Author's Note: Hello again! I hope you enjoy this chapter because it was a pain to write. I'm not very good at rhyming…

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist, or A Very Potter Musical (from which I took a line. See if you can spot it!)

Ed was in a much better mood by the time the train reached the station. Of course, the sight of a wildly grinning Maes Hughes being chased throughout the train by a furious Roy Mustang in hot pink robes had amused almost everyone. Hughes' own robes were still smoking from the hexes that Mustang had shot at him when they stepped off the train.

"Firs' years, with me! This way! Firs' years!" a giant of a man bellowed as the students on the train disembarked.

"That's Hagrid, the gamekeeper here," Hughes supplied. "You're supposed to go with him." Ed nodded gratefully and headed over.

"Hope to see you in Gryffindor!" Havoc called after him, waving. Ed turned to wave back and promptly tripped over the prone figure of a boy collapsed on the station floor.

"What the—" Ed began angrily.

"So hungry…" the boy interrupted, stomach rumbling loud enough for Ed to hear. Before Ed could respond, two massive hands lifted both of them in the air by their collars.

"Yeh two are the last firs' years," Hagrid announced from behind his bushy beard, peering at the two of them. "Yer supposed ter get in the boats."

"Boats?" Ed asked, paling. He had tried swimming with his metal limbs once, with disastrous results. Hagrid nodded as he carried them down the path to the lake.

"How'd you know we were first years?" the other boy piped up. Ed noticed he spoke with a slight accent. Hagrid brought the boy up to eye level and looked him over curiously, noting his long black hair tied back in a ponytail and slanted eyes.

"Yer not from aroun' here, are yeh," he stated. The boy shook his head. Hagrid shrugged and continued, "I don' recognize yeh, and only firs' years are as small as yeh two."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF RICE!" Ed yelled, voice echoing loudly on the silent path. The other boy and Hagrid looked at him in stunned silence. Then Hagrid chuckled.

"Yer a feisty one, aren't yeh?" he asked as he held up the wildly struggling Ed easily. "Wouldn't be surprised a bit if yer a Gryffindor with that temper." He puffed out his chest. "Was one meself, yeh know." As they rounded the corner of the path, Hogwarts came into view across the lake, and Ed quit struggling, looking at it in awe. The foreign boy looked at the castle critically, only slightly impressed. He shrank back a bit in Hagrid's grip as the other first years came into view.

"Young lord!" a girl called, running up with an expression of worry and frustration on her face. The boy sighed.

"I've told you before, Ranfan. It's just Ling while we're here," he said. He tapped Hagrid on the arm. "Do you mind putting me down now?" he asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry 'bout that." Hagrid dropped the two boys on the ground in front of an empty boat. "Hop in now. We've the Sorting to get to, and McGonagall won' be happy if we're late." He headed off to his own boat.

"Who's Mcgonagall?" Ling asked Ed as they climbed in. Ed shrugged as they set off, more focused on wondering how the boats were moving by themselves.

"She's the deputy Headmistress or something like that, I think," he answered, peering down into the murky water.

"By the way, my name's Ling, Ling Yao," the boy introduced. He jerked his thumb behind him at the girl. "This is Ranfan." Ed looked up, annoyed that Ling had interrupted his examinations.

"Ed," he said shortly, going back to his observations. He didn't notice the girl turn a furious shade of red.

"You will show the young lord more respect," she hissed, fists clenched. Ling sighed in frustration as Ed looked up again.

"I know you've spent your whole life knowing me as the young lord, but it's just Ling here," he repeated firmly. "We really don't need more attention drawn to us than is necessary," he added more quietly. Ranfan nodded, shamefaced.

"What exactly are you?" Ed asked Ling, his curiosity piqued. Ling flopped dramatically in the boat, making Ed pale as it rocked wildly.

"Right now, I'm starving," he moaned. "I don't suppose you have anything to eat?" he asked hopefully, raising his head. Ed searched his pockets.

"All I have is a few chocolate frogs—" Ed began. Ling grabbed the candy before he could finish his sentence. "But they're mine." Ed scowled as Ling stuffed the chocolate into his mouth.

"What'd you say?" Ling mumbled as he chewed quickly. Ed waved a hand at him irritably.

"Never mind, eat all you want," he muttered. He watched in some amazement the speed at which Ling devoured the food.

"So, this Dumbledore's the Headmaster here?" Ling asked, looking at one of the cards he had received. Ed nodded. Ling observed the card for a few more moments, then flicked it back to Ranfan who caught it expertly. "Doesn't look like much, does he? Although the card says he did some work in alchemy. Could be worth a shot, I suppose." He leaned back nonchalantly, whistling. Ranfan shook her head, stuck the card inside her robes, and settled down to glaring at Ed.

"Why do I meet the weirdest people?" Ed mumbled to himself. The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence. Ed watched as the castle grew closer, craning his neck upwards to catch one last glimpse of it before the boats passed through a curtain of ivy into a dark tunnel. Even Ling fell silent as they beached the boats in a small harbor beneath the castle.

"Nobody fall in the lake on the way here?" Hagrid called, stepping out of his boat. Silence. "All righ' then. This way." The first years followed behind as he led the way up a passageway to the main entrance to the castle. He pounded on the door three times. It opened at once to reveal a tall, black-haired woman in emerald green robes.

"There you are, Hagrid," she exclaimed. "I was beginning to think someone had drowned. The students are getting restless." Ed peered curiously around Hagrid's huge form to get a better look at the witch.

"Sorry 'bout that, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid apologized. "Had some latecomers." The woman frowned.

"Well, we can't do anything about that now. First years, follow me!" she called, turning on her heel and setting off across the front hall briskly. Most of the first years had to trot to keep up, giving Ed little time to observe his surroundings. He could hear the hum of voices coming through a doorway to the right, but they passed by and into a small chamber. When everyone had entered, Professor McGonagall closed the doors and turned around.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "Very shortly, you will be sorted into one of four houses here: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Each house has its own legacy and has produced witches and wizards of the highest caliber. This is one of the most important ceremonies here, as your house will be like your family here. Also, during the year, you can win and lose points for your house. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the house cup, a great honor here."

Ed rolled his eyes, already bored. The professor's eyes flicked to him, and her frown deepened.

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly in front of the rest of the school," she continued. She turned and opened the door. "I will return when we are ready for you." The door shut with a soft click, and the first years broke into nervous conversations.

"I've heard that Slytherin's the worst—"

"I hope I'm in Ravenclaw."

"We'll probably have to do a spell or something—"

"What do you think?" Ling asked quietly as he came up behind Ed, Ranfan trailing behind him like a shadow. Ed shrugged without turning around.

"Why are you asking me?" he retorted.

"Because we're friends!" Ling exclaimed, smiling brightly. Ed turned around at his statement.

"We are not friends," he said firmly. "I've known you for less than an hour."

"But you gave me food, for which I am forever in your debt," Ling protested, bowing. Ed rolled his eyes.

"I didn't give you anything. You just took it," he pointed out.

"For which I am grateful that you allowed me to do so," Ling interjected smoothly. He straightened and a sly gleam came into his eyes. "What is wrong with being friends? I believe we could be of use to each other, especially with the alchemy you know." Ed stiffened, but before he could respond, Professor McGonagall returned and both Ling and Ranfan had melted away into the back of the crowd of first years. Professor McGonagall clapped her hands.

"Form a line now and follow me," she commanded, striding out of the room and into the Great Hall. The sight of the Great Hall drove Ling's words out of Ed's mind for the moment. Thousands of gleaming candles floated in midair, illuminating the hundreds of students sitting at the four long tables. Ed craned his head upwards to look at the star-studded ceiling. He knew it was enchanted, but it was still amazing.

"There's ghosts," the student behind him whispered, drawing his attention back down to the tables, where he could now make out the silvery shapes of people scattered throughout the four tables.

Professor McGonagall led the first years up to what had to be the teacher's table and lined them up so they were facing the other students. Ed could see Mustang and his friends scattered throughout three of the four tables. Mustang himself was sitting at the far left table next to Hawkeye and Havoc looking bored. He smirked when he caught Ed's eye; although the effect was slightly ruined by Hawkeye elbowing him in the ribs. Ed scowled and turned his attention to McGonagall who had placed a stool in front of the first years. She then pulled out an extremely old, pointed wizard's hat, placed it on the stool, and stepped back. An expectant silence fell over the whole room as everyone stared at the hat. The hat seemed to shake itself off. Then a rip in the brim opened and the hat began to sing:

"It's been a while and so I say

Welcome to you all

I'm glad to see each one of you

Here in this Great Hall.

Faces come and go here

While I alone remain

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

Of great renown and fame.

You may think me old and tattered

But your thoughts I'll clearly see

To do my job to sort and gather

I wonder what House you'll be?

Perhaps in brave old Gryffindor

Where courageous deeds are praised

Those who when the time is right

Stand steadfast and unafraid.

Or maybe in wise Ravenclaw

You'll find your talents drawn

With intellect of great renown

Their clever mind's their pawn.

Or yet in gentle Hufflepuff

You'll find what it is you seek

Just and loyal, unafraid of toil

They're anything but weak.

Or last, but not least, sly Slytherin

Where cunning minds prevail.

Ambition is their greatest gift

To achieve their ends without fail.

So hurry up and put me on

I've got a job to do.

I'll tell you right where you belong

Without too much ado."

As the song ended, the hat bowed to each of the four tables as everyone burst into applause. As the applause died down, the hat became quite still once again, and McGonagall stepped forward with a roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, please step forward, sit on the stool, and place the hat on your head to be sorted," she ordered and began calling names in alphabetical order off the list. "Brosh, Denny!"

A boy with sandy blond hair stepped out of line nervously and walked up to the stool. He put on the overlarge hat and sat down.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted after a long pause. The table slightly to the right burst into cheers and applause as Denny went to go sit at the Hufflepuff table, where he was swept up in a giant hug by an older boy who had for some reason removed his shirt and was surrounded by sparkles.

They both sat down and the Sorting went on, although Ed noticed that the hat didn't always take the same amount of time to decide a person's house. Some students, it mulled over for quite some time, while others, it barely had to touch their head. Soon enough, "Elric, Edward!" was called, and he walked up to the stool and placed the hat on his head, ignoring the nervous feeling in his stomach. Everything went dark as the hat fell over his eyes.

"You're an interesting one," a small voice whispered in his ear after a few moments. "I'm not really sure what to do with you. An alchemical genius with courage to spare, a cynical sense of justice, and a great thirst to prove yourself. Hmm… What am I going to do with you?" The hat fell silent.

"Will you just get on with it?" Ed thought after a few moments, beginning to sweat under the heavy hat.

"Ah, of course, forgive me," the hat chimed in. "When you're as old as I am, you forget how impatient young people are. Let's see… You would do well in Ravenclaw. You've definitely got the mind for it. That courage of yours would flourish in Gryffindor though, and a good mind is not unappreciated there either. Then there's Slytherin. You definitely have the cunning and resourcefulness to fit in there. Or there's Hufflepuff where your sense of loyalty and justice would serve you well. And if you're looking for something, that's the house to be in. Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders."

"What the hell is a Hufflepuff?" Ed thought irritably, wanting to get this over with. He could hear the crowd starting to murmur outside.

"I suppose I should put you somewhere where that temper of yours won't do too much damage," the hat continued. "Then again…" Ed sighed as he waited for the hat to go into another lengthy discussion.

Instead, he was startled when the hat shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"After all," the hat reasoned before Ed pulled it off his head. "Your favorite color is red." Ed scowled and removed the hat.

"Great," he muttered to himself as the table on the farthest left broke into applause. He sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table next to a pale girl with short black hair. Havoc flashed him a thumbs up before he turned his attention to the rest of the ceremony.

"Fu, Ranfan" was called next and was made a Gryffindor without too much thought on the hat's part. She came and sat down across from Ed, only acknowledging his presence with a flick of her eyes before focusing on the rest of the sorting. Ed noticed that she appeared more and more uncomfortable as Professor McGonagall went down the list. Finally, "Yao, Ling" was called, and Ed watched with interest. The hat took almost as long to decide his house as it had Ed's, but eventually the hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!" and the sorting was done.

A/N: To Kiminaru, yes I will put Ling in the story, and to everyone else, thank you for reading!