Fullmetal Alchemist and the Crimson Stone Chapter 1: The Solid Lead, a fullmetal alchemist fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Fullmetal Alchemist and Harry Potter, as well as any other songs or other character references made in this story.

Fullmetal Alchemist

And the

Crimson Stone

A Fan Fiction Fusion

Tattoo Alchemist

Chapter 1: The Solid Lead

"Let's go! Get a move on, Al!" Edward Elric called out to his little brother as he stepped off the train in Central's station.

"Ed!" Alphonse Elric called as he stepped down from the train, "Slow down! There's no need to hurry!"

"Indeed," the largely muscular Major Alex Louis Armstrong agreed with Al, "The library isn't going anywhere."

"Ha!" Edward laughed at his companions, "You're all a bunch of slow pokes!"

Standing next to the armor-clad Alphonse Elric, Major Armstrong sighed, "He's acting like a child."

Alphonse gave the major a slightly sharp look.

"Oh…" He said apologizing for his sharp comment, "I beg your pardon, he is a child."

"It's okay…" Alphonse said as his gaze looked to the cement floor, he wondered about his brothers mental state. Even though Ed had a smile on his face Al thought back to all the very recent events and fresh memories in New Heissgart. Everything…Professor Wilhelm Eiselstein…Gretta Ridel…the battle chimeras…the Philosopher's Catalyst…and…Armony. It really was so much to deal with, despite everything that they've been through, there were still some things that stayed with them, like battle scars that refuse to heal.

Al had looked up from the concrete to his brother, and saw that he was on a collision with another person.

He called to him, "Ed look out!"

Unfortunately, it was too late for Ed had already ran into the other person and sent the flowers that they were carrying all over the concrete platform.

Witnessing the event, Al sighed, "Ed, can you go anywhere without plowing into people?"

"Are you okay?" Ed had asked as he looked over at a flower girl

"Yes, I…" The flower girl said, she then looked around to the batch of flowers that were spread all around her and Ed.

Ed looked down at the flowers and began to scramble to get them back together. As he was gathering the last few flowers off the concrete ground, his brother and the major were approaching.

"So sorry…" Al had apologized to the flower girl.

"That's okay, I'm alright," The flower girl smiled

Ed had the flowers gathered in his hands and held them out to the flower girl.

"Here you go," He smiled, "I really am sorry…"

He was about to finish but he was rendered speechless when he looked into the face of the flower girl that was only a foot away from him. She wore a simple dress an orange kerchief over her head, the wicker basket that once held the flowers, but her face. It was so young, with red hair that was long as it came out from under the orange kerchief, a pair of brown eyes that held all the innocence of the world in one simple solitary gaze.

"Oh, thank you," she said to Ed.

While Edward's gaze turned down to the concrete once again, the memories of Heissgart flooding back over him. He just wanted nothing more than to weep, no matter what anyone else thought, the pain was so much that it seems impossible that any human should bear such sorrows. Yet, at the same time, the flower girl was so much like her…like Armony…with that Ed wanted to throw his arms around the flower girl and weep onto her shoulder wishing against all wishes that Armony had come back. Still, he sat there on the platform, his body trembling from wave after wave of memory of the girl that was his apprentice.

"Um…" The flower girl uttered, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Me?" Ed sat up and smiled, "Never been better! Let's get going, Al!"

With that, Edward Elric sped off down the platform to the front entrance.

"Wait Ed!" Al called before he turned to the flower girl and said, "Bye…"

Al took off after his brother with Major Armstrong following behind. Al had caught up with his brother and knew something wasn't right, because Al noticed too that the flower girl looked like Armony and he had to be sure of his brother.

"Is something the matter, Ed?" Al has asked.

"No, nothing," Ed told his brother trying to sound convincing that nothing was wrong, but there was. In the end, Ed had to do what he always said: move forward. He reached the entrance of Central's train station and called out, "Central, here we come!"

"Um…Ed," Alphonse said to his brother, "You do realize we need to report to Colonel Mustang with our report on what happened."

"He's right, Edward," Major Armstrong added, "you need to fill him in on what happened prior to our arrival in Heissgart."

Ed's shoulders slumped, "Thanks for being kill joys."

"You know the drill, Ed," Al had told him like a parent saying I told you so.

"Yeah, I know, Al," Ed sighed, "Well, let's go get this over with."

Ed, Al, and Major Armstrong headed to Central Headquarters, but Ed had his shoulders slumping knowing full well that Colonel Roy Mustang was going to start his own sarcastic banter on Ed about the events in Heissgart, as if he wasn't miserable enough already.

The walk from Central's train station to Roy Mustang's office in Central Headquarters was a long one, both in distance as well as in mental preparation. To Edward, he really understood what it must be like for a kid to be sent to the principal's office. By the time that he had arrived at the door to Mustang's office, Major Armstrong had already left to make his report as well. The only person at his side at that door was Alphonse, but he knew the drill. While Ed was talking with Colonel Mustang, he was to just wait outside until he came back.

Edward reached out his gloved auto-mail hand and tapped the office door.

"Come in," Roy Mustang's voice called out.

Ed reached down and opened the door and walked up to Colonel Mustang's desk with his shoulders slumped and his head held low. He knew the office too well to look up and avoid hitting the other desks in the room. His head was still held low when his vision saw Roy Mustang move in his chair.

"You're looking morose, Fullmetal," Colonel Mustang observed.

"I know what you're going to tell me about my actions in Heissgart so let's get it over with," Ed stated like a condemned man cursing his executioner.

"There's no need to be spiteful, Fullmetal," Colonel Mustang stated sounding as arrogant as ever, "besides, I'm glad you came to me first. It saved me the trouble of calling you."

Edward looked up from his condemned state and looked to the Colonel rather suspiciously, "Why's that?" He asked.

"I have a solid lead for you about the Philosopher's Stone."

"You do?" Ed asked, with all the worries fading away like clouds passing by to let the sunshine through.

"Right here," Mustang held up a thick folder, "You see in a far away country called England, there's a man named Nicholas Flamel, who is known there for being the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone. He's been using it to create an elixir that makes him immortal."
"The stone can do that?" Ed asked feeling very confused, "None of the books I read mentioned that."

"That's what our intelligence states, Fullmetal. IT also states that this year he turned six-hundred and sixty-nine and his wife Pernelle turned six-hundred and sixty-two."

"That's impossible…" Edward wheezed.

"It is true according to our man there," Colonel Mustang continued, "he also reported that Flamel had sent the stone to a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry called Hogwarts."

"A school?" Ed sneered, "It must have been discovered them."

"Not exactly," Mustang corrected, "The stone was destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Ed asked as his heart sank and his shoulders slumped again, "So much for the solid lead."

"Now, now, Fullmetal, I'm not that cruel," Colonel Mustang stated as he continued, "What is suspicious is that after the stone was destroyed, Flamel said that he had enough elixir to get his affairs in order before he died. That was nearly four years ago, so I think you get what I mean."

"That he's created another stone?" Ed had asked

"That's our conclusion," Mustang nodded, "Our intelligence also found that Flamel had a journal that contained the formula for the Philosopher's Stone and since he hid the stone at this Hogwarts school he also hid the book there."

"Pretty sloppy methods," Ed smirked.

"I'm not so sure," Mustang shrugged, "otherwise the book would have been found by now, which is why I'm giving this case to you. Your mission is to go to England find the book and find out what Flamel is really up to."

"I'll leave right away, sir!" Ed smiled.

"Not so fast," Colonel Mustang halted the boy, "You'll need to take extra care with this one. Since Flamel hid the book at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry you're going to be going in undercover as a student. We've notified the school that you're an exchange student from our Alchemy Academy."

"Alchemy Academy?" Ed giggled, "We have no such thing here."

They don't know that," Colonel Mustang smirked, "All the information you need about the Wizarding World is in this folder, you'll be leaving on a train heading for a port in about one hour and the best will leave at five o'clock today. You'll also need to take out five gold bars from the Alchemy reserve and use it for a currency exchange."

"Anything else, sir?" Ed asked

"Yes, you'll need to leave Alphonse Elric behind," Colonel Mustang added.

"What!" Ed shouted, "Why?"

"This is strictly an undercover search and recovery operation, Fullmetal Alchemist. You'll need to keep a low profile," Colonel Mustang explained, "If you walk around the school with your brothers soul in a suit of armor, they'll start asking questions that may blow your cover. However, there will be an agent of ours who will be there to keep an eye on you to make sure you stay out of big trouble."

"Don't trust me do you?" Ed asked sarcastically.

"No, it's not so much that as that it's more of a question of having someone fill in for Al since he's kept you out of a lot of trouble in the past."

"I see,"

"Everything else that you need to know is in this file," Colonel Mustang finished as he handed the file over to Edward Elric, he then pulled out his watch, "You'll have time to say good-bye to your brother at the station. Send weekly reports about the investigation, and good luck, Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Are you sure that you're alright with this, Al?" Ed had asked of his little brother, as the two of them sat on a bench together waiting for the train.

"You know that I'm not alright with it, Ed," Alphonse had told Ed, "But this is the first real lead that we've had on the Philosopher's Stone and if it means you going alone this once then I have to be willing to go along with that. Just promise me one thing, brother."

"What's that, Al?" Ed asked fearful of what his brother may ask of him.

"Don't die while you're in England," Al had asked

"Heh," Ed smiled, "Don't worry, Al. It's a school, what could possibly happen in a school?"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Al added, "I had heard stories of this Hogwarts place, they say that the unexpected can happen anywhere at anytime."

"It's a school of magic, Al." Ed continued to smile, "We both know there's no such thing as magic, it's probably just kids stuff there. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"If you say so brother," Al shrugged, "But just be careful around that place."

The trains whistle started to blow as it came into the station ready to take on passengers for its departure to the next town. Ed looked to the train and then to his brother knowing that it'd be the last time that he'd see him. What truly tore his heart out about it was that he didn't know how long he would be gone in the first place. He looked back up at his brother remembering what he told him.

"I'll be careful, Al," Ed had reassured him, "I'll be sure to send letters as often as possible."

"Good luck in finding the stone, Ed." Al told his brother.

"Thanks, Al." Ed smiled as he got up off the bench, lifted the suitcase with the gold bars in it, and boarded the train. The moment he got on he went to find a seat where he could see his brother one last time. His luck had come through for him; he had found a vacant seat near the window that faced the bench. He sat down with this suitcase between his legs as he watched his brother waving good-bye to him from that bench where they said their last good-bye. As his brother waved Edward Elric raised his won hand to the window while he felt the jerk of the train all around him as it pulled out of the station.

As the train left the station, Al still stood nearby the bench watching the train grow smaller in the distance. However, he was not alone as the train departed, approaching from behind and out from behind a corner was Colonel Roy Mustang, who accompanied by Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Major Alex Louis Armstrong.

"You already miss him, don't you, Alphonse?" Lieutenant Hawkeye asked.

"Of course, I do," Al answered, "But I couldn't ask him to turn down this lead."

"I wouldn't worry about him," Colonel Mustang stated arrogantly.

"Why do you say that, sir?" Major Armstrong asked.

"I say that because a very good state alchemist is going to keep a close eye on him at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Do you mean?" Lieutenant Hawkeye asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Oh yes," Colonel Mustang smiled with his own blend of arrogant confidence, "I do mean him."

"Who sir?" Al asked curious of who they were talking about.

"Come with us and we'll tell you." Colonel Mustang invited the younger Elric brother.

Meanwhile, on the train that was heading for the port, Edward Elric was already pouring through the pages and pages of reports about the world of Wizards in England. His head was swirling in the information that he had to take in about it. All of it seemed utterly impossible that such things existed, but the information was there in black and white, clear as crystal that these things, people, and places did exist and at the same time were so well hidden that nobody had discovered it. Even the reports about the school seemed unbelievable at the very least, but first was the Philosopher's Stone, that one seemed to take greater priority because Ed was more concerned about that then any of the other nonsensical events. Dealing with the other elements in the wizard world will just be a matter of jumping through hoops, similar to how Ed became a state alchemist in order to accomplish his search for the Philosopher's stone.

He had to admit that he was excited because the answer about the stone would soon be drawing close.

"It'll be three days until I get to England," Ed thought to himself, "Today is August 23rd, I'll arrive there on August 26th, and the train for the school leaves September 1st. That'll give me five days to get the supplies for this school."

He looked down at his gloved right hand remembering all too well the story behind that auto-mail arm and his left leg as well. Thinking about it, he wondered about if he would have to explain it to those wizard people.

"I'll deal with it when I get there," He thought as he looked out the window to the passing scenery and the approaching ocean and dock.

To be continued…