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. kinda sorta may possibly be slightly AU with HBP and with FMA. rated T for language.
Disclaimer: As much as I wish and hope and pray that one day I will wake up and have all the rights to have the Fullmetal Alchemist series, it has not yet happened. So FMA, my most favorite and the absolutely most brilliant manga series EVAR, belongs to Hiromu Arakawa (and Studio BONES). All things Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling... and this story belongs to me and MJade-1! ^_^
Author's Note: HAH!! as promised, I AM PUTTING IT UP MUCH MORE QUICKLY THIS TIME. it's been exciting, finally getting to write out these parts... I'll try to be even faster with the next one!
thanks as usual to everybody who reviews. YOU ALL KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOOOOOOOOOU~~~
Chapter 39
The Battle for Hogwarts
Edward ran. He probably ran faster than he'd ever run before. He had to make it. He had to get there on time... That barren stretch of hallway, where Draco was somehow able to conceal himself inside the wall... Whatever he'd been trying to do in there all year long, he'd finally been able to do it. And there Ed had been hoping that he'd managed to cut Draco off at the pass. It was infuriating to think about. He'd had all year to find out what he was up to and stop him before the project could come into fruition, but nothing came of it. The seemingly infinite capabilities of magic had rendered usual methods of investigation useless. And even as smart as Edward was, there was little he could do.
Well, it was too late to hope to reverse it now. He would just have to make sure that the second part of Draco's assignment didn't work out for him. Soon enough, things were going to get ugly. The whole castle was going to be turned into a battlefield, Ed was sure of it. Which dictated that it was also going to be necessary to ensure that no innocents were caught in the crossfire and killed. He didn't think he'd be able to live with himself if lives were lost unnecessarily.
He turned the final corner sharply, grabbing at the stone wall to help him as he did so. Down at the other end of the hallway he could see some of the Gryffindors; Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Al a small ways away from them, checking around the other corner. Ed raced up to them, brow furrowing. What were they doing here? This was the place with the magic wall that Draco kept disappearing into...
When they saw him approach, the other Gryffindors seemed just as confused, perhaps even a little wary. Ed's frown deepened, and just as he opened his mouth to call out to them and ask what they were doing there, a bang stopped him dead in his tracks. Everyone looked expectantly toward the wall with a jolt, and suddenly, where there had once been nothing but stone and cement, there was a large door. There was barely time to question its sudden appearance before it burst open.
A flurry of dark robes tumbled from out of a previously hidden room, some of them growling at the others about being in their way and to move quickly. Leading them, it seemed, was one Theodore Nott. Beside him, his arm gripped tightly by the other teen, was Draco with some sort of shriveled monkey paw in one hand. The moment the group realized they'd been spotted, Nott froze, eyes wide, then shoved a hand into the inner pocket of his robes, pulled something out, and threw it over their heads.
Everyone let out a cry as they were quite suddenly and quickly engulfed in darkness, blinded completely by it. There was the very distinct sound of some of the other kids bumping into one another, particularly Al and his armor as he staggered about.
"What in Merlin's-"
"What's going on?!"
"It's- It's Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder!"
"Ow! Al, careful where you're stepping!"
"S-Sorry, Ginny!"
"Those were Death Eaters!"
"Instant what?!"
"It's- Oi! Bloody hell..!"
"Ack! Sorry, Mr. Ron!"
Underneath their voices were a set of significantly older, gruffer sounding ones, bossing each other around and clearly shoving each other aside, occasionally barking out an order about where their feet should be. Ed tried to turn toward them, certain that those were the ones he needed to follow. And just as he took a step toward it-
CLANG.
"Hey! Dammit, Al-"
"I-I'm so sorry, nii-san!!"
"Elric?"
The voice was shocked, a little hoarse from the apparent strain of speaking out loud. Ed turned toward it, his eyes darting around, trying to seek out the source through the abysmal black.
"El- The bloody 'ell is Elric doin-"
That second voice had to belong to Nott. Ed growled a little, his hands balling into fists. If it weren't for this impenetrable darkness...
"Focus, you imbeciles!" someone else shouted out gruffly. "Lead us out, boy! Get to the others! I've got a mission to do myself!"
Ed tried to follow the noise, the voices and the sound of many shuffling feet. But there were a good many of them: frantic Gryffindors here, annoyed Death Eaters there... It was damn difficult to distinguish, and the moment Ed thought he found his target and started to move toward it, he collided with someone who quickly began to apologize over and over. Not a Death Eater. Certainly not Draco.
He cursed softly under his breath as he stepped away from whoever that was, whirling around in place as he sought out the voices again. Draco, Nott, anybody who sounded over twenty... But to no avail. Save for the constant beat of their feet on the ground, they had all gone silent. Only the voices of the Gryffindors as they searched for each other could be heard.
"Damn...!"
"Thought you'd beat me, eh, Elric?"
He froze. Nott. When did he come back? Where exactly was he?
"Thought you'd swoop in out of nowhere, take me and Malfoy out, claim all the glory for yourself?"
The voice was moving slowly, seeming to surround him from all sides. It rang out over the voices of the other kids, despite being spoken in low tones. Ed frowned as he listened, turning a little in place as he strained his ears to catch his every word, every step, every rustle of his robes.
"Well, you're too late now. The Dark Lord only wants the strong ones who prove useful. And clearly, you're the one out of the loop here."
Ed took a small step to one side, turning his head slowly. He'd find him, it was just a matter of time. He knew guys like Nott; they liked to rub things in and talk and gloat about themselves.
"Poor Elric. So bloody smart and strong and fierce and all those things that would be so well put to use by the Dark Lord... All your efforts gone to waste, eh? Everything you wanted for yourself down the drain. You'd never make a good enough servant for the Dark Lord, like it or not. Went through this whole year looking for an in, plotting against us only to come up with nothing in the end. Thought you had the upper hand, did you? When it was me all along, I knew exactly what you were up to, you bloody wanker! And now - now I get to reap in all the reward for me."
He stopped, and then his voice was suddenly right up beside him, so close Ed could smell the bastard's rank breath. "They're going to die, d'you understand? I'm going to off them, since Malfoy's too much of a bleeding heart airy-fairy to do it himself. Made a right balls-up of his precious little assignment, he did." Nott snickered to one side. "So... First the old headmaster, then golden bloody Potter, then all the rest of them. Including your pathetic little Mudblood girlfriend. They're worthless after all, eh?"
Nott stopped to cackle evilly. Ed's hands balled into fists at his sides, the rage welling up within him. Dirty son of a bitch.
"And then it would be me the Dark Lord would prize. Me! His right-hand man, his successor. Not Malfoy, not his bloody family." Nott practically spat the name as he said it. "I'd finally beat Draco at something. Something that would place me above him, above others. I would no longer be a disgrace to my father, no longer be humiliated by my peers, no longer be looked down upon by the followers of the Dark Lord. Other Death Eaters would fear and respect me for I'll be his new apprentice." His voice suddenly went lower, his tone bitter and hateful. "They'll finally know their place, the lot of them. After everything I've done in service to the Dark Lord, all my failures will be forgotten and the legacy of my family will be ever more powerful. I know he will surely reward me 'fore the night's up. And there's absolutely nothing you can do about it!"
Then a hand was on his shoulder, patting him in a clearly condescending manner as the bastard laughed. Laughed.
"Poor li'l cock up Elric," he said with another cackle. "Maybe if you're lucky I'll see you around!"
A vein in Ed's head was throbbing in rage. This dirty son of a bitch. Nott started cackling loudly as he started to move back, but before he could get too far away, Ed's arm darted out and grabbed onto him in a fierce, automail grip. He wasn't getting away with this. Oh, hell no.
Nott was clearly shocked. "What the bloody-"
"Get in with a sick, twisted cult like the Death Eaters?" Ed repeated incredulously. "Swoop in and become Voldemort's new best friend?! Don't make me laugh."
His grip on Nott's arm tightened, metal fingers clenching into the idiot's weak flesh and bone. He tried to wrench himself away, but Ed's grasp was too strong for him. With a growl, Ed yanked him closer. If Nott could see him, there was a wicked smirk plastered across his face, his gold eyes burning angrily.
"Sixteen times."
There was a short, stunned pause. "What?"
"You and your Slytherin buddies have insulted me sixteen times since I got here. Not including any insults to my character. If I include those, you personally just dished out five. Guess what that means for you, Nott?" There was another bit of silence, and Ed could feel Nott trying to pull himself free again. Ed's smirk grew, his voice lowering dangerously. "It means, you weedy little shithead, that you get to take the brunt of aaaalllll my anger. Exciting, huh? I know I'm looking forward to it."
The arm he was holding onto seemed to be shaking. Ed almost wanted to laugh. "You chose the wrong time to pick a fight with me, Nott."
He swiftly switched hands, grabbing hold of his victim by the collar in his left hand and rearing his right back. Then, with that same wicked glimmer in his eyes, Ed threw the hardest punch he could manage that wouldn't kill the weak little sap. Though the temptation to kill him certainly was there.
Nott's whimper was drowned out by the crunch of breaking cartilage in his nose, and the next noise of protest was muffled by another crack made when his fist connected with his jaw. Still holding him tight by his robes, he simultaneously yanked him closer and raised his knee, hitting him right in the gut. He could feel his weight shift ever so slightly, so before the asshole could pass out Ed dropped his elbow into what he was assuming was the small of his back. Only then did he let him go. The thud that his body made when it crumpled to the floor was damn near music to Ed's ears. It was over a bit too quickly for his liking, but Ed felt one hell of a whole lot better now.
He rolled his shoulder briefly and kicked at Nott's body one last time for good measure before returning his attention to the current situation. It seemed the Gryffindors were still grappling blindly through the darkness, shouting about the powder and trying to figure out how to reverse its effects. Ed frowned a little in thought as he listened to them, then quickly slapped his hands together and hit the ground. If it was really just magical powder, it was easy enough to remove and destroy. If not, well... at least he'd know for sure.
With a flash of light from Ed's hands, the powder gathered and condensed together into a small black box on the floor in front of him, and the gift of sight was once again bestowed upon the Gryffindors. Some of them yelped at the sudden change, holding up their hands and blinking rapidly as they had to adjust to it.
"What..?"
"How did...?"
Ed picked up the little box and examined it briefly before tossing it to Al, who caught it easily. The younger Elric just looked at it for a moment before turning to Ed again. "Nii-san?"
"Keep that on you," Ed instructed, pointing to the box. "Could come in useful later."
"Ah- Sure..."
Neville was the first to notice the unconscious Slytherin a few feet away from where Edward was standing and cried out in alarm. "Is that- That's Theodore Nott!"
He turned a little to look, blinking. Then turned back to Neville with one eyebrow slightly quirked. "Yeah, it is."
"His... His nose is broken."
A little smirk crossed Ed's face. He very nearly puffed out his chest in pride. "Yeah, it is. So's his jaw."
While Neville blinked at the sight in shock, Ed turned his attention back to the others. "I'm gonna need you guys to do me a favor. Round people up, get the younger students out of the castle or to someplace safe and secure. Anybody else is probably gonna have to fight."
Ginny and Ron looked surprised, but they nodded in understanding. "Okay."
"What?!" Al was clearly shocked. "What about making sure nobody gets-"
"These guys are bullheaded, in case you hadn't noticed." The three Gryffindors frowned a little when they heard this, but said nothing. It was true, after all. "If they can fight, if they want to fight, there are too few of us to stop them so we're better off using that to our advantage. I didn't catch how many Death Eaters were let in, but I think it's safe to say they outnumber all of us at the moment. That banging noise happened earlier too, so they might be hitting us in waves. At any rate, Al, you stick with these guys like I told you earlier, got that?"
Al seemed stunned, but he still nodded slowly. He knew his brother well enough to recognize when he was being truly serious about something. "All right..."
"Good. Now hurry!"
And with that, Ed took off in the direction of the headmaster's office without sparing a glance back. That was sure to be Draco's destination; after all, he was trying to kill the wizened old wizard. He wasn't sure what the point of having all the Death Eaters storm the castle was, but it wasn't unthinkable of Voldemort to simply want them to wreak havoc on the castle. And if he thought of how many Dumbledore supporters were housed within these walls, well... It made sense for the bastard to want to destroy every potential obstacle as quickly as possible.
He hadn't gone very far before he found himself running headlong into a battlefield. One of the hallways en route to Dumbledore's office was filled with Death Eaters facing off against some other wizards. Spells were being shot out from every part of the hallway, hitting the walls, smashing statues and decorative armors when they missed their targets. Whatever paintings were up on the walls were now completely void of subject matter, as they had all fled as soon as the fighting broke out.
He didn't recognize every face that he could see fighting. Some were definitely teachers: McGonagall and the Charms professor, for instance. But there were others he'd never seen before: a man with graying light brown hair and patched, shabby clothing and quite a few redheads, among others. There was only one face that was vaguely familiar, that being of a young woman with a heart-shaped face and mousy brown hair. Either way, it was quite clear whose side they were on.
It was also quite clear that they were on the losing side.
They were taking on Death Eaters two or three to one, the odds heavily against them. The desperate struggle was evident in every way, and for a moment Ed was frozen where he stood. Help them. They needed all the help they could get, and yet for every second that he hesitated, Draco was getting further away, heading off to kill the headmaster. After another brief moment passed, Ed gritted his teeth and pressed onward, running past them all. There simply wasn't enough time to stop and help each and every one of them.
He bee-lined straight through the battlefield, ducking under people's arms, weaving around groups to avoid them, jumping over fallen objects. He was nearly around the far corner when somebody was struck and suddenly got sent colliding right into him, almost making them both topple over to the ground. He let out a yelp of surprise, blinking in confusion as his eyes met briefly with the wizard's. A second later, however, they were both hitting the floor to get out of the way of a spell aimed right for their heads.
"Bloody-" The Death Eater cursed loudly at the miss, then quickly readjusted to shoot another. Both Ed and the other wizard leapt out of the way, Ed nearly crashing into another group of fighters as he did so. More cries of surprise arose from them, some of them whirling around to see what had happened. As more attention was drawn to him, more spells started to get thrown at him, some even coming from those who weren't Death Eaters. Some part of him reasoned that it was because Draco and Nott had been in ordinary Slytherin robes that he was being mistaken for an enemy, but the trigger had already been pulled. Ed growled out an annoyed curse of his own, glaring angrily at them all as he slapped his hands together with a thunderous noise.
"Bastards...! STOP GETTING IN MY WAY!!!"
His hands hit the floor and that segment of the hallway was suddenly lit up with the crackling lightning of the transmutation. Segments of stone beneath the carpet suddenly surged upward, launching concrete-fisted punches at all the Death Eaters who were nearby and sending them careening into the walls and the ceilings, knocking them out in a single blow. The wizards that he helped were all clearly disoriented by what had happened, only realizing who was responsible when there was another clap and the sculptures withdrew into the floor again. A few of them spared a moment amidst their fighting to exchange confused looks before returning to their fight.
"Mr. Elric!"
Ed was just about to continue his run when he heard the familiar sound of McGonagall's voice and quickly turned toward her, a frown across his face. "Professor, did you see Draco Malfoy pass through here?"
"No, I can't say I have," she answered quickly, "but just where do you think you're-"
He growled softly and grumbled to himself, getting more and more annoyed by the circumstances he was finding himself in. He didn't even bother to hear the rest of McGonagall's question and just turned sharply on his heel, resuming his journey up to the headmaster's office. He all but bellowed the password at the gargoyle and was darting up the hidden staircase before it had even been fully revealed. In no time at all he was bursting through the doors to the round office, only to find that it was empty save for a swan-sized bird of red and gold.
"Professor?!" he called out, despite knowing that if he were there, he would have already greeted him. "Professor Dumbledore!!"
The bird turned its head toward him, tilting it slightly as though it found Ed's presence most curious. But no wizened old wizard emerged from behind the desk. Ed even moved around to the other side of it to investigate, cursing under his breath. In another moment he was gone, running back out the door and down the steps to jump back into the battlefield he'd just left.
All of Hogwarts had exploded into action. Edward's earlier assumption about the number of Death Eaters that had managed to enter outnumbered them greatly was correct, making it seem as though they were fighting a losing battle. And now that he was left without any ideas on where Draco could have headed off to in order to accomplish his task, Ed felt it was only right that he help take care of the black-robed bastards in the meantime. So he did, following the path of activity: after all, once he helped take down one group of Death Eaters, another one would spring up to replace it as he moved further down the hallway, getting more concentrated in number as they went.
Edward leapt out of the way of what must've been a pretty nasty spell, then charged straight for the Death Eater who cast it, launching into a flying kick aimed for his face. He pulled all of his weight with him, the sole of his boot driving deep into the Death Eater's mask and making its surface crack and break apart. He was essentially used as a stepping block as Ed immediately moved on to attack the next closest Death Eater, snarling viciously as he charged into him with an automail-fisted punch to the face. His opponents were unaccustomed to this actual head-on physical attack, and so had little time to process the situation before falling victim to his punches and kicks.
He was wrath incarnate, a blur of movement in iron kicks and punches to every vital point he could reach. His attack was relentless, fueled by a powerful, hate-filled rage that had spent the better part of the last nine months coiled up within him that was being unleashed on the unsuspecting Death Eaters. It was loosed in a combination of physical combat, alchemy, and magic, a triple attack that none of them could possibly have expected or been prepared for, much less coming from someone like him. Sometimes his being of the stature that he was came in handy like that. Not that Ed would ever acknowledge this fact, let alone admit to it.
Further down the hall, Alphonse swung a heavy punch of his own into a black-robed figure near him, then let the body slide down to the floor at his feet. He turned toward where he could hear the sound of his brother's yells and growls, incessant streams of enraged cursing like only Edward Elric could pull off. It had been a while since he and the other Gryffindors joined the fight, jumping in to battle alongside who Ron was calling members of the Order of the Phoenix. There was no time to explain it further, so Al had to satisfy himself with this answer for the time being. For now, they were to be classified as "the good guys" and would invariably be given his assistance.
"Nii-san!" he called out, waving an arm so Ed would be sure to see him. "NII-SAN!"
"AL, HEADS UP!"
Ron's call made him turn sharply to one side, noticing the Death Eater that had turned toward him, wand drawn and ready. Not wanting to risk taking such a direct hit from a magic spell, he staggered back to avoid the hit, letting out a yelp of shock as the carpet where he once stood was suddenly hit with a bright green light. His large armored body bumped into someone else and he all but toppled over with a resounding clang, the Death Eater that had attacked him in the first place looming nearby. Somewhere over the clamor Ginny could be heard crying out for him, but before she could reach him or even get close enough to use any spells, she was too late.
Ed literally beat her to the punch. He'd already been charging down the hallway at full speed, making his way to where Al and the other Gryffindors were, so it didn't take him long to hit Al's attacker, vaulting himself clear over Al's metal body and kicking the bastard right in the face. The single hit was enough to take him down, Ed landing into a slight crouch just in front of his younger brother. He then turned to look at him, his eyes giving him a quick visual check up before moving back to the other Gryffindors.
"Everyone okay?"
They nodded. "Fine, thanks."
"You scared the bloody hell outta me," complained Seamus, giving Ed a wary look.
He waved it off, reaching back to give Al a hand up before starting to move on. "At least you've got your guard up."
Before Ed could get too far, Al caught him by the wrist and held him back. "Nii-san, I have to tell you something! It- It's about Miss Hermione!"
He stopped at once, blinking and whirling around to face him. "What about her?"
"I- I can't find her."
Gold eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
"Somewhere in the middle of all this, I think- I lost track of her, I can't find her-"
"AL!" Ed grabbed Al by the shoulders and shook him a little. "I told you to stay-"
"I did! But I think she slipped away even before everything-"
Apparently having been unable to help but overhear, Ron stepped up to them, a confused sort of look on his face. "Hermione's down in the dungeons with Luna."
Both brothers turned to look at him when he spoke, Ed's eyes a little wider. It seemed for a moment as though what the redhead had told them simply wasn't registering, but then suddenly Ed pounced on him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him as he had done Al.
"What the hell is she doing down there?!"
Ron quickly broke free of Ed's grasp, staring at him in surprise. "She- Harry said Snape needed to be watched, so when we headed out we split up-"
"Dammit!" Ed shoved a hand through his hair, ruffling his bangs in irritation. "Of all the times, of all the places, it just had to be-"
"Merlin's beard- THE DARK MARK!!"
The exclamation was met by a series of gasps and the turning of many heads, as well as a few cries of victory from some of the Death Eaters. Ed and Al both looked around them wildly, searching for whatever it was that had been pointed out. When neither of them saw anything out of the ordinary (apart from a school hallway being turned into a magical battlefield against Death Eaters), their eyes once again fell on Ron. The boy seemed to have gone pale, his eyes wide in terror.
"Bloody hell... The Dark Mark..."
"What're you talking about? What mark? Where?"
Ron fixed the brothers with a stunned look. "How don't you know-"
"Just tell us what it is!" Ed demanded impatiently.
"It- It's his mark," the Gryffindor answered with a slight shake of his head. "If the Death Eaters send it up into the sky, it's to show that they've been there, that they've-" He swallowed nervously. "That they've killed someone..."
Ed's eyes grew wide and the pit of his stomach dropped through the floor. Someone had been killed. Which meant...
Shit.
He broke away from Ron and Al at once, ignoring their shocked cries as he ran for the windows where a dark-haired witch was staring out the window in horror. He followed the direction of her gaze up into the night sky. There, high above the roof of the Astronomy Tower, was an image of a narrow-eyed skull with a snake emerging from its open mouth, the length of its body weaving around it. It just floated there, the picture seemingly made up of a mysterious green smoke that stood out just so against the line of darkened, silver-lined clouds.
"Merlin," gasped the witch, her voice trembling a bit in horror.
Ed turned toward her at once. "How long has that been up there?!"
She shook her head. "I- I don't know-"
"You WHAT?!"
"I- I don't know, but- Good Lord, who could they have...?"
Letting out a low, frustrated growl, Ed took off again in a run, heading for the Astronomy tower. It was almost hard to believe that Draco could have killed off the professor so quickly and easily. In fact, he didn't believe it. It could have just been a bluff or something...
He was so caught up in his thoughts and busy looking out the windows at the Dark Mark that he wasn't looking where he was going. Soon enough he ran headlong into one of the Death Eaters, knocking the dark-robed figure over and tumbling down with him. They both cursed as they struggled to regain their bearings, shaking their heads a little to free themselves of the dizziness. The moment they noticed one another, they both whipped out their wands and pointed it at one another.
"Expelli-"
"Avada-"
There was a loud click like a finger snap, and suddenly the Death Eater's robes were wrapped up in a curtain of flames. Ed could only stare in shock as the man screamed in terror and pain, throwing up his wand and flailing madly to exterminate the fire. He looked around wildly, his eyes a little wider. There was only one person he could think of who could do something that quickly.
"It seems I just can't leave you on your own, Fullmetal. You honestly didn't think this was a situation worth notifying me about?"
That obnoxiously familiar, nonchalant drawl made Ed twitch a little. With an annoyed grimace, he turned to face Colonel Mustang fully as he approached, dressed in full Amestrian military uniform, one gloved hand in his pocket and his hair as neatly trimmed as it had ever been. At least the bastard didn't have that smug look on his face.
Behind his blue-uniformed figure Ed could see other familiar members of the Amestrian military joining the fray: First Lieutenant Hawkeye and Second Lieutenants Havoc and Breda were all running around taking unsuspecting Death Eaters down with nonfatal shots to their shoulders and legs; elsewhere was the unmistakable glow of alchemy as Major Armstrong heaved spikes of stone up to barricade the enemy in. Somewhere in the midst of the fighting, Ed could've sworn he caught the glint of a small steel knife flying through the air to stab a Death Eater in the back: signature work of Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. It looked like Roy had called on a few favors from Central for this cavalry.
"What the hell're you all doing here?!" Ed cried out in alarm, shoving the still-burning Death Eater to one side with a simple spell.
"I came to check up on you," Roy said almost casually, snapping his fingers again and making another Death Eater's robes burst into flames. "You really need to learn to follow orders more closely. Just look at the mess you've caused."
"I've caused?! You have no idea what's been going on here, so don't go throwing accusations at me! Besides, how'd you even get here, the place is completely warded with ma-"
"FULLMETAL, GET DOWN!"
Before Ed could finish his question, Roy pushed him down to the floor. Ed let out a yelp, his hands coming up to cover his head automatically. A flash of green light soared just over their heads, narrowly missing them both. He then turned to see who'd cast that spell, eyes narrowed and teeth bared like a feral dog.
"Dirty son of a..." He took aim at the idiot's face with his wand, then blasted a nonverbal Banishing Charm right at him. "..BITCH!!"
The Death Eater went careening back, flying into one of his companions and knocking them all over. Ed glowered in their general direction, straightening to his full height. Roy shook his head a little, vaguely amused in spite of their circumstances.
"You'd better get moving, Fullmetal. I don't see your charge anywhere."
Ed turned again to look back at him, frowning. "But you haven't answered my-"
"There's no time for that right now," Roy said sternly, cutting him off once more. "You have a mission to execute. Or did you forget about it already?"
His gold eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again. Damn. He hated admitting when the colonel was right about these things. There really wasn't any time to waste.
"Asshole," he snorted, resuming his run to the Astronomy tower. "You'd better fess up when all this is over!"
As his subordinate ran off, Roy waved a hand dismissively. Naturally, he'd explain everything later on. For the time being, he was in the middle of a very interesting battlefield.
Ed weaved his way down the increasingly crowded hallway. On all sides, people were fighting. Wizards of every age, students and teachers alike, all pitted against the hordes of Death Eaters. It still seemed like they were losing, but Ed was somewhat comforted with the knowledge that the colonel had arrived with some reinforcements; exactly how many were brought, he hadn't noticed. But even if it wasn't much, Ed liked to think that it had helped tip the scale in their favor.
How on earth were there so many Death Eaters here? He couldn't understand it. Though it did seem possible that all the non-lethal hits that were being dished out to them wasn't deterring them. Injuries from "Muggle" weaponry were probably easy enough to heal, so any damages done by Roy's unit only bought time and killed ammunition. The other wizards' Expelliarmus spells were only effective for as long as they couldn't get their hands on another wand. But the Death Eaters didn't think twice about using the Killing Curse, and that was ultimately going to be the "good" side's downfall.
One thing at a time. Ed had to tackle this one thing at a time, and first up was Draco's assassination of the school's headmaster.
He made it to the entrance of the Astronomy tower quickly enough. He had to jump over a body that had crumpled to the floor and was now lying in the way (he didn't know whose side that one belonged to, or if it was dead or simply unconscious), but once he'd made it through he was taking the stairs two at a time, practically flying up the staircase.
The Dark Mark had to be a bluff. He kept telling himself this; Draco couldn't possibly have killed the headmaster so quickly and easily. It wasn't possible. For all his talk, Draco wasn't a killer.
Finally, he made it to the top of the tower and he burst out onto the roof, searching around him quickly. But the moment he glimpsed a pair of figures out of the corner of his eye, he was struck.
"Incarcerous!!"
Author's Note: DUN DUN DUHHHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNN. ...Damn I love cliffhangers.
I- I had the hardest time writing out this chapter. Writing this was the reason the last chapter took so long to get uploaded. I'm just SO GLAD IT'S FINALLY DONE. I hope you guys appreciate it!! As always, please review on your way out!