Wow. This came much faster than we thought.
Well that was probably because you wrote some of it out before hand.
Yeah, like last month beforehand. Why do you even do that?
Mabey because I like seeing if a story will even work. Anyways, we would like to send a shout out to our friend Maka (if you read this, you'll know who you are) who edited this story for us. If it wasn't for Maka, this story would still be sitting on a document waiting for us to try and figure out how to spell half the words.
You rock Winry!
Thanks for everything!
Now, onto the show!
Disclamer: We forgot to do this last time so... I formally decline any and all ownership of Fullmetal Alchemist and Harry Potter. I do not own either of these. They belong to their respected owners. I do not wish to be arested for fruad or plagerisum. That would NOT look good on an application.
Chapter 2
New School, New Teachers
Whispers, accompanied by a few giggles, filled the hall as the blonde walked up and sat on the stool only to have the old hat dropped on his head, covering his eyes. He quickly heard the voice of the hat. It sounded as if four different voices had been combined into one.
"Well, well, well, it's been a long time since I've sorted someone like you into our midsts. How long ago was that? Too long to remember."
"I'll take that as a complement of my individuality or else I'd have to break that four way blood seal of yours."
"Ah, temper, young one. Very cocky. That's definitely a Slytherin trait. No, too smart enough for the house of the snakes. Smart enough to outwit most older Ravenclaws. You'd do good there. Hmm, a little too loyal for the house of the ravens. Very loyal to your friends. You'd be a great addition to Hufflepuff. But, that temper doesn't belong in the house of a badger."
"Look, you ratty old thing, I'm getting pretty tired of you digging around in my mind. I really don't mind where you put me. Would you mind if I asked you question, though?" The hat chuckled. It had been a while since anyone had asked him that.
"I would be honored, young one."
"DON'T CALL ME PINT SIZED MIDGET!"
"Definitely not one of soft-tempered Hufflepuff. Now, what is your question?"
"Fine. How long has your soul been attached to this hat?"
"I don't think that even Dumbledore has remembered or ever knew how I was able to do what I am doing. As an answer to your question, a very, very long time. Even I have stopped counting. Now shall we get back to your sorting?" After a moment of silence the hat spoke once more. "I think the only house that would be able to survive you would be... GRYFFINDOR!"
The population of Hogwarts had been unnaturally quiet during Edward's sorting. Never, in in history of Hogwarts, had it taken so long for the hat to sort a single student. When the hat finally announced the boy's house, the entire hall let out a breath before the table of the lions burst into applause.
"Good luck young alchemist," the hat whispered in farewell.
"Thanks. I'll probably need it." Ed took off the hat and returned to his seat between Harry and Hermione.
"You know," Ed said to his new friends and newer housemates as the regular sorting of the first years preceded, "that is one intriguing hat."
"You should know," said Ron from across Harry, "you took long enough!" Ed smirked a comeback came into mind.
"Well, I guess that I'm just too interesting to do anything normally. Now, when can we eat?" Hermione muttered something about 'boys.'
"Hopefully soon..." Ron said wistfully. Ed turned to watch the sorting of the first years. It quickly grew repetitive and boring. Soon the blonde began to let his mind wander. The place that led didn't agree with him, so Ed decided to entertain himself be staring at the enchanted ceiling, which showed the rain and lightning of the storm that was occurring outside.
When the sorting finally ended, the old woman, whom Ed now knew was named Mcgonagall, took away the hat and the stool and walked away with them. "About time," whispered Ron as he picked up his fork and knife. The headmaster, whose long white beard just had to be at least somewhat fake, stood up and spread his arms with an overly large smile on his face.
"I only have two words to say to you," he said with a bright twinkle in his eyes. "Tuck in!" The plates in front of them magically filled with food. Ed stared at the food in amazement and suspiciousness. The twins noticed that he wasn't touching anything.
"Oh, come on, Eddy," said George.
"It's not poisoned, mate," continued Fred.
"Just look at Ronny over there," they finished together. Taking their advice, Ed looked over at Ron who was currently stuffing his face with mashed potatoes. Ed watched a little longer for any signs of poisoning or tampering, but since everyone else in the hall was still okay, he deemed it safe. The short boy stated grabbing food and eating. At this rate, he would out eat Ron.
"Hungry much?" asked Harry with raised eyebrows.
"What?" asked Ed innocently, "I haven't eaten since yesterday's lunc-" Ed froze. The chicken leg that was halfway to his mouth dropped out of his hand and clattered onto his plate, which was littered with chicken bones. Harry looked around to try and find what had startled the new Gryffindor.
"Oh, hi NIck!" Harry greeted the nearly headless ghost before taking a bite of his steak.
"Hello Harry. Ah, the food looks good tonight. Makes me wish I was still alive." Harry nodded, remembering the deathday party he had gone to in his second year. "It's lucky that the feast was even prepared on time today."
"Why? What happened?" asked a confused Harry.
"Peeves, of course." Nearly Headless Nick replied, shaking his head, which wobbled dangerously. The usual argument. He couldn't come to the feast, so, instead, he attacked the kitchens."
"What did he do?" asked Ron. When Peeves was involved, it usually involved something that was either hilarious or angering, depending on whether or not you are on the receiving end.
"Wrecked havoc and mayhem. The kitchens were swimming in soup. Terrified the house-elves out of their wits..."
"There are house-elves here? At Hogwarts!" Hermione was greatly upset about this new tidbit of information.
"Certainly," Nick was surprised at the usually cool headed girl's reaction.
"I've never seen one!"
"Well of course not! They hardly leave the kitchen during the day."
"Are the house-elves alright?" Hermione worried about the minority group that she had started supporting.
"Certainly. They were a little shaken up by Peeves prank, but nothing more." Hermione continued to bombard Nick with questions while Ron shook his head at her antics. Finally, she decided to refuse another bite of food.
Meanwhile, Edward was still frozen to the spot. Slowly, Ed started to move. He carefully put his hand out. It was such a slow movement that no one noticed it until his hand was inside Nick's ribcage.
"So, it's true. You are dead." The paleness of Ed's face didn't escape the notice of his friends. The ghost turned to new kid, expecting a first year and being surprised when he saw the boy's strange attire.
"Why, you must be the new exchange student! I just knew you'd end up in my house. Welcome to the best house in Hogwarts!" Nick reached down to pat Ed's shoulder, but Ed flinched away.
"Sorry to be rude," Ed said quietly. The next part came out just as quiet but with much force behind it. "But the dead should stay dead." It almost sounded like venom dripping off of his tongue. The ghost huffed and floated away. "I guess that I have more to get used to then I thought." The boy whispered before he turned back to his food, ignoring or not noticing the looks that his close by tablemates were giving him.
"That was harsh, mate," said a startled Ron. Sure some first years were scared of the ghosts or didn't believe that they actually existed, but no one had ever confronted a ghost about not being dead before.
"Well, when people die, they don't come back, and they don't stay on this earth." There was something backing Edwards voice, but no one who heard it could place their finger on exactly what it was. Sadness? Resolve? Anger? They decided to ignore it instead changed the topic of conversation, an action provided quite quickly by the twins.
~~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~~
After the main course and dessert disappeared, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up. "Now that we are fed and watered, I must once again ask for your attention while I give out a few notices for the school year. Edward had no idea that there was such a long list of banned things in schools. 'Maybe it's just this school,' he thought. The Headmaster made an announcement about canceling a sport called Quidditch. This caused quite the commotion, especially with his friends around him. Ed, personally, did not see the big deal with the sport. It wasn't like he had been attached to any sport back in Amestris. The only sport that he could actually remember playing was hand-to-hand, but he didn't think that that counted as a sport.
Harry, Ron, Fred, and George, on the other hand, were quite outraged. Quidditch, in their minds, was the best sport ever invented. They were furious about losing their chance to play and beat the Slytherin team into the ground. Ron had also planned on trying to make it onto the team this year.
Hermione, on another hand, was inwardly glad that the sport was canceled. In her perspective, the sport was just another silly distraction from school work. Though, she was also a bit saddened that the Gryffindor team wouldn't be able to put Slytherin in their place.
Once the hall was quieted once more, Dumbledore was in the beginnings of introducing a new event happening at the school when he was interrupted by the doors to the hall swinging open with a 'bang.'
A figure in a black traveling cloak and holding a staff was visible. Ed could tell that one of the figures leg's was a fake by the way that it held its self. The leg, most likely, was not up to automail standards. The figure was then illuminated by a flash of lightning. It was a man whose face looked like a piece of driftwood that had been carved by a drunken man. He had obviously been in quite a few wars. His hair was a frizzled mane of a dark gray color. He had one small black eye and another large, blue eye that moved completely independently and in a way that was impossible for a normal eye. The strange eye was making more than a few of the students a little sick to their stomachs with its maneuvers. One of which was when it swiveled into the back of the man's head, showing only the white back.
The blonde glared at the man. He knew that he had been physically accessing them with his eye. He probably already knew about Ed's automail due to it. He would have to be wary of this suspicious man.
Ed wasn't suspicious of the an for the same reasons as the others around him. He didn't mind the way that the man's face looked or the fact that he a fake leg, or the the fact that the man had a natural 'I'm suspicious and bad' look about him. Ed didn't like the fact that the man wasn't lying his cards on the table, yet he was looking at the cards of those around him. The man was dangerous. You don't get that many scars without being in quite a few tough situations and surviving. The last reason that the young soldier didn't trust the new man was because of the sixth sense that he had picked up in his line of work. The man before him was simply not trustworthy.
The man walked up to and behind the staff table. He shook hands with the Headmaster, muttered a few words to said Headmaster, then sat down on Dumbledore's right. Dumbledore turned his attention back to the students.
"I am pleased to introduce the new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Moody."
Well that's that!
You'd better have liked it! That took a lot of work.
Don't complain Ica.
Well, Hope you liked it, and please come back! R&R please!
