Everlasting
By LadysWords

Previously on Everlasting:

If it wasn't his pupils that drove him mad it was the paperwork, Edward decided at end of the week.

The amount of paperwork a professor has to do was horrendous. Edward felt his head shake. If only he had not listened to his former teacher at Durmstrang.

"Your Edward Elric, aren't you?" Edward blinked to see Professor Hoffman peer curiously at him while he was surround buy half of the library texts books in the.

Slowly Ed felt himself nod, "Did you need something of me Professor?"

Edward saw

He saw waved his hand dismissively at his question.

"No, it's just hard to believe a student actually reading as much as you do."

Edward blinked in surprise as he clutched his book as he bit his lip.

"I'm not like most."

Edward looked

"Your father as spoken much about you, but he failed to mention your habits."

"I see." Edward said while he closed his eyes.

"I see that he was delayed coming here to Durmstrang."

Edward nodded." We were separated on the way, and since I didn't

know what else to do, I enrolled here."

"You did not need to enroll for my help, Edward."

Edward looked up in surprise and replied dumbly, "What?"

"You could have just sent me an owl."

"Oh."

"Besides I hardly think that you need to waste your time here, from the work I and the other members of the staff have seen, you're a genius. I feel like you would become a great professor, considering the fact you can sometimes outsmart some of the other professors.

"I really should not have followed the mans words." Edward mumbled to himself as he went through the stacks of papers the students had handed to him. This was going to take ages even if he had all the time of the world.

Chapter 23: Lurking Shadows

Screams in the morning could already be heard in Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. The fear of the unknown settled in the mind of Ron Weasely as he ungracefully fell out of bed to avoid what ever it was that woke him. Immediately Ron, clenched his blanket tighter and pulled it over his head, hoping that whatever lurked near his bedside would not be able see through his blanket and find him. Much to Ron's dismay he heard attacker approaching closer and with a sinister cackle Ron felt his blanket vanish.

Ron blinked as he saw his friend Harry standing in front of him grinning along with the rest of the boys in the dormitory, "Harry, did you have to do that?"

"Seeing as how you wouldn't wake up, mate. Yes, I believe I did." Harry said grinning.

Ron groaned and then as he looked over his bed sheets he looked at his pillow, and then at Harry with a gleam in his eyes.

"Don't-"

"You started it." Ron said as he grabbed his pillow and through at Harry. And thus, that his how got his revenge for being waked up in the early in morning on a weekend.

"Was that necessary?" Harry asked exasperated to him after they left the dormitories dressed fifteen minutes later.

"I did not have to do that if you didn't pull of the sheets! Most sane people like to sleep in on weekends."

Ron said while he glared at his best friend as they walked down the staircase.

"Your insane," Ron heard Harry as shook his head.

"I'm not insane, mate. I'm sane enough to sleep in on a weekend, any sane, normal bloke would!"

"No Ron, your insane, not sane, Ron. Because mate, at this rate we will be late-" Harry began to say before Ron decided to caught him off for saying more, "I'm not insane you-" Ron began to say but was interrupted again.

"Brother of mine, I think Harrykins is right," an amused voice said. Ron groaned when he recognized at the voice, and with other voice the joined with it, 'It's Fred and George'

"In which, he genuinely is brother of mine," replied George.

"According to Harry, our little Ronikins has gone and lost his marbles," Fred continued ignoring Ron's angered face.

"But we already knew that." Fred and George said together. Ron twitched his eye in annoyance and bellowed, "What that means Fred, is that we have to help our young Ronikins to find his marbles again…"

"George, why did Harrkins say Ronikins lost his marbles, again?" Fred continued as he completely ignored Ron.

"Well according to what Harrykins they'll be late for something this morning," George said grinning.

At that Ron blinked and turned to Harry, "Late for what Harry?"

"Detention, Ron, with Snape." Harry informed and then continued, "That's why I said you're insane because, you're making us late for Snape's detention this morning."

At that Ron's face paled considerably, and muttered, "Oh no, you're right, Harry! I am insane! Harry why didn't you mention anything! At this right we'll be killed!" Ron said as he sprinted towards the door.

"Ron, I have been trying tell the hole time, but you insisted on sleeping in was a good idea." Harry yelled after him.

"Ronikins really did loose his marbles... to think he wanted to continue to sleep instead of going to good old Snape's detention!" Fred said laughing as he watched his brother opening the door.

OoO

It was cold and it was the weekend, and yet Edward still agreed to Dumbledore to watch this little village for the alleged murder known as Sirius Black, despite the fact he had a hundreds of paperwork to correct that was due on Monday. Dumbledore informed him to be discrete when looking for the murderer, seeing as how it'll be less obvious to Black, if he was anything but. As such he decided on his animagus from to watch the village secretly. The Headmaster had also informed him to watch out for those dementors that lurked at the circumference of school, as if he would be foolish to be near those creatures.

Hogsmeade, Edward mused to himself, seemed like an unlikely contender for a place for a murderer to hide. But Dumbledore on the other hand insisted that Black was in the area. Their for Edward found himself hiding in the edge of the village of Hogsmeade at the point where the forest met with village and waited for the enemy that more than likely would not appear because he had.

As Edward continued patiently sat in the snow and waited for Black to appear in the village of Hogsmeade after a few hours; he then heard the leaves and twigs breaking apart behind him, revealing that there was someone or something else with him in the forest.

Startled Edward listened closely with his fox's ears noticing that the sound was near by. Suspicious, Edward got up from the ground and stalked the sound incase it was the uninvited guest known as Sirius Black. As he did he narrowed his eyes as he noticed that the sound came from a huge black dog that had lingered in the trees as well.

As the black dog starred at him with grey eyes Edward began to see that eyes it held emotion in it. The dog's eyes looked intensely at him and for a brief moment to Edward, he wondered if the eyes belonged to humans and not a dog. Edward narrowed his eyes at the dog and watched it retreat back into the village instead of the forest, as if it had better things to do then bother a fox.

'That was odd…' Edward could only think to himself as he continued to stare at the where the dog had been.

It was later that evening, when Edward sat in his office and wrote what he saw that day. 'Nothing strange besides a big black dog that lingered in the forest for a brief moment.' Edward thought to himself as he to wrote it down on the paper. Edward sighed and remembered the dog's eyes then, shook his head.

'It's was nothing.' Edward thought to himself with a shake of his head.

Edward sighed again as he crumbled his report and decided that grading the papers that were due on Monday was far more important task, then writing or even thinking about a report that he could just sum up in a few sentences.

After finishing the papers after a few hours Edward yawned.

'Time to go sleep.' Edward thought to himself as he noticed his eyelids begin to dip. Slowly Edward went to his bed and fell asleep, and dreamed of the past that once was.

"No, Al. Leave it behind"

"But -" Alphonse began to say again, but the innocence of his voice said other wise what he was hiding in his armor.

Edward looked at his little brother scowling, "We don't have time to take care of a cat."

"But, Whiskers-"

Edward eyes widened and then narrowed, as his growled at his younger brother, "Whiskers? Alphonse…"

"Why are you all ways mean, Brother?" Al said while he sniffed as he pet the small ginger haired kitten in his lap. Grudgingly, Alphonse picked up the kitten at placed in box that was near the bench they where sitting at as they waited for the train to go back to Central from the East train station.

Suddenly Edward let his eyes widen as he spotted something, a glint of sparkle. Edward could only guess at who it might be, ' Major Armstrong…'

"Oh no..." Edward said to himself.

"Edward Elric!" Indeed it was Armstrong, Edward watched as the large man approach him. Edward let out a whimper as he recalled their first meeting with Armstrong, where the big sparkly with a yellow haired man broke all his bones.

"I just received a call from the Colonel and he wants to see you immediately once you arrive in Central." Major Armstrong said, as he got straight to the point.

"Got ." Edward nodded in relief as he noticed the train had arrived in the train station so they can go back to Central, so that he can hand his report to Colonel Mustang.

Edward blinked as the morning's sunlight interrupted his sleep. Edward glanced at the old clock that hanged on his wall in his sleeping quarters.

'It's eight o' clock..' Edward thought to himself he laid in bed lazily.

Edward blinked as he remembered that he had agreed with Lupin to try and get their Hippogriffs to become friends.

'Like it will actually work,' Edward thought to himself as he left his bed to get ready to meet the man in the Forbidden Forest.

OoO

As Edward made his way to the Forbidden Forest after breakfast he only sighed once more, as he saw Stormswift and Ironwing going at once more.

"They'll never become friends, Lupin." Edward said as he spotted Lupin near the edge of the clearing watching the two acting more like children then Hippogriffs.

At that, Lupin looked at him surprised, and then replied with shrug,"You'll never know."

"True, but with those two, I think it's fairly obvious their both the dominate type, that's why they will never get along."

Lupin nodded in agreement, "That's what Hagrid thought as well. But with any luck we can find a way to get those two to trust each other and us."

"Well, I have my doubts, I believe Stormswift would rather kill me accidently, then become my friend." Edward said while he rolled his eyes and put his hand on his hip.

"Ah, yes..." Lupin said as he grinned at him. Then he noticed Hagrid walking down the path a few minutes later.

"'ere, I have an idea.. Professor," Hagrid said as he approached them, "try to coax him into liking you by handing out ferrets."

"I'll give it a try." Lupin said as he reluctantly grabbed a ferret from Hagrid as he took out of his sack that was in coat.

"Are you mad?" Edward stated to Lupin as he let his mouth go slack. Edward saw Lupin chuckled at his response at that idea. But surprisingly, as Lupin held out a ferret to Stormswift, he saw that the Hippogriff did not indeed bite at his hand at all but rather bite the ferret without harming Lupin at all.

"If I wasn't this would never work."Lupin said as he petted the Hippogriff that bec

"Here you try." Lupin said as tossed a ferret towards him.

"Your absolutely mad..." Edward repeated and approached Lupin said,"If he bites me, I'll hex you for agreeing to this."

Lupin snorted and replied, "Got it."

With that, Edward took the ferret into his hand and let it the hippogriff to decide to bite his hand off.

Shockingly, Stormswift did not bite hand off as he originally thought the hippogriff would do, as it the ferret from his hand.

Edward blinked, and then suddenly Stormswift reared.

"Watch out!" Edward heard Lupin shout a warning to him.

The creature was frightened by something he did not know was there or even see. Edward turned his head around to see what the creature was looking at and then he saw a black dog at the edge clearing approaching the heard. Edward looked more closely at the dog and then he realized it was the same dog that from Hogsmeade, by it's appearance. Edward quickly ran away from Stormsiwft's path as noticed as he began to charge. But not before Ironwing also took charge to protect the heard. Startled at the sight of two large hippogriffs charging at it dog smartly ran away from the clearing.

"What-" Edward could only stare where the dog had been and wondered why on earth the dog was had been there in the first place.

"You alright?" Lupin said as walked next to him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Would ya' look,at 'hat it looks like Stormswift and Ironwing have become friends, as well as the rest 'f the heard." Hagrid mused out loud.

Edward and Lupin turned towards Hagrid both perplexed at the thought and then both looked to where heard, and only to see that for once Stormswift and the heard finally accepted Ironwing by crowding around him.

"Would you look at that. I bet it was because Irongwing helped protect them from the black dog." Lupin grinned at the sight.

"That dog creature or whatever it is, has been here in Forbidden Forest for over a month..," Edward heard Hagrid growling,"it's been scaring the heard, but it's never really approached it until now. Thing is it doesn't belong in this forest either so I've been tryin' to shoo it away... but it keeps on coming back."

"Over a month, strange.. I saw that dog at Hogsmeade just yesterday."

"It was near Hogsmeade?" Hagrid stared at him confused. Edward nodded and then he added, "I was there because Dumbledore asked me too and I saw it there. Just in case though, I'll tell Dumbledore that dog is.. not something that belongs here and that I saw it there."

"Then that's where it goes..." Lupin suggested.

Hagrid nodded in agreement,"Probably, now I at least now I know where that dog hides."

"Right, I will inform Dumbledore of this." Edward informed Hagrid after a few hours later.

"Thank ya,Professor."

Edward nodded and waved as he and Lupin both left to return to the castle before the late afternoon. "See you, Edward." Lupin said as they parted ways.

"Later, Lupin." Edward replied back and walked

'Why would a dog by around here...' Edward thought to himself as he walked in hallways heading towards Dumbledore's office about the strange black dog that been lurking around the school and the Hongsmeades for over the month.

Author notes: Projects + finals = Hell week. Right, thanks for the 150 reviews. At any right, the poll is once again even with votes: 5 /5 (total 10-duh).

TBC