DISCLAIMER: I OWN NEITHER HARRY POTTER NOR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!

Chapter Twenty-Three

By midmorning, enormous signs had been put up all over the school, not just on House notice boards, but in the corridors and classrooms as well.

-BY ORDER OF-

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts

Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler

Will be expelled.

The above is in accordance with

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Seven

Signed:

Dolores Jane Umbridge

HIGH INQUISITOR

Izumi had immediately tore down the sign once she saw it posted in her classroom. When Umbridge saw that Izumi didn't have a sign in her room on Wednesday and saw the torn parchment, she interrupted Izumi while Izumi was talking.

"Professor Curtis, where is the notice?" Umbridge interrupted Izumi.

"I tore it down," Izumi answered.

"Why?" Umbridge asked.

"Because I think it's ridiculous to expel a student for just reading a magazine," Izumi explained.

"You do realize, don't you, that your opinion does not matter?" Umbridge simpered.

"Then why did you ask me why I tore it down?" Izumi retorted.

Umbridge flushed in anger.

"As the -!" Umbridge started.

Izumi stomped to the doors, threw them open, and went to Umbridge. Izumi then picked up Umbridge and threw her out of the room, slamming the doors shut afterwards. Izumi dusted her hands off as she went back to the front of the room.

"Now," Izumi continued, "where was I?"

Hermione rose her hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Izumi prompted.

"You were telling us about an alchemical match," Hermione reminded.

"Oh, yes, thank you," Izumi said. "Now, I believe that you should all be given the chance to see an alchemical fight."

"Who will fight?" Dean asked.

"Edward and Alphonse of course," Izumi answered.

Everyone looked at Ed and Al.

"Who said we'd do it?" Ed asked.

"I did," Izumi said. "Unless you'd rather have your classmates see me kicking your ass, Edward?"

Ed flushed in anger and embarrassment as everyone laughed.

"That sounds like a good idea!" Al chimed. "Brother and I haven't had practice fights in a long time! When will it be?"

"Today," Izumi answered. "Let us all go out to the courtyard."

"But it's cold!" Ed whined.

"GET OVER IT!" Izumi roared.

Ed winced. He and everyone else in the class stood from their seats and trooped out into the hallway, passed Umbridge, and went out into the courtyard a few moments later.

"Okay, everyone, stand far enough back to give Edward and Alphonse some room," Izumi instructed. "Edward, Alphonse, take your stances."

Ed and Al faced each other and took their stances.

"Ready to get your ass kicked, Al?" Ed asked.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Brother," Al said. "I'm going to kick your ass."

"Ready," Izumi said. "Begin!"

Then Ed and Al started to battle. As Ed transmuted a spear, Al transmuted a cage. Ed broke through it with the spear and then tossed the spear aside. They fought for a while longer using martial arts infused with alchemy. At one moment, Ed transmuted a fist to capture Al, but Al decomposed the fist. Finally, Al had transmuted a hole as Ed came lunging at him and stepped aside. Ed tripped and fell flat on his face.

"Winner, Alphonse!" Izumi said.

Ed groaned as Al offered his hand to Ed. Ed grabbed hold and let Al help him up.

"That was cheating, Al," Ed grumbled.

"All's fair in fighting, Brother," Al grinned.

"I'm gonna kick your ass one of these days," Ed threatened.

"You have to grow two more feet!" Al joked.

"I'M GONNA GET YOU!" Ed screamed as he started to chase a laughing Al.

Just then, Izumi drop-kicked Ed.

"Enough!" Izumi demanded.

Ed was on the ground again and groaning.

"Yes, Teacher," Ed groaned.

"Alphonse, help him up and take him to the hospital wing while I take everyone else back to class," Izumi instructed.

"Yes, Teacher," Al obeyed.

Then Izumi led the class back into the castle, Hermione, Ron, and Harry looking back to see Al helping Ed up again. Ed finally got to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Thanks, Al," Ed said. "I'm gonna have to start trainin' again."

"Why?" Al asked.

"I'm getting rusty like Teacher said I am," Ed answered. "Come on, Al. Let's get something to eat, I'm starved."

"But Teacher said for me to help you get to the hospital wing!" Al protested.

"I don't need it," Ed waved off. "Teacher won't find out."

Al didn't say anything. Then Al looked towards the forest.

"What is it, Al?" Ed asked.

"There's someone in the forest," Al answered.

"Yeah, giant spiders and unicorns and other things," Ed said. "Nothing too important. Come on."

"But I hear someone," Al muttered.

"Maybe I should be the one taking you to the hospital wing," Ed remarked.

"But I do!" Al insisted. "I really do!"

"Al, it's your imagination," Ed reasoned. "Come on, okay?"

Al sighed and nodded. Ed and Al went into the castle and went on their way to the kitchens.

At dinner that night, Ed, Al, and Winry sat down by Harry who was sitting by himself.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Al asked.

"You remember the other day when the article came out?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ed answered. "How could I forget?"

"I had a dream that night about Voldemort," Harry said.

"I heard about that from Hermione," Winry said. "It's not your fault that you can't block Voldemort from your dreams."

Harry looked up from his dinner and looked at Winry.

"Winry's right, Harry," Ed agreed. "Bumblebore and Snake know something you don't, Harry, and having Snake teach you this Occlu-whatever isn't gonna help unless you know what's going on."

"Well, tell that to Hermione," Harry grumbled.

"Hermione is a nice girl, but she's too pushy," Winry said. "Professor Snape is the wrong person to be teaching you since you both don't like each other. Professor Dumbledore should be the one teaching you."

"Yeah, but he's not," Harry grumbled.

"Don't worry, Harry," Al reassured. "I'm sure everything will work out."

Harry didn't say anything. That night, Harry went to bed early again, leaving his homework for another day. After getting undressed, Harry got his pajamas on and got into bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He was standing in a dark, curtained room lit by a single branch of candles. His hands were clenched on the back of a chair in front of him. They were long-fingered and white as though they had not seen sunlight for years and looked like large, pale spiders against the dark velvet of the chair. Beyond the chair, in a pool of light cast upon the floor by the candles, stood a man in a blue military uniform.

The man had a black eye patch over his left eye and black hair. He looked to be in his late forties to early fifties. He had his hands behind his back, and there was a sword at his hip.

"So, Fuhrer Bradley, what does your father have to say this time?" Harry asked, in a high, cold voice.

"He just wants to know if you are loyal to the plan," the man, Fuhrer Bradley, said.

"Of course, Fuhrer," Harry answered. "I am counting on your plan since that fool headmaster had the Stone destroyed."

"It wasn't destroyed," Bradley admitted.

"What?" Harry snapped, clenching onto the chair's back. "What do you mean?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore gave the Philosopher's Stone to Edward Elric so Edward would be able to restore his brother's body," Bradley answered. "It worked to say the least, but Father feels that Alphonse Elric now has a heightened awareness now than he did before the stupid transmutation. I asked Father about it, and he said that all will be told in due time. Alphonse heard Envy talking with Lust in the forest today."

"Really?" Harry asked, with an interested tone in his high, cold voice. "He would be a good asset to -"

"He's one of the sacrifices, so don't think about trying to have him in your group, it's Father's orders," Bradley said.

"What about their teacher?" Harry asked.

"Mrs. Curtis is a sacrifice as well, she's too strong-willed anyway," Bradley said. "Do what you want with them, but no harming them. I will give you an update later. For now, I've got to make sure that Colonel Mustang doesn't do anything stupid. Ever since we had Lieutenant Colonel Hughes killed for overhearing the plan, he has been making his own plans."

Then Fuhrer Bradley disappeared. Harry turned to the mirror on the wall, and once seeing the reflection of Voldemort, he automatically woke up screaming. He got tangled up in his bed curtains and fell on the floor and flailed around. Ed, who was coming up to put his books away, dropped his books and ran to Harry.

"Harry, calm down!" Ed demanded.

Then Ed wrenched off the bed curtains and helped Harry stand up.

"Is everything all right?" Ed asked. "You sound like you were being eaten by a spider or something."

"Your Fuhrer, he's with Voldemort," Harry said.

Ed blinked and then frowned.

"That's ridiculous, Harry," Ed scoffed. "What would he have to gain by being with Bodel-butt?"

"Do you know anyone named Envy or Lust?" Harry asked.

"No," Ed answered. "Aren't those two of the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"How did you know that if you're agnostic?" Harry asked.

Ed shrugged.

"Read it somewhere," Ed answered.

"Fuhrer Bradley said that you and Al and Professor Curtis were all sacrifices," Harry said, urgently. "He said that Al overheard-"

"All right, Harry, that's enough!" Ed snapped. "You're just being ridiculous! You don't even know what Fuhrer Bradley looks like!"

"Does he wear a blue uniform like Colonel Mustang, have black hair, a sword, and an eye patch covering his left eye?" Harry described.

Harry could tell by Ed's expression and his tension that Harry had indeed described Fuhrer Bradley. Then Ed turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. Ron came in a moment later.

"What's wrong with Ed?" Ron asked.

"I had another dream," Harry said.

"What?!" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"That's twice this week!" Ron said.

"I know!" Harry snapped. "I just can't help it!"

"What was it this time?" Ron asked. "Was it about Dad or any -?"

"It was about the Fuhrer of Ed's country," Harry said. "The Fuhrer and the Fuhrer's dad are with Voldemort."

"What?!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah," Harry said, massaging his forehead.

"You've got to tell Dumbledore!" Ron said.

"No," Harry said. "He'll make me have extra lessons, and Hermione will just harp on me more."

"But -!" Ron started.

"No, I'll just have to try harder," Harry interrupted.

Meanwhile, Ed was heading to Izumi's office to tell her what Harry said until a sharp blow to the back of his head knocked Ed unconscious. Ed fell forward onto the floor and landed on his face. Blood trickled down onto the marble floor. The person who had injured Ed squatted down onto their haunches. They pulled Ed's braid and lifted his head up. Ed's eyes were slowly opening. Ed's vision was blurry and blotchy. So, when Ed saw the person having palm tree like hair and purple eyes, Ed attributed it to his bad vision from being knocked on the back of his head.

"Sorry, FullMetal Pipsqueak,," the person apologized, "but we can't have you knowing just yet. Father wants you to know on his time and not by the Pothead kid telling you."

"Don't…" Ed started. "Call… me…"

The person let go of Ed's braid and let Ed's face fall on the floor. Then the person stepped on Ed's head injury, making Ed scream. Ed felt as if his head was going to come off. Ed slowly blacked out as he watched the person walk away and turn into a student. A few minutes later, Ed was spotted by Professor McGonagall, who had heard Ed screaming from her office. She rushed to Ed and knelt by his side.

"Oh, dear me," McGonagall said. "I've got to inform Poppy and Albus…"

Then with a flick of her wand, she sent a message to Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore.