A/N: Hey! My name is Kai, and I hope you're enjoying this story!

I'm sad this is what my first author's note has to be about, but it needs to be said.

For the guest that commented "after all this time and this is all we get?"

Come on, guys. As much as I love writing, I do have a life outside of it. I'm a senior in high school. I'm trying to get all my crap together to graduate, I'm trying to get through the end of the swim season, and I'm pushing through mental issues that everyone else is going through in the wake of COVID. I'm starting a job next week so I can handle myself through college.

Please, please, please. Its more important now than ever to put yourself in other people's shoes because you never know what people are going through. COVID is so hard on everyone right now, so please, be patient and be kind.

Anyway, I really hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Harry's POV

The fire crackled in the corner of the room and while it helped to warm the room, it did nothing to warm the chill between the students. News of Professor Elric's collapse had circulated quickly through the students and even staff. Since the end of the day, you couldn't enter a room or walk down a hallway without being bombarded with questions. As soon as we had entered the common room, the other students had erupted into a roar, everyone asking the fourth years what had happened to the new alchemy professor.

To say everyone was frightened was putting it lightly. A professor had never lost composure like that before. I knew no one was perfect, but in the eyes of students, professors were unstoppable. They were skilled in the magical arts, and in this case, alchemy. They were poised and propper. It was unheard of for a professor to just collapse in front of the entire class. It sparked fear among the students. If it had gotten back home to parents, Professor Elric's credibility would be questioned.

"He had a scar on his shoulder," Hermonie said abruptly. I looked up from my potions book that I wasn't really reading. There were too many thoughts rushing through my brain to do much focusing. Her face was pale and her hands were shaky as she flipped through the pages of her own potions book.

"And?" I pressed, not really sure where she was going with this. Nearly everyone had scars. Hell, I had one right on my forehead.

"The scar on his shoulder was huge. By the looks of it, he's lucky he didn't lose his arm," Hermione explained, snapping her book closed and getting more comfortable on her chair. I took this as a sign that I wasn't about to get any work done this evening.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, I knew you fancied the professor, but enough to stalk him while he's half naked?" Ron joked, still looking through one of his books. He didn't see the book Hermione was swinging at him until it hit him over the back of the head.

"Ronald!" she gasped, her face a deep shade of red. Yeah, the comment may have been a little inappropriate, but it was pretty funny. "When I went to ask him about Human Transmutation, he had a tank-top on!" she exclaimed. "He wasn't half naked, and I wasn't stalking him," she snapped, continuing to hit Ron's shoulder with the heavy potions book.

I hid a snicker behind a hand, not wanting to receive that same treatment as my red-haired friend. As funny as it was to watch the two of them squawk back and forth at each other, Hermione still hitting Ron with the book, the brunette genius had brought up an important piece of information.

That scar. I obviously hadn't seen the scar first hand, but I remember Hermione being terribly pale when she had come back from speaking with the blonde professor. I knew he had yelled at her, but knowing my friend, she would have been more embarrassed than anything. Instead, she looked like a muggle who had seen a ghost. When I had pressed, she had snapped at me and gone up to bed. The rest of the evening, the question of what could have frightened Hermione bothered me until I fell asleep that night. We had all seen some terrible things the past three years of being at Hogwarts, and I had only seen that look on her face a few times before.

"You think the scar on his shoulder has anything to do with why he fell?" I asked, trying to get Hermione to stop whacking her friend with the heavy textbook. The girl huffed before settling herself, her cheeks still tinged with a pink flush. She straightened out her skirt and folded her hands in her lap as she turned her attention to me.

"Yes. Even after all these years, I've never seen a scar like that before. From what it looked like, it wrapped all the way around his shoulder," she explained while Ron continued to nurse his hurting shoulder, though he was looking more interested in the conversation now. "It's likely that he was injured elsewhere as well, like his leg," she continued.

I nodded. She had a good point. But if the wound was scarred and he had full mobility of his arm, why was his leg in such pain? I voiced my concerns to Hermione who looked thoughtful.

"Yes, that does have me confused. And he looked to have full mobility of his leg as well," she added.

"Maybe he lost it," Ron suddenly said from beside me. I looked over at him, my eyebrows furrowed, not sure where he was going with this. "Maybe he lost his leg in the same accident that gave him the scar on his arm," he elaborated. "I know I told you Bill works with dragons in Romania. A lot of people lose limbs while they're working, and a lot of them get back on their feet and are working again within the year," the ginger said. "Hell, Professor Moody has a peg leg. Why not Professor Elric?"

We were silent for a moment. I looked over at Hermione. She looked deep in thought, twisting her hands in her lap. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and there was a deep set frown on her face.

"What is it, Hermione?" I asked. She sighed and shook her head before he looked back up at me.

"He's so young. I have noticed he limps when he walks and the way keeps his hand over his leg when he's sitting. If Ron's right and he truly did lose his leg, what did he go through?" I didn't even want to think about that.

"I just don't like this," she admitted. "Something about Professor Elric isn't adding up. He's barely older than us, but Dumbledore still wants him to teach, Dumbledore just decides to start a new class out of the blue that the Professor said isn't even magic, he said it was a science. Not to mention the massive scar, collapsing out of pain in the middle of class, and being so aggressive when it came to Human Transmutation. It's all just so much and so out of the blue," she explained, and I found myself nodding along with her. All of it really was rather strange. "Not to mention now we're having the Triwizard Tournament!" she added, throwing up her arms. "All of this happening and we're just supposed to believe it a coincidence?"

Silence fell over the three of us as we all contemplated the eccentric, young professor, but the silence was broken by a familiar screech. I looked up to find Hedwig flying in through the window before perching on the table in front of me. I grabbed the letter off her leg while Hermione said she was going to get Hedwig a quick treat from her room. Hedwig was my owl, but she grew on just about everyone.

My heart pounded when I saw the letter was from Sirius. Whenever I got a letter from him, I was equally concerned and excited. I barely ever heard from him, and when I did, he normally didn't send great news. But, at least I knew he was still alive.

"From Sirius?" Ron whispered as he scooted closer to my side. I nodded as I tore the letter open, unfolding it and holding it out so we could both see. As I scanned over it, my stomach sank. In his letter, he talked about some concerns he had and even some odd things he had seen over the past few days, weeks, and months. And to my surprise, even from wherever my Godfather was, he had heard about Edward Elric's arrival at Hogwarts.

I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face, not sure what to think. "What is it, mate?" Ron asked, his voice still a low whisper.

"I don't want to drag him into this," I explained. "It's bad enough he's still on the run, and now everything else that's happening," I explained. I really did feel bad. He had enough to worry about right now just from being on the run. He didn't need to be worrying about me.

"Just tell him what's been going on, Harry," Ron suggested with a shrug on his shoulders. "He's your Godfather. You can't just ask him to not worry about you. Your family. And families worry about each other," he reminded me. I nodded. It was hard to remember after growing up in the Dursley household. "Just write him back," Ron pressed. "You'll worry him if you don't. And I know he likes to hear from you," he added as he opened up one of his text books again.

I nodded, thankful for my friend's encouraging words. So, I pulled up a roll of parchment, a quill, and an inkwell and began to write. I explained what had been going on and my concerns about Professor Elric; I even included Ron's theory about his leg. Maybe Sirius would have some more insight or had heard something we hadn't about the blonde professor.

By the time I was finished, Hedwig had been given her snack and was ready to take another trip. "Take this to Sirius," I whispered to the bird. She gave me a sharp nod and in a split second was flying out the window from where she came. I sighed and shook my head before grabbing my potions textbook as I prepared to lose myself in the seemingly endless homework.

Ed's POV

"Come in," I called when there was a rather weak knock on the door. I brushed my blonde bangs out of my face as I looked down at the piece of parchment in front of me. I had been working on these lesson plans since I arrived at the school, but it was hard to get it all down on paper. There was so much about alchemy to learn, and they had less than a year. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even manage to transmute by the end of the year. Hell, over half of them hadn't even answered the riddle, and their last chance was this week during class. I shook my head and pinched my nose. I'd get it figured out. Eventually.

"Give me one second," I said to whoever had entered the room as I jotted down the rest of my thoughts onto the parchment in front of me. When I looked up, I was met with a surprise. In front of me stood two men with Gryffindor robes, their grey hair long and their beards longer. They stood with their shoulders hunched and heads down. But, I recognized the mischievous look in their eyes. Sure, it was a little subdued in their upset state, but it was still there.

"What the hell happened to you?" I blurted. The Weasley twins looked at each other in disdain before the one of the left began to speak.

"We tried to cross the age line around the Goblet of Fire with a potion we made, but Dumbledore must have predicted someone was going to try something like that and put a curse on it," the boy explained, looking over at his brother who had nothing to offer. It was silent for a moment before I bursted out laughing. I had been so tense since I got here, and this was the little bit of laughter I needed.

"Ah, I'm sorry," I said, wiping invisible tears from my eyes. "But I've known Dumbledore for a little over a month, and even I would know better," I admitted. The twins nodded solemnly. "Anyway, what did you boys need?" I asked, regaining my composure and steepling my hands on the desk.

"We think we have the answer to the riddle," the twin on the right announced.

"I thought I told you if you worked together you'd immediately be kicked out of the class," I reminded them, my voice low. The twin on the right immediately protested.

"But professor, we're practically the same person!" he said, and I rolled my eyes.

"And hey, did you say you and your brother worked on it together?" the other twin asked. They had me there. It was true. I had Al to bounce ideas off of when we were struck on that island together for the entire month. Though my students had it much easier than Al and I did, the two boys had a point.

"Fine," I said as I leaned back in my chair. "But don't go telling anyone else or I really will kick you out," I warned. They nodded in unison.

"It's the circle of life," the twin on the left said.

"Everything lives and dies only to be born again. Kind of like a phoenix," the other said with a shrug of his shoulders. I nodded, pleasantly surprised. I reached for the paper I had been using to keep track of who was continuing and who was not.

"Start studying the periodic table to elements on page five of your textbook," I instructed as I jotted down their names. The pair of boys beamed at each other before high fiving each other.

"Thanks Professor Elric!" they called in unison as they rushed out of the room, closing the door behind them. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. It was going to be an interesting experience teaching those two alchemy.

Though I was slightly worried about what they may do and their mischief, they actually seemed to be very attentive during class. They seemed dedicated to the subject, and in all honesty, they looked like they were going to do well. But, all of that textbook knowledge could only get them so far. Though I was dreading teaching, it would be interesting to see what the Weasley twins could do.