A/N: Yes, I know, it's been an incredibly long time since I've updated. The excuse being: school is a bitch. It's currently :30 in the evening right now, and I have a shitload of homework due tomorrow, so I'm probably going to pulling an all-nighter. I meant to have the Sorting in this chapter, but I figured it could wait until later. (Likely Christmas break, sorry.)

A few minutes previously...

When Ed had dragged him a reasonable distance away from the compartment, Ling spoke up. "I know what you're going to say-"

"Fuck Truth," Ed snarled.

"And how well has that worked out for you so far?" Ling asked.

"I'll find another way," said Ed stubbornly, "There's always another way. I got my brother back, didn't I?"

"Which worked spendidly, temporarily. And now we're stuck here, with one feasible way of getting home."

"Fuck that, he's just a kid! I won't just kill an innocent kid! I can't!" Ed's voice had risen and the pair were getting curious looks from other passengers, making Ling sincerely grateful that Ed had switched back to Amestrian.

"And what about your family? Your kids? What about my people? We have responsibilities that neither of us can ignore."

"I told you, I'll find another way! Could you just murder a kid, a kid who's just a bit over half our age? A kid who has done nothing wrong except to survive? Huh?" The front of Ling's shirt was clenched in Ed's automail fist.

Ling hesitated, then looked away. Could he take a human being's life, just like that? "I don't know," he admitted.

They were interrupted by a red-haired boy who looked about seventeen. He had a silver badge on his robes and a puffed-up bearing to go with it. "Excuse me, but fighting is not allowed, so you two had best settle down. Also, we're getting close to Hogsmeade, so it would be a good idea to change."

Suddenly, the train shuddered to a stop, and the lights went out. Ed swore as he was nearly lost his balance.

"And watch your language!" snapped the red-head. "What house are you in?"

"House? Don't have house," muttered Ed, as he pushed past the boy. "I'll go get our robes," he said to Ling, leaving the red-head sputtering indignantly.

Ling was next to be confronted. "'Don't have a house,' what did he mean by that?"

Ling held up his hands in a nonconfrontational gesture. "We're new here. We're not from England, and the trip here didn't really agree with either of us. Excuse me," Ling disengaged himself in order to follow Ed at a distance. The train was getting colder, and he had a really bad feeling that something nasty might be coming aboard. His fears were confirmed when Ed went into the compartment, and he was granted an unobstructed view of a shrouded, floating, thing gliding down the hall. He flattened himself aginst the wall in an attempt to avoid being noticed by it, but luckily the thing was more intent on opening a compartment door. 'Ed's compartment,' he thought with horror, and he started sprinting down the hall. But he stopped when he realized that he was no longer on the train. He was at the entrance of the Amestrian Military HQ, on his knees, Fuu bleeding out in front of him, why won't someone help him?

Darkness overtook him...

... And he woke on the floor of another compartment with four boys and one girl staring at him. One of the boys had a pointed face and platinum blonde hair, another was darked skinned and bald. The other two boys were sitting on either side of the blonde and had the look of bodyguards, or maybe gorillas. The girl was thin and had black hair. All of them looked about the same age as Potter and Co. Ling attempted to sit up, but the sudden pounding in his head convinced him that would be a bad idea. He started to ask a question, realized by the confused looks that he was speaking Xingese, and repeated himself in Xerxesian, or 'English' as the locals called it. "What just happened? And what was that... that thing in the cloak?"

The blonde spoke up first. "You passed out right outside out compartment. Blaise here dragged you in." The touch of a sneer in the boy's voice as he gestured to Blaise told Ling all he needed to know about him. Arrogance, of the type which was ingrained from an early age, and a disregard for those he considered beneath him; Ling had met hundreds like him. Somehow he doubted that this boy would have even opened the door for him had Blaise not been there.

"It was a dementor, wasn't it?" the girl asked, "that thing on the train, I mean."

"What's a dementor?" Ling asked. "I'm from Israel, I don't think we have them there," he said in response to the blonde's raised eyebrow.

Blaise shuddered, "You're lucky then. Horrid creatures, dementors. They suck out all your happiness and make you relive your worst memories."

"That would explain things." Ed's seen much worse things than I have, is he alright?

"What's your name, anyway?" asked the blonde.

"Ling Yao, your's?"

"I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ling didn't recognize the name, but he could tell that the kid expected him to, so he played along. "I believe my father knew a Malfoy. It's an honor to meet you."

Ego apparently sated, Malfoy continued. "That's Pansy," he said, gesturing to the girl, "This is Crabbe and Goyle," he motioned to to the Gorillas on either side of him, "And as you already know, that's Blaise."

"What are you doing with a muggle weapon, anyway?" asked Pansy.

What the hell is a muggle? "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"She means your sword," said Malfoy, "Why do you have it? It's very primitive compared to a wand."

Ling shrugged. "Habit mostly. It's a bit of a family tradition. And it's good to have options in a fight. Your opponent might be prepared to block a spell, are they prepared to block steel?"

"That... actually makes sense," Blaise admitted. Malfoy scowled at him.

":Ling, where are you?:"

Ling heard Ed calling his name and scrambled up, just barely managing to keep himself from blacking out from the head rush. He stuck his head out of the compartment and saw Ed, holding a bundle of robes with his crow perched on his shoulder, along with the professor from the other compartment. "Ed, over here!"

Ed rushed over, causing Miles to lose his balance. The crow cawed indignantly and flapped away to find a perch on the steadier-moving professor.

"You alright?" Ed asked.

Shouldn't I be asking him that question? "I'll be fine. Did you pass out too?"

Ed nodded. He was looking very pale.

The professor handed Ling a piece of what looked and smelled like chocolate. "Eat that, you'll feel better. I need to go have a word with the conductor." As he left, Miles hopped onto Ed's head.

"I don't know if he's crazy or brilliant, but I like him," said Ed. "Seriously, you'll feel better, that chocolate's not poisoned."

Ling bit into it and instantly he felt as if he had just taken a warm bubble bath.

"So who are these guys?" asked Ed, gesturing to the five kids in the compartment.

Ling turned to the others. "This is Edward Elric, he's a friend of mine from Tel Aviv. Ed, this is Draco Malfoy, :arrogant, probably harmless, but has powerful family:, Crabbe and Goyle, :dumb muscle:, Pansy, :seems like a ditz, but could be faking:, and Blaise, :seems decent:."

Ed nodded to the group. "Good to meet you, but we ought to get going."

As they left, Ling asked Ed, ":So did anyone else pass out that you know of?:"

":Apparently Potter passed out, but I didn't see it.:" He shook his head, his face a study in long-repressed pain coming back suddenly fresh. ":I thought I was done with the nightmares.:"

":...I'm sorry.:"

":Don't be, it's not your fault.:" Ed drew himself up, and the pain on his face retreated behind that cheerful stoic mask that Ling had seen so many times. ":We're going to get home, I'll make sure of it.:" He held up the wand-disc strapped to his hand, ":Whatever power they have here, alchemy, magic, whatever, we're going to use it. Nobody is going to die.:"

Ling wished that he could be so optimistic.

A/N: I already know which house I'm going to put Ling in, but I'm a little unsure about Ed. Reviews pleeeeeeeeaaaase?