"Language"

'Thoughts'

~The Great Hall~

Harry looked over at the doors as Ed walked in with Amethyst hiding in his jacket alone. Curious, he and the other students watched him while whispering quietly on why he would be alone. "Headmaster, I need to talk to you." Ed whispered to Dumbledore, who stood and walked to the side with Ed. "Is there something wrong Edward?" He asked quietly.

"Chris won't be able to teach for a few days. She got incredibly sick and we have a friend of her's who is a doctor with her now. She is not allowed any visitors other me and her friend, since he's the only one who knows how to help her. Can you help make sure no one tries to bother her?" Ed explained. Dumbledore nodded solemnly as he thought about the circumstances surrounding the young professors and didn't notice half his staff running off and out if the room.

"Hey! Stop right there!" Ed yelled angrily and tried to catch them, but was surrounded by the students worried and panicked faces. "What's happened to Professor Mousy?!" "Is she okay?" What's going on?!" Were the kinda of questions being thrown one after the other. Frustrated, Ed yelled at everyone to run to class before rushing to Chris' room. When he arrived, Umbridge was demanding the angered portrait to open while McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey tried to wake an unconscious Snape.

They looked insulted, Ed could only guess that Uryū had said they were of no help now. "Hey, don't you classes to teach?" He called as he walked over calmly. Inwardly laughing at Snape. "Yes, we do. However, there is a professor in that room who also has to teach! If she is truly ill why not let Madam Pomfrey deal with her?" Ed glared at the witch and nodded for the portrait to open, then looked to Madam Pomfrey.

"You can see her, what with your disturbing her rest. Though Chris'll definitely tell you to leave." He growled and walked inside. Not seeing Chris in bed and seeing Uryū through the half open bathroom door, he walked over to see Chris once again throwing up her own blood. "Again?" He asked sadly and heard Pomfrey gasp in shock. "Get out!" Chris growled when she noticed someone was with Ed, too preoccupied with losing blood to say anymore.

He turned to her and saw horror and pity in her eyes, then dragged her back to the portrait to return to the group waiting outside. "Don't look at her with those eyes! You'll make her want to leave. As I've said before you won't be able to help her. Now, I have a class to get to. Umbridge!" He called before the witch left. "When I find that bracelet, you will wish you never took it. If she dies, her blood is on your hands, and her family and friends will kill everyone associated with you." Ed gave a clear threat that rang true from what he had heard from Chris, and turned to ind his class.

When he arrived, he noticed that everyone was back to their original seats instead of the ones assigned to them. "What do you think you're doing? Get back to your seats! I have a project for you!" Ed called as he took role and explained the project, while taking ten points from everyone for not getting in their seats.

"Just because Chris and I aren't in the room doesn't mean someone won't be. A friend of Chris' will be helping out with these classes, so shut up and listen. Your project is to come up with a creature made of different animals and make a background and habitat for it. Use as many animals as you want but make it simple. Chris is the expert in this, since I don't like it, but they can be helpful, so I'll let you do this. Alright, that's all. Start." Ed finished distractedly as he sat back in his chair and threw his legs onto his desk, reading through his messages on his phone.

Harry turned to Draco and the two looked through their books about magical creatures and normal animals. "Alright Potter, how about we settle for the... Hollow? Wonder why it's called that." Draco muttered quietly as he read the description of the creature. "It says here that a Hollow can resemble any animal ranging from a cat, dog, bird, sea animal, and all others of the like. They all possess a certain power that is unique to them and have a hole where their hearts should be... I guess that answers your question, Malfoy." Harry whispered as they read on, remembering the spar from the day before and wondering who their new second professor would be.

"Alright then, which animals and creatures do you want to do?" Harry asked as he looked through the long list in the back of the book. "Leopard, dragon, wolf... Human..." Harry looked Draco confusedly before looking at a picture of person next to a Hollow, which resembled it in a few ways. "It's called an Arrancar. A Hollow that has gained Shinigami powers." Draco explained as they read on and watched as Harry began writing down some details for their project.

'Professor Mousy's demonstration of power last night... That armor looked like a Hollow...' Draco though suspiciously and wrote down some details of his own.

~Timeskip to lunch~

Ed walked up to the staff table and transmuted two extra plates from his own. Piling them with food, the staff and nearby students watched as he took out his wand and sent them away, most likely to Chris and her doctor/friend. "Harry, Ron, did you notice anything different about Umbridge today?" Hermione whispered urgently to her two friends as they began to eat.

Harry shook his head as Ron shrugged. "Who cares if there's anything different about her? She's mental!" He said between mouthfuls of food while looking at Hermione. Shaking her head, Hermione sighed in exasperation before explaining it to them.

"The students in her earlier classes all said she was wearing Professor Mousy's bracelet. I'm thinking that if Chris somehow got sick from not wearing that bracelet, then her health could only be alright if it's stopping the illness. I'm thinking we visit her tonight." She whispered, to which Harry looked at her with wide eyes and Ron nearly choked.

"But you heard what Ed said earlier, she isn't allowed visitors. Chris would more than likely hex us for going to see her." Harry spoke quietly. Looking at the head table, the Golden Trio noticed Ed having an argument with Umbridge. Hermione took a deep breath and stood, then quickly walked to the staff table, alchemy noted in hand. "Give me that bracelet!" Ed growled angrily, his gold eyes narrowed dangerously at the defense teacher.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I bought this bracelet from a shop in Diagon Alley." Hermione could tell Umbridge was lying, the design was exactly the same as Chris' bracelet from when she met her at Grimmauld Place. "Professor Elric, could you please help explain this passage to me? I'm afraid I can't remember what it means." Hermione politely, yet nervously, cut in. Ed looked at her with surprise before a strange look appeared in his eyes and helped her with her notes.

As Umbridge turned around to leave, Ed lashed out and grabbed her wrist with his right arm, pulling the silver bracelet with his left as the teacher screamed at him indignantly. Letting her go, Ed turned back to Hermione and looked through her notes one more time before folding it in half and handing it back to the shocked student and arguing with Umbridge. "How dare you!" "Shut up! Remember what I told you about karma always getting what it wants? If she dies, her family will demand vengeance and blood." Ed then walked to the Gryffindor table and sat with the Golden Trio.

"You three are excused from my class, with your partners, to deliver that. This is the only time I'm allowing you to visit with such conditions, but they really need it before her health plummets anymore. You understand, Granger?" He whispered bluntly while taking a sip of the pumpkin juice that had magically appeared before him. Hermione was shocked slightly but nodded to show she heard him and slipped her folded up note into her pocket.

"Good. Tell your partners it's for a project, and if you make it there without any arguments, I'll at least award the six of you five points and look at your projects first." Ed added as he left and Harry and Ron turned to their quiet friend. "Is he saying what I think he's saying?" Ron whispered, dazed. "Yeah, Ron. I think he is." Harry whispered before taking several deep breaths to calm himself as he stood and walked over to the Slytherin table.

The entire hall was silent as they watched the Gryffindor approach Malfoy. "Potter." "Malfoy." The two acknowledged each other quietly before Harry got directly to the point. "Professor Elric wants us to continue our project. We have to go to the library and work on the design of the creature. Ron, Hermione, Blaise, and Pansy have to come too." Harry explained, earning groans of irritation from the latter two for having to go.

Harry gave Draco a mischievous glance that silently said there was more to the offer than he let on. Shrugging carelessly, the Slytherin prefect stood and motioned for the two follow as he walked passed Harry. "I refuse to get a terrible grade on our project just because you won't come along. Not going to be my grade otherwise at stake. Hurry up, Potter!" He called as his rival/school enemy ran after him with annoyance written on his face.

Ron and Hermione quickly followed with Blaise and Pansy reluctantly running after them, muttering about having to work with Gryffindors in the first place. Walking in the direction of the library, Draco and Hermione turned and started running passed it, going in the direction of what the Slytherins' assumed to be some secret meeting place. They stood before a portrait with a woman standing in a forest of Sakura trees under a star and moon filled sky, looking around to make sure they weren't followed.

"Kage no Sairen!" Hermione hissed urgently as Mr. Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris appeared at the end of the hallway. "Hey!" He yelled angrily with glee in his eyes as the student rivals ran into the room. "STUDENTS OUT OF CLASS! STUDENTS IN THE CORRIDORS!" Filch screamed as he came to a stop at the portrait and demanded she open the door.

"..." Though the woman in the portrait said nothing and proceeded to admire her landscape background, ignoring the man and his cat. Angry, Filch ran off with Mrs. Norris, saying he was going to inform Umbridge. Sirēne Harpy left her portrait and told Uryū what happened. "Let them come. I'll turn them into pincushions." He said angrily. The Gryffindors and Slytherins stared at their professor in shock. Chris was now as white as snow, and their was blood on the bathroom doorknob and the hem of her pajama top.

Hermione pulled out her folded notes and lifted the bracelet hidden inside, handing it to Uryū in a daze. Glancing at it, he couldn't feel any of Chris' spiritual pressure on the bracelet and sighed. "This isn't her bracelet. It's a fake." He explained worriedly. "WHAT?!" The students shouted in shock as they looked at the young doctor. "How can this be?! Ed was so sure!" Hermione exclaimed in panic as she thought of how Ed would also react. "How can you tell it's fake?" Ron, Harry, Blaise, Pansy, and Draco asked, truly concerned for their professor.

"The bracelet has special magical properties that seal the damaging aftermath of when she uses her full power, or close to it. Her resurrección, for example, is half of her true power. Do to a certain incident it began to affect her health, so the bracelet was made to help prevent this. I can't leave Chris alone for too long, and the longer that pink toad is in possession of it, Chris could die within the next two or three days." Uryū explained as he typed on the laptop, searching for the video mirrors in the school.

All of a sudden Chris' eyes snapped open and she bolted for the bathroom, Uryū turning and quickly and running after her with panic evident on his face. The six students hurried after them, despite Uryū's call for them to stay back, and were met with a horrified sight: Chris clutching the wall as she threw up more blood with Uryū keeping her hair out of the way, a helpless look on his face. "Bloody hell! What's happening to her?!" Ron yelled, Hermione punching him on the arm. "Ronald Weasley don't you ever say those words again!" She yelled angrily and turned to Harry as she began to cry.

"Why don't you take her to St. Mungo's? They could help cure her?" Pansy asked quietly. "Because they can't. They would perform different tests on her and refuse to let her own family see her. She also isn't comfortable with hospitals." Uryū replied as he helped a considerably weakened Chris back to bed. "Shouldn't you be in class?" Chris asked tiredly, finally noticing the Gryffindor and Slytherin students in the room.

"Ed excused us for class to see you. What happened?" Harry asked quietly, worry and concern evident on his face. "Umbridge decided to be a bitch and stole from someone who gave her over a hundred death threats and warnings." Chris replied bitterly. "Death threats? Shiradori is starting to rub off on you." Uryū sighed as Chris gave him a weak smile. "Baka." He muttered in amusement before handing her the red medicine pills.

"What's happening to you?" Draco asked with hidden worry. Chris looked at them and sighed, popping the medicine into her mouth and swallowing before taking a small sip of water. "I'm dying. Slowly and quite painfully." She answered quietly, staring out the window. 'Dying!?' The students thought horrified. Speechless, they were thrown into silence, Hermione still crying as they all tried to hold back. "You know," Chris whispered dazedly. "I've always thought that because of this, I should disappear." She confessed, avoiding Uryū's shocked eyes.

"But..." Chris continued. "After meeting my friends, the thought slowly went away. We're pushing each other to become stronger so we can protect the people around us, and always convince ourselves to go to extremes to protect each other. I... I don't want... I can't... I'm scared, Uryū!" Chris cried quietly, tears building in her eyes as she slowly brought her legs to her chest and laid her head on her knees, forgetting that Harry and his friends and Slytherin partners were in the room.

Uryū stood quietly and motioned for the students to follow him outside. In the hallway, Uryū leaned against the wall and sent Sirēne Harpy a worried look, to which she shook her head. "She's... Dying?" Blaise muttered in disbelief, staring at the wall.