DISCLAIMER: I OWN NEITHER HARRY POTTER NOR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Just then, Ed groaned. Everyone looked at Ed as he pushed himself up, putting his hand on Umbridge's desk to help him do so.
"That's another reason why I hate you, Snake," Ed said, standing straight and looking at Snape. "You sound like Colonel Shit-head."
Snape didn't say anything as he turned and left the room. Before Ed knew it, Umbridge hit Ed with the Cruciatus Curse. Feeling as though his heart was being electrocuted, Ed collapsed to the ground, screaming with pain.
"Stop it!" Hermione shrieked. "What you are doing is illegal!"
Umbridge didn't take any notice. Winry broke out of the grip of the Slytherin that was holding her and tore off her gag.
"Stop it!" Winry shouted. "If you continue to do that, Edward's heart will stop and he will die!"
"You wouldn't want Fudge to know, would you?" Hermione cried.
Umbridge stopped and Winry went to Ed, kneeling next to him and putting his head into her lap. Ed's breathing was labored. Ed was unconsciously grabbing his chest. Al broke free as well, took off his gag, and went to Ed and Winry.
"Nobody would believe little children like yourselves," Umbridge simpered, turning her wand at Harry. "Besides, what Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him. He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same…"
"It was you?" Harry gasped. "You sent the dementors after me?"
"Somebody had to act," Umbridge breathed. "And how do you think the State Alchemist killer, Scar, found Edward Elric? They were all bleating about silencing you somehow - discrediting you - but I was the one who actually did something about it…Only you both wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Elric?"
Ed didn't respond.
"Not today though, not now…," Umbridge continued, then taking a deep breath and pointing her wand at Harry's forehead. "Cruc -"
"NO!" Hermione shouted in a cracked voice from behind Millicent Bulstrode. "No - Harry - Harry, we'll have to tell her!"
"No way!" Harry yelled.
"We'll have to, Harry," Hermione sobbed. "She'll force it out of you anyway, what's… what's the point?"
Hermione began to cry weakly into the back of Millicent Bulstrode's robes. Millicent stopped trying to squash Hermione against the wall immediately and dodged out of her way looking disgusted.
"Well, well, well!" Umbridge rejoiced. "Little Miss Question-All is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!"
"Don't tell anything to that bitch, Hermione!" Winry snapped. "Al, say something!"
Al opened his mouth to warn Hermione not to say anything until he noticed that Hermione's crying wielded no tears.
"I'm - I'm sorry everyone," Hermione fake cried. "But I can't stand it -"
"That's right, that's right, girl!" Umbridge urged, grabbing Hermione by the shoulders, thrusting her into the abandoned chintz chair and leaning over her. "Now then…with whom was Potter communicating with just now?"
"Well," Hermione gulped into her hands, "well, he was trying to speak to Professor Dumbledore…"
Everyone looked surprised at Hermione.
"Dumbledore?" Umbridge asked eagerly. "You know where Dumbledore is then?"
"Well…no!" Hermione sobbed. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head -"
"Idiot girl, Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the Ministry's looking for him!" Umbridge shouted.
"But - but we needed to tell him something important!" Hermione wailed, holding her hands more tightly over her face to conceal the lack of tears.
"Yes?" Umbridge urged, excitement spreading over her wide toad face. "What was it that you wanted to tell him?"
"We wanted to tell him it's ready!" Winry went along.
Everyone looked at Winry, Hermione keeping her hands covering her face but peeking through her fingers.
"What's ready?" Umbridge asked.
"The weapon," Winry answered. "We've been developing a method of resistance that we could use against the Ministry. Amestris lent us some ideas. Why do you think Colonel Mustang is here? To simply teach Alchemy?"
"What kind of weapon?" Umbridge asked.
"We're not really sure," Hermione sobbed, making the attention turn back to her. "The only one of us who knows what it the thing is is Edward knows what it is because he's the most powerful Alchemist in the military in Amestris. Colonel Mustang was sent to be Edward's body guard and to help construct it."
"Lead me to the weapon," Umbridge demanded.
"I'm not showing…them," Hermione shrilled, looking around at the Slytherins through her fingers.
"It is not for you to set conditions," Umbridge snapped.
"Fine," Hermione sobbed into her hands again, "fine…let them see it. I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see! Th-that would serve you right - oh, I'd love it if the wh-whole school knew where it was, and how to u-use it, and then if you annoy any of them they'll be able to sort you out!"
Umbridge looked around and then looked back at Hermione.
"All right, dear, let's make it just you and me…and we'll take Potter too, shall we?" said Umbridge in a false motherly tone. "Get up, now -"
"Professor," Malfoy interrupted eagerly, "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the squad should come with you to look after -"
"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?" Umbridge asked sharply. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these" - she gestured around at Ed, Al, Winry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna - "escape."
"All right," Malfoy moped.
"And you two can go ahead of me and show me the way," Umbridge instructed, pointing at Harry and Hermione with her wand. "Lead on…"
Umbridge, Harry, and Hermione left the room. Once they were gone, the Inquisitorial Squad didn't have a chance. Winry and Al shielded Ed as the other Dumbledore's Army fought against the Slytherins. A few moments later, the Slytherins were laying unconscious on the ground. Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna went to Winry, Ed, and Al.
"How is he?" Ginny asked.
"He's not so well," Winry replied.
"Why is he sweating so hard?" Neville asked. "Is it because of his fake arm and leg?"
"Yes," Winry answered. "Since the torture curse is like being electrocuted and his limbs are made out of metal, he will feel like his heart is being crushed."
"That's terrible," Ginny said.
"Why don't you make the limbs out of a different material?" Luna asked.
"Metal is the only thing that will be productive," Winry explained. "I'm going to take Edward to the hospital wing."
"No…," Ed groaned.
Winry, Al, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville looked at Ed. Ed tried to sit up, but his body ached.
"Ed, let me take you to the hospital wing," Winry urged.
"No, I wanna help," Ed groaned. "I need to help."
"Edward, you can't come with us if you are like this," Ginny shot down. "You're too weak, and you need to go to the hospital wing."
Ed scowled at her.
"Winry, Al, help me up," Ed requested.
"If you feel any pain, we'll take you directly to the hospital wing, got it?" Winry instructed.
"Yeah, yeah," Ed wove off. "Just help me up."
Al and Winry looked at each other. They helped Ed stand up.
"Now, let's get the wands and go to the Forbidden Forest," Ed instructed. "That's probably where Hermione and Harry led Umbridge to so they could get rid of that old bitch."
"How would you know?" Neville asked.
"That's what I would do," Ed replied.
"Are you sure you're all right, Brother?" Al insisted.
"I'm fine," Ed answered. "Just chill out."
Then Ed muttered under his breath, "I just hope those stupid homunculi get that toad bitch."
"Brother!" Al rebuked.
Ed shrugged.
"What does 'Nii-san' mean?" Ron asked.
"It means 'big brother'," Al explained. "Now, let's go to the Forbidden Forest."
Then Ed, Al, Winry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna went on their way to go to the Forbidden Forest after getting Ed, Al, Winry, Harry, and Hermione's wands from the Inquisitorial Squad. As they went, they were noticed by Envy and Lust who were hiding from view. A few moments later Ed, Al, Winry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna made it to where Harry and Hermione were standing in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest.
"Well, we can't do anything without wands," Hermione pointed out hopelessly. "Harry, how exactly were you planning to get all the way to London?"
"We were wondering the same thing," Ed spoke up.
Harry and Hermione looked at him and the group. Ron tossed their wands to them.
"You have any ideas?" Ed asked.
"How did you get away?" Harry asked. "And how are you standing? You were hit with the torture curse!"
"Ya gotta thank your dream team for that," Winry answered. "They Stunned, Disarmed and -"
"Neville did an amazing Impediment Jinx and Ginny got Malfoy with a Bat-Bogey Hex," Ron interrupted.
"Damn, I knew I was forgetting to do something," Ed remembered.
"What was that?" Hermione asked.
"Kick Mal-fart," Ed replied.
Hermione frowned.
"What happened with Umbridge?" Al asked.
"The centaurs carried her away," Harry explained. "And they got chased off by Grawp."
"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked interestedly.
"Hagrid's 'little' brother," Ed answered.
"Edward, are you all right?" Hermione asked. "Maybe you should go to the hospital wing."
"I'm fine," Ed replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm not goin' to the hospital wing. Harry, does Baldy-Butt got Sirius?"
"Yeah," Harry answered, "and I'm sure Sirius is alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him."
"Easy, fly," Ed shrugged.
"Okay, first of all," Harry answered, "'we' aren't going anywhere. You've gotta go to the hospital wing. That attack must have fried your brain or -"
"My heart actually," Ed interrupted. "But I'm fine."
"And Ron is the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded -" Harry started.
"I've got a broom!" Ginny interrupted.
"Yeah, but you're not coming!" Ron snapped at Ginny.
"Excuse me, but I care about what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" Ginny snapped back.
"You're too -!" Harry began.
"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Sorcerer's Stone," Ginny interrupted, ignoring Ed's scowling, "and it's because of me that Mal-fart's stuck back in Umbridge's office with giant flying bogeys attacking him -"
"I need to copyright that 'Mal-fart' name so I can get a hundred cenz every time it's said," Ed muttered, then looking at Ginny and saying, "It's Philosopher's Stone, not Sorcerer's."
"Same thing," Ginny brushed off. "Harry, it's because -"
"Yeah, but -" Harry interrupted.
"We were all in the D.A. together," Neville added quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real - or was that all just a game or something?"
"No - of course it wasn't -" Harry answered impatiently.
"Then we should help too, Harry," Winry said.
"I don't mind you or Al coming, but Ed -" Harry started.
"FOR THE LAST DAMN TIME - I'M NOT A DAMN INVALID JUST BECAUSE I WAS FRIED BY TOAD BITCH!" Ed interrupted.
"I think you've found yourself some competition, Harry," Ginny remarked.
"Fine, but it doesn't matter anyway," Harry relented through gritted teeth, "because we still don't know how to get there -"
"I thought Edward had already settled that?" Luna interrupted maddeningly. "We're flying!"
"Look!" Ron snapped. "You and Ed might be able to fly without a broomstick, but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we -"
"There are other ways of flying than with broomsticks," Winry interrupted.
"Yeah, like how?" Ron remarked.
Winry, Ed, and Al pointed to two trees behind Harry. Everyone turned. Between the two trees were standing two white-eyed Thestrals, watching the conversation as though they understood every word.
"Yes!" Harry whispered, moving toward the Thestrals.
The Thestrals tossed their reptilian heads, throwing back long black manes, and Harry stretched out his hand eagerly and patted the nearest one's shining neck.
"Is it those mad horse things?" Ron asked uncertainly. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"
"Yes, they are," Winry answered.
"How many?" Ron asked.
"Two, but we need eight," Ed replied.
"All of us aren't going," Harry reminded.
"Harry, you'd be stupid to not anyone else help you," Al snapped.
Neville and Luna looked at Al, mildly shocked.
"Fine," Harry relented. "But unless we can find more -"
"Don't worry, since you and Hermione are covered with Grawp's blood, more will be coming very soon," Ed interrupted.
A few moments later no fewer than eight or nine Thestrals were picking their way through the trees now, their great leathery wings folded right to their bodies, their eyes gleaming through the darkness.
"All right," Harry said angrily, "pick one and get on, then."