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 now Ed knows that there's something more to it, and he's gotten too involved to pull out... FMA/HP crossover. kinda sorta may possibly be slightly AU with HBP and with FMA. rated T for language.

Disclaimer: I, just like most everyone else, do NOT own either Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter. I am nowhere near as cool or brilliant or creative as Hiromu Arakawa and J.K. Rowling. They rule. The only thing I own here is the idea of the story. The story is my baby. MJade-1 is its only godparent :D

Author's Note: i love reviews. :D thanks again for all the support! who's the new watchman? just wait and see! a pairing for Ed? maybe... maybe not. maybe much much later or maybe not on my watch. or maybe just a little one...? who knows! all in good time, my readers, all in good time...

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Chapter 20
Catching Word

As it is with many schools, magical or not, it wasn't very long before the rumor mill started to run. After everyone found out about Ed's detentions with Snape, people started to ask questions. Why would the head of Slytherin issue such a severe detention sentence to one of his own? What did the exchange student from Germany do to deserve it? What was he being made to do? Among the Slytherins, however, it was the questions about what had happened to Draco that were much more popular. A few rumors had started about Draco being turned into a Vampire, or an Inferius or some other sort of pale, mindless creature.

The most idiotic and immature rumors ever thought of, Edward had decided. He ignored anyone and everyone that prodded him about his detention. Though he did wonder what everyone's reactions would be when he told them about how he deliberately incited Snape's rage. He still thought it was damn funny. Draco ignored everyone as well, though in his case it was probably more out of apathy than irritation.

Classes proceeded in a relatively normal fashion. Most of Ed's classes either bored the hell out of him or irritated him to no end. McGonagall was frustrated as ever with Ed and his obstinate refusal to transfigure living things into inanimate objects. He'd finally consented to change animals into different animals, but that was the only inch he was willing to give. Slughorn continued to praise Harry's fine work in Potions class, but after the first day the walrus-like professor seemed to vanish into thin air the exact moment that the period was over. The Potions Master had also stopped issuing invitations to his Slug Club's private parties, though neither Ed nor Zabini had any complaints in that regard. Strange behavior, but it was of no consequence or concern to Edward.

Ed spent his days keeping careful watch over Draco and his nights with Snape in detention, trying to figure the sallow-faced wizard out. So far, he hadn't had much luck in the matter. What he had learned was that Snape was a real professional when it came to keeping himself a secret. Ed had tried several different methods of getting something to slip: at first he tried asking him a few nonchalant questions about himself, but was consistently shot down with the argument that Ed had no good reason for wanting to get to know him. He then tried casually mentioning various things to see how he would react to each and then interpret how his reactions revealed his character, but Snape didn't ever seem to react to anything at all. All Ed ever got were glares and skeptical eyebrow raises, which definitely wasn't helping.

So he was left with no choice but to wait and hope for Hughes to come through with some information. And he hated waiting. It was starting to get a little obvious when Ed kept looking up hopefully at the post owls every morning, only to scowl in disappointment when he saw that Eule wasn't among them. Worse, Draco was slowly starting to become a little more like his old self (though he was still much paler) and it had only been a little more than a week into the new term. Ed was getting frustrated. He no longer had as much time as he had hoped.

He thought of all this just as he was about to go to his detention. In all honesty, he was more bored with the detention than he was upset. Everything about his detention time had become automatic, almost routine. He didn't even have to think about the task, or how to get to the DADA classroom; his limbs did all the remembering for him. Detention had turned into a time and place to think, although lately the fact that he was just wasting precious time there had been gnawing incessantly at the back of his mind.

"Oi, Elric!"

Edward flinched at Zabini's voice. He slowly turned to face him and the others, where they had once again set themselves up to lounge casually on the common room couches. Crabbe and Goyle were playing some game that Ed learned was called "exploding snap" (which made him nervous since it sort of reminded him of Mustang). Draco was sitting on the couch closest to the fireplace, staring blankly into the dancing flames (his new favorite hobby). Zabini had apparently been pestering him again, but now he was walking over to where Ed had halted in his tracks.

As Zabini came closer, Ed narrowed his eyes at him. He still hadn't quite forgiven Blaise for signing him up for those Apparition lessons. "Go away."

Zabini smirked slightly. "Off to detention, eh?"

"As usual. No big deal."

"I'd still like to hear what you did that made him give you detention everyday for three weeks. I mean, that's a shit load of trouble!"

Ed shrugged and turned to leave. "I've been through worse."

Before he could take another step toward the exit, Zabini's arm shot out and grabbed onto Ed's braid. He meant just to hold him in place, but Ed's movement turned it into a very painful yank, at which Ed swore profusely before smacking Zabini's arm away.

"Sorry 'bout that, mate," he said with a smirk. "Been meaning to ask you something for a while now, but haven't been able to catch you."

"More like you've been avoiding me," Ed muttered angrily. "I owe you a broken nose."

Blaise looked a bit nervous at that, smiling in a vaguely apologetic manner. He then lowered his voice and leaned closer to Ed. "Hey listen, you supposedly spent the break at Malfoy's place, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So what's his problem?"

"How the hell would I know?"

"But you ought to! You were there, you should've seen if something happened!"

"Nope." He turned to leave again. "Didn't see a thing."

Zabini pulled Ed back before he could get too far, slinging one arm casually over his shoulder and lowering his voice even more. "Just level with me, Elric." He looked around warily before speaking again. "It's girl troubles, innit?"

Ed's eyes went slightly wider. 'How can this asshole tell?' "What're you talkin' about?"

"I knew it!" Zabini whispered, grinning arrogantly. "That had to be it! I mean, Malfoy won't say a single word on it, but I noticed Pansy's been acting pretty strangely, too. So then I thought something must've happened between them!"

"PANSY?" Ed was lost. When did Pansy enter the picture?

Blaise was starting to get all worked up. "That's right! They both disappeared during Malfoy's party, didn't you notice? I figure they dragged each other into some broom closet, or maybe snuck up into Malfoy's bedroom and started a little party of their own, if you know what I mean. And then maybe one of 'em didn't... y'know... meet up to par. Which would explain why they're being all weird these days. Am I right, or am I right?"

Ed just looked at Blaise for a moment, very obviously annoyed. "It's because of people like you that those asinine rumors start."

"Just tell me, Elric!" he yelled as Ed started to walk away again. "Am I right or what?"

"You're a sex obsessed maniac, Zabini," Ed said, slowly shaking his head. "Get your mind out of the gutter." He then added for good measure, "And if you start spreading that sick story around, I'll turn you into a eunuch."

When he noticed the vaguely confused look on Zabini's face, Ed mimed a snipping action with his fingers accompanied with a quick whistle. The message came through loud and clear, leaving Zabini with a horrified expression across his face as Ed left the common room, snickering.

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The following days dragged by without much event. Just as Ed had hoped, Zabini kept his mouth shut about what Ed was calling the "bad lay theory of depression." After all, he couldn't afford to have such a story drift to Gryffindor ears. Blaise also seemed a little more wary of Ed than usual, at which Ed couldn't help but grin. At the rate he was going, it looked like Ed wouldn't have to smash his face in. Shame, really.

After about two grueling weeks, Ed's waiting finally came to an end. As he stuffed a slice of toast into his mouth at breakfast, Eule descended onto a spot on the table right in front of him. She hooted at him irritably, ruffling her feathers only to preen them immediately after. Ed smiled nervously. He'd been neglecting the owl over the past... he wasn't sure how long exactly, but it had been a long while since he'd gone up to the owlery.

"Sorry, Eule."

Eule seemed to be glaring at him, opening and closing her wings like she wanted to slap him across the face. As Ed reached for the thick brown envelope she was carrying, he allowed her to peck at his right hand as much as she needed to, just as long as the material of his clothes didn't get too ripped up. He then handed her his other slice of toast, which she quickly snatched up before taking off. Ed made a face after her as she left before turning his attention to the envelope.

It was one of those big thick ones that usually had the words "classified" or "confidential" stamped across one side. He peeled it open, carefully fishing out several sheets of folded paper that had been inserted inside. He unfolded them casually, glancing around to make sure that no one was watching him, and quickly read its contents.

Yo! Ed!
Hey, it's me, Maes Hughes! You have no idea how surprised everyone was when we heard from old Roy. Did you know that we had an entire investigation division out looking for him? We thought maybe Scar got to him, or maybe that weird Voldemort guy that Roy was talking about before he left. So when we got that letter from him, we had to call off the search parties. I think that only made more enemies for him. A lot of people feel like they wasted their time and energy searching for "the guy who stole their girlfriends." Haha! That's Roy Mustang for you!
Anyway, good ol' Roy told me that you wanted some information. I got on it as soon as I could, but it sure took me a while, since I had to do it all on my own. You know how it is, right, Ed? So, sorry for keeping you waiting, buddy.

Ed sweat dropped at the altogether much too cheerful tone that was apparent in Hughes' letter. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was the same as ever: nice and insane.

The next part of the letter was coded.

Severus Snape. Father, Tobias Snape (Muggle?); Mother, Eileen Prince (witch). From what I can gather, the guy had a bad childhood. Abuse from the father, though I haven't been able to determine whether or not it was only the mother on the receiving end. The child was definitely a victim of neglect, regardless. (Tsk tsk tsk. What horrible parenting.) The family was likely of lower-middle class or middle class.
Attended at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was very intelligent, reported to have known more than most seventh years upon entering. Apparently wasn't particularly well-liked in his teenage years. Unpopular and aloof, but unbelievably brilliant. Isolated by his peers, made to be the object of much scorn. Has always had a keen fascination with the Dark Arts.
Love life... not much is known. (Shame. Go tell him to get married.)
Upon graduation from Hogwarts... doesn't seem to be a lot on him until his return to Hogwarts as a teacher. But there is this: He used to be a Death Eater.
Seems like after Voldemort's defeat, he switched sides. He's supposedly one of Dumbledore's men nowadays. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of dirt on this guy. He's very cleverly managed to keep a low profile. Sorry.

His grip on the letter became tighter, the paper crumpling slightly under his fingers. Ed clenched his jaw. A Death Eater. A direct subordinate of Voldemort himself. Which now begged the question: what was he doing teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts? If Hughes had been able to find out that Snape used to be a Death Eater, then Professor Dumbledore should know as well. He'd have to be out of his mind to let someone with that sort of background come so close to the Dark Arts. Ed thought back to the first day of classes, to their first DADA class of the term... The loving caress that had been in Snape's voice as he described the evil that they would come up against...

And at the same time... a half-blood had been one of Voldemort's followers? Weren't they supposed to be preaching about some sort of pureblood supremacy?

Forcing himself to keep a straight face, Ed continued to read the letter. Hughes was finished talking about Snape, so the letter was back to normal.

So how are you doing, Ed? We haven't been hearing much about you lately, but I guess we should have known, huh? That's what happens when people go out of the country for long amounts of time. It's a good thing! You're safe over there, so long as Scar and the other freak shows don't find out where you are. But at the same time, it's strange not hearing about the latest endeavors of the great Fullmetal Alchemist, Hero of the People everywhere you go. Haha! Do you miss your fame, or what?
Everyone over here is doing well. If I were in East City at the moment, I'd tell you how everyone says "hi!" but I'm not. But Major Armstrong sends his greetings! Gracia and Elysia send their love!
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Ed!

Ed blinked. He'd forgotten about that. It was his seventeenth birthday already?

I'm guessing that this letter is reaching you just in time for it, too! But since you're over there, YOU'RE MISSING ELYSIA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY! HOW COULD YOU NEGLECT HER? She's turning five and you're not around to give her a present! Try to send something over, okay? Like another one of those huge teddy bears that are bigger than her! Those are so cute! I know she'll love it!

See you soon, Ed! Take care!
- Maes Hughes

P.S. I've attached some of the latest pictures of Elysia! I know they're not as good as the real thing, but they'll have to do! Consider them our presents to you. You can thank me later. Happy Birthday, Ed!
P.S.S. I'm also sending you a tape of her singing! You have to hear how beautiful her voice has gotten over the past year! She has a voice like an angel!

He slowly folded up the letter and put it to one side for the moment. Hughes couldn't be serious. He couldn't seriously have sent those things all the way to Hogwarts. He couldn't seriously have meant for them to be birthday presents. Ed braced himself, taking a deep breath through his nose, and reached into the envelope to fish out the rest of its contents.

Sure enough, Maes Hughes had included at least two dozen photos of his daughter Elysia. Some of them featured her on a small red tricycle; others were of her splashing around in a wading pool with an inner tube around her waist. A surprisingly large amount of them, however, were just random snapshots of her doing ordinary things: eating, sleeping, or even just staring up at the camera with an awed expression across her face. A few of them had notes scrawled by Hughes on the back, saying things like "Doesn't her cuteness just make all your worries melt away?"

'Yep,' Ed thought with a small chuckle as he flipped through the photos. 'Nice and insane.'

On the other hand, Ed couldn't help but notice that she had gotten a lot bigger. It was amazing to think that he'd practically known this little girl for her entire life. He then put the pictures to the side and peered into the envelope to see if there was anything else. Still stashed inside was not one, but two black cassette tapes, both labeled "Elysia My Angel." Ed grinned as he put everything away. Unfortunately for Hughes, Ed had no means of listening to the tapes he'd been sent. He would have to wait before passing judgment on just how angelic Elysia's singing voice was.

It wasn't very long before Pansy discovered the package Ed had received. Since she wouldn't stop pestering him about it, he reluctantly showed everyone the pictures of Elysia, telling them that she was his baby cousin back home. Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem to understand the concept behind adorable children while Draco, as usual, remained silent. Zabini didn't seem particularly interested, though he did make a comment about how Hughes seemed more in love with his daughter than with his wife. Pansy, however, agreed that Elysia was "as cute as a button," but she thankfully hadn't said so with as much enthusiasm as Hughes usually did.

When asked what the occasion was, Ed quickly made up some story about how Hughes was just an excitable uncle who liked to show everyone pictures of his daughter - which wasn't entirely a lie. He decided that he just didn't want the Slytherins celebrating his seventeenth birthday.

As soon as everyone became bored of looking at Elysia (if Hughes ever knew that he would die of shock and horror), they finished off their breakfasts and then marched out of the Great Hall. Ed took up the rear of the group, trudging along behind them with one hand stuffed into his pocket. He was staring at the envelope in his other hand as he walked, mentally reviewing the more serious part of Hughes' letter. Since it had been coded, there was a possibility that he'd misinterpreted something. He doubted it, though. Hughes never made his codes as complex as state alchemists did. Still, Ed would have to go over it more carefully a second time when he had the chance. He glanced over at the others. Once he was on his own.

The other Slytherins were discussing something unimportant again, as was typical of teenagers their age. Ed strained his ears a little more carefully. Still no mention of Zabini's "bad lay theory." Hopefully Blaise had forgotten all about it by now. Ed watched the Slytherins' backsides for a moment longer as they walked, counting them to make sure that Draco hadn't disappeared, and then finally tore his eyes away. He turned his attention to the suits of armor that lined the hallway, standing on alert with large spears in their grips. If Ed remembered correctly, some of the armor in Hogwarts were bewitched and could give directions to lost students. He smiled slightly.

'Al would fit in pretty perfectly around here,' he thought.

Just then, as Ed and the other Slytherins walked past, one of the suits waved at him.

It took a few seconds for this to fully register in Ed's mind. He continued walking for a while, his eyebrows furrowed as he replayed that moment in his mind. He froze suddenly, one foot still suspended in the air. Wait a second. The suits of armor in Hogwarts weren't bewitched to wave at people, were they? Ed quickly backed up to the exact spot he'd been when he saw the armor and stopped. He then slowly turned his head to get a better look. His gold eyes grew wide.

'No. Al wouldn't. He... He wouldn't.'

The armor waved again. "Hi nii-san."

Ed's eyes grew even wider. 'Apparently he would.' "Al...? Wh-What're you doing here?"

"The colonel told me to come," he replied quietly. "You told him to send someone to Hogwarts, remember? Didn't the headmaster notify you? The colonel said he would..."

"Well, yeah," Ed muttered, trying to be just as quiet, "but I didn't think he'd send you! Al, you're not in the military, you don't have to do what he says!"

"But I wanted to come! I wanted to see your school and meet your friends."

"I wouldn't exactly call 'em my friends, Al."

"And... you have to introduce me to Hermione."

Ed's cheeks flushed red. "Wh-What're you - Don't be - You can't just...! Shut up! Not now, Al!"

If Al still had a face, he would be smiling teasingly at his older brother. As it was, he just seemed to radiate an aura of happiness, very obviously pleased with himself. Ed forcibly cleared his throat as though something had soundly lodged itself in his throat, ready to change the subject.

"So anyway..."

"Oi, Elric! What's wrong?"

At the oh-so familiar and largely unwelcome voice, Ed's head snapped back to face forward, toward where the Slytherins had come to a halt. They were all looking at him, giving him funny looks like he'd lost his mind.

"Everything all right, Eddy?"

Something that sounded like a stifled laugh came from Al's direction. Ed frowned and discreetly threw a mean look at his younger brother. Alphonse fell silent at once.

"Just fine," Ed called down the hallway. "You guys go on. I'll catch up in a bit."

He watched warily as Draco said something to the others. Everyone nodded and then turned back around, continuing on their way to the common room.

"Hurry up, okay, Eddy?" Pansy called over her shoulder. Then all of the Slytherins vanished from view.

Another stifled laugh escaped Al, the metal plates of his armor scraping slightly against one another as his entire body trembled. "E-'Eddy'?"

Ed growled in annoyance and, apparently no longer able to contain himself, smacked Alphonse's helmet clear off his shoulders. Thankfully, there was no one left in that particular hallway to watch as the empty suit of armor immediately stopped laughing and hurried across the hall to gather his head.

"My head! Nii-san, I really don't like it when you do that."

"I've told her a thousand times to stop calling me that," Ed grumbled to no one in particular, ignoring Al's complaint, "but does she listen? Nooooo, she insists on being an annoying little bitch! I swear I'm gonna take that girl down if it's the last thing I do."

Having replaced his head back on his shoulders, Al walked over to Ed, ignoring the fact that he was still fuming and grumbling angrily under his breath. As he got closer, Ed whirled around to face him. It was clear by the look on his face that he was still upset, though it was no longer the same kind of fury that he'd been feeling towards Pansy ten seconds earlier.

"Al, you really shouldn't-"

"Happy birthday, nii-san!"

The greeting caught Edward completely off-guard. He blinked, immediately falling silent. For a moment all he could do was stare at Al as he unlatched his chest plate and pulled out a small package crudely wrapped with brown paper and string. Al handed the package to his older brother.

"The colonel took me to that Diagon Alley place before sending me here. I wanted to get you a present, so... here, take it!"

Ed's eyes slowly drifted from Al's face to the package he was still holding out for him. He hesitated before taking it into his own hands, not sure what to say.

"But Al... You didn't have to-"

"You forget about these things all the time. Someone has to remember them for you."

Ed frowned sadly. "I still haven't been able to get your Christmas present."

"Oh, that's okay," Al told him, shaking his head. "I don't really want anything. Besides, I got to come here to Hogwarts and give this to you in person. That's enough for me."

For a moment longer Ed remained silent. He then laughed softly, tucking the wrapped package under one arm with Hughes' envelope. "Thanks, Al. Somehow I knew you'd say something like that. But still..." He became serious again. "You really shouldn't be here."

Al was taken aback. "Why not? You don't want me to be here?"

"It's not that. I just don't like the idea of you being stationed here, like Mustang has the right and the authority to order you around when you're not in the military!"

"Well, Colonel Mustang said that he had no other choice. Sending someone from his unit would be suspicious since they're all... well, older. There aren't any teaching positions open, and it would be strange to be getting new transfers in the middle of the year, so..."

"So he sends you because you're a suit of armor?" Ed growled, his voice rising slightly in anger. "That bastard... He even has the balls to keep this from me! To send you here without letting me know first!"

"N-Nii-san..."

Ed paused for a moment, taking a deep, calming breath. He glanced down at Hughes' envelope and released a tired sigh. "This could be really dangerous work, Al," he said evenly, trying to control his temper. "You should be back at headquarters, out of harm's way."

"I can take care of myself, nii-san!"

"In hand-to-hand combat, yeah. I know that better than anyone else, but believe me, magic is completely different. We don't know what kind of spells would be able to penetrate your armor and I'm not about to let you put yourself at risk."

For another moment they were both quiet, each putting the welfare of the other foremost in their minds. This was a weakness and a strength that the Elric brothers shared. Ed refused to lose the only family he had left in this world; he'd made that much clear from the moment he attached Al's soul to the armor. Alphonse knew that. But still...

"I'm not leaving."

"Al!"

"Without me around, you'll slack off again and get in trouble, just like always!"

Ed grimaced. He had no real argument for that. He backed off slightly, drawing in another deep breath and turning around. They were both as stubborn as mules when it came to looking out for each other. There was no point in arguing any further.

"Oh, alright, you win," he said quietly, consenting at last. Al beamed. "Just promise you'll be careful, okay? We don't know what magic could do to you."

Al nodded. "I will. Don't worry about me, nii-san."

The elder brother turned back slightly to look at Al and smiled. He decided that everything would work out, as long as Alphonse knew what he was getting into. Then, as though staying so serious and solemn was physically taxing, Ed stretched out his limbs and yawned loudly.

"Well, you're now officially on a mission of your own," he said, banging playfully on Al's chest plate. "You know what to do?"

"Actually..." Al shuffled his feet sheepishly. "The colonel said to talk to you about that."

"What? Geez, that bastard can't do anything right!" Al bowed his head, embarrassed. Ed sighed and then cupped his chin thoughtfully in one hand. "Well, I guess we're better off. I should tell you the truth about all this anyway."

Al looked back up, slightly surprised. "The truth?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you were hiding something from the colonel before... So what's going on?"

The young state alchemist opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. He glanced up and down the hallway to make sure they were still on their own. Then, as a precaution, he ushered Al back to the wall so that he blended in with the other suits of armor again. He crouched down on the floor next to him, placing Al's present and Hughes' envelope on the floor nearby and making sure that he couldn't be easily spotted. Only then did Ed launch into an explanation, giving Al almost exactly the same story he'd given Dumbledore. The only difference was the addition of a few vague details concerning what Ed knew of the situation with Draco and Hermione.

As soon as Alphonse was completely filled in on the situation, Ed grabbed up his things and got ready to leave. He'd been away from the Slytherins for too long already and they would be asking questions ("Especially that nosy little Parkinfreak"). He promised to show Al around and hopefully get to point out his new Gryffindor charges later if he had time before hurrying off in the direction of the Slytherin common room. Ed was eternally grateful that it was a Sunday and had no class. Otherwise he'd be running late and he definitely didn't want any more trouble with his teachers.

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Author's Note: HUGHES LIVES. I don't care what the FMA manga and anime say, as long as I'm behind the steering wheel, HUGHES WILL NOT DIE. I won't let him, dammit! I like him too much!

AND AL'S BACK! BWAHAHAHA! Oh, I missed him for a while there.

And… the matter of Ed's (and Elysia's) birthday.
WARNING: RAMBLE ALERT. PROCEED AT OWN RISK.
Because I wanted Al to arrive on Ed's birthday, I sorta wanted to make a big deal out of it. :P so I decided to give Ed a more precise date. Now, most FMA fans know that Ed's birthday is supposed to be in winter. this is the only detail that Hiromu Arakawa ever gives in regards to Ed's birthday, along with mocking laughter because of the way she (does anyone know Hiromu Arakawa's gender? I say 'she' because of the cow representation) states that in some parts of the world, winter lasts for 6 months. She mocks us all and leaves us confused. Based on what we've seen in the anime, however, fans have narrowed it down to somewhere between October and February. Well, I'm already well past December, so those months fly out the window, and I saw February get used for Ed's birthday in another fanfic. So I went for January. Then I used one of those "what does your birthdate say about you?" things to find a date that most closely described Edward and eventually settled for January 19. according to HBP's timeline (which you can find at the Lexicon), that is exactly 2 weeks after all the students get back from vacation and is a Sunday. I also figure that Ed's brain is so preoccupied with the Philosopher's Stone and his unending quest for truth and knowledge that he tends to forget birthdays and such.

As for Elysia's birthday, I decided I'd keep the same birthday thing from the anime with a 12 year age gap. Just so you know, in the manga, it looks like Ed and Elysia's birthdays are about... maybe one or two months apart? When Hughes raves to Winry about it in the manga, she doesn't make any comment concerning Ed. Winry remarks about Ed's birthday when they first meet Ling, which is at least a month after Elysia's birthday… but ANYWAY, for the sake of having Hughes rant, their birthdays are on the same day in my story. :D

(phew) okay, if you were actually bored/interested/crazy enough to read all that… kudos. Welcome to the inner workings of my brain. XD