Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 66

Title: Fear and woes

Harry entered the room that he shared with Ron and Ed and sat on the bed. His mind whirling in circles over the day's events in such a way that he didn't quite feel the twinge of jealousy he often thought he would over Ed being included in an Order meeting, while he wasn't. The simple fact that, at that moment, the center of the spin of his thoughts was this: Ed was scary. Very scary.

Ron sat on his own bed, and even in the dark of the room, Harry could see he chewed nervously on his bottom lip. After a few moments, he glanced over at Ed's bed. Harry did as well. Ed's dull green knapsack sat right at the center. He looked over at Ron and met his best friend's eyes. Ron swallowed, and frowned.

"'e's really gonna sleep here, isn't 'e?" Ron said. "With us, I mean.."

"Looks like." Harry said. "Um..maybe we should warn.."

POP!POP!

Fred and George appeared and blocked Harry's view of Ron's worried features.

"What the bloody! What makes him so..." Fred stood with his arm crossed on his chest.

"..Well?...Out with it!" George had his hands at his hips and looked alternatively between both Harry and Ron.

Harry blinked..Where could he start? The whirling thoughts spun out of his grasp as soon as he could gather them.

"Come on now. They're having row with him.."

"..We heard them on the extendables. Loud and clear."

"They didn't block you?" Ron said in a disbelieving voice.

"Well...ok..We heard them start in on him...."

"Something about that bruise on Lupin's jaw.."

Harry's mind finally settled on what he found was the most scary fact he had witnessed in the confusion of that room.

"He easily took out 2 Aurors. All by himself." Harry said softly. "Both knocked out cold right in front of me."

"Then one came to and Ed threatened to cut his throat..." Ron added

He watched the twins blink in silence as they digested the news. Both he and Ron filled them in on the rest. Just as he was finishing, he could hear heavy footsteps, so very unlike Mrs. Weasley's, in the hall.

Pop! Pop! The twins left.

Harry quickly got beneath his covers, and watched the snake shaped door handle jiggle. The door slowly creaked open.

Harry heard Ed's voice muttering softly in his language. He watched as the small shadow trudged on by, slumped over at the shoulders. He heard the whump! of the bag as it hit the floor. And another WHUMP! followed almost immediately by a steady snore. Harry dared a peek over to Ed's bed. He blinked, then sat up fully.

"Out cold." Ron whispered.

"I can see that." Harry whispered back.

They sat in silence, just watching Ed. Harry half expected the twins to come back any moment. Then he heard the unmistakable footsteps of Mrs. Weasley. He once again threw the covers over his head a laid down, just as the door creaked open. He heard Mrs. Weasley shuffle in, and sigh almost in disappointment.

"Tsk. Poor thing, all worn out." He heard her whisper. He dared another peak out of the covers, and saw Mrs. Weasley drape a quilt over where he presumed Ed was on the bed. He watched up until she turned about, and had to cover his head and feign sleep himself. He heard her shuffle and pause by his bed. He was almost certain he'd been found out, but then she shuffled over to Ron and paused there as well. Then, there was the creak of the door, and the click as it shut.

Harry peeked out again, and looked at Ron. Ron looked back and shrugged. Then yawned a huge yawn. With a last fearful look in Ed's direction, Ron laid back into his bed. Harry looked himself. Nothing stirred.

He then regretfully removed his glasses, and tunneled back into the quilts.

The red flash and red lightning blinded him. He blinked furiously to clear his vision. When he could see, he first picked out the cold golden eyes, pupils inhuman slits, and glowing as if lit from within with a purplish light. The glare on the face looked so much like Ed's, but the smile...full of such cruelty ...

He laughed gleefully at that face...

..and woke with a start. Breathing hard.

The scar on his forehead was alive with white hot, burning pain. He raised both hands to it, and gasped while his mind found the many bed quilts around him to be only lit by the rising sun. Dream fading, he fumbled for his glasses. He glanced over at Ed's bed.

Ed was still there, judging by the soft snores. On top of the quilt Mrs. Weasley had tossed over him was a familiar looking, tight ball of tawny fur. The furry head rose and greeted Harry with a soft, and very purr-filled, 'meow'.

"You have strange tastes, Crookshanks." Harry whispered.

"Actually, Crookshanks is an excellent judge of character." Sirius whispered from the doorway. Harry looked over to his Godfather's concerned face, poking through the door. "I heard you cry out. You alright, Harry?"

"Scar again." Harry whispered, and brought his hands down. "What time is it?"

"'arly." Ron muttered within his cocoon of blankets across the room. "G'bak t'sleep."

Harry sleepily rubbed his eye with his knuckle under his glasses and yawned. He then nodded over at Sirius, took off his glasses, and placed them once again on the side table.

Ed woke up slowly, and blinked blurry eyes at what he supposed was a quilt. He felt the ache of long unused muscles and groaned. Then yawned. He heard and felt to something warm and purring lying on his left. It was then he realised he was lying on his stomach.

'No twins?' Ed thought, and blinked his eyes some more. 'Must be really early then.'

He yawned again, wholly reluctant to move just yet. He didn't want to disturb his visitor either. Yes, that sounded like a good excuse. Just lie there awhile. Enjoy the comfort while it lasts...Heard the thumps of uneven footsteps go by. His mind registered them as 'Moody'. He heard the creak of what he supposed was a door. And more footsteps. Another creak.

"Still asleep." He heard whispered.

"He going to be out all day?"

"You two. Leave him be." Mrs. Weasley's angry whisper. Another creak. And a more thumps.

Ed yawned, and then stretched. He rolled over to his right, and flipped the covers off his head. The purrs of his visitor intensified when he looked to the tawny ball of fluff. Ed smirked and reached to scratch the creature between its ears with his left living hand.

"Al would have adored you." Ed said in Amestrian. "Did you go and protect me from the twins today? All by yourself?"

:::

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