A/n- the brief memory I added in was just a little scenario that suddenly popped into my head. Lol. I almost wrote pooped. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. I no own nothing.

Chapter 16- Day of the Dead

Excitement flitted through the halls of Hogwarts the next morning as anticipation for the festivities rose with the sun. This grew as more students witnessed the decorum throughout the school and especially in the Great Hall where they broke the fast.

Edward had never seen anything like it. He didn't know how the school could transform so dramatically overnight, from empty halls to masses of candles, pumpkins, and even randomly distributed candy dishes. In Amestris, for as far back as he could remember anyway, he had never celebrated Halloween to such an extent. Hallows Eve for the Elric and Rockbell households had been a morsel of chocolate and a plunge into a barrel of water in the hope of capturing an apple.

Other than that, all he could recall was one year when his mother had purchased pumpkins form a neighbor and they had sat around the table, trying to figure out how to carve a jack-o-lantern. Finally, his younger self had gotten frustrated and had used alchemy to produce the perfect pumpkin. Trisha Elric had been delighted, but Al had seemed a little jealous. That is, until he copied his brother's work to a close comparison, the only difference being that Al had made his into a cat.

Ed smiled at the fond memory as he finished his breakfast, thinking of how much his brother would enjoy the little gray kitten still curled up on his bed a few floors above him. 'It would be nice to take him along when I go home,' he thought, 'but then I suppose I'd have to change his name.' He tried to think of something that would suffice, but nothing came to mind. Therefore, he shrugged away the dilemma and left for his first class.

The day was sourly drawn out; the teachers tried desperately to keep the attention of their students, but each knew it was useless when they themselves thought of the events to come. Some teachers, like Hoenheim, had given in to this fact and granted their students a quiet recess; for Hoenheim, this excluded one student.

"Mr. Elric, may I see you in my office, please," he announced at the end of his instructions, "You've missed another detention."

It was meant as a subtle alibi, but the class took the Professor's last statement as a cruel act to humiliate his so-called 'least favorite student'. However, this did not stop most of them from sniggering into their books.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced up at Ed with concern in their eyes, but he shrugged the matter off to assure them it wasn't a big deal. Even so, the three couldn't help feeling as if Ed's blithe attitude was a cause of underestimating the Professor.

Only when the door to the office was tightly closed and the family of two was seated across from each other did Hoenheim's face fall in worry.

"Are you faring well, Edward? I haven't heard from you," the old man asked.

"I'll admit I've been a bit busy…" Ed replied guiltily.

"Are you getting any closer?"

"Hardly, unless you can count every eliminated book."

The sarcasm in Ed's voice revealed his frustration and unknowingly caused his fist to clench.

"Have patience, son, we'll find the answers to our questions yet," Hoenheim consoled.

"Have you found anything then?" Edward asked; he received a sad shake of the head.

Sighing, the familiar depression that drew in a wave of fatigue settled in and suddenly the weight on Ed's shoulders seemed heavier.

"What I don't get," he stated, "is why I don't already know this information. I mean, the Gate showed me the truths and secrets of the world, right? So, why not the stuff I need? It just…doesn't seem like equivalent exchange…"

"Magic doesn't seem to follow equivalent exchange, and yet it surrounds us," his father pointed out.

"That might not be true…I'm beginning to believe there is something balancing out the use of magic. Something…intangible…" Edward disagreed.

"Be that as it may, equivalent exchange is becoming harder to see clearly. Then again…perhaps the Gate took back the information you need now as retribution for letting you pass through it instead of dying," his father mused.

"Maybe…" Ed trailed off, lost in uncertainty.

"Anyway, I'm supposed to be giving you another detention date. Are you planning on attending the festivities tonight?"

"I guess, for a while at least," Edward replied.

"Then how about tonight at ten? Hopefully the party will be somewhat over by then and this will throw any suspicions out the window," Hoenheim explained.

"All right then, but if I'm having a good time, I won't show," Ed declared waywardly.

"In that case, I will hope for you not to come," his father responded with a warm smile.

Putting on an angry scowl in order to play his part, Ed returned to his desk, immediately gaining the attention of his friends, who were anxious to know what had occurred.

"I can't believe it. That old geezer gave me detention tonight," he told them in fake rage, "he's enjoying this; I know it!"

"Blimey, that sucks," Ron stated, pity in his words.

"That's okay; I don't intend on going," Ed declared.

"What do you mean? Of course you're going! The Professor may not have taken away points yet, but he's bound to start and you don't want that on your conscience!"

"Hermione, I really don't care."

"Well, you should! As a member of this house, you represent Godric Gryffindor!"

"Whatever…anyway, I don't think the Professor cares about points either; he just enjoys wasting all my time," Ed pointed out.

"I'm still not taking any chances that will land Slytherin the house cup, even if I have to personally escort you tonight!" Hermione exclaimed hotly.

"If you insist," Ed replied, trying not to laugh at her overreaction.