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... Over the months, Ed's learned a lot of new things, one of them being "never stick your nose in where it's not wanted." But now it's too late to back out. Something must be done, before the situation gets any worse... FMA/HP crossover. kinda sorta may possibly be slightly AU with HBP and with FMA. rated T for language.

Disclaimer: For reasons beyond my control (and greatly to my own disappointment), I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter series. FMA belongs to the great and mighty Hiromu Arakawa, and HP belongs to the equally great and mighty J.K. Rowling. The idea of this story belongs to the not quite as great and mighty me. The story is my baby. MJade-1 is its only godparent :D

Author's Note: wow, that cliffhanger got an amazing response!! you all know you love it. don't lie, don't deny it. XP but anyways, sorry again for taking so long. real life delayed me again. this update is long overdue... i'm still a little hesitant to put this up now 'cause i'd been hoping to finish off one more chapter before doing so, but... i feel like i've left you all in suspense long enough. right? honest, i wanted to put it up sooner, but... yeah. (peers at reviews) when did i get upgraded to God status?! lol.. well anyways, yeah, i think you guys are definitely tired of waiting for me to update. i'm sorry! but here it is at last, my good, wonderful, and oh-so-patient friends. ;)

Chapter 32
Consequences

"SECTUMSEMPRA!"

Edward didn't know what that spell was. The words were completely alien and meant nothing to him. He'd never heard the words before that night, had never come across them in his books. Until that moment, to Edward Elric, such a spell didn't exist. But what he was quickly coming to learn about the spell was that, whatever the hell it was, it hurt. A lot.

It had all happened so quickly that it almost felt like slow-motion. Blood suddenly spurted from Draco's face and the upper portion of his chest as though he'd been slashed by an invisible sword. And then Ed felt it, too; for a second there was a loud, screeching noise followed by a searing pain going across part of his right shoulder blade, easily tearing through his robes. He quickly whirled around to face Harry, opening his mouth to yell at him.

But the moment he turned the invisible sword swiped again in an upward motion, slicing into Ed's left cheek. He lowered his head and stepped back, instinctively raising his right arm up in front of him to act as a shield. Then there was that ear-splitting screech like nails on a chalkboard again. And as he saw the material of his right sleeve get torn to shreds, he finally realized that the sound was made by Harry's spell raking across his auto-mail. He couldn't help the fearful pounding of his heart at having his auto-mail exposed, after the great pains he'd gone through to keep it concealed for so long. But dropping his shield now would only get himself and Draco severely wounded by this strange spell that Harry was using.

He glanced briefly at the Gryffindor boy, still on the floor. He was waving his wand around wildly, but the movement was slowing as Harry began to realize what his spell was doing. Ed kept his arm in front of him, trying to block the invisible sword's blows, acting as a shield both for him and for Draco. His sleeves continued to be shredded as he held his arms out in front of him, his auto-mail becoming more and more exposed. It wasn't long before the spell stopped altogether, Harry's eyes wide in horror as he stared at the blood dripping down over Draco's face and seeping through his robes. Only then did Ed lower his arms, his eyes just as wide in utter disbelief.

"No -" the boy gasped.

"Holy shit, Harry, what the hell did-"

There was a thud from behind him and Ed quickly whirled back around. His face drenched in torrents of blood, Draco had staggered back into the nearest wall and leaned heavily against it, dropping his wand to the floor in favor of clutching his chest wound. Ed moved forward to grab onto him before he had the chance to fall to the floor, shifting slightly to be able to support the taller boy's weight. He bent down, helping Draco so that he sat upright with his back against the wall. When he pulled away, Ed's gloves and robes were covered in massive amounts of Draco's blood.

"Shit," he breathed as he looked at his crimson-stained gloves. He then proceeded to tear at Draco's robes to inspect the chest wound further. He winced sympathetically at the sight. "Damn, it's deep... Looks like it just missed piercing your lung..."

Draco bit down on his lower lip, squeezing his eyes shut and looking like he was trying to press himself into the wall. Whatever spell Harry had just used, it was effective. The wound still hurt long past the cutting stage; there was a burning sensation in the shallow cut across Ed's cheek and on several spots where it must have cut around his right shoulder and left forearm. He could only imagine how much more intense the pain was with a wound as deep as the ones Draco now sported on his face and torso.

Slipping and staggering, Harry hurried over to them and dropped down to his knees on the floor opposite Ed. He looked terrified and confused, unsure as to what he should do, words tumbling awkwardly out of his mouth. Ed turned to give Harry a stern, enraged look, brushing away the blood on his face which served only to smear it and further stain the backside of his glove.

"What the hell kinda spell was that, Harry?! Just what the fuck were you thinking?!" He then looked just as accusingly at Draco. "Both of you! Have you guys completely lost your minds?!"

Harry shook his head, never tearing his eyes away from Draco. "No - I didn't -"

"Just look at this - You could've killed each other!"

"I didn't mean to - to-" Harry finally turned to look at Ed. Only then did he catch the glint of metal on Ed's arm, and his bright green eyes locked on to it. "Ed, what - your arm-"

He reached over as though meaning to touch it, but Ed quickly withdrew his arm and tried desperately to cover it up with what was left of his robes. A futile attempt. Most of the cloth was in shreds, floating about in the ankle-deep water, leaving his auto-mail almost completely exposed from the mid-bicep down. Ed lowered his gold eyes to a spot on the wall near Draco's shoulder, but he could tell that both boys were looking at him now - he could practically feel their stares on his auto-mail.

Thankfully, he didn't have to think of something to say. For it was that very moment that Moaning Myrtle interrupted, letting out a deafening scream: "MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!"

"THE ONLY DEAD PERSON IN HERE IS YOU, YA MORON!" Ed barked at her, now trying to cover his auto-mail by laying his other arm over it. "SO QUIT YELLIN'!"

But it was too late for that. The door to the bathroom burst open and everyone turned to see who had entered. Severus Snape was now standing in the entryway, his face livid. His dark, beady eyes instantly found the three of them huddled on the other side of the bathroom and he swept over to them, his long robes billowing around him and getting soaked in the ankle-deep water. He shoved Harry and Ed roughly aside, knelt next to Draco, drew his wand, and traced it over the deep wounds. He began to mutter a strange, almost melodious incantation as he did so.

Ed watched quietly, once again trying to wipe his own cut clean, but his blood-soaked gloves only smeared more blood across his face and made him look more wounded than before. After a moment of chanting, the flow of blood from Draco's wound seemed to ease. Snape then addressed the cut between Draco's eyes, wiping away the residue with a clean hand, and repeated the spell. The wounds seemed to be knitting themselves shut.

After a moment, Ed looked away and turned to examine the collateral damage that Harry and Draco's fight had caused. The bathroom was wrecked; a cracked sink, an exploded toilet, several lamps and mirrors shattered, holes in the wall, and linoleum tiles scattered haphazardly across the dirty, flooded floor. Moaning Myrtle was still wailing and sobbing overhead. Harry, soaked in water and blood, was alternating his stare between Draco's wounds and, as luck would have it, Ed's auto-mail arm. He could see the boy's green eyes glimmering with worry and curiosity.

When Snape completed his counter curse for the third time, he half-lifted Draco into a standing position. "You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that..." He then glanced over at Ed and, upon noticing the cut on his face, narrowed his eyes. "You, too, Elric. Get up."

Ed wiped the blood off his cheek again, his eyes darting everywhere as he tried to think of an excuse not to go with them, but he couldn't. The burning sensation in his cheek and arm was just as insistent in telling him that he needed to be healed. But there was no way he could go with them to the hospital wing with his auto-mail as exposed as it was...

"Get up!" Snape repeated, louder and more forceful this time as he carried Draco, who was now slipping in and out of consciousness, toward the door. "And follow me! As for you, Potter..." He turned around to fix Harry with a look of cold fury. "Don't even think about trying to weasel your way out of this one. You will accompany us. NOW."

Frowning at the direct command, Ed slowly picked himself up and got to his feet, hiding his auto-mail by draping his left arm and its huge sleeve over it. Out of the corner of his eye, Ed could see Harry stand as well, a look on his face that was somewhere between confusion and terror. Snape shot glares at both of them before turning back around and helping Draco out of the bathroom. He threw the door open and snapped at the ever wailing Moaning Myrtle to shut up as they exited. With a final wail and loud sob, the ghost dove into the nearest toilet with a large splash and was gone.

Harry glanced uncertainly at Ed, but the blonde had lowered his head so that his bangs covered his face. Then he followed Snape and Draco out the door and down the hall, his left arm still wrapped protectively around his right. Harry followed soon after, but as soon as he fell in-step with Edward, Ed's steps became quicker. Ed knew what would happen if he and Harry remained in close proximity for too long: questions. Questions that Ed didn't want to answer because they dredged up memories that he'd sworn to leave behind him.

And he could feel it: Harry was giving him that look. The one almost everybody gave him when they found out. The same overwhelming curiosity, the almost sympathetic, tragic look that everyone gave him when they saw his auto-mail. It was something Ed had learned to despise and avoided at all costs, though he was equally practiced in ignoring it. Whenever Harry came closer or opened his mouth, Ed started to walk faster. He could still feel the burning in his own wounds and the blood trickling down his face, but didn't dare raise a hand to wipe it away.

The few students that had filtered into the hallways looked at the group strangely as they walked past, but once Snape looked back at them, they hurried away. Ed wished he could get away just as easily. The sooner he separated himself from the others, the better. He was worried about his auto-mail. He couldn't tell what sort of damage had been done to it. So far his arm seemed to be working fine so it was probably only on the surface. He hoped so, anyway. Quietly getting Winry to Hogwarts for maintenance would be near impossible.

Not just because it would raise suspicion, but also because of Winry's attitude. Someone throwing a wrench at someone's head from fifty paces and screaming their lungs out was definitely not - in any way, shape, or form - subtle. And Ed wasn't looking forward to experiencing that at all.

"Potter," Snape said when they turned into a deserted corridor, not turning to look at the boy properly. "What-"

Harry's attention was finally torn away from Edward. "I didn't mean it to happen," he said at once. "I didn't know what that spell did."

"Then you shouldn't have used it at all," Ed muttered darkly under his breath, keeping his eyes to the floor.

Though if anyone heard him, Ed didn't know. Harry didn't say anything in response and just chewed anxiously on his lower lip. Snape seemed to have ignored them both.

"Apparently I underestimated you, Potter," he said quietly. "Who would have thought you knew such Dark Magic? Who taught you that spell?"

"I-" Harry faltered. "I read about it somewhere."

Ed raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the boy. "Where?"

Harry's green eyes darted from Snape to Ed and back. He seemed panicked. "It was - a library book. I can't remember what it was call-"

"Liar."

Snape's voice reverberated with such quiet, cold conviction that it cut through all argument like a knife. Harry shut his mouth at once and tightly pressed his lips together, his eyes wide. The rest of the walk was silent and Harry looked absolutely terrified.

Upon arriving at the infirmary, Snape threw open the door and bellowed, "Madam Pomfrey!"

The head nurse emerged from her office almost at once, looking at Snape inquisitively. "Severus? How may I - Merlin's beard!"

She clapped a hand over her mouth at the sight of Draco's bloody face and robes. She gasped again when Ed trailed into the room a moment later, still hugging himself while his cheek wound bled freely. She descended on the injured boys at once, her trained eyes examining them from head to toe.

"Good heavens," she breathed in horror as she stared into Draco's face. "What on earth... What's happened to you boys?!"

Before Snape could open his mouth to reply, Madam Pomfrey waved a hand dismissively, shushing him. She rose to her full height and walked briskly toward the nearest bed. "Never mind, no time for that. Over here, Severus, lay him here..."

Snape complied and brought Draco's half-conscious body to the cot that Madam Pomfrey had indicated. He turned his head very slightly so that he could see Harry and Ed as he did so.

"Get inside, Elric," he hissed over his shoulder. "Now."

Ed said nothing in response, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Harry had stolen another glance at him. Refusing to acknowledge his presence any further than he already had, Ed moved forward slowly, wrapping his arms still more tightly around him.

"And Potter..." Snape looked up and set Harry with an eerily cool gaze. Harry squirmed under it, apparently unable to stop staring into Snape's face. "Bring me your schoolbag and all of your schoolbooks. All of them."

This was a strange request to Ed, but it must have jolted something in Harry's system. He bit down on his lower lip anxiously, looking like he wanted to protest, but Snape wouldn't have it.

"Bring them to me here," the professor repeated. "Now!"

It seemed like Harry had decided that there was no point in arguing with Snape and he hurried back out into the hallway, trying to flatten his damp, untidy hair over his head as he did so. Once Harry was out the door and Snape had redirected his attention to Madam Pomfrey and Draco, Ed began to walk faster. He sped right past Snape and headed for the closed off area at the back of the hospital wing.

"Merlin, the trouble these students get into these days!" he heard Madam Pomfrey mutter as he walked past. "What spell could have done this? Never in my life..."

Once Ed had successfully slipped behind the white curtain, he perched himself on the edge of the nearest bed and quickly ripped away what was left of his right sleeve, wincing slightly as he did so. He kept the remains close - he would need them to fix his robes. He felt frantic, like he was racing against time to check the damage. But it was suddenly getting difficult to focus, like the energy was quickly being drained out of his system. Was it because of his injuries? Hadn't they stopped bleeding yet?

"Did you patch this up, Severus?"

"Yes." Snape's answer was short and curt.

"It was a good thing you arrived, then. You've closed the wounds well enough, though I may need to - Why on earth is he all wet?"

Ed shook his head vigorously, trying to straighten his head. His cheek and forearm were hurting and throbbing again, his head was reeling. Blood dripped onto the immaculate white sheets. Why was he still bleeding?! He closed his eyes tightly and tried to will the pain away. All he needed was a minute or two. He just had to check his auto-mail for any lasting, serious damage, and then he could clap his hands, fix his robes, and walk back out there like nothing was wrong.

'Focus, Ed!' he commanded himself furiously. 'Quick! Get this done!'

"I found them in the bathroom. One of the toilets had apparently been destroyed."

"Them? Ah, yes, them... Malfoy and - Where's the other boy gone?"

After a moment, the burning finally subsided and Ed opened his eyes. He turned his attention back down to his arm, but before he could get a decent look, the curtain behind him was thrown back. Ed gave out a shout and jumped in his seat, almost falling off the edge of the bed. But before he could, a hand reached out and grabbed firmly onto Ed's auto-mail, holding him steady.

A cold shiver ran up and down Ed's spine as he looked up at Snape. The professor's eyes were wandering across the length of his prosthetic arm, taking in every bolt and groove in its surface. Ed watched him for a moment, anxiety and panic seizing him. He couldn't even bring himself to take advantage of the moment to examine the auto-mail himself and assess the damage. The look on Snape's face was different from what Ed was accustomed to: it was cold and analytical. The change came as a relief in some ways, but it was simply disturbing in others. Why did the sight of metal in place of flesh not faze him? What on earth was going on in that head of his?

After a moment Snape tightened his grip on the metal arm and lifted his eyes to meet Ed's gaze. Ed quickly looked away, allowing his stare to rest on one of the drops of blood that stained the bed sheet. Snape's upper lip curled slightly in annoyance as he pulled out his wand with his free hand and used it to repair the damages to Ed's robes. When he was finished with the sleeve, he pointed his wand at all the other cuts in the material, inspecting each place for wounds before fixing them.

"Potter's doing?" he asked upon finding the cuts on his shoulder.

Ed nodded slightly in response, absently wiping away the blood that was still drizzling down his face from the wound on his cheek. He stayed silent with his eyes still lowered to the bed as the professor proceeded to heal each of Ed's wounds on his shoulder and left forearm as he discovered them. Only when Snape finally started in on his injured cheek did a new question suddenly pop up in Ed's mind. The young Slytherin turned slightly and gave Snape a stern, questioning look.

"Why are you healing me?" he said quietly. "Isn't that supposed to be the nurse's job?"

Snape didn't answer right away, seemingly too occupied with the healing process. When he finally pulled back he was glowering down his hooked nose at him. Ed held his gaze, still waiting to hear the professor's answer even though he already had a vague idea of what it was.

"Make sure Madam Pomfrey doesn't see this," he hissed, avoiding the question altogether and thrusting Ed's arm back at him. "There would be a lot of questions."

'As if I didn't already know that,' Ed thought bitterly, frowning. He didn't dare voice himself, knowing it would only bring more trouble.

"Severus!" called Madam Pomfrey from Draco's bedside. "Help me move Mr. Malfoy to one of the beds behind the curtain!"

"Of course," he answered her after a moment's hesitation, his eyes still fixated on Ed. He then leaned closer to Ed and said in a low voice, "Understand very well, Elric, that you will be dealt with accordingly in due time."

Then he turned sharply on his heel to come to Madam Pomfrey's assistance. Ed leaned back against the edge of the bed, letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. He had to admit that he felt much better now that his auto-mail was concealed again, but his secret was more or less out in the open: Harry, Snape, and Draco had all seen it by now for sure.

Within moments, Snape and Madam Pomfrey had reached the closed off section of the ward and hurriedly threw back the curtain around the bed across from Ed. He jumped slightly at the sound, immediately tugging down on his long, right sleeve so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't see anything. Though it was hardly necessary; she was focused more on Draco and his much more severe wounds.

"Lay him here," she said to Snape, watching his every move with eyes like a hawk's. "Careful now. I'll be right back with some dittany..."

The head nurse hurried back to her office to retrieve the medicines she needed, murmuring something to herself and shaking her head in apparent disapproval. Ed watched her leave for a moment and then turned to look at Draco, who had finally slipped into a state of unconsciousness. The blood over his face and the dirty water had been removed, leaving him clean and dry. He now had a scar diagonally across the bridge of his nose between the eyes, still slightly pink and clearly visible against Draco's pale skin.

Madam Pomfrey returned soon enough, a bowl of some sort of light-colored ointment or crushed herb in one hand and a large red bottle in the other. She set both of these items down on the table next to Draco, quickly wiped her palms on her apron, dipped one hand into the bowl, and began to swab the stuff over Draco's new scar. Snape was silent, his disapproving look going from one Slytherin to the other.

"He's going to need to stay here to recover," the nurse told him. "At least overnight, I'd say. Can't be too careful, Severus, you understand."

"Naturally," Snape said with a curt nod.

The doors to the hospital wing opened and both Ed and Snape turned to see who was there. Harry was entering the ward, breathing heavily and quite red in the face from exhaustion, his schoolbag in his arms. Snape's lip curled slightly at the sight of him. He excused himself from Madam Pomfrey's side and walked over to Harry, one hand outstretched toward him in a gesture for his bag. Ed remained silent, watching the scene with some mild interest. He was also curious as to what that spell was and how Harry (and Snape, it seemed) knew of it.

One by one, Snape pulled Harry's books from his bag and examined them closely. He set each of them on top of a nearby bed as he finished with them. Finally, he pulled out a copy of Advanced Potion-Making. He scrutinized this book with exceptional care. Ed narrowed his eyes at the book in Snape's hands. He was almost positive that the book he'd seen with Harry during class for the past months was more worn-looking than that.

Madam Pomfrey was paying no mind whatsoever to what was going on with Snape and Harry on the other side of the room. Once she finished treating Draco, she walked over to Ed.

"Your turn now," she said, drawing the white curtain shut again and making Ed turn toward her. "Let's have a look at you. Mr. Elric, is it?"

Ed nodded absently, tugging on the blood-stained glove on his right hand. "Uh, yeah... I'm fine, actually," he told the nurse dismissively. "Nothing big-"

"What's that then?" the nurse asked accusingly, nodding at his cheek as she conjured up a stool for her to sit on.

"Just a cut. It'll be fine, Snape already healed-"

"Oh, did he?" Madam Pomfrey looked mildly annoyed to hear about this intrusion on her duties. "Well, Mr. Elric, seeing as I'm the head nurse here, I'll be the judge. Tergeo."

She flicked her wand, removing the blood and dirt from Ed's face and hair. She placed her hands gently on either side of Ed's head for a moment, checking for any bumps or bruises. Upon finding one, she dropped her hands to get her wand and healed it with another quick wave. Then she leaned forward again, pushing Ed's long bangs out of the way so she could more closely inspect the still-pink line down his cheek. Ed kept still, not wanting to bring her attention to any other part of his body. After a moment, Madam Pomfrey frowned thoughtfully.

"Hmm... the same as Mr. Malfoy," she murmured, mostly to herself. "A most unusual... At least Severus knows what he's doing..."

Ed tuned Madam Pomfrey's musings out and redirected his attention toward Snape and Harry. Since Madam Pomfrey shut the curtain, obstructing his view of the scene, he had to strain his ears to catch part of their conversation.

"...that you purchased from Flourish and Blott's?"

"Yes," he heard Harry say in a firm, almost defensive tone of voice.

"Then why," asked Snape, "does it have the name 'Roonil Wazlib' written inside the front cover?"

A sudden cold wetness on his skin brought Ed back to Madam Pomfrey. He let out an involuntary shout of surprise and jerked away from her outstretched hand. He stared wide-eyed at her fingers, which were covered in the same goop that she'd been applying to Draco's wounds.

"What's that stuff?"

"It's dittany," she told him, confused by his reaction. "It helps prevent scarring."

He reached up to his cheek to touch it, curiosity suddenly sparking within him. Madam Pomfrey gave him another funny look, then leaned forward again.

"Now stay still for just a moment, it won't take long."

Ed obeyed this time, allowing Madam Pomfrey to slop the stuff onto his face. He decided it was best not to argue and took the opportunity to further listen in on Snape and Harry's confrontation. Snape was suddenly speaking very quietly and Ed had to resist the urge to lean closer to the white curtain that separated them.

"I think that you are a liar and a cheat and that you deserve detention with me every Saturday until the end of term. What do you think, Potter?"

"I - I don't agree, sir."

"Well, we shall see how you feel after your detentions. Ten o'clock Saturday morning, Potter. My office."

"But sir... Quidditch... the last match of the..."

There was such desperation in Harry's voice that Ed almost felt sorry for the boy. But he was still a bit too angry over what he'd done to them.

The nurse finally finished with Edward and pulled away from him, wiping her hands on her apron. "That should do it."

Ed turned back toward her, somewhat surprised to have been pulled out of his eavesdropping, and then reached up to touch his cheek with his left hand. Madam Pomfrey immediately caught his wrist and lowered it back to his lap.

"Don't touch. It needs to set in."

"Oh. Right."

She then whipped out the same crimson-colored bottle she'd brought to Draco's bedside table, poured some of it into a goblet, and handed it to Ed. "Drink up now. You look a bit pale, must have lost some blood."

Ed glanced up at her before accepting the goblet and raising it to his lips to drink. He was very anxious to leave the hospital ward. Snape was still waiting for his chance to chew him out (which Ed certainly wasn't looking forward to), and his auto-mail still needed to be checked. He stuck his tongue out in distaste once he'd downed the potion and handed it back to the nurse, who clicked her tongue at him scoldingly.

"So, uh... Can I go now?"

Madam Pomfrey looked like she wanted to laugh. "Oh, gracious no!"

"But I feel just fine!" he protested. "Perfectly healthy! It's not like I'm in critical condition or anything!"

The nurse shook her head. "While Severus did a marvelous job healing your wounds, I'd like you to stay so I can be sure the scarring goes down. I've also got to keep an eye out for any side effects, allergic reactions, if there are any..."

"And I would still like a word with you, Elric."

Both nurse and patient's heads snapped upward to look at Snape, who had just re-entered their section of the hospital ward. He was giving Ed a particularly distrustful look, his dark eyes gleaming from beneath his curtain of greasy hair. Madam Pomfrey frowned deeply at the professor.

"About what?" she asked, her tone of voice unyielding.

Snape coolly shifted his gaze toward the head nurse. "About what just happened to him and to Malfoy."

"In the same way you spoke to Mr. Potter? Merlin, Severus!" she cried, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Mr. Elric is still in recovery and you know that I don't tolerate anyone harassing or distressing recovering patients. Honestly!"

Professor Snape scowled. Ed kept a stony expression on his face, fighting down a smug grin. He was secretly pleased with the way the nurse had usurped Snape's authority over him as Head of Slytherin, even if it was only temporary. And even though his injury was really very minor.

'Oh well,' he thought. 'Can't really complain if being in here keeps me away from Snape.'

"Now please, Severus, just leave this to me. I'll return them both to you in full health and in no time at all. So save your questions for then, hmm?"

She then gestured for Snape to leave as she got up and returned to Draco's bedside. Snape's expression became sourer than ever. He then turned back to Ed and gave him a significant look. Ed understood at once. He'd been in the military long enough to recognize a non-verbal command when given one. Once he was released, Snape was going to have that talk with him. There was no question or argument in the matter. As soon as he felt that his message had been relayed properly, Snape finally turned away and exited the hospital ward, his dark robes billowing behind him.

Ed then directed his attention to Draco, still asleep on the bed across from him. He watched as Madam Pomfrey bustled about him, still inspecting him for further injury. She poured some of the liquid from the red bottle into a cup, placed it to Draco's lips, and eased the liquid into his mouth, gently massaging his throat so that he would swallow it. Once that was accomplished, she replaced the cup on the table and corked the bottle. Her eyes wandered over Draco's figure one last time, still searching for something she may have missed. Then with one firm nod of her head, she turned away and started for her office, dimming the lights with a wave of her wand.

"Get some sleep, Mr. Elric," she said over her shoulder. "Rest is the best thing for both of you right now."

But Ed didn't want to sleep. He wasn't really sleepy at all. Instead, he waited for the sound of Madam Pomfrey shutting the door to her room so that he could check his auto-mail. He adjusted his sitting position, swinging himself around so that his back was to the curtain and his arm was closest to the light. He glanced over his shoulder at the curtain one last time, his ears trained for any unusual sounds, and finally pulled back his sleeve.

He sighed in relief. The auto-mail was not heavily damaged at all. There were a lot of visible scratches across its surface, but only two had really cut into the front plate. He carefully checked those out and found that they hadn't cut deeply enough to sever any wires. Everything was still perfectly functional. The auto-mail just looked extremely beaten and worn, which wasn't very different from usual. All it really needed was surface repair, something that Ed could do himself. Ed had to hand it to Winry: her skills were top-notch.

'Wait 'til I tell her that it held its own against magic, of all things!' he thought with a grin. He then paused, his grin fading as he rethought the idea. 'On second thought, maybe I shouldn't. I'd never hear the end of it...'

Ed glanced about, once again making sure that he wouldn't be seen. He looked over at Draco and was still for a moment, making sure he was fast asleep. When he decided that it was safe, he smiled to himself and slapped his hands together.

Author's Note: sorry to disappoint anybody, but it looks like Winry will not be making any actual appearances in this fic. that executive decision has been finalized with the ending of this chapter. and that's not just because of crazed, biased, and jealous Ed fangirl-ness, i assure you! i honestly considered it, and though i kinda liked the idea of having Winry burst into the Great Hall and chuck a wrench at Ed's head at 50mph, i couldn't think of any use for her beyond that. i even thought maybe she'd send a howler, which would somehow bash him over the head with a wrench anyway, but Winry's... well, a Muggle. not even an alchemist! how the hell would she know how to do that? so that didn't work out either. i also wondered if maybe Ed's entire right forearm oughta get lobbed off so that Winry could come and fix it. but seriously, if she were to come to Hogwarts at all, then it'd turn into a big deal and i'd have no idea how to get her back out of there. and i can't let her stay because... as i said, i really can't think of any other uses for her. and so, in the end, she's just not going to appear. though she does get a terrible lot of mention... (jealous grumble) anyways!

i rearranged some book stuff to serve my own (evil?) purposes. this chapter, by the way, was practically written twice. the first time i wrote it, it was... okay, i suppose... i knew nothing about Madam Pomfrey's character, and i had doubts about my portrayal of Snape. then i showed it to my beta-reader/co-writer, and everything became fixed. a lot just had to be rewritten, and/or a buncha stuff got added. but in the end, it's so much better. :)

oh, bah, dittany. i had to go and look up just what the hell it is. while i initially thought it was a potion or something, i found out that it's an herb. so i figured it probably gets crushed and used as an ointment or something, which made a whole lot more sense, considering its use. and check out Snape the healer! Mjade and i had this idea that Sectumsempra wounds don't stop bleeding on their own (like Nagini bites OotP), and since Snape's the one who invented Sectumsempra he's the only one who really knows how to heal the wounds caused by it.

and YES. the auto-mail has finally been revealed! but the confrontation about it is still coming up. Snape doesn't quite strike me as the type to go around blabbing about how he's just discovered that Ed has a metal arm (maybe he'd tell Dumbledore, but the headmaster already knows so that wouldn't make any difference at all), and i'm not sure Draco really cares (plus, he's out like a light, so he's not in any position to... talk. literally). Harry, on the other hand, is no doubt curious about it and could very well tell Hermione and Ron about it. but i don't think he will; surely he knows how to recognize a secret, and he should know by now that everyone has their reasons for keeping them. i'm sure he'll keep it safely guarded... and i don't think it'd be too big a problem if Hermione and Ron (and maybe Ginny) were told, anyway. they're not stupid... and Al's there to make sure they promise not to tell.

all that said... please review! and more to come soon! ...hopefully. my CSAG muse seems to have wandered off and taken a vacation without telling me. T-T