Heeeeeeeey. Long time no see, eh?
I'm so sorry for the extensive wait for this chapter; last semester and this summer got real crazy real fast. I had the two most difficult classes I've ever taken last semester and this summer was jam-packed. I had two week-long vacations, work, volunteering, a relationship to balance, and I was driving an hour both ways to be at the barn.
Thank you all for forever being patient with me and my wacky posting schedule. I sincerely hope you enjoy this new chapter.
Chapter 21: Colonel Elric
Ed's POV
A puff of air left my lips as my tired eyes cracked open against the bright light streaming through the window and into the bedroom. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my right hand before letting it flop back on my chest to rest. There was a gentle mumbling, and a joyous smile grew upon my lips.
Gently, I rolled over to face the middle of the bed and subsequently Winry. The blonde, blue-eyed beauty had that look on her face I had come to recognize over the past couple of mornings waking up beside her; she was in the process of waking up herself. Her eyebrows were scrunched up, and her lips were almost pouting, one corner of her lips pulled up in a grimace.
"Good morning, Winry," I whispered as I stroked blonde hair out of her face. She scrunched her face up once more, her expression even more dramatic than before, before she finally opened her eyes. "There ya are," I said in the same quiet voice as I placed a gentle arm over her waist.
"Morning, Ed," she greeted as she scooted closer to me under the blankets. The nights here were cold, and I cursed the draft the window let in. It didn't help having a metal leg in the middle of the winter when you were sharing a bed with someone. Winry had nearly resorted to wrapping my left leg in a spare blanket just so the freezing metal wouldn't rub against her own legs during the night.
She tucked her hand up by her face and let out a deep breath. My smile faded for a moment, and I said, "Is everything alright, WIn?" The girl in my arms nodded, and she moved her hand to look up at me.
"Yeah," she assured me. "I'm just tired." I nodded and pulled her closer to my chest. My smile returned when she sighed contently and snuggled in further. She was quiet for several long moments before she spoke again. "I could stay here forever," she whispered.
"At Hogwarts?" I asked, quite surprised by her admission.
"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Right here in your arms, I mean," she explained, causing my face to heat up with a blush.
"I would love that," I reassured her as her own blush rose to her face. I took her left hand and pressed a kiss to the silver ring on her finger. "And I love that this ring is on your finger."
"Me too," she whispered as she placed a hand on my face and brought me in for a good morning kiss despite the fact that we both had morning breath. It honestly didn't bother either of us as we were finally together. One could say we were making up for the lost time, and I would have to agree with them.
"I don't want you to leave," I admitted in a whisper. I couldn't believe it was Winry's last morning with me at Hogwarts. I understood that she had a job back home and had work to do, but I didn't want to let her go. I would never regret sharing my feelings with her, but I also knew that it would only make the separation that much more difficult.
"Me neither, Ed," she whispered back.
"I know you have work to do at home, but I don't want to let you out of my sight," I confessed. "I'll miss you so very much." I placed a kiss on her lips which she eagerly responded to. The kiss wasn't heated or needed, but it was filled with passion and love nonetheless.
She gently rolled me over to straddle my thighs, taking my face into both of her hands. When she pulled away from the kiss, her hands remained on my face as we looked at each other. I couldn't help but look at her in awe. Her yellow hair was framing her face like a halo, her blue eyes shining.
"I love you, Edward Elric," she vowed as she looked down at me.
"And I, you, Winry Rockbell," I promised. She smiled brightly before pulling me into another kiss, this one more heated than before. The rest of the morning was spent packing Winry's bag and toolbox between kisses, some innocent pecks, and many much more frenzied than others.
Much too soon, it was time to head to Dumbledore's office so he could complete the ritual with Truth and ultimately send Winry home. As much as I wanted her in my arms and in my bed when I woke up in the morning, I had classes to teach, and she belonged back at home with Al and Granny. Winry's farewell was not without tears on both of our parts, not that I will admit it to anyone other than my fiance. Dumbledore was polite as ever and gave us plenty of time and privacy to say our goodbyes.
"Goodbye, Winry," I murmured into her ear as she clung to me, her tears making the shoulder of my trench coat damp. "Take care of Al, Granny, Den, and all of your clients," I instructed. "They will keep you busy, and I'll be back before you know it," I said, though I only half convinced myself. I would have plenty of my own duties keeping me busy over the next six and a half months, but that didn't mean the separating didn't hurt.
"Goodbye, Ed. Please send an owl as soon as you can so I can write back and let you know I got home okay," she requested, leaning back to look me in the eyes. It broke my heart to see her eyes filled with tears. She placed her rough yet gentle hands on my cheeks and wiped away my own tears with her thumbs.
"Be safe, Winry. I love you so much," I vowed before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I love you too, Ed, so very much," she muttered back. She stole one more lingering kiss before taking a step back from me and glancing at Albus.
"I'll ensure she returns home safe and sound, Edward. You have my word," Albus promised as he approached us. I knew now that I could trust the man. I had felt this comfortable around a few people, but I could tell the only man had a heart of gold.
I thanked Albus and pecked Winry on the lips one last time. I told her I loved her and started toward the door to the office before I could change my mind. As much as I wanted to, I didn't look back. It would only make it harder.
I let out a deep sigh as the Gryphon guarding Albus' door slid shut, the noise of metal on stone loud but not unpleasant. A couple of strands of my bangs flew up with the release of breath before they settled back on my forehead. I shoved my gloved hands in my pocket as I made my way back to my office, a heavy feeling in my stomach. It would feel weird to go to sleep in an empty room after having Winry here for a couple of weeks. It would be quiet and lonely in my bed. The extra bed Ablus had placed in my bedroom only saw use the first night of Winry's stay. After my nightmare, she had crawled into my bed beside me every other night of her visit.
"Oh, hello, Professor Elric," a voice said, pulling me from my thoughts and causing me to look up sharply. Before me stood Ron, Harry, and Hermione all looking like the tension between the three had lessened. They were all dressed in comfortable clothing and standing in a line in front of me.
"Hello, you three. Looks like you three got your 'stuff' figured out," I ventured to say. Ron and Hermione glanced shyly at each other, both of their faces going red in embarrassment.
"For now," Harry deadpanned. I couldn't help but chuckle at the worn-out look on Harry's face. Working in the military was a stressful endeavor, but being in the middle of your two best friends while they were fighting was nothing to balk at.
"Trust me, having a younger brother and living with Winry and her grandmother for most of your life, I get it. Arguments and disagreements are inevitable," I assured them. The three looked between themselves and smiled lightly.
"Did Miss Winry have to leave?" Harry asked after a moment.
I sighed and nodded. "Yeah, she's gotta get back to working with Granny and taking care of Al. I'll miss her, but she has important work to do," I explained. The three nodded.
"So you're engaged now, Professor?" Ron asked, a shit-eating smirk on his face. I felt my cheeks heating up in a blush despite myself.
I nodded and said, "We've been friends practically since we were babies, but I just finally got, as Captain Hawkeye says, "head out of my ass" so to speak." I suddenly felt strange, dare I say a little silly, for sharing my personal life with my students, but in reality, they weren't that much younger than Al and myself. After years of working strictly with other adults, it was refreshing to have a conversation with those close to my own age.
"Captain Hawkeye?" Hermione asked. "You're in the military, correct? Is he your commanding officer?" the bright young girl asked. I could tell she was curious and from the look on Ron and Harry's faces, they were feeling the same way.
"Nah, Hawkeye is my commanding officer's right hand, but she could kick anyone's ass any day of the week, verbally or physically," I said with a chuckle, thinking about how she must be getting on Mustang's ass about paperwork as we spoke. Mustang no doubt had even more paperwork piling up with his promotion and the work he and the captain were doing in Ishval.
"I'm sorry to sound brash, Professor, but how in the bloody hell did they let someone of your age into the military?" Ron asked. Hermione asked her friend's name, and Harry elbowed the redhead in the side. Something in my chest squeezed at being asked top secret information, but it wouldn't be the first time. And never had I been grilled by a group of teenagers. Instead, it had always been highly trained enemies asking me for this information. This was nothing compared to that, but the question still made me feel uneasy.
"Oh, the system is entirely fucked. I'm hoping the new leadership will at least start to iron it out," I settled on, but not wanting to say anything more. I didn't want to brush the question off and seem suspicious, and it wasn't like I was lying. The system really was fucked, and I really did hope that Fuhrer Grumman was going to do something about it and soon.
Almost in unison, Ron, Hermione, and Harry all cast their eyes to something over my shoulder. Their movement came in tandem with the noise of heavy boots against the castle floor. Then came the voice I last wanted to hear.
"Yes, do tell, Professor Elric," Karkaroff's voice said, spitting my name with venom. "How does a little boy like you not only get accepted into the military but become as decorated as yourself? I really must know what kind of system would allow children to fight for their country." I glanced over my shoulder to see the smug bastard approaching from directly behind me. There was a smirk on his face, and one eyebrow was raised in expectation. Like I said, a smug bastard.
I looked back at the trio in front of me and fixed them with a hard look, but it wasn't unkind, just firm. "I'll see you three in class in a couple of days," I said dismissively. Thankfully, the three teens got the message and scampered off but not without throwing glances behind them as they went. "Professor Karkaroff," I greeted coldly, hoping to make the Ice Queen herself proud of the chill in my voice. "To what do I owe the displeasure?" I snarked, not about to take any of the bullcrap I was predicting from the older man.
The corner of Karkaroff's upper lip turned into a scowl as he looked down at me, a disapproving look in his eyes. "You best watch your tongue, boy," the older professor said, his voice lofty and pompous. He held his hands behind his back, his shoulders back, and his chest puffed out. There was a difference between carrying yourself with respect and carrying yourself with ego. This man fell into the latter category. I had experienced one too many men like him working for the military.
"I'm no boy," I said through gritted teeth.
"You are a boy, Elric, and that's why I find it very hard to believe that you are decorated as you say you are, or in the military at all," he said as he started to make a slow circle around me. Yup, here we go. He continued in his circle, but I never left my back open. Though I read the situation as not escalating to anything other than verbal harassment, you could never be too safe.
"The thing is, Elric, in our country, 17-year-olds are considered just to be coming of age. In fact, the age is similar in most countries around the world. There's no way you would have been physically capable of working for the military long enough to gain the rank of colonel," he explained, and I rolled my eyes. I was getting tired of this already. "On top of that, I've never seen a military uniform like that one before."
"I don't need your approval, Karkaroff," I said through a sigh. I was tired, and my fiance just left my side for another world. I really didn't have the mental or emotional capacity to be dealing with the whackjob.
"Don't be confused, Elric," the man said, finally stopping in his slow circle. It was a wonder no one else had run into us at this point. The distraction would have been welcomed. "I am merely encouraging you to drop the silly little act before you make yourself look like a fool," the man explained
"Look, Karkaroff. You can take your ego and your attitude and shove it up your ass. Maybe pull your head out of there while you're at it," I snapped, very well having had enough of his bullshit at this point.
"You are just a petulant boy, aren't you, Elric? No respect for those above you," he growled. His face was going red with barely repressed rage. He looked like a kettle ready to blow.
"You're beneath my feet, Karkaroff," I hissed as I turned on my heel to walk away from the man, but I was stopped as he grasped my right shoulder in an almost painful grip. I turned out of his grip and threw out a hand out of instinct as soon as he made contact with my shoulder. The man clearly had no experience in hand-to-hand combat, no doubt relying on the advantage of long-range spell use alone. He wouldn't last a second in a fistfight.
I grabbed the only man by the collar of his sweater and shoved him up against the nearest wall. "Don't you dare lay a hand on me," I barked. "I have plenty of respect for people who have earned that respect. You haven't earned a shred of respect, especially after laying a hand on who is considered a minor in your country.
"I don't owe you an explanation for anything, but you listen here, you smug bastard. I was the one who dealt the final blow to the enemy who had been terrorizing my country for generations. I was the one who watched people die, innocents and soldiers alike. Some of those people gave their lives with honor, and plenty more had it ripped from their chests prematurely. I've been through hell you couldn't even begin to imagine, so don't speak to me as if you know me," I all but snarled at the man who stared down at me in shock, his eyes wide.
I shoved the man back harder against the stone wall behind him before releasing the shaken man. The older man was visibly shaken, his face pale as he stared at me in shock. I shoved my hands back into the pockets of my trench coat before spinning on my heel to walk off in the direction I had originally been heading before I was stopped. I stopped a few paces away from the other professor before turning to look over my shoulder.
"And for the record, you'd better give this petulant child some respect and refer to him as his proper title. To you Karkaroff, it's Colonel Eric." With that, I marched off in the direction of my office to get some damned peace and quiet.