Chapter One

Edward kicked the office door open as usual, nodded to Hawkeye and then sat down in front of the smug man sitting behind the desk.

"Alright, Colonel, what is it you wanted me for?"

"The Führer has requested that you go undercover at a school for the next year. I myself will be posing as a teacher."

"What?! Why, Where?"

"It's a boarding school in Scotland."

"Scotland?! What the hell?!"

The Colonel sighed. "The headmaster will be arriving in the next few minutes to describe the circumstances."

No later than he had said it, there was a sharp CRACK and an old man with long hair and beard was standing in the middle of the office, looking pleasantly at them.

Ed reacted instantly. He clapped his hands and with a flash of blue lightning, he transmuted the protective plating on his right arm into his trademark blade. Two seconds later, the stranger was lying on his back on the floor with the blade pointed at his chest.

For some reason, the man chuckled merrily from where Ed had pinned him to the floor.

"What the hell! How did you do that? Who the hell are you? STOP LAUGHING, DAMMIT!"

"I'm sorry, dear boy, but that is the first time in about sixty years that anyone has even dared to jump me. I have to say you did a remarkable job."

Ed just stared. Who the hell was this man?

"I guess I should present myself. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts. I was told by your leader to meet at Colonel Roy Mustang's office at East Headquarters in Amestris, I hope I got the location right?" he said pleasantly.

"You still haven't told me how you did that!"

"That is quite simple, dear boy, I apparated."

"You what?"

"Apparition, the art of disappearing from one place, to almost instantly reappear at another. It's something that we wizards can do, after we have passed the test, of course."

There was only one word that had stuck with Ed.

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC NOW TELL ME THE TRUTH BEFORE I HIT YOU!"

The man seemed unperturbed. "I am telling the truth, dear boy. Magic is a very real thing, let me show you."

He then pulled a stick out of his robes and pointed it at the Colonel's desk, instantly transforming it into a wooden horse that began galloping in circles around the room.

Ed's jaw dropped.

That wasn't possible.

It just wasn't.

But the Colonel's desk was fucking neighing.

And the annoying man was chuckling at Ed and Mustang's reaction.

Ed had to admit, it was hard to pretend that magic wasn't real right now.

"Like I said, magic."

"So you're the headmaster of this school in Scotland?"

"Yes, I am. Now who may you be? Are you perhaps the son of one of the people who works here?"

"I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric," Ed growled. He had worked damned hard for that title, he was not going to be patronised now.

"But how old are you?" His eyebrows had furrowed slightly.

"Thirteen."

"And you are a part of the military?"

"Yes. And I'm a damn prodigy!"

"In that case, I am very happy to make your acquaintance." He extended his left hand so that he could shake Ed's who reluctantly took it, staring at the man who could be so calm about all this. "Now, if you kindly would get off my chest, I believe it is time that I put your superior's desk back to its normal way of not chewing on the windowsill."

Ed got off the man but still eyed him suspiciously.

The man stood up much more graciously than Ed would have expected of him. He then said some funny words and pointed his stick at the horse, which instantly trotted over to where it should stand in front of Mustang who was sitting there, terrified with his gloved fingers poised to snap.

The man waved the stick and the horse transformed back into a desk.

"Well, that was fun," the man said, grinning.

"I think this makes you Colonel Mustang?" the man said, extending his hand for Mustang to shake. "Albus Dumbledore, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The Colonel seemed to regain his usual manner of being, although he still looked slightly alarmed.

The two of them shook hands and then Dumbledore sat down on the chair in front of the desk. He then looked at Ed and smacked his forehead theatrically. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Edward. Forgive my manners in my old age." He then waved his stick and a chair appeared out of nowhere.

Ed just stared at it.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" Dumbledore asked.

"How the hell do you bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange like that?!"

"Magic is not bound by the same rules as your alchemy. There are a few exceptions of course, like Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration. But you need to understand that magic is not a science."

Ed was pretty sure he hated the man.

He sat down on the annoyingly comfy chair and crossed his arms, scowling at the man. "Now what do you want us for?"

"I'm interested in being able to put alchemy on the curriculum, and is it is far more advanced here than any other places, I figured I should ask for the best of the best. The State Alchemists are supposed to be highly skilled after all."

"That does not explain what you want with me being undercover."

"It just so happens that this year, Hogwarts will be guarding a certain artefact that would be best kept secret. As a student you would be able to keep a much less suspicious eye on both the staff and the students, should something be amiss."

Ed watched his eyes intently, trying to read what they hid.

"There's something else too," Ed concluded.

"There is a certain student that will be attending his first year at Hogwarts that I would like you to keep an eye on too."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Harry Potter and I believe he has a deadly enemy just biding his time. It began many years ago as the darkest wizard that has ever been known, decided to target him when he was just a baby. His name is Voldemort and he killed Harry's parents, but for some reason Harry survived the killing curse and it rebounded instead upon Voldemort. Voldemort is by many now believed to be dead and Harry is famous for it. I, on the other hand, think that Voldemort is merely hiding, waiting to find something that can bring him back to his former self. The object that is being guarded by Hogwarts is something that can do just that."

Ed felt funny hearing this sort of thing. It sounded silly, really, but if an orphaned kid really was in as much danger as Dumbledore thought, it wouldn't be fair if Ed just dismissed it as the ramblings of an old man. Besides, the way he said it, made Ed instantly trust his words. There was something about his eyes and his voice that hinted at a frankly stunning intellect.

"So what's my story?" Ed said, deciding on believing the strange wizard.

"I was thinking something along the lines of you joining your uncle at Hogwarts as an exchange student."

"Uncle?! No way in hell!"

"Then what do you suggest, young man?" Dumbledore seemed genuinely interested.

"Something other than that! I'm not gonna pretend that the bastard Colonel is my uncle!"

Mustang sighed. "Fullmetal, it would be far easier to not arouse suspicion, especially seeing as how you are not a wizard."

"And it would also help in explaining your alchemic prowess," Dumbledore supplied.

Ed groaned. "Fine! But I will not be sharing the same quarters as him!"

"Of course. He will be receiving a room of his own as a teacher, while you will be sleeping in the dorms with your fellow students."

"And what about Al?"

"He will have to stay here, Fullmetal."

Ed felt his heart clench. "So you're gonna separate me from my brother for a whole year?! No way."

Mustang sighed, his face turning strict. "You will, and that's an order."

Ed growled, cursing. Dumbledore was humming, obviously turning deaf in order to give him some privacy. "Fine! But how do I keep in contact?"

"Owl post," Dumbledore said.

"What?"

"Owl post. It is the way we wizards communicate with each other long distance when it isn't too urgent or we don't know the recipient's location."

"You wizards are mad, you know that?"

"It has been said. Now the school will begin on the first day of September, you will take the Hogwarts Express from London's King's Cross Station. Colonel Mustang will use floo powder as many of the other teachers. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an urgent meeting with the Ministry."

And so the man disappeared with another CRACK and all that was left were two scrolls of parchment, one labelled "Edward Elric" and the other "Colonel Mustang".

"Did this conversation really just happen?" Edward said, picking up the scroll of parchment with his name on, handing the other to Mustang.

Ed opened his, and read through it quickly.

Dear Edward,

Thank you for agreeing to my invitation.

As you can surely guess, none of the students or the staff other than me and Colonel Mustang will be aware of your true identity as a military officer.

Despite your true age of thirteen, you will be placed with the first years as you have no magical education and it gives you an opportunity to look closer after Harry Potter.

Your lessons will be centred around you doing the alchemic equivalent of the tasks set by the teachers, which I expect will be highly illuminating for both the faculty and the students.

Enclosed is a list of all necessary books and equipment. Your commanding officer has received the necessary instructions on how to buy the school supplies and how to get to London.

Enclosed is also an amulet with a translation spell for you to wear.

See you on September First.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore.

Ed picked up a small locket that had fallen out of the scroll, eyeing it sceptically. It didn't look too bad, actually. Ed didn't know how, but Dumbledore had managed to copy the flamel sign that was on the back of his coat, and somehow put it inside the red stone that hung at the end of the gold chain.

He looked at the book list and scoffed. Those titles sounded pretty far-fetched, especially when they were paired with their respective authors.

Yes, and your commanding officer shares his surname with a breed of horse.

Ed smirked, he was beginning to like Dumbledore, slightly, because the desk had been looking rather like a certain wild horse, come to think of it.

But Dumbledore sounds a bit like an insult that four-year-olds would throw at each other…

Okay.

Ed began adding up the normal-sounding names he could think of within the military.

So basically, me and Alphonse sound pretty normal all the way through our names, and then it just gets strange no matter whether it's magical or not…

Mustang suddenly cleared his throat. "Fullmetal, it seems that we're going shopping tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?"

"Because I just want to get this over and done with while I actually believe that it's true. Besides, it says here that we need to use the fireplace and that it is only usable for this thing tomorrow between eight in the morning and four in the afternoon."

"What "thing"?"

"Floo powder." He held up a brown bag with a piece of string knotted carefully around it. "We throw it in the fireplace and say where we want to go, and it will take us to a pub."

"A pub."

"At least I think it's a pub. It sounds like a pub."

"What's the name?"

"It's called "The Leaky Cauldron.""