Roy looked at the younger alchemist's red face in shock. He hadn't really expected Edward to agree; he'd just asked because it had seemed to be the proper thing to do. To be honest, he wasn't sure what to do now; their conversation had entered a standstill, with a beet red Edward determinedly looking away from him and, for some reason Roy couldn't pinpoint, a certain amount of tension missing from his own shoulders.

Just as Ed finally turned back to him, probably ready to ask why the older man was staring at him, the sound of wood hitting stone brought both of their attentions to the doorway. A young man with unruly black hair and an older one with brown stepped in, accompanied by who had to be Professor McGonagall. She appeared to be reassuring them about something, but when she noticed Ed and Roy sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, she walked over with little hesitation.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Mustang; I'm the headmistress, Minerva McGonagall. It's a pleasure to meet you," She stated stiffly, holding her hand out. Roy removed his glove and shook it; although she raised an eyebrow at his behavior, she didn't question it. The one who did, though, was Edward.

"Wait…" he started, eyes widening; the blush from earlier had diminished into two small pink spots on each cheek. "Professor Mustang? As in, he's gonna be a teacher? As in, he's staying here? You don't mean…"

Roy took a moment to smirk and chuckle at Ed's inability to form the rest of his sentence, but then nodded, looking at the young man seriously.

"Yes, Ed; what did you think I meant when I said I needed some help? I'm the new 'muggle studies' teacher here," He scrutinized the younger man's face, continuing in a moment. "I'll give you some time to rethink your answer; just be sure to tell me what it is once you've decided."

Roy barely had time to gauge Ed's reaction before the previously silent teenager from before approached McGonagall. He glanced at Roy once before returning his gaze to the headmistress's face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but…please, can we see Sirius, Professor?"

The tone in the young man's voice wasn't unfamiliar to Roy, but he couldn't place it, either; it seemed halfway between determination and dread. His eyes flicked over at Ed again for a moment; he knew he'd heard it in Ed's voice before, more than once. Whatever it was this boy was feeling, Ed might have been able to relate to.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, an apologetic look spreading over her face. "Yes, Potter; he's in the hospital wing right now." She turned to the older man behind him. "Remus, I can talk to you later. Go see him."

With a slight nod of the head, the black haired teen turned and started out of the hall, looking over his shoulder to make sure that the older man was following. As soon as they were out of the room, McGonagall turned her attention back to Roy and Ed, expression unreadable again.

"I apologize; the man that Mr. Elric came in with was our Mr. Potter's godfather, Sirius Black. Until a few days ago, we believed him to be dead," she explained. Roy nodded, understanding what the boy must've been going through. When he'd finally made the connection between the letter and Ed being alive, he'd felt guilty for ever even believing he'd been dead for a moment. It was like he'd wasted both their time by doing so.

"So, who were those two?" Ed voiced, confusion tinting his tone. McGonagall sighed.

"The boy was Harry Potter, a young man in your dorm; the other man was Remus Lupin, an old friend of Black's. They're the only two people he really considers family anymore," the elderly woman straightened her pointed hat. "But really, I don't see why it matters. Shouldn't you too be getting Mr. Elric's supplies?"

Roy shook his head. "Actually, the man who met us said he'd go ahead and get Ed's things for him; we needed a chance to talk. And, on that topic, I've asked Ed if he'd be willing to stay with me while I'm here; I assume that's not a problem?"

McGonagall looked like someone had slapped her. "Professor Mustang, students and teachers do not live together in this school; it's against the rules." Upon hearing her say this, Roy smirked.

"Well, Edward's never been one to obey rules all that well; in fact, it seems to be a talent of his. I'm aware that rules are made to be upheld, but this is a little different. Ed has a few health problems, and I think it would make him much more comfortable if there was someone staying with him who knew what to do about them," he blinked at the glare he was receiving from the old woman. "However, as I said earlier, it's his decision."

The witch cast him one more withering glare. "What kind of health problems?"

To Roy's surprise, Edward answered. "Well, a lot are pretty insignificant; most have to do with my limbs…some don't work all that well sometimes, and I have to treat them nightly. You don't even wanna know some of the worst problems…"

McGonagall stared pointedly at Ed; at this, Roy began to feel a little uneasy. That was the best Ed could come up with? "Mr. Elric…"

"…and I'm a chimera; my body's rejecting all my organs 'cause of it," the teenager finished, glowering at the woman for interrupting him. Both adults grew silent.

"What are you saying?" McGonagall finally asked. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about; isn't a chimera a mix of several animals? How on earth could you be a chimera…?"

Edward sighed, holding his head. "A chimera can also be a person with two sets of DNA; in my case, my organs have different DNA than each other, so…it causes problems. My body thinks that some organs aren't mine at all; I guess it doesn't want them in me anymore. Besides…" he glanced at Roy, and then looked back at McGonagall. "I haven't made any choices yet, but…Co…Roy only lost his eye a little while ago; he might need help with stuff, so it might be worth it to consider it as a possibility."

McGonagall was mute, and Roy spent a moment in wonder, shocked at just how mature Edward was acting; it wasn't normal at all. He was expecting Ed to start screaming any second now…to act like the Ed he'd grown to know and, regrettably, trust. This was…

…indescribably worrisome and pride inspiring, somehow.

The silent moments between the three of them made Roy's heart pound out of something akin to concern. He had so much that he wanted to say…but he just couldn't say it. There was no way to shatter the ice formed by the lack of noise.

Secretly, Roy hated silence; it made him think too much. Ever since the Ishbal massacre, silence had made him admit things that he'd never wanted to. He was a murderer, a criminal…perhaps, better off dead. So many people had died at his hands; women, children…fathers, brothers…and, although he hadn't had to see the faces of every person he'd killed, every detail of their deaths remained emblazoned in his mind.

Slowly, he feared, it was driving him mad.

Even if they hurt, though, he knew that he wouldn't be who he was without those memories. And…regardless of what anyone tried to say to comfort him, he knew full well that every single time he'd snapped his fingers in that genocide, it had been a conscious decision.

It truly made him a murderer.

He shivered, praying for someone to speak, barely conscious of his surroundings. Now, he had a new truth to go along with all the others. All those years in the military were wasted; there was nothing left of it except for him…him, and those who remained faithful to the state, and not the military.

And it didn't matter; Amestris would never trust a military again.

"I've come to a decision; Roy, are you listening?"

Roy could've passed out from shock and happiness; he slowly became aware of his surroundings again, looking at McGonagall and Ed. Edward was staring at him, and he realized almost belatedly that he'd been zoned out for almost the entire time. He fought against the blush that he knew was threatening, turning his attention to McGonagall, who seemed to want to say something.

"We'll try it, but only until the rest of the students arrive. In other words, you have four days until Edward makes his decision. In two days, the rest of the school arrives; after that, he has two days to spend with the other boys in his dorm. I'm not trying to make you two an exception to the rules, but, assuming it works out that you share a room permanently, that's exactly what you'll be. You will not tell anyone; understood?"

Roy nodded briefly, still recovering from his reminiscences. He quickly looked at Ed, uncertain of what to do next. Ed seemed to be fine with it. "Well, then…I suppose all our business is taken care of?"

"Yes…Professor Mustang, please show Edward to your room; Mr. Filch will lead you there."

THIS IS A BREAK LINE; IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

The room was nice, Roy had to admit, but it felt cold. It could have been because the only light came from a candle chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. The corners of the spacious room were dark, even with every candle lit, and the stone walls, lack of windows, and unlit fireplace made it seem like a dungeon. Ed seemed to be scrutinizing the room as well, a small frown on his face.

"Feels lonely, doesn't it?"

Roy blinked as Edward turned to him, expression serious. Without another word, the young man walked to wall opposite the door and clapped his hands together, placing them on the wall. A moment later, the transmutation was complete, and a window was now in place in the middle of the wall, stretching to the ceiling. Ed did this two more times, once over each desk, and walked back to the door. He turned and looked it over.

"Much better; this room needed windows," he smiled gently, finally meeting Roy's eyes again. For a moment, he wondered if Ed could read minds, but dismissed the thought. He simply nodded in response to the younger man's comment and strode over to one of the two king sized beds, throwing himself down on it and sighing heavily. He wasn't sure why he was letting himself be so vulnerable, but he didn't have to wonder for long. Not ten seconds after he'd shifted into a somewhat comfortable position, Edward lay down on the other side of the bed, emulating the older man's sigh.

"This'll take some getting used to," Roy heard himself say, listening to Ed's soft, uneven breathing. "You actually being mature, I mean. Were you acting before? Back when you used to scream every time I say you…was that an act?"

Ed was quiet for a moment. "I can't say that it was, but I'm not sure if it wasn't. It's…complicated."

Roy closed his eye. "Most things in life are, you know. It's so much easier to understand formulas, theories, and every other aspect of science than it is to understand people. Hell, I'd be amazed if I found someone who understood themself. I'm still not au fait with myself…"

"'Au fait'?" Ed asked, sounding confused. Roy chuckled.

"It just means that I don't understand myself, either; something I picked up from spending a little time with Fury. Anyway, back to what you were saying?"

Ed shifted next to him and sighed. "I don't know anything about me. I mean, I was always this cocky kid growing up, and…after the incident with Mom, I've thought more about Al than growing up, so…I was confused. I'm still confused; how am I supposed to know what to do without him?"

Roy thought this over for a second. "What did you do in Munich?" A small, rueful laugh came from next to him.

"I tried to find ways to see Al again. See what I mean? Without Al around, I don't know what I'm going to do next. All these years, I wasn't maturing or…I wasn't letting myself mature, maybe. Was that it?"

Roy turned his head and looked at the boy again, not surprised that Ed could admit it; he was just thinking aloud, after all.

Ed continued, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I don't know what to try to do next. I don't know how to move forward; I spent too much time trying to go back."

Roy put his arms beneath his head. "You've got all the time in the world now, Ed; I think this will prove to be a good experience for you. And, even though it isn't really my place to say this, thank you for being there for your brother all these years," He murmured, finally letting himself actually relax.

"Now it's time to be there for yourself."

"What will I be like?" Ed surprised him by saying. He stared over at him briefly.

"How should I know? All I know is that you can change now. Even with all that I can do, I still haven't managed to learn how to see the future," he suddenly laughed, breaking the serious atmosphere. "But, here's what I know so far: you're not as impulsive, you take things more seriously now, and you're a damn good liar. That stuff about your being a chimera was brilliant…"

"But, that wasn't a lie," Ed interrupted, suddenly sitting up. "It's on the records for the military. I've got two sets of DNA, and it's making my body reject my organs. I thought that you knew."

It was Roy's turn to be surprised. "But…how do you have two sets of DNA?"

Ed laughed bitterly. "The military thinks that it's because I fused with my twin during my mom's pregnancy, but I know better; my organs came from Alphonse. That's why I had to make him a new body; his old one would've just died in a few days. Are you going to tell the Fuhrer now?"

Roy debated with himself for a moment. Should he tell Ed about what had happened within the military? After a few tense moments, he sighed for what had to be the sixtieth time that day.

"Edward, there's no military anymore; it fell apart. I mean…" he touched his patch, smiling in a melancholy way. "…I lost my eye in part of the military rebellion…and I was luck to lose just the one eye. A lot of people are dead."

Ed's face was unreadable; after a few seconds passed without a reaction, Roy continued.

"Still…if your body is rejecting Al's organs, then…you should be sick, at least….right? How many are his?"

The younger man's face remained inscrutable. "My liver and right kidney are from Alphonse. I am sick…but it doesn't matter. Forget about it, okay? It's not important, anyway…"

Roy couldn't answer right away; he was a little busy thinking. This should've been so strange…Ed didn't trust him, from what he knew, and he never opened up about things around him. It was like Ed was a totally different person now. He didn't know what to make of it.

It would take some getting used to.

And, as it turned out, he wouldn't have to answer, after all. Just as Ed sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, the door opened and the short, white haired man from earlier came in, carrying several bags.

"Professor Mustang, I have the things Mr. Elric needs…Minerva told me to take them to you…"

He set the bags down by the door and looked over at the bed, eyes fixing on Edward; almost belatedly, the man let out a gasp. "What is this?"

Roy almost laughed. "'This' is anything but perverted, so you know. We were just discussing what Edward missed while he was…gone," he lied, sitting up as well. "I assume that all of Ed's other things are going to be sent down soon, too?"

"What other things?" Ed asked, arching an eyebrow. "What baggage could I have brought all the way from Munich, other than Black?" Roy thought for a moment.

"Good point."

The old man shook his head. "I just don't understand, Professor Mustang; Edward is actually staying with you?" A brief nod came from the Colonel. "That's breaking a lot of rules, you know…students don't live with teachers, for one, and he'll have access to your things, and…"

"I'm used to it; Ed's always had access to a lot of my things. I'm his guardian, remember? You can leave now."

Roy's comment was casual, but true. The man sputtered for a moment, and then left the room in a rush. Ed's eyes met Roy's and, without a single word, both of them burst out laughing. The laughter continued for about two minutes straight, and Roy had no idea why they both found it so funny. But then, it didn't really matter.

It just felt good to laugh.

THIS IS A BREAK LINE; IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

Two days flew by with no real problems. It had surprised Roy at first, though, that he could live comfortably with another person, let alone Edward Elric. There was just something about him that left Roy at ease; maybe just the air of familiarity. Sure, Ed was a little different now…quieter, less spastic…but he was still the same boy he'd watched over since the first time he'd seen him four years ago.

…Actually, it would be five years…no, six; Ed was turning seventeen in three months, and he'd met him when he was only eleven. It was amazing, really; they'd known each other for six years now. Six years of arguments, sarcasm, and mutual secrets; but that could be behind them now.

For a while, back when Edward and Alphonse were both under his command, Roy had seriously thought of them as his sons, in a way. That was over. Ed couldn't be his son.

He could be a lot more. A friend, maybe; a partner could work. For now, though, he was just a roommate and a student. And that could be all that he was. Where their relationship would go was unknown territory, but Roy wanted to find out nonetheless.

It troubled him a lot; how much it had hurt when Ed had vanished. He hadn't let himself mourn for him; if he did that, it would be like admitting that Ed had ever been more than a simple subordinate, and that he was gone forever. That was something, Roy was sure, no one wanted to think.

And now, it was the beginning of the term, and a feast. He couldn't see Edward anywhere; he'd said something about coming in later, but the feast was already halfway through. For some reason, everyone seemed a little quiet; a few kept staring up at McGonagall's seat every few seconds, almost like they expected someone else to be there. Also, no one was looking at him; the applause had been scattered when he'd been introduced. They seemed so sad about something…was this school that bad?

Suddenly, the door to the right of the teacher's table opened, catching the attention of most of the students. Roy sighed in relief as Edward walked in, looking around. He caught Roy's eye and gave him a small wave, proceeding to find an empty chair next to a girl at the Gryffindor table who had long black hair and tanned skin.

A slight murmur went through the hall for a moment, but died down almost as soon as it had started. Roy was a little put off that Edward had caused more of a stir than he had, but all in all, it was fine. McGonagall wiped her mouth daintily and stood up, calling the hall to silence.

"Everyone, as you may have noticed, we have a new seventh year student among us. Edward Elric is a new Gryffindor from Amestris," She called out, pronouncing the name of the country carefully. "Do make him feel at home here; he's come a long way to attend this school."

Roy could hear a few murmurs in response, but one stood out. A student from the Ravenclaw table loudly whispered to a boy sitting next to him, "Since when does Hogwarts accept transfer students? He probably flunked out of his last school…"

Unable to take this, Roy stood up; the rest of the staff stared at him, and the hall went silent again. He glared at the boy who'd spoken. "Come up here, boy," he commanded in his most official voice. The young man stood up shakily and approached the table; Roy observed him carefully. Good, the boy was intimidated. Now, all he had to do was make an example out of him.

"Give me your name and year, boy."

The boy squirmed. "I'm Augustus Clark, a third year…Professor…"

Roy smirked. "Ah, a third year. Tell me, then, Mr. Clark, are you familiar with the country of Amestris?"

Augustus blinked. "No…I…I'm not…"

The colonel almost laughed at how frightened the kid looked; this would work out perfectly, wouldn't it? "All right, then, here's your first lesson; Mr. Elric, would you come up for a moment?"

Ed did as Roy asked, but made sure to raise an eyebrow at the use of his last name. Once he was in front of the table, he looked at Roy expectantly.

"What's the equation for the difference between the calendar in Amestris and the one here, Edward, if you are to use minutes?" The older man asked, tapping his knuckles on the table. Edward straightened his back and did an almost perfect impression of Roy's smirk.

"Take the year in Amestris and add 49,541,760 minutes."

Roy nodded. "How long did Edward take to solve that equation, Mr. Clark?"

Augustus blinked. "Seconds."

"Good…so, what year is it in Amestris?" the older man asked, looking expectantly at the nervous boy.

"Uh…can I use some paper?"

"No."

The boy's face screwed up in concentration. "Uh…it'd be…um…19…13. Yeah, it'd be 1913."

"Incorrect; it would be 1916. Now, give me the breakdown of silver acetate, Mr. Elric."

Ed took a deep breath. "One atom silver, two atoms carbon, three atoms hydrogen, and two atoms oxygen."

Roy nodded appraisingly and turned to Clark. "What is the name of the compound formed by two potassium atoms, one sulfur atom, and four oxygen atoms?"

Clark squirmed again. "I don't know…"

Roy turned to Ed. "Answer?" Ed sighed.

"Potassium Sulfate."

"Correct again, Mr. Elric. Now, I'll give you one final chance to redeem yourself, Clark; tell me what the muggle law of conservation of matter is."

"This has nothing to do with magic!" Clark exclaimed, looking ready to cry. "How should I know all this stuff? Besides, I'm only thirteen! We don't start learning about chemical breakdowns in potions until sixth year, and that's if we're lucky! Nobody knows this stuff!"

Roy chuckled. "That's the difference between here and Amestris, Mr. Clark. In Amestris, people like Mr. Elric and myself begin learning those things when we're children. You may go back to your seats. Oh, and fifteen points from Ravenclaw for the lip, Mr. Clark; ten points to Gryffindor, Mr. Elric, for all the correct answers."

Roy turned and walked toward the door Ed had left open, leaving the room and heading to his own. The buzz from the hall barely reached his ears as he did so.

THIS IS A BREAK LINE; IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

Change of third-person focus: now, we go third person with Ed

After Roy had left, Edward had been bombarded with questions, especially from one brown haired girl at his table. It had taken quite an effort, but he managed to make it to the seventh year dorms in Gryffindor and get changed a few minutes before the rest of his dorm mates trudged up, laughing and joking. Once they were all upstairs, their attention turned to Edward.

"So, you're a new student?"

The boy from a few days ago, Harry, was looking at him strangely, and his question was laced with suspicion. Ed couldn't help but wonder why the teenager didn't trust him; what had he ever done that would make someone not wary around him here?

"Yeah…" Ed met the boy's green eyes and watched them widen in surprise for some reason. "So, why was everyone so quiet during the feast?"

Harry looked down, and Edward recognized the grief on his face. "Our old headmaster was killed last year, so I…everyone…was sort of remembering him, I think. Anyway…" he looked up again. "Why're your eyes yellow?"

A redhead cocked his head and looked into Ed's eyes, too. "I dunno, Harry, they look kinda amber to me…"

"Amber?" Another boy said, eyebrows rising. "You've been spending too much time with Hermione. I'd say they're gold."

Ed gritted his teeth. "Will you get off my eye color? I was born with it!" He snapped, flopping back onto the bed. "Anyway, who are all of you?"

Harry went first. "Harry Potter."

"I'm Ron…Ron Weasley," The redhead from earlier said; Ed waited for the others.

"Seamus Finnegan," The third answered, smiling good naturedly. The boy on the bed next to his went next.

"I'm Dean Thomas."

The last one finally went. "I'm Neville Longbottom. Nice to meet you."

Ed nodded. "Right. You know it already, but I'm Ed Elric. Good night."

Without another word, Ed dragged the curtains closed and fell asleep.

THIS IS A BREAK LINE; IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

Two days into the term, Roy's patience was wearing out. He hadn't slept well since Edward had left his room, the students in his class were idiots with no idea what anything in the muggle world was, and he hadn't even seen Edward for a whole day. They'd only seen each other at breakfast the first day, and even then Roy was annoyed. And now, it was time for Edward to decide who to stay with.

He didn't have his hopes up; Ed would be much more comfortable with kids his age, not a thirty year old man. So, when Ed stated his choice, his reaction wasn't surprising.

"I wanna stay with Roy."

That simple sentence had been enough to make the older man laugh in relief, and had even brought a small smile to Ed's face…at least, until McGonagall shot both of them glares that rivaled Hawkeye's. They promptly turned their attention to her.

"Fine. Edward, a house-elf will bring your things to your room, then; you might as well just go. However, if I hear a word from anyone about this topic again, Edward will have to stay in the dorms. Do you understand?"

Ed nodded. "Do you think I could go up and get my stuff? I'll need to tell the rest of the dorm that I'm leaving; otherwise, they might get upset or something…"

McGonagall sighed. "Very well…just take Professor Mustang with you."

The two quickly said goodbye, and then left her office, heading up the stairs. Roy had to walk twice as fast as usual to keep up with Edward, and almost fell numerous times. Luckily for him, though, Edward was used to helping him balance, even though he'd only stayed with him for two days. After what could have been a mile long trek, Edward stopped in front of a painting of a fat woman.

"Well, well, Mr. Elric…is that Professor Mustang? What's he doing here?"

Roy felt slightly insulted; what right did a painting have to question his motives? Edward's response was even stranger.

"Red Caps."

The woman huffed indignantly. "Fine then, don't tell me…"

The painting swung back to reveal a door, and Edward led him in. The loud chatter in the small common room from a small group of students up past curfew vanished as soon as Roy made it in, and was soon replaced by whispering. Ignoring it, Edward silently led him up a set of stairs and into a room marked "Seventh Years".

"What's he doing here!"

Ron's voice cut through to Roy immediately, and he cast a glare in the boy's general direction. Apparently, he surmised, nobody in this house cared about curfews. Every single boy in the room was up and about, and all five were staring at him like he'd grown another head. Ed stomped over to the bed marked "Edward" and rooted around for a bit. He finally turned to the other boys.

"I'm moving out of this dorm, and he's helping me get my stuff. Now, who has my transfiguration book?" he demanded, glaring at the others. Harry made an angry sound and reached next to his own bed, thrusting the book at him.

"So, where are you going, Ed?" He asked, looking upset. Ed finally snapped, something Roy had been worried would happen for quite some time.

"Why the hell do you hate me so much? And why's that matter?"

Harry was silent for a moment, and then walked out of the room, Ron following suit after a hurried apology on his behalf. Roy stepped towards the fuming blonde and carefully pried his trunk out of his hand.

"I'll get this; why don't you make sure you have everything?"

Although he'd meant to make it sound calming, it came out as more of an order. Ed shot him a hurt look, and Roy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew exactly what it was, but…

Dammit, he did not want to admit it yet.

With a little more force than was necessary, Ed grabbed Roy's free hand and pulled him out of the room. By now, the only people there were Harry and Ron, and both raised an eyebrow at them. Roy could feel their gaze landing on his and Ed's locked hands, and took a moment to try to enlighten Ed to it in the gentlest way possible.

"Edward, I know where to go now; you can let go."