Chapter 4

Edward extended his hand and the old man took it. "I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I'm very pleased to meet you Lord Voldemort. I've heard a lot about you."

The room fell into a dead silence. The old man who was shaking his hand just looked at him blankly for a moment. Then he seemed to recover himself.

"None of it good I hope," he answered with a twinkle in his eye.

From behind them came an odd sound, Edward looked over his shoulder. The entire table of witches and wizards were staring at him slack-jawed with the exception of Snape. The rather odd sound was coming from him. He was laughing.

Mad-eye Moody pushed himself back from the table and stood up angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Ed. "If its dark wizards you're wanting, let me tell you, boy, you've come to the wrong place!"

Edward looked at them in confusion and then back at the old man whose hand he was still in the process of shaking.

"I'm very pleased to meet you Edward but I'm not Lord Voldemort," the old gentleman informed him. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the current leader of the Order of The Phoenix. We are in fact enemies of the Dark Lord."

"But…" Ed protested weakly. "Snape has the dark mark…"

Sirius looked at Snape accusingly as if he were responsible for misleading Edward. Snape didn't seem to notice. He seemed to be recovering from his little laugh, looking rather amused.

"Snape is a double agent," explained Dumbledore kindly.

"And Sirius Black…" Edward pointed at the shaggy wizard. "He's one of Lord Voldemort's strongest supporters!"

Sirius crossed his arms and looked rather sulky as Mad-Eye gave him a dirty look as well.

"Sirius was framed. But come. Sit down," Professor Dumbledore said as he guided him back to the table.

Ed went back to his place under Moody's baleful glare. Snape was on one side. There was a slightly bewildered looking Lupin on the other.

Dumbledore took his place at the head of the table and began to address them all. "Well, now that we're all assembled and the majority of you have all met Mr. Elric, I believe we can begin," stated Dumbledore. "Severus, if you would be so kind."

Snape stood up. "As most of you are aware I was to meet with some Death Eaters. When I arrived at the agreed location, it looked like a battle had taken place. I found Mr. Elric there unconscious among the debris, next to a broken wand. He'd been attacked by arcromantula and the Death Eaters I'd come to meet were no where to be found so I brought Mr. Elric here."

Dumbledore continued, "The Order members that were here called me and I asked Snape to give Mr. Elric emergency medical treatment. For various reasons I strongly suspected him of being an alchemist. When I surveyed the scene of the skirmish later, the evidence there confirmed it."

Dumbledore smiled at Edward and then went on. "I investigated further and learned that the four Death Eaters that Snape went to meet came out of the battle rather badly. Avery and Goyle were released from St Mungo's yesterday but Lucius Malfoy is expected to remain there until the end of the week. We suspect the fourth Death Eater to have been Walden Macnair due to the appearance of the arcromantula. There was no doubt he would've been the one responsible for their appearance."

"Incidentally the wand you found, Severus, belonged to Lucius. Olivander confirmed it," he produced the broken wand from his robes and laid it on the table. Everyone around the table looked from the wand to Ed raising their eyebrows. A few looked impressed.

Mad-Eye scowled at Edward darkly however. "All of this is very well but what exactly is to be done with him if he isn't safe and can't be trusted?"

Ed couldn't help but be insulted by this remark, "What do you mean I can't be trusted?" he asked indignantly.

"Five minutes ago you were ready to join You-Know-Who, and now we're supposed to trust you!?" Moody spat back at him.

"That's who I thought you people were with!" Ed exclaimed exasperated. "How was I supposed to know? I'm on your side whatever side that is!"

Moody crossed his arms over his chest. "How convenient!" he said sarcastically. "This isn't a game of Quidditch, boy – it's a matter of life and death something a child like you obviously doesn't understand."

Ed laughed bitterly and clenched his fists. "Life and death?" he said locking his eyes with Moody's with surprising intensity. "I may be young but I understand plenty. And I learned it all the hard way."

Snape put his hand on Edward's arm. "Moody," he said smoothly. "You don't have all the facts."

"Facts?" Moody asked evidently not about to trust Snape any more than Ed. "And what facts would those be, Professor Snape?"

"Mr. Elric has only been here a short time and everything he knows about the situation with the Dark Lord has come from the Daily Prophets Molly Weasley has been bringing for him to read while he's been recuperating," explained Snape.

Moody snorted. "Impossible. There isn't a person in the entire wizarding world over the age of two who hasn't heard of You-Know-Who!" he scoffed.

"My point exactly," agreed Snape. "Mr. Elric isn't from the wizarding world. In fact, he's not from our world at all. He came through a portal from another dimension, a doorway of some kind."

"I believe it's referred to as 'The Gate'," Dumbledore interjected.

Suddenly Edward forgot everything else they were talking about. "You know about the Gate!?" he asked excitedly. The idea that anyone here would have information that could help him hadn't occurred to him.

"No but I have an old friend who does. His name is Nicolas Flamel and he's a rather accomplished alchemist," Dumbledore answered.

An alchemist?! They had alchemy here! He couldn't believe it. Maybe there was a chance for him to get home after all. "Could I meet him?" Ed asked eagerly, his hopes climbing.

"At the moment that would be a bit of a problem. And I'm afraid he'll be unavailable for a few months," the old wizard said smiling at him.

Ed's enthusiasm waned a bit at waiting to wait to meet someone who might be able to help solve his problem right away. But if there was one alchemist who knew about the Gate, there might be more. He refused to be daunted. "Well I'd appreciate it if you could arrange it as soon as possible. I'll let you know where I'm staying when I find a place."

"What do you mean?" growled Moody.

"I'm very grateful for everything you people have done for me," Edward said. "And no offense to anyone here but this fight is between you people and this Dark Lord. It really has nothing to do with me and I have my own problems. I'm not a wizard, I'm a scientist. I'd rather not get involved. I'll just leave and find a job to support myself until I can figure out how to get back."

"Mr. Elric," Snape said gravely. "You are already involved."

"Yes, Edward," agreed Dumbledore. "You severely beat four Death Eaters. The Dark Lord will certainly be watching for you. The situation is one that is best handled with caution."

"If you're unfamiliar with our world and magic," Lupin added. "It puts you at a disadvantage. For your sake and ours it's probably best you stay here for a while."

"...I'm a prisoner?" Ed asked, wondering aloud if they were if fact going to let him leave at all. So much for finding another alchemist to help him.

"Most certainly not. You are a guest," Dumbledore stated firmly. "But one that is still recovering from severe poisoning and with much to learn before he leaves. For the moment take advantage of our hospitality. When you're ready to leave we will do our best to advise you but the choices you make will be completely your own."

Moody looked as if he was going to object but after a moment sat back down with a grudging acceptance.

"Is that acceptable to you?" the elderly wizard inquired gazing at him intently over half-moon glasses.

"Yeah," Edward agreed reluctantly. "That sounds reasonable."

It wasn't really like he had a choice. He doubted that he was in good enough shape to fight his way out of the house at this point anyway. His stomach turned unpleasantly in agreement and he wished he hadn't eaten so much breakfast.

"It would be in the best interest of the Order to keep Mr. Elric and the alternate dimension he's travelled confidential information. He has already proven himself to be a formidable opponent not only surviving a fight with four Death Eaters and several arcromantula but besting them as well," Dumbledore informed the gathering. "And we should keep any advantages we have."

A mummer of agreement passed through the meeting.

"So now Edward perhaps it would be best if you left," Dumbledore suggested peering at the young alchemist over his half-moon glasses. "So we can continue our meeting."

"Yeah, ok," Ed agreed feeling slightly better as he stood up from the table looking at the sea of faces around him. Some seemed sympathetic; a few suspicious but the majority were unreadable.

Unexpectedly Remis Lupin rose with him and they walked out of the kitchen together. The door swung shut behind them. Edward asked him, "Are you my guard?"

"No, Edward. I just have to meet someone," Lupin answered with a warm smile.

"Aren't you afraid I'll join up with this Dark Wizard guy and betray everyone like that Moody fellow?" the youth asked bitterness creeping into his voice.

"I trust Dumbledore's judgment. We all do, even Moody whether you believe it or not." The shabbily dressed wizard stopped at the front door at the bottom of the staircase.
"But even so Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard and has taken precautions so that no one here can betray us."

Ed crossed his arms. "I wouldn't anyway."

"I do believe that. By the way were you serious about what you said before? About leaving and finding work somewhere?" Remis inquired.

"Maybe," Edward began, not sure where this was going. "Why?"

"I could ask around for you if you like. What sort of job are you looking for?" the werewolf offered.

Ed thought about it briefly. "I don't really know. The only job I've ever had was in the military."

"Military?" Lupin questioned, eyebrows going up in surprise. "You seem a bit young for that."

"They recruited me because I was an alchemist," the youth supplied, not really wanting to go into detail.

Lupin paused to think. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks," Ed responded, quirking a smile. "I'd appreciate it."

The shabby wizard returned his smile.

Ed's stomach decided to do another flip and he took a deep breath to try and help settle it.

Lupin looked at him with concern. "Are you alright? You look a little peaked. Maybe you should lie down and get some rest."

"Yeah," Edward agreed. He wasn't feeling too steady. "Maybe I will."

"Do you need help up the stairs?" Lupin asked.

"Nah," Ed said, smiling with more confidence than he felt. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

"Alright then I'll be off. Take care of yourself, Edward," Lupin replied heading for the front door.

"Yeah ok. See you later," the young alchemist answered.

As the door closed behind Lupin, Ed decided to follow his suggestion to go upstairs and rest.

The room around him was starting to swim. Looking up the flight of stairs he almost regretted not accepting the wizard's offer of help. He gripped the banister and made his way up carefully. The last thing he wanted to do was fall down the stairs and have people fuss over him.

He could hear low voices when he reached the top of the stairs. They went quiet when the floorboards under his feet creaked as he walked down the hallway.

The door to one of the bedrooms to his right was open. Fred and George were inside and they both looked relieved when they saw him. He got the distinct feeling that he was interrupting something as he was passing by.

"Ed!" one of the twins called out when they saw him. "Come in!"

The other came to the door. "Is Lupin with you?" he asked in an overly cheerful voice, looking past him into the hall.

"No," Edward answered uncertain if he should accept their invitation. "He left."

"Coast is clear," confirmed the twin who'd come to the doorway. He guided Ed inside and closed the door behind him. He brought him over to the bed and the young alchemist gratefully sat down next to the other redhead.

Despite feeling ill Ed couldn't help but be curious what was going on.

"So you're an out of work alchemist, are you Ed?" the twin seated beside him asked.

"I suppose so," Ed admitted wondering where this line of questioning was going.

"Well how about coming to work for Fred and me then?" the twin, evidently George asked as he took a seat on the other side of Edward. "We're starting a joke shop and we could use an alchemist."

"What do you want me to do?" Ed asked confused.

"Alchemy, of course," Fred answered. "You know - make bits of things out of other bits of things. Are you sure you're an alchemist?"

"I'm an alchemist," Ed answered peevishly.

"Wonderful!" George exclaimed. "Because we manufacture our own products and some of the ingredients are hard to come by. So if you make them for us we don't have to go hunting for them."

"Or pinch them!" added Fred.

"Or pinch them," agreed George. "So what do you say, Ed?"

The whole thing sounded crazy and his head was swimming but Edward found himself asking, "How much does it pay?"

"Nothing yet. We have to be careful with our funds until we actually have our shop set up," admitted Fred. "But it will be loads once we get going. And free merchandise too!"

"I don't know," Ed said. He wasn't sure he was in the right frame of mind to be making business deals.

"What do you say we hire you on a trial basis and see how it works out?" George offered.

"Umm, okay," agreed Ed. "On a trial basis." He was stuck in this place and had no other prospects anyway.

Fred and George looked at each other with glee.

"We have an employee!" George exclaimed to his brother.

"This all happened pretty fast," Fred said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we should've interviewed him."

"It's a bit late for that," Ed informed them. "Since you've already given me the job."

"Can't be too careful though," George agreed. "Do you have any references? Anyone who could vouch for your integrity?"

Edward tried to think who he knew here. "Your parents, I suppose, or Snape."

"Oh yes, I forgot," George said smacking his forehead. "You're from another dimension!"

"How long have you been here anyway?" Fred asked.

Edward's head was spinning from all the questions, he tried to remember. How long had it been? He started thinking aloud counting on his fingers, "There was the first night that I was attacked…The night I met Lupin…the night I missed and the night I slept with Snape. So four days I think."

He looked up to see both of the twins staring at him slack jawed.

"You…slept…" began Fred.

"With…Snape?" finished George.

It took Edward a moment to realize what they were implying and he turned beet red. "No! NO!" he exclaimed beginning to panic. "That's not what I meant! What I mean is we just slept together. No! We just slept beside each other!"

The two brothers started laughing.

"Ed, you should see your face!" Fred chortled. "I don't think a person could get any redder!"

"Hilarious!" George agreed. "But you can relax, Ed. We know Snape. I doubt he's even human – he's such a cold fish!"

"I don't know, George!" his brother chuckled. "He did really seem like he was taken with Ed the way he came to his defense at the meeting!"

"We're just friends!" Ed insisted. Then the implication of the words hit him. "Wait a minute, you two weren't at the meeting. How do you know what went on?"

The twins looked at each and then both of them looked at Ed and grinned.

"I suppose we can take you into our confidence seeing as how you're an employee and all," George said.

Fred reached under the bed and proudly displayed a disgusting flesh coloured lump. Ed reached out and took it, looking it over. He didn't get it.

"We call them Extendable Ears," Fred began. "They do exactly what they say - let you listen to people who are far away. We heard the whole meeting from all the way up here."

"Pretty ingenious, don't you think?" George asked with a grin. His expression quickly became serious. "Don't tell Mum, though. She would have a fit if she found out about them - especially if she caught us listening in on a meeting with them."

"Mum doesn't care for our products," added Fred.

"Well, I think they're great," Ed said, looking them over with a small smile. These probably would have come in handy back home. He handed the extendable ears back to Fred. "And don't worry. I won't tell on you. If you don't get caught, you won't get caught."

Fred and George both exchanged looks, grinning.

"You're the perfect employee already!" began George.

"Glad to have you on board!" Fred agreed with enthusiasm.

Edward offered them a half smile, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

The twins suddenly fell silent for a moment Ed didn't understand and then he heard the creak of floorboards in the hallway. Fred quick stashed the extendable ears back into their hiding spot.

There was a knock at the door.

George got up and answered it. Snape stood in the doorway.

"Hello Professor, can I help you with something?" George asked.

Snape looked at the gangly redhead down his nose with a hint of a sneer before turning his attention to Edward.

"Mr. Elric, I have come to give you your medicine," Severus informed him.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks," Ed replied. He got up off the bed and came to the door.

He had to admit that he really was starting to feel ill. His head was all fuzzy and he was starting to feel achey all over. Snape seemed to noticed that he wasn't looking so good either.

"You should also go to your room and lay down once you've taken it," Snape added, pulling out the potion and a spoon from his robes. He offered them to Edward. "Two large spoonfuls every 4 hours. Do not exert yourself unnecessarily and take your sleeping draught at night. If you cannot follow this simple advice I cannot be held responsible."

Ed accepted the potion and spoon from Snape and nodded.

"Don't worry, I've learned my lesson," he admitted.

That seemed to relax Snape a fraction but he continued to look at Edward expectantly.

"Now?" Edward asked.

"Now," the professor confirmed firmly.

Dutifully, Edward uncorked the bottle with the hand that held the spoon. He filled the spoon twice and swallowed his medicine. He could feel it take effect, making its way through his system though not with the speed of the original medicine.

The potions master nodded satisfied.

"I won't be staying here any longer," he informed Ed. "I'll be back for meetings so I can replenish your medicine supply and I'll check to make sure that you're still doing well, but it's about time I went home. I have already overstayed my welcome."

"Sure," Edward replied, a little disappointed. He had been enjoying the company of the potions master. Still, he understood that the man had to go home. "So, I guess I'll be seeing you around."

"Yes," Snape said with a nod. "Well, I'll take my leave. Take care, Mr. Elric."

"Goodbye, professor," George said a bit too brightly.

"Have a safe trip," added Fred echoing his brother's tone.

Severus gave them a look, narrowing his eyes a fraction. "Goodbye," he said and then he was gone.

"I can't believe you really drank that," George told Edward, pointing to the potion in his hands.

"I'm pretty sure that this stuff is keeping me alive right now," Ed smiled. He was feeling less ill now and steadier on his feet. He didn't want to tell them what had happened when he didn't follow Snape's advice. "I had better do what he said and get some rest, just to be on the safe side."

"You're pretty gutsy though" Fred said. "Taking on Death Eaters and arcromantula and living to tell about it."

"And you're not even a wizard!" George added.

"I think I took them by surprise," Ed admitted with a wry smile. He did remember that much from the fight. Thinking about it started making him woozy and he gripped the potion's bottle tighter.

"Yeah who would expect an alchemist from another dimension?" Fred asked.

Ed started out into the hallway but he turned back with a slight frown. "I think all of this is supposed to be a secret though."

"Of course!" George answered.

"Don't worry! We're all Order members here!" Fred added.

"Okay," Ed replied not sure if he was convinced or not. "I'll see you guys later then."

Ed went to his room and sat down on his bed. He looked at the bottle of potion that provided him with so much relief. He really didn't want to chance this one breaking. He did a quick bit of alchemy with the spoon to encase the bottle with a thin sheet of metal for reinforcement.

Satisfied for the time being he laid down and fell asleep.