Hello! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: No. Fullmetal Alchemist and Harry Potter don't belong to me. That's that.

Chapter 5: Reestablishing a Shattered Friendship or Well Shit! It's Dragons!

Harry was not ashamed to admit that he had a moment of utter panic when his name left the goblet. He hadn't put it in! How did this even happen? He didn't even want to compete! He dreamed of it and imagined doing so, sure, but he wasn't crazy enough to actually try it! He could be an idiot, sometimes, but he wasn't that stupid! He knew he wasn't strong enough to stand a chance.

"HARRY POTTER!"

That was the third time his name had been called. Not that he knew, he'd been a little busy having a panic attack! Hermione gave him a small nudge alongside a reassuring smile that looked a little too strained and wan to be truly effective. He slowly stood and trudged up and past the teacher's table, catching their expressions. Most looked just as surprised and confused as he felt. Some looked disapproving, whether it was at him or something else, he didn't know, but he decided for once that ignorance is bliss and didn't question further.

The other headmasters looked angry, Moody was staring at him like he could see through to his soul, and Professor Elric was looking almost... contemplative as she aimed her usual bland stare at him. Dumbledore's face didn't give away a single thought. His eyes weren't twinkling, and Harry wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Probably bad.

When he finally made it to the side room, Fleur asked if they were needed back in the hall, mistaking him for a messenger. He didn't blame her, he wasn't exactly champion material, and he was underage.

Then Ludo Bagman came in with all his overabundance of energy and proclaimed him the fourth champion looking a little too gleeful for the news. Fleur believed it to be a joke, another thing he didn't blame her for; he was still having problems believing it.

Harry was feeling very uncomfortable about the attention and scrutiny he was currently under when the door opened and in came Dumbledore with the other Headmasters, and Professors Snape, Elric, McGonagall, and Moody.

The following events happened almost too quickly for him to process. Dumbledore questioned him (calmly) about whether he entered: he didn't. Karkaroff called him a liar and claimed Dumbledore was trying to give Hogwarts an advantage, Madame Maxime claimed this was all unjust, McGonagall was indignant, Snape had been surprisingly quiet (Harry would have thought the man would be all over blaming him for all of this. Maybe his efforts in Potions were finally paying off?), and Moody said whoever put his name in was trying to kill him. Joy.

Harry just wished none of this happened so he could live a relatively normal life. Screw Potter Luck! When he graduated, he'll go disappear into the woods and become a hermit or something. Maybe he can get a bunch of cats and grow up to be like old, crazy Miss Figg. Maybe not cats, though. Dogs? He liked dogs! He'll run away with Sirius and raise a bunch of dogs!

To quote the thoughts of poor, second-year Neville hanging from a certain-second-year-DADA-professor's chandelier, "Why is it always me?"

During the interaction, Professor Elric walked over to him and gave him the same look she had when he passed her mere minutes before. It was as blank as always, but he felt like he was being judged and scrutinized. It was a little unnerving, to be honest. She kept this up for about a minute, completely silent.

She opened her mouth, and as Harry thought she was going to say something encouraging and wise, she said, "You are a... trouble magnet."

"Umm... What?" he blinked. That was not what he expected.

He probably should have, remembering the "paw-sitive" and "onion" puns from earlier in the year. Those were still echoing in his head whenever he saw Crookshanks or Mrs. Norris!

"You attract trouble easier than roadkill attracts flies."

Harry isn't quite sure what to say to that. The entire analogy was rather morbid, and if it weren't so true, he probably would have felt grossed out and indignant -he still felt indignant- but it was numbed by the shock from the entire "your name came out of a magic wooden cup filled with mystical blue flames despite never putting your name in so you now have to compete in a deadly tournament" thing, so forgive him for not having a sassy comeback prepared for the occasion!

"You look far too scared and confused to have done this, but what happened has happened. Stand tall or you become an easier target. There is nothing you can do, now, whether you put your name in or no, so try to make the most of it."

"Um." He wasn't sure if she was ordering him or giving advice, but the pointed look she gave him when he made that sound had him almost snapping to attention, like a soldier.

It was around this point when he also realized the two of them had gained the attention of the room. "What?" he asked before he could stop himself. Ah, he found his sass again. Welcome back, sass! Right when he didn't need it!

"What are you two talking about over there?" Moody growled suspiciously; though, at this point, Harry knew that was Moody's standard emotion.

"I am merely trying to calm Mr. Potter down." Juna responds casually, "While you all have been arguing pointlessly about him like he wasn't in the room, you failed to notice just how nervous the boy is, which I felt the need to remedy."

Some of the people had the decency to look abashed, but Karkaroff sputtered indignantly, "Pointless?! This... boy" he said the word like it was an insult, and he probably meant it as one, "is giving Hogwarts two chances of victory!"

Juna's expression may not have changed, but there was something that was telling the man to "back off or else", and the intensity of that stare did, indeed, cause the man to take a small step back.

"I don't think you should be the one complaining here. Hogwarts has two chances at victory. That is true, but there is also two chances of death or major injury. Mr. Potter, here, is also underage and has less experience and knowledge than the rest of the champions, making him far more likely to get hurt or killed than the others, yet I don't hear him complaining like a whiny child. As the boy didn't place his name in the goblet or have an older student do so, it is likely this entire thing was a set up like Moody said. There is nothing that can be done, now, so I recommend you... what is phrase?... deal with it, and shut up."

Well, it was put a little crudely, but Harry supposed she got her message across since Karkaroff had gone quiet. He noticed her accent had been getting more prominent lately. He wondered why.

Moody, however, remained suspicious and continued pressing, "You are hardly the type to comfort people, Elric. What were you doing?"

"I wasn't comforting him, I was trying to calm him down so he could think rationally about his situation, as there is nothing we can do about it, now. I didn't see anyone else trying to be nice, so I took it upon myself to do so, even if I'm not particularly good at it as you have oh so kindly put it."

Harry vaguely wondered if it was "Professor Elric Disrespects Authority" Day, as that was the second time she had done it in the last minute or so. Perhaps it was the weather? It was starting to get cold, and the Professor had been acting slightly grumpy lately if you knew what signs to look for. Perhaps she was a summer person? Cedric also seemed to notice the increase in sass and began to look nervous. It made sense, he also had her as a professor, and grumpy professors were never fun. Grumpy Professor Elrics talked more briskly and took points more easily, and had a bad habit of being sarcastic -well... more sarcastic than usual, at least- when a stupid question was asked.

Dumbledore also seemed to be catching on to the change in behavior and was quick to finish up the little... Harry wasn't sure what to call it; he'll just call it a meeting for now. The professors took their leave, the foreign headmasters taking their champions with them.

Meanwhile, Professor Elric took the liberty of returning Harry and Cedric to their common rooms, as Dumbledore had gone to discuss things with McGonagall and Snape and Moody, an obvious dismissal of the Alchemy Professor.

"So..." Cedric began, a little nervously due to the awkward silence they'd been walking in, "How did you do it?"

"I didn't," Harry stated, too tired to be more emotional than a teaspoon.

"Oh. Sorry."

"What for?"

"Assuming after that whole mess."

"Apology accepted."

Cedric gave him a wry smile, they had reached the location of the Hufflepuff common room, "Well, then. Good luck, Harry."

Harry was now left in the silence of Professor Elric's company.

Juna had no clue how to break the awkward quiet that settled over the two of them. She may have him in class, but he was a quieter student. He participated occasionally, but oftentimes he blended into the background with all the others. He wasn't an outstanding student by any means -he did seem to be grasping the concepts quicker than most, though; perhaps he had some prior knowledge? The most she ever really heard about him was during teacher meetings when his rising grades became noticed. Apparently the prior three years he had been a bit of a poor student, or perhaps he just hadn't had any remarkable academic achievements? She knew he participated in Quidditch -such an odd sport-, and that was simply because she had passed the trophy room and saw his name on the Gryffindor Team's name plaque since the House Cup was canceled due to the Tournament. Apparently they had won the House Cup or something along those lines, she hadn't paid much attention.

Oh, there was something Maes had told her, wasn't there? He had another hobby.

"I hear you enjoy drawing," she commented out of the blue, causing him to startle.

"Oh. Um. Yeah. Um... who... told you?" he stuttered out awkwardly.

"Maes told me."

"Professor Hughes?"

"Yes." she thought for a moment, "What do you draw?"

Harry thought for a moment, "Um..."

"I believe we have had this conversation before. I am not going to bite. Just answer the question."

"Right. Sorry. I mostly draw things revolving around Hogwarts. I didn't really get a chance to enjoy drawing until I came here...yeah."

She felt there was something off about his words, but she wasn't sure if that was her English talking or if he actually had some sort of other meaning behind the words, "I see. How are your skills in drawing geometric shapes?"

"Shapes? Um... average? Circles are pretty hard to draw, though I feel most have trouble with that?" it came out as more of a question.

"Work on that."

"What?"

"Work on drawing circles and other shapes without stencils or something round to outline. It will benefit you in my class when things become more practical. It is something I plan to tell the classes at their next lessons."

"Oh." Harry found himself surprised, he never expected Professor Elric of all people to just up and give advice out of nowhere. She seemed the type to keep to herself more. He was willing to bet she didn't interact with others much besides lecturing about Alchemy, which wasn't as surprising as he'd originally thought it was. Despite being generally quiet, she seemed very passionate about the subject, even if it wasn't as visible as Mr. Weasley was about muggles and their technology.

"Is this your Common Room entrance?"

Harry started again, not realizing that he was so lost in his thoughts that they'd already reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

He nodded, ears turning red in embarrassment at spacing out, muttering out the password as Professor Elric walked away, her footsteps almost echoing in the silent hallway. A part of him felt like there was something off about her steps, but he was too exhausted with the day's excitement to care at the moment.

The portrait opened to reveal a crazy party going strong. Apparently Fred and Geroge had managed to raid the kitchens and brought back a second feast. Harry was too done with the day to care and forced his way through the crowd, not acknowledging anyone until he finally reached his shared dorm room.

That was where he found Ron, stewing in jealousy and anger.

How dare he ask him "How did you do it?" They may have grown apart, but he thought Ron knew him better than that! He explicitly told Ron at the start of the year that he didn't want fame or glory. Why was the redhead unable to see this now?

The argument only escalated, until eventually, the two broke the string of friendship that had gradually weakened over time.

A part of Harry couldn't help but regret; that part remembered the crazy adventures they had together, but the currently dominant, stubborn part always shut that side down, "Is he really worth it? He betrayed you! He won't see Harry, Just Harry, so why try to convince him?"

It amazed him how far apart they drifted without even realizing it. It happened so naturally that they didn't notice until it was too late.

It scared him how easily a friendship could break, how easily trust could break.

Would he lose Hermione, too? Neville? The Twins? The thought of being left alone terrified him, bringing him back to the cupboard under the stairs and Harry Hunting. The people he met at Hogwarts weren't just his friends, they were family! They were his family like Hogwarts was his home!

Harry didn't sleep well at all that night.

That was not a very good thing, as the next day, he seemed to have become the school pariah, and his mood was already shattered to bits before he arrived at breakfast.

The only consolation he got was that Hermione and Neville understood him, and tried to cheer him up, unlike the rest of Gryffindor that seemed to think he was this crazy badass that somehow managed to get past the age line.

The twins got the message that Harry wasn't, in fact, happy with his new title as champion after a glare from Hermione. Their reaction was to prank him at various points throughout the day, something that was met with varied reactions from disgruntlement, annoyance, to a jelly leg jinx in their direction. He felt a slight vindictive pleasure when they squawked and fell to the floor in a pile of tangled limbs and robes. He almost chuckled. Almost, he was still in a very bad mood.

Another thing was that the professors didn't treat him any differently. Thank all that is holy for small mercies. Most were working double-time to try and keep the students calm during classes since everyone was so excited about the Tournament, the foreign schools, and Krum.

That didn't mean time between classes wasn't absolutely miserable. Most of the Slytherins were now wearing badges that said "Potter Stinks" on them, and every time a teacher passed, they simply pushed the pin so it said, "Support Cedric Diggory" instead. They couldn't tell the students off if they were just showing support for their school, right?

The Slytherins in the little study group stayed neutral, though. They apparently decided that it was better to avoid trouble altogether.

Harry wasn't sure if that was a sign of their support or a backhanded compliment calling him a troublemaker. He wouldn't blame them if it was the second one. He really was a trouble magnet.

He was grateful there were people that weren't out to get him, though, so he made sure to make that gratitude known.

However, as his relationships with those that didn't shun him increased, his relationship with Ron went even further into the sewers. At first, they just avoided each other. However, with the stress that Harry was under with the bullying and the entire Tournament, the two began to snap irritably at each other when they were nearby. Then the snaps became arguments, and those arguments escalated in severity until one day everything simply snapped.

It happened during dinner, on a Friday about two weeks after the Choosing of the Champions. Harry walked in with the study group, as they had quickly gone to the library together to check out some reference materials for Alchemy before going to dinner when he heard Ron mutter something in the newly silenced Hall.

"Not only is he a glory hog, but he's also hanging with Slimy Snakes."

That did it. Before he could stop himself, his snarky mouth opened wide, "I've told you millions of times. I. Didn't. Put. My. Name. In. And last I checked, Ronald the rules didn't forbid friendships from other Houses, so shove off!"

Then, as if his mouth and brain forgot to coordinate, they probably did, he continued with one final moment of sass and sarcasm, "And snakes are not slimy, genius; they're reptiles. They're scaley, so that insult is stupid and makes no sense."

The three Slytherins standing next to him looked divided between feeling touched that Harry stood up for them and indignant at being called "Scaley". It was better than "Slimy", though, so they wouldn't prank him into oblivion.

This time.

Ron's face was turning as red as his hair, maybe redder. And with a roar of anger, he lunged at Harry, barreling into him and sending the two to the floor.

The two grappled and rolled along the floor of the Hall, yelling insults at each other and trying to land a hit -earning both sides a few bruises-, and it was drawing a crowd. Some of the muggle-borns were shouting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" and making bets, but it didn't last long.

There was a roar coming from the door of the Hall, and it quieted the entire Hall.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Even Dumbledore almost scrambled to attention at the sound of that angry cry. The mob quickly broke up, most running back to their seats like dogs with their tails between their legs. Some froze in fear, as that cry terrified them more than anything they ever heard before.

It even sent Harry and Ron apart, though they were still glaring at each other on the ground.

Everyone who hadn't already taken the time to see who made such a terrible cry did so then.

It was Professor Hughes, and he did not look happy.

As he wasn't on crutches anymore, he was now able to stand to his full height, and he cut an imposing figure in the Great Hall's doorway. Rather terrifying, too.

He strode over to the two Gryffindors and stared down at them with narrowed eyes. Harry noticed they were no longer the same cheery, hazel eyes he'd seen when showing the man his sketchbook. These eyes were cold, dark, and disapproving and held a wave of repressed anger that had Harry gulping and paling in fear. His lips were drawn into a frown, and his eyebrows were furrowed, giving him a fierce look that his earlier cheerful disposition hid.

"What is going on here?" he asked, his voice echoing in Harry's mind despite it being no louder than a murmur.

"Umm..." he began, not quite sure what to say. For once, his big mouth stayed quiet, and it was the moment he actually wanted it to work.

Ron was also quiet, though he looked like he wouldn't be able to make anything more than a whimper. He looked thoroughly cowed by the Muggle Studies Professor before him.

"The two of you will come with me, and we will be having a talk about proper behavior for your age." the man said, his voice deceptively calm, he turned to the rest of the Hall, "Well? what are you looking at?" he asked, his voice at a normal level. Everyone returned to their meal. They only had ten minutes left to finish eating before they had to get to their final class*. Professor Hughes led the two off, turning back at the door to call, "Juna, can you watch my last class of the day after dinner? You know the lesson plan, and this will probably take some time."

The girl nodded before returning to her meal as if nothing happened.

Hughes led the two by the shoulder once they left the hall until they reached the man's office. He led them in and sat them down at a table before pushing out his own chair to do the same. The room was silent for a minute as Hughes rubbed his temples, looking tired and like he didn't know what to do with the two of them.

In the distance the bell rang, signaling the end of dinner.

He reset his gaze upon them, staring silently for a long moment before he straightened and clapped, causing them to almost instinctively snap to attention.

"Are you two aware of what you did today?"

They remain quiet, ironically feeling too afraid to speak up. So much for Gryffindor courage. It didn't exactly get you out of detention.

"You two caused a scene in the middle of the Great Hall, in the presence of not one, but two foreign schools, who are looking at you as students of Hogwarts, and what do you think they are thinking as they watch you?"

Harry opens his mouth nervously, "That... we're barbaric?"

"Close. They are looking at the two of you, and they think, 'Hogwarts lets its students get away with this?' Those schools are looking at you to understand what Hogwarts is like. Hogwarts is considered by most to be a place full of opportunity, learning, and students striving to achieve their dreams. Is that an image you two set by rolling around like fools over who-knows-what?" his accent was getting more prominent as he spoke, the only thing in his deceptively calm voice that gave away his true ire.

"No, sir." Harry and Ron muttered. They looked thoroughly reprimanded, but Hughes wasn't finished.

"That's right. No. You embarrassed not only yourselves but also Dumbledore, the Professors, and the entire school by acting so immaturely! You are lucky I decided to step in instead of someone like Severus. He'd be far less lenient, and would likely have assigned you to weeks of cleaning cauldrons and a bunch of lost House points."

The man heaved a heavy sigh, running his hand through his hair.

"I may not have the two of you in my class, but I would have to be blind to not see the drastic change in your relationship. When I first saw you two, you were getting along splendidly, but now it's like you two have become enemies almost overnight. This will end today, and I'm going to at least make sure the two of you leave as civil acquaintances if nothing else. Am I understood?"

Silence.

"Am. I. Understood?" his voice becomes more irritated.

"Y-yes, sir." Harry stutters out nervously, still sitting up stiff and straight as a wall.

"Y-y-yessir," Ron mutters, curling in on himself in fear of the man that he was at the mercy of.

"Good." The man gave a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Now, I would like some explanation as to what caused this... I believe the word is animosity."

The two students began to talk over each other, trying to get their voice heard. He stopped them, "One at a time. Ron, why don't you start first."

"This, git put his name into the goblet and never even told me, his best friend, that he was going to or how he did it!" the redhead cried out, pointing at Harry.

"I've already told you, Ron! I. Didn't. Put. My. Name. In!" Harry exclaimed, "I was entered against my will! I told you I didn't want this at the start of the year!"

They began to argue again, forgetting about the higher presence in the room.

Meanwhile, Hughes watched carefully, examining the two's actions more closely before he once again clapped his hands to get their attention. They started and turned to look sheepishly at him.

He was suddenly glad the Elrics were rubbing off on him. Their whole clap-to-use-alchemy thing was also perfect for grabbing people's attention.

His eyes flickered between the two boys, "I think I am starting to understand what the problems are here. Mr. Weasley, you are upset that Mr. Potter got into the Tournament and never told you he entered. Meanwhile, you, Mr. Potter, are upset because you didn't actually enter, but everyone won't believe you, and instead turn against you."

They open their mouths to protest.

"I wasn't finished speaking." he snaps, causing their mouths to snap shut quickly, "I believe that this entire event was caused by negative feelings blocking your rational thinking. Mr. Weasley, let's think for a moment. You know Mr. Potter is underage, so he couldn't get past the age line. He also never asked an older student to do it for him. Had he managed to get past the age line, I'm sure he would have been in the hospital wing with a beard like your brother and the others that attempted it while being underage, and he still wouldn't have gotten his name in, either. Thus, Harry is, in fact, telling the truth and was forced into the Tournament against his will, and from what I've managed to catch, he's not exactly getting any good attention for the situation, quite the opposite, actually. I can't force you to change, but I recommend you consider this and look around you before falling into jealousy."

The redhead frowned, feeling slightly miffed, but there was now a barely noticeable hint of thoughtfulness in his eyes. He was following Hughe's directions and pausing to think.

"Mr. Potter, you may not be in the Tournament willingly, but you still aren't acting appropriately, either. You aren't doing anything by just taking the bullying and staying silent before exploding when everything finally adds up. If you are being harassed over something, the proper reaction is to tell a Professor or authority figure, not to blow up in the middle of the Great Hall. Wallowing in self-pity won't do you any good, either, as I am sure Juna has told you already, so I recommend that you calm yourself and remember that you are not alone. You have friends who support you, and we teachers will do what we can to make sure you have a good education and experience while in our school. While taking matters into your own hands is admirable, you shouldn't take so much that you are... what is phrase... dragging yourself and others down."

Harry looked down, feeling guilty now that his adrenaline high finally left him. He caught Ron staring at him from the corner of his eye, frowning.

"Now," Hughes clapped again, causing the two students to jump. That was surprisingly satisfying to do, he thought, "I can't force you two to be friends again, but I would like to hear the two of you apologize to each other. You both treated this situation in ways that are less than stellar, so don't try to get out of this. You are both partially responsible for the situation. You should each also write a letter of apology to all three Headmasters, and I think... detention with me every night after dinner during the weekend and twenty points from Gryffindor for improper behavior. Am I clear?"

They nod silently.

"That is good." he smiles, "I expect you to deliver the letters by the end of the weekend, or I will personally supervise your writing of them. You may utilize the detention time to do so, as well. Am I still clear?"

They nod again.

"You are dismissed. I recommend getting some of your work finished, as letters of apology are never easy to write, and it can take time to get the best words. I shall see you tomorrow after dinner."

The gleam in his eye and the way he said it made Harry wonder if there was a more personal meaning to what the Professor said, but brushed it off, as he was tired and needed to get his homework done.

He and Ron stood at the same time, almost out of habit. They stared at each other for a moment before walking out silently. When they left, the lesson was still going on, and they had the pleasure of seeing Professor Elric explain the workings of a cassette tape to a bunch of NEWT level students. She was being quite thorough, and Harry had a moment to admire how much she knew before his mind finally made a connection he'd been missing for weeks.

She wore muggle clothes and assisted Professor Hughes in teaching his class during the time of his recovery. It was possible she either lived in the muggle world or spent large amounts of time in it at a time! He felt a little stupid for not realizing that earlier.

Some students turned to watch them leave, causing the two to feel a little uncomfortable from the extra attention.

At that moment, she turned back, "I don't believe Messrs. Potter and Weasley are the focus of the lesson. Please pay attention, as I will take points, unlike my colleague."

Those that were staring jumped and reddened sheepishly before returning their attention to the board.

The two returned to their Common Room in silence, not saying a word until they reached the Fat Lady's Portrait.

"...Harry?"

The sudden sound caused Harry to startle, he jumped almost a meter into the air before he realized it was just Ron, "What?"

The redhead looked slightly uncomfortable like he wasn't sure what to do with himself, "Umm... I..." he breathed. In. Out. Huff. "I'm terrible at this. Look. I'm... sorry. I've been a huge git to you for the past few weeks, and I let myself get blinded by just how... mad I was. I felt betrayed, and... and I know it's not worth much, but... I'm sorry, anyway."

He was flushed about as red as his hair now, and not in anger like back at the Great Hall, "Blimey, I sound like an idiot." he muttered.

Harry remained silent for a moment, processing the info, "Ron..." he took a deep breath, "You're not the only one that sucks at this. I didn't consider how you could be feeling, so... I'm also at fault... I'm sorry, too. I... I don't know if I can fully forgive you right away, but I'll try and be... better." his gaze gained a determined light, "I just want you to know, though, that I won't stop hanging out with my new friends just because you don't like them. They've been nice to me since the start of the year, and I think it's genuine. You'll probably have to apologize to them if you want to be included in our study group."

Ron bit his lip nervously, "I'm... not sure. This goes against everything I've ever been told since I was able to understand words, Harry. I've always been told that Slytherins should be avoided. I do want to be your friend, it's just that I... don't know if I'm ready to do something like... well... that."

Harry stared at Ron, then nodded, "Take your time. I'd recommend apologizing sooner rather than later, though. Slytherins can hold a grudge." he smirked wryly, recalling how Blaise was still holding a prank Harry pulled on him over his head; it was all in good fun, though, so the whole thing was rather lighthearted.

No more words were spoken besides the password to the Fat Lady's Portrait. They just went their separate ways and began to work on their work, Ron deciding to be productive for once and actually finishing his Charms essay at a reasonable time.

The detention on Saturday was rather tame compared to most. Professor Hughes allowed them to work on their apology letters during the detention, and they both managed to finish the apologies to the foreign Headmasters before the end of the two hour period. Harry was also almost finished with his apology to Dumbledore, and Ron was approximately half-way through his, so Professor Hughes was kind enough to let them stay for a little longer to finish the letters up to send them.

Sunday detention was spent studying and working on homework.

Monday came, and Harry could safely say he and Ron could be called friends again. Ron had approached the three Slytherins and apologized to them after dinner, though he and Malfoy were both visibly uncomfortable about the entire event. They accepted his apology on the condition he would refrain from insulting them. They would do the same for him as long as he kept his side of the bargain.

The redhead accepted; however, he wasn't quite comfortable enough to join them in their study group, yet. That would probably take a lot of time to really accept, and Harry decided it was better not to push him.

Now came the focus on schoolwork. He paid extra attention in class, trying to think of anything that could help him in the Tournament.

The weighing of the wands came and went, and Harry was still not sure what the task was. It was very nerve-wracking.

The invitation from Hagrid solved that mystery, however. The first thought he had when he saw Hagrid leading Madame Maxime into the forest was, "What are you doing? She'll just tell Fleur whatever she sees!"

The next was, "Well, shit! It's dragons! I'll die facing a giant fire-breathing reptile! No. Worse. I'll die in front of an audience!"

He really needed to straighten out his priorities.

He escaped and found a way to warn Cedric, as he'd run into Karkaroff spying and realized that all the champions would know besides the Hufflepuff representative of Hogwarts if he remained silent of his knowledge.

Now he just had to figure out how to fight a dragon! Brilliant!

This day was going to be fun~! Note the sarcasm.

Omake: Don't Forget 3 Oct 11

It was dark. All students and teachers have settled down to sleep, and the ghosts have all congregated in their "living" quarters to waste away the night.

It was only a few hours later that Juna woke up with a strangled cry. Her skin was pale and clammy; her limbs were stiff and trembling; her lone eye was wide and terrified.

The first thing she noticed was that it was still dark out; it was only one in the morning.

She didn't care. She needed to move, get out, get air, get comfort, get something!

In her daze, her body moved on its own stumbling out of her bed, getting the tangled sheets all over the floor. She almost tripped three times over the giant quilt before she managed to escape the clutches of the colorful fabric and reach her bedroom door.

She hadn't even bothered to put on a robe, leaving her in her baggy shirt and shorts.

She navigated out of her office and through the halls through sheer muscle memory, her mind still in a disorderly haze. If anyone saw her, they would wonder if this was the same calm, collected professor they knew. She was lucky all the paintings were asleep, or the gossip would be all over the school.

Her feet took her to the classroom of her fellow colleague and pseudo-father-figure, where she entered with the grace of an earthquake and knocked on the door of his quarters.

No response. She knocked harder and longer.

"Hu~zzat?" a groggy voice asked, irritated at being awoken. Hughes scrambled up clumsily into a half-sitting position to check the time; it was one-fifteen in the morning.

The knocking came back, and he groaned, lumbering out of bed with the coordination of a bear coming out of hibernation, almost knocking his knee against a chair he forgot to push in. He makes it to the door with a snarky comment on his lips, only to see Juna standing there, swaying and disoriented and scared.

The comment dies on his lips, and his expression grows serious with a soft undertone. He leads her in with a strong arm around her narrow shoulders. Her fleshy shoulder was feeling bonier than usual; she wasn't eating enough, he realized. Now that he thought about it, she had been picking at her food and skipping meals for the past week or so.

He led her to the couch and sat her down as he had in his own home.

He called on Leechee, his house-elf, to get a cup of warm milk before he turned his attention back to Juna. This time he got a better look at her.

She looked terrible. Her hair was a mess, her skin was paper-white and sweaty, and her eye was wide and haunted. Her automail was visible to the world. She was trembling, her breathing was fast and shallow. She looked like a child who had gone through too much in too little time.

Hughes quickly picked up the mug of milk that had just arrived and placed it in her hands, coaxing her to drink it. She took a sip. He sat down next to her.

His mind, still foggy from sleep, was trying to remember if there was a reason for this behavior. His eyes roamed the room for a clue until they came to the calendar.

October 3rd.

Oh.

Her nightmares were always the most vivid on October 3rd. Her brothers, too, but they usually had each other, even if they were traveling in some remote area of the world. Juna always stayed back and researched from the Central Databases, searching for leads in old, worn-out journals and newspaper clippings while her brothers followed them in search of a task most would call impossible.

That meant she was alone to deal with her night terrors. She didn't have her brothers by her side 24/7, so she was forced to find alternatives. Alternative number one was Hughes. Number two and three were Hawkeye and Mustang respectively, not that she ever told people, it had just become a part of life at Central.

He pulled her close gently in a sideways hug, telling her to let it out. She must have been bottling up her emotions again, likely leading to her decline in health over the last week.

Hughes was starting to wonder if Elric Stubbornness was genetic. Ed had it in spades, likely the reason he was still alive to show it off. Al had it, too, though it was mellowed out by his gentler attitude. The three would keep going and going and going, pushing themselves far past their physical, mental, and emotional limits before they finally realized they needed help and broke apart into little puzzle pieces in need of being but together again.

Today, it was Juna's turn it seemed.

A tear slid down her cheek, then another, and another before she was outright sobbing, clutching to him like a little monkey and covering his shirt with tears. Her breath came in hiccuping gasps that shook her shoulders between whines and sobs that clogged her throat. Hughes just sat there and ran a gentle, calloused hand through gold strands, untangling the knots and helping to calm the child, for that's what she was, a child. No matter how mature she acted for her age, she was still a sixteen-year-old girl with her own problems and fears.

He wished Gracia and Elicia were here. The love of his life and his sweet little angle. They were always an amazing help in calming the girl down. Elicia sat in her lap, acting like a cute, cuddly teddy bear, and Gracia would flank her on her other side and would rub her shoulders and whisper gentle, soothing words into her ear.

The two sat on the couch for what seemed like ages, Juna's cries were the only sound in the room, but they were quieting down. They got quieter and quieter until they became a sniffle, then silence.

Hughes braved looking to see that the Alchemist had cried herself to sleep.

The man smiled fondly, she looked her age, now. Even if the reason wasn't a pleasant one, it was nice to know the girl was still capable of being a child, if only for a day.

He detached himself gently from her and called Leechee to take her back to her room, making sure the elf swore to never tell anyone about her metal limbs.

They were lucky they both didn't have a morning class the next day, for Hughes had overslept, and Juna had simply not woken up until dinner. Proof of her not sleeping lately.

Hughes had been kind and subbed for her that day, saying that she had been feeling under the weather and needed to rest.

The final class, which was right before dinner, heard her wake up, and they were lucky she was still disoriented enough to have been speaking Amestrian when she saw the time.

Hughes, however, understood every word she said and blanched.

He didn't translate; those words she screeched in panic would put sailors to shame. He went up to calm her down, telling the students to study for the test he knew they had in their next class with the Professor. The day was originally going to be a review day for them, anyway, as the class had been a little ahead and earned the class period to study.

Whatever she had screeched that day became one of Hogwart's many mysteries; however, some weren't sure they wanted to know. Most were just surprised to hear that Professor Elric could react in such a way to anything, for her stoicism was infamous among the school by this point.

That's that! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was feeling very snarky when I wrote this, so it came out looking a bit... sarcastic... at certain points. I'd been watching a video about Daniel Radcliffe being sassy for three minutes straight and just had to add a bunch of sass and sarcasm. I didn't have the heart to remove it, so it's there to stay.

*According to the Harry Potter Lexicon, Students are required to go to their Common Rooms after dinner, but I wanted to change this up a bit, so I put one "class" after dinner exclusively for NEWT students to help prepare them for their NEWT testing. This would be for NEWT level students ONLY to come in for extra tutoring. Basically it's like extra help for the NEWT students. It works something like this:

-Each teacher would name two days of the week that they would hold this extra "class" for one hour after dinner. These choices are listed in the school schedule.

-The NEWT students are able to choose each day among the available "classes" who to go to, so long as that class is in their schedule. So if Snape chose to have a "class" on Thursday and Friday, and Flitwick had Tuesday and Thursday, and McGonagall had Tuesday and Friday, on Tuesday, the NEWT students could choose whether to go to Flitwick or McGonagall's tutoring sessions; on Thursday the options would be Flitwick and Snape, and Friday, the options would be Snape and McGonagall.

As usual, if you enjoy like/follow and review! I like feedback, if there was something that didn't make sense or if there was something you liked/didn't like, I want to know so I can figure out future chapters. A story is only considered "good" if the audience thinks so, and while I don't do this for anything other than fun, I don't want to write a bad story.

Also, I hope Juna doesn't look too out of place. OC stories aren't easy to write well. If you emphasize the OC too much, the fandom/s disappear and you lose the story (if that made any sense), if you don't emphasize the OC enough, then what is the point of having an OC in the first place? Then there are mary sues, which I sincerely hope I avoid making. I have more experience making OCs now than I did when I was younger, and with the help of my brother, I managed to at least be able to self-check if the character is too much. Feel free to mention if there is anything you feel could be improved.