"Hello, sir." Ed saluted in military fashion, realized what he had done, then put down his upraised arm embarrassedly.

"So, you've been in the military? Well, that is...interesting. Fawkes tells me that you are strong. Not many can keep a phoenix's gaze. He is quite impressed."

"So the bird- it's a phoenix? I thought they were just make-believe, fairy tales told to children to make them behave," Ed said, puzzled.

"Ah, yes, very perceptive, Mr. Elric, but witches and wizards are also fairytales, are they not? Yet, here you are, talking to one. Some things don't make sense, they just are. You would do well to learn that. I know you are a man of science, but while you stay here at this school, science doesn't exist. Magic is our way of life, as well as our life itself. Well, enough on that subject. I do not want to keep you here too long, for the feast today will be a grand one, but I suggest you keep out of trouble for the remainder of the day, as well as your stay here. I need to head down now. Would you care to join me? Professor McGonagall has gone ahead, to keep the students under control." Dumbledore stated, already halfway through the door.

Ed gazed at the old wizard with raw admiration. He called me a man! He followed Dumbledore back down, and into the hallway once more. "So, Fawkes is impressed with me? Does he talk to you?"

"Hmmm. He talks to me just as you talked to him," Dumbledore said with a sly smile on his face, "Now, go sit at the Gryffindor table, and watch the Sorting. After the Feast, I want you to come back to my office. Bring Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Tell no one else about this. I suggest you keep your age a secret as well. If anyone asks, you are an exchange student from Albania."

"Yes sir. I will see you then," Ed said, going toward the table with red and gold tablecloth. Harry had told him all about the different Houses on the train ride.

When he got to the table, Ed got a lot of curious stares. He sat down by Harry, and a girl he didn't know. As he sat down, he bumped into the girl, and said, "Excuse me."

"Hello. I haven't seen you around before. My names Lavender, what's yours?" the girl asked, flirting. Harry and Ron started cracking up in their pumpkin juice. Hermione just looked on with defiant indifference. She was trying very hard to keep a straight face.

"Shut up, you two!" Ed yelled at Harry and Ron, which made Hermione lose all self-control. She started giggling loudly, while Ed just steamed over. "Hehe. My name is Edward Elric, but you can call me Ed. My friends are being real jerks right now, and they should cut it out," Ed said, directing parts of the sentence to the still-giggling trio.

The voices died down a bit as a trembling group of terrified children walked into the Hall. The First-years were here.

"Hey, the Sorting is going to start. Ed, you're going to enjoy this! This is where the new kids get sorted into their Houses. Oh, here's the Sorting Hat now!" Someone, another teacher Ed concluded, brought out an old, leather hat on an ancient wooden stool. They both looked ridiculously aged, though they were still in good condition. Suddenly, the rim of the hat ripped open, and it began to sing. It recited a long poem about many things that Ed didn't know about.

The Gate has opened yet again,

So find the power held within,

To send a lonely boy back home,

Where he with love is free to roam,

Ed gasped as he heard one of the stanzas. It was about him! The hat had mentioned the Gate. He looked around to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a similar state. They knew about him wanting to go home, so obviously, they had made the connection, too. I'll bet Dumbledore knows, Ed thought, as the Hat finished its song.

One by one, the frightened kids were sorted into Houses. All the new members were greeted heartily by the others. Ed clapped, but his mind was still on the Hat, and its song. Why had it sung about him? Was it destiny?

Again, Izumi came to mind. Ed smiled fondly as he remembered her. She always used to say 'One is all and all is one', he thought, I can't believe we didn't know what that meant! It was so simple. The world is the all, and I am the one. But she also used to say that there is no such thing as destiny, that people create their future from the choices they make.

"ATTENTION!" demanded a voice coming from the Teachers' Table. It was Dumbledore. "For you First-Years, the rules are..." he stated some regulations that everyone had to follow. Ed listened intently, remembering that Dumbledore had told him to stay out of trouble. Then, "This year, we will not be holding the Quidditch Cup." Roars of disappointment filled the Great Hall. "Instead, we will be hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament!" Roars were suddenly quieted as the students contemplated what he had said.

"What the heck is he talking about?" Ed asked quietly to Harry.

"I don't know. I was raised by muggles, so I've never heard of it either," Harry replied.

"Will you two just shut up and listen!" Hermione cried. Dumbledore was speaking again.

"Now for those of you who do not know, the Tri-Wizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint hearted, but more of that later. For now please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of magic and their headmistress Madam Maxime." The Hall exploded with applause as a group of girls walked in through the Main Entrance. They were dancing, bowing, and absolutely stunning to look at. All the boys were entranced, and the Hogwarts girls were looking at the drooling males with utter disgust.

"Ron! Harry! Edward! Snap out of it!" Hermione yelled, worried that they might do something really stupid. But before that could happen, the girls sat down at a table that had magically appeared at the far end of the Hall, and the boys were 'free' from the spell.

"Holy shit, who were they?" Ed said, coming out of his trance. Then, guiltily, thought about Winry. "On second thought, never mind," he said, grimacing.

"I wish they could stay here forever..." Ron said, still not completely back to normal. Hermione slapped him, shaking the glazed-over look in his eyes.

"What the hell was that for!?!"

"For acting like a complete fool, that's why!" Hermione rebuked stubbornly.

Ed burst out laughing, "Reminds me of a certain girl who used to keep me in check as well! Ron and Hermione sitting in a tree, K-I..." He stopped as soon as he saw the murderous look in Hermione's face. "Hey, cool down! Don't take it so seriously!" But it was too late. Hermione poured down every bit of her pumpkin juice into Ed's shirt, making the once-white fabric a dull orange color.

Now it was Harry's turn to laugh. Actually, the whole Gryffindor Table had seen and heard what had happened. They all started laughing so hard that many choked on their cups of juice. Lavender was staring, unbelievingly, at Ed, who was completely soaked. Harry was laughing his head off; Hermione was sitting sullenly, a big frown on her face; Ron was tending to the cheek Hermione had slapped; Ed was trying unsuccessfully to dry off with a few dozen napkins, hastily borrowed from his neighbors. All the while, Dumbledore had once again begun to speak, but all Ed caught was the last word.

"...Durmstrang!"

The Main doors opened yet again, and a group of solemn, robust young men walked in. They had staffs in their hands, and were doing a routine where they smashed the staffs to the ground, making a shower of flames appear. They were singing some kind of war song, which made them seem almost barbaric.

"Oh my god! It's Viktor Krum!!" Ron gasped. He was looking at a boy who had just walked in, followed by an older man. His sturdy build and unibrow made him look like a bear to Ed. Or, maybe it's the furs they're all wearing, Ed thought afterwards.

"Now, remember that these people you see before you are our guests! Treat them with respect. As for the Tournament, the most inportant thing for you to remember is the age limit. No one under the age of 17 will be allowed to put their name in the Goblet of Fire, a magical object that will chose the Champions for each of our three schools. It will be brought out tomorrow, where students will have the chace to put in slips of paper with their names and school on them. I, myself, will be drawing the age line, so don't even think about trying to get in if you are underaged. I've kept you waiting long enough for your meals. Let the Feast BEGIN!"

Ed gasped, tears coming to his eyes with joy. What Dumbledore had said was important, but Ed was too hungry to think about the Tournament. FOOD!! Wonderful, joyous food! , he thought as he saw all the dishes and platters that had magically appeared in front of him. He loaded his plate with every single dish, and started stuffing himself as if he had never eaten in his life. Ron and Harry looked at him, and then went back to their own plates, uninterested. It was quite normal for a boy to stuff his face. Hermione, on the other hand, was entirely disgusted.

"Boys!" she said, sickened by Ed's eating habits. She looked away, making retching noises. The rest of the evening went by pretty uneventfully, until a lone figure appeared at the side entrance to the hall. There stood an old man, his face disfigured completely disfigured by pockmarks and scars. One of his eyes turned freely within its socket, and had a mechanical quality to it. Ed stares, unabashedly, with food still in his mouth, which was beginning to slowly open.

"What happened to that guy? Was he eaten, and then thrown back up, or something?" Ed asked, totally revolted.

"That's Mad-Eye Moody," Ron replied, unconcerned, "My dad works with him sometimes. He's an Auror, or a person who deals with magical criminals. He single-handedly caught like nine Death-Eaters." Ed nodded; Harry had told him about the Death-Eaters on the train.

"Ah, Alastor! I was wondering when you would show up. Students, LISTEN! This is your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Alastor Moody. He has kindly accepted the spot, since our last professor could not come back this year. Please welcome him!"

The hall resounded with half-hearted clapping. Many of the students knew Moody's reputation for being, to put it simply, insane. He sat down, his magical eye swiveling every which way. It fixed on Harry, and then slowly turned to face Ed.

Ed's eyes narrowed. This was almost like what Fawkes had done to him, yet it felt strange. Something was wrong. He exhaled quickly, and turned away with an arrogant gesture. He could still feel the Eye on him, but it turned away after a minute. "There's something really strange about him," he said, voicing his thoughts. Moody had reminded him of Pride, the Homunculus back in his own world. The all-seeing eye...

"He's not that bad, Ed, honest," Ron said, a bit unsurely.

"Yeah, maybe it's just his eye. It really creeps me out, you know? Whatever. Guys, finish up. Right after the feast is over, we need to go to Dumbledore's Office."

"Why?"

"Equivalent Exchange, remember."