44 Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 44

Remus Lupin. The Tonks woman. Harry, Hermione, and Ron. All seated at a table together.

'Too good to be true. Too...easy.' Ed thought, and narrowed his eyes. 'Like they're bait.'

He turned and continued down the street. Following the crowd.

"He's there. Across the way." Moody's voice whispered in Harry's ear, and Harry jumped in response. He looked to Tonks. She jerked her chin and mouthed, "Cloak". Harry blinked.

"I was just looking across too. I didn't see him." Harry whispered.

"He's in disguise. Shhh.." Moody whispered. Someone stood up from a nearby table, folded up their laptop and packed up to leave. Once they were past them, Tonks whispered, "Disguise? You mean, he shapeshifted?"

"No. Don't think so." Moody whispered.

Ron and Hermione leaned forward to hear them better, and began looking around them suspiciously.

"So..What you think about what that Hughes guys said?" Hermione asked. "About Ed knowing his Great-great grandma?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know what to think, actually. You know wizards tend to live a long time, and he could be using polyjuice or something to look young. It could be anything, really." Harry said, thinking of how Ed looked at the trial. That look to his face when he mentioned his worst memory.

"You think he lied about his age?" Lupin said.

"At the trial..when he testified...I don't know.."Harry said. "His eyes just..looked so...OLD. Tired." Harry closed his eyes, and shook his head slightly.

There was silence at the table.

"What was this--World War Hughes mentioned? I never heard of it." Ron asked.

Harry sighed and leaned back into his chair. He just knew Ron's question would turn into a lecture from Hermione.

"Oh that. Muggles decided it was a good idea to lob destructive devices at each other around, um, 1940 I think. Destroyed London on the Muggle side of things so badly that they had to rebuild pretty much everything." Hermione said with authority to her voice.

Ron blinked.

"Germany had it much worse though." Hermione continued. "I remember reading about millions of people being killed in horrible ways. It no wonder his great-grandmother wanted a fresh start somewhere else."

"It was nice of him, offering tea to us. A bunch of strangers." Tonks said. "I wonder who this 'Elysia' is, though."

"She must be someone important." Lupin said. "I get the distinct feeling that he wouldn't have offered what he did if she wasn't mentioned first."

"Heh..Magic words..for Muggles." Ron said with a smile.

Harry smirked at his best friend.

"Well said." Hermione added, with a nod.

"Didn't even look at us." Moody whispered. "and he's not approaching either."

"Maybe your boots are showing." Lupin said.

"Shut it, you." Moody growled, it sounding quite odd as a whisper to Harry's ears.

"Did he just...leave?" Hermione asked, sounding quite worried.

"Shh" Moody whispered again.

"What's a police officer?" Ron asked.

Ed turned and walked some down the next street, then cut across and alley. Always looking about him. And above him. So far so good. He jumped over a fence, landing lightly on his feet, and rounded another corner.

'No one in robes.' He thought. 'What gives? Am I missing something?'

He followed the crowd...blending in. 7658 Market Place was just ahead. He stopped and leaned against the wall, watching everthing from beneath dark glasses. Ron and Hermione had their backs to him. He could see Harry's face. And a portion of Remus's and Tonks'. He blinked.

'The shadows...are odd.' He thought. 'Tonks' a shapeshifter. Maybe it's her?'

He continued to watch. Forcing himself to relax his posture.

"He's right there." Moody whispered. "He's good."

"Coming from you, that's rare praise." Tonks quipped quietly. "I still can't..oh. I think I see him."

"Where?"

"Shh, Harry. He'll hear." Moody whispered.

"That close?" Ron whimpered softly.

"What's he waiting for...?" Moody whispered..to himself, Harry thought.

Harry looked around and tried to spot Ed himself, but saw no gold headed short person around at all. Most around him were either too tall to be him, or the wrong gender. Thinking of disguises, he supposed Ed could easily pass himself off as a girl, but none of the females around even remotely resembled Ed at all. If he was a Metamorphamagus like Tonks, it would be an entirely different matter all together. He could be anyone then. Animagus had its own possiblities.

Tonks nudged his arm with her elbow, and he looked sharply at her. She looked down quickly with her eyes, and he followed with his own. She pointed with her index finger against the table, and he followed the direction it indicated.

"That's him?" He whispered incredulously.

"Yeah. Think so." Tonks whispered.

Harry saw long black hair and a brown trench coat. Someone causally leaning against the wall. He had to admit to himself that the size fit. If it really was Ed, the crowd on the street nearly smothered his presence from anyone's view. All that black hair nearly covered his face. Harry even picked out that the person was wearing dark glasses.

"Well. I going to greet him" Hermione said.

"What?!?" Moody gasped.

"He's a friend. We should be treating him like one." Hermione said, with particular emphasis on the word 'friend', and she got up from the table. Ron grabbed her hand and desperately tried to pull her back, but she wasn't having it. She slipped her hand away and turned, trying to spot Ed herself. She had, of course, seen Tonks pointing finger against the table.

"'ione!!" Harry hissed.

Hermione reached her hand upwards, and waved. It was vigorous, and quite friendly. Harry watched as the black haired figure turned it's head, and even tilt it slightly to the side. Then it looked down, and pushed off from the wall.

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Author: llothcat