Disclaimer: If it's copyrighted, I don't own it.
This chappy's kinda short, but it lets you know what's going on. And for further reference, Eddy Teddy will only be reffered to every so often, kinda like the subconscious hitting the conscous with a two-by-four in an attempt to make it see reason.
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The Life of a Homunculus is like a series of journals: Each time the Homunculus is 'reborn', a new book is opened and the Homunculi's core personality is overlaid by the 'impressions' of the human they imitate until they are sent back to the Gate, at which point, the journal is finished, is placed on the shelf for later reference and the Homunculus goes back to it's core personality until it is again summoned. The previous book, or books, can be referred to for experience purposes, but have no real impact on the current 'life' of the Homunculus in question.
An interesting little fact about the 'rebirth' of a Homunculus produced by the Gate is that for every 'life' it 'lives', it acquires another 'ability'. This, understandably, makes the older ones a lot more dangerous. It is fortunate that, while the Homunculus may gain another ability, they don't always manifest for the simple fact that the Homunculus was unaware of this new ability.
Alchemists should also be warned that, when summoning a Homunculus for whatever reason, they won't necessarily like you, as in the case of Harry Dogood who tried to resurrect his brother and ended up getting eaten by the Homunculus later called 'Gluttony'. What many aspiring Alchemists don't know is that any deal struck between a summoner and Homunculus at the time of summoning, before the Gate, is irrevocably binding for both the Homunculus and the summoner.
Exempt from 'Rules and Regulations for Alchemy'
By Penelope Flamel
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Nine Years, Nine months Later…
A small, attractive boy of 'exactly' eleven years sat on the branch of a big dead tree in the backyard of the newest foster home, his long soft black hair hanging in thick cloudy locks around his shoulders and across the left side of his face, allowing only one bright green eye to be seen by the rest of the world.
"Tynan!"
Hair swished slightly as Envy turned at his human name to watch his 'brother' run across the backyard, almost a mirror image of his 'twin'. The Sin sometimes pondered about the uncanny resemblance the two boy's bodies had to that of Wrath Curtis, which he usually passed off as coincidence.
Envy raised his visible eyebrow at the renamed Sean. The other boy grinned, his visible left eye gleaming with delight.
"What can I do you my darling little brother today?"
"WE GOT MAIL!" The boy bounced and crowed with glee.
Envy smiled tolerantly, already knowing what the letters were. He just hoped they weren't addressed to Ivan and Harridan Potter as opposed to their current names; Tynan and Sean Smith.
The boy called Tynan leapt daintily from the tree and went into the house in his signature gliding lope/walk, his brother chattering incessantly as he followed at a less than decorous trot.
The older boy gave the rotund old woman making cookies on the old wooden table a smile. "Sean tells me we have mail."
Mrs Martha O'Connor returned the smile, her weathered old face crinkling like a dried apple. Martha had had the boys for three years, a record since Envy hadn't liked anyone before her, and she loved the two like the grandchildren she never had. Martha nodded to a pile of letters on the other end of the table.
Envy gave wide eyes and a sweat drop. He'd only been expecting letters from Hogwarts.
It was with narrowed eyes that the Sin stalked towards the pile. A quick glance showed almost all of them being addressed to Tynan Smith and Sean Smith, though there was the odd one or two addressed to Ivan and Harridan Potter, but what really ticked Envy off was that the Hogwarts letters were addressed to Vy and Harry Potter. Envy carefully collected these letters, opened the log fire, threw in the letters and closed the door. After all, we don't want the fire to be uncontrolled, now do we, kiddies?
Taking the remaining letters, the boy moved to a chair so he could sort the letters into piles as per recipient, unmindful of Mrs O'Connor and Sean watching the overly protective half of the twins going about his business with amusement at his predictable-ness.
When he was done, Envy motioned for Sean to start on his pile.
Envy read his way through all the letters with a single-minded determination, sorting them into three piles; Maybe, Up For Review, No Way In Hell.
Once done, Envy looked over to see what his 'brother' was doing and tried to stop himself from banging his head on the table.
Sean was bouncing in his seat and chattering to Martha about how good the cookies were, letters untouched.
Envy sighed and gave the 'Maybe' and 'Up For Review' letters to Martha before taking a choc-chip biscuits.
"Mmmm. These are good."
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Envy was a little pissed that, despite his best efforts, the pair were still off to Hogwarts. He had no idea how Hogwarts had found their rechristened names and sent it just the next day. Martha wanted her boys to attend a magic school in England, despite Envy's protests that he didn't want to attend a school who's name called up, quote, 'images of large, unsavoury growths on a filthy, obese creatures of the grunting variety', unquote.
Presently, the much older of the twins was coiled in the back of a pet shop called 'Magical Menagerie' as he watched his brother coo over the ugly little balls of fluff in a cage to the front of the store with Martha and the big, gruff man who introduced himself as Hagrid when he came to take them shopping for their school things. Envy had a low opinion of the man since he'd been there when Dumbledore left them on the Dursley's doorstep.
The four had spent a very short time in Gringotts where the goblins had been desperate to get rid of them, or rather, Envy. Goblins have a very good sense of smell and Homunculi smell like ozone and copper. Most predators find the smell intimidating.
There was a low hiss to the homunculus's left. He turned and sneered at the terrier sized kitten in the cage to his left. He carelessly opened the door of the tank and took out the little beast to get a good look at it.
As said before, the kitten was the size of a terrier only a bit heavier around the shoulders and with a broader head. The truly odd thing about this cat that drew the Sin's attention were the heavy, honey-coloured, dragon-like scales covering the beast's body in very versatile armour. The long tail was clubbed and curled up between its legs, against its belly, as it made itself as submissive as possible. Reflective eyes with what appeared to be gold-coloured cataracts, the slit pupil barely visible behind the sheen, flickered down submissively. The claws appeared to be some form of bodily generated metal and the teeth were sharp and rowed like a python's. It appeared the beast was a boy. The label on the tank stated; 'Juvenile Nundu-Norwegian Ridgeback Hybrid.'
Envy stalked back to his guardian and brother, cat in arms.
"I want this one." Sean, Martha and Hagrid turned to see what the grumpy one wanted. Hagrid cooed, Sean squealed in delight and Martha reached out to pet the little dear.
"I want one! I want one!" Sean chanted. "Where are they?"
Envy nodded his head back into the darker part of the store. "She was the only one in the tank. There might be more, but I wouldn't hold my breath." Envy might as well have saved his breath since Sean was long gone before he finished.
Ten minutes later, both boys exited the shop with a kitten each and Hagrid carrying all the necessary products for the cats.
Sean's cat was a nearly black girl he called Fluffy. Envy gave him a funny look.
"So what are you gonna call yours?"
Envy held up the kitten. He kinda reminded him off Edward Elric. "Edo."
Martha left the boys to get their robes fitted while she and Hagrid went to get the rest of the necessary equipment. There was a blond snot being fitted.
"Hogwarts, I suppose?"
"Yeah." Was Envy's disinterested reply as he watched Sean get fitted.
"What house do you suppose you'll be put in? I'm going to be in Slytherin."
"I'm not nice enough to be put in anything but Slytherin, so I'll probably end up rigging the sorting to put me with my brother."
The blonde's lip curled as he looked at Sean, who was giggling and chatting to the lady adjusting his robe.
"Why would you want to hang around with someone like him? I bet he's a wimp."
Envy gave him his rabid 'Shut-Up-Now-Or-I'll-Break-Both-Your-Legs' Glare™. "He's my twin, and I'm willing to bet he's a better person then you'll ever be."
"That's you done, dear."
The blonde gave Envy a nasty look as he swept from the fitting room.
Envy smiled smugly, warm and fuzzy from knowing that he'd just ruined someone's day.
Sean squealed and Envy looked towards the window, noticing Hagrid and Martha holding a cage holding a snowy owl.
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