DISCLAIMER: I OWN NEITHER HARRY POTTER NOR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!
Chapter Thirty-Two
"I'm a Philosopher's Stone!" Al said.
A look of concern crossed Winry's face, and then Winry smiled.
"Al, have you been reading your Transfiguration book before bed again?" Winry asked.
"I'm telling the truth, Winry," Al insisted.
"But how could you, Al?" Winry asked, concern written all over her face. "We haven't seen your dad in ages, and he's the only one who'd know what's -"
"He's not the only one, Winry," Al interrupted. "When Brother gets out of the hospital wing, I need to speak to him and you together. Maybe Harry, Ron, and Hermione too."
"Why should we talk with them about it if they didn't want to tell us anything about Harry's dream?" Winry scowled.
"Because Harry will be able to fill in the blanks," Al replied. "If he doesn't, then we're gonna force him to. We are not going to be in the dark anymore."
"All right," Winry said. "But, Al, you are not a freak, okay? You know how Ed doesn't like it when you talk about yourself that way."
"But it's true, Winry, I'm a freak," Al insisted.
"You are not!" Winry snapped. "Now stop talking like that, or I will hit you with my wrench! I might even tell Edward!"
Al looked down and nodded.
"Now, come on," Winry said. "Let's go get some lunch, okay?"
"I'm not hungry," Al declined.
"That was not a question, Al," Winry said. "You are coming to lunch."
Then Winry took Al's hand and dragged him out of the common room and all the way down to the Great Hall. They grabbed seats by Harry, Dean, and Seamus.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Al asked.
"Nothing," Harry grumbled.
A few minutes later, they were joined by a yawning Ed. Ed squeezed in between Al and Winry.
"Are you all right, Brother?" Al asked.
"Yeah, just a little tired still," Ed answered.
"How can you be tired?" Seamus asked. "You slept all morning."
"You wouldn't be asking that if you had auto-mail," Ed replied, muttering.
"I sure don't envy you, Ed," Dean remarked.
"I don't care," Ed said. "So, Al, what did you tell McGonagall what you wanted to be?"
"An Auror," Al answered. "I told her that you were considering to be a Curse Breaker for Gringotts."
"Hm, I've gotta see her later," Ed said.
"Why?" Al asked.
"So I won't get into trouble!" Ed exclaimed. "I don't want her telling Colonel Sarcasm about that or -"
"Or what, FullMetal?" Roy asked, standing behind Harry.
"You know exactly what, Colonel Bastard," Ed replied. "You'll have me kicked out of the military!"
"Ed, don't be melodramaculous," Roy brushed off, then taking out an envelope and handing it to Ed. "I just got this from the Fuhrer today. He wants an immediate reply."
"There is no such word as melodramaculous, Colonel Idiot," Ed said, snatching the envelope from Roy. "And why didn't he send it directly to me?"
"I don't know, FullMetal," Roy answered. "There's something in there for Alphonse as well."
"Like what?" Ed asked suspiciously.
"I don't know," Roy replied. "If I did know, I wouldn't tell you anyway."
Ed scowled and started to open the envelope until Roy spoke up.
"Don't open it at the table, FullMetal," Roy instructed.
"Why?" Ed asked.
"Don't ask questions," Roy answered. "I want you three," he pointed at Ed, Al, and Winry, "and Harry," Roy looked at Harry, "to come to my office tonight at six o'clock. I've already told Ronald and Hermione to come. Be there."
Then Roy left the table and went to the faculty table and sat down by McGonagall. Ed looked at the faculty table and then at Winry, Al, and Harry.
"What do you think that's about?" Seamus asked.
"Beats me," Ed muttered.
After lunch, Harry was going with Ed and Al to Divination until Ed spoke up.
"Harry, you've got your meeting with Professor McGonagall to go to," Ed reminded.
"Oh, thanks, Ed," Harry said.
Then Harry ran to McGonagall's office. To Ed, the Divination class was uninteresting and boring, so he had fell asleep in the class. Firenze didn't even bother to have Al or Ron try to wake Ed up since Firenze thought if Ed didn't want to learn the centaur's Divination then he shouldn't try to force the human boy into stay awake to learn it. At the end of class, Al woke Ed and they went on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts along with Ron.
"You better be glad that Hermione doesn't take the class as well, or she would be making sure you would stay awake," Ron pointed out.
"Hermione just needs to mind her own business," Ed voiced. "I guarantee that once we get into Defense Against the Dark Arts and Harry is there, she will start goin' on and on about how Harry shouldn't use the toad bitch's fireplace."
"Al told Hermione off in Potions," Ron said.
Ed looked at Al. Al looked down.
"I just couldn't stand her going on like that," Al muttered. "She just doesn't get that everyone needs to make their own decisions. I guess that's one of the reasons why you and Winry can't stand her, Brother."
"Yup," Ed confirmed.
A few moments later, they arrived at Umbridge's classroom and sat down by Hermione. They were joined by Harry a moment later. And as Ron predicted, Hermione started in on giving Harry warnings.
"Hermione, lay off, all right?" Ed angrily whispered to Hermione in the middle of class. "Harry's a big boy. He can make his own decisions."
Hermione looked at Ed, her mouth open wide in shock. She then looked at Ron.
"Sorry, Hermione, but I agree with Ed," Ron said. "If Harry wants to use Umbridge's fire, then there's nothing you can say to make him change his mind."
Hermione didn't say anything for the rest of the class. At the end of class, Hermione left ahead of Harry, Ron, Ed, and Al.
"She'll get over it," Ed assured Harry, as they and Al and Ron left the classroom. "She just doesn't want to accept the fact that you've gotta take risks sometimes."
"That's true," Ron agreed.
They were halfway along the corridor outside when they heard the unmistakable sounds of a diversion going off in the distance. There were screams and yells reverberating from somewhere above them. People exiting the classrooms all around were stopping in their tracks and looking up at the ceiling fearfully -
Then Umbridge came pelting out of her classroom as fast as her short legs would carry her. Pulling out her wand, she hurried off in the opposite direction.
"Good luck, Harry," Al bade as Harry ran off.
"Let's go see what all the ruckus is about," Ed said.
"All right," Al agreed.
Then he, Ed, and Ron went on their way to find out what the commotion was.
When Harry found his way to the entrance hall a few minutes later, he saw that everyone was gathered there, watching as Umbridge spoke to Fred and George. It was just like the night when Trelawney and Izumi were sacked. Students were standing all around the walls in a great ring (some of them, Harry noticed, covered in a substance that looked very like Stinksap); teachers and ghosts were also in the crowd. Prominent among the on-lookers were members of the Inquisitorial Squad, who were all looking exceptionally pleased with themselves, and Peeves, who was bobbing overhead, gazed down upon Fred and George, who stood in the middle of the floor with the unmistakable look of two people who had just been cornered. Harry could see Ed, Al, Winry, Ron, and Roy standing together along with Hermione. Roy was one of the people who had been covered in the sticky substance.
"So!" Umbridge said triumphantly, standing just a few stairs if front of Harry. "So… you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"
"Pretty amusing, yeah," said Fred, looking back up at her without the slightest sign of fear.
Filch elbowed his way closer to Umbridge, almost crying with happiness.
"I've got the form, Headmistress," Filch said hoarsely, waving a piece of parchment he had taken from Umbridge's desk. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting… Oh, let me do it now…"
"Very good, Argus," Umbridge approved. "You two," she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."
"You know what?" Fred said. "I don't think we are."
He turned to George.
"George, I think we've outgrown full-time education," Fred told George.
"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," George agreed.
"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred asked.
"Definitely," George agreed again.
And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wands and said together, "Accio Brooms!"
There was a loud crash somewhere in the distance. Fred and George's broomsticks, one still trailing the heavy chain and iron peg with which Umbridge had fastened them to the wall, were hurtling along the corridor toward their owners. They turned left, streaked down the stairs, and stopped sharply in front of the twins, the chain clattering loudly on the flagged stone floor.
"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Umbridge, swinging his leg over his broomstick.
"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George added, mounting his broom.
Fred looked around at the assembled students and at the silent, watchful crowd.
"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley - Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes," Fred said loudly. "Our new premises!"
"Special discounts to Hogwarts students," George continued, looking at Ed and Roy for a moment and then looking and pointing at Umbridge, "and Military personnel, who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat!"
"STOP THEM!" Umbridge shrieked.
But it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, the iron peg swinging dangerously below. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level about the crowd.
"Give her hell from us, Peeves," Fred instructed.
And Peeves, whom had never taken an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.
"Did they have to do something so cheesy?" Ed muttered underneath his breath.
"Tell me about it," Winry agreed.
"I'll say," Roy agreed as well.