I didn't mention this in the last chapter, but Ed's sharing a bedroom with the twins. Just because.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

"So you've really been studying alchemy all your life?" Hermione asked. They were eating dinner in the kitchen, and Ed had just told some story about transmuting the bathroom door shut on Al after a fight; he'd been caught right away and forced to apologize to his brother, even though he'd been the one with a bloody nose and a headache.

"For most of it, yeah," Ed replied. "Since we could read, at least."

"Do they have schools for alchemy there?"

Ed shrugged. "I doubt it. Most people don't really understand alchemy until they're a lot older, and they usually find some person who'll teach them. That's what we did, at least."

"Really? What was your teacher like?"

Ed and Al exchanged glances. "Strict," Al said carefully. "And kind of harsh."

"Kind of?" Ed repeated incredulously.

"Okay, really harsh," Al corrected. "But she really knew what she was doing. We learned more from her than we ever could have on our own."

"How did you find out you could do it, then? From what I've heard, it's rather difficult to perform alchemy by accident like kids do with magic."

"We just read books we had at home on it," Al explained. "It wasn't all that hard."

"Mom freaked out when she found out, though," Ed said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, she was stunned. She said if other alchemists found out, it'd be a mockery of their efforts."

"Of course it would be, if a couple of kids could understand it when most adults have trouble with it," Sirius interjected. "Your dad showed me a beginner's alchemy book once, and it all went over my head."

"I'd be interested in learning more about it," Hermione remarked.

Ed didn't miss the look that Harry and Ron exchanged. Neither did Hermione, apparently, judging by what she said next.

"Oh, come on, you two. It could be useful."

"Yeah, I can just think how trapping Professor Umbridge in a bathroom would make the whole day better," Ron said dreamily. Harry snorted.

"Well, if you're done eating, why don't you help decorate the place for Christmas?" Sirius asked. "There's plenty to be done, still."

The three magical teenagers agreed, and since there was nothing else Ed and Al could think of doing, they agreed to it as well, even though Ed had no idea what Sirius was talking about.

"What'd you get me for Christmas?" Ron asked Hermione as they put stuff up on the walls of the living room. Harry and Al were out in the hall with Sirius.

"As if I'm telling you," Hermione replied. "You can just wait and find out later. That reminds me, though, this is your first wizarding Christmas, isn't it, Ed?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Ed said uncomfortably. "Considering I'd never heard of it before this morning."

"What?! You've never heard of Christmas?" Ron exclaimed.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" Ed snapped. "It doesn't exist back in Amestris."

"Well, that would make sense, actually," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I can't believe I didn't think about that. Of course you wouldn't have the same holidays as us."

"Yeah, good point," Ed said. "What exactly is Christmas, though?"

"Well, it's basically a day where everyone gives gifts to their friends and family, and then they usually spend time together with these people, and there are decorations and feasts and parties and all sorts of things like that. Traditional Christmas colors are red and green, and it's always on December 25th. There's more to it than that, but that's how we'll be celebrating it so that's all you really need to know for now."

Ed nodded. "Sounds like fun. I didn't realize I'd be here for something like that, though."

"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem. I doubt anyone's expecting you to follow our customs right away."

"Hey, maybe you could get rid of that awful picture of Sirius's mum as a gift to him," Ron suggested.

"I don't think I could do that if it's stuck on there with magic," Ed said. "But it is a good idea…"

Any further speculation, however, was cut off by a loud crack. Ed, to his dismay, was the only one who was startled by the sudden appearance of the twins, and he didn't even get a chance to recover when they turned on him.

"We heard your brother decided to stay behind," Fred began.

"Yeah, we decided it'd be easier to just avoid any questions about him," Ed said as he got to his feet.

"That's a shame," George added. "How will anybody find you without him?"

"…What did you just say?" Ed asked.

"On the other hand, maybe it's better for him to be on his own. That way he'd be too small a target for Umbridge or any of the Slytherins," Fred countered.

"Why, you–"

"But then wouldn't that make it more difficult for us?" George asked. "We'd have to shout at him and hope he's tall enough to hear us!"

"Maybe we can get a big magnet and use that to find him," Fred suggested, cutting off Ed's next attempt at a protest.

"Good idea. I don't think Filch has banned those yet…"

"Will you stop calling me short?" Ed snapped.

"Why, Eddie, what makes you think we're calling you short? You're so short-sighted."

"Sh– why, you–"

"And such a short temper, too! You'll have to watch that when we get to school."

Ed was saved from any more of this by a loud crash from the hallway, followed by the typical screams of Mrs. Black. All five of them went outside to see what had happened – evidently something had been knocked over in the hall, because Harry was putting it back up while Sirius and Al forced the curtains over the portrait closed.

"Well, Eddie, if it's any consolation, at least you're taller than Professor Flitwick," Fred said as he and George went downstairs to help out.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

The next days passed more quickly than Ed thought they would, and he found himself being rudely awakened on Christmas morning, though this wasn't a drastic change from how he usually woke up in this place. He sat up with some effort and was about to get out of bed when he noticed something at his feet.

"You've got presents, Eddiekins!" Fred exclaimed.

"Why?" Ed asked, not quite awake enough to comprehend the situation.

"Because it's Christmas and people seem to like you. Open the one on top first. That's from us."

Ed frowned and took the package. The twins busied themselves with presents of their own, only stopping when Ed asked what the stuff in the little box he'd opened was supposed to be.

"This, my little friend, is a sample box," Fred explained. "Of some of our wares. We're in the process of starting up a joke shop, you see, and these are some of the products we've perfected."

"Just make sure you read the instructions we put in there. We wouldn't want you to accidentally kill yourself."

"…Are these things lethal?"

"Not if you have access to a wizard hospital," George said fairly. "But we're assuming you don't have one of those back in your country."

"Not that I know of."

"In that case, make sure you follow the instructions carefully."

Ed took a look at what was inside, reading the instructions and wondering when he'd ever need to start puking his guts out. Of course, now that he was secretly disobeying the military, getting sick on purpose would probably come in handy…

"Thanks," he said, closing the box and putting it in his suitcase.

"You're welcome."

He turned back to the other two packages, and opened a rather lumpy one to reveal a red scarf.

"That would be from our mum," George said. "I suppose she wants to make you feel welcome here."

"She's probably going to try to do something about your hair next."

"What's wrong with my hair?" Ed asked, putting the scarf next to his coat. It matched perfectly.

"It's much too long," Fred said in an imitation of Mrs. Weasley. "That's just not proper for a young man such as yourself."

"Funny, the military doesn't seem to care," Ed muttered as he reached for the last one. He pulled the paper off what he soon saw was a small book. Since there was no title, he opened it and found himself staring at a picture of his parents.

"You know, it's funny, Harry looks exactly like his dad except for his eyes, and you look exactly like your dad except for–"

"If you say it I will transmute you to the wall," Ed growled. The picture was taped to the book's first page, and underneath was a note.

We found a few pictures of your family around here. I know you don't care much about your dad, but I thought you'd at least like to see more of your mum. There are a couple more pictures in here. The rest of the book is about how alchemy works in this world.

-Sirius

Ed stared at the first picture for a while. Something about seeing his mom smiling and moving around, even if it was just in a small photo, was overwhelming. When he finally brought himself to look away, he noticed that the twins were looking thoughtfully at him.

"You're awfully serious for your age," George remarked. "You haven't forgotten how to be a kid, have you?"

"Huh? I'm not exactly a kid anymore, you know,"

"'Course you are. You're younger than us, and we've only just come of age."

"Well, it's not like I can just do whatever I want anymore," Ed said as he braided his hair. "The military's so corrupt that doing what's right is illegal half the time."

"Well, this sounds familiar," Fred commented. "I suppose you'll know how to behave around Professor Umbridge, then."

"Sounds wonderful," Ed muttered.

"Come on, Mum's probably got breakfast ready now."

Ed pulled on some clothes and followed the twins downstairs, half-listening to them as they talked about previous Christmas mornings and how there wouldn't be one with the whole family for a while.

"Wait, you mean there's more people in your family?" Ed asked.

"Of course. There's Bill, he works at the bank…"

"Charlie, he's studying dragons in Romania…"

"And then there's Percy the Prat. He works for the ministry, but he's disowned himself from the family."

"Why?" Ed asked.

"Well, he reckons Harry's either lost it or trying to help Dumbledore overthrow the Ministry," Fred explained.

"And since the rest of us believe Harry, he thinks we're going to destroy his reputation if he's friendly with us."

"So now Mom cries whenever anyone mentions him and Dad acts like he doesn't exist. We've thought about sending him a Howler, but it would probably get Dad in trouble somehow."

"What's a howler?" Ed asked.

"It's a letter that screams at you when you open it," Fred answered.

"And if you don't open it, it'll burst into flames and scream at you anyway."

"They're embarrassing to get at school, since everyone gets their mail at breakfast when the Great Hall's full."

"I remember when Ron got one his second year. His ears went so red I thought blood was going to start gushing out of them."

They opened the door to the kitchen and went in, just in time to see Mrs. Weasley begin to cry.

"What is it?" Fred asked, moving up to his mother with some concern.

"I-It's P-Percy, h-he's sent back his j-jumper a-and didn't even w-write a note," Mrs. Weasley answered, pointing to the parcel she'd just dropped on the table.

"Oh, Mum, you don't need to cry about that…" Fred said in an attempt to comfort his mother.

"Yeah, Percy's nothing but a humongous pile of rat droppings anyway–"

Mrs. Weasley cried even harder. Lupin, who had been reading the paper at the kitchen table, stood and walked around to her. "He'll come around, Molly…"

"Well, I think we've done all we can," Fred muttered as he and George backed away towards the door, where Ed was still standing. "Come on, let's go warn the others."

"Meet you up in Ron's room," George said to Ed before he and Fred disappeared with a crack.

The shock at seeing them do this wore off within seconds, since Ed had seen it several times by now, and he immediately left the room and walked up the stairs to Harry and Ron's room. He opened the door just as Fred and George arrived.

The rest of the morning was decent enough. Ed met one more of the Weasley family when Bill arrived, and when he saw the way Mrs. Weasley kept looking at her son's hair, Ed felt grateful that he wasn't exactly close to anyone here. He liked his hair.

"Well, it's about time to head to the hospital," Mrs. Weasley said after they had eaten. Ed was going to go with them – Mr. Weasley wanted to be sure to meet him before they left for school, and Ed was intrigued by the idea of a wizard's hospital. "Make sure you dress warm."

"And make sure you don't do anything stupid," Al added. Ed shot him a death glare before heading upstairs to get his coat and – partially to humor Mrs. Weasley – his new scarf. They left not long after that, Ed experiencing yet another aspect of magic that he wasn't used to – things that were bigger on the outside than the inside. Even worse was when they arrived at the hospital. Walking through glass and finding yourself in a completely different place was unpleasant on so many levels. However, he quickly forgot his dislike for things that didn't make sense, because the place he'd just entered looked much more festive than anything Ed had ever seen. He had to admit that magic made things better in cases like these.

He stayed towards the back as they walked through the hospital to the ward where Mr. Weasley was staying. It was only when Mrs. Weasley ushered him up to the front that Ed was forced to stop being an observer and actually talk to people.

"So you're Edward!" Mr. Weasley said brightly. "How are you adjusting so far?"

"Fine, I guess," Ed replied.

"You'll be fine," Mr. Weasley said airily as he began to open Harry's gift.

Ed shrugged. He'd been told that before, and even though it was against his will, he was seeing the truth in it more and more each day. He watched in silence as Mrs. Weasley began interrogating her husband, and decided that he'd follow the others when things got a bit out of hand.

All in all, the trip went well. Ed met another student at the hospital, though the circumstances weren't all that great, and he was in a decent mood when he went to bed that night.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

The next week or so was a strange one. Sirius wasn't in the best of moods, but according to Harry, it wasn't as bad as it had been over the summer. Harry thought it was because Sirius would have some company for a while, and Ed had to agree. Al was much more interesting to talk to than that old house elf.

Harry didn't want to go back to school, and from what he'd told Ed, he had every reason not to. The night before they were going to head back, Ed saw Professor Snape for the first time, and this was the first moment when he realized just how little Harry had been exaggerating.

"You mean you've got to have extra lessons with Snape?" Ron asked incredulously that night. "That sounds horrible!"

"School's going to be a nightmare," Harry muttered. "How am I going to learn anything if I've got to be with Snape?"

"Maybe having him in your head will be so awful that you'll learn faster just to get him out," Ed suggested.

"That wasn't very funny, Ed," Harry said.

"I wasn't trying to be funny. It's like what my teacher used to do."

"What did she do?"

"…Never mind," Ed said with a shudder.

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad."

"You say that now, but if you ever meet her…"

Harry and Ron exchanged confused glances. "What's wrong with you, Ed? You're acting just like Neville does when he talks about Snape."

"Well, she was definitely a good teacher," Ed said. "It's just that she's a little intimidating at times."

"So, you're terrified of her?" Harry said.

"…So, how are we getting there tomorrow?" Ed asked.

"You are terrified of her!" Ron exclaimed. "And I thought you wouldn't be easy to scare!"

"I'm not."

Crack.

"Augh!"

"Oh, come on, Eddie, I thought you would be used to that by now," George said, pulling Ed up by the arm.

"I thought so too," Ed muttered.

"So, are you ready for your very first day?" Fred asked. "I've heard transfer students have to pass a test before they can get in."

"Good thing I'm just a visiting student, then," Ed said indifferently.

"Speaking of which, how long will you be staying?"

"I dunno," Ed replied. "I've gotta get back home soon, though."

"Hopefully Umbridge doesn't give you any trouble," Ron said.

"Even if she does, I've dealt with plenty of military officials who've been too nosy for their own good," Ed said. "I've gotten pretty good at lying over the years."

"Let's hope she doesn't catch you at it," Harry said, showing Ed the back of his hand.

"Eh, I'll just tell her what she wants to hear," Ed muttered.

"What, you're going to tell her that you think I'm a nutter?" Harry asked testily.

"I wasn't planning on being so blunt about it, but yeah," Ed replied. "My commanding officer always gets friendly with people he hates at first. He says it makes doing something terrible to them sting even more in the end."

That comment got a laugh. They spent the rest of the evening discussing the various ways Ed could do major damage to Umbridge's pride just before he left, and that evening, Ed spent his few minutes lying bed before he fell asleep wondering what this woman was really like. His gut feeling was that nobody here was lying to him about anything, but he'd grown up in a world where gut feelings hardly meant anything. He hoped it was different here.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

The next day started out miserably. Ed practically had to be dragged downstairs by his brother, and he braided his hair in the entrance hall, watching curiously as Sirius handed Harry something. He said his own farewells to his brother, Sirius, and the Weasley parents a moment later, and followed everyone outside, watching in amazement as Tonks flagged down a bus that came out of nowhere.

The bus ride was the worst part of the day. The only upside was that he wasn't alone in this sentiment. In fact, everyone seemed to hate riding on this crazy bus, but Ed had to admit, it got you to where you needed to go. He spent a couple of minutes recuperating as they got off, only listening half-heartedly as Lupin gave him a final warning about keeping quiet about his country. When he finally regained his wits, he couldn't help but be a little amazed at what he was seeing in front of him.

"And here I thought you were exaggerating about the size," Ed muttered to Harry as they entered the grounds. A stern-looking woman was standing at the front steps, and she looked directly at their group as they approached, or more specifically, straight at Ed.

"Edward Elric, I presume?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Ed replied. He felt this woman deserved his respect.

"I am Professor McGonagall. The Headmaster asked me to take you to his office immediately."

"All right," Ed said, and he said "see you later" to the others before following Professor McGonagall inside the castle. Almost everything he saw was fascinating and disturbingly magical as they made their way to Dumbledore's office. Eventually he gave up on looking at everything and decided to ask McGonagall something.

"So… what are you a professor of?"

"Transfiguration," McGonagall replied. "I understand your background knowledge in magic is limited to your country's alchemy, is it not?"

"To be frank, I had no idea that magic really existed," Ed said wryly. "We consider alchemy to be a science back home."

"I am aware of that, and Professor Dumbledore has told me that this is indeed the case with your alchemy. However, you will find that you are in the minority in that area."

"I had a feeling that would be the case."

They had arrived at a gargoyle statue, and McGonagall said some nonsense word that Ed didn't bother paying attention to. Moments later, Ed found himself face-to-face with Dumbledore once again.

"Well, I see you made it here in one piece," Dumbledore said as Ed sat down.

"For now, at least," Ed replied.

"Have you adjusted well so far?"

"Well, I haven't lost it yet, so I'd say so."

Dumbledore smiled. "I seem to remember your father having the same reaction when he first came here. Now, then, to business. I need to have you try on this hat."

Ed didn't know what he'd expected, but it hadn't been that. He took the frayed, dirty hat and placed it on his head, giving Dumbledore a confused look that turned into shock as the hat started talking in his ear.

"Hmm, quite a challenge here. You've got the brains for Ravenclaw, but you've got the courage that rivals even the bravest of Gryffindors… Yes, you're certainly a challenge… you could even fit into Slytherin, you are quite cunning…"

What the hell is this thing talking about? Ed wondered, and he flinched when the hat replied.

"Why, I'm trying to find what House you should be placed in. Yes, yes, I think you'd do well in Gryffindor, I can see you're not afraid to make sacrifices for those you care about… Takes a lot of courage, that… Yes, Gryffindor it is, Professor."

That last part was said aloud, and Ed pulled the hat off as soon as he was allowed to. "What exactly was that about?" he asked.

"That was to see which House you should stay in while you're here. It won't matter too much, since your stay will be short, but I thought we ought to do the thing properly," Dumbledore replied. "Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys are all in Gryffindor as well, so it will be easier for you to adjust, I think."

Ed nodded blankly. He'd just had a hat tell him about his personality, and all he wanted was to get away from it.

"I won't keep you long," Dumbledore said brightly. "I just wanted to make sure you know a few of our most important rules, and I think your schedule ought to be the same as Harry's for the sake of simplicity. You might also find that he finds some of the classes here as strange as you do."

Ed wasn't sure what he meant by that, but it didn't matter. He supposed he'd find out soon enough. He listened to the various school rules, and was about to leave when Dumbledore called him back.

"I nearly forgot – Sirius Black is on the run from the law, so do not mention him to anyone besides those you met at his house. His codename is Snuffles, I believe."

"Right."

"I would also like to say that I'm glad to see you here, and that I wish your circumstances had permitted you to come in the first place."

Ed felt a pang of guilt at that. "Me, too," he said after a moment.

"Would you be willing to teach a class on your alchemy?"

"Sure," Ed replied.

"Good. We will meet later on to discuss that. For now, though, I suggest you head to Gryffindor tower. Professor McGonagall will take you there."

"All right."

"See you later, Edward."

Ed turned the doorknob with some relief. "See you."

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

"Well? What did Dumbledore have to say?" Harry asked as soon as Ed had sat on the bed that had been added to the fifth year boys' dorm for him.

"I had to put on some crazy talking hat that said I was going to go to Gryffindor, and then he told me a bunch of rules, warned me not to talk about Snuffles in public, and told me I'd be in the classes you're in so I don't get horribly lost," Ed replied. "Then he said he was glad I finally got my ass over here."

"Why'd he want you to come, anyway?" Ron asked. "You said your alchemy was more like science than magic, so how'd you get accepted?"

"Beats me," Ed replied. "I guess alchemy's enough like magic for it to work or something. By the way," he continued, turning to Harry as he spoke. "What'd Sirius give you?"

"I dunno, I haven't opened it yet," Harry replied. "But I'm not using whatever it is. I don't want to make him leave his house because of me."

"Who says he will? Besides, it's not like knowing what it is will do any damage."

"He's got a point, Harry," Ron said. "And what if it's some way of communicating with him?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Harry said, and he pulled the package out from his trunk and opened it. Within the package were a note and a mirror.

"What's the note say?" Ron asked.

"He says it's a kind of mirror that you can talk through," Harry replied. "He says that he and my dad used them all the time when they were in detention."

"And Umbridge can't watch over it?"

"If she could, he wouldn't have given it to me, would he?" Harry replied. "I wonder if it works…" And, after glancing at the door, Harry looked at the mirror and said clearly, "Sirius Black."

There was a moment in which nothing happened, but then Sirius's face appeared in the mirror, and he was grinning.

"I see you've opened it," he said to Harry. "How was your trip?"

"Horrible," all three boys replied, but Ed noticed that Harry was grinning.

"Well, at least you all survived."

"Yeah, though I think Ed wouldn't have if we'd been on there much longer," Harry said with a grin. Ed replied to that with a half-playful shove.

"Anyone giving you any trouble, Ed?"

"Not yet," Ed replied. "But I've only met one person I didn't already know."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Professor McGonagall."

"Yeah, she's nice enough if you stay on her good side," Sirius said. "All you have to do is keep out of trouble and do as you're told."

"Yeah, she doesn't ask for much," Ron said sarcastically.

"Wait a sec, I think I hear footsteps," Ed said, looking up at the doorway.

"I'd better be going, then," Sirius said. "Be careful, Harry. Don't use this unless you have to, all right?"

"Yeah, sure," Harry replied. "Bye, Sirius."

Sirius disappeared then, and Harry put the mirror in his trunk just as the door opened and two boys entered. One was dark skinned, and the other Ed recognized from the hospital.

"Oh, hi," Neville said. "So you're in Gryffindor, then?"

"Yeah," Ed replied.

"Who's this?" the other boy asked.

"He's a visiting student," Ron said. "He's an alchemist. Ed, this is Dean Thomas. He's in our year, too."

"I'm Edward Elric," Ed said, shaking Dean's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ed," Dean said. "How was your break, you two? Everything work out all right?"

"Yeah, everything's fine now," Ron replied.

"Great. Well, I'm going down to dinner. How about you guys?"

"Sounds good to me," Ron said.

"Me too," Harry agreed. "How about you, Ed?"

"Sure."

"Is that what you're wearing?" Neville asked, looking at Ed's coat.

"Yeah. It's kind of a typical alchemist's uniform, so they thought it'd be appropriate," Ed lied.

"Really?" Neville asked.

"No, but I'm probably the only alchemist from where I'm from you'll ever meet, so it doesn't really matter, does it?" Ed asked with a grin.

Everyone laughed at that.

"Besides, the symbol on my back is one that a lot of alchemists use, so I think it's appropriate," Ed continued as they walked down the stairs to the common room.

He got a lot of stares wherever they went, although, as Harry reminded him as they entered the Great Hall, some of them were meant for Harry. Ed felt some sympathy for him as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. Being infamous was downright horrible at times.

"I wonder if Dumbledore's going to announce that you're staying with us," Ron said.

"Why would he?" Ed asked.

"Well, the only time we've ever had guest students was last year, when we had the Triwizard Tournament. They didn't take our classes, though."

"That's just since we've been here, though," Hermione pointed out. "But I still don't see why he wouldn't. People are bound to be curious about you."

All of a sudden, Ed felt a bit conspicuous with his red coat in this sea of black. He felt even more conspicuous when Dumbledore stood, got the entire school's attention, and announced that they would have an exchange student in their midst for a week or two.

"Well, it saves the trouble of explaining who you are to everyone," George said from across the table. "D'you know what classes you're in?"

"He's with us," Ron said.

"Ah. I thought Dumbledore might have put you in with the first years, so you didn't stick out as much."

"Eh?"

"Well, I don't suppose you'd technically be sticking out, you'd just make everyone wonder whether you're old enough to be a fifth year," Fred explained. "Well, we've got some business to attend to, so we'll see you later." And with that, the twins left, leaving Ed staring numbly at their retreating backs.

"You know, they might have left you alone if your height didn't bother you so much," Ron remarked.

"You saying there's something wrong with my height?" Ed snapped.

"Not really. It's just the fact that it bothers you when someone calls you small. If you acted like you didn't care, it wouldn't be so much fun to tease you about it."

Ed didn't respond to that, because he'd noticed that someone was staring at him from the staff table. Said someone was short, wide, and toad-like in appearance. Ed suppressed a shudder and turned to Harry.

"Is that Umbridge?" he asked, gesturing to the woman.

"Yeah. She'll probably try to corner you soon," Harry replied.

"Lovely."

They finished eating a few minutes later, and headed up to the dorms for the night. Harry had said that Mondays were the worst days in his schedule, so at least Ed knew for sure that he would experience something unusual…

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

Well, now, Ed remembered the mirror! What changes could this possibly bring? Anywho, Ed made it to Hogwarts, so things'll pick up from here on out. I was going to do more on the hospital visit, but then I decided that I really didn't want to drag this chapter out any longer, so I didn't.

I love doing Ed/Twin dialogue. So many opportunities to do short puns!