A/n- this ch. uses a topic I had from another fic that's a cross between fma and Artemis Fowl. I haven't posted it, but holler if you're interested and I'll work on that. The topic is Transportation Circles and the name of the guy is from the second fma game. The game uses transportation circles as well. The idea was cool, so I borrowed it. I own only the game, not the idea or the rights to it.

Chapter 19- Scry For A Way

That night, Edward tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep with the knowledge that he was a hair's breath away from his destination. Finally, after two hours of restlessness, he sat up and gathered his wand, journal, and pencil and made his way down to the now empty common room. He settled down in front of the fireplace and tried to recall a time where he was reading a particular interesting book. However, he remembered being bored.

A younger version of himself appeared, holding a thick, leather-bound book. It was odd watching himself; he still hadn't gotten used to it.

"Transportation Circles by Arlen…damn. I can't read his last name…" the fifteen-year-old Ed cursed.

In the real world, Ed jotted this information down, waiting hungrily for more. His younger self opened the book and began reading. Ed read over his shoulders, taking notes when he deemed necessary; it was a good thing he'd gotten faster at reading these past years, or else he wouldn't have been able to keep up.

Edward waited until he had completely exhausted himself before breaking the connection, to the point where beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and into his eyes. He had spent nearly half an hour in his past and had covered chapter one on how to transport objects and people with alchemy. This time when he went to bed, he was able to fall asleep immediately.

Before he did, he returned his things to their places and smiled to himself as he reviewed the day in his mind. 'Soon,' he thought, 'Soon I'll be ready.'

He rose late the next morning, as it was Saturday, and collected his things so he could go straight to the library after breakfast. There he picked up where he left off, resting from time to time, but all in all wearing himself out before stopping.

This pattern repeated until Sunday night, when he suddenly realized he'd neglected to do his homework. It was past midnight when he dragged his weary body to bed.

This new process of gathering information by means of scrying was slow and tedious. By the time Ed had finished the book, nearly two weeks had passed, in which his academic life took a severe drop. Many of the teachers confronted him about his various nap sessions during class and the messy and sometimes incomplete homework assignments. He could do nothing but apologize and make excuses for his behavior, leaving the truth only for his father.

Harry approached him two days after he had finished, finding his friend sleeping on the notes he had been rereading and analyzing. He nudged Ed awake, concern flitting through his thoughts.

"You okay, mate?" he asked once Ed was up.

"Yeah, I've just been…working a lot lately," Edward replied, wiping the fatigue from his eyes, "So, what's up?"

"People have been asking me about starting up the DA again. It's a club that teaches and practices Defense Against the Dark Arts. I wanted to know if you'd join," Harry explained.

"Don't we have a class for that?" Ed pointed out.

"Well, no offense, but…your dad sort of sucks at teaching."

"He's not exactly an expert on magic," Ed defended.

"I know, but it's still important for us to learn. It's not entirely your dad's fault either; we've only had a decent teacher once in the six years we've taken the class. Compared to other years, we're still beginners."

A minute passed in which Harry waited for an answer and Ed stared into empty space, millions of thoughts coinciding with each other, getting him lost within them; most of them didn't even concern the matter at hand. Finally, he spoke up.

"Thanks, but magic's not for me. Learning it would only be a w—"

"I was hoping you could teach us Alchemy!" Harry blurted, "If you wouldn't mind."

"Sorry, but…I do mind. Trying to teach magicians the concept of equivalent exchange would only frustrate everyone, including me. Why would you want to learn anyway? With magic you can—"

"I know; magic can go against your law. But…we can only duel from a distance. Once we loose our wand in a battle, we're like helpless Muggles. With Voldemort back and gaining power, he's bound to try attacking Hogwarts, the one place he could never touch. Succeeding would ensure his rule; that's why I need every advantage I can get."

"You're planning on fighting him?" Edward asked in disbelief, remembering all the stuff he'd heard and read about the Dark Lord, "Are you insane!"

"Yeah, probably," Harry replied, "But I'm the only one who can beat him. It's what my prophecy says."

"Prophecy," the alchemist stated skeptically, "You believe in that crap?"

"I dunno…but the important part is that Voldemort does. Last year he tried to use me to get to the prophecy, but it didn't work…" he stopped for a moment as a particular heartache returned, before taking a deep breath and continuing," My godfather died because I walked straight into the trap he set for me."

"What happened?" Ed asked, curiosity and sympathy at the forefront of his mind.

"He fell through the Veil…there's no way out," Harry replied solemnly.

"I'll teach you alchemy," Ed decided after a moment, "And anyone who wants to learn in this club of yours."

"This isn't pity for telling you my sob story, is it?" Harry teased.

"Nah, it's equivalent exchange for giving me important information."

"Important…how so?" Harry asked in confusion.

"This Veil of yours sounds very interesting—very much like the Gate," replied Ed, flashing a mysterious grin.

"Right," Harry agreed in good humor, "Equivalent exchange."

Edward nodded and returned his attention to his notes, feeling as if the conversation was over. However, Harry stayed, watching his friend slip into the world of science. A few minutes passed, in which the boy-who-lived struggled with his curiosity, but in the end it eventually won.

"So…what is that?" he finally asked.

"Notes on how to transport things with alchemy," Ed supplied.

"Is that what you've been doing?" Harry inquired, "I mean…you've been so exhausted lately…do you think it'll work? Can you really transport yourself home?"

"No," Ed's answer was blunt, "Without something equivalent to my life, the Gate will not let me through."

"You need the Philosopher's Stone," Harry concluded.

"It would make things much easier," Ed admitted, "But I'm not even sure I can transport things outside this world, let alone myself."

"What will you do then?"

"Try and send my journal to Al," Ed supplied, "If it works, countless questions that keep circulating in my mind will be answered. If it doesn't work…I'll loose my only lead, as well as a lot of valuable and even dangerous information that could end up in anyone's hands, either good or evil. If I fail…Al will never know I survived…"

His last words hung in the air, creating an extreme gloom around the two. Harry could hear the plea in his friend's voice, the one that hoped endlessly for a positive turnout. It was so deafening it caused his mind to think desperately for a way to help; he found one.

"There's a simple spell that can copy your journal. I could do it, if you like," he offered, the panic in him ceasing as Ed immediately brightened.

"That'd be perfect," he replied appreciatively.

Minutes later, the spell was done and now two identical journals lay side by side on the table.

"Thanks," Edward said, knowing he was welcome from the smile he received, "So…about this club…when's the first meeting?"

"Tomorrow night," Harry answered firmly, "The idea was to start as soon as possible, for obvious reasons…"

"Because I'll be leaving soon," Ed clarified.

"Yeah."

A/n- just to clarify, this fic takes place in the sixth book. There were a few times in the beginning I where I might have made an error, because at first it was going to be the fifth. Gomen nasai, kudasai. (excuse me, please) The spell Harry uses is made up, which is why I didn't provide an incantation. But I figured the spell had to exist from the simplicity of it.