Disclaimer: I do not own HP or FMA, nor am I making any money from this publication; all rights go to their respective owners.

Chapter 4

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Kingsley Shacklebolt, an official of the Ministry of Magic and member of the Order of the Phoenix, raffled through his paperwork, working at his desk in the Ministry's Auror Wing. Looking at the documents, he couldn't help but feel worried. The world's current state of affairs were strained; very strained. The situation with Voldemort's return and the chaos it was just starting to cause. . . Things were deteriorating much faster then he had expected. It was worrisome.

He looked up when he heard his office door open and was surprised when Moody walked in, his wooden leg clicking on the tile floor.

"Ah, Moody. What do I owe the pleasuse of this unexpected visit?" his deep voice cutting through the late afternoon quiet. He replaced the documents into its proper folder and placed it on the large stack at his elbow.

"I'm glad I caught you, Shacklebolt." Moody said, quietly closing the door behind him and then casting an anti-eavesdropping charm on it. "Thought you might have already left."

He shuffled forward, his magical eye sweeping around the room. It was moving so fast, it made Kingsley feel slightly dizzy just looking at it.

"I was just finishing up some paperwork before I left," he said, waving at his stack of folders. "Did something happen? Do you need my assistance?" Kingsley motioned Mad-Eye to take one of the chairs in front of his desk and waved his wand at the documents. They rose, ready to re-file themselves into their proper place.

"A moment with those, Kingsley," Moody said, his magical eye staring at the bewitched folders.

"Hmm? You see something of interest?" Kingsley waved his wand again and the folders changed direction and landed on the desk in a neat stack in front of Moody. Moody reached out, took the top document and opened it, both of his eyes focused as he quickly looked through the folder. Mad-Eye sighed, which sounded half-way between a growl and a grunt, and closed the folder, his eyes focusing on Kingsley.

"Actually, Shacklebolt, this is what I came to talk to you about," Moody said holding the document up.

Kingsley took the document from Moody's scared hand, curious, and flipped through it. "Ah, yes. The disappearances. Those are quiet unnerving as there doesn't seem to be a pattern in who is taken. However," he said looking Moody, "this matter is nothing new; people are disappearing everyday. Why would this matter warrant you coming down here to the Ministry?" he said, curious, "Did you find out something?"

"Kingsley, as I do usually stay home in my retirement from the Minstry, I won't toast you for that comment," Moody said, waving his wand threateningly, his voice gravely.

Kingsley, confused, opened his mouth to apologize, but Moody continued, motioning him to be quiet. Kingsley's mouth clicked shut. "My ten year old newphew was taken last night." Moody said this in a very quiet voice and Kingsley was shocked to see tears gather at the corners of Alastor Moody's eyes. Alastor paused, clearing his vioce roughly, and pulled out his hip flask and took a large swig. "I went to look for him when my sister informed me he had gone missing, but I couldn't find a trace of him, and with this ol' leg of mine," Moody said, tapping his wooden leg, "I can't move around as well as I would like. And let's face it, I'm not getting any younger. I am no longer able to roam and search the world when I need to, though that does not mean I am a useless old man." He said fiercely, pointing a finger in Kingsley's face. "I want you to locate him for me and I will do the rest. Just find him for me." He took a deep breath, "Please."

Kingsley was shocked. Moody coming to him for help? It was almost too strange to be real; however, with the world in the state it was--Dumbledore dead, Voldemort revived--it was hardly impossible. He opened his mouth to reply and jumped when he heard a large crash. Moody also jumped, but he quickly got up and motioned Kingsley to follow behind him. Kingsley pulled his wand out and crept behind Mad-Eye to the door. Moody looked at Kingsley, nooded, and then yanked open the office door, wand raised and ready.

In the hallway, there was a tangled mess of two bodies; one with blond locks and the other with pink. Tonks lifted her head and tried to disentangle herself from a blond haired boy. Edward cursed, and roughly shoved Tonks off of him and stood, brushing his coat off.

"Hey!" Tonks said, standing up, too, "That wasn't very nice!"

"Well, if you want to be treated nice, then you shouldn't drag people to places they don't want to go!" Edward was so close his nose was almost touching Tonks'.

"I guess I deserved it, if you look at it that way. . . Anyway, we made it." Tonks said, stretching, a small smile on her face. She then noticed the two men standing in the office doorway, their jaws currently residing on the floor as they stared at the unusual pair. "Kingsley, Moody, I didn't see you over there! What are you standing over ther for? Come here, come here," she said, waving.

The two men, polar opposites, one black and young, the other white and old, were both wearing the same expression: shock and bewilderment. How had Tonks appeared? The Ministry Offices were magically sealed against apparating and portkey, only allowing travel by Floo! And even that was restricted to include only the main offices!

Edward, no longer feeling distracted by the annoying woman at his left, felt his own jaw drop when he took in his surroundings.

Edward's eyes widened with shock. Where the hell was he? This wasn't possible; it was mathematical impossibility. It was not feasible for somebody to in be in a wood one second and end up in a building the next. Things like that just did not happen. The universe followed certain rules and those rules could not be broken. Edward lived by those rules and he had bled because of those rules.

Edward quickly took a calming breath to steady his erratic nerves. He couldn't break down here, not in front of these strange people, whoever--or whatever--they were. He was an Elric and the Fullmetal Alchemist to boot. He could not break down in the face of the unknown. He wouldn't; he refused to let it hinder him.

Edward cleared his face of all emotions and turned to the odd group. He couldn't quiet pull off a smile though; his muscles jerked spasmodically when he tried. Apparently, this was getting too weird for even him to disregard. Anger, suddenly enveloped him at the unpleasant thought.

The trio jumped when they saw Edward's face. That scowl would've frightened anybody, even a deatheater. Edward quickly reined in his emotions, schooling his face into an emotionless mask. Edward coolly raised an eyebrow, his features once more under control, at least for the moment, though he had to take a double take when his eyes feel on the incredibly scared man in front of him. The man look like he had been through a meat grinder and then had had the misfortune of having experimental medical treatment, if the abnormally large eye was anything to go by.

Edward's eyes almost bulged when the thing turned inward before it began roaming the hall, rolling around in its socket. He was grateful when Tonks started talking to the two men again. To be perfectly honest, he didn't think he could take much more strangeness before he totally lost it.

Edward jumped when he felt someone grab his elbow, pulling him forward into the room previously occupied by the two men. He glared at the silly woman, affronted.

"Would you stop doing that," he hissed, yanking his arm free. "I can move by myself!"

Tonks laughed, the sound bright and pure. "Why of course I'll stop, but not if you need it. You were looking quiet spacey there for a minute. I thought you needed a guiding hand in order to not run into any walls or doors or desks or…"

The idiotic woman continued to prattle on and Edward quit listening to her useless chatter. Instead, he looked suspiciously at the two men who were already seated in what was apparently an office, judging from the wooden desk, bookcases, and stacks of paper.

After a moment of indecision on whether to enter or not, he stepped inside the room--he was determined to get to bottom of this mystery, even if it killed him. He jerked when the door suddenly slammed shut behind him.

"Jumpy, aren't you?" the woman said, an amused expression on her face, her hand still on the handle of the door. She walked past the seething boy and took the only available seat left in the somewhat cramped office.

Edward glared at Tonks, wishing his gaze could bore holes into her head.

"Now, now, Tonks play nice," the black man behind the desk said, his tone chiding. However, his dark eyes held warmth.

The scared man did not look amused and he looked disapprovingly at the young woman for her antics.

The woman had the grace to look embarrassed by the look, but quickly brightened as she turned in her chair to study the blond boy by the door.

"My fellow Aurors," she said, her tone somewhat mysterious as she addressed the group. "I have found something quiet unusual--and judging by me, you know that means it's very unusual." Her brows were uplifted slightly as she said that, an odd quirk on her lips.

The two men exchanged baffled glances before turning back to Tonks their looks questioning. Tomks didn't even glance at the men, her gaze still glued on Edward.

"This boy is special," she said pointing her finger at Edward. She flourished her hand. "May I present the first known Amorphous to walk the planet in 500 years!"

Edward didn't know what he liked least. The look of incredibility that crossed the men's faces at this statement or the look of glee on Tonks,' either way, he somehow got the feeling he was irreversibly screwed.

A/N: Sorry for the obnoxiously long wait. I've had most of this chapter typed for a long time now, I just couldn't seem to finish it--writer's block and all. I already have a scene typed for the next chapter, so hopefully you all won't have to wait so long.

One last note, the document manager was acting up, so the layout might have got screwed up.

Also, thank you for all the reviews; they make my day ;)