RIP Adam Colosimo. You'll be in my heart always. I'm proud to say I was your classmate.

So yes, it's been a hard few days for me.

Nontheless, through some serious word-vomit, I bring you the next chapter. . .

I am so sorry National Security readers! I'll get around to it I promise . . .

Frankly, let me tell you that I had the most ridiculously mindblowingly-brilliant idea ever for a story, and it is for this story. So tune in.

Enjoy.

I Own Nothing! Sections of text have been copied from the fifth book and I claim no ownership to it!

Chapter five: We Simply Planted the Seed.

"All we did was thread the eye

Of the silver splinter.

We simply planted the seed

And nursed it through the winter."

~Forgive Durden "Genesis"

It was evening when the pair left the sitting room, a grudging respect earned by one, and an admiration earned by another. Most of the members of the house had retired to the couches that edged the fireplace, which remained lit despite the heat, just in case someone needed to drop by on business.

The twins were playing a card trick on Ron who had his arms crossed and eyebrows drawn in an image of intense concentration as he picked one of the facedown cards. Even just standing in the doorway it was apparent that Ron was being conned. The adults were talking idly, and telling stories, with Mrs. Weasley pouring them tear at appropriate intervals. Ginny was undoing and braiding her hair in a bored way as she listened to stories she had heard dozens of times before from the adults. There really was no surprise that Hermione was curled up in a large armchair with a thick leather book in her hands.

The brunette noticed them first and she immediately set her book down.

"Edward," She said simply, stirring everyone out of their hazed relaxation.

The adults immediately drew themselves up. The previous tension was seeping back into the air, but before it could take root, Dumbledore dispelled it with a smile.

"Molly dear, I think some of your treacle tart is most in order," He commented blandly, seemingly ignorant of the suspicious looks gathered by his companion. Edward for his part did not look all that bothered by this development, having grown used to all kinds of stares in his diverse background. He hovered a little closer to Hermione, the only one in this strange bunch he truly trusted.

"Edward, can I interest you in a piece as well?" Dumbledore asked as his piece came floating in via levitation.

"You know what, even though I've been sleeping for a week, the only thing I really want to do right now is find someplace to lie down," He said in a sheepish manner coupled with a half-smile. He was more emotionally exhausted than he cared to admit, and rest would do him some good. Tomorrow he would get answers to his questions. His guard was minutely more relaxed to the pleasant surprise of the remainder of the group. It made him seem more human, and personable.

Molly Weasley gave him a warm smile before rising off of her feet.

"Why of course dear, come along up the stairs and we'll get you all set up for the night."

Her gentle chatter followed their exit up the stair and it was a few moments before anyone said anything.

"Isn't it about time you lot went to bed too?" Arthur asked with a smile, as he knew already knew what the reaction would be. The rising tide of protests was only stemmed due to the fact they all knew they would be listening with the extendable ears. At least if the adults thought they weren't in the room, they were more likely to get the full, unedited version. With that in mind the younger generations allowed themselves to be shuffled upstairs with mostly mock-mutinous expressions.

Each of them went into their appointed rooms with groans and grumbles. For Ron though, it was also with a surprised yelp and some pressing questions..

"Mum! Why is he in my room? And wearin' my stuff too?" Ron asked pointing to the figure on his bed who watched him with blinking golden eyes. Indeed he was wearing one of Ron's nicer burnt orange sweatshirts, and grey sweatpants, both were long-sleeved despite the weather. The white pair of gloves was still on and he looked pretty ridiculous in them.

"Ronald! That is no way to behave to a guest!" She turned then to address the blond, "Don't mind him, he's just been caught by surprise is all," She explained unnecessarily, as though Edward was deeply stung by Ron's comments.

"It's fine, I'm the one who should be apologizing, this is your room and your clothes, you have a right to be upset," Edward shrugged. Ron stared at his mother pointedly as if to say, "See!"

Either she didn't care or choicely decided to ignore the comment.

"Why does he have to stay in my room?" The whiney note snuck in, and Edward felt a small tick mark develop.

If he didn't want Edward in his room he could at least try to be discreet about it. Geez, he was worse than the memories foretold, not even bothering to lower his voice. Really, Edward was still in the room even.

"I couldn't expect him to stay in that dreary room," Mrs. Weasley explained absently as she waved her wand about straightening the corners of the room and tucking things away so everything would be a bit neater.

"It was fine for him before!" Ron protested.

"That was before he was awake to see what a mess it was!" Her logic was a little skewed, but neither was willing to call her on it.

"But where is Harry going to sleep?"

"We'll bring the extra matress downstairs. Now hush, it's time for bed," She said with a tone of finality.

"But mum-!"

"I said hush!" She ordered sternly, and Ron grumbled.

Edward watched the family dynamics amusedly. Ron was definitely a product of his mother's making, whether he realized it or not. The entire red-haired unit had a warmth about them that Edward couldn't help but smile at. This was reinforced when as Ron wished his mother goodnight she kissed him and he returned it, though his ears reddened self-consciously as he remembered that Edward was still in the room. Edward simply gave him a smile, and he hoped it didn't come off as a teasing one.

"Goodnight to you too Edward," She called from the doorway.

"Goodnight Mrs. Weasley," He watched her depart down the hallway, no doubt intending to repeat the evening process with the rest of her children.

Ron let out a long-suffering sigh that seemed designed to irritate Edward.

"Alright look, I know you're Hermione's cousin or whatever but that doesn't mean I'll treat you special or anything," He bluntly stated.

After all the shit he had just gone through with Dumbledore, Edward was just raring to hit something and Ron was proving to be a very tempting punching-bag option. Curling his fist, he managed to keep reign his face somewhat into a strange grimace-smile in light of Ron's rude attitude. He thought better of it, though it was annoying.

"Same goes for you. Just because you are friends of Hermione's doesn't mean that you can get away with mistreating her; at least not without some serious retribution," Edward threatened lightly, cracking his knuckles just for the effect. He took devilish glee at the flash fear he saw in the other boy's eyes. If only Edward had been around earlier when he had done her wrong, like at the Yule Ball and even back when they were first years and he had made fun of her. He sighed, that was probably ancient history to them, even though it was pretty fresh to Edward.

Edward had never fathomed what it must be like to have a younger sister until Hermione. Knowing her as well as he did, it was impossible for him to not care about her in a way reserved for close friends. Now with their imaginary relation, it was as though they really were as close as they felt, and it would be unnatural not to act on it. Overall it wasn't such a bad set-up, Edward decided. If he always got to threaten people like this he could get used to it.

"I would never hurt Hermione," Ron muttered defensively.

"Right, like when you called her a know-it-all?" Edward asked with a raised brow, referring to first year.

"I-We hardly even knew each other!" Ron flushed.

"Okay, well then that makes it okay to tease other people," Edward said rolling his eyes. How immature could this kid get? He puffed out a sigh.

"Look, I'm just going to get some shut-eye. See you in the morning," The blond dismissed Ron and pulled himself into the bed, flipping over so that he was facing the wall instead of the fuming teen.

Ron grumbled around for a few moments, and Edward could feel the glare settled upon his neck. Frankly, he was used to much worse, and it wasn't too long before his eyes slowly blinked shut and he surrendered to sleep.

Hermione and Ginny said goodnight t Mrs. Weasley, and not two minutes afterwards, the twins silently entered their room with a steaming Ron behind them.

"I don't like your cousin, Hermione," Ron complained straightforwardly. The teen witch gave him an exasperated sigh. She might have known that they wouldn't get along easily. They were two of the most stubborn boys she'd ever met, and Ron's lack of decorum probably grated on Edward easily.

"Aww was ickle Ronnikins annoyed by an even ickle-ier blondie?" George teased, and Hermione smothered a laugh at Ron's indignity.

"I wasn't! He was just being all rude and-"

"Shh! We're connected!" Fred said, and the group leaned in close to the fleshy looking ear, any previous discussion forgotten.

"-waited for you dear. Are they all asleep upstairs?" Mr. Weasley's voice crackled through the magic ear. A snort could be heard, most likely from Sirius.

"I highly doubt they're actually asleep, but at the very least they're in their rooms," The black-haired man sounded more amused than anything.

"Right, well what did you discover Albus?" Lupin asked.

"He's a very clever boy, definitely one to watch for greatness," The comment was made thoughtfully between two bites of tart.

"Anything besides that? Like whether we can trust him or not?" Moody asked impatiently.

"Well there will be plenty of time to decide that later, during the school year; I've enrolled him and he will start in September with the others."

There were a few minutes of only soft munching. Hermione had to quell her racing excitement.

" . . . Do you really think this is a good idea?" Tonks asked the question everyone else was thinking.

"Frankly, no."

There was a tense moment, the circle on the upper level all exchanged glances, and Ron looked fairly smug. Then they heard a swallow, and after a few seconds they realized he had taken a drink of tea.

"I know it is a bad idea to eat this late at night, and yet I can't see to help myse-" He continued much to the frustration if everyone else.

"No, we mean about enrolling Edward in school," Mr. Weasley said showing his patience.

"Oh, that," There was another pause where he took a long sip of tea. The seconds seemed to just drag by, as they waited his final decision.

"Yes, I think it is a good move, that boy could use a little normalcy and rest," Dumbledore mused aloud.

"And a little manners too," Moody grumbled,

They could practically hear the quiet smile on Dumbledore's face.

"I expect this will be a learning experience for all of us. . . . I for one am greatly looking forward to it,"

With that statement, the conversation seemed to be closed. A few members made somewhat unhappy sounds, but they accepted Dumbledore's decision nonetheless.

"I wonder if you could take him shopping to Diagon Alley. He had many things he needs for this upcoming year." There was a rustling of robes and a few mutters of "Now where could it have gotten to . . ." before something hit the table with a small clinking sound.

"Aha! This key will get him into the vault he needs. Tell him not to worry himself, because by the end of it, our trade will be most equivalent."

"What do you me-"

"Alas, I must be off. Thank you for the tart Molly, it was most delightful. Tata!" With a crack, the room fell silent, and the lack of eccentric old men was easy to hear through the ear.

"That man . . ." They could sense whoever said it shaking their head.

"Well, I don't know about you lot, but I'm going to bed," Tonks said by way of good night.

"Me too. A little sleep is what I really need right now," Lupin followed her and they ascended the stairs together. There was a snort.

"Not me. A good stiff drink is what I need," Moody announced.

"Here, here, I'll join you there," Sirius said, probably more because drinking was fun instead of him really needing one to relax.

"Molly dear, are you coming to bed?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"In a bit. I want to get a few things set up before Harry comes. It's only a couple days away and I-"

Upstairs Fred disconnected their line to the other ear with a bored face.

"I guess that's all we'll hear for tonight," Ginny whispered somewhat unhappily.

"That was kind of a waste," Ron said with a snort. Hermione ignored him completely, the cogs in her mind spinning rapidly as they sifted through new data. What exactly had Dumbledore said to him to entice Edward to come to Hogwarts? Especially since she knew how stubborn he was when it came to equivalence.

The simple fact that Edward was coming to Hogwarts, nearly through her for a loop. It was almost too fantastic to even imagine. She could share so much with him there, all the while getting to know him better.

"Oh well, Harry's coming in two days so something interesting is bound to happen," Ginny said with a smile. It really was unavoidable. Ron let out a groan though.

"Oh geez, what are we supposed to tell him about why we haven't been writing 'mione?" Ron asked, hoping she might have come up with a good reason.

"The truth, obviously. It wasn't within our power to do anything about it," She stated easily. Honestly, she probably would have only sent a few letters out of politeness. She had been struggling by the end of last year to find things to say to Ron and Harry, feeling the distance between them deeply, but with the way things were around the order, she didn't even have to worry about it. She felt a little guilty about her relief, though she did not regret it.

"Well that's going to go over real well," Ron grumbled.

"Do you have a better idea?" She asked him with a quirked brow.

"Well, let's say that it comes to light that we'd been kidnapped and tortured by Death Eaters all summer, so there was no way we could have written to him!" Ron said in a great reveal.

" . . . You're an idiot, Ron," Hermione said with a deadpanned expression, before she headed out the room, intent on getting some sleep before tomorrow. Ginny and the twins laughed in delight as Ron gave her retreating figure a grumpy look. The sounds of their teasing followed Hermione all the way to her room.

It wasn't until she was pulling out her dream journal, that she realized she didn't know if the dreams would continue or not. Now that Edward was here, would that change? She didn't know, but it upset her a little to think that she would no longer be a part of that. Then again, she had the real deal sleeping a few doors down. The thought made her smile and she knew she would be okay if the dreams stopped. Placing the yellow journal near on her nightstand, just in case she had a dream, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. The heat was unbearable, but the excitement pumping through his body somehow made it easy to forget about the scorching temperature. His arms were quaking a little, a slow burn setting in his limbs as they were unused to supporting such an awkward position for so long.

It was then that he heard the clicking of all too familiar footsteps and he willed his breath to steady.

"I wonder where Ed has gone," The voice asked unnecessarily. He had to stifle a smile.

He heard the person move carefully around the room, in a manner that was too slow for his racing heart to handle. A few cupboards opened and shut, and he was glad he had chosen against going into one of those. Then the steps came closer to him and he tensed up.

"I guess he isn't here," The voice trailed off, and he heard the person walk out of the room. He exhaled the breath he's been holding. That had been a close one.

"Found you Edward!" He was so startled that he dropped out of his hiding spot in the framing of the table where he had been pressing himself into.

"Are you okay!" She asked, fretting a little over him, but he brushed it off.

"Aw Mom! How'd you find me?" He asked, curiosity overwhelming the slight ache in his arms.

"A magician never reveals her secrets," She told him with a wink and a smile. He pouted and she just pulled him up, off the ground and out from underneath the table. It wouldn't be too long before he was too big for her to lift easily, (no matter how short he stayed,) and she treasured this time.

He immediately smelled something tantalizing in the air, and whipped around to the table where there was a slice of apple pie waiting for him. So that was what she went to the cupboards for. The two of them having special time alone was rare, and he reveled in the feeling.

"Why don't we have a slice, while we wait for your brother to come home?" She asked, providing two forks for him and herself.

He shot her a blinding smile. She always knew what to do and say to make him feel special.

"Yes please, Mom,"

And in this moment, there was nothing else in the world he would rather be doing.

Hermione woke softly; the transition from her dreams into reality was a quiet one. One moment she was in the kitchen and the next she was staring at the rumpled white sheets next to her head. The sunlight was a soft glow, mostly halted by the dusty velvet curtains sans at the edges where the light seeped through.

She lay in bed for a few minutes, soaking up the warmth of the memory. It wasn't necessarily uncommon for her to have a happy memory of Edward's, it was just that they were far between. He had been through much hardship in his life, so it really was no wonder that sometimes the bad seemed to overwhelm the good. Though after waking from a dream like this one, she couldn't help but feel that they didn't. The warmth from these was enough to offset even some of the most horrible memories.

Stretching her hand lazily over to the journal beside her, she scrambled along the surface until she reached the leather edges. She propped herself up, being quiet as to not wake the sleeping girl in the room, though she knew that Ginny shared the same trait with her brother that allowed her to sleep through any deal of racket.

She smiled when she saw the yellow cover. When she had received her first journal, she could hardly imagine filling the hundreds of pages. A year of dreams can really do a lot to change that. She was amazed when she managed to finish it, and she went back to Mr. Faustine for another one. He had explained to her that the type of journal was a set of sorts, and he had given her the next one in line which had been a reddish-orange one. This was the fifth in the set and she was close to finishing it, so it was a good thing that she was going back to Hogwarts so she could get another one during a Hogsmedes trip.

If it followed the patter she imagined it did, then the next would be a yellow-green. It was a rainbow, essentially, or perhaps a color wheel with how the bridges were.

She finished up the entry quickly, this being one of the more shorter, simpler ones.

Quietly opening her trunk, she pulled out a pair of jeans and a simple top with a jacket to go over it. Stepping down the hallway, she was surrounded by snores coming from Ron's room that followed her all the way downstairs.

In the kitchen she was greeted by the image of Mrs. Weasley, chatting amiably with Edward who was nursing a steaming mug of tea. He seemed so unwound, his hair in a loose ponytail that spilled the gold strands all over his back. The sweatshirt he was wearing was too big for him and it slipped to the side on his flesh shoulder, revealing his peach colored skin. If it weren't for the gloves and socks, she would say that he appeared to be totally at ease.

She had to smother a smile as she noticed how many times he had to roll Ron's sweatpants up. The lanky red-head certainly wasn't short by any means.

Schooling her features she entered the kitchen, and took a seat on the stool beside him.

"Good morning," She greeted both of them.

"Good mornining," He returned with a nod, shuffling a little in his chair so he was facing more towards her.

"My, aren't we up early Hermione? Unlike that lot upstairs," Mrs. Weasley said gesturing with her spatula to the upper floors.

"They must have inherited their sleeping habits from their father I suppose," She muttered absentmindedly as she flipped the bacon.

"Did you sleep well?" Hermione asked taking note of the slight bags under Edward's eyes, and pursing her lips. What memory had he dreamed about?

"Not really, I suppose I must still be adjusting to the time change," He said stirring his tea with a spoon.

"Well did you have a good dream at least?" She asked, trying to keep the conversation sounding normal for Mrs. Weasley.

"No, I didn't dream at all really," He replied honestly, leveling her with his curious gaze.

Her eyes widened. He didn't have a dream about her last night? What happened? Seeing his look, it was obvious he was discreetly wondering if she had stopped getting the dreams too.

"That's too bad. My dreams were good though," She responded, hoping that she didn't come off as being too stiff. She watched him nod minimally to show that he understood. The question now was why she was still getting dreams and he was not.

"Oh? What did you dream about?" He asked inquisitively.

"It was a very hot day I was playing hide and seek. I was caught, but then I get some apple pie, so it was okay. It really was a happy one," She replied, and she watched his face flip from puzzlement, to remembrance and then to finally settle into some kind of wistful sadness.

"That is a good one," He agreed, no doubt his mind years away, back to that sweltering day.

"Better than mine in any case," Mrs. Weasley butted in, reminding them that they were not alone, she turned around to talk to them, the skillet continued to cook without her via magic.

"I dreamt that all the grocery stores were closed, and my family needed food. We found a fruit tree and decided to move into it so we wouldn't have to worry about finding food anymore. All of a sudden everybody turned into monkeys except for me, and I kept trying to sweep the tree down, but the bristles kept breaking in the bark, and all my best brooms were ruined," She explained with a distant, but unhappy look on her face.

"Wow, that is a weird one," Edward replied, with the weird image of the redhead family as monkeys floating in his head.

"Um, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione pointed to the skillet which now had a darker plume of smoke rising from it.

"Oh, dear," She muttered, quickly whipping her wand around to save the food.

Gradually the rest of the order drifted down at intervals, with yawns and weary expressions. By that time Molly had finished making her large breakfast. Edward and Hermione moved to the table to join everyone else who was already seated. Ron was sleeping over his bowl of cereal on one of his hands, nodding in and out of conversation. Fred and George managed to look chipper as ever somehow, though Ginny was leveling them with evil looks and envious muttering. The adults were looking a little better with the exception of Sirius who was rocking some serious bedhair, with a green face and what was diagnosable as a hangover. Edward smiled at the fact that they didn't seem to have a spell to cure that particular ailment. Amusingly enough, Moody seemed to be just fine, and even taking a few sips from his questionable looking flask much to the disapproving glances from the Weasley matriarch. After a few minutes of tired talking, Mr. Weasley cleared his throat.

"Family, I have an announcement to make," He declared getting the attention of the younger group. Fred surreptitiously knocked Ron's elbow at this precise time, making the younger boy fall face first into his milky oats. He gurgled for a few moments before actually pulling his head out of the soggy mess. Hermione had a split-second worry that Ron would actually drown in his bowl, but that was eased when he came up spurting milk everywhere and she joined in the laughter.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you!" He spluttered looking from Fred to George demandingly, unsure of who to blame for this specific prank.

"Ronald! Don't swear!" Mrs. Weasley gave him a stern look.

"But mom! They-"

"Hush, and you two-" She whipped around to the ginger twins who were poorly smothering their laughter, though that faded when they saw her look.

"I'm just going to have to keep you so busy you won't be able to cause any trouble, won't I?" She asked, and they shook their heads frantically.

"It would crush-"

"-our fragile and delicate-"

"-spirits," They said tragically.

"You'll both be cleaning the entire attic, with toothbrushes, by hand; and that means no magic whatsoever!"

"But mom!-"

"-We didn't do anything!"

"Yeah, right. I think they should do my cleaning too since I'm the victim of their cruelty!" Ron snorted, trying, unsuccessfully to wipe all the disintegrated cereal off of his face.

"Oh, please," Mrs. Weasley said waving her wand to disappear the mess on Ron's face. "Such melodrama," she teased easily, and the kitchen was filled with mirth.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat once more, and everyone reigned in their laughter, though the smiles remained.

"As I was trying to say, it has been decided that Edward will attend Hogwarts with you all starting next term." There were feigned sounds of surprise around the table, and Edward wondered how the adults managed not to notice the falseness.

"Why aren't you going back to Germany to go to school? Or be tutored, er, whatever?" Tonks asked waving her hands.

"Things have been a little rough at home; a break is a good idea. Besides, how could I miss out on spending quality time with my younger cousin," He asked, ruffling her hair, much to her embarrassment. She slapped his hand away, but his smile was intact.

It was a few moments before the entirety of his statement sunk in.

"Do you mean younger than the sun-"

"-Or younger than you-"

"-because you can't be older-"

"-than an ickle second year."

There was a tense few minute in which Hermione face-palmed, and Edward looked like a volcano.

"Say that again?" He demanded with a dangerous look on his face.

"Well it's just that you're so short and all-"

Then Mt. Edward erupted.

He leapt over the table and grabbed both of the unsuspecting boys by surprise, and shook them like rag-dolls.

"Who are you calling a pint-sized piece of lint that is so small that not even a vacuum cleaner would pick it up and it would just sit on the floor making it perpetually dirty?" He demanded as he stood atop the wooden table, not even minding the scene he was making.

"Who said that?" Ron asked confusedly.

Most of the adults were looking too shocked to do much of anything, except for Moody, who rescued the boys with a bit of spellwork, before levitating Edward off of the table, and a few inches into the air where he struggled helplessly. He kicked and screamed, but he wasn't affecting anything. The twins sat in a dazed looking heap, where their mother fawned over them for a few minutes.

"Put me down you peg-legged freak!" Edward shouted, and a tick developed right above Moody's brow.

"Why should I? With such a short temper like you have, it isn't safe to put you down," The Auror said, unaware that he used a trigger word.

Hermione sighed. Steam was practically pouring out of Edward's ears. Why did he always get into situations like this? They really weren't that hard to avoid.

"Scared I'll put you in your place? You cheap excuse of a pirate," Edward taunted, and for once, Moody gave into his wants and decided to partake in a little recreational fun. Perhaps it was due to the fact that this had been building since yesterday, fueled by the edging mistrust he's been nursing since he'd arrived, passed out on their doorstep that week or so ago.

"It's about time somebody knocked some manners into that blond skull of yours," Moody gave him an all-too-eager smile, which Edward was more than delighted to return.

"Alastor!" Mrs. Weasley said with an unhappy expression.

"Oh let 'em duel. I think both of them will be better off when they've let out a little steam," Sirius said easily, and the woman turned her frown on him, her disapproving-rays on full-blast.

"I think it's a fine idea, they've been cooped up in the house for far too long; besides, I'm sure Moody won't use anything too terrible on him," Lupin decided. The looks the other members of the table gave him made him realize that there may be faults in his logic.

"Fine, take it outside boys; I won't have you mucking about in my kitchen!" The red-haired woman announced, though she did not seem very pleased with the outcome.

The backyard area of number twelve Grimmauld, was less of a backyard, and more of a long strip of land covered on dead grass. A few patches of green were sprinkled in here and there, though mostly it was a barren area. The surrounding fence rose up about twenty feet, reaching towards the sky, making the entire area feel smaller than it already was. Hermione was sure that there were all kinds of enchantments protecting them from being seen by neighbors, or found by Death Eaters, the wall was the only visible sign of this protection.

"Edward, you're not going to use your alchemy, are you?" She asked, as she walked with him over to his side of the "yard."

"Nah, I think I'll just get a little exercise; besides, I don't think I'll need it," He said with a wolfish smile.

"Well, be careful; you've seen how strong he is from my dreams, besides, you've never fought against someone who uses magic before," Hermione tried to ply him with her logic.

"He's human though, right? Er, peg-leg aside." He gestured vaguely to the wooden stump.

"Well yes, but-"

"Then he shouldn't be any harder to pummel than anyone else I've dealt with," He pointed out with a shrug.

"And your plan is . . .?"

"I already told you; pummel him!" He declared, and she sighed.

"Of course, what was I expecting? The answer was so obvious." Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but a situation that uses low levels of intelligence more than calls for it.

"He brought this upon himself. I'm just giving him what he's been asking for! Making fun of me, and always talking about how he was going to make me 'learn manners,' well I'll teach him not to underestimate the youngest state alchemist in history," His expression was one of the creepier smiles she had ever seen, and she couldn't resist another sigh.

"Boys. Honestly, sometimes I just don't even know," She walked away while shaking her head, and he smiled after her.

The alchemist pulled his arms and stretched a little before pumping himself up and down on his toes. On the other side, Moody just drew another long draught from his flask. Lupin stood hesitantly between the two, looking between the both of them, and wondering why he had been voted as the referee for this match.

"Wands at the ready," He spoke, and Moody pulled a dark piece of wood from his robe. To the surprise of the viewers, which everyone had turned out to see the match, Edward was just looking around I a bored manner. The teen made no move to draw out his weapon at all. There were a few moments where everyone just stared at Edward in askance. He then turned his amber eyes onto Lupin with a curious expression.

"Aren't you going to start it?" He inquired. The other man jumped at the question. Perhaps the blond boy was planning something, yes that made sense. He was going to launch a sneak attack, or maybe he was simply messing with Moody's mind, trying to keep hi guessing. Lupin could see the cogs turning in the Auror's mind as he scanned his young opponent.

"Duelists at the ready . . ."

They each stood poised at the tipping point. Lupin glanced between them one last time and he had a sinking feeling in his gut that neither of them would be pulling their punches today.

Lupin chopped the air is a swift, decisive motion, shouting "Begin!" before jumping back to safety.

Moody didn't leave Edward any time to anticipate or prepare an attack, he shot a few spells with wordless magic towards to younger man the minute Lupin had stepped away. The blond moved quickly, like a snake, and dodged around the shots of light. They were absorbed harmlessly into the wood of the fence a few hundred yards behind them, though in the fading light it was clear to the adults which spells he had tried to use.

"Moody! Are you trying to kill the boy?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Mostly maim him, though death may be an unfortunate after effect," He replied distractedly as he shot off several more high-level curses and jinxes. The woman just shook her head and went inside, not wanting to support this garish display.

"Whoo! Go Moody!" Ron cheered from the sidelines.

"Ten sickles on Edward," Fred offered his younger brother, who had a shocked look on his face.

"Seriously? You're betting against Moody? Finally, a bet I can't lose!" He shook the other's hand with a happy smile, unconcerned that a single spell had not landed on their intended target yet.

It was almost fantastic to watch the younger man move. A spell would zoom through the air, curving and weaving towards its target and just inches away from impact, said target had disappeared, like dust in a windstorm.

"Wow, your cousin is fast," Ginny commented with wide eyes, tracing his figure as it moved across the deadened grass.

Hermione smirked uncharacteristically. Edward wasn't even going all out.

"You haven't seen anything yet," She replied with a smile.

Moody growled in minute frustration as he kept flinging spells towards the young man, but to no avail. The teen was easily side-stepping them, and gradually he was inching himself closer and closer to the Auror. Even more annoying was the fact that the blond had yet to even draw his wand!

Moody was trying to push Edward into revealing his hand. He knew the teen was trying to get closer to him, but to what end? Sure, it was true that wizards were at more of a disadvantage when they fought up close, but the same problem applied to Edward. Why did he expect to be unaffected by the debilitating closeness?

This was not your usual wizard duel. In fact Moody wouldn't even call it that. It was a game of muggle dodgeball. The auror was unused to fighting like this, for heaven's sake! His opponent hadn't used a single spells. That in itself was what distinguished a wizard's duel; the exchange and blocking of spells.

Deciding to end this obnoxious game once and for all, Moody cast a complicated net of spells, intent on cornering the young man so he could deliver the coup d'etat. Just to be sure, he threw in one that would be drawn to the target until it hit; a seeking-spell with an unfortunate after-effect of being frozen.

Spiraling light spun closer and closer to their target. Moody watched as Golden eyes tracked their movements. Edward dodged, the first few, but then he noticed the seeker that followed his movements and there was a ring of other spells closing in simultaneously. The realization entered his mind that he could not dodge this.

The glowing spells were mere centimeters away from its desired target, and the onlookers held their breaths.

The expected impact did not happen. Instead they were greeted to the fairly awe-inspiring sight of Edward jumping clean out of the ring of spells, and landing on his hand, before falling into a crouch. Though he had escaped the net of spells, the seeker was tenacious, and still intent on him. He threw himself once more into the air, executing a long line of back-handsprings mixed with flips away from the spell, which persisted in chasing him. To avoid it, he just continued to flip his body around, gaining more and more momentum, which in turn made him spin even harder into his gymnastics. Coupled with this feat, was a trail of shouted curses that were almost too dirty to hear. Fred and George each covered one of Ginny's ears as they watched with open-jaws as Edward flipped past them with dizzying speed.

"Well that's one way to use a light-bulb," Tonks remarked. Lupin just nodded, looking vaguely ill. On the other hand, Sirius, who was looking green before, was looking more excited than anything, the last remnants of his hangover being cured by a hearty British breakfast and the animated events of the morning.

Hermione's gaze was glued to Edward, and she felt nauseous just thinking about how many turns he'd done. It was then when she realized the impending doom of the wall.

The yard was impressively long across, but Edward had already flipped through most of it.

"Edward! Watch out for the wall!" She shouted frantically, trying to warn him of the impending doom.

"Somebody save him from splatting on the rock!" Lupin demanded, but no one made a move, too focused on the rotating blond.

"No one's close enough!" Tonks replied a little frustrated. Besides that, Edward was moving at a rate faster than any spell could go.

"Stop jumping Edward!" Ron yelled, and Hermione gave him an annoyed look.

"He's got too much momentum to stop with how much ground is left, besides, with the spell behind him, he won't surrender," She replied shortly, more frustrated than anything.

"He's not going to be able to slow down in time," Ginny commented, horrified.

He wasn't more than a meter away from the wall, when he flung himself, feet first towards it with a gargantuan amount of force than had been collected from his continued motion. His automail creaked from the pressure, and his other knee nearly buckled, however; he pushed back, forcing the motion of his body to spring the other way, and he bounced off the wall to the ground, landing with a summersault onto the barren earth. He rose shakily too his feet. His entire field of vision was blurred and wouldn't stop moving. Closing his eyes for a few seconds he held still as he tried to center himself. He opened them and blinked a few times. It was then that he noticed the spell was still flying towards him, having looped upward and followed his path back down the wall, instead of smashing into it harmlessly as expected.

"What is wrong with that thing!" He asked, breaking out in an unsteady run, almost losing his footing entirely more than a few times.

It looked like a drunken race to the spectators, and if Edward hadn't been going so fast earlier with his flips, gaining extra ground on the spell, they knew he would have been caught by it already.

Gradually though, his steps gained confidence and became steady, and once more he was plowing down the yard. He was in the exact same position as before though. Then he spied Moody a bit ahead of him and a devilish smile broke out across his face.

To say that Moody was surprised to see the blond coming barreling towards him, was an understatement. The auror recognized what a brilliant move it was, but it just didn't make sense. Moody would just move out of the way, before Edward could attack him or the spell could hit him. He moved left and right, but Edward followed like a bull with the color red, a determined and fairly malicious smirk plastered to his face. The yard really wasn't more than a meter or two across lengthwise, which did not leave the auror with much space to work with.

Moody had never hated the fact that apparating was illegal in a duel until now.

Steeling himself, he prepared to jinx the young man before he could do anything before disabling the other spell. The blond was fast approaching.

Seeming to sense the other man's plans Edward gave one last burst of speed. Just as Moody shouted "rictusempra!" Edward slid on his knees clean through the other man's legs, the spell ghosting past his antenna, and singeing a few hairs. Only reflex saved a shocked-looking Moody from the rogue spell, creating a quick shield that dispersed it.

Realizing the position he was in, his enemy behind him, he whipped around quickly. Unfortunately, Edward had pulled himself onto his haunches in perfect time to sweep the other man's legs clean out from under him. The older man landed with a hard 'oomph' and Edward took no time to kick his wand out of his grasp and pin the other man to the ground by his neck.

"Come on, you know you wanna say it," Edward panted, gloating with a nasty look on his face.

Moody held his silence for a few moments, before he finally relinquished.

"Fine. I yield," He managed, somewhat stiffly as the blond jumped up and ran over to Hermione laughing he whole way.

"Told ya I'd get him." The cocky smile jumped her out of her shock and it turned into a scolding expression.

"You idiot! What if you had hit the wall?" She demanded, swiping at his head.

"But I didn't!" He responded ducking away.

The adrenaline was draining away and with it his energy went too. The toll of the fantastic feats he'd just done set it, and a sight burn in his muscles made itself aware. He flopped down on the earth, his breath still coming out in pants.

"Whew! That was some good exercise!" He exclaimed stretching his arms out over his head.

"Blimey, I don't think I'd call that exercise mate," Ron said with disbelief coloring his tone, as though he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

"Well whatever you call it, that's ten clean sickles Ron," Fred grinned in a vulpine fashion as he held out his hand is askance.

Ron muttered something unintelligible as he rummaged around in his pockets before counting out most of his allowance.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you," the twin said, ignoring the glare he received in return.

"That was really cool! Where did you learn how to move like that?" Ginny asked, and Edward looked a little uncomfortable by her intense gaze.

"My teacher taught me," He replied, though he shuddered at the memory.

"That's impressive, I haven't seen anyone get a one-up on Moody in a long time," Tonks complimented with a wink.

"I wish we learned how to kick ass at our school," Ginny said looking somewhat sulky at the fact they didn't have a class like that.

"Well my teacher always thought it was important to learn how to defend ourselves, no matter what the situation was."

Moody had risen and come over with an inscrutable look in his eyes.

"Elric! Why didn't you use any magic?" Moody demanded more than asked.

"Well it's not exactly easy to do magic when you don't have a wand," Edward replied, rolling his eyes.

The others stared gob-smacked for a few moments.

"So you challenged me knowing that you didn't have a wand? Me, someone who fights dark wizards for a living, and does it damn well?" Moody asked, staring the other boy down.

"It's not like I needed it in the end, did I?" He asked with a cheeky smile, and Moody's expression broke into a dangerous grin.

"I think we'll get along just fine, you have some serious guts kid," He said clapping the glaring teen on the back before heading back into the house, the other adults following him in after a few words of praise.

"I'm not a kid, you peg-legged freak," Edward called half-heartedly.

"You mean you were serious earlier when you said you were older than Hermione?" Ron blurted somewhat rudely.

Both Edward and Hermione exchanged looks that said, 'Yes, he really is ruder than you thought," and "I'm sorry you've been dealing with this for so long."

"Yes, he's older, though only by a few months," Hermione answered this time, and Edward snorted.

"If you call seven a few, then yeah,"

"So does that mean you'll be a fifth year with Hermione and Ron?" Ginny asked curiously, and Edward smiled.

"You bet. I get to harass her all year," He joked with a smile, and Ron looked unhappy at the development, though he was ignored for the most part.

"So what happened to your wand mate?" George asked curiously.

"Did you break it beating up some poor-"

"-bastard who called you sma-"

Hermione clapped her hands over both twin's mouths, and she gave a somewhat nervous laugh at the dark energy pouring from Edward.

"Call me little, I dare you." The dark waves said.

The twins abruptly remembered what happened the last time they had insinuated that Edward was small in any capacity and figured out that it was a trigger of some sort. They exchanged glances. They would make use of this later, but for now it would be better to back off.

"So then what did happen to your wand," Ginny asked.

"Lost it," Edward replied simply, shrugging his shoulders in a noncommittal gesture.

The others seemed to mull over his answer a bit before finding nothing wrong with it and accepting it as truth.

"We had better get inside before Mum decides we all need extra cleaning to keep busy, " Ginny said turning back towards the house, the twins and Ron on their younger sibling's heel.

"Come on you, get up." Hermione extended her hands for him to grab. He snatched her wrists but instead of pulling himself up, he pulled her down onto the ground beside him.

"Wha-!" She exclaimed, more out of surprise than annoyance.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a mean person. I get that," He said dismissing anything she was about to say.

"We should be getting back inside," Hermione protested half-heartedly. The sky was a deep blue with little sheep-like clouds dotting here and there. The sun was an easing presence, just warm enough to be noticed and appreciated, but not so hot that it was unbearable.

"So eager to start cleaning?" He asked her with a lazy expression on his face which clearly belayed what he thought on the matter.

Edward already had a thin sheen of sweat from his gymnastics earlier and it glistened on his skin in collective water droplets, like a fresh dew. The moistness didn't bother her as she sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him, because feeling him was amazing enough in its own right.

"I suppose I could spare you a few moments," She teased lightly and he snorted.

"Glad you're feeling so magnanimous," He said with a chuckle.

The both fell silent as they stared into the depthless sky.

"You know, it is the same sky," Edward spoke quietly after a few moments of silence; she glanced over at him curiously.

"What were you expecting? Was ours supposed to be a different color or something?"

"That's not it, it's just the more I stare at it, the more I keep expecting to be back home. It's just so familiar. . . I can't tell you how many times I've looked up at it, and now I'm staring at it from an entirely different world."

"It's just odd." He finished a little lamely at the end. Hermione nodded slowly in understanding.

"So why do you think you've stopped having dreams?" Hermione asked rolling over onto her elbows so she could look at him properly.

"I don't know. They've stopped since I've arrived," He explained.

"You didn't dream about me while you were unconscious?"

He shook his head at her question.

"It's just strange that I'm still getting them and you're not," Hermione said with a puzzled expression.

"Beats me." Honestly, he had a clue, but he didn't want to bring up the sensitive subject. It was logical to assume the gate had taken it as he had passed through, knowing that he did value his relationship with Hermione. He couldn't be too bothered by it at the moment because he was with her, here and now, and a trade like that was more than fair, though later he knew it would come back to haunt him. His dreams of her had been the only thing to rescue him from insomnia. The relative normalcy of her life mixed with her quick-mind and strength of character had eased his soul, and it meant more to him than he'd even be able to say.

It wasn't much of a stretch to say that she had saved his life. If not for her, he would at the very least be in a very dark place right now.

Which was why he didn't want to saddle her with more disappointment in him when she found out what he had done. She didn't deserve that.

"Maybe you have something that you didn't have before," She hypothesized with her eyebrows drawn together.

"Equivalent exchange?" He asked her with an amused look on his face. It seemed she had latched on to the alchemic philosophy as well.

She nodded, "It only makes sense."

"Well what do you think I recieved?" He asked her, trying to keep the skepticism out of his voice.

"How am I supposed to know?" She asked and he shrugged. She flopped back onto the ground.

The pair was united together by their skin-contact. They lay on the ground chatting idly about things in both of their world. The comments were light ones about Mustangs impossible skirt-fantasy's, and Viktor Krum's butchering of her name and even some simpler things, that they wanted to ask simply because they could.

"I know it's funny after seeing so many of your memories, but I still don't know you're favorite color. Stop laughing," He said, though as he spoke, little chuckles were escaping from his lips too. The sun had sunk further in the sky and it had turned the light more golden.

"It's just that I thought you'd be able to guess with all your science and logic," Hermione teased.

"Well do you know mine?" He asked challengingly.

"Red and black because you think it looks badass. So what do you think mine are?" She asked, ignoring his deflated ego that she could figure it out so easily and he couldn't. Then again, when you wear the color all the time . . . That's it!

"Lilac color, like your dress at the Yule Ball," He replied triumphantly, and she stared blankly, a small blush crept up her cheeks and she was glad that they were both staring at the sky and not each other.

"You saw that then?" She asked unnecessarily.

"Um, yeah, I did."

"You even remembered the dress." In her own mind, she pictured it, and there really was no denying it was very pretty. There was something in the fact that Edward had seen her in it that made it the feelings in her stomach feel weird.

"How much have you seen?" She asked the question that had been gnawing at her mind since finding out about their identical situations. He gave her a mysterious smile before he motioned for her to follow him into the house. They snuck up carefully into his shared room with Ron, careful not to alert anyone else of their presence. Edward made a beeline for his bed, pulling out his familiar red cloak and had begun rummaging through the pockets.

Hermione shook her head a little ruefully as she easily spotted which side Ron was living in. Clothes were lying in crumpled heaps, and several choice magazines were poorly concealed under the mattress where they had been crammed. She rolled her eyes. Obvious was the word, and the definition, was Ronald Weasley.

"Aha! Here it is," He exclaimed triumphantly, holding a thick, brown notebook in his hands. He gestured for her to come closer.

"Like any scientist, I like to record what I learn." He flipped through the book quickly, before handing it to her.

She held it gingerly, as though concerned it would disintegrate if handled too roughly, before carefully opening it to the first few pages. Edward's handwriting was impossibly small, and she had to squint just to make out the general shape of the characters. Despite Edward's seemingly coarse nature, his handwriting was neat and almost elegant. The looping slant filling every page to the brink, crawling up the paper sideways and diagonally in order to use every spare inch. Hermione now saw why he only had a single book for a whole year of memories. Not to mention the fact Edward was probably more straight-forward with his facts than she was. It was then she realized something.

"It's written in English," She remarked somewhat surprised, and he shrugged.

"What better language? At home no one would be able to read it."

She scanned the first couple entries with a cursory eye.

"Sometime in December, year four,

Finally found both my hat and scarf. It seems I never can have one without losing the other. It is a relief to have them both with the cold weather coming up. Made a new friend in a foreign place, though his intentions seem different than mine. Still have not had any progress in the most recent crossword. Considering the idea that I may not be able to understand it without a better vocabulary, thus I need to hit the library in the next city."

Hermione blinked.

"You coded it?" She asked incredulously, hardly believing her life needed to be so heavily coded.

"Yeah, couldn't let anyone else read what I was seeing, in the off chance someone figured out the language, it couldn't hurt to code it too," Edward spoke nonchalantly.

Having seen her fair share of Edward's coding methods via the dreams, she knew that he wrote them in the form of travel logs because he was always travelling so much. Even though she's seen examples of his codes before, she couldn't make a lick of sense in what she read. Alchemists used grand metaphors that could usually only be understood if you already knew what you were looking for. Scanning the top, she figured that meant she was in fourth year in this entry, and it was January if that could be trusted. Casting her mind back, that time had all been so hectic that she could hardly remember the details. Then a particular phrase caught her eye.

"'Making a new friend in a foreign place', you're talking about Viktor aren't you?" She asked, and she felt satisfaction at his pleased nod.

"Precisely. What else do you see?" He asked, urging her to continue.

"Well, at that time, we were still working on figuring out the second task if I remember correctly, that's what you meant by crossword puzzle, but I don't get the rest," She shook her head.

"You're right about the first part, as for the mention of vocabulary, I was referencing the period of time where you thought it may have been a different language that was spoken from the egg," He pointed out and a feeling of understanding set in her.

The metaphors were rather simple ones, but to an outsider all of this would be a useless travel log. She flipped though the next few entries, finding them in a similar format, with the estimated month and year at the top. It surprised her, (as well as embarrassed her,) to see references all the way back to her fingerpainting class in primary school.

"What are the hat and scarf supposed to symbolize? I see they're referenced quite a lot," She said pointing to the page. Somehow the way he wrote the objects personified them, and she got the feeling he often found them obnoxious and hard to keep ahold of.

"Isn't it obvious? It's Ron and Harry," He explained, and laughter bubbled up in her stomach.

"I see now," She remarked with a smile, as she wound down from her chuckles. Hard to keep ahold of really was an understatement when it came to the two of them.

"So every time you mention the weather, you're talking about the seriousness of our situations?" She inquired, and he nodded. Again, it really was so simple now that she had the equation. Without it though, she would probably still be floundering.

"So am I correct in assuming that your dreams of came out of order, like mine of you did?" He wondered, and she jumped as she realized that she should probably show him her side of things and she motioned for him to follow her.

"Yes, exactly. You got a some of everything I guess," She stepped into her shared room with Ginny, glad that it was still clean.

"Yeah, bits of everything sunk through eventually; though I do have to say that I know more about some things than others," He said, spying the amber journal on her nightstand. She handed it to him wordlessly; his own was still clutched tightly in her hand.

Edward took a moment to admire her handwriting and snort that his story had wound up in such a pretty book. He skimmed most of the entries, flipping through the pages quickly. He paused on the last and most recent one she had dreamt last night. The smile was soft for a precious few seconds before it turned stony and hard. Before she could say anything about it, he had turned to her with a question.

"This doesn't seem like a lot, was this all there was? How long have you been having the dreams?" He asked in scientist mode.

"No, I have four others, and I suppose they've been going on for a little under a year now," She replied keeping the facts to the point as well as she could. A look of concentration possessed his face.

"So that means they started at the same time them, how particular . . . it must have been . . ." He trailed off, but nothing else could be said as a call interrupted them.

"Hermione? Edward? Are you upstairs? It's time for lunch!" Ginny's voice echoed up from below, and they finally realized how much time had really passed while they were sitting and chatting outside.

"Wow, I can't believe it's already half-past twelve," She remarked, stirring them out of their serious mood. Much of the day was already gone.

"Time certainly flies. I think I'm long overdue for a shower, tell Mrs. Weasley I'll be down in a bit," He requested and she nodded, before heading downstairs to give him privacy. There was a slight twisting in her gut that resisted being separated from him but she squashed it, not liking the lack of control that showed in herself.

Hermione gave herself a little shake before entering the kitchen.

"Wotcher, there you are! We were half-thinking you'd gone and disappeared on us!" Tonks greeted her with a smile. A silver platter was stacked high with delectable looking sandwiches that looked like they would hit the spot nicely. Everyone was already seated with the exception of Moody, Sirius and Lupin who were all absent from the table, probably prepping to fetch Harry the next day, and Mr. Weasley, who was at work.

"Ooeres yeh 'ousin?" Ron asked, giving everyone a good view of his half-chewed food as he spoke.

"Ron, that's disgusting. Don't speak with your mouth full, please" Hermione chastised. Ginny nodded in firm agreement looking mournfully at her plate before pushing it away, no longer having an appetite after seeing that. The other boy just rolled his eyes, and swallowed.

"Whatever; I asked where your cousin was," He said ignoring what she said for the most part.

"He's taking a shower."

"I'll bet it feels good for the dear after so long," Mrs. Weasley commented, quickly magic-ing a few sandwich halves onto Hermione's plate.

"You wouldn't be saying that if I didn't shower for a week," Ron muttered somewhat childishly.

"You choose not to shower though, Edward really didn't have a choice in the matter," Hermione said, making Ron's ears warm up.

"Besides, we've all had a wiff-"

"-of Ode De Ron-"

"-and the verdict is in-"

"-that it really doesn't need to ferment for a week-"

"-a day is already too much-"

"-really-"

"-honestly-"

"-unquestionably-"

"-without a doubt," The twins punctuated the sentence by holding each other's noses and waving the air with their hands.

"Oh shut up!" Ron exclaimed heatedly, looking down into his plate embarrassedly.

"Boys, stop teasing your brother," Mrs. Weasley scolded, and Hermione smiled at the normalcy in the red-haired family. It really was the same old song and dance every day, and it was a comfort to her to have something so reliable like that.

"We were planning on going to Diagonalley all together the day after they pick up Harry, so don't worry about getting your school supplies, dear," Mrs. Weasley told her, before the other woman hesitated a moment.

"Is Edward's home life, er, difficult?" She asked carefully, knowing what a delicate situation it may be.

Understatement of the year right there. The brunette girl desperately hoped that her face hadn't belayed anything though, and she switched to a false smile, lined with curiosity.

"Not particularly, why do you ask?" Hermione wondered innocently.

"It's just that Dumbledore gave him funds for his things, and he usually only does that for students who have a difficult time affording things," She winced a little as it came out. The teen let out a breath, glad that nothing had been discovered. Before Hermione had time to formulate an answer to the red-haired woman's question, one was provided.

"No, I'm helping him with a few things in exchange for schooling and other expenses," Edward explained by way of greeting as he entered the room. Overall, he was looking more relaxed and agreeable than any of them had seen him since his arrival. He was wearing his black pants coupled with his silver lined jacket and black tank-top. As per usual, the gloves were in place on his hands. His hair was undone though, and still damp by the look of it. Running the towel through it a few more times, he flicked it over to the coat rack so it could dry before he sat down next to Hermione.

"These look really good, thank you," Edward remarked with a small smile as he tucked in.

"You're welcome, it's good to know my work is appreciated," Mrs. Weasley said with meaningful looks towards her children. They all ignored it.

"What kind of things are you helping with?" Tonks asked curiously.

"He wanted some help translating a few books that were written in German. Apparently he's a little rusty," Edward explained, exaggerating the truth minimally. He felt proud when he noticed Hermione's eyes widen and he knew she had seen the truth beneath his words. She really was brilliant.

"That's a good deal, I thought he'd be having you swabbing the halls," the pink-haired woman said with a grin.

"With how many halls the school has, he wouldn't have any time to learn anything," Ginny pointed out, sharing in the smile.

"I still wonder how Filch manages to do it, especially without magic," Ron commented as he chewed thoughtfully.

Edward inwardly rolled his eyes. Children raised in magic really had no scope of how much could be accomplished without it. He had seen enough fantastic things from civilians to know that extra skills weren't all it took to do something amazing.

Hermione groaned, "Haven't any of you read Hogwarts: A History?" She before asked before receiving mirroring headshakes from children and adults alike. When Edward nodded, she gave him a small smile.

"That doesn't count since you didn't actually read it yourself," She informed him in Amestrian to the curious gaze of the others present.

"Well it's not like I had ample opportunity when I was back in Amestris," He responded with a snort. She just shook her head.

"You have ample opportunity now." Inwardly she laughed as the familiar excited glint entered his eyes.

"In fact, I remember hearing that the Black family library is pretty impressive, perhaps we could check it out later," Now she was just teasing him.

"After lunch?"

Hermione smiled and nodded before turning back to the others, who were giving her blatantly inquisitive looks. She ignored them.

"If you had read that book, then you would know that there are enchantments that clean the halls. Filch only has to do minimal maintenance, and picking up some of the smaller things that the spell misses," She explained knowledgeably.

"And here I was feeling bad for the poor bloke!" Ron said, feeling miffed.

"I'm sure it's not exactly the most desired position, and probably very lonely-"

"He's got a cat," The other boy shrugged, and Hermione let out a sigh.

"Sometimes Ron . . . Sometimes. . ." She trailed off.

"What?"

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley for lunch," Hermione said rising from the table, Edward quickly joining her.

"Aren't you going to eat any more?" The woman asked, gesturing to the plate hopefully. She nodded approvingly when Edward grabbed two extra pieces to take upstairs and a napkin so he wouldn't make a mess. She then looked imploringly at Hermione.

"No, I think we'd like to go see the library if that's okay," The teenaged witch said with a wry smile, at Edward's eager eyes.

"Go ask Sirius, I think he, Remus, and Alastor are plotting upstairs. Try and get them to come down for a bite to eat," She requested with a sniff. Those men really couldn't be trusted to look after themselves.

They nodded before bounding up the steps. After a few minutes of confusion as they stared at the multiple doors, they followed the sounds of voices, which conveniently led them to the library where all three men were standing around a table. Moody looked as stony as ever, though his eyes were narrowed towards an annoyed looking Sirius. Lupin looked between the pair, probably the only reasonable one of the bunch.

Tall, dusty, black shelves lined every wall, with several comfortable, if grimy looking seats placed around the unlit fireplace. Dark, iron vines climbed up the books, giving it a sinister and unwelcome feel. Every other shelf there was a stone gargoyle peering down, as though it was watching every move. Frankly, it was one of the creepiest-looking library's Hermione had ever been. Edward was unbothered; gothic things often seeped into his style and alchemy more often than not.

"-there's no way you can come with us. It's too risky," Moody said gruffly.

"He's my Godson, I can't just-" Sirius looked mildly unhappy.

Lupin cleared his throat, and looked meaningfully towards the two at the door. All three men immediately straightened and pretended that they hadn't been arguing just moments ago. Hermione rolled her eyes inwardly. It wasn't like they'd never seen people fighting before. They weren't children after all, but it seemed like the natural response for the adults was to shield them from any unpleasantness.

Edward was more than a little surprised at this reaction. No one had treated him like a child since he was eleven. Then again, he was a technical dog of the military, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Here though, he was just Edward, the somewhat mysterious cousin of Hermione who travelled here from Germany. They had no clue about his past, or that he was technically an adult. He really wasn't sure how to feel about this development. Normally he'd probably be upset at being kept out of loops by adults, but did he really want to be in this loop? This wasn't his war, and getting involved would ultimately just distract him from his ultimate goal. With that in mind, he hardened his resolve to resist his natural temptation to get involved in other people's business.

"Hullo, what are you up to?" Sirius asked, his warm smile a direct contrast to Moody's accusing gaze.

"You weren't eavesdropping, were you?" He asked roughly.

"No we weren't spying, you paranoid. We were looking for the library," Edward returned with his arms crossed.

"A likely story . . ."

"Don't you have anything better to do than plot and interrogate teenagers?" The blond wondered discourteously.

"I should like to show you how I really interrogate people, I imagine you'd think twice before back-talking," Moody licked his lips disconcertingly.

"I'm shaking in my boots. Seriously, you need a day job," Edward deadpanned. Sirius gave a barking laugh.

"Believe you me, keeping track of Harry and maintaining the order is enough of a job for all of us," Sirius spoke with mirth in his eyes.

"So why aren't you guys off with this Harry guy now?" Edward asked curiously. Moody looked like he was going to snap at him and say it was "confidential," but Lupin just smiled.

"I'm sure you've heard, we're getting him tomorrow night; there isn't much that is kept secret in this house. Until then we have to figure out the little things, like where to go in at, and who to bring." Here he looked over at Sirius a little guiltily.

"I'm sorry we can't take you, old friend, I'm going to have to side with Alastor on this one. It's too much of an unnecessary risk."

Sirius took in a deep breath, Edward could tell how badly he wanted to be childish and perhaps throw a tantrum at how unfair it was. It really was just a unfortunate turn of fate that things ended up the way they were for the man. In any other world he would be a free man. But this was the hand he had been dealt, and there was nothing else to do about it besides work with it as best he could. Sirius exhaled, suddenly looking much older. Usually the laugh lines hid his age, but today they worked against him, making him look careworn.

"Alright, but you take care of him," Sirius warned, though he appeared deflated.

"We all want Harry's safe arrival here, don't worry about a thing. You can just kick back and drink some pumpkin juice," Lupin assured him with a gentle smile. In his eyes, there was obvious understanding of his friend's frustration.

"I doubt that somehow, our old friend Snivellus is dropping by later," He said, and his face screwed up like he'd just eaten a lemon.

"Wait, Professor Snape is a member?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Stop telling the boy all of our secrets," Moody snapped.

"Dumbledore says we can trust him, and I trust Dumbledore," Lupin said, slightly challenging Moody's own loyalty.

"What doesn't mean we should go out of our way to tell him things," Moody muttered.

Edward just gave him a nonchalant shrug, and a smirk and Moody left the library with an annoyed grunt, his wooden leg making pounding sounds that led away.

"Anyways, Sirius, we were wondering if we could use your library. I've heard the Black collection is quite an extensive one," Hermione complimented eagerly.

"I wouldn't know, books have never really been my thing," Sirius scratched his cheek.

Hermione almost burst out laughing at the absolutely incredulous look Edward shot the older man, as though the very idea of having a library around your house and not using it was ludicrous. It was awfully wasteful to have all this knowledge around and not bother learning it . . .

"You don't mind though?" She asked, eyeing the bookshelves with no disguised interest. He laughed at her intense love of books.

"Sure, though I'm trusting you to recognize which books are appropriate and which aren't; there are some dark tomes in the Black collection," He warned her seriously.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, thank you very much!" Edward reiterated before running over to a bookshelf.

"You'd think we just bought them a new broomstick," Sirius said, a smile reclaiming residence on his face.

"Look! There's books on the heritage of purebloods! Oh, and potions throughout the ages!" Hermione had stars in her eyes.

"People that enjoy learning aren't very difficult to please. Finding a good book is as good as a new broomstick to them. Not to mention it's a heck of a lot cheaper," Lupin replied with a smile as he watched them.

"Add them to the pile in the middle, we'll sort and categorize them later," Edward decided logically, heaving his own pile onto the table.

"Kay."

" . . . Do you think they realize that we're still here?" Sirius asked, feeling a little miffed at being forgotten so easily.

"No, I don't believe so. That's our cue to leave I think," Lupin said with a smile, pulling his friend out the door with him.

Hermione was in book-heaven. Really, she was. The library was not only eclectic in its collection; it was also comprehensive with quality books and reliable writers. Not a square inch was wasted by a half-decent book, which may or not be interesting all of them were the epitome of their designated field of interest. Some books were so old, she had no doubt that they had been passed down, generation to generation for hundreds of years.

It honored and awed her that Sirius had trusted her enough to allow her access to his family's books. Then again, she doubted if he knew the true worth of some of the books. Perhaps if he did, he would've hocked some of it, vindictively as revenge against his less-than-nurturing family. Then again, he might well keep them out of obligation and duty. Hermione had noted the disgusted looks on his face when she saw him looking at some of the portraits. Though within that, there was a bit of unnamable emotion and sadness, and she imagined he perhaps wished things could have been a bit different.

Frankly, the emotional conundrum of Sirius Black was a matter that deserved no prodding.

A good forty-five minutes later, the table was entirely covered in books of all sizes and lengths, piled towards the ceiling in some sort of pyramid-like shape. There was minimal discussion about who got which books first, because there really were so many fantastic selections that there were plenty of wonderful ones to choose from.

"I think I finally understand how Sheska feels," Hermione commented, her brain captured by a numbing happiness at the sheer prospect of having so many books.

"For the total Sheska experience, I'm pretty sure we'd have to get buried at one point or another, so I'll pass," Edward said with a smile, though he was eyeing the stacks eagerly too.

It wasn't often that he got to read his own selection at his own pace. In fact he couldn't remember the last time he had. There always seemed to be something that needed to be researched, or a lead on the philosopher's stone to look up. He supposed casual reading had been one of the sacrifices he'd made when he joined the military. It was sad for someone who really loved books like Edward did. Seeing Hermione every night in his dreams, and her unquenchable desire of learning and books alike had rekindled his own feelings upon the subject.

He gave her a warm smile, which she returned just as earnestly.

She really had no clue.

He planned to keep it that way.

Each picking up a thick volume, they lost themselves in the fine paper and curved ink. For several hours they read, and they would have read for longer if Ron hadn't come skidding into the library, face flushed.

"Something's happened to Harry!" He proclaimed, and the two exchanged glances.

Harry Potter was not a happy camper. If that wasn't the understatement of the year, nothing was.

Not only had he been ignored all summer, with not even a shred of contact or news, but he was attacked by a dementor, going to be tried for underaged magic, and he found out that his crazy cat-obsessed neighbor, was, in fact, a spy for Dumbledore. Really now, Harry should stop expecting anything else besides the worst and strangest of situations.

Yes, he was delighted to see Lupin and (strangely,) Moody. He wasn't sure if he would ever see them again, but he was learning that the world was apparently a lot smaller than he thought considering all of Dumbledore's odd connections. However, this really was just more names to add to his list of people who didn't keep in contact with him. Either every owl in the magic world had mysteriously died overnight, or he had a group of seriously communicationaly-stunted friends. That or they knowingly didn't write to him. The very thought made his blood boil and he had to distract himself before he blew a gasket.

Then there was the Order. Harry had no bloody clue what it was supposed to be, but as the adults talked over his head, as though he wasn't even standing right next to them, (though clearly he was . . .) he heard mention of it repeatedly. The Order of the Phoenix. Frankly, it sounded like the name of a bad take-out dish. He snorted at the thought. Not that any of them knew what take-out was.

It was miraculous to him how they survived without it.

Of course, he wouldn't be even thinking about this if he was informed in the first place what the bloody thing was.

Which reminded him . . . He'd have a few choice words for his so-called friends the next time he saw them.

That time, it seemed, was approaching sooner than he thought. He allowed himself to be passed around between the auror's as they entered the Order, which apparently was a building of some sort. All the while he was strewing in his thoughts. The moment they told him to go upstairs he was almost glad. Where there was a Weasley mother, there were Weasley children, and where there were Weasley children, there was Ron, and by extension most likely Hermione. Though Ron would be there at the very least and he could finally get some bloody answers.

Despite his bitterness, he felt genuine happiness at seeing his friends.

Ron babbled on and on as they exchanged hugs. The situation gradually became clearer to Harry the more he heard.

"-Dumbledore made us promise NOT TO WRITE YOU, and we wanted to so bad but he said we couldn't SO WE DIDN'T, and geez it was so difficult NOT KEEPING YOU IN THE LOOP, we wanted to really bad, but I mean he's Dumbledore, so there isn't much we could do. I hope you're not mad that WE DIDN'T WRITE," Ron sucked in a huge breath with a hopeful look, the joy at seeing Harry still plain on his face.

"Remember to breathe Ron," Hermione said with a grin at the boy's behavior.

"Hey Harry? Hermione I dunno if he understood, think he's a bit overwhelmed?" The ginger asked.

"Oh no I understand, perfectly," Harry said, the dangerous and angry look entering his eyes, and the happiness was capsized by the rush of dark emotions.

Interpreting the look on Harry's face, Hermione stepped forward with Ron.

"He seemed to think it was best," said Hermione "Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right," said Harry with an eye-roll.

"I think he thought you were safest with the Muggles -" Ron began.

"Yeah?" said Harry, raising his eyebrows. "Have either of you been attacked by Dementors this summer?"

"Well, no-but that's why he's had people from the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time-"

Harry felt a great jolt in his guts as though he had just missed a step going downstairs. So everyone had known he was being followed, except him.

"Didn't work that well, though, did it?" said Harry, doing his utmost to keep his voice even. "Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"

"He was so angry," said Hermione, in an almost awestruck voice. "Dumbledore. We saw him. When he found out Mundungus had left before his shift had ended. He was scary."

"Well, I'm glad he left," Harry said coldly. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have done magic and Dumbledore would probably have left me at Privet Drive all summer."

"Aren't you… aren't you worried about the Ministry of Magic hearing?" said Hermione quietly.

"No," Harry lied defiantly.

"So why's Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark?" Harry asked, still trying hard to keep his voice casual. "Did you - er - bother to ask him at all?"

He glanced up just in time to see them exchanging a look that told him he was behaving just as they had feared he would. It did nothing to improve his temper.

"We told Dumbledore we wanted to tell you what was going on," said Ron. "We did, mate. But he's really busy now, we've only seen him twice since we came here and he didn't have much time, he just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote, he said the owls might be intercepted."

"He could still've kept me informed if he'd wanted to," Harry said shortly. "You're not telling me he doesn't know ways to send messages without owls."

Hermione glanced at Ron and then said, "I thought that, too. But he didn't want you to know anything."

"Maybe he thinks I can't be trusted," said Harry, watching their expressions.

"Don't be thick," said Ron, looking highly disconcerted.

"Or that I can't take care of myself."

"Of course he doesn't think that!" said Hermione anxiously.

"So how come I have to stay at the Dursleys' while you two get to join in everything that's going on here?" said Harry, the words tumbling over one another in a rush, his voice growing louder with every word. "How come you two are allowed to know everything that's going on?"

"We're not!" Ron interrupted. "Mum won't let us near the meetings, she says we're too young -" But before he knew it, Harry was shouting.

"SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL! YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT - WHO SAVED THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?"

"WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINXES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR? WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO ESCAPE FROM HIM? ME!"

Ron was standing there with his mouth half-open, clearly stunned and at a loss for anything to say, while Hermione looked on the verge of tears.

"BUT WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?"

"Harry, we wanted to tell you, we really did -" Hermione began.

"CAN'T'VE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU, OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME AN OWL, BUT DUMBLEDORE MADEYOU SWEAR–"

"Well, he did -"

"FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE, NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON -"

"We wanted to -"

"I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER -"

"No, honest -"

"Harry we're really sorry!" said Hermione desperately, her eyes now sparkling with tears. "You're absolutely right, Harry - I'd be furious if it was me!" Even if she wasn't the best of friends with Harry anymore, she still cared for him and didn't think anyone deserved to be treated like this. The guilt racket her body deep down to the core.

Harry glared at her, still breathing deeply, then turned away from them again, pacing up and down. There was a long pause, broken only by the sounds of someone cracking their knuckles menacingly in the corner.

"That was awfully childish, don't you think?"

In the corner a teenager sat. A blood-red cloak was wrapped around his shoulders, golden hair standing in sharp contrast to the surrounding darkness.

"Do you feel better after taking out your anger on people who care about you?"

"Who are you?" Harry asked glaring at the stranger.

"Take it from, I know how it feels to think the world owes you for screwing you over so many times, but that is just not the way it is," He rose, taking the time to adjust his snow-white gloves before he walked casually over.

"I asked you who you were!" Harry demanded.

"What makes you think you'll get your answer," The golden teen asked, he stopped in front of them, and it was then Harry noticed the substantial difference in height. It really didn't match the way he behaved. His presence commanded much more space than his body did. The hair on Harry's neck stood on end as the stranger smiled a cold grin.

"Well, I suppose I'll humor you," He spoke in a velvet tone.

"My name is Edward Elric, I'm Hermione's cousin-" He even gave Harry a half-bow, before straightening and jabbing lightning fast. He punched the boy who lived straight in the face, most likely breaking his nose.

"-And I do not like boys who make girls cry!" He exclaimed with a challenging stare to the boy on the ground.

Yeah, Harry is suuuch a brat sometimes!

The text I pulled from their argument is legit from the fifth book, just to prove my point about this.

Yeah, I'm not going to post the next part without at least getting ten reviews.

Thanks for reading!

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