Everlasting
By LadysWords

Previously on Everlasting:

It was later, in September, that he saw a rather skinny boy with glasses, dark hair, and green eyes. Edward noticed Professor Snape narrowing his eyes at the boy as he finally recognized him, frowning all the while. Ed saw bleak professor mumble something. Yet seeing as how he sat between Professor Flitwick and Madam Hooch, he couldn't figure out what the man had said.

Ed later understood why when he found out the boy's name, "Potter, Harry!" Professor McGonagall announced loudly as she did every year. Immediately after the Great Hall, for the first time during the segment of the name-calling, had become deathly quiet.

It was quiet enough to hear the whispers of children saying, "Harry Potter?"

Students new and old looked around at each other, others trying to find the boy in front of the staff table, who seemed out of place, as he just stood there for a long moment. He groaned, the boy must have become conceited when he found his heritage and fame. Edward scowled at the boy as he hesitantly walked up those steps.

As the boy took his seat, Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on his head. The golden haired professor heard the hat murmur, "You could be great in Slytherin. You know it's all here in your head…"

"Not Slytherin..." The boy mumbled, even though the hat still insisted.

"Not Slytherin, eh? Slytherin could help you to greatness..."

After a few moments of a conversation debating which house Potter was to go into, the hat finally chose.

"Gryffindor!"

Immediately, the house cheered, and he heard the Weasley twins shouting, "We've got Potter! We've got Potter!"

Everyone soon quieted, and the sorting continued. Edward no longer paid any attention anymore; it was the same thing every year. Though this year, a celebrity of sorts was at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft of Wizardry. He, like Professor Snape, wasn't expecting much from him.

Chapter 5: Commencement of Teachings

"Some people will never learn anything for this reason, because they understand everything too soon."

-Alexander Pope

Edward was unfortunately proven right about Potter, though he had found out later that he wasn't as conceited as he had previously thought. Perhaps it hasn't truly sunken in, he reasoned, recalling his first lesson of the year.

"Welcome to Basic Alchemy, I'm Professor Elric." Edward announced as he walked onto the balcony that joined his office and the classroom. The balcony itself consisted of stone, faded from age and time. The staircase belonging to it had a wide berth, with runes that were rounded, and a railing that curved elegantly. Edward's classroom was near the Ancient Runes class since the two classes were similar.

Walking to the front of the room where his desk was positioned, he continued, "In this class, you will understand the world a bit better, though I'm not excepting you to actually use this subject in practical application. After all, it's one thing to understand this subject, and entirely different to use it amidst a battle. What I'm getting at is that if you try with little knowledge you can get yourself killed even if the battle you're in doesn't do the job."

The students seemed to be interested now. "Don't expect this class to be easy. It's the hardest class you can take here at Hogwarts. Knowledge in alchemy is basically translating power, the more you're able to comprehend it, the better."

As he reached the front of the classroom, Edward pulled out his wand, waving letters onto the chalkboard nearby, "Pull out paper, and take notes. The first thing to do above all else in alchemy is to respect what you can and cannot do. If you are ignorant on that, you can, and probably will, get yourself killed."

Their first assignment, introduced after the procedure of copying notes, was to figure out the meaning of "All is One, One is All" in four weeks. While it might have seemed easy, not many would actually get the answer correct, though those that did would be able to comprehend the subject of alchemy better than the ones that had failed.

OoO

It was the day of Halloween, during the feast, that Ed realized something was wrong with Professor Quirrell. Abruptly during the meal he came running and nervously yelling, "Troll in the d-dungeon! Troll in the d-dungeon!"

The Great hall for the first time that night was silenced, all teachers and students staring at the professor. He continued and said, "Thought you ought to know," Before promptly fainting. Chaos rippled through the student body.

"Silence!" Dumbledore shouted over the screaming students that had unanimously decided to flee the moment the Professor had fainted. As the students stopped, they all looked at him questionably, thinking the same thing:"Who would be sane enough to stay in the in the Great Hall when there's a Troll?"

No matter what the students assumed, the Headmaster continued to give instructions for the prefects of each house to return the students to their dormitories, while the teachers took care of the troll problem in the dungeons. Edward thought it was the ideal thing to do at the moment.

He hurried quickly towards the girl's restroom with Professor McGonagall and others. They found that the destruction had actually led them away from the dungeons. As they ran into the restroom, expecting the worst, they were surprised to see a destroyed room and an unconscious troll. Edward glanced at the three first years present: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley.

Ed glanced at Quirrell, who looked perplexed, as the professor shifted nervously.

"Oh - oh, my goodness, e-explain yourselves both of you." McGonagall said breathlessly while pointing at them as they stood, too shocked at the thought that the students had taken out a troll.

"W-well. " Began Potter and Weasley in unison, but were both caught off surprisingly by Granger.

"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall." McGonagall's eyes widened, never had Granger interrupted another student trying to answer. Everyone stared at her in wonder.

"W-what, Miss Granger?" Stuttered Professor McGonagall.

Quickly, he heard Granger say, "I went looking for the troll, I read about them and thought I could handle it, but I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't found me, I'd probably be dead." He immediately concluded that Miss Granger was only covering something up…

"Be that as it may, it was an extremely foolish thing to do. I would have expected more rational behavior on your part, and I am very disappointed in you Miss Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of judgment."

Then she glanced at the two other boys that were standing in the center of the destroyed bathroom, "As for you two gentlemen, I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many first years can take on a fully-grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. Five points will be awarded to each of you, for sheer dumb luck."

Edward glanced at the scene one last time and frowned. He left it with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, "I owe you one, Professor Snape." He said as Professor McGonagall left to inform the Headmaster of the situation.

Snape, in response, turned to him and raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

"You took care of Quirrell before I could…this time at least."

"You think he'll steal the stone, as well." Snape asked him. Edward blinked, surprised that another had come under the same impression.

"Once you try stealing it once, the odds are that you will try it again later." Snape merely nodded as Ed left the taller professor to go along with his night.

OoO

Once morning arrived again, the excitement of last night's activities was gone. Well, emotionally speaking. Students still spoke of it throughout the halls as Ed walked towards the Great Hall that morning.

Today's Quidditich match replaced the excitement of last night later though; a match between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. Historically, the game between the houses was the ugliest out of all of them; mainly because of the rivalry of the two houses. Ed saw that Professor Snape had arrived as well; he was limping slightly from last night he noted. Not that he blamed the man, at least he still had his leg after fending off the absurd dog named fluffy. So, in truth, Ed didn't blame him for limping.

Seeing Granger and Weasley try to coax Potter into eating breakfast for today's match Ed smiled slightly. It would do little good to shake of the nervousness of the first game. Ed saw Snape stop when he had reached them, the three Gryffindors turned their heads in surprise at sight of Professor Snape looming over them.

"Good luck today, Potter," Snape said to him, "Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a mountain troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you - even if it is against Slytherin." The three continued stare at him, even as he left.

"They're on to you, Professor Snape." Ed informed the man jokingly as he approached the staff table.

"Whatever they're assuming – they're wrong." Snape replied, shooting a glare at him. In response, Ed just laughed and nodded.

"They'll be surprised now, won't they, if they figure out who's really is after the stone." Ed said as he glanced at Quirrell. Professor Snape nodded in agreement, before Ed adding saying, "I think he might try his luck on Potter today. See to it that what he tries fails."

"You think he'll be after Potter?"

"Wouldn't you? After someone foils one's plans, one generally kills the person that did it."

Snape snorted and spoke quietly, "I will keep an eye on him during match." He sighed before muttering, "I don't suppose you'll be there if you're asking me of this matter now."

Edward nodded, "I will be researching more."

At that Snape gave him a blank look, "Not surprising, after knowing you for over a decade."

Afterward, he was left to sit at the staff table, thinking of ways to prevent Professor Quirrell from obtaining the stone.

Author notes: Please review, Thanks!

Edited by Kanathia

TBC