Author's note: Once again, several parts of this chapter are as they are at the end of OotP, verbatim. I can only reiterate that I do not own HP or FMA, and therefore only retain rights to claim the authoring of this fic, beyond the excerpts taken from both the canon works, and my own original characters. And I warn you now- the PoV can and will change abruptly and with out warning. Follow along…
Chapter 2: Enter the Flame Alchemist
What Edward didn't see…
When Edward ran out of the lower atrium he never looked back… which is why he missed the archway once again blaze with light, this time bright red. And he didn't see the looks on the wizards' faces as yet another body fell out of the veiled archway. By now they had rounded up all the Death Eaters in the department, had them restrained and were about to run to find Harry. But the sudden appearance of yet another stranger brought them up to the dais to investigate.
Unlike the other, this one had a shirt on, and had short black hair and a pale complexion. He had fallen forward out of the archway and was currently trying to push himself up. As they neared he looked up at them with dark sapphire eyes.
"You there! Who are you?" asked Mad-Eye as they approached. Lupin could hear the man trying to say something but it was barely audible. He bent down to hear him better.
"Edo - Edo-kun… Where is Edward?"
'Edward?' thought Lupin, confused. Then he remembered the short blonde kid that had been the first to appear.
"A short blonde kid? Hair down his back?"
The dark haired man gave a soft chuckle at the description. "Yes, the very short blonde guy…"
"Wait- that was a boy?" asked Tonks in confusion.
"He was attacked when he came out of the archway. He and one of our own went in pursuit of the attacker," said Lupin.
A transformation came over the tired man when he heard that Edward had been attacked- a furious frown took over his features and his glare intensified. Several Order members took a couple steps back.
"Was he injured?" the man asked in a dark voice as he began to stand.
"No, but- sir! You are the one injured!" said Lupin as he saw the deep gash carved through the man's left shoulder. It looked as if someone had tried to carve a path straight to his heart!
"Where is he now?" he asked as he began to walk forward.
"I'm not absolutely sure. But I must find them myself so would you care to accompany me?" asked an old man with a long white beard who stepped up beside him. Roy nodded and quickly followed behind him. He didn't know who these people were, but right now he didn't care- as long as Edward was alright.
"It would be quicker if we just apparated. Do you know how?" asked the old man.
Roy shook his head and the old man set a hand on his good shoulder. "Then I will transport you myself. This may feel a little strange-"
Suddenly Roy felt as if all the particles in his being were shattered by a soundless blast. But just as quickly as it came it was gone, leaving the two men standing in a different place than where they had been and Roy wondering if he had felt anything after all.
The sound of curses drew the two of them to another large atrium with a golden statue in the centre. And standing in the middle of the room was a woman and two short figures- one raven and one golden haired.
Roy was just about to call out to Edward when the woman lifted a strange stick and aimed it at the raven haired boy.
"Crucio!" she yelled with the stick pointing straight out.
Roy was stunned to see light form as the tip and shoot out toward the boy. But he was horrified to see Edward run out between the boy and the light, his auto-mail arm outstretched as if to catch it. Whatever that light was, Roy knew it wasn't good and he didn't want it to touch his Edward…
'Wait- my Edward? Where did that come from?' a small voice at the back of his mind inquired.
Roy was about to yell out at Edward but his cry died on his lips as the light struck the automail—
But nothing happened.
"How-? Who-? What are you?!" cried the woman in mad confusion.
Edward straightened and held himself with poise as he spoke in a strong voice-
"I am Major Edward Elric… the Full Metal Alchemist!"
Roy was momentarily stunned to hear the strength and pride in Edward's voice as he gave his rank and title. As far as Roy had ever known, Edward had always been a begrudging 'dog of the military.' He had never heard Fullmetal take pride in his military credentials. Roy felt something inside him lurch, but it couldn't be…
"An alchemist, eh? Interesting…" said a cold voice from the front of he atrium, the person hid from view by the golden statues at the centre.
There was a pause, and when the hidden person spoke again, it trembled in rage. "What have you done, Potter?!"
"Master?" inquired the confused woman.
"I see it in his mind… You idiots have allowed Potter to destroy the prophesy… you have failed me!"
"Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus Black!" sobbed the groveling woman, throwing herself down at her master's feet, beyond Roy's line of sight.
"Be quiet, Bella," said the man dangerously. "I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your sniveling apologies?"
'Whoa, wait… did he just say 'Ministry of Magic'?' thought Roy in disbelief. And by the look on Edward's face, a similar thought was crossing his.
"But Master- he is here- he is below-"
But apparently he paid her no attention. For the next thing he said was directed toward the raven headed boy who must have been Potter.
"I have nothing more to say to you, Potter," he said quietly. "You have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Simultaneously it seemed, the old man next to Roy waved one of the strange stick-like artifacts towards the statues and Edward clapped his hand and hit the floor, transmuting yet another wall to protect him and the Potter boy.
Feeling relatively sure that Fullmetal would take care of himself and Potter he turned his attention toward the rest of the room. The statues were now moving in different directions, each with a specified order. And with the statues gone, Roy could get a full look at the man beyond.
But when he saw him, he had to amend himself- creature would be a better word for him. He looked like some demonic mixture between a snake and a man. There may have at one time been humanity in those features, but no more.
"What-?" the Snakeman said, staring around. His eyes lighted on the old man next to Roy and he breathed, "Dumbledore!"
'So that's what the old man's name is,' thought Roy.
As Snakeman said this both Potter and Edward turned to look. But while Potter was looking at Dumbledore, Edward was staring slack jawed at Roy.
"Roy…" said Edward, shocked. How did the Colonel end up here?
"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," said Dumbledore, walking forward into the room. "The Aurors are on their way-"
"By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!" spat Snakeman as he sent a beam of green light towards Dumbledore, which he side stepped.
Roy made his way towards the boys. Potter seemed to finally take notice of him while Edward hadn't taken his eyes off him.
"Colonel- How did you get here?" asked Ed as Roy neared.
But Roy didn't get a chance to answer. From the corner of his eye he saw the woman, Bella, escape from the statue that had been pinning her to the ground. As soon as she was free she raised her stick-thingy, ready to shoot another blast of dangerous light in their direction. Roy walked forward and stood between Bella and the boys.
"If you know what's good for you you'll stand aside now!" she growled.
"Roy-" he heard Edward say hesitantly.
Roy's glare merely intensified at the woman's threat. Slowly he pulled his hands out of his pockets, and on one of them was a white glove with a red symbol on the back.
"Oh shit," said Edward, grabbing Potter and throwing he and himself behind one of the transmuted walls.
"No one threatens Fullmetal besides me," Roy said in a dangerous whisper which none the less carried out across the room, sending an involuntary shudder down Bella's spine. Seeing it, Roy gave her a hateful grin.
"Cold? I can help you with that…"
Snap
Even Dumbledore and Snakeman stopped their duel to watch as flames erupted wildly, circling like a tornado around a figure at the centre. Screams echoed through the atrium as Bella experience what felt like the Flames of Hell. From behind the wall Harry watched in horror, while Ed merely watched in cold indifference.
Finally the flames subsided, leaving clouds of smoke in its wake.
"Is she…" said Harry, half afraid and half hopeful of the answer.
"No. The colonel had control of it. But she's never going to look the same again, and there will be massive nerve damage…" said Ed.
"How could he do that? How…?" said Harry, gazing out to where Bella was, revulsion evident on his face.
"Rules of war, it was her or us. He restrained himself- he could have killed her," said Ed.
"You and yours don't seek to kill us, Dumbledore?" called Snakeman, his scarlet eyes narrowed above a strange shield. "Above such brutality, are you?"
"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk toward Snakeman as though he had not a fear in the world, as though nothing had happened to interrupt his stroll up the hall. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit-"
"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" snarled Snakeman.
'Tell that to a homunculus,' thought Ed.
"You are quite wrong," said Dumbledore, still closing in upon Snakeman and speaking as lightly as though they were discussing the matter over drinks. "Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things worse than death has always been your greatest weakness-"
Another jet of green light flew from behind the silver shield. This time it was a one-armed centaur statue, galloping in front of Dumbledore, that took the blast and shattered into a hundred pieces.
He and Snakeman bandied a few more jets of light about before suddenly Snakeman vanished.
"Where did he go?" asked Ed in confusion.
There was a burst of flame in midair above Dumbledore just as Snakeman reappeared, standing in the middle of the pool where so recently the five statues had stood.
Ed looked up at the burst of flame above Dumbledore and called out to Roy, "Hey colonel! What are you doing?"
"It's not me," Roy called back, watching.
At the same time Harry yelled, "Look out!"
But even as he shouted, one more jet of Snakeman's green light had flown at Dumbledore and a massive snake that seemed to appear out of no where attacked-
A bird, the most beautiful either man had ever seen, swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened its beak wide, and swallowed the jet of green light whole. He burst into flame and fell to the floor, small, wrinkled, flightless, yet still alive. At the same moment, Dumbledore brandished his stick-thingy in one, long, fluid movement- the snake flew high into the air and vanished in a wisp of dark smoke, and the water in the pool rose up and covered Snake man like a cocoon of molten glass-
For a few seconds Snakeman was visible only as a dark, rippling, faceless figure, shimmering and indistinct upon the plinth, clearly struggling to throw off the suffocating mass-
Then he was gone, and the water fell with a crash back into its pool, slopping wildly over the sides, drenching the polished floor.
Sure it was over, Harry made to run out from behind his protective wall, but Dumbledore bellowed, "Stay where you are, Harry!"
Roy noticed that for the first time Dumbledore sounded frightened. As far as he could see Snakeman was no where to be seen-
Then from behind him he heard Potter start screaming bloody murder, as if he were being ripped apart. And as he turned and stared, his mouth hung open on its hinges.
Harry stood with first clenched so tightly Roy was afraid the boy was about to bring blood. But what really shocked him was when Harry opened his eyes- they were blood red. And then he spoke-
"Kill me now, Dumbledore…"
Both Roy and Ed stood transfixed by the sight. What was he saying?!
"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy…"
"It's not Potter," said Ed. "That man is inside of Potter. But how…?"
"Possession," said Roy quietly.
Suddenly an unearthly wail emitted from Potter as what appeared to be some evil cloud left his body and coalesced back into the Snakeman's form. Potter collapsed face first into the stone floor, nearly unconscious.
At the same time flames began erupting from fireplaces around the room and people started streaming out of them into the room, taking in the scene. When they caught sight of the Snakeman, some fainted on the spot, many froze in abject terror, and others whipped out more of the stick-thingies and ran forward. Everywhere there were cries of 'It's him! It's You-Know-Who!' 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!'
"Voldemort!" yelled Dumbledore, striding forward, rage burning in his eyes.
'Voldemort' growled and ran towards where Bella lay amidst ashes.
"Hell no you don't!" yelled Ed, clapping his hands and slapping them to the floor.
Blue light flashed, momentarily blinding those around. When it cleared, they were left gawking.
A stone dome encased the fallen Bella while in front of it sat the largest cannon they had ever seen. Ed flipped up onto the cannon and grabbed hold of the firing chain with an evil smirk.
Voldemort it appeared was in a state of shock. In fact, later many people said they even thought his mouth had hung open for a whole 30 seconds before he realized it.
And by then it was too late.
Ed grabbed the firing chain…
BOOM!!!
Just as Edward was about to pull the chain flames erupted out of the air and destroyed the cannon. Once again everyone stared in shock, even Voldemort.
"Colonel! What the hell are you doing?!"
"You Fullmetal idiot! This isn't the Parade Grounds!"
"No shit genius! It's a battle!"
"No, it's you trying to show off! Stop trying to over compensate, chibi!"
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME SHORT?!"
Ed launched himself at the colonel from atop the rubble which was all that was left from his cannon. He landed and tackled the man, his arms flailing wildly in an attempt to land a punch.
Voldemort gave his head a shake to clear it, seemed to give up on Bella as a lost cause, gave the strangers one final confused look and disapparated.
As soon as he was gone everyone sprung back to animation. Dumbledore rushed over to check on Harry.
"Are you alright, Harry?"
"Yes," said Harry, shaking so violently he could not hold his head up properly. "Yeah, I'm- where's Voldemort, where- what happened to Ed, and that guy- who are all these- what's-"
The atrium was streaming with people running here and there trying to make heads and tails of what they had just seen. And in the middle of it all Roy and Ed continued to fight. At the moment Ed was flinging his arms aggressively towards the colonel who merely held the pint sized alchemist at arms length by holding his head in place.
"Ergh!!! Let me go you filthy, womanizing bastard!"
"My, my… language Fullmetal, language… there are ladies nearby… including yourself!"
"What?!!!"
Roy was laughing at the look on the short alchemist's face until he found himself flipped over the muscular midget's back onto the ground, rolled over and pinned with his arms behind his back. In another setting and time he may have enjoyed it. But knowing there were several watching eyes… it was rather embarrassing.
"Fullmetal! As your commanding officer I demand you release me!"
"Look around you, Roy! This isn't Amestris! Whatever authority you had over me is null and void now! For all we know we'll never see Central again, so why should I care any more about rank here than I did there?!"
'Oh shit, he's right,' thought Roy as he saw one of his biggest playing cards fly out the figurative window.
"Err… fine, just get off me you twit!" growled Roy as menacingly as he could with his face ground into the floor.
"Fine," said Fullmetal with a last slap to the back of his ex-CO's head. The colonel growled darkly as he stood up, massaging his sore and wounded shoulders.
"Sir! I saw him! He was right there before he disapparated!"
"I know Williamson, I know, I saw him too!" gibbered a man wearing pajamas under a pinstriped cloak who was gasping as though he had just run miles. If anyone could be described as a 'duffer' in Ed's book, this guy was it.
"Merlin's beard—here—here! In the Ministry of Magic! Great heavens above—It doesn't seem possible-"
"Better believe it," said Ed with his arms crossed. With ever word 'Duffer' said he liked him less and less.
"If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, apparently satisfied that Harry was all right, and walking forward so that the new comers realized he was there for the first time, "you will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them"
"And there's one extra-crispy bitch contained in that stone dome over there I can serve up to you when you're ready," said Ed with an evil smirk.
"Dumbledore!" gasped Cornelius, apparently beside himself with amazement. "You- here- I- I-"
He looked wildly around at the others he had brought with him, and it could not have been clearer that he was in half a mind to cry, "Seize him!"
"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men- and win again!" said Dumbledore in a thunderous voice. "But a few minutes ago you saw proof, with you own eyes, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong men for twelve months, it is time you listen to sense!"
'Damn, and I thought our government was bad,' thought Roy. 'Wait, our government was that bad… no scratch that, it was worse… theirs may be run by idiots, but at least it isn't run by soulless, homicidal, half-humans bent on mass destruction and content with genocide.'
"I- don't- well-" blustered Cornelius, looking around as though hoping somebody was going to tell him what to do.
Ed obliged him, "This is where you order your men to apprehend the suspects, give the good guys a hand shake and a pat on the back and a promise of a promotion or a pay raise and demand a report on all that happened ASAP while attempting to take credit for it yourself."
"Very well- Dawlish! Williamson! Go down to the Department of Mysteries and see… Dumbledore, you- you will need to tell me exactly- the Fountain of Magical Brethren- what happened?" he added in a kind of whimper, staring around at the floor, where the remains of the statues of the man, woman, and centaur now lay scattered. Then he turned towards Roy and Ed and threw up his hands, "And who are they?!"
"We can discuss that after I have sent Harry back to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.
"Harry- Harry Potter?"
'How does Duffer know Potter? There must be something larger going on here,' thought Ed. A glance shared with Roy told him they were on the same wavelength.
"I shall explain everything," repeated Dumbledore, "when Harry is back at school."
While Dumbledore wandered off to take care of the business with Harry and Duffer, Roy and Ed walked over towards the dome and the wreckage that was the cannon. Remembering he and Roy's brawl, Ed's eye brow twitched.
Several men and women in large robes stood around the structure, prodding it with their 'magical' sticks.
"Need some help there?" asked Ed smartly as they approached.
"This is- This is fantastic!" said one particularly enthusiastic guy with thick glasses.
"Why?" asked the colonel, earning him another glare from Ed.
"It's a perfect dome made from the materials of the floor, but there is some variables that I'm not seeing… it's as if the composition of the ground mutated…"
"It may be an effect of the transmutation process. When you rearrange particles, occasionally the composition is slightly inconsistent. And since I was going for a quick job, I didn't pay that much attention to the details of the chemical and material breakdown and reconstruction…"
"Wait- you're telling me you did this?" asked the man with a wide-eyed expression. "How is that possible? Well, you must be pretty talented for a twelve year old…"
"WHO SAID I WAS SO SMALL I COULD BE CONFUSED WITH AN INFANTILE CHIBI MONKEY?!!!"
"Calm down, Fullmetal, you're giving me a headache …" said Roy, rubbing his head with his good arm. It was then that Ed noticed the massive gash on Roy's left shoulder.
"My god, Roy… what happened?" he gasped as he moved quickly over to his side, inspecting the wound.
"It's nothing, just a little souvenir from our dear ex-Fuhrer," said Roy, trying to move away so Ed couldn't look too close.
"Little my ass! You're still bleeding! Did he try to cut your heart out or what? Wait, don't answer that right now... Damn it, I must have pulled the wound back open when I tackled you! Why didn't you tell me you idiot?!" Ed would have slapped Roy if he hadn't felt so bad already about re-opening the wound earlier. So instead he contented himself with chastising and mothering Roy like a mother hen.
Both were too involved in their squabbling to notice the strange looks they were receiving from the ministry officials around them. Had they not just seen those two fighting tooth and nail? Now they were bickering like an old married couple?!
"I don't give a shit, we are finding you an infirmary now!" said Ed, looking around as if he half expected to see one pop out of a wall.
"Sirs, if you would kindly come with me I will take you to someone who will transport you to the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts where there is an excellent healer who can mend you up in no time," said Dumbledore as he approached.
"Wait! We need to get to the woman you mentioned under the dome!" called the man with thick glasses.
Edward wordlessly clapped his hands and placed them on the dome. In a flash of blue light the rock dome exploded into thousands of petals that floated harmlessly to the floor all around the room.
"Wow…" said many voices around the room as the watched the petals slowly fall from the ceiling.
"There's the woman," said Ed as he turned back to walk protectively next to Roy as they searched out their ride.
"By Merlin! It's Bellatrix Lestrange! But look at those burns!"
"What a waste…"
They were walking to the back of the room and were just coming up on a man that Ed recognized from down below when he saw Roy falling back right next to him.
"Roy?" asked Ed turning towards him just in time to see him falling, his eyes closed. He had passed out.
"Roy!" yelled Ed, grabbing hold of him, supporting him to keep him from falling to the floor.
Dumbledore turned back in time to see the young boy catch the man as he fainted. He had lost too much blood- if they didn't get him to Hogwarts soon they may loose him.
But what shocked him were the emotions he could feel flickering through the boy's mind. Even though he had just witnessed a violent brawl between the two of them, and though there was certainly large amounts of annoyance and even some resentment, overall- especially at the moment- there were overflowing emotions raging from protectiveness to- well, let's just say that innocent infatuation just didn't quite cover it.
But Dumbledore put these thoughts away as he and Lupin stepped forward to help support the injured man's weight.
"We need to go now, before we lose him!" said Lupin, pulling the man's good arm around his neck, holding him up easily. Thank Merlin for werewolf strength.
"I just made this portkey, it will take you directly to the hospital wing. Normally I would say that it wasn't good to use a portkey while he was so injured, but we have little choice," said Dumbledore. "I will come see you all when I am done speaking with Harry."
Lupin nodded and grabbed a hold of the golden hand from one of the broken statues and laid one of Roy's hands limply over it. He then motioned for Ed to also put his hand on, and he did so, but with much skepticism.
"Three… two… one…" he counted, looking at his watch.
Then Ed felt a tug under his navel and his feet leave the ground.
A/N AS OF 01-07-07: I realized much after the writing of this chapter that Roy would not in fact have had his gloves according to the last episode of the series. However, I am incredibly lazy, and unless you want me to spend all my time trying to fix that mistake as opposed to figuring out my next chapters, hopefully you'll forgive me on this. Once again, lets just say that that bit of the series was changed and Roy did in fact have a pair of working gloves on him. xx;