A large circle appeared on the front yard of the Burrow. Kakashi, Gai, Hughes, Team 7, Team Gai, Ed, Al, Arthur, Molly, Fred, George, Alastar Moody, McGonogall, Tonks and a trio of other Aurors watched the sky. 5 wizards, 7 military workers, 16 ninjas, 2 common citizens, 2 dogs, 4 Death Eaters and a corpse (I hope I didn't forget anyone) came tumbling down from the sky. Most of the people managed to land on their feet, but many of them crashed painfully into the ground.
"We really should work on our landing," Ron Weasley muttered, rubbing his head. The others painfully got up as well.
"Ronnikins! You're alive! Are you okay? I've been worried half to death! You didn't even leave a note!" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both ran over to Ron and engulfed him in huge hugs. Mrs. Weasley was sobbing as if Ron really were dead.
"Mum, dad, gerroff! I'm fine!" Ron wiggled out of their grasp. "Seriously! Parents can be such a pain!" Immediately, Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara, Temari, Kankurou, Ed, Al and Winry gave him looks so icy Ron felt his spine freeze. He grudgingly let Molly fuss over his hair.
"Winry! What are you doing here?" Ed asked in surprise. Winry suddenly burst into tears, and ran into his arms. Ed looked at Al hopelessly.
"Ed! It's horrible! I came to Central to tell you and Al, but you weren't there! And then that awful man who was pretending to be Roy Mustang tied me up and wouldn't let me leave!" Winry sobbed.
"We're here now. What did you want to tell us?" asked Al.
"They killed Grandma Pinako!" Winry wept.
"What!" Ed roared, "Who did? I'll rip their head off!"
"These people, in black cloaks… they came to our town… destroyed everything… they said they thought they smelt an aura of magic, but all they could see was us useless 'muggles', whatever that is… they killed most of the town, I was one of the few lucky ones that escaped…" Winry broke into fresh tears. "They called themselves the Death Eaters."
"The Death Eaters…" Ed glanced over at Harry. "Before, I only came here for the Philosopher's Stone. But now I have a personal grudge against Voldemort's little soldiers. I'm going to rip them all to pieces!"
"I'm afraid we can't let you rip those ones to pieces," Moody, Tonks and the other three Aurors each grabbed a Death Eater by the scruff of their neck. Tonks, who ended up with Snape, looked at the Golden Trio questionably.
"Long story," Harry shrugged sheepishly. "We'll fill you in later."
"Right. Off to Azkaban we go. I'll see you later." Tonks saluted them, and the military saluted her back. The Aurors Disapparated with their prisoners. Mrs. Weasley suddenly caught sight of Luna, and the glow she had from Ron's return faded.
"Oh, Luna dear, could you come here, please?" she released her son. Luna trotted over, Gaara adorably following her. Mrs. Weasley pulled a newspaper clipping from three days ago out of her pocket. She put a motherly arm around Luna, and spoke very gently as she handed her the article. "Now Luna, I want you to know that our door is always open to you. You're welcome to stay with us as long as you want."
Luna took the article curiously and looked at it. A look of shock and horror came over her face. The article was relatively short, with a picture of a blonde man included. He repeatedly smiled and waved at the camera. Luna read it out loud;
"August 13- Forty-three-year-old Lionel Lovegood, editor of The Quibbler, found dead at his home. Officials suspect Death Eater involvement, making this case the third death this week. Muggle neighbours found the body of the victim in the entrance hall. They said that they heard a loud noise like a gun-blast comes from the house, and went over to investigate. It is confirmed that Lovegood seemed to have had his brains blown out from the inside. Investigators say some form of strange magic was use. One neighbour recounts seeing a suspicious man with white hair, sunglasses and a large scar on his forehead loitering around the neighbourhood earlier. Victim's wife, Lorelei Lovegood, passed away seven years ago. Daughter Luna has not been contacted yet. Ministry of Magic recommends for all to stay calm, and cast anti-intruder spells on their homes. A pamphlet on protection against Dark Magic can be found on Page 3."
Silence passed. No one was quite sure what to say. Gaara put a hand on Luna's shoulder comfortingly. A tear slipped down Luna's cheek.
"I need to be alone," Luna announced, running towards the house. Gaara followed her. Roy, Riza, Hughes and their subordinates were now quietly discussing the subject among themselves.
"It's definitely him," Hughes muttered.
"But how could he have gotten here?" asked Riza.
"I don't know, but now we have more reason than ever to stay," decided Roy. "This is a golden opportunity for a promotion!" His friends sweatdropped. Moody and Tonks returned to the yard with a crack!
"Is everything alright?" asked McGonogall.
"Yeah," growled Moody. His fake eye swirled around. "Who are all of these people? I want a proper introduction before I can be expected to trust them."
"I would like to have a talk with all of the adults," announced Roy.
"Yes. Fred, George, why don't you take all the children inside and fix them a snack?" suggested Mrs. Weasley.
"We're adults, too!" Fred and George yelled indignantly. But they obediently shepherded Teams 7, 8, 10, Gai, Sand, Draco, Winry and Rose towards the door. Ed and Al stubbornly lingered. Harry, Ron and Hermione made to follow them, but McGonogall motioned for them to stay. Those who remained formed a circle.
"I am Ibiki Morino of Konoha. The Hokage sent me to help, as he thinks my interrogation skills may be useful," the scar-faced man announced. Kakashi, Gai and Asuma gave each other dark looks at the mention of his interrogation skills. Everyone else introduced themselves, and their situations were explained to Moody. Finally, he was able to grudgingly acknowledge them as allies.
"What happened to Lionel Lovegood has been happening in Central lately, as well," Hughes explained. "We don't know the culprit's true name, but he is called 'Scar', after the large scar on his forehead. The 'magic' he used to, er… blow Lovegood's brains out is called alchemy. Many State Alchemists have been murdered in the same way."
"Could he be working with Orochimaru and Voldemort?" asked Hayate (the human).
"Maybe. Whether he is or not, he seems to be an enemy. Constant vigilance!" Moody commanded.
"Speaking of that, I have some good news." McGonogall announced, "The Ministry of Magic has agreed to let all of you, and any other future allies from your worlds, stay and guard Hogwarts. You and your subordinates don't have any problems with that, right?" she looked around at the group. They all shook their heads.
"Good. Also, I just sent letters for the upcoming semester this morning, which included my plans for the new security. It seems the people have decided that Hogwarts is a safer place for their children, and half of the families wrote back saying their children will return!" McGonogall seemed pleased. "Hogwarts still stands after all. Oh, by the way, the new Transfiguration and Head of Gryffendor will be Nymphadora Tonks," Tonks blushed while everyone congratulated her.
"However, I have not found a suitable Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher yet," McGonogall started.
"We can help you with that," a sultry voice announced. Everyone swerved to its direction. Five people were standing there, looking extremely pleased with themselves. Harry and Ron had met two of them before; they were the woman and man that had killed and devoured Snape. Hayate recognized the green-haired youth who didn't look particularly thrilled to be there. The other two were a brown-haired woman who looked eerily like Ed and Al's mother, and a pale, dark-haired child whose right arm and left leg was a different colour than the rest of his body.
"It's Snape's murderers!" gasped Ron.
The military workers cocked their guns, the wizards pointed their wands at them, and the shinobi got into fighting stances.
"Calm down," the woman known as Lust laughed. Gai fired a shuriken at them, but Gluttony easily caught it in his mouth. He crunched it up and swallowed it. "We come in peace. Listen to what we have to say."
"What are you? What do you want?" demanded Anko.
"We are known as the Homunculi," said Lust. "Our names are Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Sloth and Wrath. There are two more of us, Greed and Pride, but they did not want to come."
"Homunculi… creatures created from failed human transmutations," Ed and Al looked at each other in horror, suddenly realizing why Sloth looked so much like their mother.
"Correct," nodded Lust. "Up until recently, we were allied with the evil forces of your worlds, the Death Eaters and the Sound ninjas."
"So why the sudden change of heart?" asked Kakashi.
"Because we realized that we could gain so much more if we allied with you," replied Lust.
"Because that disgusting snake-man Voldemort wanted to put a piece of his soul into my body!" shouted Envy, "And the other one, Orochimaru, wanted to take over my body completely! Hey, just because I'm an adorable, indestructible, shape shifting-"
"Androgynous, cross-dressing palm tree," Ron hissed to Harry.
"You're not so hot yourself, Ronnikins!" Envy pointed a finger at Ron, who trained his wand on the boy.
"We don't need to resort to violence," Lust and Hermione restrained them.
"So why should we help you?" demanded Ed.
"Because we can help you, too." Sloth answered. The resemblance of her voice to his mother's made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
"I know you're looking for the Philosopher's Stone too, Elric," Lust added. "All you have to do is promise us a share of it when you find it."
"And what will you do for us?" asked McGonogall.
"You mentioned you needed a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" asked Lust. "Well, you have five options. Take your pick. Also, Sloth and Wrath has been investigating lately. We know many of your Order of Phoenix secrets, like where you're meeting."
The wizards gasped.
"Yes, we know that. The Grimmauld place, right? Your little secret-keeping charm doesn't work on the homunculi once the secret-keeper is dead. Lucky for you, we haven't told anyone yet. We also know many of our enemies' secrets. For example, we know where the Horcruxes are." Lust smirked at the group. That only provoked a reaction from Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"What's a Horcrux?" asked Arthur.
"So that's why he was able to come back!" McGonogall exclaimed.
"What? You haven't told them yet, Harry?" Lust seemed surprised. Harry sheepishly explained. The group talked quietly among themselves. Everyone except for Moody came upon the same conclusion. Finally, McGonogall, Ibiki and Roy stepped forward, each shaking hands with Lust as a sign of their new alliance.
"As of now, we are on the same side. You will help us defeat our enemies, and we will help you gain the Philosopher's Stone," announced McGonogall, "But until we are sure that we can trust you as much as Harry Potter himself, you will be kept under surveillance."
"To seal our pact, you must first find and destroy a Horcrux," added Ibiki.
"We thought you would ask for this. Sloth, give it here." Sloth tossed a locket to Lust. Lust dangled it in front of her. Harry came over for a closer look. No doubt about it. It was the same locket he saw in the pensieve.
"Did we get it right?" asked Lust. Harry nodded. "Good. Observe." Lust tossed the locket in Gluttony's direction. Gluttony caught it, and put it in his mouth. He bit down, breaking it in half. Gluttony opened his mouth, letting it fall to the ground. The locket glowed momentarily, and everyone felt the presence an evil aura. However, it soon dissolved. Ugly boils popped up on Gluttony's jaw, but they healed within seconds.
"Satisfied?" asked Lust. "Three down, four to go. Let the fact that we're willing to go through all this trouble be a sign of how important the Stone is to us."
"I think they're going to be very useful to us, Jiraiya-dono," Kakashi whispered to the old man.
"Yes, I'll enjoy having them as allies," Jiraiya grinned, darting glances at Lust while scribbled madly into his notebook.
"Dumbledore and I agreed that the other horcruxes are Voldemort's snake, Hufflepuff's cup, something of Gryffendor or Ravenclaw's, and the last piece is still in his body," said Harry.
The Order of Phoenix was now having a meeting. All of the Weasleys except for Percy and Charlie were present, along with Lupin, Moody, McGonagall and Shacklebolt. Their new allies from Konoha and Amsteris were also there, listening carefully and occasionally offering suggestions. They were all sitting around the dining room table in the Grimmauld place, having just finished dinner. Tonks was not present because she, the last sane relative of Draco Malfoy, had grudgingly obliged to let him stay at her home.
"The first and the last are right," Lust replied. "But the middle aren't. One of the horcruxes is a homunculi called Pride, and the other one is Orochimaru. That's how Voldemort sealed his deal."
"I heard him and that Kabuto kid talking, though," said Envy. "It sounded like Orochimaru passed his portion of a soul to some kid, packaged in a curse mark."
Sakura, Anko, human Hayate and Ibiki immediately turned to look at Sasuke. Lust followed their gaze.
"Did you know that a container of a horcrux always reacts to another one?" she asked.
"Really?" Harry pulled out the locket, which now had a large crack down the middle. He held it by the chain. It started to glow, and swung around crazily. It flew out of his hand, soared all the way to the other end of the table, and stuck itself to Sasuke's neck.
"What the-?" Sasuke attempted to pull it off, but it stayed on. Naruto laughed at him.
"There you go," shrugged Lust. Harry walked over to Sasuke, and felt the evil aura grow stronger. He saw the tomoe on his neck, to which the locket had fixed itself. With a terrible feeling in his stomach, Harry suddenly realized what he'd have to do to destroy the horcrux.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry muttered with his hand covering his mouth.
"What's wrong?" asked Sakura.
Hermione caught on as well. "The container for the horcrux has to be destroyed, too. And Sasuke's the container."
"What!" Sakura and Ino squealed. They both grabbed Sasuke's arm from either side.
"Maybe not," Shikamaru stated, lazily picking his teeth. "The locket's fixed onto the mark. Maybe it's only the mark that has to be destroyed."
"Yeah," agreed Harry feeling slightly better. "So how do we do this?"
"No," Sasuke clapped his hand over the mark. "I want to keep the mark."
"Why?" demanded Kakashi.
"It made me feel so strong… so powerfully…"
"Of course it does!" snapped Moody, pulling out his wand. "You've got a piece of the soul of the most powerful dark wizard in existence! Now move your hand, or I'll curse it off, too!"
"That won't work," Lust told him. "After the first two were destroyed, Voldemort put more attention into the rest of them. But you really should move your hand, little boy. Gluttony?"
Gluttony bounded down the length of the table, drooling eagerly. Sasuke moved his hand just in time as Gluttony chomped down on the mark. He tore a good chunk of skin off, making Sasuke scream in agony. Gluttony crunched up the skin and swallowed it, locket and all. Sakura, Ino and Hinata all turned away, their faces paling. Everyone else looked on in anticipation. There was a moment where all could feel the intense aura of evil, but it evaporated. Repulsive boils appeared and disappeared on Gluttony's jaw as fast as last time. Sasuke's neck was red, raw and bleeding. But the mark did not return.
"Now do you trust us?" Lust asked.
"We acknowledge your usefulness," Harry assured her. "Four down, three to go."
"I think we should call it a night," Mrs. Weasley announced. "Come on, everyone. Let's go upstairs." All the children stood up.
"I'm keeping an eye on these failed scientific experiments," Moody growled, his fake eye swirling around. "Good-night, Molly. We'll be right here if you need us."
"Good-night," chorused everyone, following Mrs. Weasley out into the hall.
"We want to be especially quiet…" Molly started, but she was too late. Naruto yanked on Sakura's hair, making her squeal angrily in pain.
"Mudbloods! Muggles! Befouling the house of my fathers!" an ugly portrait of an old woman screeched. Everyone stared open-mouthed at her. Molly, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny covered their ears.
"You!" the old woman screamed at Ed, who was standing in front of her, "What are you staring at, you scrimpy little gnome? If I were still alive, I would squish your tiny, squat body to death with my pinkie!"
"Don't call me short!" Ed yelled, making his automail pointy and bashing it through the portrait. In his rage, he broke it into a thousand little pieces, shattering the spell that kept it on the wall. All of its pieces fell to the floor, and it sort of gave a cough. Then it spoke no more. Ed glared at everyone else, daring them to insult him. Harry and Ron grinned at each other.
"I think you'll fit in just fine, mate." Ron assured Edward.
Hermione turned on the light of her room. She held the door open for Temari, Rose and Winry, who were also to share it. They entered one by one. Winry and Rose jumped back and squealed at what awaited them, making Hermione squeal as well. Temari calmly walked over to one of the five beds in the room and plunked her fan on it.
"Gaara! You scared us!" Hermione declared. Luna had retired earlier, and she was sound asleep. Gaara sat cross-legged at the foot of her bed.
"Isn't this the girls' room?" asked Winry.
"Yes, it is," confirmed Hermione. "Gaara, if you don't mind, we'd like to go to bed now,"
"I don't," replied Gaara. "Go."
"This is a girl's room, and you're a boy," Hermione tried to argue. "I know you've made friends with Luna, but you don't need to watch over her 24/7. She's safe with us."
"I feel a need to protect her," Gaara's sand started swirling around him. "Do you have a problem with that?" Temari, who didn't want to sleep in a room splattered with blood, gave Hermione a cautionary glare.
"No, no, no," Hermione received Temari's message, but felt obliged to try once more. "It's been a long day, Gaara. You've crossed over to a whole new dimension. Aren't you tired?"
"Yes, a little bit."
"So shouldn't you be going to bed and getting some sleep?"
"Let him be, Hermione." Temari finally interfered. "Sabaku no Gaara never sleeps."
Note: I'm not sure what house Tonks was in, so let's pretend she's in Gryffendor.
I know that in Fullmetal Alchemist, you can't use alchemy in the 'real world', but in this story, you can use magic, alchemy and ninjutsu in all three worlds (makes things a lot easier for me, lol).
