Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 9

'Definitely. Not my best.' He thought.

His stomach once again let him know of its presence, and he grimaced as he leaned his shoulder heavily against the wall. He looked around him and spotted no one.

'Doesn't mean they're not there, though.' He thought, 'considering how crappy I am right now, it'd be just my luck, too.'

Wrapping his left arm around his middle, he crouched down and quietly trudged in the general direction he figured the street was. Head pounding twice for every heartbeat. He chose to ignore the aches in his ports, figuring they'd go away soon enough as he moved more.

'Harry..is he still here?' He thought.

He remembered that Harry was trying to escape up the stairs when he first visited this house. It was on this side too, come to think of it. Ed looked up. Sure enough, there was a window up there. Huge dramatic shadows against the glass. Faint light, like a someone using a hand held source.

The skin at his neck stung him with a burning sensation, and he rubbed at it absently with his gloved left hand.

Harry leaned over his pile of books, picking out the ones he wanted to take with him, and tossing aside the ones he didn't. He wasn't alone in the room. A woman called Tonks sat by his large travel trunk, stuffing down the pile of clothes he just dropped off. There wasn't much light in his room, but he could see her hair. At the moment, it was a bright shade of pink.

Harry heard a loud crash downstairs.

"VHO'RE YOU CALLING A RICE GRAIN BEAN AN AMOEBA VOULD OVERLOOK CAUSE ITS TOO SMALL TO SEE?!?"

Harry started.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tonks' hair turn a bright shade of orange.

Harry dropped what he was doing and ran for his door. His arm was grabbed by Tonks before he could take one step past it.

"Bloody hell?!? Ed's still here!!" Harry yelled.

"Wotcher Harry. Steady there. Who's Ed?"

"A muggle I met in this class Uncle Vernon made me take. He was attacked by Dementors, same as me and Dudley. He's not.."

There was a flash of light from the stairwell.

"Fool. That arm's artificial. What'd you think would happen?" A rough low voice called.

Tonks looked Harry in the eye.

"They'll handle it. Let's get back to.."

It felt like the boom rattled the entire house. It was followed closely by blue flashes of things that looked a lot like lightning, and a steady glow of blue that faded in a few seconds. Tonks took her wand out, and pushed Harry behind her. She eased to the stairwell, looking alert and ready. Harry gripped his wand and followed, close behind but he hoped away enough not to interfere with the Metamorphamagus should she need to move quickly.

Tonight was the first he'd heard of a Metamorphamagus.

'Not sure what that means...especially if.. What am I thinking?!? This's Ed! There's no way this's..' Harry thought.

Tonks stopped creeping so suddenly that Harry nearly bumped into her backside.

"Idiot! You were supposed to check him for a wand!!!"

That voice, filled with rage and irritation, sounded like it belonged to Professor Moody.

"I did!!! He didn't have one!! I swear!!!"

And that one...Professor Lupin.

"What happened?" Harry asked and tried to look around Tonks into the now dark stairwell.

She looked over at him, and held her wand high. The bright tip lit up the area nicely.

"See for yourself."

At the base of the stairs, nearly blocking the walkway completely, were bars that stretched up from the floor to the ceiling. It formed a neat box, looking very much like a cage. Within it, stood Professors Lupin and Moody, along with five of the wizards Harry didn't know that well. One was unconcious, laying on the ground. A witch cradled his head in her lap. As he watched, the tall dark skinned wizard grabbed the bars in frustration and shook them.

"They won't end." The man announced with disgust in his voice. Was his name Shacklebolt? The man looked over at Moody who shrugged, and looked over at the wall, folding his arms over his chest.

Harry jumped as he heard a tremendous crash. Neighborhood dogs barked and howled. He looked back over his shoulder.

"Harry?"

"That..sounded like the bins." Harry said, and he turned to run to his window. Tonks again grabbed his arm. He looked her in the eye, and she frowned and pushed him behind her again. She looked down at Moody.

Moody looked up at her, and punched the wall.

"Security breach headed your way, Tonks."

Tonks nodded slightly and creeped back into Harry's room. Harry tried to follow, but she waved him off with a scowl and a small shake of her head. She pointed down to the cage, and tilted her head in such a way that Harry knew he was being told to head down with the others. Harry scowled. She pushed his shoulder in response.

Harry heard the air crack, and turned back to the cage.

Professors Moody and Lupin were gone.

Pop!

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