DISCLAIMER: I OWN NEITHER HARRY POTTER NOR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!
Chapter Thirty-One
The office door opened. McGonagall, Al, and Umbridge looked to see who it was in the doorway to see that it was…
"Brother?" Al asked. "Shouldn't you be resting?"
Ed straightened his cloak as he came into the room.
"Don't worry so much about me, Al," Ed wove off. "I'm fine."
Ed ruffled Al's hair. Al stiffened and ran out of the room.
"Al!" Ed called out.
"Don't worry about him," Umbridge said. "He'll be fine."
Ed scowled and sat down in Al's vacated seat.
"So, Mr. Elric," McGonagall said. "Your brother was saying that you were interested in becoming a curse breaker for Gringotts."
Ed grinned.
"Yeah, it sounds like fun," Ed answered.
'Like fighting Hagrid's stupid brother,' Ed thought.
As Ed spoke to McGonagall, Al ran all the way to the hospital wing. When Al got to the hospital wing, he burst through the doors and went in. Pomfrey looked at Al as he looked around for Ed.
"What in Merlin's name are you doing?!" Pomfrey demanded.
"Is my brother in here?" Al asked.
"Of course he is," Pomfrey answered. "He's still resting from his limbs being changed out this morning."
"Can I see him?" Al asked again.
"Yes, he's behind that curtain," Pomfrey allowed. "Just don't wake him if he's not already awake."
Al went to the curtained bed that Pomfrey motioned towards and pulled the curtain back to see his brother sleeping soundly on his back with the covers kicked off and his stomach exposed and his left hand on his stomach. Al sighed.
"Winry, I don't want milk," Ed whined in his sleep.
Ed turned on his side, his back facing Al. Al covered Ed back up and then froze.
'If Brother is safe here, then who or what was disguising them self as Brother?' Al thought.
Then Al ran off again. Pomfrey put her hands on her hips and shook her head.
"That boy," Pomfrey muttered to herself.
Al went to Potions and sat down by Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"You are late, Elric," Snape drawled.
"I'm sorry, Professor," Al answered. "I was just at my meeting with Professor McGonagall."
"Where is your insufferable brother?" Snape asked.
"He's in the hospital wing," Al replied.
Snape didn't say anything, and then…
"We are doing the Invigoration Draught," Snape finally said. "Get started."
"Yes, sir," Al obeyed.
Then Al quickly got his supplies out and started working on the potion that was assigned. Luckily, Al was able to catch up. Unluckily, Al had to listen to Hermione hiss warnings to Harry.
"Will you SHUT UP?!" Al whispered to Hermione. "If Harry wants to do it, then nothing you say will change his mind!"
Hermione looked taken aback as Ron and Harry looked from Al to Hermione and then at each other. Hermione stopped whispering and went back to her potion. About ten minutes later, Umbridge came into the room and went to Snape, who was observing a Slytherin's potion. Snape straightened up and turned to her.
"Yes?" Snape asked.
"I need to speak with Alphonse Elric," Umbridge requested.
"Yes, headmistress," Snape muttered, then raising his voice after looking at Al, "Mr. Elric, go with Professor Umbridge. You will receive no marks today."
"But -" Al started.
"Go," Snape interrupted.
Then Umbridge went to Al and grabbed him by the upper arm.
"Come on, Mr. Elric," Umbridge said, momentarily glancing at Harry then looking back at Al. "Let's go."
Then Umbridge dragged Al out of the room and out of the castle. Umbridge then took Al into the forest. After a few minutes, they both reached a clearing where Lust was sitting on a rock while looking at what seemed to look like a moving rock. With a closer look, Al saw that it wasn't a moving rock but a 'small' sleeping, giant that was sixteen feet tall. The giant looked strangely misshapen.
What Al had taken to be a vast mossy boulder to the left of the great earthen mound he now recognized as the giant's head. It was much larger in proportion to the body than a human head, almost perfectly round and covered with tightly curling, close-growing hair the color of bracken. The rim of a single large, fleshy ear was visible on top of the head, which seemed to sit directly upon the shoulders with little or no neck in between. The back, under what looked like a dirty brownish smock comprised of animal skins sewn roughly together, was very broad, and as the giant slept, it seemed to strain a little at the rough seams of the skins. The legs were curled up under the body. Al could see the soles of enormous, filthy, bare feet, large as sledges, resting one on top of the other on the earthy forest floor.
"Envy," Lust said, looking at Umbridge and Al while standing, "will you, please, transform back into your form? You are disgusting me."
"Fine, fine," Umbridge said, letting go of Al's arm.
Al watched in shock as he watched Umbridge turn into the androgynous form of Envy.
"Homunculi…," Al muttered.
"Very good, Alphonse," Lust congratulated. "Father said that you would be able to recognize us."
"But homunculi don't exist!" Al protested. "It's -"
"Not impossible," Lust interrupted. "We are homunculi. Father said that you are somewhat like a homunculus as well."
"I am not!" Al protested. "I am HUMAN!"
"Of course you are," Lust said, going over to Al and putting a hand on his cheek. "Father just said 'like' because you have the Philosopher's Stone inside of your body. In fact, you are like your dear father."
"What do you mean?" Al asked, looking down. "How can I have the Philosopher's Stone in my body if I used it to become…?"
"Human again?" Lust finished, putting her fingers underneath Al's chin and making him look up at her.
Al nodded slightly.
"Well, it's a funny story," Lust said. "When you were getting your body back from Truth, your body absorbed the Philosopher's Stone."
"How?" Al asked.
"Only Father and your father knows that," Envy replied.
"But why are you telling me all of this?" Al asked. "I might tell Brother and Winry!"
"Oh, we know you will," Lust said. "Which is why we want you to swear that you keep your mouth shut and not tell Colonel Mustang about it or we will kill him too."
"What do you mean?" Al asked. "And who is that, another homunculus?"
"No, that's Hagrid's stupid half-brother, Grawp, or whatever the fathead's name is," Envy answered.
"Is Fuhrer Bradley a homunculus?" Al asked.
"Has Harry dear told you the dream?" Lust asked.
"No, but I -" Al started.
"Yeah, he is," Envy interrupted. "But I bet you knew that already."
"Do we have your word that you won't tell Colonel Mustang?" Lust asked, shooting an angry glance at Envy.
"Who have you killed?" Al demanded. "Was it Hughes?"
"Just give us your word," Lust ordered.
"O-okay," Al replied. "We won't tell him."
"Good boy," Lust smiled.
Then Lust kissed Al on the lips, making him blush, and turned around, waving.
"We'll be watching you," Lust said. "Go back to school now."
Al watched as Lust and Envy left. Al stood there for a few minutes until a centaur by the name of Magorian came to him.
"What are you doing here, human boy?" Magorian asked. "Humans are not -"
"S-sorry," Al muttered.
Al turned on his heel and ran all the way out of the forest. Once out of the forest, Al ran up to the castle, ignoring Hagrid's greeting. Al ran into the castle and all the way to Gryffindor Tower. He stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady and caught his breath.
"My, Alphonse, dear, what's wrong?" the Fat Lady asked.
"Nothing," Al lied. "Pear drops."
The Fat Lady looked Al up and down and then swung forward. Al stumbled into the common room and looked around. Then he went over to a table by the windows.
"Winry," Al said.
Winry, who was working on an assignment while petting Pegasus, looked up and at Al.
"Al, you startled - what's wrong?" Winry said.
"I - I know what happened to brother," Al replied, starting to get upset. "I know what's wrong with me… I'm a … a…"
"A what, Alphonse?" Winry asked.
"I'm a freak," Al answered, dropping into the chair across from Winry and sobbing.
"Al," Winry comforted, getting up from her seat and going to Al and hugging him. "You are not a freak."
Al got out of Winry's hold and stared at her.
"I'm a Philosopher's Stone!" Al said.