The next week was very tense. Even keeping it a secret, word still got out about something in the Forest. Students went everywhere in groups of twos and threes, wands drawn. But nonetheless classes continued. Hagrid managed to pull himself together long enough to teach three more classes, and finally was ordered to take a vacation when he broke down in front of a herd of third-years.

It was to this tense air that the train pulled in at Hogsmeade. From this train dismounted several people. They made their way to the castle, and were sitting around Ed's office when he walked in. "Hello, Ed. How's it feel to teach kids who are both younger, and taller, than you?"

Ed's response was instinctive. He walked over after the fact to help his commanding officer up and check to see if the Beam bottle was okay. He shook hands an exchanged pleasantries. "I suppose I should give you the rundown so far. I know the Homunculi are here. The day your letter arrived Gluttony attacked the gamekeeper and ate his dog. Now, listen. The Halloween holiday is coming up, so I'll introduce you there. Where is Izumi?"

"She's gone undercover in town. She's working as the night bartender at the Three Broomsticks."

"Alright then. You guys can stay in my chambers, and if you need anything yell for Dobby."

The weeks flashed by in a blur, with many bumps and bruises. Ed was a harsh taskmaster, but fair. The students learned much. When Halloween rolled around, the air was quite subdued. More strange things had been occurring. Puddles laying in the sun when it hasn't rained in many days, fleeting glimpses of a beautiful red-eyed woman in black darting through the forest. All were abuzz about this, but wary, after Hagrid's attack. Dumbledore walked to the podium and called for silence. "We have among us several new arrivals. As he knows them best, I will let Professor Elric perform the introductions."

"Thank you, Professor. Due to the fact that I can't keep up with all of you, and can't give you the attention needed, I called a few of my friends from back east to come and act as my teaching assistants. Allow me to introduce Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist!"

Roy stepped forward. He caught sight of a Slytherin struggling with a lighter. His fingers snapped, and a gout of flame burnt the Camel down to the filter. "No smoking. I'll allow my soldiers to do it, but not my students. Just hand up the pack and the lighter while you're at it."

Ed grinned. "It was from Roy that I learned how to do what I did during the duel with Malfoy. They were his gloves, too. But on to business. Next is Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strongarm Alchemist!"

Armstron stepped forward, flexed so hard his shirt disintegrated, and turned the sparkles on high-beam. "It would give me great pleasure to instruct you all! Teaching is a tradition handed down the Armstrong line for generations!"

"Okay..." Ed said. "Moving on, Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye!" She stepped forward, threw a coin into the air, and drilled it with her pistol. "Not an alchemist, but a bastion of information on alchemy; she's hung out with the colonel for her entire career. Plus she's a very good shot."

"Hey, Ed, don't forget about me," whined the girl in the back.

"And finally, a dear friend of mine, Winry Rockbell, of Rizembul. Also not an alchemist, but a great mechanic and she's hung out with me and Al since we were all young."

"Thank you, Ed."

"When classes resume, I'll split you up into four groups, not by Houses, and you'll be assigned to an assistant. From now on classes are outside on the Grounds, and you will be working to create your own style of alchemy. Find something that plays to your strengths, and learn it well. Because there will be tests, not to mention the Exams. The Final Exams for my class will be set up to parallel the State Alchemist Certification Exams. Study hard, and listen to these guys. They're the best at what they do." Ed stepped down.

Hermione was in shock, then the boys noticed a change on her face. It looked like anticipation. "What's going on, Hermione? You look like Harry before a match," asked Ron.

"Just thinking of the challenge that those Exams in Alchemy will be. I predict a seventy-percent failure rate."

"Seventy percent! No test is that hard!" yelled Lee Jordan.

"The State Alchemist Certification Exams are! There are three parts, a two-thousand question written test, an oral exam, the topic of which is completely unpredictable, and then there's the Practicals, where alchemists either perform on the spot or bring in the results of some of their research! And this will be a softened version! The last time the actual exams were held, only one person passed!"

The entire Gryffindor table went silent.

Meanwhile, at the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy was hatching a plan. He was tired of being left-handed, and even though he'd used a Mirror charm to get his right hand to move, it was still a dead weight, with no feeling. He excused himself from the table.

It was twenty minutes later when he caught up with the Rockbell girl in the hallway. She was on the third floor staring at a painting. "Hello, Miss Rockbell."

She caught sight of him. "Winry, please. And who are you?"

"Draco Malfoy, of Slytherin House. Are you not the Winry Rockbell, of the Rizembul Rockbells, the greatest makers of prosthetic limbs in the East?"

"I am. Why?"

"Earlier in the year I sustained an injury in an accident that left my right hand useless. The nerves were severed at the wrist, and there's no way to fix them."

"So you want automail?"

"Just the hand and wrist. My family is quite wealthy, and will surely pay well."

"You realize that to do this I'll have to amputate part of your arm, and that the surgery to attach the limb will be excrutiating. I can't use any anesthetic or else the nerves won't connect properly."

"I do."

"Meet me in the Infirmary in two days."

The next day, Ed lived up to his promise to split the class up. Harry and Ron were assigned to Colonel Mustang, while Hermione was put in the care of Lieutenant Hawkeye. Most of the Slytherins, Malfoy included, got assigned to Major Armstrong. "Alright, kids," said Mustang,"We're going to go outside now, and when we get out there, I want a demonstration of what you can do. So you'll pair up, and duel each other. First to three knockdowns wins." They stepped out onto the grounds, and found a good place near the lake. "First match! Harry Potter versus Fred Weasley! Begin!"

The fight was tough. Harry had been studying different styles of fighting in his spare time, but he was completely unprepared for Fred to lay a circle on the ground, and transmute a sword from the rock. Fred lunged, and Harry parried it with one of his throwing knives. He grabbed Fred's arm, wheeled, and executed a perfect hip throw. Fred went sailing into the lake. Harry pulled out a pair of gloves that Hermione had helped him make. Inked on them was a circle. Harry snapped his fingers as fred stumbled out of the lake. A bolt of lightning arced out and licked over Fred's body. Fred went stiff, then collapsed in a boneless heap.

"The current shouldn't be enough to kill him, but I've never tried using the gloves on a person soaked in water before."

"It was an inventive move, Potter. Bravo. Ten points." Fred was beginning to wake up.

"Wha happened?" He slurred.

"Potter ended your match. Lightning bolt. So tell me, how's it feel to be a French-Fried Crispy Critter?"

"I thought for a second that I was dead."

"So did we. Next match is..." And so it went.

Next time: Malfoy's hand, and a situation under a lot of pressure...