Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 110

Harry blinked and looked down, trying to figure what to trade. He was sure there would be something Ed would demand before he would tell him anything, but his mind was running in circles about moonstones and their uses in potions. Harry was feeling rather impatient, and frowned as he watched Ed eat, wanting more than anything that Ed would tell him something. Instead, he watched Ed as he finished one muffin and reached for another. Halfway through that one, Harry spoke up, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears. Like someone else was speaking.

"So..are you going to tell me?"

Ed swallowed the bite he had taken, and smacked his lips together. Then, he glanced down at the scar.

"It translates to somedhink like 'blood signal'. No..'seal'. 'Blood seal'." Ed said, and kept his eyes down. "I vas desperate. I drew a total of six to ..trying to save my brodher's life. Dhis is dhe only vone that left a scar."

"Blood. Seal." Harry said, the words sounding odd when put together like that to his ears. He knew he had never heard of such a thing, in either the Muggle or Magic sides of the world. Baffled at the explanation, he scratched his nose.

"And you say something like that... is science?"

"Yeah.." Ed said, and he looked at Harry once more. "Studied it my whole life..Makes you feel..."

Ed lips stretched a little, stopping somewhere between a smirk and a frown. "...like you ARE magic. Very advanced back.."

Ed swallowed, frowned and looked away suddenly. Harry got the sense that Ed almost let SOMETHING slip.

"Ed..?" Harry said. Ed looked back at Harry.

"I..um..You have many dhings here like it, but..um..not like it is..uh..back home."

"'Back home..?'" Harry said...then remembered Ed said he didn't have one, and his face skewed up in confusion again.

Ed's brows tilted upwards, just for a moment. Then Ed shook his head again and looked away. "Nevermind..forget it.."

"Well?" Harry said. But Ed remained silent, even as he occasionally glanced down at the scar. Harry sat back in a huff, not entirely sure why Ed's behavor made him upset. It certainly wasn't the first time Ed kept things from him.

"Brilliant. You at least have quite a dream to record down for Trelawney from what I saw."

"Not. Eben!" Ed said loudly, and Harry grinned and patted the air. "Iz not her buzness vhat iz.."

"Quiet down. It's past 2, Ed. Don't want to wake anyone."

Ed angrily chomped down on the remainder of the muffin and glared at the air located roughly to the side of Harry's shoulder. Harry found he was glad it wasn't actually directed at himself, especially now that it looked like Ed was feeling better that he had when they left detention together. He didn't want to end up getting punched.

He happily recalled the image of Crabbe and Goyle to his mind, both bullies laying flat on their backs, exactly as he had seen them at the end of Care of Magical Creatures class. He smiled as he scribbled down something for the care of bowtruckles, and smirked through his scribbling down the answers for McGonagall.

Ed didn't get much sleep after he went to bed, but at least he didn't tumble out when he reached for his change of clothes. The fact that his both his hands were steady told him that the food he had snuck out of the dining hall had done its job.

He got up and dragged himself through his isometrics at the break of dawn. Working silently through the aches that told him the weather outside was, once again, foul.

The rest of the day passed by like a routine that he could have slept through, and, in the case of the incredibly dull 'History of Magic' class, he did manage to nod off within five minutes of sitting down. 'Potions' gave him something of a challenge: Having to do alchemy by hand, with a cooking pot of all things, was a bit maddening after knowing of several arrays that could do the same thing with less effort. Ed had to admit it was entertaining to see Severus' sneer mask crack ever so slightly, a slight rise of an eyebrow, as he coldly looked down his nose at his work at the end of class. It vanished quickly, making Ed question if he had seen it at all.

'Is the man a ham' Ed thought. 'Or what?'

He snuck food out once again, entrusting Ron with his bag, and headed to his next detention with the Toad. She again had him remove both gloves, and roll up his sleeves before having him begin. He did notice that her beady eyes widened slightly when she saw the fresh scabs on his scar, and her fingers flexed ever so slightly.

Ed wrinkled his nose, flopped to the chair, and turned about to begin the task. Quill in hand, he continued his analysis of the thing as he wrote. Slowing losing blood to the scroll as it carved his rather long sentence on his flesh arm. The letters, and the letters that could be used as arrays, stayed longer than they did the previous night. Ed hardly noticed when they no longer faded; the pain pushed well back from his awareness. Focused on the mystery of the quill's makeup, he was vaguely aware of the Toad's girlish voice.

"Ah" she said. "That ought to serve as a reminder to you..both. Oughtn't it?" She moved around her desk and reached for Ed's arm. Ed immediately dropped the quill, and folded both arms across his chest. Her outstretched arm stopped just short of touching, hovering, almost lovingly, over the few letters visible on the back of his living hand.

She then looked over to Harry, and licked her lower lip. She moved over to him instead and took up his right hand, examining the letters carved there with great interest. "You may leave for tonight."

"Do I still have to come back tomorrow?" Said Harry, picking up his schoolbag with his left hand.

"Oh yes." Said Professor Umbridge, smiling widely. "I think we can etch the message a little deeper with another evening's work."

Ed unfolded his arms, and stood himself. The world spun about him almost immediately, and he closed his eyes. He concentrated on just breathing: Strong, even breaths. When he opened his eyes, he saw, thankfully, he was still standing, sort of, and the sickly pink room was its proper, solid self. He realised he had caught himself from falling; Both of his hands were splayed on the table before him.

:::

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