Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 41

After much yelling from Sirius in the hall, Remus Lupin entered the kitchen, looking ghastly pale. Tonks, now with short bright pink hair, followed closely behind. Both joined them at the table. Hermione wandered in at that moment with Ginny, blearily rubbing her eyes. One look at Harry and Ron, and it seemed she knew.

"Found him, did you?" She said, and smiled brightly.

Ron and Harry exchanged a quick glance, eyebrows raised.

"How'd you..?" Ron said.

"Easy. I'm a genius. And it's obvious you lot are planning a trip out. So. Let's hear it. Where is he?"

"We'll fill you in along the way." Harry smirked, and munched on his toast.

Soon, Hermione, Harry and Ron were filing onto a ordinary Muggle bus with Lupin and Tonks as escorts. All dressed as Muggles. The trip took a few hours, and was quite dull. Harry found himself wondering what'd he find at the address from the folder. His imagination running wild with all sorts of possibilities.

"Suppose it's a hidden place, and only you can see it?" Ron mused, resting his head on his hand, clearly bored with every gesture he made. Harry felt a bit sorry for his friend. Ron couldn't do his favorite magical time passing activities with so many Muggles around them on the bus. He glanced at Hermione, who looked just as bored.

"I rather doubt it." Hermione said. "I mean. I don't know what it'll be, but.."

"I don't either. Really. I mean, he IS a wizard, um, isn't he?" Harry said.

"One that's after the philosopher's stone..." Hermione said softly, and looked out the window to the scenery passing them by.

"This's our stop." Lupin called, and looked across to them. The bus jerked to a stop and they all got up; filing off and down the steps, one by one. Harry looked around. It was a rather nice area. Well kept. Not at all like the places he'd expect something magical to be. Those were usually looking like abandoned, run down places. 'All the better to keep Muggle eyes away', he supposed. He took out the notebook and looked a the address.

"Wotcher. Come on." Tonks said, as she stepped beside Harry, looking at the scrawl on the notebook for herself.

"Looks like it's just up the street." Harry said. Ron groaned.

Ron looked about with confusion etched all over his face.

"You mean we have to walk?" Ron whined.

"It'll be good for you, Ron. After that dreadful bus ride..!" Hermione said bravely, with determined nod.

It was actually three blocks away. On a corner. When he figured it out, Harry blinked, and looked to Tonks and Lupin.

Tonks looked around, with one eyebrow raised. The stopped when she looked up above them, apparently spotting what she was looking for. She nodded a quick nod in that direction, then looked down to Harry.

"Wotcher. Lets give it a go. Before Moody changes his mind."

"Huh?" Harry said intelligently.

"Go on, Harry. You lead, we'll be right behind you." Tonks said with a gentle nudge towards the corner in question. Harry looked. As he watched, someone propped a door open there, then went back inside. Moments passed, and the person came back out with white buckets...filled to bursting with what looked like flowers. The person set these down on the sidewalk, one by one. Harry blinked.

"Something wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Uh. no. Just..not what I was expecting. At the trial..he said he was staying at something called a 'hostel'. But that.."

Hermione sighed.

"It's a flower shop. I can see that."

"D-do they bite?" Ron asked, voice shaking a bit in fear. "The flowers I mean?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed Ron by his collar.

"Come on. You."

Harry entered the flower shop cautiously, just looking around. The nearly all the walls held refrigerators with clear glass for doors, showcasing various flower arrangements, and there were clusters of white buckets, here and there, containing bunches of fresh cut flowers throughout the floor space.

The was a sudden noise behind him, and the sound of water splashing against the floor. "Oy! sorry!" Harry glanced back. It was Tonks. The others just behind her; Lupin was squatting, picking up the split flowers carefully from the floor and righting the bucket that Tonks had just tripped over. Ron was looking at the flower arrangements with wonder written all over his face.

"Hello. Can I help you?" A friendly voice called out from behind the counter by the door. Harry looked over. It was a young man, about twenty years old, with short brown hair, and brown eyes. He was neatly dressed in a tshirt and slacks, with a green apron on top. Harry turned and faced him.

"Um yes. Is Elysia here?"

The man blinked.

"She hasn't been with us for a few weeks now. Why?"

"Um.." Harry blinked, and looked down. "I think..I..Well. Um. Ed wanted me to come here."

"Ed?"

"Edward Elric." Harry clarified.

The man raised his eyebrows. "Wow..talk about a name I haven't heard in a while." The man frowned, rested his elbows on the counter, and tilted his head. He looked Harry over carefully, then glanced to the others and did the same to them. "Friends of yours?"

"Yeah." Harry said. The man nodded then frowned as if deep in thought.

"Well. If Ed told you to use that name, he must've really had a good reason. You needing a place to stay?" The man smiled.

"Um..no, thank you. I was hoping to find him, actually."

"Can't really help you there." The man said with chuckle. "What's your name?"

"Harry. Harry Potter."

"Well, Mr. Potter. I'm Grand Hughes. Nice to meet you. Since business's slow, would you all care for some tea?"

"Um.." Harry looked back uncomfortably at the others. Tonks shrugged.

"We'd LOVE to...after all, we came such a long way." Lupin grinned.

"That bus was right murder on my.." Ron said.

"Ron!!" Hermione interrupted.

Bells tinkled at the door. The man turned his head, then looked back to them.

"Oh..Just head right back there. There should be a table that you all will fit at. I'll be there in just a bit."

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