Chapter Text
After four hours of endless questions and conversation without purpose, the train finally came to a halt. The sun had already started to set, so that the sky was a warm but fading orange and one could practically watch it get progressively darker every second. The second they weren’t in motion anymore, Ed was already standing at the compartment door, ready to leave. The twins were still struggling to get their trunks out of the little space they had put them in.
Ed was not about to help them, he didn´t even think of it. Those two had made him question all his life choices in half an hour of talking, and he´d had to question some twice, because there was still time left. He was not even about to wait for them, because waiting was a thing one did for friends, people one respected and people who paid you. They were, to put it mildly, none of that.
Ed left and started to look for the carriages Truth had told him about. They had smiled at him, a toothy big grin, and said
“Carriages without horses, little Alchemist. You can´t miss them”
So there Ed was, looking for carriages without horses. What was his life.
The problem was, though, that there were no horseless ways of transportation around except walking and the fifty boats at the lake where all the little kids were standing. Which would be the last place where Ed would go, was clear. The only carriages there were, were being held by horses. Rather unsettling horses, to be honest, with rotten skin falling of the skeleton ribcages and a feeling of death looming over them, but horses nonetheless.
As Ed was standing there, without a plan, he noticed with upcoming dread that Fred and George were making their way towards where he was, chatting loudly. They had to have seen him already seeing that Ed could hear their footsteps coming closer every second and that they were obviously walking towards him. Truth, why? Social interactions were hell, and Ed had had more of it in the last four hours than in the last four years. Pointless chatter, for Truth’s sake! That was worse than that six-hour briefing on the new gun models that the Colonel hat forced him to go to three years ago. And that had been close to torture.
And he was being tapped on the shoulder, great. It was very hard not to succumb to the reflex called anyone invading my personal space without consent gets whacked in the face, but Ed managed.
“Hey Ed! Thanks for waiting.”
That was Fred.
“How are you getting into the castle? Boat or carriage?”
And there was George.
Ed turned around. He might as well flee after getting told where the carriages were.
“I’m looking for the carriages. I was told they work without horses, but I can’t find them.”
George frowned. “Mate, they’re right there. You’re telling me you overlooked that?”
He gestured towards the creepy horses that were as visible as they were unsettling. Ed frowned.
“There are horses, though. I mean, they’re ugly ones, but what else would they be?”
The twins exchanged an odd look.
“There’s no horses there, Ed.”, said Fred.
“There are though, just look at them.”
“There aren’t.”
Ed was beginning to feel slightly irritated, to put it mildly.
“I know you certainly find this very amusing, but I really just want to find a carriage and sit down. I don’t want to deal with the prank the foreigner thing that you’re planning, but I want you to stop it. Right. Now.”
His eyes were glistening with anger, and the twins were looking kind of worried.
“We’re not joking, though, honest!”, said Fred. “I promise you, I have never seen a horse even near those carriages.”
“Well, I see them.”
“We gathered that.”
There was a silence that was way too long and too uncomfortable for Eds liking, but nobody seemed able to fill it. It was a very awkward silence. This was tiring.
“…Does it really matter weather there are horses or not?”, asked Ed, in hopes of making the two stop staring at him and especially stop them from giving each other meaningful glances Ed couldn’t decipher.
It worked. Kind of.
The two shrugged.
“Guess it doesn’t matter.”, said George. Fred nodded.
They started to walk towards the carriages. Together. Ugh.
The ride was actually kind of enjoyable, if Ed was being honest. Not because of the (just a little) awkward silence and the very visible creepy horses, but because of the stunning view that Ed could look at.
The castle he was looking at was gigantic and beautiful, and, with the setting sun hitting the stone just right, it looked like it was glowing warmly. The windows were shining, with the inside being illuminated brightly. It was prettier than the Armstrong manor and more impressive than every single historical monument Ed had had the pleasure of destroying.
So that was Hogwarts.
After about fifteen minutes of awkward silence and occasional chatter about everything and nothing, they arrived, and Ed finally got a look up close at the castle. It seemed even bigger now, with its walls looming over Ed and the sun finally setting for good.
When he entered with all the other students, Fred and George beside him, he was lead through corridors and stairs until they arrived at a big door.
An open, big door, leading into an even bigger hall. Ed had never seen a room this gigantic before. Not in the church in Liore, not in central, and least of all in Resembool.
“Its great, isn’t it?”, whispered Fred. Ed nodded absentmindedly. It really was.
It would have felt unsettling if it wasn’t so beautiful. The ceiling was high, making the room seem even gigger than it actually was. The walls were bare, save four coats of arms. Two on the right, two on the left. They were blue, yellow, red and green. They each had their own animal as a black shadow on the top left corner. Ed didn’t look long enough to figure out what animals were being shown, because all the students around him were making their way inside the hall, and, stupid as it was, they were taller than him, which made it very hard to not get swept up in the movement.
Ed knew where he had to go, Truth had told him.
“On the right, there is a door where the Professor for Transfiguration will be standing with the first years to get sorted. You will go to wait with them and wait until your name gets called.”
Easy enough. He could do that.
He started to make his way through the masses of students, aiming to the right. And after what felt like ages, but must have been less than a minute, Ed saw the door, now open and blocked with what must be first years considering their amazement while looking around. He also saw what must be the professor Truth had told him about. She was talking to the children, scolding them for being untidy and reassuring them that they had no reason to be nervous. She looked like she was strict and fair, and Ed respected that.
He walked up to her.
“Excuse me?”, he asked. “I’m the transfer student, Edward Elric. I was told to find a Professor McGonagall, am I correct that I’m in the right place here?”
She looked down at him. “Mister Elric? Yes, you are, please wait here with the other students. We will sort you, too, to figure out which house you will be staying with. Follow the Prefects of that house after the feast, they will show you around.”
A boy started to cry. She smiled at him. “If you’ll excuse me.” He smiled back. “Thank you.”
She made her way towards the boy, and Ed turned back to look at the hall. Now, with most of the students seated, he managed to actually take a good look at it, and he felt his mouth open in shock. The ceiling was gone.
Well, not gone gone, but there was no stone there! At all!
Ed could see the sky above him, dark and full of stars. It was nowhere close to the amount of stars Ed had been able to see in Resembool, but it was astonishing nonetheless. Because they were where the ceiling should be.
First invisible murder horses, now this. What the fuck.
Suddenly all the chatter went still. Everyone was looking at the old man sitting at the front with the teachers. He had to be the Headmaster, Ed figured. Dumbledore, was it?
He was taking out an old hat, and gently placing it on a stool. Then, Professor McGonagall made her way up to the stool, and took a long piece of parchment out of her robe. She began to read.
“Marianne Aarons.”
A nervous girl made her way up to the stool and sat down. Professor McGonagall held up the hat, and placed it on her head. The hall was silent for about thirty seconds, then the hat spoke
“Ravenclaw!”
Truth, you arschloch! They hadn’t told Ed about speaking hats!
The next child was being sent up.
“Hufflepuff!”
The hall was cheering, and Ed was sweating.
“Lukas Edmond.”
“Gryffindor!”
“Edward Elric.”
Fuck, now it was his turn. Ed slowly made his way up to the stool. It was a tiny one, but embarrassingly enough it was very close to fitting him very well. This was going to be the death of him.
He could hear how some students were whispering among each other.
The hat was being placed on his head. It covered his eyes, and the world went black.
Ah, an older one. Haven’t had your sort here for a long time
There was a voice in Eds head. What the heck, Truth. Why wait with dropping that bomb on him? He had to take all his strength to not flinch.
Don’t be surprised. I just need you to let me look in your head for a while.
Fat chance that was going to happen.
The had didn’t seem to care about his protests (and curses) that Ed was throwing his way. It just rummaged through his mind like it was a picture book, and giving his comments to everything he thought stood out.
Another universe? That’s interesting!
Very smart, but not smart enough to follow the basic rules of Alchemy, I guess.
Oh, dead mother. That happens more often than you think.
And would you look at that ambition to bring back the body of the beloved brother.
You’ve got all the qualities, brat.
The hat was an asshole, Ed decided. The hat didn’t really seem to like Ed either, so that seemed to be mutual.
But at least their conversation was ended by the hat shouting
“Slytherin!”
Into the hall, and Professor McGonagall finally taking that piece of shit hat off of his head.
The green table was clapping like crazy, and Ed made his way towards them. He passed Fred and George on his way, and they were looking at him strangely. That was weird. He just waved at them.
Ed sat down at the table and promptly got congratulated from all sides. People were trying to make conversation, and Ed was having none of it. The only thing that kept him from playing deaf, was the fact that the way all those children around him talked was very similar to the politician talk Ed was used to. And politician talk he could do. So he hinted a smile, nodded and answered questions.
He just hoped he’d get something to eat soon.