Cerulean Silver vs. Amber Gold
by hikaranko

Summary: Ed has been put on his stupidest assignment yet: babysitting. Well, that's not what everyone else would call it, but to Edward Elric, it's exactly like babysitting. But there's a lot more to this assignment than what's on file... FMA/HP crossover. sorta AU with HBP and definitely AU with FMA. rated T for language.

Disclaimer: I, just like most everyone else, do NOT own either Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. Of all the rotten luck, it seems I didn't turn into Hiromu Arakawa or J.K. Rowling overnight.

Author's Note: heeheehee, as usual, many thanks for all your reviews! it makes me feel like i have loyal readers here. XD to be honest, i have no idea why no one thought of having Ed and Draco hang out/get stuck with one another before i did. seriously. :Pbut i'm so glad that you all like my story! and hopefully, now we'll see some other stories with Ed in Slytherin.

Fae Elric - lol! aww, don't sell yourself short! but seriously, i hate describing clothes. i'm not very fashion oriented, even though i'm a girl. i just don't understand it very well. :P

Reggie Tuesday - i adore Luna. she's got to be one of my favorite characters in the HP verse. i'm trying to figure out how else i can sneak her in here. :P

strangeanimefreak - me either. XP but that's only because i'm jealous.

Beboots - i'm glad you like those parts! i love writing 'em. :D and yes, Mustang has gone missing. the why and where to shall be explained in due time. :P stay tuned!

MJade-1 - have you read these reviews? THEY'RE THANKING YOU! XD i already thanked you, but i'll thank you again anyway. :D

Chapter 14
Of Dates and Parties

For a long moment Ed just stood in the doorway, gaping at the set up before him. Ed wasn't sure if it had been built that way or if it was because of some magic spell, but Slughorn's office was much larger than one would expect of a teacher's study. His gold eyes darted from the colorful hangings (the place vaguely resembled a vast tent because of them) to the ornate golden lamps (he wasn't sure, but it seemed like there were fairies inside of them) to the house elves (that looked like little roving tables because of the platters of food over their heads). The room was crowded and stuffy and completely bathed in the red lamplight. Everyone was bunched in groups, making idle conversation about everything, from current events to school subjects. Some of the older guests had pipes dangling from the corners of their mouths as they talked to one another, creating small clouds of pipesmoke over them.

Hermione looked at Ed curiously, confused by the amazed expression on his face. "Are you all right, Edward?"

Ed quickly recovered from the shock with a shake of his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

They then stepped further into the room and negotiated their way through the crowd, searching for someplace to sit. Ed took care to dodge the professors at all costs, just in case they wanted to have a word with him. For the first time in quite a while, Ed was glad he wasn't famous in this part of the world. To an extent, he missed being able to introduce himself as the Fullmetal Alchemist and have people go completely nuts over his fame. Right at that moment, however, he was happy being invisible amongst the wizards.

"Oi! Elric!"

But Ed wasn't quite as invisible as he thought. He couldn't stop himself from flinching at the familiar voice. The last thing he needed was for Zabini to come in and bother him. He was starting to remind Ed of Hughes - just without the photos. Ed tried to pretend he hadn't heard Zabini's voice and tugged on Hermione's arm to pull her away, but she had also been stopped and was now talking about something with Harry. He cursed his bad luck as Zabini casually slung an arm around his shoulders.

"How's the date going?"

"Just started," he grumbled, shoving Zabini's arm away. He looked over at the brunette girl standing next to Zabini and raised an eyebrow at her disheveled hair. "How's your date going?"

Zabini just smiled, a playful gleam in his eye. Ed rolled his eyes, getting the message. "Wasn't she blonde?"

"Blonde?" he echoed innocently. "Did I say that?" A mischievous smile danced on Zabini's lips. Ed shook his head disapprovingly. "So... where is Granger? You two get separated from each other or something? Must be hard being so little among all these giants..."

A vein popped out on Ed's head. "WHO DID YOU CALL MINIATURE SIZE?"

Before Zabini could walk away with a hearty laugh, Hermione suddenly turned to Edward with an outraged look on her face.

"Quidditch!" she was yelling. "Edward, is Quidditch all that boys care about?"

Ed blinked, completely bewildered. "Um... no?"

"Thank you!" she said, throwing her hands up into the air. "Honestly, Harry and-" Hermione stopped short when she noticed Zabini looking at her. "Oh... Hi Blaise."

Zabini raised his eyebrows in surprise. Eventually the surprise gave way to a suave smile. "Hello there. I don't believe we've met. You are...?"

It was Hermione's turn to look bewildered as she stared at the hand Zabini had extended toward her. She looked over at Ed for help, only getting more confused as the alchemist suddenly burst into laughter.

"You don't recognize her?" Ed managed to say.

"I think I would remember such a beautiful face," Zabini told Ed, keeping his cool. The brunette girl next to him smacked his arm in annoyance.

"Blaise," Hermione said, still very much confused. "It's me."

This didn't help much as Zabini was also still confused. Ed's grin was growing broader by the second. He was really starting to enjoy himself. This party was turning out to be a lot more fun than he had expected it to.

"Okay then! Blaise Zabini? Let me introduce you to Hermione Granger."

As the words registered in his mind, Zabini's calm expression melted away. His eyes grew wide as he looked Hermione up and down, his jaw dropping visibly.

"Granger?" he repeated in shock.

Ed threw his head back and started laughing again. Hermione blushed in spite of herself, self-consciously pulling her black cloak around her.

"Do I look that different to you?" she asked him incredulously.

"Yes!" Zabini blurted out. Hermione looked somewhat offended. "But in a good way! Wow, Granger! I mean... Just look at you!"

"Erm... Thank you." She was still very confused.

"Nice going, Elric!" Zabini told Ed as soon as he had calmed down enough. "She got a friend I could have?"

Before Ed could say anything in response, the now very irritated brunette girl at his side pulled at his arm and hurriedly dragged him away. Zabini grinned proudly at Ed as both he and his date vanished amidst the throng of people. Ed then took a deep, calming breath and folded his arms over his chest, still grinning cheerily.

"Man, I honestly thought I'd never really like Zabini, but I think I just had a change of heart."

"What?" Hermione looked incredulously at Ed. "But he was making a fool of himself!"

"Exactly," Ed said with a firm nod of his head. "You didn't find that funny?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Was that Zabini just now? Oh, hi Ed!"

Both Ed and Hermione turned around to face Harry, who was looking at them as though he was very desperate to separate himself from whoever was talking to him.

"Hey Harry," Ed greeted him, smiling.

"Is everything all right?" Hermione asked. She glanced meaningfully at the people behind him. "I mean..."

"Well..."

He pushed his glasses up his nose nervously, refusing to look back over his shoulder. Ed looked around Harry and noticed that several teachers had crowded nearby; Slughorn, Snape, and a lady with huge glasses that made her look like an insect. Slughorn seemed to be bragging about Harry's skill at potions to Snape, who was staring at Harry with a sneer on his face.

"Actually..."

"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" Slughorn asked, sounding much too cheerful than he probably should have been.

Harry flinched slightly and made a face as he turned around to face the professors. Ed pulled a face as well, understanding the boy's situation perfectly. Hermione gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze, offering him a sympathetic smile.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology..."

"All the subjects, in short, for an Auror," Snape sneered.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do," said Harry defiantly, narrowing his eyes.

"And a great one you'll make too!" boomed Slughorn.

The look on Professor Snape's face grew even sourer as the two faced off. After a moment, Harry turned away, raising a goblet to his lips and taking a sip of his drink. Snape turned away as well, his dark eyes sweeping over the room as though searching for an excuse to leave the party. Ed kept switching his confused gaze between Harry and Snape, not quite sure what was going on. His eyebrows came together in confusion and he drew closer to Hermione.

"Uh... what's an auror?"

An expression of mild confusion flickered on Hermione's face as she looked at Ed. "Aurors are a group of witches and wizards who battle the Dark Arts," she explained quickly. "They've brought many of the Dark Lord's supporters to justice."

Edward nodded slowly. "So they're like... a military operation?"

Hermione looked thoughtful. "Well... in some ways, I suppose they're similar. I can't really say for sure, though."

She bit down on her lip, uncomfortably shifting her weight from one leg to the other. Ed didn't ask any more and lowered his gaze to the floor, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Though he himself was a member of the military, he wasn't sure he wanted anyone else his age to take up such dangerous work.

"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," said a blonde girl in silver robes that Ed hadn't noticed. Everyone turned to look at her. "The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy," she told them matter-of-factly. "I thought everyone knew that. They're working to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease."

Harry practically inhaled half of his drink in laughter. Hermione gasped in shock and patted his back soothingly as he emerged, coughing and wet, from his goblet. The blonde girl that spoke looked at Harry in confusion, as did the teachers. Ed just smiled, rather amused by the girl's blunt accusation. And, judging by the boyish grin on his wet face, Harry was too.

"Oh, sorry Ed, I should introduce you," he said, regaining his composure. Still grinning, he gestured to the blonde girl. "This is Luna Lovegood. Luna, this is Edward Elric."

Luna turned her dreamy, distant gaze on Ed. She smiled in his direction and bowed her head slightly. Ed wasn't sure whether or not he should do the same, but still smiled back.

"Uh, hi! Nice to meet you."

"You have golden eyes," she said abruptly.

Ed blinked. "Um... yeah, I do."

She was silent for a moment, staring at him as though she could see beyond him. "They're very pretty. Sometimes I wish my eyes were golden."

"Oh." He struggled to think of a way to respond. "That's... nice."

"Mr. Elric!"

Everyone turned at the sound of Slughorn's voice. The professor hiccupped, tipping his goblet in Ed's direction as the smile on his face continued to grow.

"I've never had the opportunity to ask you about yourself, even Dumbledore wouldn't say much apart from compliment your smarts."

Ed flinched involuntarily. This wasn't good. This situation was exactly why he'd tried to avoid contact with any professors at the party.

"Y'don't mind my asking, I hope. Care to tell us a little more about yourself, Mr. Elric?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on him. Ed shifted his weight anxiously from one leg to the other as he tried to figure out what to say. "Well, uh..."

Just then, a gangly looking man that Ed recognized as the school caretaker entered the room and quickly made his way toward Professor Slughorn. As he came closer, Ed noticed that he had Draco Malfoy in tow, dragging him across the crowded room by the ear. He drew in a sharp breath at the sight of him, his eyebrows coming together.

"Draco?"

"Professor Slughorn," the caretaker wheezed, his jowls aquiver and the maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him an invitation?"

Draco's silver eyes passed over everyone's faces, flashing angrily when he saw Ed and Hermione. Before anyone could say anything, he quickly pulled himself free of the caretaker's grip, looking furious.

"All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying to gate-crash, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" the gangly man retorted, despite the glee on his face.

Ed rolled his eyes. 'If that's not happiness, then Hughes hates his family.'

"You're in trouble, you are!" the caretaker went on. "Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn, waving a hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; You may stay, Draco."

Malfoy turned away, an unhappy, somewhat disappointed look on his face. Ed frowned slightly, annoyed. 'I thought I told him not to do anything stupid... What the hell could he have been doing wandering around upstairs?'

Only then did Ed notice the expression on Professor Snape's face. He was looking at Draco as though he was both angry and afraid, which was a very strange combination (especially on his face). The creepy caretaker frowned, obviously disappointed that he didn't get to issue any punishment to the Slytherin and immediately shuffled away, muttering under his breath. Ed watched him, relieved to see the creep leave.

"Thank you, sir," said Draco, though it was hard to tell whether or not he really was grateful. "That's very generous of you."

As Ed turned his attention back to the conversation at hand, he noticed that Draco had quickly masked his disappointment and spoke to the professor amicably, as expected of someone with his lineage. Snape also returned to normal, his expression once again unreadable.

"It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving away his thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all..."

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," said Malfoy quickly. "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known..."

Ed rolled his eyes. He'd seen brown-nosing tactics of every kind before and knew well enough to expect such a thing of Draco. He turned to look at Hermione and Harry. Both wizard and witch were staring at Draco, though it was obviously not because his sucking up was particularly impressive. They both looked somewhat concerned, even a little bit nervous.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," said Snape suddenly.

Both Ed and Harry looked surprised, their eyes growing a little bit wider. Draco shot Snape a slightly irritated look, but the professor's face remained unchanging. Slughorn hiccupped as he turned to face him, taking a sip of whatever he was drinking. Ed knew for a fact now that the Potions Master was very much drunk.

"Oh, now, Severus," he said between hiccups, "it's Christmas, don't be too hard-"

"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," said Snape curtly. He then turned back to the white-blonde before him. "Follow me, Draco."

With that, Snape led a resentful looking Malfoy away, resolutely pushing through the crowd and leaving the room. For a long moment, Ed just looked off in the direction they had left, his suspicions rising even further. It was clear that the something Draco had been up to somehow involved Snape. A professor. And not just any professor; one that had deep knowledge of the Dark Arts. Ed narrowed his eyes. He had to know what Draco was planning. It was his business to know.

"Luna, Hermione? I'll be back in a bit," Ed heard Harry say.

He glanced offhandedly in Harry's direction. The young wizard was slowly inching away from his friends and the other professors. Both girls turned to face him and he smiled somewhat nervously upon seeing their curious expressions.

"Er... Bathroom," he added quickly.

Luna smiled cheerfully at him. "All right," she said, then turned to the professors and continued to talk about her so-called Rotfang Conspiracy.

As Harry hurried off into the crowd, Hermione looked after him as though she wanted to follow him, but eventually changed her mind. She shook her head slowly, taking a deep breath. There was a pained, annoyed expression on her face like she had been through this routine a thousand times before and was fed up with it.

"I can't believe he still thinks..." She sighed again, exasperated. "Honestly. I get so sick of his curiosity sometimes."

"Really?" Ed's eyebrows arched upward in surprise. "Why, what does he do?"

Hermione glanced at Ed, an apprehensive glimmer in her eyes. She quickly turned away, shaking her head. "He just tends to get into trouble rather often, that's all."

Ed decided against pressing the matter. He recognized the expression on her face easily. It was, after all, the same one that Major Armstrong would get when keeping himself from talking about something that was top secret. Granted, Ed wanted to know what Hermione meant, but there was no way she was just going to casually tell him. Besides, Harry Potter was not his concern. He stole a quick glance in the direction of the door, drawing in an even breath.

"Listen," he started, leaning toward Hermione so she could hear him, "I'll be right back, okay? I just saw somebody I've been meaning to talk to."

She looked back at him, confused, then her eyes began to drift over the crowd. "Who?"

He turned around and pretended to purposefully search the crowd, then feigned annoyance upon "losing" his target. "Damn. I've gotta go find him, Hermione. I'll be right back."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows slightly, not able to find the made-up someone that Ed was talking about. "Erm... All right. I'll just be waiting here with Luna."

Ed nodded and flashed an apologetic smile before pushing his way through the crowd, cleverly weaving his way amongst the people so that it really looked like he was searching for someone. He then slipped out the door, releasing a relieved breath as he emerged in the empty corridor. Pleased to have made a clean escape, Ed grinned to himself as he headed further down the hall.

There were doors lining the entire corridor, all leading to various empty classrooms or offices. Ed crept quietly down the line, grateful that the party's loud music drowned out the sound of his unevenly weighted footsteps. He stayed close to the doors so that he would be able to hear any voices on the other side of them. As he reached the last door in the corridor, something strange happened.

He tripped.

He didn't just trip over his own feet, but he stumbled over a large something that had apparently been obstructing his way. Ed tumbled onto the floor, involuntarily making a small yelp of surprise as he did so. As he struggled to sit back up, he was suddenly grabbed by a pair of hands that had literally appeared out of nowhere and pulled under some sort of cloth. Ed almost yelled out, but the hands were set firmly over his mouth to prevent him from speaking.

"Shh," said a quiet, urgent sounding voice. "D'you want them to catch us?"

Ed blinked as he realized who it was. The hands slowly withdrew. "Harry?" he whispered.

Harry gestured for Ed to remain silent and nodded toward the door. There was a confused look behind his round glasses, like he didn't understand what Ed was doing in the corridor, but he said nothing as he resumed what he was doing.

It took a few moments for Ed to understand that they were underneath some sort of cloak that apparently made them invisible to the rest of the world. He vaguely recognized it from that first day on the train. Another strange magical item that he didn't understand. Though Ed had to admit that it was very useful as he drew closer to the door, straining his ears to catch the conversation that was going on beyond it.

"...conceal from your master, Draco?"

"I'm not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don't want you butting in!"

"So is that why you've been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there, Draco-"

"So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!" jeered Malfoy.

There was another pause. "You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of these things."

"You'd better stop telling me to come to your office then!"

"Listen to me," said Snape, his voice barely audible. "I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco-"

"Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection!"

Harry and Ed looked at one another, equally confused looks on their faces as they mouthed "unbreakable vow," the term being completely alien to them both. Harry then took on a thoughtful expression while Ed shrugged it off, turning intently back to listening to their conversation.

"It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it, I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!"

Ed narrowed his eyes. Someone had assigned a job to Draco? Did he mean Voldemort? He couldn't stop himself from grinning shrewdly. 'Finally! Something I really need to hear!'

"What is your plan?"

'Yes! Tell us your plan!'

"It's none of your business!"

Ed's face fell. 'Damn.'

"If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you-"

"I've got all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"

"You were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes-"

"I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!"

'So that's it,' Ed thought. 'That's what they were supposed to do tonight. Seems like he really trusts them... Damn, I'll have to break into that trust somehow.'

"Keep your voice down!" spat Snape, for Draco's voice had risen excitedly. "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their DADA O.W.L. this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres-"

"What does it matter?" said Malfoy. "DADA - it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act? Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts-"

"It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco! Where do you think I would've been all these years, if I had not known how to act?"

Ed wanted to leap up and yell victoriously. He knew from the beginning that this Snape character was a prime suspect!

"Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle-"

"They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!"

"Then why not confide in me, and I can-"

"I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!"

Another pause. Then coldly, "You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but-"

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps, growing louder and louder... The realization hit both Harry and Ed practically at the same time and they scrambled away from the door, Harry taking care that no part of them was exposed from under the cloak. The door suddenly flew open and Draco stormed out of the room. Both boys watched as Malfoy strode down the corridor, passing the open door of Slughorn's room and out of sight. Professor Snape slowly emerged a few moments later, an unfathomable look on his face as he returned to the party.

Once everything was quiet again, Harry and Ed quietly got to their feet, removing the cloak. As Harry started to put it away, Ed found himself staring at the cloak, both fascinated and frustrated by its magical properties.

"I have got to get one of those," he said, mostly to himself.

Harry smiled nervously. "It is rather useful..."

"No kidding!" Ed grinned. "If I had one of those..." He trailed off, his gold eyes taking on a mischievous glaze as he thought of all the tricks that cloak could make possible.

"What do you reckon that was all about?"

Ed's smile faded slightly as he glanced back at Harry. "You mean Snape and Draco?" He snorted. "Geez, damned if I know."

Harry seemed confused. "Aren't you guys close or something? I thought you would have at least some kind of idea what's going on."

He hesitated before answering. "Well... I wouldn't say we're close..."

"I think it's right to assume you wouldn't know what an 'unbreakable vow' is, right?"

"Not a clue." Ed looked at Harry. "You?"

The wizard shook his head. "Never heard of it. Maybe I should ask Hermione."

Ed just nodded thoughtfully. He would have to ask someone as well. Hermione was no longer an option; it would be strange if they both asked her the same question. The headmaster was a likely candidate. He would no doubt know the answer as well. Then again, Ed could always find out himself; it had to be in a book somewhere.

"We should head back, Ed," said Harry, glancing anxiously down the hall. "Wouldn't want Filch to catch us in the corridors."

"Huh? Oh... yeah. Right."

They then hurried back to Slughorn's room to rejoin the party. Ed's pace had slowed down significantly as he found himself lost in his own thoughts. As soon as Harry reached the entrance to the party, someone yelled out his name and he was pulled back into the party, swallowed by the thick crowd of guests. Ed half-smiled, still mostly distracted. There were so many questions burning his mind all of a sudden, and only one person could answer them. He looked down the hallway in the direction that Draco had stormed away.

He hurried down the hall, hoping to catch up with Draco before he got to the Slytherin common room. Ed found him trudging slowly down the hall on the second floor, right outside of what looked like a bathroom. He hesitated when he saw him, wondering briefly whether or not this was a good idea, but quickly pushed the doubt aside and hurried to join him.

'Be friendly. Be friendly!' "Hey, Malfoy! Wait up!"

But Draco didn't stop walking. He just looked back over his shoulder at the sound of Ed's voice and glared at him. "What is it with you and appearing suddenly all over the place? What the hell are you doing here?"

He was still too far away for Draco to notice Ed narrowing his eyes at him. Ed then took in a deep, calming breath, forcing himself to be friendly. "I just wanted to know what Snape wanted with you, that's all."

As Ed finally caught up with him, Malfoy stopped walking and turned to face Ed. "Well, it's none of your damn business!" he yelled into Ed's face, his silver eyes aflame with hatred.

The Slytherin then resumed walking, this time faster and with longer strides. Ed just persisted, increasing his pace to keep up.

"Sheesh, you don't have to get all worked up over it. I just thought-"

Suddenly, Draco spun around and grabbed Ed by his shoulders, cutting him off before he could finish speaking. For a moment Ed was panic stricken about his auto-mail, but Draco was clearly too furious to notice anything strange.

"WHY, ELRIC? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO ASK GRANGER TO THE FUCKING PARTY?"

He then shoved Ed away from him roughly and turned to face a wall, running his hands over his hair in frustration. Ed's eyebrows came together in annoyance. Was Draco putting blame on him for no apparent reason? He balled his hands into fists. Here he was, trying to be friendly to the guy for once, only to get yelled at for nothing.

"What're you-"

"Why did you have to ask the one person I despise most in the world?" he shouted, cutting him off again.

"Hey, listen! I-"

"You really don't get it, do you? When I said 'keep your hands off her,' I meant it! You don't deserve her! You just..."

Draco floundered for a moment as he abruptly stopped himself mid-sentence. Ed narrowed his eyes angrily, folding his arms indignantly over his chest.

"I just what?" he challenged.

The Slytherin gritted his teeth together as he turned away. "I saw you waiting for her," he continued loudly, switching gears, "and when she came down looking so... so bloody gorgeous - and knowing she did that just for you - IT WAS EATING ME UP INSIDE!" He ruffled up his white-blonde hair, growling angrily. "I... I HATE HERMIONE GRANGER! I ABSOLUTELY CAN'T STAND HER! And what makes me hate her even more is... Merlin, SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL SHE DOES TO ME!"

A victorious feeling began to swell up in Ed's chest. He knew from the beginning that asking Hermione would get something out of Draco. But at the same time, he was completely taken aback by the outburst. He hadn't been expecting anything like this. He wanted to speak, to just say something, but couldn't think of a single sensible thing. And even if he could, Draco was on such a heated rant that Ed wouldn't have been able to get in a word.

"Every time I feel her nearby, I can't act naturally! Every time she looks at me with pure hatred, I... I'M IN BLOODY AGONY! I CAN'T BREATHE! Every night, sleep refuses to overtake me because she's there, constantly plaguing my thoughts! EVERY SECOND OF EVERY SINGLE DAY! Bloody hell, I can't stop thinking about her!" He turned back on Ed, jabbing his finger accusingly into his chest. "And that is why, Elric, you have no bloody idea what you've gotten yourself into!"

Draco then pushed Ed back again and turned around, falling silent. Some small part of Ed wanted to smile knowingly, but he was just too shocked. He almost felt sorry for him. He lowered his gaze to the floor, taking a deep breath.

"I didn't..."

Before he could finish, Malfoy cut him off once again, but this time his voice was painfully soft and dangerously low. Still with his back turned, he said, "Go back to the party, Elric. I'm assuming Zabini's too far gone, but Granger would be waiting for you. It'd be rude to just leave her. Walk her back to Gryffindor Tower, Elric. It's the least you could do."

Then Draco walked off, disappearing into the darkness down the corridor and leaving Ed behind in amazed silence. He really did feel bad. He hadn't realized how strongly Draco felt about Hermione.

"Ed!" he heard Harry shout brightly. "Where've you been?"

The young alchemist squeezed his eyes shut. He had to put on a good front for the Gryffindors. He then raised his head, plastering a cheerful, carefree smile on his face as he rejoined Harry and the others.

"I just got a little held up," he said.

Harry raised an eyebrow, raising a goblet to his lips. "Held up with what? Last time I looked, you were right behind me on our way back here."

Ed just shrugged casually, rolling his eyes as though it was a boring story he didn't care to tell, but Harry didn't look swayed. He ignored the inquisitive look in Harry's eyes and looked around. The girls were off to the side, talking about something amongst themselves. It seemed like Slughorn and the professor with the glasses had long since wandered off, much to Harry's evident relief. Ed then quickly surveyed the room as best as he could (since he couldn't exactly see over everyone's heads), his brow furrowed.

"Where'd Snape go?"

"I'm not sure," Harry replied. "I reckon he's around here somewhere, but I haven't seen him since..."

He looked meaningfully at Ed, who just nodded. His mind was completely preoccupied with what he had just learned from Draco's outburst. Ed had never seen him so angry, and to be perfectly honest, it was somewhat frightening. It was almost as though all of his barriers and shields had crumbled apart and gave way to a few moments of sheer honesty. A whole new side of him had suddenly shone through. It was confusing.

If Edward thought he understood what the situation in the wizarding world was like before, he had just been proven wrong. There was something beyond what he could see... A truth behind all truths... Suddenly Ed found himself decoding another complex message. Draco's outburst had been the first step to understanding what was really going on, not just in terms of the situation with Voldemort, but with the societal structure of the wizarding world.

But... But what?

Ed shut his eyes and released a heavy, exhausted sigh. This whole thing was getting more and more complicated.

"So exactly where were you?"

Harry again. Some part of Ed's brain vaguely registered that Harry had been pestering him for the past few minutes, but he hadn't noticed at all. He looked into Harry's face, blinking innocently.

"I was just out on the balcony."

It was clear by the skeptical look on his face that Harry still wasn't convinced. "Out on the balcony? For a good half hour? At this time of night?"

Ed shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Um... Yeah... Just needed some fresh air, with all the pipe smoke in here..."

He then quickly wormed away from Harry before he could ask him any more questions and approached Hermione, who was talking animatedly with Luna about the differences between Arithmancy and Divination. Ed had to smile slightly at the topic as he laid one hand carefully on Hermione's shoulder. The brunette spun around to look at him and smiled.

"Oh, you're back! Did you get to talk to that person you were looking for? How did it go?"

His smile grew slightly, though it was somewhat wistful. "Let's just say I got a lot more than I bargained for." Ed then sighed again, ignoring the confused look on Hermione's face. "Do you wanna head back? I'm kinda tired."

Hermione let out a relieved breath. "You've just read my mind," she said.

She then quickly said goodbye to Luna and told Harry that she'd see him later as they made their way out of the party. Ed could see that Harry looked like he was still itching to ask him more questions, but their rather hurried departure kept him at bay.

"I'll walk you back to Gryffindor Tower," Ed said, remembering what Malfoy had told him. His mind was still wrapped around some of the things that he said, searching for some sort of clue or hidden meaning, trying to find out what was really going on in his mind.

Hermione looked surprised. "Oh! No, you don't have to do that."

"Hey, it's the least I can do," he told her, half-smiling.

Touched by the offer, Hermione smiled back at him and nodded her head in acceptance. From then on they walked down the corridors in silence, Ed still lost in his thoughts. Hermione didn't seem to mind the silence very much, though she did cast a few curious glances in his direction. He caught one of them once and just smiled back, unable to think of anything to say to her.

Then suddenly, his thoughts turned to what Hermione had told him on their way to the party. All the things that she said about how Draco seemed like a different person all of a sudden, about his horrible father... Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater, a servant of Voldemort, who had just recently been captured. Was there a link there? Draco mentioned a job that had been assigned to him by his "master"... Ed groaned inwardly. Why was everything in his life given to him in code?

They stopped as they reached the portrait leading into the tower. Ed snapped out of his thoughtful reverie, giving the fat lady in the portrait a strange look which she returned in full force.

"Well, we're here."

"Thanks, Edward," Hermione said. "You really didn't have to walk me all the way here."

Ed rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I feel kinda bad for not getting to be around you as much as I probably should've been tonight, so..."

The Gryffindor just smiled. "That's all right. I had fun! Believe me, it was far more bearable with you around. At least you didn't talk about Quidditch!"

They both laughed softly at that, only to have it stop abruptly when Hermione gave Ed a friendly kiss on the cheek. Practically his entire head immediately flushed red and he froze, his gold eyes wide in surprise. Hermione smiled warmly and moved toward the portrait to say the password, which Ed was too stunned to hear.

She kissed him. Sure it was on the cheek, but... when was the last time something like this happened to him?

"Goodnight," Hermione said, still smiling.

Not since his mother... but did she even count?

"Edward, are you alright?"

He jumped slightly in place, finally snapping out of his shocked paralysis, his face still red. "Oh! Yeah! G-Goodnight!"

Hermione looked a little puzzled, but still smiled as she turned to enter the portrait hole. As he watched her, Ed was suddenly struck with a realization.

"By the way... Hermione..."

The girl stopped at the portal and looked back at Ed. "Mm hmm?"

His mind had been churning over everything that had happened that night. He learned a lot about Draco - more than he had even hoped for. He saw a completely different side of Draco, one that probably wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the girl that was standing just a few feet away. She tucked some loose hair behind her ear, looking at Ed inquisitively. Ed smiled at her.

"You know, for someone who claims not to know him very well, you seem to understand Draco perfectly."

She looked somewhat surprised, her eyes growing wide as she absorbed Ed's words. Then she lowered her gaze thoughtfully and said, "I hope you're right."

Hermione then entered the portrait hole and the painting of the fat lady swung shut behind her. Ed turned around and started the trek back to the Slytherin common room. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and drew in a long, deep breath. The situation had just gotten even more complicated and difficult than he thought it would. He wasn't so sure he wanted to be involved in it anymore.

Author's Note: (glares at Hermione out of sheer jealousy) well, it's only a friendly kiss. it doesn't mean anything.

bwahaha, OH the pairings! it's shameless in this chapter, isn't it? XD i love it! and if you don't love it, too, then i'm afraid you're just going to have to deal with it, because dammit, i like Draco and Hermione! once again, thanks to MJade-1 (oh, and J.K. Rowling, of course) for Draco's dialogue in this chapter. :P