Author Note: Thank you for reviewing, if you have any suggestions for the plot, feel free to well, suggest. The language Edward is speaking is an altered version of German, I've added and taken away to create Amestrian
Disclaimer: I own my ideas, nothing else
Groggily, Edward lifted his head, his neck aching from staying in the same position for so long. The room, or chamber, or something, he was in, was so dark he couldn't tell if he'd open his eyes or they were still closed. Trying to stretch his neck, Ed chafed his hands painfully against the rough rope that bound them.
Ed held his breath and listened, trying to hear if the room was empty. Satisfied that he was alone for now, Ed whistled sharply, listening to the echo. The space was relatively small, and likely stone. A cellar? The air was damp enough, and there was a chill in the air as if he was underground. Edward couldn't smell anything over the scent of mold however, so he couldn't tell if there was any food near by... It felt like hours since he'd eaten at the flat he'd rented.
Suddenly Ed could hear voiced, and his whole body froze. It seemed to come, muffled, from in front and above him. He strained his ears but still couldn't make out the dialect being spoken. Aerugoan? Some western language he could tell, it definitely didn't sound like Xingese or any of its variants. As Edward pondered this, he shifted his hands despite the pain behind him, shuffling them under his body and in front of him. If only he had alchemy...
Shaking the thought away, Edward focused his energy of trying to figure out what was being said.
Snape's expression didn't change as he stood with Dumbledore in front of the Weasleys root cellar. It was a terrible place to keep a prisoner of war, yet the old Order headquarters had, tragically, fallen into the hands of one Harry Potter. A vial of veritaserum in his innermost robe pocket, Snape was being briefed by Dumbledore, having just apperated from the headmasters office. Snape's eyes narrowed at the conversation that had just concluded.
"We found him in the Ministry after fighting Tom." Dumbledore continued. "Seems to be a muggle, took quiet a slight of hand on Tonks part to get him into Order custody." The old wizard lay a hand on the potion master's shoulder, his pale blue eyes locking with Snape's black. "We need to know how he got into the Ministry, what he's after and if he's somehow connected to Voldemort. If he's just a muggle, all the better and we'll let him on his way a little lighter for memory, if not..."
"He becomes a prisoner of war indefinitely." Snape finished.
Dumbledore sighed, casting his gaze sullenly at the cellar door. "Yes, unfortunately... Such a young lad, such a pity if he really is involved in this war..." The pair stood quietly. "Well, Molly didn't make this lovely meal for it to get cold, shall we?" Without speaking, Snape pulled out the vial and poured the contents into a steaming mug of tea as Dumbledore held it out. With a wave of his wand, the door creaked open and Dumbledore led Snape inside, holding the tray with a large, grandfatherly smile on his face.
As the two wizards entered, the torches of the cellar flicked to life, sensing their magic and responding. The cold stone room illuminated as they descended. Snapes calculating eyes locked onto those of the boy sitting in the corner, his hands bound behind him. What surprised him most wasn't the colour, a strange inhuman gold, but the way in which the eyes sized him up instantly. The potions master had met many young people in his life as a professor, but none of them had ever given him a look of such potent intelligence. There had never been a person that Snape had been more intrigued to use Legilimency on.
"Dreadfully sorry you've been put down here, we're between offices at the moments so the accommodations are perhaps a bit.. bleak." Dumbledore smiled, sitting down across from the boy, who leaded against the way watching the old man with his golden eyes. "But no worries, no worries, a hot meal and good company shall fix that." The plate of food was put down, charmed to stay hot it contained beef stew and fresh bread along with the tea.
Snape observed the boy carefully as Dumbledore spoke, noting the flash of confusion on his face as the old man spoke, though it was quickly gone. The boy made no indication of movement as Dumbledore introduced himself.
"My name is Dumbledore, and I need you to answer a few questions for me."
Edward wasn't sure what was the most suspicious part of the situation, the goodwill after kidnapping, the old man smiling at him, or the greasy man standing in the corner watching it all... The old man seemed to want something from him, but he was talking in garbled nonsense and Ed really had no idea what he wanted.
The food in front of him smelled so tempting, and his stomach ached. Eds gaze hardened. Accepting food wasn't really a good idea... It was at that moment that his stomach decided it hated the body it was host to, and growled menacing at the old man. Ed watched as he smiled and pushed the food forward, at least he stopped talking and seemed to be waiting for him to start eating.
Grudgingly, Ed gave into his body's demands. If I die, I'm blaming my stomach, stupid organ is good for nothing... Edward held the bowl of stew tentatively, watching the old man the entire time as he chewed the warm meat, contemplating. He'd understood none of what the old man had said to gim before, though he thought he heard a couple of Amestrian words, only pronounced horrendously. This old man wanted something from him, but nothing was really being communicated. Ed really couldn't say he trusted the old man even enough to speak yet, he had woken up tied in some dark cellar. For all he knew the old man was a serial killer...
For twenty minutes Ed ate, taking his time chewing, and sopping up all the stew left over with the bread. He hadn't realized he'd been so hungry. And poisoning someone you're trying to get information from is stupid anyways. Ed though as he picked up the still warm tea. The liquid felt too sweet on his tongue, though Ed added none of the hated milk offered by the tray. He's seen people from the west add milk to their tea, and he found the practice disgusting. Tea was good enough without cow juice...
Dumbledore watched carefully as the boy drank the tea, his mind working on the situation. As soon as the boy finished the tea, Dumbledore prepared his first question.
"What is your name?"
"Ichen binz Edovard Elric. Vie iztch Ihr?" The boy slurred out, looking surprised that he'd spoken, then angry. "Vaz habenze zie mitchke angetcha?" he growled, his eyes a blaze. The boy was instantly on his feet, and Dumbledore realized that he'd never actually untied his hands, he'd somehow done it himself.
"Vo binzge itche?" the boy's golden eyes bore into Dumbledores pale blue, but the older man held his gaze until the youth looked away and sucked his teeth in anger.
"Allez, daz itche wünstcheke, iztch, zu meinem Brudder natch hause zu gehentch, bumsen, vo überhaupst diesest istch. Ichen habez genug einschtließlich meine Alchimie verlorenk, möchte ich geradez natch hause gehenght und Winry heiraten..." The boy muttered, sitting back down, looking rather defeated. Dumbledore stood without saying another word, and looked pointedly at Snape.
"Well, I guess we shall leave you for the time being, I'll be sure to send someone with more food and amenities as soon as I am done speaking with my friend here." The old wizard said, even though it has become clear that the boy didn't speak English at all. Dumbledore made a geture and left the boy with Snape close behind him, the flames of the torches flickering as they passed, but not going out.
"What did you get from him Severus?" Dumbledore asked quietly once they were outsize, his pale eyes fixed off into the distance. The potions master fixed his cloak before he spoke.
"Images mostly, he was very confused. I've never heard a language like the one he spoke. Germanic almost, but like no dialect I've ever heard. That in itself is suspicious enough" Severus Snape thought about the boy, how suspicious he was of them despite his lack of connection to the Dark Lord. "I saw nothing of the Dark Lord though, a girl and a boy, little else."
Dumbledore nodded, and the two men stood for a moment in silence. "I saw little as well, nothing for certain." The old wizard lifted his hand to stroke his long white beard.
"I think we'll need a little more time than scheduled to figure this young man out." Dumbledore pondered, his hand moving slowly up and down, until he rested his hand against his side again. "I would like you to tell Tonks she will be bring his meals for the next little while, and you will accompany her at least once a day, to try and find out more from this boy." Dumbledore looked towards his potions master. "He's a muggle isn't he?" Snape hesitated, then nodded.
"Let us refrain from using magic around him for a little while then, at least."
Note: If I've made any mistakes, I'm sorry, but feel free to point them out and I'll fix them as soon as I can.