A/N: Laptop on fritz..but got a chappy done anyway!! Wanted to squeeze in more stuff..but decided it would be boring. so i cut it. Wanted a hospital scene too, but that is postponed 'til the next chappy..
Thx for the reviews!!!
Ed stopped walking when he saw it.
Before him was the ruined courtyard. A month's worth of snow hadn't managed to cover the mathenmatically precise cracks in the earth. He could easily make out the array branded there.
"Something wrong?" Hermione said, loud enough to be heard.
Ed swallowed, and tore his eyes away from the mess. He saw the other students hurrying by and completely avoiding walking through it. Most rushed by using the halls.. Which made them quite crowded. And loud. Ed frowned and continued onward to the library.
Hermione grabbed his arm and forced him to stop walking.
He turned and glared at her, and found she glared right back. Then, her face changed to one filled with concern and worry. Ed then darted his eyes about..saw far too many ears walking about them, and jerked his chin towards the library.
"But..class..!"
Ed wrinkled his nose, and jerked his arm out of her grasp.
A few steps inside past the doors, and Ed found his way blocked. Mrs. Pince, feather duster in one hand, looked down at him.
"Mr. Elric." she said. "My sincerest apologies...You are banned from seeing these tomes from now on."
"VHAT DE SHIT?!?" Ed yelled out. "YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!! I.." Then he found he could curse and yell all he wished, but not a single sound could be heard. He scowled at the woman before him, and silently fumed in his fury.
"Mr. Elric..Though you may be banned from it, this IS a LIBRARY. I remind you to keep your voice down." Mrs. Pince said imperiously.
Ed balled his hands into fists at his sides and clenched his teeth in his frustration. Then turned about, only to see that Hermione was standing right behind him.
He scowled at her as well.
"Ed..?" She whispered in a hushed voice.
He stormed on past her, and..just as the final bell for class rang out, kicked the doors open with a BANG!
The echoing sound told him the halls were empty, and he stomped onwards... towards the Toad Woman's office.
"Ed..!" He heard Hermione call out. "Ed just..!"
He was midstep when he felt a hum in his chest.
Ed smoothly slapped his palms together, reached one hand for the wall, and released the warming energy. Blue lightning flashed and snapped along the ground behind him. He heard a little "Eeeep! Heeey!!", followed by the clattering of a stick, and the hum abruptly faded from his chest.
He completed his step..
"Edward!" Hermione yelled. "Whoa..! Let me down...!"
Another step.
"Stop a minute! Aaack!"
Another.
"AT LEAST!...Talk to me first!"
And another.
"Ed..! Please!!!"
Ed stopped, and looked behind him at Hermione. She who was now dangling upside down high overhead, thanks to the stone hand that firmly grasped both of her feet before the library doors.
"Daat tyrant..Toad voman..." Ed growled loudly. "I. Am ending. Dis ridiculous game of.."
"No..Don't. Don't do anything." Hermione said desperately, pushing her robe and hair out of her face. "Please..no. I don't want you in Azkaban.. or worse, expelled... or.. um.. Let me down."
"You vill not be pointing daat stick at me, yes?" Ed glared at her as he jerked his chin at the wand on the ground.
"What? 'Course not. Not now. Could you please let me down? Before Finch comes by and.."
Ed closed his eyes and with considerable effort, willed his temper down. He then slapped his palms together. A touch to the wall, a flash of blue lightning, and Hermione was eased, though she managed the manuever awkwardly, back to her feet.
Ed folded his arms, glared at the library doors. He heard Hermione say something like she didn't know he could do something like blah blah blah, but he wasn't really listening past the grinding of his own teeth.
"If I can not access dis library, dere is not much vreason for me to be here..." Ed stated when she was a few feet away.
"Of course there is." Hermione said. "Well. There's me. and.."
"'Ione. Really. I do not mean daat as for KILLING myself." Ed said "And for vrecord, DAAT ting..." Ed jerked his head in the general direction of the courtyard. "..vas not meant to do it either."
"Let me get this..You were trying to vanish..? Yourself..?" Hermione stated. "I fail to see how that's not suicid.."
"Iz NOT." Ed stated. "Iz clear in equations..Hard to..um..vas sculpted space..um.. shaped space.." Ed made a little disgusted noise in his throat. "Ah..IZ all goink to be too MUGG..."
"So that really IS the place where you.."
"Yeah. Vas not supposed to do daat. And I do not know fukken vhy it did..."
"Oy! I know you're angry, but do me the favor of not taking it out on me, alright?" Hermione interrupted. Ed scowled, and looked digustedly back at the library doors.
"Listen.. There's nothing we can ..
"I can do plenty. Starting vith punch to Toad's face vith my right." Ed punched the wall with his right, then leaned on it as the chips clattered to the ground, and muttered "Fukk..."
"Ed! That's hardly going to help!"
"Vill help me feel much much better." Ed glanced to his metal knuckles as he flexed the fingers one by one on the wall.
"Come on." Hermione said. "Maybe..maybe Dumbledore can..."
"Do not be bringing him in on dis." Ed said. "I VILL NOT be owing him a DAMN ting..!"
"Look. It's the end of term." Hermione said softly. "I'm headed to ..um..London... for the holidays. I was wondering if you had.."
"I VAS planning on being in library for all daat time." Ed said bitterly, trying, with all his might, to burn a hole in the doors with his considerable glare. The doors, thus far, withstood the onslaught quite well.
"Well..how about.." Hermione said. "...Wait a.. You..You've no one to spend Christmas with..?"
"You say it like iz important." Ed said as he looked back to Hermione. "Iz vizard ting, yes?"
"What? You mean..you don't know..?" Hermione said. "H-how..How can anyone not have heard of..?"
"Vorld is big place, 'Ione." Ed offhandedly, and glared again at the doors. "Tch..."
Ed was dressed in a long coat, beneath which were several layers of clothes which didn't seem to do a thing for him now that winter was in full swing, and he was forced to stand in the snow. He felt as frozen as a human popsicle and his teeth chattered as he waited impatiently for the 'something' Hermione said she was summoning.
BANG!! Ed jumped at the sudden sound..so much like an explosion of metal.
"Vhat de shit..?" Ed said softly as he looked at apparent opening of a folding door. Suspended in the space before him, was the driver, an old geezer of a man with owlishly large eyes thanks to his thick glasses. He was apparently sitting behind the wheel of some sort of vehicle that Ed couldn't see the outside of, glaring down at him rather expectantly.
Hermione lowered her wand and took a firm hold of his left. Then took a step forward towards the few stairs the led up into the interior. Ed, still blinking at the strange sight, was nearly pulled along at first, but then followed with a limp that favored his left. His knapsack, stuffed with all his belongings from the dorm, was held firmly with his right against his back.
He was half expecting a mental assault of some sort, but was pleasantly surprised to find absolutely none as he climbed inside the nothing. He ginned widely at the man behind the wheel, and freed his left from Hermione's grasp to dutifully reach for his fare as he read the posted sign.
A tall thin, pimply youth in a purple uniform grinned, reached out a fingerless-gloved hand from behind the driver, and said rather proudly, "'ello Welcome aboard the Knight Bus. I'm the conductor. Stan Shunpike."
"Edvard Elric." Ed replied as he plunked his fare into the container, and narrowed his eyes at the outstretched hand, then looked about. ".....nice..Vaat is vord..." He commented, as he noticed it hardly resembled a bus on the inside. There were quite a few full sized beds where the seats should be as far as he knew. He also noticed that most of the beds were occupied. "..vRoomy.."
"Huh. Where ya 'eaded?" the man behind the wheel said.
Ed took a breath..after a quick calculation that told him the inside was nearly as big as several freight cars strapped together.
"London." He heard Hermione say as she took a seat in a rather overstuffed armchair. He nodded to Stan, and flopped down into a seat himself after plunking down his pack at his feet. Stan looked the bag over.
"'andle your bag, sir?"
Ed immediately narrowed his eyes.
"Part o' the service. 'ere. Sir."
"I am not believing you can." Ed stated as he peeked out the window past the curtain and absently rubbed at an ache in his right port. The snow they trampled through was rather deep, and he saw it was finally snowing.
The man lowered his outstretched hand with an annoyed expression on his face, as the bus lurched into motion. BANG!
"You ok?" Hermione said softly as her hands clawed into the chair arms. Ed's bag at his feet had slid forward just slightly from the sudden jarring motion.
"Just pee-ch - ee." Ed said with a grin plastered on his face as he looked over at her. His own hands clawed into his chair arms was well. The right was dangerously close to breaking the wood beneath it, and he carefully eased up his grip.
"You know. You are a TERRIBLE liar." Hermione said just as softly, and Ed looked sharply at her. Gold eyes met brown.
"Am not lying." Ed grumbled.
BANG! The bus lurched forward.
Hermione lowered her brows, blushed and looked away as the lurching bus settled. There was silence for several moments, and Ed peeked out the window once again at the passing scenery. It was so very dark outside..he could barely make out much of anything in the shadows.
"Ed..about Luna.." Hermione said.
"Vaat about her?" Ed said absently, fascinated with what he could see outside.
"Well..just that..um..the looks you give her..um." Hermione stammered. Ed eased his eyes back inside and looked at her. He hoped his face was stony as she glanced quickly at him. "Well..they're rather more than just what one would give..say.. a friend. Much less someone you barely talk to."
Ed looked back outside. Bang! Another lurch.
"I am very avare of daat." Ed said. He flicked the curtain closed and looked hard at Hermione.
"Knew it. You do know her from somewh.."
"No. Just somevone she happens to look like." Ed said.
Hermione's face scrunched in confusion.
"Has she a twin sister..?" BANG!
Ed shrugged as he reached for his sliding bag and pulled it back, then peeked out the window once again. He noticed that Hermione's eyes watched him very very closely. The bus jerked to a stop at a dark, well lit street that looked 'London-ish' to Ed. He recognised nothing.
"Well..?" Hermione said.
"Vell vhat?"
"Can you at least tell me about this person?"
"Vhy?" Ed said.
"Obviously. She's important to you." Hermione said. "It's something about you that none of us heard before."
"Vaat iz ze point in daat." Ed said, watching a rather disheveled witch disembark with a hand bag clutched tightly to her chest. "She's vorld avay from you people." The door squeaked closed, and the ancient driver adjusted his grip on the wheel.
BANG! The bus lurched once more.
"Oh..so she's a Muggle!" Hermione said as she closed her eyes tight against the lurching motion, "No..no..she has to be squib if she's Luna's twin!"
Ed rolled his eyes and made sure he kept his face stony as he peeked out the window. Automail fingers tapping against the strained wood beneath his overstuffed chair as he tried his best NOT to recall or share a thing about Winry Rockbell, the maker of his limbs.
The bus jerked to a stop once again, and Ed widened his eyes, amazed. And relieved.
This was their stop.
Moments later, Ed was stepping off of apparently nothing back onto the solid ground. When he glanced behind him, he watched the door fold closed, leaving nothing of a vehicle to see behind him.
There was another loud BANG!
Ed made sure he didn't jump at the sound. Instead, he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his gloved left as he limped along after Hermione, knapsack held in place over his back with his right. Just. Waiting for his stomach to catch up with him, and hoping he didn't have to empty it once it arrived.
"I can take de stoOopid ting off now." Ed demanded, fumbling with the blindfold with the frozen fingers of his left and limping along as his guide at his living elbow moved him through the place. "I can tell ve are inside."
The screaming of a certain woman told him that much. "MuDBLOOD! FILTH!! MUGGLES IN MY NOBLE HOUSE!!!"
Something smacked against his gloved right and jarred it away from the blindfold again, and he heard a hiss of pain from someone on his right. His bag whisked away from his back once he passed what felt to be the doorway as he bumped into the solid wood with his living shoulder. He was maneuvered about and gently pushed backwards..
"oh for heaven's sake..!" Ed heard Mrs. Weasley exclaim.
He felt warmth at his back, and by the crackling he knew it to be a fire.
"Sit down first." Remus's voice said gently, and someone's hands took a firm hold of his living arm and guided him down. "We have a few questions for you."
Ed felt what had to be warm bricks beneath his gloved hand and eased himself down, briefly closing his eyes in relief as he again fiddled with the blindfold with both hands. No one smacked his hands away this time. He saw Remus, and the pile of rags he knew to be Fletcher on either side of him. There was Sirius at the table. Tonks. And Moody, with his electric blue eye whirling about as he regarded him with his dark. He didn't see Hermione at all in the room.
He heard his own teeth chattering in his skull, and slowly the feeling came back into his remaining living fingers. At the moment, it was a vague burning sensation at the tips. He resisted the urge to rub at his ache in his left leg. And right port.
"How are you?" Remus began as he sat down in a chair.
"I am vell." Ed stated. "Vhat of Mr. Weas..?"
"We are concerned. Very concerned, Mr. Elric." Remus said.
Ed scrunched his face in confusion as he looked hard at the kind eyed man.
"You have no idea how worried we all are over that recent stunt you did." he continued. "It certainly had all the hallmarks of.."
"Did you or did you not try to kill yourself?" Moody stated bluntly.
"No." Ed stated flatly. "Alvright?"
"No.." Sirius said. "I opened some of them, but you..you left me with the task of mailing out what amounted to good-byes."
Ed turned his glare to Sirius.
"Stupidly, I only did so after you pulled the stunt of yours off."
"I did not..tsssht." Ed ground his teeth to get them to stop chattering.
"It was then that we discovered how..how isolated you've made yourself. Even before you were brought here."
"Vas..did you.."
"We..managed some digging into the Muggle side of things." Remus said gently.
"Found some interesting facts about you." Moody growled. "Seems that, beyond nine months ago, there's not a trace of an Edward Elric in England at all."
"So." Ed said between chattering teeth. "I only..vvr... arrived here nine months ago."
"Not even a ticket for a train. Nor boat. Nor or plane." Moody said. "What did you do? Walk here from wherever you're from?"
Ed glared at the man, clenching his chattering teeth.
"Oh. We did find one record of Edward Elric. A death record. He died not far from here in what the Muggle then called a whimpcrash of some sort. Back in 1927." Moody growled. "Now the question is..Who are you really?"
"I told you who I am." Ed said steadily as he rose to his feet. "If I am no longer velcome here, den I vill go."
"No! No." Sirius said, and patted the air before him. "No one said you weren't welcome in my house. We were simply..concerned about you.."
"If you want to be know as Edward Elric, that's fine with me." Remus said. "With all of us. It's an extreme thing for someone to cut all ties to their previous life..as you have. Whatever happened in your past.. however painful.."
Ed swallowed and looked away.
"..Don't feel that you're all alone."
Ed nodded, then looked at all their faces. Such concern and worry..all except Moody. He looked, if anything, skeptical. Even suspicious with his narrowed eye.
Ed sat down by the fire and looked to the ground.
Feeling more alone than ever.
