Categories > Anime/Manga > Full Metal Alchemist > Scry For You
Equivalent Exchange
1 reviewEd decides to play along with the whole "wizard thing", but still holds on to the law he grew up beleiving, and the promise he made to his brother: equivalent exchange.
0Unrated
Ch. 3- Equivalent Exchange
The next morning came quickly and Ed was wakened by the upholstery being pulled back from the bed. Edward panicked and scrambled to pull the covers over his limbs that had wiggled their way out during the night before the intruder saw them. Harry's head poked in and informed him that Dumbledore expected him outside his office after breakfast.
"Is something the matter?" Harry asked, noticing Ed's concealing position.
"No, I'm just cold is all," Ed fibbed.
"But it's near 80 degrees outside," Harry said in confusion.
"Yeah, weird isn't it?" Ed replied with a tight smile.
Harry shrugged and left to wherever he was headed and Edward breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly retrieved some clothes and dressed, slipping on his white gloves, as was his habit.
He trudged down staircase after staircase to the Great Hall, following his vague memory from the night before. He thought he'd been going the right way, until he came to a stop in front of a missing staircase. He could've sworn it was there last night, though everything looked different in the morning radiance. He cursed the castle and retraced his steps, this time taking a different route. He followed a couple corridors, went up and down a few staircases, and found himself completely lost. He was somewhere on either the second or third floor; hell, it could be the fourth. After an added ten minutes of walking he was in another unfamiliar hallway and royally pissed off.
"Son of a bitch!! I need a fucking map for this place!!!" he yelled, feeling better after venting his anger. To his surprise, a door appeared on his right out of nowhere. Edward stopped short and gaped at it, his curiosity took hold, and he opened the portal.
Inside was a single desk with a piece of parchment placed on its surface. It was rolled up and tied shut, but it looked so inviting just sitting there that Ed had to open it. Low and behold, it was a map of the entire school, including what looked to be secret entrances and corridors. Edward looked more closely at the map and read the labels of different rooms: Library, Great Hall, Divination Tower. There was also a small 'x' inside a box labeled, 'Room of Requirement'. Ed shrugged and decided it was best not to question his luck, instead taking the map and tapping his finger on the box labeled 'Great Hall', contemplating the best way to get there. A dotted line appeared that connected the 'x' with his destination, thoroughly amazing him. Again, he didn't question the magic and followed the dotted line to the Great Hall.
He made it there in less than ten minutes, finding his table and sitting down heavily in a seat, the map tucked away in his pocket for safekeeping. By this time most of the students, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione, had already ate and gone to class. Ed ate his breakfast quickly but heartily, and then used his map to find the entrance to Dumbledore's office. The wizard exited a magically appearing door as soon as Edward knocked on the solid wall that had been there previously. He was carrying an old lantern in one hand and a list in the other. He gave the list to Ed to hold onto and motioned for him to follow.
"The safe guards surrounding this castle won't allow us to use any sort of transporting magic like this Portkey, so unfortunately we must leave the grounds for it to work," Dumbledore explained. Edward nodded in spite of himself; he had no idea what the wizard was talking about.
When they were off the grounds Dumbledore glanced at an odd looking watch that only he seemed to know how to read and bade Ed to grab the lantern quickly. Edward did so, although he didn't see the point until he felt his shoes lift off the ground. His stomach flopped over and he tried to release the Portkey, only to find that he physically couldn't. Finally, after seriously believing he was going to discard the breakfast he'd eaten, Ed's feet touched down again, this time on a cobbled street in place of grass.
"Where are we?" he asked, looking around at the various shops with names that sounded like gibberish to him.
"Diagon Alley," Dumbledore informed him, "We must hurry and purchase your supplies; we have a meeting with the Minister of Magic at midday."
Edward followed the headmaster yet again, this time in and out of different shops where the necessary school supplies were bought for him. After they left the third shop with a large caldron brimming with potion ingredients, Ed having witnessed the large amount of wizard money Dumbledore had handed over on his behalf, he felt guilty.
"Uh, sir?" he asked hesitantly, gaining the headmaster's attention, "Is there some way I can pay you back for all this? I have money...just not your kind."
"Don't worry about the funds; they came from the Ministry of Magic. I explained your situation to them and they've provided you with a fair amount to get by," Dumbledore explained.
"But-it's not equivalent exchange," Ed protested. Dumbledore smiled warmly at the adult-like teenage boy in front of him.
"Your principle is honorable, however magic does not require equivalence," he replied. Edward sighed deeply in defeat as he trailed after the old man to the next store.
This time they entered a robe shop where a plump witch took Edward's measurements and told them when to return by. They then walked next door to Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands while the robes were being adjusted.
The interior of the shop was mostly shelves that ran wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, and row-after-row. The air was musty and carried the scent of pine, hemlock, and cedar wood. A lanky old man with shining white hair introduced himself and looked Edward over. He then disappeared behind a row of shelves and came back with a thin cardboard box, out of which he took a wand.
"Here you go," Ollivander said, handing the wooden rod to Ed, "Give it a swish. That's 15 inch cherry wood with a unicorn hair core." Edward did what was asked of him but nothing happened.
"Hmn...I can tell right now you're going to be a difficult one, to be sure, but no worries, I'll find you a wand!"
Fifty tries later Ollivander regretted these words. However he continued to tear apart his store looking for the perfect wand.
"I don't understand it!" he huffed as the hundredth wand still had no effect, "I've only seen this in squibs, yet Dumbledore insisted you had magical abilities in his letter!" Dumbledore nodded to confirm this. "This leaves me no choice then; I'll have to pull out the more powerful wands," he said, disappearing yet again.
This time he returned with ten or so boxes with substantial amounts of dust covering them in his arms. He took out the first and handed it to Ed.
"10 inch hemlock with a phoenix feather core," droned Ollivander. The young alchemist sighed and swished, again gaining no response. The wand keeper snatched it from him and immediately replaced it with another.
"13.5 oak, centaur tail's core."
"14 inch weeping willow, mermaid scales."
"9 inch dogwood, Niffler fur."
"11 inch cedar, dragon skin." Again, no reaction, and the same occurred for the next boxes until only one was left.
"If this won't do it then you truly are a squib. Concentrate now and give it a good, hard, flick. This is 12 inch mahogany with a sphinx core; very good for divination. It's probably the most powerful wand I've made."
Edward took the wand in his left hand and immediately felt a difference, sort of a strange tingling sensation creeping up his arm. He flicked it and silver sparks appeared out of the end, arranging themselves to form the face of a dirty blond, ten-year-old boy. Ed sucked in his breath as the vision of Al ran across a lush green yard to the interior of Aunt Pinako's house. The aspect that confused him was that Winry was there as well, looking exactly as she had the last time he saw her, and Alphonse looked only half her age. The image faded after a minute and Edward called out to the vision, the wand, anything.
"Wait! Show me more!" The wand didn't respond.
Ollivander was too delighted to have found a wand for Ed to notice the distressed face of his customer. He packaged the wand case, Dumbledore paid for it, giving Ollivander an extra tip for his trouble, and they exited, now returning to the robe shop for pickup.
"If I may ask," Dumbledore inquired once he'd paid for the robes as well and they left for yet another shop, "was that by chance your brother?"
"Yes, but...the last time I saw him he looked...different," Ed replied, seeming troubled. Dumbledore looked at him expecting a better explanation. "It's complicated," he added hesitantly. Dumbledore nodded and dropped the matter due to the fact they'd presently entered a pet store.
"So," he asked jovially, "What sort of magical companion would you prefer? It can be a rat, owl, cat, or toad, although I recommend owls; they're incredibly intelligent.
"This is required?" Ed questioned in disbelief.
"Well, no, but it might as well be since every student ends up with some sort of magical creature," Dumbledore explained. Ed gave him a look that clearly said, 'It's not equivalent exchange'.
"I'll tell you what," the headmaster offered, "I'll pay for your animal out of my own purse, but in exchange you must tell me this complicated story of yours-only when you're ready, that is, although I expect it before you leave Hogwarts."
Reluctantly, Ed agreed, his eyes having already fallen on a short-haired, gray kitten, which had instantly reminded him of his brother. The vision from before returned and filled him with emotion, therefore making up his mind. Edward scratched its ears and smiled sadly.
"It had better be a good story," Dumbledore jested after looking at the price tag. Ed shrugged sheepishly. The small creature was paid for and now Edward cradled it in his arms, memories swirling through his mind.
"What are you going to name him?" Dumbledore asked, his ancient face turned upwards in a smile.
"I was thinking of calling him Alphonse," Ed replied, smiling as well, "Somehow it seems fitting; my brother always loved cats. Whenever he came across a stray on our travels he'd pick it up, no matter how many times I told him we couldn't give it a home." Ed shook his head and chuckled, lifting his new friend above his head in order to look it in the eyes. "I'll give you a good home," he promised, now serious. The cat purred and mewed softly in response, content to be loved.
"Come along," Dumbledore bade him, "The Minister of Magic is waiting."
The two wound their way along the street and past the stores Ed now knew a little about. The crowds had grown and Edward nearly lost sight of the headmaster, if not for his eccentric robes. He himself now had his own set, however he refused to wear the ridiculous billowing things until he absolutely had to. Finally they took shelter in a small pub called the 'Leaky Cauldron'. There, a plump, grey-haired man in black and gold robes stood and waved the pair over, seeming anxious and short on time. The two wizards shook hands and Dumbledore introduced Ed.
"Cornelius Fudge," the man greeted, extending a hand, "Minister of Magic." Edward shook the limb with his left hand, receiving an odd look.
"Nice to meet you, sir," he said, remembering his manners for those with political power, however much he detested them.
"Yes, yes, very nice," Fudge chirped nervously, "I've heard much about you-or your dilemma, so to say-and I apologize greatly if you've been inconvenienced. I swear this has never happened in the history of magic, however I suppose all is not lost. You do have magical prowess, don't you?" he inquired.
"Yes," Ed replied, however reluctant to admit it; the reaction he received from his wand could not have been anything but magic.
"Good! That is good. I'd hate to have erased your memory and by chance send you back into the muggle world as a vegetable. Memory spells can be tricky at times, yes..."
Fudge trailed off as his mind wandered to other matters. Ed was becoming annoyed with this one's short attention span and voiced a question in order to capture it once more.
"When will I be able to leave?" Cornelius looked taken aback.
"I thought it was clear you were to remain at Hogwarts," he replied, almost threateningly, "If you were to return to the muggle world we would have to erase your memory-I hate to admit this, but there's a 25 percent chance it'll go awry and you'll turn into a babbling moron..."
"I understand, sir," Ed responded, noting his short-ranged choices. 'Ah well', he thought, 'Equivalent exchange-Fudge'll see his own end of this eventually.'
"Now then, since everything has been taken care of, I bid you both an excellent year at Hogwarts. I apologize for being in a rush, but with he-who-must-not-be-named's reappearance things have been so chaotic. Give my best to Harry, Albus, will you? Ta!" With that he disappeared in a loud 'crack', nearly giving Ed a coronary.
"What the hell!?!" he blurted as he jumped about a foot in surprise. Dumbledore merely smiled and said, "Shall we get back to the school?"
The next morning came quickly and Ed was wakened by the upholstery being pulled back from the bed. Edward panicked and scrambled to pull the covers over his limbs that had wiggled their way out during the night before the intruder saw them. Harry's head poked in and informed him that Dumbledore expected him outside his office after breakfast.
"Is something the matter?" Harry asked, noticing Ed's concealing position.
"No, I'm just cold is all," Ed fibbed.
"But it's near 80 degrees outside," Harry said in confusion.
"Yeah, weird isn't it?" Ed replied with a tight smile.
Harry shrugged and left to wherever he was headed and Edward breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly retrieved some clothes and dressed, slipping on his white gloves, as was his habit.
He trudged down staircase after staircase to the Great Hall, following his vague memory from the night before. He thought he'd been going the right way, until he came to a stop in front of a missing staircase. He could've sworn it was there last night, though everything looked different in the morning radiance. He cursed the castle and retraced his steps, this time taking a different route. He followed a couple corridors, went up and down a few staircases, and found himself completely lost. He was somewhere on either the second or third floor; hell, it could be the fourth. After an added ten minutes of walking he was in another unfamiliar hallway and royally pissed off.
"Son of a bitch!! I need a fucking map for this place!!!" he yelled, feeling better after venting his anger. To his surprise, a door appeared on his right out of nowhere. Edward stopped short and gaped at it, his curiosity took hold, and he opened the portal.
Inside was a single desk with a piece of parchment placed on its surface. It was rolled up and tied shut, but it looked so inviting just sitting there that Ed had to open it. Low and behold, it was a map of the entire school, including what looked to be secret entrances and corridors. Edward looked more closely at the map and read the labels of different rooms: Library, Great Hall, Divination Tower. There was also a small 'x' inside a box labeled, 'Room of Requirement'. Ed shrugged and decided it was best not to question his luck, instead taking the map and tapping his finger on the box labeled 'Great Hall', contemplating the best way to get there. A dotted line appeared that connected the 'x' with his destination, thoroughly amazing him. Again, he didn't question the magic and followed the dotted line to the Great Hall.
He made it there in less than ten minutes, finding his table and sitting down heavily in a seat, the map tucked away in his pocket for safekeeping. By this time most of the students, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione, had already ate and gone to class. Ed ate his breakfast quickly but heartily, and then used his map to find the entrance to Dumbledore's office. The wizard exited a magically appearing door as soon as Edward knocked on the solid wall that had been there previously. He was carrying an old lantern in one hand and a list in the other. He gave the list to Ed to hold onto and motioned for him to follow.
"The safe guards surrounding this castle won't allow us to use any sort of transporting magic like this Portkey, so unfortunately we must leave the grounds for it to work," Dumbledore explained. Edward nodded in spite of himself; he had no idea what the wizard was talking about.
When they were off the grounds Dumbledore glanced at an odd looking watch that only he seemed to know how to read and bade Ed to grab the lantern quickly. Edward did so, although he didn't see the point until he felt his shoes lift off the ground. His stomach flopped over and he tried to release the Portkey, only to find that he physically couldn't. Finally, after seriously believing he was going to discard the breakfast he'd eaten, Ed's feet touched down again, this time on a cobbled street in place of grass.
"Where are we?" he asked, looking around at the various shops with names that sounded like gibberish to him.
"Diagon Alley," Dumbledore informed him, "We must hurry and purchase your supplies; we have a meeting with the Minister of Magic at midday."
Edward followed the headmaster yet again, this time in and out of different shops where the necessary school supplies were bought for him. After they left the third shop with a large caldron brimming with potion ingredients, Ed having witnessed the large amount of wizard money Dumbledore had handed over on his behalf, he felt guilty.
"Uh, sir?" he asked hesitantly, gaining the headmaster's attention, "Is there some way I can pay you back for all this? I have money...just not your kind."
"Don't worry about the funds; they came from the Ministry of Magic. I explained your situation to them and they've provided you with a fair amount to get by," Dumbledore explained.
"But-it's not equivalent exchange," Ed protested. Dumbledore smiled warmly at the adult-like teenage boy in front of him.
"Your principle is honorable, however magic does not require equivalence," he replied. Edward sighed deeply in defeat as he trailed after the old man to the next store.
This time they entered a robe shop where a plump witch took Edward's measurements and told them when to return by. They then walked next door to Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands while the robes were being adjusted.
The interior of the shop was mostly shelves that ran wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, and row-after-row. The air was musty and carried the scent of pine, hemlock, and cedar wood. A lanky old man with shining white hair introduced himself and looked Edward over. He then disappeared behind a row of shelves and came back with a thin cardboard box, out of which he took a wand.
"Here you go," Ollivander said, handing the wooden rod to Ed, "Give it a swish. That's 15 inch cherry wood with a unicorn hair core." Edward did what was asked of him but nothing happened.
"Hmn...I can tell right now you're going to be a difficult one, to be sure, but no worries, I'll find you a wand!"
Fifty tries later Ollivander regretted these words. However he continued to tear apart his store looking for the perfect wand.
"I don't understand it!" he huffed as the hundredth wand still had no effect, "I've only seen this in squibs, yet Dumbledore insisted you had magical abilities in his letter!" Dumbledore nodded to confirm this. "This leaves me no choice then; I'll have to pull out the more powerful wands," he said, disappearing yet again.
This time he returned with ten or so boxes with substantial amounts of dust covering them in his arms. He took out the first and handed it to Ed.
"10 inch hemlock with a phoenix feather core," droned Ollivander. The young alchemist sighed and swished, again gaining no response. The wand keeper snatched it from him and immediately replaced it with another.
"13.5 oak, centaur tail's core."
"14 inch weeping willow, mermaid scales."
"9 inch dogwood, Niffler fur."
"11 inch cedar, dragon skin." Again, no reaction, and the same occurred for the next boxes until only one was left.
"If this won't do it then you truly are a squib. Concentrate now and give it a good, hard, flick. This is 12 inch mahogany with a sphinx core; very good for divination. It's probably the most powerful wand I've made."
Edward took the wand in his left hand and immediately felt a difference, sort of a strange tingling sensation creeping up his arm. He flicked it and silver sparks appeared out of the end, arranging themselves to form the face of a dirty blond, ten-year-old boy. Ed sucked in his breath as the vision of Al ran across a lush green yard to the interior of Aunt Pinako's house. The aspect that confused him was that Winry was there as well, looking exactly as she had the last time he saw her, and Alphonse looked only half her age. The image faded after a minute and Edward called out to the vision, the wand, anything.
"Wait! Show me more!" The wand didn't respond.
Ollivander was too delighted to have found a wand for Ed to notice the distressed face of his customer. He packaged the wand case, Dumbledore paid for it, giving Ollivander an extra tip for his trouble, and they exited, now returning to the robe shop for pickup.
"If I may ask," Dumbledore inquired once he'd paid for the robes as well and they left for yet another shop, "was that by chance your brother?"
"Yes, but...the last time I saw him he looked...different," Ed replied, seeming troubled. Dumbledore looked at him expecting a better explanation. "It's complicated," he added hesitantly. Dumbledore nodded and dropped the matter due to the fact they'd presently entered a pet store.
"So," he asked jovially, "What sort of magical companion would you prefer? It can be a rat, owl, cat, or toad, although I recommend owls; they're incredibly intelligent.
"This is required?" Ed questioned in disbelief.
"Well, no, but it might as well be since every student ends up with some sort of magical creature," Dumbledore explained. Ed gave him a look that clearly said, 'It's not equivalent exchange'.
"I'll tell you what," the headmaster offered, "I'll pay for your animal out of my own purse, but in exchange you must tell me this complicated story of yours-only when you're ready, that is, although I expect it before you leave Hogwarts."
Reluctantly, Ed agreed, his eyes having already fallen on a short-haired, gray kitten, which had instantly reminded him of his brother. The vision from before returned and filled him with emotion, therefore making up his mind. Edward scratched its ears and smiled sadly.
"It had better be a good story," Dumbledore jested after looking at the price tag. Ed shrugged sheepishly. The small creature was paid for and now Edward cradled it in his arms, memories swirling through his mind.
"What are you going to name him?" Dumbledore asked, his ancient face turned upwards in a smile.
"I was thinking of calling him Alphonse," Ed replied, smiling as well, "Somehow it seems fitting; my brother always loved cats. Whenever he came across a stray on our travels he'd pick it up, no matter how many times I told him we couldn't give it a home." Ed shook his head and chuckled, lifting his new friend above his head in order to look it in the eyes. "I'll give you a good home," he promised, now serious. The cat purred and mewed softly in response, content to be loved.
"Come along," Dumbledore bade him, "The Minister of Magic is waiting."
The two wound their way along the street and past the stores Ed now knew a little about. The crowds had grown and Edward nearly lost sight of the headmaster, if not for his eccentric robes. He himself now had his own set, however he refused to wear the ridiculous billowing things until he absolutely had to. Finally they took shelter in a small pub called the 'Leaky Cauldron'. There, a plump, grey-haired man in black and gold robes stood and waved the pair over, seeming anxious and short on time. The two wizards shook hands and Dumbledore introduced Ed.
"Cornelius Fudge," the man greeted, extending a hand, "Minister of Magic." Edward shook the limb with his left hand, receiving an odd look.
"Nice to meet you, sir," he said, remembering his manners for those with political power, however much he detested them.
"Yes, yes, very nice," Fudge chirped nervously, "I've heard much about you-or your dilemma, so to say-and I apologize greatly if you've been inconvenienced. I swear this has never happened in the history of magic, however I suppose all is not lost. You do have magical prowess, don't you?" he inquired.
"Yes," Ed replied, however reluctant to admit it; the reaction he received from his wand could not have been anything but magic.
"Good! That is good. I'd hate to have erased your memory and by chance send you back into the muggle world as a vegetable. Memory spells can be tricky at times, yes..."
Fudge trailed off as his mind wandered to other matters. Ed was becoming annoyed with this one's short attention span and voiced a question in order to capture it once more.
"When will I be able to leave?" Cornelius looked taken aback.
"I thought it was clear you were to remain at Hogwarts," he replied, almost threateningly, "If you were to return to the muggle world we would have to erase your memory-I hate to admit this, but there's a 25 percent chance it'll go awry and you'll turn into a babbling moron..."
"I understand, sir," Ed responded, noting his short-ranged choices. 'Ah well', he thought, 'Equivalent exchange-Fudge'll see his own end of this eventually.'
"Now then, since everything has been taken care of, I bid you both an excellent year at Hogwarts. I apologize for being in a rush, but with he-who-must-not-be-named's reappearance things have been so chaotic. Give my best to Harry, Albus, will you? Ta!" With that he disappeared in a loud 'crack', nearly giving Ed a coronary.
"What the hell!?!" he blurted as he jumped about a foot in surprise. Dumbledore merely smiled and said, "Shall we get back to the school?"
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