Author's note A mere twenty one days between updates! Glory be! Anyway, we have now officially surpassed the 600 follower mark, so thank you everyone. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer WolfishMoon does owns neither Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist nor J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. She never claims the contrary and makes no money from the online publication of this free-to-read fanwork.

Chapter 15

A Fighting Chance

Dear Edward,

Your thoughts on wands as amplifiers are very refreshing. Most wizards, as I'm sure you have noticed, don't have the patience to question what exactly wands do for them – and amplifying is sure enough what they are for. You are off base in that wizards are capable of doing magic without them! Those with great levels of control can use wandless magic at almost the same level of efficiency.

Attached to the letter I have included some conversion charts. They detail the power of a spell versus how much energy the wizard put into it with both a wand and without. In both cases you will see that the output is rather larger than the input. The ratio is considerably larger when using a wand, but the magical constant accounts for much of the spell in either case.

Below the charts you will find the requisite equations.

All these educational things aside, how are you boy? And how is young Alphonse? I am doing well. The Hogwarts letters I presume have yet to go out, as I've not gotten the usual influx of first years yet. Dumbledore left it till even later last year, but even so this is a little much.

When they have time to shop, I have time to keep the inventory flush. I'm afraid I'll be wiped out again this year. I may have to dip into the store I have at Gringotts. Perhaps I'll finally get to meet that Nyorok fellow you talk about.

Sincerely,

Garrick

Ed spent the last month and a half of summer corresponding with both Garrick Ollivander and Nyorok the Goblin. Their takes on magic gave him a break from the insanity that was the usual wizarding acceptance of the impossible.

Hermione pulled the letter from his hands. "I've always wanted to see some of these charts! We learned a bit about wandlore in Ancient Runes last year, but these look like trade secrets!"

Well. Not all of the wizards simply accepted the world they lived in. "Are you familiar vis any of zeese equations?"

"Not really," Granger said. "Some of these look like the things I learned for Gamp's Law and it's exceptions. Alphonse! Come look at this!"

Alphonse poked his head into the living room from the kitchen. "Huh?"

"Ollivander gave Ed some information on wandlore, if you're interested."

Alphonse pulled his wand out of the holster he had rigged under his sleeve. "Absolutely!"

Ed rolled his eyes, pulled a ballpoint pen out of his enchanted bag, and began crafting a response to Ollivander's letter. He was never going to fall for that quill bullshit the wizards preferred.

Dear Garrick,

Al and I are doing pretty well, all things considered. I've just finished grading my students' final exams, and I'm proud of what they managed to get done – you know? They'd already flunked the course once before, but they're not stupid.

The charts you sent along look like they'll really help me to define the magical constant – even if I still don't get where that constant comes from. I'll figure it out eventually.

I hope you manage to keep up with the last minute demand.

Good luck,

Ed

"I still can't believe you use owls to send your letters," Ed said, stroking the feathers of Ollivander's owl before securing the letter in the little case tied to her leg. Rather predictably, her name was Wanda, and she was a beautiful barn owl. She pecked at his fingers affectionately before alighting through the window. He watched her fly away with wonder suspended in his throat.

"It does take getting used to," Hermione said, joining him at the window to watch. "But it is efficient. Honestly I think the wizarding owls may actually be a magical subspecies that simply mirrors naturalistic varieties."

"Zat would make sense," Ed said. "Vould it have started vith intentional alterations?"

"Only through your basic artificial selection, I think." Hermione smoothed the chart and looked back to Ed. "Do you mind if I make myself a copy of this?

"Go ahead," he said, handed her paper and a ballpoint pen. Ed considered Alphonse. They'd already done one of their spar for the day, but Harry's birthday tea was scheduled for later that day and Ed had turned in the final exam grades to Jenkins the day before. "Does Frau Veasley need any help in the kitchen?"

"I'm on zat, bother," said Al. "She's got most of dinner already in progress."

Ed peered around the door. Sure enough, pots were simmering on the stove and the oven was clearly in use. The Matron of the Red Hair was turning her wand idly, nose buried in a book. Even engrossed as she was in The True Story of Gilderoy Lockheart, she manipulated a wooden spoon that slowly stirred one of the pots.

"What zee Hell?"

Alphonse shrugged. "Zee prep work vas zee hard part. She's just monitoring sings, now."

Ed shook his head, and pulled out one of Granger's old textbooks. He may not be able to perform magic, but he was damn well going to understand it. "I sink I am going to zee room to study. Zee smell of food is distracting." Granger and Al nodded and waved him off. It was not long before he was settled at the desk, deep into the book he had borrowed.

It was an hour before Ed realized that anything was amiss.

A pecking sounded at the window, and Ed looked up from his studies to see that Ollivander's owl was back again. He threw open the window and the owl spat a crumpled piece of paper from her mouth. It skidded off the desk, and hit the floor with an audible thunk. Odd. He knew it took the poor thing at least a half hour to fly from the Burrow to Ollivander's shop. That would leave hardly time to write one. He checked the satchel on the owl's leg, and felt cold dread harden in his stomach. The letter was completely unopened.

Hands shaking, Ed picked the paper up from the floor. It was heavier than it should have been and when he smoothed it, the answer was clear. The paper had been hastily wrapped around a key, and on it was scrawled in all-capitalized large, frantic letters was: GRINGOTTS 327.

Ed vaulted out of the room and down the stairs. "Ollivander! He's in danger!"

He needn't have said anything, for Lupin and Tonks had just arrived for Harry's birthday tea, faces grim. "He's been dragged off," said Lupin. "He set off an alarm, but by the time aurors got there he was gone. Nothing in the shop looked amiss, but."

"You're kidding." Harry, Ron, and Ginny had stumbled in from the garden, brooms slung over their shoulders.

"How did you know?" Tonks had rushed forward to meet him at the base of the stairs, hands bracing his shoulders.

"I haff to get to him!" Ed said, and then switched into Amestrian. "Al! We have to get to Diagon Alley! It's the old man!"

He tried to push past Tonks, but she kept her arms braced, nails digging into Ed's shoulders.

Alphonse joined her side, and spoke quietly in Amestrian. "What happened, brother?"

"He didn't even read the letter I sent," Ed said. "Just sent me the key to his vault at Gringotts, the one with the extra wands."

"Verdammt!" Al turned to Tonks and in English said, "Can you take us to his shop?"

But Mrs. Weasley stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "Absolutely she can not," she said. "You are a child, Alphonse."

"And Ollivander is our friend," he said. "I know mein bruder is impulsive and stupid, but it sounds like Aurors have already secured the scene and we have to see if we can help."

"My brozer might be a child, Frau Veasley," Ed said, "But I am his legal guardian. I vill be zee one to decide vat he is ready for and I can tell you now zat vee haff both pulled off riskier stunts." Ed brandished the vault key at her. "He gave me zee key to his vault vor a reason!"

"Let's go," said Tonks, finally letting go of Ed's shoulders. The room erupted in protests. The loudest from Mrs. Weasley, who demanded them to not. But Ginny had inherited her mother's lungs, and was the second loudest. She was demanding to be taken with.

"Now wait a minute –" That was from Harry, but the his voice was cut off by the slam of the door and the sound of their footfalls as they ran to the apparition point.

"Damn it!" The shop was utterly undisturbed except for the fact that Ollivander was clearly not in it. "Damn damn damn!" Ed kicked a wall of wand boxes and several clattered to the floor.

"Is there any way to track any apparition zat might have happened?" Alphonse bent to pick up one of the fallen wand boxes.

Tonks stood by the door, wand drawn against anyone who might come in. "No. And that's frustrating until I remember that if we could track their apparition, they could track ours. And there have been some pretty close calls."

Ed scowled. "Damn," he said again, but he could see the logic there.

Alphonse turned the wand box over in his hands, opened it. "It's empty?"

"Vas?" Ed picked up another box. It too was empty. He pulled three boxes from the wall and those too were vacant.

"Why would the Death Eaters want to vanish the wands?"

"Who knows," Ed said, kicking at a box.

Alphonse pulled open another drawer. Empty. "Where will first years get their wands?"

Tonks shrugged. "They'll pull family wands out of storage," she said. "Some will go abroad and buy from Gregorovitch."

"What about zee muggleborns?"

Ed shook his head. "I'll write a letter to Dumbledore. I think zat's vhy Garrick sent me zee key. So zat students who don't haff any ozer vay to obtain zeir vands will be able to be matched vis one at school."

"We should go to Gringotts then," said Tonks. Ed nodded.

"Vis any luck, Nyorok vill be working, und zee whole sing vill go smoothly."

"Let's go." Tonks waved them through the door and the three of them began to make their way down the alley in a tight formation. Tonks kept her wand out, and Ed and Al kept their hands close enough together to clap at a moment's notice.

They nearly did when a silver wolf twisted through the air towards them. "Just got to Ollivander's shop," said the wolf. "You're not there and I really hope you're safe. Be careful, Dora."

The wolf vanished into thin air. Tonks rolled her eyes. "Keep moving," she said. "Remus seems to have gotten the stupid idea that he should be protecting me into his head."

"Vas that vat zey call a patronus?" Ed had read about them, but he'd yet to see one.

"Yup," said Tonks.

"I didn't know they could send messages," Alphonse said.

"It's a tricky bit of magic." Tonks cut herself off from explaining. "There's Gringotts," she said.

Ed nodded and took off at a run.

Nyorok was the one who yelled at him to slow, when he busted through the doors.

"Nyorok!" Ed said. "It's Ollivander! Zee vandmaker. He's been taken."

Nyorok raised a long eyebrow. "And that's my problem why?"

Normally, Ed appreciated Nyorok's apathy toward wizards. Today, however, it was his friend's life that hung in the balance. "He sent me zee key to his vault."

Nyorok's eyes lit in understanding and he ushered Ed into a back room. "Let me see this key."

Ed pulled it from his pocket and slid it from his pocket. "I sink zee terrorist zat has been kicking up a ruckus vants to restrict zee purchase."

Nyorok ignored him, waved a hand over the key. It glowed a warm orange, and Ed blinked. "This is how I can tell that the key was given, not stolen. I like you, Ed, but protocol still applies."

"Right."

"It seems clean," Nyorok said. "Can you tell me the vault number?"

Ed nodded, but slipped the piece of parchment across the table instead of speaking. Nyorok's eyes turned almost sorrowful as he analyzed the handwriting.

"Right," said Nyorok. "I can take you down to the vault, then."

"Sank you."

The last time Ed had been at Gringotts, the entirety of his business had been conducted in this small office. So he was thrown for a loop when the little goblin led him through a grand pair of doors. "Welcome to Gringotts," Nyorok said and Ed's breath was taken away. Beyond them was a wide staircase that led into a cavernous basement.

"Vat in zee vorld?" There was only a tiny scrap of floor below the stairs, and from that floor branched tracks that disappeared into the distance.

"To keep the wizards where they belong," Nyorok said. "Most of them don't like getting their hands dirty."

"Are zere any vizards you like?"

Nyorok snorted. "The ones we hire. And even then the trust only goes so far."

Ed decided that was fair and climbed into the rickety cart Nyorok indicated. "How big is this?"

"Gringotts spreads across most of Diagon and Knockturn Alleys," said Nyorok. "And every bit of it is designed to keep intruders out."

Ed shook his head in amazement as the cart lurched forward. What a rush! The wind generated by the forward momentum was powerful enough to throw Ed to the back of the cart. He crawled to the fore, and held tightly to the rim. "Zis is vantastic!"

Nyorok said nothing, but looked at Ed with such an expression of amusement that Ed would have been offended if he wasn't so awed. They'd descended deep into the Earth, and above him Ed could have sworn he saw a large shape soar.

As quickly as the ride began, it came to an abrupt halt in front of Ollivander's vault. With trembling hands, Ed turned the key into the lock. The noise of the doors open was enough to make Ed wince, picturing how Winry would be aghast. "Vhen vas zee last time zeese hinges vere oiled?"

Nyorok shrugged. "Ollivander doesn't visit the vault often. He developed a charm to send superfluous wands directly to the vault. We stopped him from coming up with the reverse, but he keeps enough in store to not need them."

Ed nodded. The vault was laid out like Ollivander's shop. Rack upon rack of wand boxes filled the space, with narrow aisles between them. "Zere vill certainly be enough wands vor zee virst years here!"

The vault itself was two to three times larger than the shop, and was more densely packed. Damn. Ed had known that wand making was Ollivander's reason to live, not only his bread and butter but this was ridiculous.

"You know I don't necessarily want to celebrate more wizards coming of age to learn," said Nyorok. "But I'm glad."

Ed gave Nyorok a tired smile. "Sank you. I'll get in touch viz zee principal tonight, decide how ve're going to select the wands most likely to be choose a virst year. And get a plan in place to locate zee old man."

"Good luck," said Nyorok.

Ed nodded at the stacks. "I'm gonna get a feel vor zee layout in here." And so he did. Ed spent about an hour determining the order of the wands. They were organized first by wood, then by core, and finally arranged from shortest to longest. This could work. He committed the layout to memory and finally exited the building, secure in the knowledge that he had done something for one of his only two real friends in this world.

Nyorok watched him with a puzzled expression throughout the process, but brought him back to the surface without comment.

"I'll write you," Ed said. "I'm still curious about zee international standards vor vizarding money."

"I look forward to it."

Ed grinned at him and rejoined Alphonse and Tonks. With them Lupin. Clear that the three of them had been arguing, Ed kept his explanation brief.

"I need to meet vis Dumbledore," he said. "I haff a solution vor zee first years."

"Zat's fantastic, brozer!"

Tonks looked expectantly at Lupin. "The three of you were exceptionally stupid today."

"Your soldiers had already cleared zee scene, yes?"

"That's beside the point."

"Nein, zat is precisely zee point. Alphonse und I haff razer more experience zen you might sink viz zeese zings. Vee can handle ourselves and you already know zat Tonks can, given zat she is one ov your soldiers."

"You may be of age, Edward. But Alphonse isn't. It's your duty as his guardian to protect him."

Ed stared at Lupin with uncomprehending eyes. What was this asshole's problem? "Alphonse and I haff alvays solved our problems togezer. Vee von't stop doing zat now, just because you're all under zee impression zat I'm eighteen."

"Bruder!"

"What?" said Lupin. "Under the impression?"

"I need to speak to Dumbledore," Ed said, wincing at his mistake. "End of discussion."

And it was the end of the discussion - Lupin glared at Ed a moment longer before casting his patronus for the second time that day. He said nothing to the silver wolf that appeared, and Edward had to assume that Lupin sent the message he wanted him to.

Or close enough to it.

"Can we go back to the Burrow, please?" said Lupin. "You've worried Molly sick."

That was not the truth, Ed discovered when they returned. They didn't find the Matron of the Red Hair as pale and wan as the word 'sick' might suggest. Her worry did not make her sick. It made her hissing, spitting mad.

"What were you thinking?"

Ed said nothing.

"Now I understand wanting to jump in headfirst to save a friend – I'm as Gryffindor as they come, but Alphonse is under age!"

Ed said nothing.

"You endangered a child!" Molly wailed.

"Nein," said Ed. "It is your insistence on not training your kinder zat vill endanger zem now! I may not consider zis entanglement a var, but you haff an unscrupulous terrorist avter zose you haff sworn to protect und instead ov teaching zem to defend zemselves you vould haff zem defenseless!"

"They're children!"

"And your Voldemort vould kill zem anyvay," Ed said. "Alphonse may be a child, but he has all ov zee training I do and he never let me go into a fight alone."

"Training?" said Mrs. Weasley. "And fights? You were a muggle Chemi-whatsit professor. What fights were you two getting into?"

Ed steadily met her gaze. He was slipping all sorts of secrets today, and in both cases they only derailed his argument instead of proving his point. "I know how to survive a var, Frau Veasley. And so does Alphonse. Let us do it."

At that moment, Ed was spared from further argument by the arrival of the most beautiful bird he had ever seen. In through the kitchen window swept a bird who's feathers glinted with the reds and oranges and blues and greens of the very hottest of Mustang's fires.

"Fawkes," said Tonks. Ed looked at her askance, and she explained. "Dumbledore's phoenix." Ed blinked as Fawkes alighted on his good shoulder, the bird's leg stuck under his nose.

He extracted the letter from the pouch tied to the bird's leg and unrolled it. Frustratingly, the letter was in German. Presumably to keep it away from the Matron of the Red Hair's eyes. But as much as Ed and Al pretended to be German, they'd only picked up so much of the dialect while there.

Amestrian was close enough to get by on, but no it was not the same. Damn. Ed called the language as best he could to the front of his mind.

Edward,

What is this I hear about you dragging Alphonse into potential combat situations? Remus told me you would like to speak with me and I believe I can spare a visit to the Burrow tonight around midnight. I hope your reasoning is sound.

Albus

Ed relayed the message, and flounced off to the room he and Alphonse shared to wait out the time. Whatever explanation Alphonse gave in his wake, Ed did not care.

As was the fashion for the principal of the School of Pig Fungus, Dumbledore didn't show up until one thirty in the morning. The gas lamp that Ed had set on his desk was burning low, and he'd long since finished the magic reading quota he'd set for himself. He'd found himself done with time to spare – and the waiting was boring him to tears.

Alphonse had come into the room around eight with dinner trays for the both of them, and immediately set to studying at the other desk. He crawled into bed and fell promptly asleep at around eleven. That was enough to have Ed eyeing the other bed in the room, but the thought of what had potentially befouled one of the only two real friends he'd made in this universe kept him angry enough to stay wide awake. When Dumbledore walked in, that anger guided Ed's first response.

"I haff things to do tomorrow," Ed said, when the door to the room closed behind the old man.

Instead of responding to the complaint, Dumbledore looked to Alphonse, who was asleep in his bed. "Will we wake him?"

"No," said Ed, snorting. "Alphonse sleeps like the dead." Making up for lost time, Ed rather suspected.

"But if we do?"

"Zen he joins zee conversation," Ed said. "I haff trusted Alphonse viz my life, I trust him viz zis."

"Fair enough," Dumbledore said. He seemed to realize that Ed wasn't going to offer him the other chair in the room. And so with a wave of his wand, Albus conjured a ridiculous looking cushion and placed it in the chair himself. "Remus was sparse with the details in his message. Why exactly did the three of you feel the need to go to Ollivander's?"

"Garrick is a friend," Ed said. "He sent me a letter as he vas being taken. Or killed. Or – " Ed shook his head. There was no point in extrapolating their. "I needed to see zee scene vor myself, and I needed to follow zee instructions he left me."

"He left you instructions?"

"And zee letter itself is none ov your business. But, carrying out zose instructions would interest you. Vat Lupin apparently vailed to mention is zat Ollivander gave me access to zose vands he had in storage. For your virst years."

Dumbledore slumped back in his chair in relief and disbelief. "Thank Merlin," he said. "The instant I heard that he'd been taken – I know that wasn't Voldemort's main point for kidnapping him, but I'm sure making things harder on muggleborn first years was a strong plus."

"Vat do you sink vas his main goal, then?" Ed said.

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled at him, and Ed knew he was about to listen to a string of bullshit. He wasn't wrong. "I have a few theories."

"Bull," said Ed. "Iv you know anything, I need to know it. Ollivander vas zee only sane person I've met ov you vizards and I vill not lose him because you don't vant to tell me vat you know."

"It's the sort of information that I cannot share outside of the Order of the Phoenix."

"Vat are you?" Ed said. "Ten years old? Zat is stupidest faux-badass name I haff ever heard! Is zat vat your merry band ov fools calls zemselves?"

"I'm afraid so," said Dumbledore. His eyes were twinkling again. "Would you like to join."

"Vill it mean I get full disclosure? Or vill you continue to hide sings from me ven it suits you?"

"Full disclosure," Dumbledore said. Ed knew that was a blatant lie.

"The last time I was someone's dog, they ended up dead," Ed said. He'd not killed King Bradley himself, but he had struck the final blow against the Father and been a key player in that coup. Dumbledore's eyes did not stop their twinkle. Ed scowled. "I von't be joining any 'Order' but I vill fight to keep my students safe."

"That is all we ask of our teachers."

"To do zat job right, I need to haff information." Ed crossed his arms and tried to look threatening. He wasn't sure if it worked. "I cannot protect people from any enemy I know nozing about."

"It's Order business."

Ed decided that it was time to play hardball. "Ollivander's vands vor your intel."

"You would deny learning opportunities to eleven year olds?"

The truth was that denying education to anyone was not in Ed's nature. But Old Man Twinkle here didn't need to know that. "Yes," he said. "Zere are ozer vand makers you could turn to, I am sure."

Dumbledore sighed and extended a hand. "I believe we have an accord."

Ed shook it smartly. "Sehr gut. I vill draw up plans on how vee might get vands to zee children tomorrow. Vat do you know about my friend?"

"I think Voldemort took Garrick for information," Dumbledore said after a long moment. "He and Harry have twin wands, and I think Voldemort is trying to find a way to get around the bond."

"Iv anyone could vind a vay it vould be Garrick."

"So you agree?"

"It's as good a zeory as any," said Ed. "And it's one zat means he's still alive. Do you haff any leads as to vere prisoners might be kept?"

"You don't want to storm that stronghold, Mr. Elric."

"I do vant to," Ed said. "Regardless ov zee hocus pocus, I can hold my own in a vight."

"Going in alone there is a recipe to get yourself killed." This was the first time all night that the customary twinkle was absent from Albus's eye. "I promise if we find a way in, you will be the first to know."

"Zat's not gut enough." Ed glared at him, and Alphonse turned over in the bed. Ed took that as a cue to quiet down, and lowered his voice to a hiss. "I vant him found."

Albus nodded solemnly. "I understand," he said.

"Do you?"

"I've lost people to dark wizards before," he said. "I know."

Ed threw his hands up. "Then you'll know that I need zee information."

"And I know what you'll try to do with it. No."

"I'll get it vrom someone else."

"He vill, too," said Alphonse. Ed and Albus both jumped. "Iv you tell him now, you've earned our loyalty and a level ov security. Maybe ve vill tell you, before going off on our own. Iv you don't? Zen you haff no measure of control vatsoever."

Albus pushed his crescent moon glasses up his nose, and glanced around the dark room. "And I suppose it's no use reminding the both of you that you're children?"

Ed and Al shook their heads in resolute unison. Albus sighed, picked a ballpoint pen from Ed's desk and wrote in small lettering on a piece of conjured parchment.

Malfoy Manor

"It's his entire base of operations," Dumbledore said. "Voldemort himself is likely living there – it would be the height of stupidity to try for it."

"Don't both sides haff normal prisons?"

"No."

"Thank you for telling us, Professor," said Alphonse.

Dumbledore sighed. "You didn't give me much choice."

"Vee never do." Ed grinned at Al in the dark. "Vee don't play."

"I can see that now." Dumbledore rose from the hardwood chair, and with a wave of his wand vanished the pink cushion he'd conjured. "Good night, to the both of you."

"You too, Mr. Dumbledore!" said Al.

Ed rose and opened the door for the headmaster. "Haff a good night," he said, before shutting him out of the room. He was suddenly horribly unsure of the nature of the alliance he just entered into. Ed took a step back from the door, but did not turn away from it.

He would be dumb to think that Dumbledore and Molly wouldn't be having a follow up conversation downstairs, but he couldn't think of a way to listen in on it without giving himself away. Ed was certain the creaking of the stairs had been magically enhanced to discourage eavesdroppers.

So Ed went to bed, annoyed with the fact that it was almost three in the morning. His morning spar with Alphonse would have to cut short or else entirely postponed till the afternoon.

"Good night, brother," Alphonse called to him in Amestrian.

"Good night, Al."

Word Count: 4,791

Review and tell me what you thought! Thanks for reading.

Posted on 5/22/2018