Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 75

"You say he went an entire day without treatment..." Severus said impatiently.

"Let's..uh..have a look at that burn.." Remus said. Ed sighed, and resigned himself to the treatment and the inevitable fussing that came with it. Mrs. Weasley backed up to his side, keeping a firm hold on his right hand; Remus took her place in front of him. Ed brought his left down to his side, and lifted his chin once more.

He had a good view of both Moody and Severus. He supposed he should call Moody "Alestor", and watched the narrowed, mismatched eyes as they examined him.

"I'm curious, boy." Moody grunted. "You mentioned a 'Taboo' here earlier. Care to tell me about it?"

Ed blinked a slow blink. "...vhat da shit. Old fart like you should know dis..makes no sense..."

"Hmph. More sense than you got, apparently boy...Facing a boggart without a wand..? Pure lunacy." Moody snorted. "No offense, Remus."

"Heh. None taken." Remus smirked.

"Well boy?"

Ed swallowed, and glanced over to Mrs. Weasley.

"English vwords..um..." Ed chewed on his lower lip. "It..um..It is being very deadly to eben try. Very few, almost none, are known to survive dhe try. Only those vwho are in deep sorrow ober de loss of loved vones eben dhink of .." Ed blinked, and looked back to Alestor. "...For vanting dem back ...badly enuff.."

Ed's chin was seized by long soft fingers, and he found himself looking at cold dark eyes.

"Are you referring to the lost Art of bringing of the dead back to the life?"

Ed glanced in Mrs. Weasley's way.

"She vwould likely have died trying..left her fam..."

"Mr. Elric."

His chin was squeezed by those long fingers, and he looked again at Severus's cold eyes as they narrowed. He met the gaze and held it his with his own. Severus looked down at him from his hooked nose, pausing to ensure he had his attention.

"In the future, BE. Absolutely certain not to NEGLECT that burn on your neck any further. I am far too busy to be making house calls for such.. " Severus paused with a slight curl to his upper lip. "..small ...matters." Ed felt a vein in his temple throb at the hated word "small", but found he couldn't dredge up so much as a glare at the man.

Severus freed his chin and stood back up.

"Lupin..Mrs. Weasley...Good Evening."

Then, with the slightest of nods at Alestor, walked through the door.

With the forces of Hermione and Ginny combined, Harry and Ron had no choice but to help out tidying Ed's papers, especially after they all learned of Ed facing the boggart without a wand. Not to mention the Hogwarts acceptance letter. Harry rather thought Ron gave in just to avoid the row that was sure to follow if he refused, as he didn't seem to mind the mess one bit. Working together, they had managed to stack all the strewn papers into several piles, and placed them carefully onto Ed's bed by the time he arrived at the doorway.

"vWvaz.. ? But..?" Ed stammered, voice rough, and looked about the room, eyes a kind of dull light brown instead of the earlier molten gold. He then looked at each of them, as they stood from their self-appointed task, and gave them all a slight, if unsteady, nod. Harry saw his eyes and thought them rather puffy and red.

He noticed Mrs. Weasley stood, towering right behind Ed in the hall. Her hand lightly on his left shoulder for just a moment. Her own eyes even more puffy and red than when he had last seen her.

"Right, t'ah.." Mrs. Weasley sniffed. "Um.. you lot..Ginny..Hermione, you too, to bed with you..come on.." Mrs. Weasley called, voice rough from her own tears. Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes, but obeyed. Hermione followed with a slight blush to her cheeks as she passed by Ed at the doorway.

The girls gone now, Ed entered the room, and without a word to either Ron or Harry, went to his bed. Once there, he began to transfer the stacks of papers, books, and notebooks to the floor, moving very sluggishly as he did so. Like they weighed so much that he could barely manage to lift them at all.

"Would you like some help with that?" Harry said, after watching for a few moments. Ed glanced up at the sound of his voice, and blinked.

"Umz..no. I.." Ed said, and let out a breath. "You haz donz plenty 'nuff for me alvready. I haz it."

Harry decided to let well enough alone at that point, and, after Ron firmly latched the door closed, readied himself for bed. Harry and Ron were under the sheets just as Ed was pulling off his boots. Ron waited patiently as Ed finished changing, and Harry noticed for the first time the many scars the covered Ed's muscled back. Most were located near or even partially under the metal thing on his shoulder, but there were many others...those were quite large and jagged in nature. One in particular looked like something large had taken a bite out of his side.

He glanced at Ron, just glimpsing Ron looking away and swallowing. He then knew Ron's overactive imagination had provided him with just what had left that scar.

'Probably something big, nasty, and with sharp teeth attached.' Harry thought. After a few moments, he realised this was the first time Ed was actually changing clothes with them in the same room. 'That's why I haven't noticed..and I thought I was getting as bad as the Dursley's. The hall was dark that first night...'

He also noted the circular one on his living arm that was so red...it had to hurt. His own scar burned and he rubbed at it with his fingers in annoyance.

"Hey, um..Ed."

Ed paused in buttoning up his long sleeved sleepware and looked over at him. Eyes dulled to a muddy brown now. Harry supposed that was what made him pause. The change was just so, well, sudden. As far as he knew, people's eyes didn't normally change color at all --it HAD to be magic that was doing it.

"..um that scar on your arm.. looks like it's bleeding.." And indeed it did, as the sleeve seemed pasted flat to it, and some red leaked through the fabric.

"Oh..dIz.. onzy vrubbed badzly vith ze metal. vill bez ok by mornink." Ed then finished his task and looked over to Ron, nodding his head slightly. Harry was then plunged into darkness, and he soon settled himself to sleep.

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