Disclaimers: I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor Harry Potter, unfortunately.

Heart's FlameChapter 4: Students

Roy sat down by Severus, which was his usual seat. Havoc and Hawkeye stood behind Ed as he ate. They had developed a habit to do so at meals after an unfortunate encounter with Peeves, one of the school's most infamous poltergeists. It had involved loud noises, food and drinks flying, and had sent Ed into a panic. Dumbledore promised that the Bloody Baron would keep Peeves in check after that.

He took Ed's pumpkin juice and drank a bit of it as usual before giving back. The first time he had done this at Hogwarts, the other teachers gave him strange looks, which prompted him to explain that Ed, especially in an unfamiliar environment, was uncomfortable eating and drinking anything, since all of his was drugged while he was in captivity, so Roy usually tried everything first to assure him it was safe.

Once Edward was eating, he turned to Severus. Although he still made Roy nervous, Ed liked him and Roy trusted Ed's judgement, and from he could tell, the feeling was mutual. He did appreciate that Snape was gentle with Ed, but never pitying or demeaning to him. He was certainly more tolerable than Madame Pomfrey, who constantly fussed over the teen, even more so than Roy, which was an accomplishment in itself.

She had tried to heal more serious injuries, like his eye and several burns, but they were too old for even her magic to do anything. She apologized profusely, but Ed had waved her off and said he didn't think it would've worked anyway.

As he was deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice Severus speaking to him. Ed gently tapped him and Roy started. As Roy looked to see what Ed wanted, he whispered, "Umm… Mustang? I think Severus is talking to you." Roy looked to Snape for confirmation, and saw he was indeed being addressed. "Could you repeat that, please? I was… thinking." Roy said to him, embarrassed.

"I was just warning you, teaching these brats will be hell for you and Mr.Elric over there, especially something as complicated as Alchemy. Most can barely grasp Potions enough to pass my class."

What had he gotten himself into….

Roy then saw Dumbledore stand up to address the mass of students below the staff table.

"So! Now that we have all been fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while give out a few notices. Mr. Filch has asked me to tell all of you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anyone would like to check it."

Roy didn't know what any of those we're, but if they were banned, it sounded like they had dodged a bullet there.

Dumbledore continued. " As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year." His face grew solemn. "It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take plan this year."

With that one sentence the entire Great Hall exploded. Shouts and protests came from every corner of the room and Roy worriedly glanced at Ed, knowing that loud noises freaked him out. He was shaking, with Jean and Riza each putting a comforting hand on each of his shoulders. Roy slid his hand over and laid it on Ed's lap. Ed flinched violently from the unexpected contact, whimpering slightly, before realizing who's it was and focusing on breathing again. It took a minute, but Roy saw his tremors subside and his small, gasping breaths slow a bit, and by then Dumbledore had regained control over the crowd.

He continued. "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy- but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"

Dumbledore was interrupted by a rumble if thunder, followed by the large doors at the end of the Great Hall swinging open. Roy saw that it was Alastor due to the fact a streak of lightning illuminated the man's face long enough for him to recognize who it was. 'Well, doesn't he like dramatic entrances.' Roy thought.

The Hall was silent, and Roy could just barely hear faint, shallow breathing coming from Ed. He looked over and saw Ed on the verge of hyperventilating. Havoc and Hawkeye we're desperately trying to calm him down while being discreet about it. They looked over to him helplessly. Roy saw that Ed was slowly losing his composure and nothing was helping, so he turned to Havoc and said hurriedly, "Take him upstairs and try to console him. I would do it, but I can't leave yet." Havoc gave a small smile, then guided Ed out of the Hall.

Roy frowned at their retreating backs. He had thought Ed was getting better, but this behavior seemed to be a step back. Was it maybe the move stressing Ed out, just like he had predicted? Hell if Roy knew. Riza stayed by him, not having been dismissed. If Dumbledore had noticed anything amiss, he hid it well as he continued speaking. Roy wasn't even paying attention to his speech anymore, choosing instead to watch the student's reactions. They were whispering amongst themselves, though Roy couldn't tell if it was because of Moody's appearance, or because they saw Ed.

Roy was jolted out of his thoughts when a redhead shouted at the top of his lungs, "You're JOKING!"

Dumbledore smiled benignly and chuckled. "I assure you I am not joking Mr. Weasley." He continued with, " Though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar…"

McGonagall cleared her throat loudly, which effectively shut Dumbledore up. Roy had to snicker at the power the stern old woman held over the Headmaster. Riza glared at him, her gun point against his back, quieting his laughs. Guess Minerva isn't the only one in charge of her superior. He quickly got the hint and listened intently to the rest of the speech.

After dinner had ended, he went back up to his room where Ed and Havoc were sitting in front of the fireplace. It was honestly kind of cute, and Roy felt bad about breaking it up, but he needed to talk to Ed. Havoc noticed him entering and left with Riza without a word, leaving the two alone. Roy walked slowly over to Ed and sat down beside him.

"So…" he began. "What was that at dinner?"

Ed shook a little. "Just… bad memories, Mustang."

"Understandable, but care to elaborate?"

Ed took a deep breath before telling Roy. "Whe… when I wa… was…" He took another several deep breaths to center himself, the continuing with much less difficulty.

"When I was still in captivity… they liked to sneak up on my blind side and make a loud noises right by ear. I guess… with all of the noise then the loud crack of thunder right in the room kind of… made me lose it for a moment." Roy could see how much it cost Ed to admit this weakness, and to actually let down his defenses and let Roy see the vulnerable side of him. Over the past year, Roy had learned not to take these moments for granted. Quite the contrary, he hoped they would happen more often because it let him know that Ed trusted Roy with his secrets.

But this is the first time Ed had willingly said anything about his torture. At first glance, the fear seemed rather silly, but when Roy looked at it from Ed's point of view, it made sense. Half of his world had gone dark, and he was in constant pain because of those monsters. What concerned Roy was how Ed had reacted. As justified as it was, it still seemed like a regression from the progress they had worked on. He had been getting so much better and had almost been the Ed everyone knew before.

Ed yawned beside him as he sat deep in thought. Roy looked down and saw the teen practically asleep in his lap. He laughed softly as he picked up Ed and put him in his bed. Roy was exhausted from the night's events, but couldn't fall asleep yet.

He had lessons to plan.

Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room with his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They had just finished discussing dinner's events when he told them about his scar hurting during the summer, before the disastrous Quidditch World Cup.

Of course, just as Harry had predicted, Ron began freaking out, asking if Voldemort could have possibly been at Privat Drive, and Hermione began listing books and trustworthy adults, ranging from Dumbledore to Mr. Weasley.

After Harry assured them he had written Sirius about the incident, they both calmed down and went back to their previous conversation until Ron interrupted with, "So, what do you think alchemy is like? I've never heard of it."

Hermione made a thoughtful noise. "Well, several books I've read seem to refer to alchemy as an ancient lost magic that turns lead into gold, but there have been a couple that say it isn't magic at all, rather a science."

Harry looked at her. "So which do you think it is?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? I guess we'll find out when we go to the class." She paused. "Speaking of which, didn't the boy with Professor Mustang seem odd?"

Ron, who had been staring at the warm fire in the common room, joined back in the discussion with, "Yeah, didn't Dumbledore warn us that he was a military officer who was an Emissary for wherever they're from. I mean he had two bloody bodyguards! He didn't look much older than us!"

Hermione frowned. "But didn't you notice what happened when Moody arrived? He seemed to tense up, and Professor Mustang had to halt his exchange with Professor Snape to talk to him, before one of his guards led him out of the room."

Harry had in fact noticed this. "Did anyone not see the scarring on his face! It was awful!"

Hermione glanced at him. "Well he is in the military. Something must have happened, like a war, maybe. Don't sound so shocked, and when we do go to our first alchemy class, I recommend not staring. They might not take kindly to that."

By now it was getting late, so they said their goodnights and all went to bed, lest they wake up late the next morning.

AN: So this chapter is slightly longer than previous chapters, and I hope they stay long.So, I tallied up the poll results and *drumroll* B WINS!!! Now, I know this has been done in like EVERY other FMA/HP crossover, but I hope the variables I threw in this story make it different and interesting. I also might do more of these in the future if the opportunity comes up.Well, until next time! :)(It's definitely not weird to listen to Christmas music in October, right?)