Hey! *dodges well-deserved tomatoes* I know I haven't updated in a long time, and I'm sorry. I've lost a lot of interest in Harry Potter thanks to J. K. "I can't fucking shut up even when I really should" Rowling and my French has stalled due to the shitty French program at my university. Thank you all for the support you've given me, and I hope to at least catch this upto date with the original (as of February 15) before the end of this semester.

Thank you again for all the support, and enjoy the chapter!

Seeing the door torn off its hinges, Edward immediately felt fear running in his veins and instinctively took a fighting stance before realizing that he also had a wand and that in the face of wizards he was probably better off using powerful spells than his martial arts. But the young Amestrian had still preserved the survival habits of his world and did not abandon them so easily... In front of the ruined entryway, Professor Dumbledore, meanwhile, ordered them to stay behind him before entering the house carefully, lighting the hall with a lumos.

When they entered the living room, a scene of desolation awaited them: the clock was shattered on the floor and the magnificent piano had been reduced to pieces. The white and black keys were strewn on the floor and fragments of the crystal chandelier lay shattered across the floor. Feathers from the now disemboweled cushions also littered the ground. Multiple delicate porcelain trinkets had been reduced to powder by what appeared to be a violent fight. Blood stains painted the walls, but Edward noticed that there was no body in the room. This was his first hint: Injuries causing such a large blood loss would have left someone in serious condition.

A feather that was still floating in the room was the second suspicious clue: the fight, if it had been a fight, had been recent. Too recent. According to Dumbledore, this house had to be equipped with anti-Apparition charms and so, to be able to disappear from here with their victim, the attackers would have been forced to go out and in this case they would have been seen. Of course, there was the possibility that they were still hiding in the house, but Edward's trained ear would have heard them. So the scene before them was meant to deceive, and this fight scene was not really one.

When Harry suggested that the attackers might have taken their future teacher, Dumbledore replied that he did not think so and Edward gave a rather strange little smile in such a morbid mood, adding:

"The fight scene is too recent, Harry, he's still hiding here ..."

"Edward is right, Harry ... The proof ..."

And without warning, Dumbledore thrust his wand into the padded chair that screamed, proving to Edward that it was not a metamorphosis spell but an illusion charm that gave the bald man in front of them the appearance of an upholstered armchair. The wand had squeezed into the wizard (who had a huge walrus mustache)'s fat belly. The wizard rubbed his stomach in discomfort as Edward thought with amusement that the scene would have been funnier if the wand had stuck in him. However, even surprised in such a grotesque situation, the former teacher did not seem at all embarrassed and wanted to know what had betrayed him.

Apparently, Dumbledore had deduced what had happened by the absence of the Dark Mark, but anyway, as Edward himself understood, the man named Horace had not had much time to put it all together. After this explanation, the two wizards forming a striking contrast, one thin and tall, the other small and round, began to back to tidy the room from top to bottom in record time. At this, Edward made a slightly sarcastic aside about Harry's skills at organizing of his belongings. But as the dark-haired wizard noted, magic for such mundane purposes was forbidden to undergraduates ...

Edward did not pay too much attention to the conversation that followed, uninterested in the loss of dragon blood and the prohibitive costs of it. On the other hand, he became attentive again when Dumbledore made the introductions:

"This is Harry Potter and Edward Elric Flamel. Harry, Edward, this is an old friend and colleague, Horace Slughorn."

Given the way Dumbledore had subtly insisted on the name of Flamel and Harry Potter, Edward began to think they were there for a reason that now seemed clear to him. When he started in the army and even afterwards, many people were attracted to the prodigal state alchemist he was, and there were many who had invited him around in the hope of receiving favors. These numbers of flattery and this disguised corruption, of which former Colonel Yoki had been only one of the many examples, had been quickly understood by the young alchemist. Colonel Mustang had insisted on giving him lessons immediately after he joined the army on this subject and had taught him everything to watch out for.

At the time, Edward was not thrilled to learn this kind of thing that was so against his frank and straightforward nature, but he quickly understood that it was essential to survive and advance in the midst of senior military and of the aristocracy. Basically, Roy Mustang had just taught him politeness lessons and made him less naive about people who would have had no qualms about manipulating a boy who was barely twelve years old ... When he would come back to Amestris, Edward would thank him... a little... maybe.

But for the moment, it seemed clear to Edward that Dumbledore was using their respective celebrity to encourage his former colleague to return to teach at Hogwarts. Edward had no problem with it, as the little fat man did not annoy him with exaggerated sympathy. The former state alchemist was quite ready to shamelessly exploit the name of Flamel he had been wearing for a year. After all, at least that way it was doing something. As soon as he was presented, Edward gave Slughorn his most brilliant smile (and, according to Alphonse, his less sincere expression) and sat down, just like Harry, in front of the former professor.

Edward thought that Harry himself must have understood why he was there now, but he could always be wrong. For someone who was such a well-known figure in the wizarding world, his friend seemed surprisingly unable to handle his public image without help. Luckily, he was also (and thankfully by the way) humble and modest, which avoided making him unbearable. But sometimes Edward thought that Mustang's lessons on manipulation wouldn't have hurt the famous wizard, either.

Concealing the cunning gleam of his gaze, Edward accepted the glass Slughorn handed him on a tray and thanked him warmly with a big smile. Dumbledore himself seemed rather pleased to see how the young boy entered his game and he began to politely inquire about the health of his old friend who apparently was not doing very well because of the problems of old age: rheumatism, breathing problems, fatigue... And yet, the plump man had managed to create a disaster scene in less than two minutes despite his being overweight and his difficulties... Edward, just for that, would tip his hat. However, he did not appreciate Slughorn's otherwise irritating and excessive decadence.

Then the discussion turned to Dumbledore's health, especially his hand, and Edward distinctly felt his hair bristling on his neck and an unpleasant shiver as he looked at it. This gave him the same kind of impression as when he was facing a Homunculus: a thing against nature and that should not exist. That must have been the sensation caused by the black magic, something opposing the rules established by Nature.

When Dumbledore showed his hand intact, however, Edward was fascinated by the ring, or rather the stone sealed in the ring. It had the same fascinating color as the Gate of Truth and the young Alchemist could not help feeling mysteriously attracted to this artifact. But he refrained from showing his interest too much: Dumbledore seemed to be a little more confident and to get information on his mission, it was probably better for him to let the old man continue in order to dismiss his suspicions. Nevertheless, he swore to keep a close eye on this stone in the future because a mysterious instinct (which seemed to him a little Truth-y...) whispered to him that it would be important in the future.

Edward turned his attention to the discussion again: apparently, unlike the Ministry and the majority of the magical population, Slughorn had believed Dumbledore on the spot when he announced Voldemort's return a year ago. That could say two things: either Slughorn blindly trusted Dumbledore, which his refusal to return to teach Hogwarts belied, or he was terrified of Voldemort and knew he had come back from the dead... The latter hypothesis was much more interesting to the eyes of Edward and the boy were beginning to wonder what the wizard could possibly conceal and the exact reason why Dumbledore was so keen to see him come back to Hogwarts... Maybe he, too, wanted to discover his secret.

The conversation turned for a moment to the subject of Umbridge, a sinister memory, whom which Horace Slughorn had heard unsavory rumors of. Dumbledore's explanation of her fate provoked both derision from the former teacher and a laughter from the two young boys who remembered very well what had happened that night between the sickening woman and the flock of centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. Now that Harry and Edward had drawn attention to them, Dumbledore decided to take the opportunity to leave them alone with his friend and asked for directions to the restroom which Slughorn gave him reluctantly.

The ex-teacher stood up, trying to remove from his field of vision the temptation that the two boys sitting in front of him seemed to represent. Slughorn tried to tell them he knew why they had been brought but innocent looks from Edward and Harry was his only answer. Slughorn was now watching them more closely and began to tell Harry the usual banalities: his father's appearance, his mother's eyes, banalities that Harry was tired of hearing. Then he spoke to Edward:

"I had heard that Nicolas Flamel had adopted an heir but I admit that I did not think this rumor was based in any sort of truth, young man... So it's true, he really recognized you as his successor?"

"That's what he said in his will, sir," Edward said politely, adding a little embroidering: "he did not leave me his fortune or the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, contrary to what a lot of people think. But when I solved a riddle he used to ask, he told me that it made me his spiritual heir, hence the adoption. "

"I see, I see," Slughorn enthused. "Not that gold interests me, of course, but to be able to solve his test, you must be a bright and talented young man!"

"Oh, you know, I only learned that I was a wizard last year, actually," Edward replied, "I'm going to try to pass the OWLs this year, though, which I don't think will be too impossible for me." He added with some false modesty, ignoring Harry's astonished expression that he had never seen his friend behave so politely.

"What an extremely bright young man!" Exclaimed the former professor, visibly delighted before talking about Harry's mother, saying that she was one of her favorites and that she should have belonged to his house .

"What was your house?" Harry asked then.

"I was head of Slytherin, but you must not blame me for that." Slughorn exclaimed as he saw Harry's shoulder stiffening.

"What subject did you teach?" asked Edward who strongly doubted that this teacher would replace Umbridge this year...

"Potions, didn't Albus tell you?" Slughorn asked, crunching a treat.

Hearing Professor Slughorn's response, Harry felt struck by lightning and yet now Edward's question seemed logical because it was hard to see this old man teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in these troubled times... However, if Slughorn was teaching Potions next year in accordance with Dumbledore's wishes, that would mean that the Defense position would remain vacant and that Snape was certainly going to be the one who would be offered it since his position would be taken. It was such a surprise for Harry to hear such news and the boy was having a hard time hiding his surprise at the turn of events.

Admittedly, the relationship between him and the professor of Potions had become neutral: In class, at the end of the year, he had stopped verbally attacking him and was usually content to ignore him. He did not insult him too badly and even intercepted an ingredient that Malfoy had thrown into his cauldron. He graded him honestly- at least, he thought Snape did- and his last try of the year had even received the grade of E, a feat in his class. For his part, Harry had tried not to make waves and to respect, if not the whole man, at least the few qualities he showed openly. Edward had helped him a lot during last year's Occlumency lessons and the virtual disappearance of the tension between them removed a weight Harry hadn't even realized he'd been carrying this whole time. It would never be friendship between them but at least it would no longer be the open hostility that had been present for almost five years.

Could the fact that Snape could become his Defense Professor change something for him? Harry was good at the subject, and he also knew that Professor Snape (he even corrected himself, Ed definitely had a rather strong influence on him) excelled at it as well. With him, at least, they would really learn something about real defense. Also, if he was no longer the potions teacher, that would mean that he might have a chance to continue his Auror studies if he had only E at his OWL test ...

Ultimately, it might be in Harry's interest that Slughorn become the potion teacher so both get into the game. Also, Edward seemed to find the situation amusing so much so encourage this guy to become his teacher, even if he did not respect him more than tha ... It was difficult, in fact, to estimate a person who was living by illegally entering the homes of people while striving to maintain a high standard of living with confectionery and cozy interiors while other people like Sirius had lived in much harder circumstances...

But if to become auror, Harry had to listen to Slughorn's soliloquy about the people and relationships he knew personally, as well as ordinary little prejudices (though Slughorn forbid), so the boy was ready for the idea, even if it sometimes made some adjustments especially for Hermione. The former potion teacher looked to be more of a talent collector and he seemed to love more than anything to show his collection of relationships that offered him all sorts of favors or gifts.

Undoubtedly understanding that the teacher's lack of contact with his old favorites and how the current state of the world was lacking, Edward seemed to decide to add fuel to the fire, noting how hard it must be for him to no longer be able to access his web of relationships. Understanding where his friend was going, Harry added that Hogwarts was a safe place compared to the rest of the wizarding world, insisting on the security measures specifically for Hogwarts and reaffirming how Dumbledore was the only person Voldemort could truly be said to fear. Edward could see in Slughorn's last words how he was really being tempted by the experience of returning to teach at Hogwarts.

Edward and Harry glared at each other, seeing how much the poor man looked at them with envy. Now, Harry understood very well that the teacher wanted to add him to his hunting board and although it was a little inconvenient for the young wizard, he could pass on the inconvenience as long as it remained temporary. Edward, on the other hand, seemed quite ready to take advantage of the opportunity, showing an opportunistic side that Harry had known about his friend but that he only rarely showed.

Professor Dumbledore then appeared and pretended to throw in the towel, claiming that he could see that this was lost cause. But now, Harry knew enough about what had just happened to understand that the professor had come back exactly as the scales began to lean toward him. It was quite amusing to see Slughorn's expression as he was tormented by his dilemma. It was likely Dumbledore's last words recalling Hogwarts' increased defenses and Harry and Edward's "innocent" smiles as they had talked to him that decided if for the former teacher to re-accept his position... in exchange for a raise.

The little group came out of the house and started down the hill. Harry slammed his hand into Edward's hand in a victorious high five, both bearing an air of perfect satisfaction. Dumbledore watched this little moment of complicity before declaring:

"I see that you both had a perfect understanding of what I expected from you... Congratulations!"

"Oh, half the credit goes to Harry," Edward said in a falsely pompous tone.

"And you gave a performance worthy of Gilderoy Lockhart!" complimented Harry in the same tone as he restrained himself from laughing at the somewhat stunned look of his friend who had not really known this character in his worst moments.

"I do not know if I should take it as an insult or a compliment ..." Edward mumbled, skeptical.

"And if not, what did you think of Horace?" Asked Professor Dumbledore.

"The guy's pretty conceited, likes his little comforts and really does not want to be bothered by them, the kind who likes to make relationships and profit from them." Ed replies, little known for his tact and delicacy most of the time.

"It's a way of summarizing things," Dumbledore said with a smile, not taking offense at Edward's crude candor towards his friend.

Then the professor drew a more solid portrait of Professor Slughorn: a man who was really attached to his little comforts, loving the company of famous people, close to power and success. A teacher who loved to surround himself with Hogwarts people with talent, charm, intelligence and ambition and recommend them in the club he had created and whose participants were all old favorites of Professor Slughorn. Dumbledore also added that his colleague would definitely be delighted to add the Boy-Who-Lived, or the Chosen One as Harry was now introduced, to his collection.

Harry groaned as he heard the nickname that was now in the press and thought that Ed would also be one of the masterpieces in Slughorn's collection. Edward had charm and a certain charisma (he had heard enough girls talking about it in the Gryffindor common room). He had exceptional talent and magical power when he knew how to master it, and that was without mentioning Edward's intelligence that had landed him as a Ravenclaw... The only thing he seemed to miss was ambition but Harry was convinced that if his friend was given a vital goal, he would be able to put all his considerable talent to reach his goal at any cost. In the end, if Slughorn decided to add him to his collection, at least Harry would have the consolation of not being alone.

Harry came out of his thoughts when they arrived in front of the church and they had to apparate again. The young wizard noticed with amusement that Edward had still not overcome his motion sickness, judging by the swearing and grabbing of his stomach. But the sight in front of him warmed Harry's heart: the Burrow, the welcoming, warm Weasley's house was waiting for him. But before he could return to his second home, Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to him face to face in the family's shed. Edward seemed to understand that the conversation was private and went to sit under a tree, trying to calm his nausea.

Initially, the conversation concerned Sirius and the subject was approached with delicacy. For Harry, the subject was still painfully sensitive, especially when he remembered that Sirius would never write to him again but the young wizard had already begun to mourn: he knew that the dead would not want them to be slaughtered, they would like them to keep struggling and Harry was quite determined to stick to that now. This decided answer earned him Dumbledore's approval, as well as a certain admiration that warmed Harry's heart a little.

Then the Headmaster addressed the subject of the prophecy, a subject at least as delicate as Sirius. Harry had read the Daily Prophet and was able to see all the theories about him being chosen to defeat Voldemort. Although Dumbledore assured him that no one knew the truth except the two of them, the young wizard could not help but find that the newspaper's hypotheses had gotten just a little too close for comfort. He had never mentioned the prophecy to anyone, not even his friends, but Dumbledore thought he could still retain Ron and Hermione by insisting that he needed them, a precision that led Harry to ask:

"What about Edward?"

Professor Dumbledore seemed to think for long minutes before answering:

"Regarding young Edward, I do not know, he appeared very mysteriously and although until then all his acts have turned out to be positive, he remains an enigma filled with secrets."

"But Edward is the one who encouraged me to see things in another way, professor," Harry replied respectfully, but with determination: "He really showed us how to fight against the Death Eaters as in a real battle and not like in a duel following the rules. He explained things to me about Snape... er, Professor Snape, and taught me to use Occlumency. It was he who saved our lives several times in the Ministry by playing bait. He used Legilimency to push me to reject Voldemort's possession. He is my friend and I trust him with my life!"

"In that case, Harry, I trust your choice, but I recommend you to think about it and always be attentive."

"I trust Ed." Harry insisted.

"Something else, Harry, I'd like to give you private lessons this year." Dumbledore said while remaining very vague about course content.

"Will it be related to Occlumency, or will I need to continue to learn it with Snape... er, Professor Snape and Edward?" asked the young dark wizard, hoping this was not the case. His relationship may have improved slightly with the potions master but not to the point of wanting him in his thoughts...

"No, these courses are going to stop now that Voldemort is trying to close your mind at all costs." Besides, Professor Snape himself admitted, in his words, that, and I quote, 'the young Elric had apparently managed to allow you to make some minor progress in this area.'"

"It's all about him." assured Harry with a jeering smile before adding, "He's going to be terribly disappointed to be in his Defense class, right?"

"Oh, I see that dear Horace has already spoiled his favorite subject." replied Professor Dumbledore with an amused look in his blue eyes.

After the last recommendations about the safety of the Burrow and his own, Harry and Dumbledore came out of the shed to join Edward who was waiting near the tree.

Edward had been waiting for about a quarter of an hour sitting with his back against his tree and staring thoughtfully at the stars. For a moment, he thought of all those he had left in Amestris: Alphonse, Master Izumi, Mustang and his teammates, Ling and his bodyguard, all his friends... They all must miss him terribly but the only consolation he had to be content with was to know that when he returned, it would have been only a minute that he was gone. So it just meant that he had to be strong to support the separation and so the others would not notice it.

Turning away from his thoughts, he wondered what was being said in the cabin between Harry and the Headmaster. He preferred to avoid using his alchemy spying methods because Dumbledore might notice it and it was better to avoid that. He hoped his friend would trust him enough and tell him. Sometimes Edward was a little angry at not being able to reveal as much about himself to the young Gryffindor but he had walked into a deal with Truth and could not break it. But Edward was terribly sorry that he could not be totally honest with his friend and not have an "equivalent" relationship between them.

Finally, the two wizards left the cabin and were welcomed by a simple gesture of the young alchemist. The trio headed to the back entrance of the Burrow and entered the kitchen. After a tense moment Mrs. Weasley was relieved and let them in. When she saw that Edward was with them, she immediately squeezed him, smothering him almost as much as Harry did:

"Oh, Edward, sweetheart, you made us so worried when you disappeared at the train station, goodness, without Nymphadora we would never have known you were still alive, I'm so happy, Professor Dumbledore thought you and Harry would not get here until tomorrow morning, it scared me when you hit..."

"We were lucky, Slughorn was more easily persuaded than I expected thanks to Edward and Harry. Of course, hello Nymphadora!"

The young Auror had not changed much since last time: her hair was always a chestnut or a mouse color that she wore with rather depressed air. However, she still glared at Edward, apparently still annoyed at him for his deception about a week ago by making her drink. Undoubtedly still embarrassed by all the revelations she had made to Edward, she quickly took her leave although Dumbledore seemed to be trying to push her to stay by inviting Remus Lupin... Professor Dumbledore was soon after her and soon the two boys were left alone with Mrs. Weasley inspecting them from head to toe.

She first commented that Harry and Ron had grown to the point of believing that they had undergone an elongation spell before starting to comment on Ed's leanness and especially on Edward's size (which had not changed much). But seeing Edward's forehead vein begin to pound, she had to be more careful not to risk waking the other occupants of the house. She changed the subject by offering soup and giving news of Hermione who had arrived the day before.

While Edward drank his hot soup with obvious pleasure, he listened to the discussion about their future potions teacher, saying much the same about him as Dumbledore about his tendency toward favoritism... Then, she announced news she was visibly burning to reveal: her husband had been promoted and Arthur Weasley was now at the head of the bureau of detection and confiscation of false spells of defense, one of the many services created to respond to the current situation. Edward did not have the heart to tell Mrs. Weasley that this post would only last as long as the war would continue but after all, the young alchemist did not know what the future would be like so he could let the brave woman have her moment.

Mrs. Weasley explained that following the announcement of the return of Voldemort, product sellers selling items supposed to protect against the Black Mage and his henchmen appeared everywhere, taking advantage of the anxiety of the population. But sometimes, under these scams hid real threats when Death Eaters introduced their own bewitched artifacts that were truly dangerous. Nevertheless, this did not prevent the population from continuing to rush into these booby traps despite repeated warnings ... Edward, in his heart of hearts, thought that people, instead of trying to protect themselves against the inevitable, would do better to learn to fight instead of relying on low-level products or a boy of sixteen who had never asked to become their savior!

Edward shook his head wearily before catching sight of the Weasley clock: he had never seen one like this because the hands were named after every member of the Weasley family, and their location indicated where they were. Apparently, they were all in danger of death, which was not reassuring... Finally, Mr. Weasley arrived and he took the safety instructions very seriously because he demanded that his wife asked his question before he even poses hers. Edward had rarely felt so embarrassed and just like Harry, he had pretended not to hear anything by making as much noise as possible with his spoon. He didn't want to know their secret pet names, he felt almost like a voyeur.

For a few minutes, they discussed the new finds of the crooks on Diagon Alley, the majority of them being closer to a good joke made by Fred & George than sneaky and dangerous objects. Following this remark, the conversation deviated on what the Weasley twins were doing: apparently, their shop was working well and they were very successful, which did not surprise the young Amestrian: their pranks and jokes were really fantastic from what he had seen from their demonstrations on Umbridge... Edward was hoping with all his heart to be able to visit them.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley realized the late hour and decided to send them to bed. Edward would have liked to protest, but apparently, you could not resist a woman and a mother like Mrs. Weasley and the boy had to follow Harry into the twin's old room, converted into storage space and cluttered with cardboard boxes. From what he understood, his independent run was over now and freedoms would be restricted again like last year. Edward doubted that he would be able to escape the attention of the Order this time so it was better to resign himself to staying here. He put the bag containing all his belongings in a corner and lay down in the bed that remained. Sleep quickly surprised him and Edward soon fell into the land of slumber.