Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 45

'Leave it to Hermione to solve things...' Harry thought, as he watch said figure work it's way through the light crowd and stand a few feet off from them at the table. The way he moved...and stood, it was definitely Ed.

"Hi." Harry said, not sure what else to say at that moment.

Ed removed the dark glasses, pocketing them with both black gloved hands into an interior pocket in the trench coat, revealing the even more startling gold eyes; they seemed to pop out next to the black color his hair was. Ed said nothing, instead, he seemed to be looking through Harry with a very cold glare. The eyes flowed to Lupin, then to Tonks. Then Hermione and Ron. Harry watched as they narrowed.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, taking a step forward towards him, one hand reaching. Ed held up a black gloved hand, the left one, and stopped her with that cold look. Hermione looked at Ed and blushed. Ed nodded a slight nod.

"Ansvwer me, Harry. Vwhat vwas reason I said I brought you notebook?"

"What? No 'Hello'? What's.." Harry blurted out.

"Ansvwer me or I go." Ed said firmly, and again his eyes seemed to look through him.

'No..that's not quite it.' Harry thought, and blinked.''Through' wouldn't be like that. It's like I'm a bug he's examining..or something.'

"It was to repay your debt." Harry said, his tone less bitter than he would have liked.

Ed nodded slightly. "Remus. Vwhat vwas it I called that 'Buckbeak' the first time I saw him?"

Lupins eyebrows rose on his face.

"Wow. It was in your language, whatever it was...um..'xxsshrkaherra'? Did I get close?"

Ed nodded a sharp nod.

"No. But good enough. Tonks. Vwhen you vwent to my side that first night at hideout to help me up, vwhat happened?"

"Bloody hell. You ARE just as bad as Moody. You pushed me away and staggered off on your own."

Ed looked sharply at her, but said nothing for the briefest of moments, then..

"Ron, How do your brothers, the twins, usually wake me?"

"Blimey. Tossing pillows at your head? Saying you're short?"

"VWHO'RE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEEK BEAN SPROUT?!?" Ed yelled, hands in fists at his sides.

Harry noticed that the outburst caused quite a few stares to be leveled their way from the light crowd on the street and in the coffee house. He looked over at Ron, and smirked. Harry supposed Ron had gotten so used to Ed's rants, that he didn't react as much anymore. He had just jerked his head back a bit, and raised his eyebrows, even though he was the current source of Ed's anger for the merest mention of the 'taboo' word.

Ed frowned and opened his hands again. He then looked at them all once more. He then grabbed an entry chair from one of the other tables. He placed his right black gloved hand on the table, and sat down like he was ready to spring away any moment, roughly across from Tonks.

"So." With a sharp look to Tonks. "It's good to see you all again. How did the trial go, Harry? Did they give you light sentence or..?"

"What the HELL was THAT all about?!?" Harry said, loudly.

"You had us worried sick! What were you thinking?!? Running off on your own like that?!" Hermione said, jusy as loudly.

Ed grimmaced, then closed his eyes briefly. He sighed and opened his eyes. The look in them was softened, just a bit when he looked again at Hermione and then to Harry.

"You've dealt with Metamorphamaguses before." Tonks said softly, just above a whisper. Ed blinked and looked at her, face scrunched in confusion."The way you checked to see if we were who you thought we were...It's a dead giveaway."

"I do not know that vword. 'Metamorgaga..'"

"Metamorphamagus. Uh..'Shapeshifters'." Harry said.

"'Shape. Shifter.'" Ed frowned a bit and glanced down. As if tasting the word. Then he looked back to Tonks. "Yes. he could be called dat. The one I dealt vwith loves to hurt people, just to see them hurt. Killed them like they vere nothing. He..could be anyvone he vishes to be...but he has no...um.." Ed made a fist of his left hand, and thumped softly it against his chest. "He can never understand..um..certain tings. Moments...You..if you are you....are not like that from vwhat I have seen of you."

His sharp look returned at Tonks. She simply nodded. "I gave you the wrong answer."

Ed shifted his weight slightly off the chair. The touch of his right gloved hand featherlight against the table. The equation he needed to protect everyone hummed in his mind, and the circulating energy in his body ached against his nerves for release. "Your answer vas someting that could be seen by anyvone in dat room." Ed clarified. All he needed to do was release the energy into the table.

"You thanked me." Tonks said

Ed froze. And raised a single eyebrow.

"Well. You nodded your head at least. Same thing." Tonks snorted, and leaned back into her chair.

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