FicWad

Ch. 2- The Sorting and The Feast

The train stopped a couple hours later and everyone got off. Edward nearly jumped his height when he saw the horrendous creatures bridled and tied in front of the carriages, waiting to carry the students to the castle.

"What the hell are those things!?" he exclaimed, his mind immediately labeling them as chimeras.

"What?" Hermione, Ron, and the twins asked in unison.

"He means the thestrals," Harry explained further, "Only people who have seen death can see them. They look horrible, but they won't bother you."

If Edward had been any other person, he may have passed out by now, but with homunculi and the Philosopher's Stone, it didn't take more reassurance for him to get in a carriage. However he did vow to leave this place-this world-as soon as possible. He needed to get to Robert Goddard, or, in the least, send him an apology for his tardiness. Not that he had any idea how he was going to explain himself. He couldn't very well say he got carried onto a magical train and ended up in a school for young witches and wizards.

"I was wondering about something," a voice on his left said, taking him out of his reverie; it was Harry.

"Yeah?" Ed prompted.

"Who did you see die? I know it isn't right to meddle, but..." Harry shifted uneasily and fidgeted a little.

"Too many," Ed replied, harsher than he intended, but effectively cutting off the conversation.

"I can understand, mate," Harry said.

Edward Elric, once the Fullmetal Alchemist, looked out the window and past the weird horses to the castle looming ahead of them. It had turrets and towers and a lake; a typical castle, only Ed knew it wasn't. Supposedly it was magic, although he still didn't believe in that. However, from what he had seen recently, he could feel his scientific mind caving as a quote from somewhere returned: 'seeing is believing'. So maybe he did believe in magic, but he'd never trust it. How could he trust something that had no rules?

The carriage stopped and everyone climbed down, making his or her way to the castle. Edward felt his stomach rising and clutched the handle on his suitcase tighter; the castle was intimidating up close, and not knowing what it held inside was even more so.

A monster of a man was yelling something about 'first years' and ushering students into the front doors. Everyone wore black robes except for Ed, making his brown coat and pants stick out like a sore thumb. The man spotted him and his dust broom eyebrows shot up in surprise. Harry and the others pulled Ed toward the man, who seemed even bigger up close. Edward was grateful to have grown a few inches in the last few weeks.

"'arry 'n Ron 'n 'ermione 'n th' Weasley twins!" the man boomed, "I should've known th' oddball was wih' ye troublemakers! Wha' 'appened? 'E looks like a bloody muggle!"

"He is..."Harry mumbled, "There was a mix up and the twins thought he was a wizard."

"Could've happened to anyone," they shrugged.

"Erm, nice to see you Hagrid," Ron said awkwardly.

"Hunh," Hagrid grunted, "Foller me. I'm a'takin' ya ter Dumbledore. 'E'll know wha' ter do."

Minutes later Edward found himself in a small room, waiting to talk to the mysterious Headmaster. At the moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were telling their part of the story, the twins having already contributed theirs and left, and now Ed was standing, staring at a fantastical flaming bird. For some reason it reminded him of Roy.

A few minutes passed before the threesome exited and a silver-haired man in flowing midnight-blue robes, embroidered with golden stars, motioned Edward in. He was wearing a hat that matched his robes and half-moon spectacles that made him look wiser than his already many years. The man introduced himself as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and offered Ed a chair. After the alchemist exchanged his name, the wizard nodded and began pacing the room.

"This has never happened in the history of magic, so I'm not quite sure as to what to do. Platform nine-and-three-quarters doesn't open for regular people; only those with magical ability can pass through the barrier. Therefore you must hold talent. I see no other way than to enroll you as a student for the time being. You cannot leave here until I get further word from the Ministry of Magic anyway, as they will no doubt make a larger fuss about this than is actually necessary. Mr. Potter, Misters Weasley and Miss Granger told me you were on your way to see one, Robert Goddard, am I right?"

"I was going to study rocket science," Ed replied downcast.

"So you're a scientist, but obviously not a normal one if you could enter the Wizarding World," Dumbledore concluded, his blue eyes smiling yet piercing into the other's golden orbs for an explanation.

Edward hesitated, and then his security walls caved. The reasonable voice in his mind told him these people might be able to help him reach his goal much faster than rocket science. Supposedly anything was possible with magic, right?

"I'm an alchemist," Edward told him, then continuing with the immensely brief version of his story, "I was separated from my world and my brother, and now I'm trying to find a way home."

"Intriguing," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes glinting in interest, "I've always believed in another dimension, yet I've never been able to prove it. What I don't understand is why you haven't returned with your alchemy yet."

"It doesn't work here," Edward said.

"Ah," the old mage replied, "that would make sense. In that case we'll have to arrange for you to get supplies. I'll create a Portkey first thing in the morning for us to go to Diagon Alley. You'll need books, robes, potion materials, a wand, caldron, and this and that. Right now we'd best go down to the Great Hall. I assume the rest of the school is anxious to start the sorting. You'll need to be sorted as well. You're about 15, am I right?"

"17," Ed corrected with a twinge of anger.

"Well, technically you're a grown wizard, yet we both know that's not true. I'd say you could pass as a fifth year. I'm sure you can get help starting out; I'll make a point to tell your teachers to give you some slack. Now then, come along; on to the Great Hall."

"Hold on!" Ed blurted, his head swimming with everything Dumbledore said, "I thought I was merely masquerading as a student. I didn't expect to actually learn magic!"

"You may find it to be helpful to get home," the Headmaster replied calmly, "More so than rocket science."

Ed shrugged and followed him to the Great Hall where all the students and teachers, minus the first years, himself, and Dumbledore were seated. 'What the hell,' he thought, 'I've seen it all now anyway.'

Dumbledore got behind the table at the head of the hall where the other teachers sat, and introduced Edward as a new student. He then ushered Ed into the line of first years who anxiously awaited their doom. As one explained to him, supposedly you had to take a test in front of the entire school. Edward gulped; what would he do if he had to perform magic? He didn't know the first thing to it; didn't Dumbledore realize that?

The hall grew quiet as a slender witch placed a rugged hat on a stool in front of the line of first years. As she was walking away, the hat broke out into song.

Welcome, welcome, young and old,
Another year is due to unfold.
The sorting hat, that is my name,
I'm not a joke and not a game.
My purpose is to poke and pick,
Inside your head, it's not a trick.
I'm here to see where you belong,
And explain the houses with my song.
If your courage knows no bounds,
Gryffindor's where you'll be found.
Ravenclaw's for those with brains,
Slytherin for those wanting gain.
Hufflepuff for the true of heart,
And now I believe it's time to start.
Before that I desperately need to prepare,
All of you for what to beware.
An evil brews deep in hiding,
This is but a mere reminding:
Study hard and study true,
The Dark Lord just might come for you!

Silence issued for a minute as the hall pondered the sorting hat's warning. The witch from before looked shocked and took a moment to collect her thoughts; even Dumbledore seemed troubled. Then the witch began to call names to the stool. The student brought forth would put on the hat, sit on the stool, and wait nervously for the hat to shout out one of the four houses. Relieved from their burden, they would then rush to their new house's designated table and sit down beaming. Edward shifted uneasily as the D's ended and his name approached.

"Elric, Edward." In his mind, Ed said some colorful words on the way to the stool.

The hall was unusually quiet for the new student. Usually there'd be a few whispers between gossipers as the newbies were sorted, but even they were silent as Edward slipped the rugged hat over his ears.

'Who have we here?' asked a voice in Ed's mind, 'Immense knowledge do I see; perfect for Ravenclaw, and a want for power and accomplishment that only Slytherins hold. However, I also see a great sense of courage and love as well, especially for your younger brother. You and him have gone through a lot of hardships and heartaches: a lot of death.'

'Stop digging into my past!' Ed demanded, 'I'm not here by choice!'

'So you're a scientist then-no, no, an alchemist! Fancy meeting one of your kind in my dying days! You're searching for something, right? A way home, but you don't believe magic can help you, do you?'

'It doesn't follow equivalent exchange,' Ed thought in disgust, 'Quit being nosy and place me somewhere before I leave and choose myself!'

'Arrogance and ignorance; perfect for Slytherin. Yet they won't teach you what you need to know. You need to learn to trust magic, so I see no other than-'

"GRYFFINDOR!!!" the hat bellowed.

Edward ripped it off his head in anger and strode to the correct table with the same emotion on his face. However, this dissolved as he realized the twins, Ron, Hermione, and Harry were cheering their lungs out for him, as well as every girl at the table. The Slytherins on the other hand, especially Malfoy and his gluttons, were booing with as much enthusiasm. Edward ignored this and sat down, unable to help the smile that lightened on his face.

The sorting ended after another half-hour and both the hat and the stool were whisked away to where they'd sit in lonesome for another year, thinking up a new song to sing.

Dumbledore then stood and welcomed the new class, going over the rules and regulations of the school. Edward zoned out as he talked, not being one to follow the rules anyway. To him it seemed, if he got expelled finding a way home, it wouldn't matter either way.

When the Headmaster finished, the hall buzzed with anticipation for the opening feast. Ed's stomach felt like a vacuum sucking at his innards and glanced around anxiously for waiters with carts. Imagine his surprise when the food popped out of nowhere and suddenly appeared on the table!

At first he contemplated not trusting the food enough to eat it because he didn't believe it really existed. He immediately decided against this as the aromas of the dishes made him lightheaded and he dove into the meal, trying anything and everything he could get his hands on.

When the major consuming dissipated, Edward tuned into the conversations around him. Most of the topics were completely foreign to him, but he did catch a few about the sorting hat's warning.

'A Dark Lord, huh?' he thought, 'I wonder who he is.'

"So, Ed," Ron said quite suddenly, in between a mouthful of chicken, "Is it true you come from a different world?" Ed looked at the red-haired boy in alarm.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed, then apologizing, "Sorry Ed, we're naturally curious."

"Yeah," Ron said, "Curious and sucked into every big, bloody event that goes on in this school all thanks to the walking disaster." He raised his cup of pumpkin juice in the air. "Cheers Harry."

"I'm not a walking disaster!" Harry insisted.

"He's not a walking disaster!" Hermione said at nearly the same time, "He's just...pulled into things; it's not his fault you-know-who attacked him and just happened to fail. It could've been anyone-it could've been you."

"Sure," Ron said, "I'll believe that when we get through this year without Harry somehow escaping from you-know-who again and saving this bloody world again because of it."

"I never saved the world," Harry said, sounding annoyed, "When have I ever saved the world? I just lived is all-that's all I am-'the boy who lived'. The only reason Voldemort's after me is because I make him look like an idiot."

"Are you kidding me, mate!?" Ron exclaimed, "You're not giving yourself enough credit! What about that episode with the Basilisk? Okay, so you saved the school, but it's basically a small world. And then the Triwizard Tournament what with seeing you-know-who's return to power and being able to identify the Deatheaters? That saved tons of us! And then in the first year with the Philosopher's Stone-"

"What!?" Ed blurted, nearly choking on his mouthful of food, "There's a Philosopher's Stone here!?!"

"You've heard of it before?" Hermione asked.

"I have..." Edward replied awkwardly, not meaning to have caused such an outburst. His mind bubbled with excitement though; if he could find the Philosopher's Stone, he might be able to get home!

"What was so surprising then?" Harry asked.

"It's just that...well, you said you came across it, right?" Ed asked, pulling the question from deep inside his genius brain to cover up, "I think that's pretty amazing."

"Yeah, I guess," Ron said, "Although I never saw it-Harry's the one who found it."

"I found it by accident," Harry corrected.

"So what happened to it?" Ed asked disinterestedly, as if he didn't care.

"The guy who made it, Nicolas Flamel, destroyed it," Hermione supplied.

"Oh..." Ed replied wistfully, looking down at his plate. An awkward silence followed until the food disappeared suddenly and Ed nearly dropped the pastry he was eating in the surprise.

"Don't worry," Harry laughed, "You'll get used to it." However, Edward wasn't so sure.

The tables emptied now as students dragged their tired bodies up stairwells and through corridors to their dorms. Ed followed his new friends and the rest of his house to the Gryffindor portal, which consisted of an unsightly portrait of a chunky woman in a pink dress. A higher classman called out the password, 'drazzling drizzles', and the portrait swung open on invisible hinges. Again, Ed was speechless at the sight; it seemed the entire castle and everything in it went against equivalent exchange.

Edward felt as if his head would explode with all the new things he's witnessed when he sank onto the bed that had his name embroidered in the upholstery and pillow. He took a small notebook and pen from his suitcase, which had somehow migrated from Dumbledore's office to the dorm, and drew the curtains around his four-poster bed. The notebook served as his journal; he'd write down his memories, thoughts, theories, or the happenings of the day. Most of the entries were addressed to his little brother. He hoped that someday he'd be able to return home and share the journal with Alphonse, or if he could not, that someone would find it and figure out a way to send it beyond the Gate. Inside on the back of the front cover was a letter written to whoever should find it, explaining his desires. Perhaps it was a hollow hope, but it was one Edward still held onto.

He completed this daily ritual and placed the two items back in his suitcase, locking it tight from any wandering eyes, and placed it at the foot of the bed. He then drew the curtains again and undressed, taking everything except his boxers off and crawling under the covers. It was a warm night, but just in case anyone opened the bed hangings, he pulled the sheets up and over his prosthetic arm and fell asleep.