with the excited students and the families and friends of the respective champions. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, McGonagall, and Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were all wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, except for Hagrid who had his on his back of his moleskin vest.
"Nice hats," Ed remarked.
McGonagall gave Ed a look and then spoke.
"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," McGonagall told them. "If you get into difficulty and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"
"It's crystal clear," Ed replied.
McGonagall gave Ed another look.
"Off you go, then!" Bagman said cheerily to the patrollers.
Hagrid wished Ed and Harry good luck and left.