A/N: So this is my new story and assuming that you read the summary and were also in the crossover section archive then you know that this is a FMA/HP crossover fic. Hmm…what else should I make note of- ah yes! The FMA shall be mangaverse and the HP is bookverse. This story is Ed/Win because I like that pairing and it is also canon- YAY CANON! However you won't really see much of it, so if you don't like it you could probably pretend that Ed is involved with someone of your choosing and it wouldn't make much difference. In fact there will not be much romance on the whole, beyond mentions of pairings and whatnot, so yaoiphobic have no fear because you will not find that here! Not that you would anyway, as all of the pairings are canon. The HP part will be taking place in the fifth book, which appears to be a requirement for writing an FMA/HP crossover. Also this does not strictly follow canon either, as it made me sad to think that Ed would not have alchemy, so endings have been changed to suit my needs. Alright, now that I've made the few who actually read this rambling paragraph regret clicking this, it's time for the story!

DISCLAIMER: Okay, I lied it's actually time for a disclaimer. Anything that you recognize from FMA and HP I do not own. Now it really is time to read, I swear.

Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

Our story begins within the confines of the rolling green hills of Resembool, Amestris. Located on the far east side of the aforementioned circular nation, Resembool is a sleepy little village, made up of hard-working farmers and their merry pink-cheeked wives. Their main export is wool; a fact that they show off proudly every year at the annual Sheep Festival in the spring and the only sounds that ever broke through the lush verdant fields was the baaing of sheep and echoes of children's laughter.

However, this little town had been gaining in notoriety over the past decade and attracted more and more visitors all of the time. You see there were rumors that this backwoods village housed the one and only "Hero of the People"; Edward Elric, a.k.a the Fullmetal Alchemist.

Of course all of that was in the past. The former Major was just that; former. He had retired directly after completing the task that he was most famous for. From there, he and his younger brother, Alphonse Elric, had returned to that tiny town nestled safe in the mountains and there had not been much news of them since beyond the occasional rumors of the younger brother being abroad in Xing.

Fifteen years had passed in that time, and the lack of news regarding their country's great hero had only fueled the citizen's curiosity about the boy- no, man, he was nearly thirty now, wasn't he?

It was only natural that many young men and women, growing up with the tales of the great Elric Brothers would often find themselves at the Elric's weather-beaten front door begging to be taken on as an apprentice. It was also natural that not a one of them had been accepted. Those that were lucky would merely have said door slammed in their face, the more persistent ones found themselves being chased from the property by a series of spikes erupting from the ground around their feet.

Edward Elric did not much care for his growing legend, nor did he enjoy the frequent requests that he become a teacher, and the even more hated requests to view his automail. His wife Winry, who was also his mechanic, was one of a very small number of people who would be obliged in that department. Little did these fans know, if they had looked through the thick glass windows of the Elric's master bedroom at this very moment, they would have gotten a perfect view of the man's legendary steel limbs.

Uncovered and glinting in the mid-morning sun streaming through the half-open windows, the metallic arm was one of the few things that could be seen of the man huddled beneath the floral patterned covers. Long, golden-blonde hair fanned out over the pillows, with a good portion of it covering his face. Sleeping as soundly as the dead, there had been no movement from the form for hours, in fact, if not for the rise and fall of the blankets and sound of soft breathing it would have been difficult to tell the difference.

At long last, breaking his streak of inactivity there was movement. Poking out through the curtain of hair, the tip of his nose was twitching. With a suddenness that would have been startling had anyone actually been in the room to see it, the man sat up. His large golden eyes were glazed over as he mumbled softly to himself, "Bacon…"

He promptly sprung from the bed in an explosion of covers and groaning bed springs and out into the dimly lit hall. Following his nose with the accuracy of a bloodhound, Elric found himself standing behind the long-blond haired maiden that was his wife, Winry. The woman was flipping the half-cooked strips of meat in a black iron skillet and she sighed as she sensed her husband's presence. He knew she hated it when he did this, but he couldn't help but want to rile her up.

He also knew that she had been up all night crafting automail for a man who had lost both legs in a railroad related accident and she was dead on her feet. In fact, she was still dressed in her work apron; wrenches and screwdrivers peeking out of the pockets. She had still not been to bed yet but she was still willing to make breakfast for the children…his wife was an absolute saint.

Winry flipped her platinum blonde tresses over her shoulder, without a care as to the hazards of long hair in close-range of hot stovetops, and turned her narrowed blue gaze on her husband snapping, "Edward, standing over my shoulder and watching me cook will not make it ready any faster- go sit down!"

Ed did as he was requested but not without a certain amount of grumbling. "Can't a man appreciate his wife's cooking anymore? Don't know why you have to be such a bitch…" he grouched under his breath.

He heard a snigger coming from across the table and met eyes with his eldest, Eli. The boy's shaggy hair, as golden as his father's, hung in his face as the eleven year-old choked down his laughter. The older he got, the more the kid seemed to enjoy watching his mother exercise her control over his willful father. Unfortunately for him, this led to actual choking (on air) and he made a huge racket as he coughed and sputtered.

"Oh shut up, Ewe, you're so noisy!" scolded the youngest Elric, Amanda. Her platinum blonde pigtails whipping to the side as she turned to face her brother in wait of the reaction. She smirked victoriously at the sight of Eli's face growing even redder, this time with rage, as he fought for air to scream with.

Ed rolled his eyes; his eight year-old daughter had been spending far too much time around that bastard Mustang, or as he liked them to call him, "Uncle Roy". The man was now entering his fifties and had been fuhrer for nearly a decade now, but to Ed he would always be Colonel Bastard.

Finally managing to get enough air to formulate words, Eli yelled "DON'T-cough-CALL ME THAT!" While Eli was normally a fairly even-tempered boy, there was one word that would set the child off every time without fail; ewe. A mere mention of the word was enough to set the boy into a frenzy, much to the amusement of those around him.

Ed blamed Winry for this; why on earth she had thought that naming their son Elias Wilhelm Elric was a good idea he'd never know. It had not taken long in the sheep-filled town of Resembool for the people to notice that the boy's initials spelt out "ewe". Adults and children alike found great joy in making sheep jokes at the poor boy, who would respond with such a violent reaction that it only further encouraged them to do it again.

By the time Eli's breathing had returned to normal, Winry had set breakfast on the table with a clang, before announcing that she was too tired to eat and that she was going to bed.

As the door to the bedroom slammed closed, the three remaining Elrics dug in with gusto, and it was not long before the plates had been completely cleared of their contents. Patting his belly, Ed leant back into a stretch and wondered what kind of trouble Al was getting into at the moment. Unlike his younger brother, as the years wore on he had been having less adventures and more time at home helping raise his family.

He had no one to blame but himself for that one, it had been his decision to stay at home when the offers had come and tantalizing tales of knowledge, fortune, and danger had reached his ears. As much as he yearned for the thrill of the fight and the rush one got from solving the unsolvable, he was determined to be there for his kids.

He would not do as Hohenheim had done, leaving his family alone to fend for themselves while he went about curing the world's problems, lost in angst over being a self-proclaimed 'monster'.

Ed had by-and-large forgiven his father for his misdeeds, knowing that Hohenheim had had good intentions and that he had truly loved him and Alphonse, as well as their mother. But couldn't the man have dropped in from time to time, checking on them to see if they were alright? Prove to his children that he did indeed care what happened to them and made their world that little bit less lonely?

Ed knew without a doubt, had his father been around more, he and Al would have not been as tempted to commit the taboo. Never would they have had to go through so much pain and put themselves and everyone they knew in so much danger…

He shook himself from his gloomy thoughts, that was all in the past now, after all. There was no use in worrying about it, his father had been long dead and Ed had done everything he could to give his children what his father had not.

For one, he had taught his children how to fight just as Teacher had taught him and Al. No way were his kids going to grow up not knowing how to defend themselves from the dangers of the world; he taught them hand-to-hand, how to dodge, and basic weaponry. The kids were naturals, a fact that Ed took great pride in. It also helped him keep himself in shape. He always worried that whenever Al came back from his amazing journeys that he would want to spar and Ed would be flabby. To keep that from happening and to make sure the children were getting their lessons, Ed and his kids could often be found sparring in the backyard.

He had also taken the time to pass on to them his considerable knowledge of alchemy. Amanda had nurtured a love and skill for alchemy just as he and Alphonse had in their youth, the golden orbs of her Xerxesian ancestors filled with excitement at each new success. But Eli, in sharp contrast to his sister, had never really taken to the subject. He could do a few very basic transmutations but nothing too impressive.

Around the time it became clear that alchemy was not Eli's hobby of choice, Winry had taken him under her wing, hoping that she would find a helper and fellow automail enthusiast. To Winry's disappointment this was not to be and after several nights of gazing into her son's glazed over eyes as she explained the intricacies of the artificial limbs she gave it up.

Lost in his own thoughts, Ed's wandering mind was swiftly brought back to Earth by a sharp snap in front of his face. In his haste to escape the flames he knew were soon to engulf him, he transmuted the table into a make-shift wall, sending plates and half-filled glasses of orange juice (there would be no milk on Edward Elric's table!) crashing to the floor. This evoked a scream out of Amanda and hurried apologies from Eli, the actual source of the snapping; he had forgotten his father's sensitivity to the distinctive sound.

The noise had been loud enough to wake the angry bear, that is Winry, and she ran out to investigate, still mussed from sleep. Ed found himself glad that he had the safety of his table-wall to protect him from the onslaught of Winry's sleep-deprived fury. After a minute of screeching that encompassed Ed's bad parenting to the children's inability to be quiet for even an hour, the three blondes were thrown out the front door and told at wrench-point to not return until dinner-time.

Ed grumbled to himself as he looked down at his own appearance. "You could have at least given me the time to change out of my pajamas…"

He sighed and alchemically modified his clothing to look a bit more presentable. He only succeeded in making them look a bit like fitness clothing, but at least they were no longer a wife-beater and boxers. Tying his hair back into a long ponytail, he turned to his children.

Amanda was carving an array into the dirt with a stick, while Eli was attempting to walk on his hands. Resisting the urge to facepalm, Ed cleared his throat. "Looks like we won't be going back inside for a while, why don't we get in some practice, hmm?"

He got his answer, when Eli sprang from his handstand into a flying kick aimed directly at Ed's head. Amanda pressed the tips of her small fingers to the array she had been working and a long staff emerged; apparently she had known that a sparring lesson was imminent. She charged into the fray, joining her brother in his attempts to beat their father into submission. Neither of them had ever won against him, but who knew? Perhaps today was the day. They carried on like this for a few hours, taking breaks occasionally when they got too tired.

Eventually they had had enough and they wandered down to the stream to cool off by the water. Throwing off their socks and shoes, they flopped down at the edge and let the rushing water wash over their aching feet. The afternoon sun bathed them in golden light and the tall grass rustled in the gentle breeze.

The three blondes had lapsed into silence as they enjoyed the summer scene. The quiet was later broken by Amanda.

"Hey Dad, what's this?" she asked. Without his notice, his daughter had waded further into the stream. She was pointing at something in the water. "It almost looks like…" she trailed off her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

The eldest Elric splashed over to where she was and following her finger, he spotted what appeared to be a fiery red stone nestled amongst the rocks. "A Philosopher's Stone…" he breathed.

Eli had come over as well, and with a soft noise of wonder, he reached in and grabbed it. He held it out in his palm, where it sparkled in the sunlight. The Elrics gathered round and gazed in awe at the bright, translucent stone.

Ed could already see that it was different from any of the Philosopher's Stones that he had seen. In fact the color was a bit off; it was more of a orange-red than the ruby normally associated with the legendary stone.

Reaching out to take the gem, Ed thought aloud "Maybe we should take this home and-" he suddenly cut off as the stone flashed a pure blinding white, the likes of which he had not seen since the Gate. His first instinct was to drop it, but he found he could not let go, and he saw his son was facing a similar problem.

"Dad, what's happening?" Eli cried out, terror written all over his face. The light was snaking up their arms now and Amanda rushed forward as if to knock it from their hands.

"NO! AMANDA STOP, DON'T TOUCH IT!" Edward screamed his eyes wide with panic, he and Eli were already trapped, they didn't need to get Amanda sucked in too. The girl stopped short, unsure of what exactly she could do to stop the events unfolding in front of her. "Don't move! I'm getting help!" she cried as she turned heel and bolted. As she faded from sight, her platinum blonde pigtails flying out behind, the two Elric men were lost to the blank whiteness.

A/N: So whatcha think? Let me know your thoughts, good bad and ugly. The only way I can improve, or even know that someone cares enough for me to continue posting, is with feedback. :)