Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 65

Ed saw Sirius flick his wand and a sandwich neatly dropped on the small plate right in front of him.

Ed blinked another slow blink and bit back another yawn. His head nearly hit the table then; nearly, because instead of the tabletop, his head landed, spot on, upon the sandwich that happened to slide right before him at that moment. Ed smelled the delicious aroma of food, his stomach loudly awakened-- he was ever the slave to his stomach --and he began to devour the offering ravenously. He ate a second sandwich. Then a third. He was halfway through the fourth when he noticed there were many curious stares directed at him from around the table. Mostly from the redheads.

"You might be wanting to eat a bit faster.."

"..meals are such the novelty with mum around.." FredorGeorge quipped right across from him.

He ignored the comment. He was used to such opinions on his eating habits, and snatched a fifth sandwich to his plate for safekeeping. When he finshed the fourth, in much the same manner as the rest, he took up said fifth sandwich, and ate at a more leisurely pace. Stomach now nearly sated, he noticed quite a few Order members sitting at the table.

Mrs. Weasley, predictably, was urging her charges up to bed as she maneuvered about the table collecting the dishes, balancing these upon the tip of her wand in much the same way she had the tray. When she got to Ed, her face looked as though she were searching him for something. She blinked.

She patted him on his right shoulder, her hand thunking dully against the port beneath the layers of clothes, and moved on around the table collecting the rest of the dishes. His thoughts were not entirely ordered as it had been a long day, and he was having significant misgivings about coming back to this house.

'Feels like a trap.' Ed thought. 'Now what?'

The room had a relaxing enough atmosphere to it. Most had drinks and were sipping them contentedly enough. Sirius raised his eyebrows, turned to Remus, and began.

"That's..uh..some bruise, Moony."

"Ed's doing. What a solid right cross." Remus said.

'So..that's it?' Ed thought, and raised a single eyebrow. He blinked a slow blink and looked over to Lupin. His jaw an ugly bluish-purple now.

"You. SHOT. Me. I do not take such tings lightly."

"And you were threatening an Auror." Lupin said.

Ed snorted. He muttered a few choice colorful words in several languages before...

"He vas de vone dat shot Jon vith dat head ting I vreally have no liking for." Ed slammed his right metal fist to the table for emphasis. "Also! According to your own STUPID!!! laws. Vas only vay for me to be getting answers to my questions vithout endangering everyvone else vith dis Ministry of yours." Ed said.

"Head thing?" He heard someone ask.

"He means 'obliviate'" Tonks said.

"Who's Jon?" Sirius asked.

"Ez good friend." Ed snarled, leaned back, and folded his arms across his chest. "..and my mechanic."

"A what..?" Mr. Weasley said, eyes glazed over in apparent excitement.

Ed rolled his eyes, pushed the sleeve up on his right arm, and pointed to the metal limb with his left. Fully believing that they must be the dimmist of bulbs to NOT see the cleary gloveless, obviously mechanical hand that had recently dented the table.

"A MUGGLE ting. Vhen ve left, he vas acting like he vas drunk. I tell you now dat head ting had better not put him in coma."

"It..won't." Tonks said delicately. "Not usually, anyway."

"I should not have come back." Ed said softly in Amestrian, and blinked another slow blink while he palmed his face with his left hand.

"Edward..While it's certainly regrettable that your friend had to be obliviated,.."

Ed narrowed his eyes.

"...none of this would have been necessary had you simply..." this was a woman's voice..Ed didn't bother to look who's.

"Shut it." Ed interrupted, burying the twinge of guilt he felt; He knew better than anyone that his presence had endangered Jon. "I am not having to explain myself to any of you."

"That's where you're wrong, boy." This voice was gruff, and sounded familiar.

Ed glanced in its direction, vein rising at his temple at the mention of the word 'boy'--so close in meaning to 'short' in English. He saw a face covered with scars, missing a bit of nose, and contained a pair of mismatched eyes; One of which seemed to be spinning independantly of the other. Long gray hair. The name came up from his memory...'Moody'.

"Who sent you?"

Ed met the man's steady, beady eye with his golden glare.

"No Vone." Ed said evenly.

Moody narrowed his eyes, and approached Ed.

"Someone had to send you to infiltrate us. Who was it? Deatheaters..? Voldemort?"

Ed snorted, and blinked a slow blink.

" No vone sent me." Ed said evenly. "Are ve done?"

"No. Not quite."

Ed rolled his eyes and looked away, feeling impatient. More than that..he felt tired. He felt the hairs in the back of his neck rise; he was certain Moody's eye was on him, examining him. He never ever liked that kind of scrutiny. He bit back another yawn.

'Wonder how long this will take?' Ed thought, and rubbed the bridge of his nose mostly because he didn't want to scratch at his neck.

"You lied." Moody stated.

"No vone sent me Dammit." Ed said tiredly. "And anyvay, you had me blindfolded, and riding somting for vhile so I couldn't count my steps. Der is no vay I can know vhere dis place is, ok?"

"I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about this afternoon, in the coffee shop. You lied there."

"You veren't even.."

"I was. You just couldn't see me."

Ed looked again at Moody. He pictured that table in his mind that he had reluctantly approached. The nuances of everyones behavior, the odd shadows around Tonks in particular. He glanced over at Tonks and studied her like he would a new, strange array--she fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze.

'The shadows around her..are normal.' Ed blinked. He looked back at Moody and narrowed his eyes.

"I just gave you something. In exchange, answer me this: What are you really here for?"

Ed blinked. Several times, and looked down.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you." Ed said in Amestrian with a sigh. Several moments passed as he debated within himself just what to say. What was the safe thing? The half truth that would ring truest?

"Well?" Moody said.

"I.." Ed started. "It's...It was my half brodder I told you of. Sort of. Who I am looking for is not him, though it is for certain he will be after me if he finds out I still live. He is as I described to you."

Ed stopped a moment, and looked to the ceiling, frowning slightly and blinking for a few moments. His chest felt increadably tight just then, and he pushed the feeling back as far as he could in his mind. He then looked to Moody once more.

"I need to know vhat happened...to my little brodder. My VREAL. Brodder."

:::

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