FMA/HP: Transitions
Oct. 7th, 2005 08:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bard_linnTitle: Transitions
Summary: Time changes everything. Magic and war change people even more so.
Forstickmarionette's birthday, a fic set in her Fading Footsteps's universe.
I didn't manage to get the gun in here, but got quite a lot else! Longest fic I've written in a while. :)
PG, Gen
Betas:zalia and kytyngurl2
Oh and Stick, let me know if anything needs to be changed, k?
Transitions
It didn't hit him all at once, in a great flash of inspiration. Instead it weighed heavily on his mind, lurking in the corners of his consciousness until one day it was too strong for him to deny anymore.
He was never going to get home.
Edward Elric slammed the book in front of him shut, suddenly angry. This world’s science was so primitive compared to his own in so many ways. How could it possibly take him back across the Gate, a feat that had seemed impossible, even in his own world? The Gate was a thing of alchemy, and yet in this world Alchemy did not exist.
The blond reached for his coat, replaced the books back on their shelves, and stomped out the door. There was only one thing to do in a situation like this.
Get really, really drunk.
The pub was a small one, tucked in between two other shops, looking almost squashed to Ed’s eyes. The young man entered the building with a sigh, placing his order with the man behind the counter and stubbornly ignoring the rest of the clientele. They certainly looked a great deal stranger than most people he had seen in this country.
Then again, just about everything in this world looked strange to his eyes.
Grabbing his glass, Ed found himself a seat as a family left for the back exit of the pub. He sat down with a mental sigh, only to find himself perched on a pile of books. ‘They must have left them here.’ The alchemist grabbed the books and hurried after the family, moving through the crowded pub towards the back. “Hey wait, you left your books!” Ed cried as he burst out the back door.
Only to see a rather large wall.
“What in the world?” He glanced from side to side, unable to spot the family anywhere. Ed glanced back down at the pile of books in his hand and read the title. “Standard Book of Spells?!” Surely his eyes had to be fooling him.
“Hurry now, Alex, we don’t have time to waste. Go get your school books. We need to meet your father in twenty minutes.”
Edward snapped his head up and felt his eyes widen in shock. Only instinct kept the books from falling from his hands.
The wall was opening in front of him!
Or at least that was the best way the blond could describe it.
“Oh, thank you dear!” The mother smiled at him. “I take it you found my grandson’s books.” Ed handed them over, hands feeling strangely numb. “Were you going to Diagon Alley?”
“Um…”
“Follow us through why don’t you.” Ed nodded and followed the pair back through the wall, stiffening as the stone reformed behind him. “This your first time to Diagon Alley? Of course it is, there’s no way you’d look so confused otherwise! Where are you from?”
“Germany.” It had been frightening how close Ed had nearly blurted out “Risenbourg” instead.
“Well, you are rather far away from home then.” She had no idea. “What are you looking for? Maybe I can help point you in the right direction”
“A library. Or a bookstore.” Elric rule number one: when in doubt, consult a book.
“Well then, Flourish and Blotts is just the place for you. You come with me and I’ll make sure you get there okay.” A flash of a smile. “Angela Thomas.”
“Edward Elric.”
“Very pleased to meet you, Edward. This is my grandson, Alexander. Let us know if you need any help during your visit, alright?”
And it was in this fashion that Edward Elric first encountered the Magical World.
~.~.~.~.~.
The irony of the situation hadn’t been lost on him.
He had been visiting Beauxbatons, looking through the books in the school’s library for a clue to get himself home. Surely with all that magic could do (and it could do quite a bit, he had discovered to his shock), a little thing like traveling between dimensions should be easy!
Unfortunately magic was just as complicated - if not more! - than alchemy, leaving him struggling through piles upon piles of manuscripts, looking for the key to return himself home. Even then, he still had to learn so much. Magic required as much practice as alchemy had and he had come to the discipline late.
Edward had been outside minding his own business when it had happened. A group of the upper-year students, practicing group spell casting, had been working on erecting a rather large (and in his own opinion, hideous) statue, combining charms with transmutation when something had gone horribly wrong. The statue began growing abnormally fast and started to crack. Ed hadn’t even thought, merely reacted on instinct, and brought his hands together. He felt the reaction building, slammed his hands to the ground and allowed the blue light to flow over the grass and up into the statue. The hideous creation trembled for a moment, then collapsed downward, safely merging with the ground.
The next few moments were filled with chaos as teachers ran over to the scene, kneeling by the bodies of fallen students. Ed attempted to stand, only to nearly fall over. ‘Too much at once after too long a break. Ow, that hurts.’
“Mr. Elric?” Ed’s gold eyes flickered up to the witch standing over him. “Do you need assistance?”
“No, I’ll be fine.” The alchemist successfully struggled to his feet. “The others?”
The teacher looked grim. “We had three casualties.” Ed froze. “They apparently were drained completely from the spell they attempted. The others are all suffering from magical exhaustion.”
Edward nodded and said something. The witch gave him one last look and then hurried back over to the others, helping students into the hospital wing. And contacting the parents of those who wouldn’t need to be moved. Ed remained frozen to the spot, only able to think of one thing.
Alchemy was powered by death.
~.~.~.~.~.
Later he discovered that he had managed to tap into the magical reservoirs and use that as an energy source instead of the Gate. Still, he had to be careful. Only in places rich with magical power could he dare to attempt alchemy. He honestly didn’t know if he had killed the students or if their own actions had caused their deaths.
He couldn’t sleep well at night in any case.
Edward continued to travel, continued to research, grew more and more depressed as time went by. It was hard to watch others in this world. It was so much darker and more tainted than his own. The magical population seemed even worse with their anti-Muggle stance and their more than slightly questionable methods of keeping their existence a secret.
He wanted to hide. He wanted to never to go out. More than once in this world he found himself trusting someone only to be betrayed later. War was a constant companion and it showed in people’s actions. They were less kind, less forgiving. Less loving. It even showed in places like Beauxbatons, a school of all places! The terms “casualty” and “wounded” were far too common on people’s lips. No place had remained untouched.
It seemed like an age before what happened next. What happened would eventually lead him to the knowledge that he needed to return home.
~.~.~.~.~.
It was odd how hope could come in such an ordinary package.
He had been eating breakfast at the Leaky Caldron, the very pub that had marked his entrance into the wizarding world a few years ago. Now he understood why it was so crowded all of the time. It marked the main entrance between Diagon Alley and the Muggle world, and was possibly one of the most important pubs in all of wizard history.
An owl dropped down in front of him. Edward paid it and retrieved the paper it had left. The Daily Prophet was a long way from being totally truthful, but it was the only source for information still running. And there was truth there if you looked closely enough in between the lines.
Edward breezed through the first few pages as he finished the rest of his meal. It wasn’t until the third page that he noticed the ad.
Hogwarts Looking For Upper Level Alchemy Teacher
Edward had heard of Hogwarts of course. After he became rather knowledgeable about spell crafting and wizard alchemy, many of his clients had remarked upon the fact that surely he had done well at Hogwarts. What house had he been in? Ed had always said the same thing. No, he hadn’t attended Hogwarts. No, he didn’t know why he hadn’t gotten a letter. Perhaps they had missed him? At this they always insisted that Owl Mail never missed its target and surely he would have gotten his letter! And if not, well, Hogwarts would send another letter.
Ed hadn’t mentioned that he thought even the infamous Owl Mail would have difficulties delivering to another world. If they hadn’t, he would have mailed himself home a long time ago!
Still, the Alchemist reflected as he folded the paper, this might be just what he was looking for. The castle was known for having possibly the best library in the world; it was certainly better than anything open to the public and after a thousand years, held more volumes than any personal collection. If any place held the secret to passing between worlds, it would.
With a slight smirk on his face, Edward pulled out a roll of parchment and began his resume.
Summary: Time changes everything. Magic and war change people even more so.
For
stickmarionette's birthday, a fic set in her Fading Footsteps's universe.I didn't manage to get the gun in here, but got quite a lot else! Longest fic I've written in a while. :)
PG, Gen
Betas:
zalia and kytyngurl2Oh and Stick, let me know if anything needs to be changed, k?
Transitions
It didn't hit him all at once, in a great flash of inspiration. Instead it weighed heavily on his mind, lurking in the corners of his consciousness until one day it was too strong for him to deny anymore.
He was never going to get home.
Edward Elric slammed the book in front of him shut, suddenly angry. This world’s science was so primitive compared to his own in so many ways. How could it possibly take him back across the Gate, a feat that had seemed impossible, even in his own world? The Gate was a thing of alchemy, and yet in this world Alchemy did not exist.
The blond reached for his coat, replaced the books back on their shelves, and stomped out the door. There was only one thing to do in a situation like this.
Get really, really drunk.
The pub was a small one, tucked in between two other shops, looking almost squashed to Ed’s eyes. The young man entered the building with a sigh, placing his order with the man behind the counter and stubbornly ignoring the rest of the clientele. They certainly looked a great deal stranger than most people he had seen in this country.
Then again, just about everything in this world looked strange to his eyes.
Grabbing his glass, Ed found himself a seat as a family left for the back exit of the pub. He sat down with a mental sigh, only to find himself perched on a pile of books. ‘They must have left them here.’ The alchemist grabbed the books and hurried after the family, moving through the crowded pub towards the back. “Hey wait, you left your books!” Ed cried as he burst out the back door.
Only to see a rather large wall.
“What in the world?” He glanced from side to side, unable to spot the family anywhere. Ed glanced back down at the pile of books in his hand and read the title. “Standard Book of Spells?!” Surely his eyes had to be fooling him.
“Hurry now, Alex, we don’t have time to waste. Go get your school books. We need to meet your father in twenty minutes.”
Edward snapped his head up and felt his eyes widen in shock. Only instinct kept the books from falling from his hands.
The wall was opening in front of him!
Or at least that was the best way the blond could describe it.
“Oh, thank you dear!” The mother smiled at him. “I take it you found my grandson’s books.” Ed handed them over, hands feeling strangely numb. “Were you going to Diagon Alley?”
“Um…”
“Follow us through why don’t you.” Ed nodded and followed the pair back through the wall, stiffening as the stone reformed behind him. “This your first time to Diagon Alley? Of course it is, there’s no way you’d look so confused otherwise! Where are you from?”
“Germany.” It had been frightening how close Ed had nearly blurted out “Risenbourg” instead.
“Well, you are rather far away from home then.” She had no idea. “What are you looking for? Maybe I can help point you in the right direction”
“A library. Or a bookstore.” Elric rule number one: when in doubt, consult a book.
“Well then, Flourish and Blotts is just the place for you. You come with me and I’ll make sure you get there okay.” A flash of a smile. “Angela Thomas.”
“Edward Elric.”
“Very pleased to meet you, Edward. This is my grandson, Alexander. Let us know if you need any help during your visit, alright?”
And it was in this fashion that Edward Elric first encountered the Magical World.
~.~.~.~.~.
The irony of the situation hadn’t been lost on him.
He had been visiting Beauxbatons, looking through the books in the school’s library for a clue to get himself home. Surely with all that magic could do (and it could do quite a bit, he had discovered to his shock), a little thing like traveling between dimensions should be easy!
Unfortunately magic was just as complicated - if not more! - than alchemy, leaving him struggling through piles upon piles of manuscripts, looking for the key to return himself home. Even then, he still had to learn so much. Magic required as much practice as alchemy had and he had come to the discipline late.
Edward had been outside minding his own business when it had happened. A group of the upper-year students, practicing group spell casting, had been working on erecting a rather large (and in his own opinion, hideous) statue, combining charms with transmutation when something had gone horribly wrong. The statue began growing abnormally fast and started to crack. Ed hadn’t even thought, merely reacted on instinct, and brought his hands together. He felt the reaction building, slammed his hands to the ground and allowed the blue light to flow over the grass and up into the statue. The hideous creation trembled for a moment, then collapsed downward, safely merging with the ground.
The next few moments were filled with chaos as teachers ran over to the scene, kneeling by the bodies of fallen students. Ed attempted to stand, only to nearly fall over. ‘Too much at once after too long a break. Ow, that hurts.’
“Mr. Elric?” Ed’s gold eyes flickered up to the witch standing over him. “Do you need assistance?”
“No, I’ll be fine.” The alchemist successfully struggled to his feet. “The others?”
The teacher looked grim. “We had three casualties.” Ed froze. “They apparently were drained completely from the spell they attempted. The others are all suffering from magical exhaustion.”
Edward nodded and said something. The witch gave him one last look and then hurried back over to the others, helping students into the hospital wing. And contacting the parents of those who wouldn’t need to be moved. Ed remained frozen to the spot, only able to think of one thing.
Alchemy was powered by death.
~.~.~.~.~.
Later he discovered that he had managed to tap into the magical reservoirs and use that as an energy source instead of the Gate. Still, he had to be careful. Only in places rich with magical power could he dare to attempt alchemy. He honestly didn’t know if he had killed the students or if their own actions had caused their deaths.
He couldn’t sleep well at night in any case.
Edward continued to travel, continued to research, grew more and more depressed as time went by. It was hard to watch others in this world. It was so much darker and more tainted than his own. The magical population seemed even worse with their anti-Muggle stance and their more than slightly questionable methods of keeping their existence a secret.
He wanted to hide. He wanted to never to go out. More than once in this world he found himself trusting someone only to be betrayed later. War was a constant companion and it showed in people’s actions. They were less kind, less forgiving. Less loving. It even showed in places like Beauxbatons, a school of all places! The terms “casualty” and “wounded” were far too common on people’s lips. No place had remained untouched.
It seemed like an age before what happened next. What happened would eventually lead him to the knowledge that he needed to return home.
~.~.~.~.~.
It was odd how hope could come in such an ordinary package.
He had been eating breakfast at the Leaky Caldron, the very pub that had marked his entrance into the wizarding world a few years ago. Now he understood why it was so crowded all of the time. It marked the main entrance between Diagon Alley and the Muggle world, and was possibly one of the most important pubs in all of wizard history.
An owl dropped down in front of him. Edward paid it and retrieved the paper it had left. The Daily Prophet was a long way from being totally truthful, but it was the only source for information still running. And there was truth there if you looked closely enough in between the lines.
Edward breezed through the first few pages as he finished the rest of his meal. It wasn’t until the third page that he noticed the ad.
Edward had heard of Hogwarts of course. After he became rather knowledgeable about spell crafting and wizard alchemy, many of his clients had remarked upon the fact that surely he had done well at Hogwarts. What house had he been in? Ed had always said the same thing. No, he hadn’t attended Hogwarts. No, he didn’t know why he hadn’t gotten a letter. Perhaps they had missed him? At this they always insisted that Owl Mail never missed its target and surely he would have gotten his letter! And if not, well, Hogwarts would send another letter.
Ed hadn’t mentioned that he thought even the infamous Owl Mail would have difficulties delivering to another world. If they hadn’t, he would have mailed himself home a long time ago!
Still, the Alchemist reflected as he folded the paper, this might be just what he was looking for. The castle was known for having possibly the best library in the world; it was certainly better than anything open to the public and after a thousand years, held more volumes than any personal collection. If any place held the secret to passing between worlds, it would.
With a slight smirk on his face, Edward pulled out a roll of parchment and began his resume.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:20 pm (UTC)*snuggles the story*
Psst. Second word in the story should be "didn't" not "did." *wink wink nudge nudge*
no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:40 pm (UTC)*shoots self and fixed*
no subject
Date: 2005-10-08 02:58 am (UTC)The details you put in are brilliant - about the war, people being cynical, the Prophet...and I love the Beauxbatons segment. It seems fitting, somehow, even the casualties.
Ed thinking of mailing himself home by owl made me giggle madly (and wonder if he ever tried sending a letter by owl to Al, just to see what would happen).
This fits in so nicely in between the bits I wrote and gah I'm incoherent with love for it. You rule XD
no subject
Date: 2005-10-08 10:23 pm (UTC)Albus Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the owl that had just landed in front of Professor Elric. The young man rarely got mail, so the letter was very much of a surprise. What was more, the letter appearted to be in the Alchemist's own handwritting. Who would send a letter to themselves?
Ed merely smiled in that cryptic way of his and tucked the letter addressed to Alphonse Elric into his pocket. It looks like he had been right.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-09 02:24 am (UTC)Inter-Gate Owl Mail! *giggles again, dies*
no subject
Date: 2005-10-08 05:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-08 09:58 pm (UTC)Thank you! ^_______^
no subject
Date: 2005-10-12 09:59 pm (UTC)Much love for for this fic! It's a great setup for the other HP/FMA fics... and you captured cynical!Ed so very well. I like all the little touches, it feels very solid, realistic, and well thought out.
Nicely written, with great flow and IC-ness!
Excellent. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2005-10-12 11:09 pm (UTC)....crap, forgot to mention that. XD;;
I'm glad it came off well! This is my favorite thing I've written lately. ^__^